Methods, devices, and machine-readable media related to the storage of QoE data

Abstract

A method is performed by a wireless device to process Quality of Experience (QoE) data, and the wireless device includes a storage medium. The method includes the steps of: receiving a request from a base station to perform one or more QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting; initiating one or more QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting; and storing the results of one or more QoE measurements in a storage portion of a storage medium allocated for storing the QoE measurements. The storage portion has a set maximum size.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to wireless communication, and in particular to methods, devices, and machine-readable media related to the storage of QoE data. Background Technology

[0002] In general, all terms used herein should be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the relevant technical field unless a different meaning is clearly given or / or implied from the context in which they are used. All references to elements, devices, components, means, steps, etc. should be openly interpreted as referring to at least one instance of elements, devices, components, means, steps, etc., unless explicitly referred otherwise. Steps of any method disclosed herein do not need to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless explicitly described as a step following or preceding another step and / or implied that a step must follow or precede another step. Any feature of any embodiment disclosed herein may be applied to any other embodiment where appropriate. Likewise, any benefit of any embodiment may be applied to any other embodiment, and vice versa. Other purposes, features, and benefits of the appended embodiments will become apparent from the following description.

[0003] The entire architecture of NG-RAN

[0004] NG-RAN (102) consists of a set of gNBs (104) connected to 5GC (106) through an NG interface.

[0005] Note: As specified in 38.300 v 16.4.0, NG-RAN may also be composed of a set of ng-eNBs, and an ng-eNB may be composed of an ng-eNB-CU and one or more ng-eNB-DUs. The ng-eNB-CU and ng-eNB-DU are connected via the W1 interface. The general principles described in this section also apply to ng-eNBs and the W1 interface unless otherwise specifically specified.

[0006] The gNB can support FDD mode, TDD mode, or duplex mode operation.

[0007] gNBs can be interconnected via the Xn interface.

[0008] The gNB (104) may be composed of a gNB-CU (108) and one or more gNB-DUs (110). The gNB-CU (108) and gNB-DU (110) are connected via an F1 interface.

[0009] A single gNB-DU is connected to only one gNB-CU.

[0010] Note: When a network shares multiple cell IDs via broadcast, each cell identity associated with a subset of PLMNs corresponds to a gNB-DU and the gNB-CU to which it is connected; that is, the corresponding gNB-DUs share the same physical layer cell resources.

[0011] Note: For resilience, the gNB-DU can be connected to multiple gNB-CUs by appropriate implementation.

[0012] NG, Xn, and F1 are logical interfaces.

[0013] For NG-RAN, the NG and Xn-C interfaces for a gNB composed of a gNB-CU and a gNB-DU terminate at the gNB-CU. For EN-DC, the S1-U and X2-C interfaces for a gNB composed of a gNB-CU and a gNB-DU terminate at the gNB-CU. The gNB-CU and the connected gNB-DU are identified as gNBs only to other gNBs and 5GCs. Possible deployment scenarios are described in Appendix A.

[0014] Nodes hosting the user plane portion of NR PDCP (e.g., MeNB or SgNB according to bearer split in the case of gNB-CU, gNB-CU-UP, and EN-DC) must perform user inactivity monitoring and additionally notify nodes having C-plane connections toward the core network (e.g., via E1, X2) of inactivity or (re)activation. Nodes hosting NR RLC (e.g., gNB-DU) may perform user inactivity monitoring and additionally notify nodes hosting the control plane, e.g., gNB-CU or gNB-CU-CP, of inactivity or (re)activation.

[0015] UL PDCP settings (i.e., how the UE uses the UL on the support node) are indicated via X2-C (for EN-DC), Xn-C (for NG-RAN), and F1-C. Radio connection interruption / resumption for DL ​​and / or UL is indicated via X2-U (for EN-DC), Xn-U (for NG-RAN), and F1-U.

[0016] NG-RAN is layered into the Wireless Network Layer (RNL) and the Transport Network Layer (TNL).

[0017] The NG-RAN architecture, that is, the NG-RAN logical nodes and the interfaces between them, is defined as part of the RNL.

[0018] For each NG-RAN interface (NG, Xn, F1), the relevant TNL protocol and function are specified. The TNL provides services for user plane transmission and signaling transmission.

[0019] In an NG-Flex configuration, each NG-RAN node is connected to all AMFs in an AMF set within an AMF region that supports at least one slice also supported by the NG-RAN node. AMF sets and AMF regions are defined in 3GPP TS 23.501 v 16.7.0.

[0020] If security protection for control plane and user plane data on the TNL of an NG-RAN interface is to be supported, NDS / IP 3GPP TS 33.501 v 17.0.0 must be applied.

[0021] Complete architecture for the separation of gNB-CU-CP and gNB-CU-UP

[0022] The overall architecture for the separation of gNB-CU-CP and gNB-CU-UP is shown in Fig. 2.

[0023] gNB can be composed of gNB-CU-CP, multiple gNB-CU-UPs, and multiple gNB-DUs.

[0024] gNB-CU-CP is connected to gNB-DU via the F1-C interface.

[0025] gNB-CU-UP is connected to gNB-DU via the F1-U interface.

[0026] gNB-CU-UP is connected to gNB-CU-CP via the E1 interface.

[0027] A single gNB-DU is connected to only one gNB-CU-CP.

[0028] A single gNB-CU-UP is connected to only one gNB-CU-CP.

[0029] Note 1: For resilience, gNB-DU and / or gNB-CU-UP can be connected to multiple gNB-CU-CPs by appropriate implementation.

[0030] A single gNB-DU can be connected to multiple gNB-CU-UPs under the control of the same gNB-CU-CP.

[0031] One gNB-CU-UP can be connected to multiple DUs under the control of the same gNB-CU-CP.

[0032] Note 2: The connection between gNB-CU-UP and gNB-DU is established by gNB-CU-CP using the bearer context management function.

[0033] Note 3: gNB-CU-CP selects the appropriate gNB-CU-UP for the service requested from the UE. For multiple CU-UPs, this belongs to the same security domain as defined in TS 33.210 v 16.4.0.

[0034] Note 4: Data transfer between gNB-CU-UP during an intra-gNB-CU-CP handover within gNB can be supported by Xn-U.

[0035] Measuring the QoE of legacy solutions

[0036] Quality of Experience (QoE) measurements have been specified for LTE and UMTS. The purpose of application layer measurements is to measure the end-user experience when using a specific application. Currently, QoE measurements are supported for streaming services and Mobile Telephone Service for IMS (MTSI) services.

[0037] The solution in LTE and UMTS is similar to the following overall principle. Application layer measurements can be set up at the UE through Quality of Experience Measurement Collection, and QoE measurement result files can be transmitted via RRC signaling. Application layer measurement settings received from the OAM or CN are encapsulated in a transparent container and forwarded to the UE as downlink RRC messages. Application layer measurements received from the UE's upper layer are encapsulated in a transparent container and transmitted to the network as uplink RRC messages. Then, the result container is passed to the Trace Collector Entity (TCE).

[0038] In 3GPP Release 17, a new research topic for NR, "Research on NR QoE Management and Optimization for Various Services," was approved. The purpose of the research topic is to study solutions for QoE measurement in NR. QoE management in NR will not only collect experience parameters for streaming services but will also consider the general performance requirements of various services (e.g., AR / VR and URLLC). Depending on the requirements of the services, the NR research will also include more adaptive QoE management methods that enable network-intensive optimization to satisfy user experiences for various services.

[0039] Measurements can be initiated in a management-based manner, i.e., in a general manner for a group of UEs, for example, from an O&M node toward the RAN, or in a signaling-based manner, i.e., from a CN toward the RAN for a single UE. The configuration of the measurement includes measurement details encapsulated in a container transparent to the RAN.

[0040] When initiated via the core network, the measurement is started toward a specific UE. In the case of LTE, the "TRACE START" S1AP message is used, which carries details regarding the measurement setup to be collected, specifically for the application (in the RAN-transparent "container for application layer measurement setup" IE), and details for reaching the trace collection entity to which the measurement should be transmitted.

[0041] The RAN does not know when a streaming session is in progress at the UE access layer, nor does it know when a measurement is in progress. It is an implementation decision for the RAN to stop the measurement. Typically, this is done when the UE moves out of the measurement area.

[0042] One opportunity provided by legacy solutions is that QoE measurements for the entire session can also be maintained, even during handover situations.

[0043] UTRAN QoE Measurement

[0044] UTRAN - Application Layer Measurement Capability

[0045] According to 3GPP TS 25.331 v 16.1.0, UTRAN can request the UE to report its capabilities (through the "UE Capability Enquiry") as shown in Figure 3.

[0046] The UE can provide capability using the "UE Capability Information" RRC message as illustrated in Fig. 4.

[0047] "UE capability information" messages may include "UE radio access capability" (see excerpt from 3GPP TS 25.331 v 16.1.0 below).

[0048]

[0049] "Measurement Capability" IE may be used by the UE to transmit information related to the capability to perform QoE measurement collection for streaming services and / or MTSI services to the UTRAN. The following is an excerpt of "Measurement Capability" from 3GPP TS 25.331 v 16.1.0.

[0050]

[0051] UTRAN - QoE Measurement Settings - RRC Signaling

[0052] To set up a QoE measurement in the UE, the UTRAN can send a “measure control” RRC message containing “application layer measurement setup”.

[0053] The contents of "Application Layer Measurement Settings" for IE are shown in the table below.

[0054]

[0055] UTRAN - QoE Measurement Report - RRC Signaling

[0056] The UE can send QoE measurement results to the collection object via UTRAN using "measurement report" RRC messages and including "application layer measurement report" IE.

[0057] The UE can also perform a cell update with "Application Layer Measurement Report Available" as the cause to initiate the transmission of application layer measurement reports.

[0058] The signaling wireless bearer RB4 is used for MEASUREMENT REPORT messages that return IE "Application Layer Measurement Report".

[0059] The contents of the "Application Layer Measurement Report" for IE are shown in the table below.

[0060]

[0061] QoE measurement in E-UTRAN

[0062] E-UTRAN - Application Layer Measurement Capability

[0063] In the case of E-UTRAN, UE capability transmission is used to transmit UE radio access capability information from the UE to the E-UTRAN.

[0064] UE-EUTRA-Capability IE is used to transmit UE-EUTRA UE wireless access capability parameters and feature group indicators for essential features to the network.

[0065] In the response message "UECapabilityInformation", the UE may include "UE-EUTRA-Capability" IE. "UE-EUTRA-Capability" IE may include UE-EUTRA-Capability-v1530-IE, which can be used by the UE to indicate whether the UE supports the collection of QoE measurements for streaming services and / or MTSI services, as described in detail in "MeasParameters-v1530" encoded below.

[0066] MeasParameters-v1530 ::= SEQUENCE {

[0067] qoe-MeasReport-r15 ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL;

[0068] qoe-MTSI-MeasReport-r15 ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL;

[0069] ca-IdleModeMeasurements-r15 ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL;

[0070] ca-IdleModeValidityArea-r15 ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL;

[0071] heightMeas-r15 ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL,

[0072] multipleCellsMeasExtension-r15 ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL

[0073] }

[0074]

[0075] E-UTRAN - Application Layer Measurement Report

[0076] The purpose of the “Application Layer Measurement Reporting” procedure described in 3GPP TS 36.331 v 16.3.0 and presented below is to inform the E-UTRAN about application layer measurement reporting.

[0077] A UE capable of reporting application layer measurements in RRC_CONNECTED can initiate the procedure when application layer measurements are configured, that is, when measConfigAppLayer is configured by E-UTRAN.

[0078] When initiating the procedure, the UE must perform the following:

[0079] 1> When application layer measurement is enabled, SRB4 is enabled, and the UE receives application layer measurement report information from the upper layer;

[0080] 2> Set the measReportAppLayerContainer of the MeasReportAppLayer message to the value of the application layer measurement report information;

[0081] 2> Set the serviceType of the MeasReportAppLayer message to the type of application layer measurement reporting information;

[0082] 2> Submit the MeasReportAppLayer message to the lower layer for transmission via SRB4.

[0083] E-UTRAN - QoE Measurement Settings Enable and Disable - RRC Signaling

[0084] The RRCConnectionReconfiguration message is used to reset the UE to enable or disable the UE for application layer measurements. This is signaled in IE as "OtherConfig" within measConfigAppLayer-15.

[0085] The configuration includes a transparent container measConfigAppLayerContainer that specifies QoE measurement settings for the applications of interest, and a serviceType IE indicating the application (or service) for which QoE measurement is configured. Supported services are Streaming and MTSI.

[0086] Details regarding measConfigAppLayer IE are provided below.

[0087] measConfigAppLayer-r15 CHOICE {

[0088] release NULL,

[0089] setup SEQUENCE{

[0090] measConfigAppLayerContainer-r15 OCTET STRING (SIZE(1..1000)),

[0091] serviceType-r15 ENUMERATED {qoe, qoemtsi, spare6, spare5, spare4, spare3, spare2, spare1}

[0092] }

[0093]

[0094] E-UTRAN - QoE Measurement Report - RRC Signaling

[0095] As specified in 3GPP TS 36.331 v 16.3.0, the MeasReportAppLayer RRC message is used by the UE to transmit QoE measurement results of an application (or service) to an E-UTRAN node. The service to which the report is transmitted is indicated by "serviceType" in IE.

[0096] Details regarding the MeasReportAppLayer message transmitted using the signaling radio bearer SRB4 are provided below.

[0097] MeasReportAppLayer message

[0098] -- ASN1START

[0099] MeasReportAppLayer-r15 ::= SEQUENCE {

[0100] criticalExtensions CHOICE {

[0101] measReportAppLayer-r15 MeasReportAppLayer-r15-IEs,

[0102] criticalExtensionsFuture SEQUENCE {}

[0103] }

[0104] }

[0105] MeasReportAppLayer-r15-IEs ::= SEQUENCE {

[0106] measReportAppLayerContainer-r15 OCTET STRING (SIZE(1..8000)) OPTIONAL;

[0107] serviceType-r15 ENUMERATED

[0108] {qoe, qoemtsi,spare6, spare5, spare4, spare3, spare2, spare1} OPTIONAL,

[0109] nonCriticalExtension MeasReportAppLayer-v1590-IEs OPTIONAL

[0110] }

[0111] MeasReportAppLayer-v1590-IEs ::= SEQUENCE {

[0112] lateNonCriticalExtension OCTET STRING OPTIONAL,

[0113] nonCriticalExtension SEQUENCE {} OPTIONAL

[0114] }

[0115] -- ASN1STOP

[0116]

[0117] QoE measurement processing under overloaded RAN conditions

[0118] As part of LTE specification 28.405 v 16.0.0, RAN nodes are allowed to temporarily suspend and resume QoE measurement reporting when an overload situation is observed at the RAN node. This is taken from 28.405 v 16.0.0.

[0119] 4.2.4 Pause and Resume QoE Information Reporting During RAN Overload in LTE

[0120] In the event of RAN overload, the eNB may temporarily stop reporting from the UE by sending an RRCConnectionReconfiguration message[9] to the relevant UE. The RRCConnectionReconfiguration message is otherConfig[9] Set to temporarily pause application layer measurement reporting measConfigAppLayerIt includes. The access stratum sends the +CAPPLEVMC AT command[5] to the application along with a pause request. The application stops reporting and stops recording additional information when the data in the report container is used. Then, the recorded data is retained until it is reported or the UE request session ends.

[0121] When the RAN overload situation ends, the eNB resumes reporting from the UE by sending the RRCConnectionReconfiguration message [9] to the relevant UE. The RRCConnectionReconfiguration message is otherConfig[9] Set to restart application layer measurement reporting measConfigAppLayer It includes. The access layer sends the +CAPPLEVMC AT command[5] to the application along with a restart request. The application resumes reporting and logging if stopped.

[0122] All settings

[0123] As part of the preparation for a handover to the target node, the source node sends the current UE configuration to the target node in a HANDOVER REQUEST message, refer to TS 38.423 v 16.4.0. The target node prepares the target configuration for the UE based on the current configuration and the capabilities of the target node and the UE. The target configuration is sent from the target node to the source node in a HANDOVER REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE and RRCReconfiguration It is passed from to the UE. As a simplified option, the target setting may be provided as a so-called delta setting that represents only the difference from the UE's current setting in the source cell.

[0124] However, if the target node does not recognize something in the UE's current configuration, it is because the target node does not support certain features supported by the source node. In such cases, the target node triggers a full configuration, which means that the UE discards the current configuration and creates a new configuration from scratch. This is further described in Chapter 5.3.5.11 of TS 38.331 v 16.3.1. This also applies if the target node does not support QoE measurements, or if the source node supports a specific type of QoE measurement that the UE is configured to support.

[0125] Currently, specific challenges exist. The configuration of QoE measurements is performed by the OAM by specifying parameters in the configuration file. These parameters define which measurements should be performed and how often reports should be sent. The OAM defines the configuration based on the type of measurement to be received and does not necessarily need to consider the size of the report. However, for UEs, storing very large files can be problematic as it consumes memory. Furthermore, UE behavior when the maximum size is reached is unclear, and different UEs may behave differently.

[0126] Certain aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure may provide solutions to these or other challenges. The method proposed in the present disclosure enables the definition of the size of the memory / buffer for QoE reporting that the UE needs to store (or can store). The size may be hardcoded so as not to be changed or defined by the UE's capabilities. Additionally, it provides UE behavior when the maximum size is reached. The UE may indicate its capabilities to the network in terms of the memory allocated for reporting QoE measurement reports at the RRC layer.

[0127] The memory / buffer size allocated to store QoE reports can be an exact size or the maximum size of memory (kilobytes, megabytes, or any other unit).

[0128] Various embodiments addressing one or more of the problems disclosed herein are proposed herein. For example, one embodiment provides a method performed by a wireless device to process Quality of Experience (QoE) data, wherein the wireless device comprises a storage medium. The method comprises the steps of: receiving a request from a base station to perform one or more QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting; initiating one or more QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting; and storing the results of one or more QoE measurements in a storage portion of a storage medium allocated for storing the QoE measurements. The storage portion has a set maximum size.

[0129] Another embodiment provides a method performed by a base station to control the processing of Quality of Experience (QoE) data in a wireless device, wherein the wireless device comprises a storage medium having a storage portion allocated for storing QoE measurements. The method comprises the steps of: receiving from the wireless device an indication of a set maximum size of the storage portion; and transmitting to the wireless device a request to perform one or more QoE measurements according to the QoE measurement settings.

[0130] Another embodiment provides a method performed by a base station to control the processing of Quality of Experience (QoE) data in a wireless device, wherein the wireless device comprises a storage medium having a storage portion allocated for storing QoE measurements. The method comprises the steps of: transmitting a request to the wireless device to perform one or more QoE measurements according to QoE measurement settings; and configuring the wireless device such that the maximum size of the storage portion is set.

[0131] Further embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus for performing the method described herein. For example, one embodiment provides a wireless device for processing Quality of Experience (QoE) data. The wireless device comprises a storage medium, a processing circuit, and a power supply circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive a request from a base station for the wireless device to perform one or more QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting; to initiate one or more QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting; and to store the results of one or more QoE measurements in a storage portion of a storage medium allocated for storing the QoE measurements. The storage portion has a set maximum size. The power supply circuit is configured to supply power to the wireless device.

[0132] Another embodiment provides a base station that controls the processing of Quality of Experience (QoE) data in a radio device. The radio device includes a storage medium having a storage portion allocated for storing QoE measurements. The base station includes a processing circuit and a power supply circuit. The processing circuit is configured so that the base station receives an indication of the set maximum size of the storage portion from the radio device; and so that the radio device transmits a request to the radio device to perform one or more QoE measurements according to the QoE measurement settings. The power supply circuit is configured to supply power to the base station.

[0133] An additional aspect provides a base station that controls the processing of Quality of Experience (QoE) data in a wireless device. The wireless device includes a storage medium (1221) having a storage portion allocated for storing QoE measurements. The base station includes a processing circuit and a power supply circuit. The processing circuit is configured to allow the base station to transmit a request to the wireless device to perform one or more QoE measurements according to the QoE measurement settings; and to configure the wireless device such that the maximum size of the storage portion is set. The power supply circuit is configured to supply power to the base station.

[0134] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages. One advantage of the solution is that it ensures a maximum memory / buffer size for storing QoE reports at the UE RRC layer is defined. By defining the maximum memory / buffer size, UE behavior is better controlled, and different behaviors for different UEs or undefined behaviors are prevented. The defined maximum memory size also provides the OAM with some guidelines for configuration, thereby ensuring that configuration parameters are defined in a manner that preferably does not exceed the maximum memory / buffer size. This also has an advantage for the RAN because the transmission of reports that are too large is prevented over the network.

[0135] When the maximum size is reached, the defined behavior leads to predictable UE behavior and prevents different or undefined behavior for different UEs. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0136] To better understand the examples of the present disclosure and to more clearly illustrate how the examples can be implemented, reference will now be made to the following drawings only by example. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the overall structure of an NG-RAN. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the overall architecture for the separation of gNB-CU-CP and gNB-CU-UP. Fig. 3 is a signaling flowchart for a UE capability lookup procedure using UTRAN. Fig. 4 is a signaling flowchart for the transmission of UE capability information using UTRAN. Fig. 5 is a signaling flowchart for setting up a QoE measurement using UTRAN. Fig. 6 is a signaling flowchart for a QoE measurement reporting procedure using UTRAN. Fig. 7 is a signaling flowchart for UE capability delivery using E-UTRAN. Fig. 8 is a signaling flowchart for application layer measurement reporting using E-UTRAN. Figs. 9 and 10 are flowcharts illustrating a method according to some embodiments. Fig. 11 schematically illustrates a wireless network according to some embodiments. FIG. 12 schematically illustrates a user device according to some embodiments. FIG. 13 schematically illustrates a virtualization environment according to some embodiments. FIG. 14 schematically illustrates a communication network connected to a host computer through an intermediate network according to some embodiments. FIG. 15 schematically illustrates a host computer communicating with a user device through a base station via partial wireless access according to some embodiments. FIG. 16 through 19 are flowcharts illustrating a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user device according to some embodiments. FIG. 20 and 21 schematically illustrate a virtualization device according to some embodiments. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0137] Some of the embodiments considered herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, other embodiments are included within the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein, and the subject matter disclosed herein should not be interpreted as being limited only to the embodiments described herein; rather, these embodiments are provided as examples to convey the scope of the subject matter to a person skilled in the art.

[0138] From the following:

[0139] The terms "wireless device," "UE," "terminal device," and "wireless terminal" are used interchangeably.

[0140] The terms MCE and TCE are used interchangeably.

[0141] The terms "network node" and "RAN node" are used interchangeably, where the RAN node may be gNB, eNB, gNB-CU, gNB-CU-CP, eNB-CU, eNB-CU-CP, IAB-donor, IAB-donor-CU, or IAB-donor-CU-CP.

[0142] The terms "Application Layer Measurement Setup," "Application Measurement Setup," "QoE Measurement Setup," and "QoE Measurement and Reporting Setup" are used interchangeably.

[0143] The terms "modem," "access layer," "wireless layer," "RRC layer," and "wireless network layer" are used interchangeably.

[0144] The solution proposed in this disclosure is applicable to any suitable wireless communication network such as UMTS, LTE, and NR.

[0145] All references regarding the "application layer" refer to the application layer of the UE (since RAN nodes do not have an application layer).

[0146] The solution proposed in this disclosure applies to both signaling and management-based MDT and QoE measurements.

[0147] The terms "QoE reporting," "QoE measurement data," and "results of QoE measurement" are frequently used in this document to refer to the same thing: data collected through QoE measurements stored in UEs awaiting to be reported to the network.

[0148] The term "Lightweight QoE reporting" refers to the concept of reporting a simplified / generalized QoE score (e.g., a numerical value from 0 to X) to the network instead of reporting legacy, full-scale measured QoE metric values. A single or multiple values ​​can be provided for the overall lightweight QoE reporting, where each value is derived from a single legacy QoE metric (for example, instead of reporting jitter as 1ms (where this can be assumed to be a very good value), a unitless value of 9 on a scale of 0 to 10 is reported for the noise).

[0149] FIG. 9 illustrates a method according to a specific embodiment. The method may be performed by a wireless device or a UE (e.g., the wireless device (1110) or UE (1200) described below).

[0150] The wireless device includes a storage medium, e.g., a non-transient machine-readable medium (e.g., memory), wherein the storage portion is defined for the storage of QoE data, e.g., the results of QoE measurements (also referred to herein as QoE reports). The storage portion may be allocated, reserved, or dedicated for the storage of such QoE data. The storage portion may be defined in the RRC layer of the wireless device.

[0151] The method optionally begins transmitting to the base station an indication of the set maximum size of the storage portion in step (901). In step (902), the wireless device receives a request from the base station to perform one or more QoE measurements according to the QoE measurement settings. The QoE measurement settings may be based on the indicated set maximum size. Alternatively, the wireless device may be set by the network (e.g., by the base station) to the set maximum size for the storage portion. This step may occur as part of step (902). Step (904) includes the step of initiating one or more QoE measurements according to the QoE measurement settings. Step (906) includes the step of storing the results of one or more QoE measurements in the storage portion having the set maximum size. Step (908) includes the step of transmitting an indication of that fact to the base station in response to a determination that the storage portion is full up to a threshold smaller than the set maximum size. Step (910) includes the step of performing one or more actions in response to a determination that the storage portion is full up to the set maximum size.

[0152] FIG. 10 illustrates a method according to a specific embodiment. The method may be performed by a base station or a similar network node, such as the network node (1160) described below. This method is intended to control the processing of QoE data in a wireless device. The wireless device includes a storage medium (e.g., memory) having a storage portion allocated, reserved, or dedicated for storing QoE measurements.

[0153] In the first optional step (1002), the base station receives an indication of the set maximum size of the storage portion from the wireless device. In step (1004), the base station transmits a request for the wireless device to perform one or more QoE measurements according to the QoE measurement settings. In one embodiment, the QoE measurement settings are set based on the indicated set maximum size received in step (1002). In an additional optional step (1006), the network sets the set maximum size of the storage portion to the wireless device. This setting may occur as part of step (1004), and the set maximum size is indicated, for example, in the QoE measurement settings. In particular, it should be noted that step (1006) may be performed if step (1002) is not performed. However, it is also possible for both steps (1002 and 1006) to be performed, for example, in step (1006), the base station may change the set maximum size indicated in step (1002).

[0154] The following description explains additional details of the method described above in relation to Figures 9 and 10.

[0155] Accordingly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the storage portion has a set maximum size.

[0156] In one embodiment, the set maximum size is hard-coded into the radio device so as not to be changed, for example, by the manufacturer of the device, according to the manufacturer's or operator's specifications, or to comply with one or more technical specifications. In this embodiment, the set maximum size for QoE reports that the UE needs to store may be the same for all UEs, for example, as defined in the technical specifications. The size may be explicitly defined in the specifications. An exemplary implementation of 3GPP TS 38.306 may be as follows:

[0157]

[0158] In one embodiment, the UE indicates to the network whether it supports the memory size mentioned in the RRC layer by transmitting to the network an indication that the UE supports application measurement in step (901 or 1002) (e.g., using the applicationLayerMeasurements-r17 described above).

[0159] In an alternative embodiment, different UE capabilities may be defined based on the maximum memory size for QoE reporting that the UE can store. The UE may inform the network of the supported memory size in step (901 or 1002). This can then be considered by the network when selecting the UE for QoE measurement and when defining QoE settings. Note that the UE may signal an available memory size larger than the size required by the standard specification. An example of implementation in TS 38.306 is as follows:

[0160]

[0161] In the first option, the network sets the maximum memory size for QoE reports that the UE needs to store. The set value can be based on the UE's separate memory and shared memory represented for different service types.

[0162] In one embodiment, the UE indicates to the network the memory size (or maximum memory size) allocated to each service (or different service types). This means that the UE has different memory for storing QoE measurement reports for different service types, and indicates a list of memory sizes, one for each service type.

[0163] In a non-limiting example, this may mean that the maximum memory allocated in the UE for service type 1 may be 32KB, and the maximum memory size allocated for service type 2 may be 64KB.

[0164] The memory size may be the maximum size allocated (perhaps per service type), which can be used to store x reports, or alternatively, this may be the maximum size allocated to a single report (perhaps for a single service type).

[0165] In another embodiment, the UE has a maximum memory allocated to QoE measurement data. Shared between service sets It can be represented in the network. Therefore, QoE reports from different service types provided by the upper layer are stored in the same memory / buffer.

[0166] In another embodiment, all considerations regarding the available memory size per service type also apply to the available memory size per slice.

[0167] In another embodiment, the memory allocated for QoE reporting is By Wireless Access Technology (RAT) It could be memory or Shared between different RATs It may be possible. In a non-limiting example, the UE may present to the network memory allocated to store QoE reports in the NR RAT, or may present to the network memory allocated to store QoE reports in both NR and LTE RRC.

[0168] If allocated memory is shared between different RATs, the NR RRC can use the same memory allocated to the LTE RRC to store QoE reports at the RRC layer.

[0169] If allocated memory is not shared between different RATs, the NR RRC uses its own memory to store QoE reports, and the LTE RRC uses its own memory to store QoE reports.

[0170] In another embodiment, the UE may indicate the available memory size for legacy QoE reporting and the available memory size for light QoE reporting (total or per service) as described above.

[0171] In another embodiment, the UE may represent to the network its ability in terms of processing reports where the maximum report size is reached (according to Section 5.4). For example, the UE may represent its ability to perform QoE report data preprocessing, report compression, sample averaging, etc., to reduce the report size.

[0172] In another embodiment, the network may configure the UE to use available memory as a memory pool to be shared by multiple service types or multiple RATs. Conversely, the network may also configure the UE to allocate separate shares of available memory for QoE reporting / measurement data for different service types. Since this per-service-type separation may have different granularities, one share may be dedicated to service type 1, while another share may be dedicated to the sharing between service type 2 and service type 3.

[0173] Such memory separation may also be configured at the service subtype level. As used herein, the term “service subtype” refers to a hierarchical description of an application (or service) that includes service types and subservice types (also referred to as service subtypes or subtypes). In some embodiments, conceptually (and possibly by specification) this concept may be considered similar to the types of class hierarchy used in object-oriented programming languages. A specific service (or application) may belong to a service type, but it may also belong to a subtype of that service type. A set of QoE metrics (and optionally QoE measurements and / or QoE measurement reporting types) may generally be specified and defined for a service type, but additional QoE metrics (and optionally QoE measurements and / or QoE measurement reporting types) may be specified and defined specifically for a service subtype. Thus, a specific QoE measurement configuration for a service subtype may include QoE metrics from both the service type level and the service subtype level.

[0174] The network can also configure the UE to separate the sharing of available memory for different RATs. In other words, different granularities can be used such that, for example, one share is dedicated to NR while another share is dedicated to sharing between LTE and UMTS.

[0175] Memory separation and sharing can also be combined across service types and RATs. This applies to both cases where the UE communicates memory management to the network and cases where the network configures how the UE manages memory for QoE reporting / measurement data. For example, a memory share dedicated to Service Type 1 can be further subdivided into shares for different RATs. Similarly, a memory share dedicated to RAT 1 can be further subdivided into shares for different service types (or service subtypes).

[0176] As an additional option, a memory share dedicated to service type 1 may be further subdivided into shares for service subtypes belonging to service type 1.

[0177] The size of a memory share can be expressed as a proportion of the total memory available for QoE reporting / measurement data, for example, as a percentage. This definition of a memory share can also be applied when hierarchical partitioning into memory shares is used. For example, a memory share for a service subtype can be defined as a specific proportion (e.g., a percentage) of the memory-share-only service type to which the service subtype belongs. Alternatively, a memory share can be expressed in bytes (or preferably kilobytes, megabytes, or even gigabytes).

[0178] In another embodiment, the UE may consider two different levels used as "maximum memory size," one being a "base level" of the maximum memory size used by the UE under normal processing, and the other being an "emergency level" (higher than the "base level") that the UE can use when stretched handling (or emergency handling) is required. An example of emergency handling may be related to a critical service where the last X QoE reports indicate performance degradation, which represents a critical condition of interest that needs to be monitored.

[0179] The "emergency level" associated with the first service may be realized in exchange for a reduction of the "baseline level" associated with the second service, for example, based on an configurable priority level assigned to the second service that is relatively lower than the priority level assigned to the first service.

[0180] Extended processing can be controlled by a timer that is recorded or set to be immutable in combination with an "emergency level," thereby causing specific UE processing to terminate due to timer expiration or the reaching of the maximum memory that can be allocated according to the "emergency level."

[0181] An exemplary implementation in TS 38.306 is as follows:

[0182]

[0183] In step (908), the UE may be configured (by the network or standard specifications) to notify the network when the portion of memory available for QoE reporting / measurement data exceeds a specific percentage (e.g., 80%) of the total memory available for QoE reporting / measurement data. This may trigger the network to configure the UE with a command for a method of action (e.g., one or more of the actions described above) for when memory is completely full. To assist the network in this configuration, the UE may supplement the memory occupancy indication with information about the memory being occupied, for example, different service types, service subtypes, RATs, and / or content of different allocated shares and / or parts or sizes of data used by the QoE reporting / measurement data related to network slices.

[0184] The above-described method for indication from a UE nearing full memory, followed by memory management commands from the network, can also be applied per share, that is, the UE can report when a specific (large) percentage of the memory allocated to a share is occupied, and the network can respond with commands on how to handle the situation when the share is completely full.

[0185] In some embodiments, the UE may be configured (by network or standard specifications) in relation to a timer to be used in the case of emergency processing (in terms of memory allocation) and in relation to a priority level or flag indicating which service emergency processing may be applied (e.g., as part of a QoE setting issued to the UE).

[0186] If multiple services are configured for emergency handling, the service with the highest priority may be considered the service to which emergency handling is applicable. If priorities are equal among services, the service selected for emergency handling may be the service with the worst performance (e.g., based on the last X light QoE report). Alternatively, a round-robin approach may be used.

[0187] As described above, in step (910), in response to a determination that the storage portion has reached a set maximum size (i.e., is full to that size), the wireless device or UE may take one or more actions. Thus, when the maximum size is reached, a UE action may be specified. Examples of UE actions are as follows:

[0188] The UE stops the measurement, sends the final report, and deletes the settings.

[0189] The UE transmits a report, deletes the report after transmission, and continues the measurement.

[0190] The UE transmits a report and pauses the measurement.

[0191] If it is possible to transmit the report, the UE saves the report until a later stage and pauses the measurement.

[0192] UE behavior varies depending on the case, such as whether it is possible to transmit a report.

[0193] o If a report can be sent to the UE, for example,

[0194] ■ Transmit the report and continue the measurement.

[0195] ■ Send report, stop measurement, and delete QoE settings.

[0196] o If a report cannot be sent to the UE, for example,

[0197] ■ Save the report, stop the measurement, and delete the settings until a later stage where transmitting the report may be possible.

[0198] ■ Save the report up to the next step and pause the measurement.

[0199] ■ Decimate the samples stored in the report (i.e., the values ​​recorded for the metric), that is, retain y from all x samples collected for one or more metrics and delete the remaining xy from all x samples.

[0200] ■ Average all collected sample values ​​or a group of collected sample values ​​(e.g., average every 100 consecutive samples).

[0201] ■ Converts the report into a lightweight QoE report format.

[0202] The UE deletes reports related to specific service types based on priority, leaving room for additional measurement data.

[0203] o It can be stipulated that light QoE reports should be deleted first according to priority.

[0204] o It can be stipulated that regular QoE reports should be deleted first according to priority (i.e., keeping lightweight QoE reports in memory becomes the priority).

[0205] If the UE can use emergency processing, it may enable it and apply at least one of the previous operations (e.g., shrinking stored samples, averaging collected samples, converting to light QoE, reporting normal QoE or deleting normal QoE reports based on priority) to expand collection for the first service and reduce memory allocation associated with the second service.

[0206] In one embodiment, the UE indicates to the network what kind of preprocessing was performed on the report that reached the maximum size as described above, along with the QoE report.

[0207] As described above, the behavior of the UE can be specified when the memory available for QoE reporting is full. Alternatively, this behavior can be set by the network.

[0208] Therefore, the network can set priorities among different service types. Priorities can also be configured with QoE measurement setting granularity, and priorities can be realized through priority numbers included in each QoE measurement setting.

[0209] If a UE must choose between deleting two measurement reports of the same priority, the UE can be configured to delete the oldest report as one option, or delete the most recent report as the other option.

[0210] When service subtypes are used, the network may further establish a priority order among service subtypes within a service type (or this may be specified in the standard specification).

[0211] Settings (or standard specifications) provided by the network may also define priorities among QoE measurement data collected from different RATs so that different RATs have different priorities when deletion of stored QoE measurement data is required. Within each RAT, additional priorities may be applied between different service types (and different service subtypes).

[0212] Similarly, when a priority order is established between different service types (and possibly service subtypes), additional priority may be provided for different RATs within each service type (or service subtype).

[0213] If the UE's memory management is configured by the network, it can originate from the O&M system, be transmitted to the RAN, and then delivered to the UE. Alternatively, the RAN can determine management actions, generate configurations, and deliver them to the UE. As another alternative, the O&M system can typically handle memory management related to QoE reporting / measurement data, whereas the RAN can handle memory management related to light QoE reporting / measurement data.

[0214] All the aforementioned considerations regarding the prioritization and deletion of QoE reports related to different service types (and possibly service subtypes) and different RATs can be applied equally to different network slices.

[0215] As an additional option, in some embodiments, the network may set up memory reallocation between different memory shares when memory dedicated to one or more shares is full and other memory shares still have some available space (or may be specified in standard specifications). For example, if a memory share for Service Type 1 is full, memory from a share dedicated to QoE reporting / measurement data for Service Type 2 may be reallocated to the share for Service Type 1 while additional QoE measurement data for Service Type 1 is expected to be collected. This may be an unconditional decision / setting by the network or a conditional setting, and the conditional setting states, for example, that such reallocation should be performed only when QoE measurement for Service Type 2 is complete (i.e., QoE measurement data no longer expected to be stored in the memory share for Service Type 2 is not expected with the UE's current QoE measurement setting). The memory reallocation settings are also flexible, allowing most of the evaluation and decision-making to be left to the UE; for example, the UE must perform memory reallocation even if it determines that the share from which the memory will be taken does not likely need this reallocated memory, even if the collection of QoE measurement data to be stored on that share has not yet been completed.

[0216] The aforementioned memory reallocation between distinct memory shares may be performed not only between memory shares for different service types, but also between memory shares for different subtypes, between memory shares for different RATs, or between memory shares for different network slices. For example, if a memory share for RAT 1 is full and a memory share for RAT 2 is empty, memory may be reallocated from the share for RAT 2 to the share for RAT 1. The reallocation of memory between shares for different RATs may also be conditional on RAT availability. For example, the reallocation of memory from a share for RAT X to a share for RAT Y may be allowed only if RAT X is not available for the UE.

[0217] As an additional option, the network (or standard specification) may configure which share's memory may be allocated from (if any other condition for memory reallocation is met). Likewise, the network (or standard specification) may configure which share's memory may be allocated to. As an additional option, the network (or standard specification) may configure memory to be allocated from the first share to the second share only when the first share is dedicated to a service type, service subtype, RAT, or network slice, which has a lower priority than the service type, service subtype, RAT, or network slice to which the second share is dedicated (e.g., in terms of the priority described above for the deletion of QoE reporting / measurement data).

[0218] The above-described method for reallocating memory between shares can be performed between memory shares containing standard QoE reporting / measurement data or between memory shares containing light QoE reporting / measurement data. Alternatively, memory can also be reallocated between shares containing (or dedicated to) different types of QoE reporting / measurement data (i.e., standard or light).

[0219] Although the subject matter disclosed herein may be implemented in any suitable type of system using any suitable components, the embodiments disclosed herein are described in relation to a wireless network such as the exemplary wireless network shown in FIG. 11. For simplicity of illustration, the wireless network of FIG. 11 is illustrated only with a network (1106), network nodes (1160 and 1160b), and WDs (1110, 1110b, and 1110c). In practice, the wireless network may further include any additional elements suitable for supporting communication between wireless devices or between a wireless device and another communication device (e.g., a wired telephone, a service provider, or any other network node or end device). Among the illustrated components, the network node (1160) and the wireless device (WD) (1110) are illustrated as additional details. The wireless network may provide communication and other types of services to one or more wireless devices to facilitate access and / or use of the wireless device for services provided by or through the wireless network.

[0220] A wireless network may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular and / or wireless network or other similar type of system. In some embodiments, the wireless network may be configured to operate according to specific standards or other types of predefined rules or procedures. Accordingly, a specific embodiment of the wireless network may implement communication standards such as Global Mobile Communication System (GSM), Universal Mobile Communication System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G standards; Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standards such as the IEEE 802.11 standard; and / or any other suitable wireless communication standards such as Global Microwave Access Interoperability (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave and / or ZigBee standards.

[0221] The network (1106) may include one or more backhaul networks, core networks, IP networks, public switched telephone network (PSTN), packet data networks, optical networks, wide area networks (WAN), local area networks (LAN), wireless local area networks (WLAN), wired networks, wireless networks, metropolitan area networks, and other networks that enable communication between devices.

[0222] The network node (1160) and WD (1110) include various components described in more detail below. These components work together to provide network node and / or wireless device functions, such as providing wireless access in a wireless network. In different embodiments, the wireless network may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, base stations, controllers, wireless devices, relay stations, and / or any other components or systems capable of facilitating or participating in the communication of data and / or signals through wired or wireless access.

[0223] As used herein, a network node refers to a device that is configured, deployed, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a wireless device and / or other network nodes or devices in a wireless network to enable and / or provide wireless access to a wireless device and / or to perform other functions (e.g., management) in the wireless network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., wireless access points) and base stations (BSs) (e.g., wireless base stations, Node B, eNB (evolved Node B), and NR Node B (gNB)). Base stations may be classified according to the amount of coverage they provide (or, in other words, the level of transmission power), and are accordingly referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node that controls a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed wireless base station, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), sometimes referred to as a remote radio head (RRH), and / or a centralized digital unit. These remote radio units are antenna-integrated radio devices and may or may not be integrated with an antenna. Some parts of a distributed radio base station are also referred to as nodes of a distributed antenna system (DAS). Other examples of network nodes include multistandard radio (MSR) devices such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transmitters / receivers (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multicell / multicast coordinating entities (MCEs), core network nodes (e.g., MSCs, MMEs), O&M nodes, OSS nodes, SON nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., E-SMLCs), and / or MDTs. As another example, a network node may be a virtual network node, which is described in more detail below.However, more generally, a network node may represent any suitable device (or group of devices) that is configured, deployed, or operable to enable a wireless device to access a wireless network and / or provide it, or to provide some services to a wireless device that has accessed the wireless network.

[0224] In FIG. 11, the network node (1160) includes a processing circuit (1170), a device-readable medium (1180), an interface (1190), an auxiliary device (1184), a power supply (1186), a power circuit (1187), and an antenna (1162). While the network node (1160) illustrated in the exemplary wireless network of FIG. 11 may represent a device comprising the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may include a network node having a different combination of components. It should be understood that the network node includes any suitable combination of hardware and / or software required to perform the operations, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. Furthermore, although the components of the network node (1160) are depicted as a single box located within a larger box or nested within multiple boxes, in practice the network node may include multiple different physical components that constitute the illustrated single component (e.g., the device-readable medium (1180) may include multiple separate hard drives as well as multiple RAM modules).

[0225] Similarly, a network node (1160) may be composed of multiple physically separated components (e.g., NodeB components and RNC components, or BTS components and BSC components, etc.), each having its own distinct components. In certain scenarios where the network node (1160) comprises multiple individual components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the individual components may be shared among multiple network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such scenarios, each unique pair of NodeBs and RNCs may, in some cases, be considered as a single individual network node. In some embodiments, the network node (1160) may be configured to support multiple Radio Access Technologies (RATs). In these embodiments, some components (e.g., separate device readable media (1180) for different RATs) may be duplicated, and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna (1162) may be shared by RATs). The network node (1160) may also include a plurality of sets of various exemplified components for different wireless technologies integrated into the network node (1160), such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, or Bluetooth wireless technology. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or sets of chips and other components within the network node (1160).

[0226] The processing circuit (1170) is configured to perform any decision, calculation, or similar operation (e.g., a specific acquisition operation) described herein as provided by the network node. Such operations performed by the processing circuit (1170) may include processing the information acquired by the processing circuit (1170) by, for example, converting the acquired information into other information, comparing the acquired information or converted information with information stored in the network node and / or performing one or more operations based on the acquired information or converted information, and determining as a result of said processing.

[0227] The processing circuit (1170) may include one or more combinations of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or encoded logic, which are operable to provide network node (1160) functions, either alone or in combination with other network node (1160) components such as a device readable medium (1180). For example, the processing circuit (1170) may execute instructions stored in the device readable medium (1180) or in memory within the processing circuit (1170). Such functions may include providing any of the various wireless features, functions, or benefits discussed herein. In some embodiments, the processing circuit (1170) may include a system-on-chip (SOC).

[0228] In some embodiments, the processing circuit (1170) may include one or more of a radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit (1172) and a baseband processing circuit (1174). In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit (1172) and the baseband processing circuit (1174) may be on separate chips (or chip sets), boards, or units such as a radio unit and a digital unit. In an alternative embodiment, some or all of the RF transceiver circuit (1172) and the baseband processing circuit (1174) may be on the same chip or chip set, board, or unit.

[0229] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein may be performed by a processing circuit (1170) executing instructions stored in memory within a device-readable medium (1180) or processing circuit (1170), as provided by a network node, base station, eNB, or other such network device. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions may be provided by the processing circuit (1170) without executing instructions stored in a separate or discrete device-readable medium, such as in a hardwired manner. In any of these embodiments, the processing circuit (1170) may be configured to perform the described functions regardless of whether instructions stored in a device-readable storage medium are executed. The benefits provided by these functions are not limited to the processing circuit (1170) alone or other components of the network node (1160), but are generally enjoyed by the entire network node (1160) and / or the end user and wireless network.

[0230] The device readable medium (1180) may include any form of volatile or nonvolatile computer-readable memory, including, without limitation, any other volatile or nonvolatile, non-transient device-readable and / or computer-executable memory device that stores information, data and / or instructions that can be used by the processing circuit (1170), a permanent storage device, solid-state memory, remote-mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., flash drive, compact disc (CD) or digital image disc (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transient device-readable and / or computer-executable memory device that stores information, data and / or instructions that can be used by the processing circuit (1170). The device readable medium (1180) may store any suitable instructions, data or information that include computer programs, software, applications including one or more logic, rules, codes, tables, etc., and / or other instructions that can be executed by the processing circuit (1170) and utilized by the network node (1160). The device readable medium (1180) may be used to store any calculation performed by the processing circuit (1170) and / or any data received through the interface (1190). In some embodiments, the processing circuit (1170) and the device readable medium (1180) may be considered integrated.

[0231] The interface (1190) is used for wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between the network node (1160), the network (1106), and / or the WD (1110). As illustrated, the interface (1190) includes a port / terminal (1194) for transmitting and receiving data to and from the network (1106), for example, via a wired connection. The interface (1190) also includes a radio front end circuitry (1192) which may be coupled to the antenna (1162) or, in certain embodiments, be part of the antenna. The radio front end circuitry (1192) includes a filter (1198) and an amplifier (1196). The radio front end circuitry (1192) may be connected to the antenna (1162) and the processing circuit (1170). The radio front end circuitry may be configured to regulate the signal communicated between the antenna (1162) and the processing circuit (1170). The wireless front-end circuit (1192) can receive digital data that can be transmitted to another network node or WD via a wireless connection. The wireless front-end circuit (1192) can convert the digital data into a wireless signal having appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of a filter (1198) and / or an amplifier (1196). The wireless signal can be transmitted through an antenna (1162). Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna (1162) collects the wireless signal, which can then be converted into digital data by the wireless front-end circuit (1192). The digital data can be transmitted to a processing circuit (1170). In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and / or a combination of different components.

[0232] In a specific alternative embodiment, the network node (1160) may not include a separate wireless front-end circuit (1192), and instead, the processing circuit (1170) may include a wireless front-end circuit and be connected to the antenna (1162) without a separate wireless front-end circuit (1192). Similarly, in some embodiments, all or part of the RF transceiver circuit (1172) may be considered part of the interface (1190). In another embodiment, the interface (1190) may include one or more ports or terminals (1194), a wireless front-end circuit (1192), and an RF transceiver circuit (1172) as part of a wireless unit (not shown), and the interface (1190) may communicate with a baseband processing circuit (1174) that is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0233] The antenna (1162) may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and receive wireless signals. The antenna (1162) may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly, and may be coupled to the wireless front-end circuit (1190). In some embodiments, the antenna (1162) may include one or more omnidirectional sector or panel antennas capable of operating to transmit and receive wireless signals, for example, between 2 GHz and 66 GHz. An omnidirectional antenna may be used to transmit and receive wireless signals in all directions, a sector antenna may be used to transmit and receive wireless signals with devices within a specific area, and a panel antenna may be a line-of-sight antenna used to transmit and receive wireless signals in a relatively straight line. In some cases, using two or more antennas may be referred to as MIMO. In certain embodiments, the antenna (1162) may be detachable from the network node (1160) and may be accessible to the network node (1160) via an interface or port.

[0234] The antenna (1162), interface (1190), and / or processing circuit (1170) may be configured to perform any receiving operation and / or any specific acquisition operation described herein as performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a wireless device, another network node, and / or any other network device. Similarly, the antenna (1162), interface (1190), and / or processing circuit (1170) may be configured to perform any transmitting operation described herein as performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals may be transmitted to a wireless device, another network node, and / or any other network device.

[0235] The power circuit (1187) may include or be coupled with a power management circuit and is configured to supply power to the components of the network node (1160) to perform the functions described herein. The power circuit (1187) may receive power from a power source (1186). The power source (1186) and / or the power circuit (1187) may be configured to provide power to various components of the network node (1160) in a form suitable for each component (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required for each component). The power source (1186) may be included in the power circuit (1187) and / or the network node (1160) or may be outside of it. For example, the network node (1160) may be connected to an external power source (e.g., an electrical outlet) through an interface such as an input circuit or an electrical cable, thereby the external power source supplies power to the power circuit (1187). As an additional example, the power source (1186) may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack connected to or integrated with the power circuit (1187). The battery may provide backup power in the event of an external power failure. Other types of power sources, such as photovoltaic devices, may also be used.

[0236] Alternative embodiments of the network node (1160) may include additional components other than those shown in FIG. 11 that may be responsible for providing a specific mode of function of the network node, including any function described herein and / or any function necessary to support the subject described herein. For example, the network node (1160) may include a user interface device that allows information input to the network node (1160) and allows information output from the network node (1160). This enables the user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other management functions on the network node (1160).

[0237] As used herein, a wireless device (WD) refers to a device capable of communicating wirelessly with network nodes and / or other wireless devices, configured, deployed, and / or operable. Unless otherwise noted, the term WD may be used herein interchangeably with User Device (UE). Communicating wirelessly may involve transmitting and receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared, and / or other types of signals suitable for transmitting information through air. In some embodiments, the WD may be configured to transmit and receive information without direct human interaction. For example, the WD may be designed to transmit information to the network according to a predetermined schedule when triggered by an internal or external event or in response to a request from the network. Examples of WD include, but are not limited to, smartphones, mobile phones, mobile phones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, game consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback devices, wearable terminal devices, wireless terminals, mobile stations, tablets, laptops, laptop embedded equipment (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, etc. WD may support device-to-device (D2D) communication by implementing 3GPP standards for, for example, sidelink communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), and vehicle-to-everything (V2X), in which case it may be referred to as a D2D communication device. As another specific example, in an Internet of Things (IoT) scenario, WD may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to other WDs and / or network nodes. In this case, WD may be a machine-to-machine (M2M) device, which may be referred to as an MTC device in the context of 3GPP.As a specific example, the WD may be a UE implementing the 3GPP Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) standard. Specific examples of such machines or devices include sensors, metering devices such as power meters, industrial machinery or household or personal devices (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, etc.), and personal wearables (e.g., watches, fitness trackers, etc.). In other scenarios, the WD may represent a vehicle or other device capable of monitoring and / or reporting on operating status or other functions associated with operation. The WD described above may represent the end of a wireless connection, in which case the device may be referred to as a wireless terminal. Additionally, the WD described above may be mobile, in which case it may also be referred to as a mobile device or mobile terminal.

[0238] As illustrated, the wireless device (1110) includes an antenna (1111), an interface (1114), a processing circuit (1120), a device readable medium (1130), a user interface device (1132), an auxiliary device (1134), a power supply (1136), and a power circuit (1137). The WD (1110) may include one or more sets of the exemplified components for different wireless technologies supported by the WD (1110), such as, to name only a few, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, WiMAX, or Bluetooth wireless technology. These wireless technologies may be integrated into a chip or set of chips that is the same or different from other components within the WD (1110).

[0239] The antenna (1111) may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and receive wireless signals and is connected to an interface (1114). In an alternative specific embodiment, the antenna (1111) may be separate from the WD (1110) and may be connected to the WD (1110) via an interface or port. The antenna (1111), the interface (1114), and / or the processing circuit (1120) may be configured to perform any of the transmit and receive operations described herein as performed by the WD. All information, data, and / or signals may be received from network nodes and / or other WDs. In some embodiments, the wireless front-end circuit and / or the antenna (1111) may be considered as an interface.

[0240] As illustrated, the interface (1114) includes a wireless front-end circuit (1112) and an antenna (1111). The wireless front-end circuit (1112) includes one or more filters (1118) and amplifiers (1116). The wireless front-end circuit (1114) is connected to the antenna (1111) and a processing circuit (1120) and is configured to regulate the signal transmitted between the antenna (1111) and the processing circuit (1120). The wireless front-end circuit (1112) may be coupled to the antenna (1111) or be part of the antenna. In some embodiments, the WD (1110) may not include a separate wireless front-end circuit (1112); rather, the processing circuit (1120) may include the wireless front-end circuit and be connected to the antenna (1111). Similarly, in some embodiments, part or all of the RF transceiver circuit (1122) may be considered part of the interface (1114). The wireless front-end circuit (1112) can receive digital data to be transmitted to another network node or WD via a wireless connection. The wireless front-end circuit (1112) can convert the digital data into a wireless signal having appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of a filter (1118) and / or an amplifier (1116). The wireless signal can then be transmitted through the antenna (1111). Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna (1111) can collect the wireless signal and then convert it into digital data by the wireless front-end circuit (1112). The digital data can be transmitted to a processing circuit (1120). In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and / or a combination of different components.

[0241] The processing circuit (1120) may include a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic, which is operable to provide WD (1110) functions alone or in combination with other WD (1110) components such as a device readable medium (1130). Such functions may include providing any of any of the various wireless features, functions, or benefits discussed herein. For example, the processing circuit (1120) may execute instructions stored in the device readable medium (1130) or in memory within the processing circuit (1120) to provide the functions disclosed herein.

[0242] As illustrated, the processing circuit (1120) includes one or more of an RF transceiver circuit (1122), a baseband processing circuit (1124), and an application processing circuit (1126). In other embodiments, the processing circuit may include different components and / or different combinations of components. In certain embodiments, the processing circuit (1120) of the WD (1110) may include an SOC. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuit (1122), the baseband processing circuit (1124), and the application processing circuit (1126) may be on separate chips or a set of chips. In an alternative embodiment, some or all of the baseband processing circuit (1124) and the application processing circuit (1126) may be combined into a single chip or a set of chips, and the RF transceiver circuit (1122) may be on a separate chip or a set of chips. In another embodiment, some or all of the RF transceiver circuit (1122) and baseband processing circuit (1124) may be on the same chip or chip set, and the application processing circuit (1126) may be on a separate chip or chip set. In another alternative embodiment, some or all of the RF transceiver circuit (1122), baseband processing circuit (1124), and application processing circuit (1126) may be combined on the same chip or chip set. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuit (1122) may be part of the interface (1114). The RF transceiver circuit (1122) can regulate the RF signal for the processing circuit (1120).

[0243] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein, as performed by the WD, may be provided by a processing circuit (1120) executing instructions stored in a device-readable medium (1130), which may be a computer-readable storage medium in certain embodiments. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions may be provided by the processing circuit (1120) without executing instructions stored in a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as a hardwired method. In any of these specific embodiments, the processing circuit (1120) may be configured to perform the described functions regardless of whether instructions stored in the device-readable storage medium are executed. The benefits provided by these functions are not limited to the processing circuit (1120) alone or other components of the WD (1110), but are generally enjoyed by the entire WD (1110) and / or the end user and wireless network.

[0244] The processing circuit (1120) may be configured to perform any determination, calculation, or similar operation described herein (e.g., a specific acquisition operation) as performed by the WD. Such operations as performed by the processing circuit (1120) may include, for example, converting the acquired information into other information, comparing the acquired information or converted information with information stored by the WD (1110), and / or performing one or more operations based on the acquired information or converted information, and processing the information acquired by the processing circuit (1120) by determining as a result of said processing.

[0245] The device readable medium (1130) may operate to store an application comprising one or more of a computer program, software, logic, rules, code, tables, etc., and / or other instructions that can be executed by the processing circuit (1120). The device readable medium (1130) may include computer memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM) or read-only memory (ROM)), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., compact disc (CD) or digital image disc (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transient device readable and / or computer executable memory device that stores information, data and / or instructions that can be used by the processing circuit (1120). In some embodiments, the processing circuit (1120) and the device readable medium (1130) may be considered as integrated.

[0246] A user interface device (1132) may provide components that allow a human user to interact with the WD (1110). Such interaction may take various forms, such as visual, auditory, tactile, etc. The user interface device (1132) may operate to produce output to the user and to allow the user to provide input to the WD (1110). The type of interaction may vary depending on the type of user interface device (1132) installed on the WD (1110). For example, if the WD (1110) is a smartphone, the interaction may take place via a touchscreen; if the WD (1110) is a smart meter, the interaction may take place via a screen providing usage (e.g., the number of gallons used) or a speaker providing an audible alert (e.g., if smoke is detected). The user interface device (1132) may include an input interface, a device and circuit, an output interface, a device and circuit. The user interface device (1132) is configured to input information into the WD (1110) and is connected to the processing circuit (1120) so that the processing circuit (1120) can process the input information. The user interface device (1132) may include, for example, a microphone, a proximity or other sensor, a key / button, a touch display, one or more cameras, a USB port, or other input circuit. The user interface device (1132) is also configured to allow the output of information from the WD (1110) and to allow the processing circuit (1120) to output information from the WD (1110). The user interface device (1132) may include, for example, a speaker, a display, a vibration circuit, a USB port, a headphone interface, or other output circuit.By using one or more input and output interfaces, devices, and circuits of the user interface device (1132), the WD (1110) can communicate with the end user and / or wireless network and can benefit from the functions described herein.

[0247] The auxiliary device (1134) can be operated to provide more specific functions that may not generally be performed by the WD. This may include special sensors for performing measurements for various purposes, interfaces for additional types of communication such as wired communication, etc. The inclusion and type of components of the auxiliary device (1134) may vary depending on the embodiment and / or scenario.

[0248] The power source (1136) may be in the form of a battery or battery pack in some embodiments. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electrical outlet), a photovoltaic device, or a power cell, may also be used. The WD (1110) may further include a power circuit (1137) for delivering power from the power source (1136) to various parts of the WD (1110), and various parts of the WD (1110) require power from the power source (1136) to perform any function described and shown herein. The power circuit (1137) may include a power management circuit in certain embodiments. The power circuit (1137) may additionally or alternatively be operable to receive power from an external power source; in this case, the WD (1110) may be connected to the external power source (e.g., an electrical outlet) through an interface such as an input circuit or a power cable. The power circuit (1137) may also be operable to transfer power from an external power source to the power source (1136) in certain embodiments. This may be, for example, for charging the power source (1136). The power circuit (1137) may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modification on the power from the power source (1136) to create power suitable for each component of the WD (1110) to which power is supplied.

[0249] FIG. 12 illustrates an embodiment of a UE according to the various aspects described herein. As used herein, a user device or UE does not necessarily have to have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, the UE may represent a device intended to be sold to a human user or operated by a human user, but which may not be associated with or initially associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, the UE may represent a device not intended to be sold to an end user or operated by an end user, but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter). The UE (1200) may be any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including an NB-IoT UE, a Machine Communication (MTC) UE, and / or an Enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE. As illustrated in FIG. 12, the UE (1200) is an example of a WD configured to communicate according to one or more communication standards published by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 3GPP’s GSM, UMTS, LTE, and / or 5G standards. As mentioned above, the terms WD and UE may be used interchangeably. Thus, FIG. 12 is a UE, but the components discussed herein are equally applicable to a WD and vice versa.

[0250] In FIG. 12, the UE (1200) includes an input / output interface (1205), a radio frequency (RF) interface (1209), a network access interface (1211), memory (1215) including random access memory (RAM) (1217), read-only memory (ROM) (1219), and a storage medium (1221), a communication subsystem (1231), a power supply (1233), and / or any other component, or any combination thereof, and a processing circuit (1201) operably coupled to. The storage medium (1221) includes an operating system (1223), an application program (1225), and data (1227). In other embodiments, the storage medium (1221) may include other similar types of information. A particular UE may utilize all components or only a subset of the components shown in FIG. 12. The level of integration between components may vary from UE to UE. In addition, a specific UE may include multiple instances of components such as multiple processors, memory, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0251] In FIG. 12, the processing circuit (1201) may be configured to process computer instructions and data. The processing circuit (1201) may be configured to implement any sequential state machine that operates to execute machine instructions stored as a machine-readable computer program in memory, such as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, FPGA, ASIC, etc.); programmable logic with appropriate firmware; one or more stored programs, general-purpose processors such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP) with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuit (1201) may include two central processing units (CPUs). The data may be information in a format suitable for use by a computer.

[0252] In the illustrated embodiment, the input / output interface (1205) may be configured to provide a communication interface to an input device, an output device, or an input / output device. The UE (1200) may be configured to use an output device through the input / output interface (1205). The output device may use an interface port of the same type as the input device. For example, a USB port may be used to provide input to the UE (1200) and to provide output from the UE (1200). The output device may be a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smart card, another output device, or any combination thereof. The UE (1200) may be configured to allow a user to send information to the UE (1200) using an input device through the input / output interface (1205). Input devices may include touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive displays, cameras (e.g., digital cameras, digital video cameras, webcams, etc.), microphones, sensors, mice, trackballs, directional pads, trackpads, scroll wheels, smart cards, and similar devices. A presence-sensitive display may include capacitive or resistive touch sensors to detect input from a user. For example, the sensors may be accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt sensors, force sensors, magnetometers, optical sensors, proximity sensors, other similar sensors, or any combination thereof. For example, input devices may be accelerometers, magnetometers, digital cameras, microphones, and optical sensors.

[0253] In FIG. 12, the RF interface (1209) may be configured to provide a communication interface to RF components such as a transmitter, a receiver, and an antenna. The network access interface (1211) may be configured to provide a communication interface to a network (1243a). The network (1243a) may encompass wired and / or wireless networks such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a communication network, other similar networks, or any combination thereof. For example, the network (1243a) may include a Wi-Fi network. The network access interface (1211) may be configured to include receiver and transmitter interfaces used to communicate with one or more other devices over a communication network according to one or more communication protocols such as Ethernet, TCP / IP, SONET, ATM, or similar. The network access interface (1211) may implement receiver and transmitter functions suitable for a communication network connection (e.g., optical, electrical, and similar). The transmitter and receiver functions may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or may be implemented separately.

[0254] RAM (1217) may be configured to interface with the processing circuit (1201) via the bus (1202) to provide storage or caching of data or computer instructions while running software programs such as an operating system, application programs, and device drivers. ROM (1219) may be configured to provide computer instructions or data to the processing circuit (1201). For example, ROM (1219) may be configured to store immutable low-level system code or data for basic system functions, such as basic input / output (I / O), startup, or receiving key inputs from a keyboard, which are stored in non-volatile memory. The storage medium (1221) may be configured to include memory such as RAM, ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disk, optical disk, floppy disk, hard disk, removable cartridge, or flash drive. In one example, the storage medium (1221) may be configured to include an application program (1225), such as an operating system (1223), a web browser application, a widget or gadget engine, or other applications, and a data file (1227). The storage medium (1221) may store any various operating systems or combinations of operating systems for use by the UE (1200).

[0255] The storage medium (1221) may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), a floppy disk drive, a flash memory, a USB flash drive, an external hard disk drive, a thumb drive, a pen drive, a key drive, a high-density digital multi-purpose disk (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, an internal hard disk drive, a Blu-ray optical disc drive, a holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, an external mini-dual inline memory module (DIMM), a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), an external micro DIMM SDRAM, a smart card memory such as a subscriber identity module or a removable user identity (SIM / RUIM) module, other memory, or any combination thereof. The storage medium (1221) may allow the UE (1200) to access computer executable instructions, application programs, etc., stored on the ephemeral or non-ephemeral memory medium to offload or upload data. A manufactured article, such as one using a communication system, may be tangibly implemented on the storage medium (1221) which may include a device-readable medium.

[0256] In FIG. 12, the processing circuit (1201) may be configured to communicate with a network (1243b) using a communication subsystem (1231). Network (1243a) and network (1243b) may be the same network or different networks. The communication subsystem (1231) may be configured to include one or more transceivers used to communicate with the network (1243b). For example, the communication subsystem (1231) may be configured to include one or more transceivers used to communicate with one or more remote transceivers of other wirelessly communicable devices, such as base stations of other WD, UE, or wireless access networks (RAN), according to one or more communication protocols such as IEEE 802.11, CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, LTE, UTRAN, WiMax, etc. Each transceiver may include a transmitter (1233) and / or a receiver (1235) to implement transmitter or receiver functions (e.g., frequency allocation and similar) suitable for the RAN connection, respectively. Additionally, the transmitter (1233) and receiver (1235) of each transceiver may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively, may be implemented separately.

[0257] In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functions of the communication subsystem (1231) may include data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication such as Bluetooth, short-range communication, location-based communication such as the use of a Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine location, other similar communication functions, or any combination thereof. For example, the communication subsystem (1231) may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth communication, and GPS communication. The network (1243b) may encompass wired and / or wireless networks such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network, other similar networks, or any combination thereof. For example, the network (1243b) may be a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, and / or a local area network. The power supply (1213) may be configured to provide alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power to the components of the UE (1200).

[0258] The features, benefits, and / or functions described herein may be implemented in one of the components of the UE (1200) or may be implemented by being divided across multiple components of the UE (1200). Additionally, the features, benefits, and / or functions described herein may be implemented in any combination of hardware, software, or firmware. In one example, the communication subsystem (1231) may be configured to include any of the components described herein. Additionally, the processing circuit (1201) may be configured to communicate with any of these components via the bus (1202). In another example, any of these components may be represented by program instructions stored in memory that perform the corresponding functions described herein when executed by the processing circuit (1201). In another example, any of the functions of these components may be divided between the processing circuit (1201) and the communication subsystem (1231). In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of these components may be implemented in software or firmware, and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0259] FIG. 13 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a virtualized environment (1300) in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the current context, virtualization means creating a virtual version of apparatuses or devices, which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices, and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization may be applied to a node (e.g., a virtualized base station or a virtualized wireless access node) or a device (e.g., a UE, a wireless device, or any other type of communication device) or its components, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of a function is implemented as one or more virtual components (e.g., through one or more applications, components, functions, virtual machines, or containers running on one or more physical processing nodes in one or more networks).

[0260] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines implemented in one or more virtual environments (1300) hosted by one or more hardware nodes (1330). Additionally, in embodiments where the virtual node is not a wireless access node or does not require wireless connectivity (e.g., a core network node), the network node may be fully virtualized.

[0261] Functions may be implemented by one or more applications (1320) (which may alternatively be referred to as software instances, virtual machines, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) that operate to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein. The application (1320) is executed in a virtualization environment (1300) that provides hardware (1330) including a processing circuit (1360) and a memory (1390). The memory (1390) contains instructions (1395) executable by the processing circuit (1360), and accordingly, the application (1320) operates to provide one or more of the features, benefits, and / or functions disclosed herein.

[0262] The virtualization environment (1300) includes a general-purpose or special-purpose network hardware device (1330) comprising a set of one or more processors or processing circuits (1360), which may be a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) processor, a dedicated application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or any other type of processing circuit including digital or analog hardware components or special-purpose processors. Each hardware device may include a memory (1390-1) which may be non-persistent memory for temporarily storing software executed by instructions (1395) or processing circuits (1360). Each hardware device may include one or more network interface controllers (NICs) (1370), also known as network interface cards, which include a physical network interface (1380). Each hardware device may also include a non-transitory, persistent, machine-readable storage medium (1390-2) storing software (1395) and / or instructions executable by the processing circuit (1360). The software (1395) may include any type of software that enables the execution of functions, features and / or benefits described in relation to some embodiments described herein, as well as software that instantiates one or more virtualization layers (1350) (also called hypervisors), software that runs a virtual machine (1340).

[0263] A virtual machine (1340) includes virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interfaces and virtual storage devices, and may be executed by a corresponding virtualization layer (1350) or hypervisor. Different embodiments of instances of a virtual machine (1320) may be implemented on one or more virtual machines (1340), and the implementation may be done in different ways.

[0264] During operation, the processing circuit (1360) executes software (1395) to instantiate a hypervisor or virtualization layer (1350), which may sometimes be referred to as a virtual machine monitor (VMM). The virtualization layer (1350) may present a virtual operating platform that looks like networking hardware to the virtual machine (1340).

[0265] As illustrated in FIG. 13, the hardware (1330) may be a standalone network node having general or specific components. The hardware (1330) may include an antenna (13225) and may implement some functions through virtualization. Alternatively, the hardware (1330) may be part of a larger hardware cluster in which many hardware nodes operate together and are managed through Management and Orchestration (MANO) (13100) (e.g., in a data center or Customer Premises Equipment (CPE)), which, among other things, oversees the lifecycle management of the application (1320).

[0266] Hardware virtualization is referred to as network function virtualization (NFV) in some contexts. NFV can be used to integrate many types of network devices into industry-standard high-capacity server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage and customer premise equipment that may be located in data centers.

[0267] In the context of NFV, a virtual machine (1340) may be a software implementation of a physical machine running a program as if the program were running on a physical machine that is not virtualized. Each virtual machine (1340) and part of the hardware (1330) running the virtual machine may be hardware dedicated to the virtual machine and / or hardware shared by the virtual machine with other virtual machines (1340), forming a separate virtual network element (VNE).

[0268] Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function (VNF) is responsible for handling specific network functions running on one or more virtual machines (1340) on a hardware networking infrastructure (1330), and corresponds to the application (1320) of FIG. 13.

[0269] In some embodiments, one or more wireless units (13200), each comprising one or more transmitters (13220) and one or more receivers (13210), may be coupled to one or more antennas (13225). The wireless units (13200) may communicate directly with a hardware node (1330) through one or more suitable network interfaces and may be used in combination with virtual components to provide a virtual node with wireless functions, such as a wireless access node or a base station.

[0270] In some embodiments, some signaling may be achieved by using a control system (13230) that can be alternatively used for communication between a hardware node (1330) and a wireless unit (13200).

[0271] Referring to FIG. 14, according to one embodiment, a communication system includes a communication network (1410), such as a 3GPP-type cellular network, comprising an access network (1411), such as a wireless access network, and a core network (1414). The access network (1411) includes a plurality of base stations (1412a, 1412b, 1412c), such as NBs, eNBs, gNBs, or other types of wireless access points, each defining a corresponding coverage area (1413a, 1413b, 1413c). Each base station (1412a, 1412b, 1412c) may be connected to the core network (1414) via a wired or wireless connection (1415). A first UE (1491) located in the coverage area (1413c) is configured to wirelessly connect to the base station (1412c) or be called by it. A second UE (1492) within the coverage area (1413a) can wirelessly connect to the corresponding base station (1412a). Although multiple UEs (1491, 1492) are shown in this example, the disclosed embodiment can be equally applied to situations where a single UE is in the coverage area or a single UE is connected to the corresponding base station (1412).

[0272] The communication network (1410) itself is connected to a host computer (1430), which may be implemented as hardware and / or software of a standalone server, a cloud implementation server, or a distributed server, or as a processing resource of a server farm. The host computer (1430) may be under the ownership or control of a service provider, or may be operated by or on behalf of a service provider. Connections (1421 and 1422) between the communication network (1410) and the host computer (1430) may extend directly from the core network (1414) to the host computer (1430) or may pass through an optional intermediate network (1420). The intermediate network (1420) may be one of a public, private, or hosted network, or a combination of two or more, and if so, the intermediate network (1420) may be a backbone network or the Internet; in particular, the intermediate network (1420) may include two or more subnetworks (not shown).

[0273] Overall, the communication system of FIG. 14 enables a connection between connected UEs (1491, 1492) and a host computer (1430). The connection can be described as an over-the-top (OTT) connection (1450). The host computer (1430) and the connected UEs (1491, 1492) are configured to communicate data and / or signaling through the OTT connection (1450) using an access network (1411), a core network (1414), any intermediate network (1420), and possible additional infrastructure (not shown) as intermediaries. The OTT connection (1450) can be transparent in that the participating communication device through which the OTT connection (1450) passes does not know the routing of the uplink and downlink communications. For example, the base station (1412) may not be notified, and may not need to be notified, of the previous routing of incoming downline communication with data originating from the host computer (1430) to be transferred (e.g., handover) to the connected UE (1491). Similarly, the base station (1412) does not need to be aware of the future routing of outgoing upline communication originating from the UE (1491) to the host computer (1430).

[0274] According to one embodiment, an exemplary implementation of the UE, base station, and host computer discussed in the previous paragraph will now be described with reference to FIG. 15. In a communication system (1500), the host computer (1510) includes hardware (1515) comprising a communication interface (1516) configured to establish and maintain a wired or wireless connection with an interface of a different communication device of the communication system (1500). The host computer (1510) further includes a processing circuit (1518) capable of having storage and / or processing capabilities. In particular, the processing circuit (1518) may include one or more programmable processors, application integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. The host computer (1510) further includes software (1511) stored in the host computer (1510), accessible by the host computer (1510), and executable by the processing circuit (1518). The software (1511) includes a host application (1512). The host application (1512) can operate to provide services to a remote user, such as a UE (1530), who connects via an OTT connection (1550) that terminates at the UE (1530) and the host computer (1510). When providing services to a remote user, the host application (1512) can provide user data transmitted using the OTT connection (1550).

[0275] The communication system (1500) further includes a base station (1520) comprising hardware (1525) provided to the communication system and capable of communicating with a host computer (1510) and a UE (1530). The hardware (1525) may include a communication interface (1526) for establishing and maintaining a wired or wireless connection with an interface of a different communication device of the communication system (1500), as well as a wireless interface (1527) for establishing and maintaining at least a wireless connection (1570) with a UE (1530) located in a coverage area (not shown in FIG. 15) served by the base station (1520). The communication interface (1526) may be configured to facilitate a connection (1560) to the host computer (1510). The connection (1560) may be direct or may pass through a core network of the communication system (not shown in FIG. 15) and / or one or more intermediate networks outside the communication system. In the illustrated embodiment, the hardware (1525) of the base station (1520) further comprises a processing circuit (1528), which may include one or more programmable processors, application integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof adapted to execute instructions (not illustrated). The base station (1520) further comprises software (1521) stored internally or accessible via an external connection.

[0276] The communication system (1500) further includes the already referenced UE (1530). Its hardware (1535) may include a wireless interface (1537) configured to establish and maintain a wireless connection (1570) with a base station serving the coverage area where the UE (1530) is currently located. The hardware (1535) of the UE (1530) further includes a processing circuit (1538), which may include one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof adapted to execute instructions (not shown). The UE (1530) further includes software (1531) stored in the UE (1530), accessible by the UE (1530), and executable by the processing circuit (1538). The software (1531) includes a client application (1532). A client application (1532) may operate to provide services to a human or non-human user through a UE (1530) with the support of a host computer (1510). On the host computer (1510), a running host application (1512) may communicate with a running client application (1532) through an OTT connection (1550) that terminates on the UE (1530) and the host computer (1510). When providing services to a user, the client application (1532) may receive request data from the host application (1512) and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection (1550) may transmit both the request data and the user data. The client application (1532) may interact with the user to generate the user data to be provided.

[0277] It is noted that the host computer (1510), base station (1520), and UE (1530) illustrated in FIG. 15 may be similar or identical to the host computer (1430), one of the base stations (1412a, 1412b, 1412c), and one of the UEs (1491, 1492) of FIG. 14, respectively. That is, the internal operations of these objects may be the same as those illustrated in FIG. 15, and independently, the surrounding network topology may be the same as that of FIG. 14.

[0278] In FIG. 15, the OTT connection (1550) is abstractly drawn to exemplify communication between a host computer (1510) and a UE (1530) via a base station (1520) without explicit reference to any intermediary device and accurate routing of messages through these devices. The network infrastructure may determine routing, and this may be configured to hide from the UE (1530), from the service provider operating the host computer (1510), or both. While the OTT connection (1550) is active, the network infrastructure may further make decisions to dynamically change routing (e.g., based on network load balancing considerations or reconfiguration).

[0279] The wireless connection (1570) between the UE (1530) and the base station (1520) follows the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of the OTT service provided to the UE (1530) by using the OTT connection (1550) in which the wireless connection (1570) forms the final segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments can improve the efficiency of memory usage in the wireless device, thereby providing benefits such as faster processing and better responsiveness in the wireless device. The teachings of these embodiments can also improve the collection of QoE information in the network, thereby enabling the operator to configure the network to better provide the OTT service.

[0280] A measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring the data transmission rate, latency, and other factors improved by one or more embodiments. There may be additional optional network functions for resetting the OTT connection (1550) between the host computer (1510) and the UE (1530) in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and / or network functions for resetting the OTT connection (1550) may be implemented in the software (1511) and hardware (1515) of the host computer (1510) or in the software (1531) and hardware (1535) of the UE (1530), or both. In an embodiment, a sensor (not shown) may be placed in or associated with a communication device through which the OTT connection (1550) passes; the sensor may participate in the measurement procedure by providing the monitored quantity illustrated above or by providing a value of another physical quantity through which the software (1511, 1531) can calculate or estimate the monitored quantity. Resetting of the OTT connection (1550) may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc.; the resetting does not need to affect the base station (1520), and may not be known to or detectable by the base station (1520). Such procedures and functions may be known and implemented in the art. In a particular embodiment, the measurement may involve dedicated UE signaling to facilitate the measurement of throughput, propagation time, latency, and similar things of the host computer (1510). The measurement may be implemented by using the OTT connection (1550) to transmit messages, specifically empty or 'dummy' messages, while the software (1511 and 1531) monitors propagation time, errors, etc.

[0281] FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be described with reference to FIG. 14 and 15. For the sake of brevity of the disclosure, only reference to FIG. 16 will be included in this section. In step (1610), the host computer provides user data. In a substep (1611) of step (1610) (which may be optional), the host computer provides user data by running a host application. In step (1620), the host computer initiates a transmission to return user data to the UE. In step (1630) (which may be optional), the base station transmits the user data returned from the transmission initiated by the host computer to the UE in accordance with the teachings of the embodiment described throughout the disclosure. In step (1640) (which may also be optional), the UE runs a client application associated with the host application run by the host computer.

[0282] FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be described with reference to FIG. 14 and 15. For the sake of brevity of the disclosure, only reference to FIG. 17 will be included in this section. In step (1710) of the method, the host computer provides user data. In an optional substep (not shown), the host computer provides user data by running a host application. In step (1720), the host computer initiates a transmission to return user data to the UE. The transmission may pass through a base station in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the disclosure. In step (1730) (which may be optional), the UE receives the user data returned from the transmission.

[0283] FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be described with reference to FIG. 14 and 15. For the sake of brevity of the disclosure, only drawing references to FIG. 18 will be included in this section. In step (1810) (which may be optional), the UE receives input data provided by the host computer. Additionally or alternatively, in step (1820), the UE provides user data. In a substep (1821) (which may be optional) of step (1820), the UE provides user data by running a client application. In a substep (1811) (which may be optional) of step (1810), the UE runs a client application that provides user data in response to the received input data provided by the host computer. When providing user data, the executed client application may further consider user input received from the user. Regardless of the specific way in which user data is provided, the UE begins transmitting user data to the host computer in a sub-step (1830) (which may be optional). In step (1840) of the method, the host computer receives the user data transmitted from the UE in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure.

[0284] FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be described with reference to FIG. 14 and FIG. 15. For the sake of brevity of the disclosure, only reference to FIG. 19 will be included in this section. In step (1910) (which may be optional), in accordance with the teachings of the embodiment described throughout the disclosure, the base station receives user data from the UE. In step (1920) (which may be optional), the base station initiates to transmit the received user data to the host computer. In step (1930) (which may be optional), the host computer receives the user data returned from the transmission initiated by the base station.

[0285] FIG. 20 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a device (2000) in a wireless network (e.g., the wireless network illustrated in FIG. 11). The device may be implemented in a wireless device or a UE (e.g., the wireless device (1110) illustrated in FIG. 11 or the UE (1200) illustrated in FIG. 12). The device (2000) is operable to perform the exemplary method described with reference to FIG. 9 and possibly any other procedure or method disclosed herein. Additionally, it should be understood that the method of FIG. 9 is not necessarily performed only by the device (2000). At least some operation of the method may be performed by one or more other entities.

[0286] The virtual device (2000) may include a processing circuit that may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware that may include a digital signal processor (DSP), special purpose digital logic, and similar ones. The processing circuit may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or more types of memory such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory, cache memory, flash memory device, optical storage device, etc. The program code stored in memory may include program instructions for executing one or more communication and / or data communication protocols in several embodiments, as well as instructions for performing one or more of the techniques described herein. In some implementations, the processing circuit may be used to enable a receiving unit (2002), an initiation unit (2004), and a storage unit (2006), and any other suitable unit of the device (2000) to perform their respective functions according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0287] The device (2000) includes a storage medium. As illustrated in FIG. 20, the device (2000) includes a receiving unit (2002), an initiating unit (2004), and a storage unit (2006). The receiving unit (2002) is configured to receive a request from a base station to perform one or more QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting. The initiating unit (2004) is configured to initiate one or more QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting. The storage unit (2006) is configured to store the results of one or more QoE measurements in a storage portion of the storage medium allocated for storing QoE measurements. The storage portion has a set maximum size.

[0288] FIG. 21 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a device (2100) in a wireless network (e.g., the wireless network illustrated in FIG. 11). The device may be implemented in a base station or a network node (e.g., the network node (1160) illustrated in FIG. 11). The device (2100) is operable to perform the exemplary method described with reference to FIG. 10 and possibly any other procedure or method disclosed herein. Additionally, it should be understood that the method of FIG. 10 is not necessarily performed only by the device (2100). At least some operation of the method may be performed by one or more other entities.

[0289] The virtual device (2100) may include a processing circuit that may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers as well as other digital hardware that may include a digital signal processor (DSP), special purpose digital logic, and similar ones. The processing circuit may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or more types of memory such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory, cache memory, flash memory device, optical storage device, etc. The program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more communication and / or data communication protocols in a number of embodiments, as well as instructions for performing one or more of the techniques described herein. In some implementations, the processing circuit may be used to enable a receiving unit (2102), a transmitting unit (2104), a setting unit (2106), and any other suitable unit of the device (2100) to perform their respective functions according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0290] The device (2100) is configured to control the processing of QoE data in a wireless device. The wireless device includes a storage medium having a storage portion allocated for storing QoE measurements.

[0291] As illustrated in FIG. 21, the device (2100) includes a receiving unit (2102), a transmitting unit (2104), and a setting unit (2106). In one embodiment, the receiving unit (2102) is configured to receive from a wireless device an indication of the set maximum size of the storage portion. The transmitting unit (2104) is configured to transmit to the wireless device a request for the wireless device to perform one or more QoE measurements according to the QoE measurement settings. In this embodiment, the QoE measurement settings may be adapted based on the set maximum size of the indicated storage portion. In this embodiment, the device (2100) may not include the setting unit (2106).

[0292] In another embodiment, the transmitting unit (2104) is configured to transmit a request to the wireless device to perform one or more QoE measurements according to the QoE measurement settings. The setting unit (2106) is configured to configure the wireless device with a maximum size of the storage portion set. In this embodiment, the device (2100) may not include a receiving unit (2102).

[0293] The term “unit” may have its ordinary meaning in the field of electronics, electrical devices and / or electronic devices and may include, as described herein, for example, electrical and / or electronic circuits, devices, modules, processors, memory, logic solid-state and / or separate devices, computer programs or instructions for performing respective tasks, procedures, calculations, outputs and / or display functions, etc.

[0294] To eliminate any doubt, the following statements describe embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0295] Group A Examples

[0296] 1. A method performed by a wireless device to process Quality of Experience (QoE) data, wherein the wireless device includes a storage medium, and the method comprises:

[0297] - A step of receiving a request from a base station to perform one or more measurements according to QoE measurement settings;

[0298] - A step of initiating one or more QoE measurements according to QoE measurement settings; and

[0299] - Includes the step of storing the results of one or more QoE measurements in a storage portion of a storage medium allocated for storing QoE measurements, and

[0300] - The storage portion has a set maximum size.

[0301] 2. In the method of Example 1, the set maximum size is hard-coded so that it cannot be changed on the wireless device.

[0302] 3. In the method of Example 1, the set maximum size may take one of a plurality of possible values.

[0303] 4. In any one of the prior embodiments, the method further includes the step of transmitting a set maximum size display to a base station.

[0304] 5. In the method of Example 4, the indication of the set maximum size is transmitted as a message indicating the capability of the wireless device.

[0305] 6. In the method of Example 4 or 5 dependent on Example 2, the indication of a set maximum size includes an indication that the wireless device can store the results of one or more QoE measurements in a storage portion up to a set maximum size that is recorded in a way that cannot be altered.

[0306] 7. In the method according to Example 1, the set maximum size is set by a base station, and the method further includes the step of receiving an indication of the set maximum size from the base station.

[0307] 8. In the method according to Example 7, an indication of the set maximum size is received as a request to perform one or more measurements according to the QoE measurement settings.

[0308] 9. In a method according to any one of the prior embodiments, the storage portion has a maximum size set for a plurality of wireless access technologies (RATs).

[0309] 10. In a method according to any one of the prior embodiments, the storage portion has a maximum size set for a plurality of service types or sub-service types.

[0310] 11. In the method according to any one of the prior embodiments, the storage portion has a maximum size set based on a network slice targeting QoE measurement.

[0311] 12. In the method according to any one of the prior embodiments, the storage portion has a maximum size set for legacy QoE reporting and light QoE reporting, respectively.

[0312] 13. In the method according to any one of the prior embodiments, the set maximum size relates to the storage of a defined number of QoE reports.

[0313] 14. In a method according to any one of the prior embodiments, the set maximum size is a first set maximum size applicable when the QoE measurement setting is associated with a first priority value.

[0314] 15. In the method according to Example 14, a second set maximum size larger than a first set maximum size is applicable when the QoE measurement setting is associated with a second priority value that is higher than a first priority value.

[0315] 16. In the method according to Example 15, the second set maximum size is applicable only while the timer associated with the second priority value is running.

[0316] 17. A method according to any one of the prior embodiments further comprises the steps of transmitting the stored results of one or more QoE measurements to a base station in response to a determination that the storage portion is filled to a set maximum size, stopping additional QoE measurements, and deleting QoE measurement settings.

[0317] 18. A method according to any one of Examples 1 to 16 further comprises the step of pausing additional QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting in response to a determination that the storage portion is filled to a set maximum size.

[0318] 19. A method according to any one of Examples 1 to 16 and 18 further comprises the step of transmitting the stored result of one or more QoE measurements to a base station in response to a determination that the storage portion is filled to a set maximum size.

[0319] 20. In the method according to Example 19, after transmitting the stored result, the method further includes the step of continuing to initiate QoE measurement according to the QoE measurement setting.

[0320] 21. A method according to any one of Examples 1 to 16 and 18 further comprises the step of continuing to store the results of one or more QoE measurements in response to a determination that it is not possible to transmit the stored results until it is possible to transmit the results and / or until the storage portion is filled to a set maximum size.

[0321] 22. A method according to any one of Examples 1 to 16 and 18 further comprises the step of continuing to store only a portion of one or more QoE measurement results until the results can be transmitted to a base station in response to a determination that it is not possible to transmit the stored results.

[0322] 23. A method according to any one of Examples 1 to 16 and 18 further comprises the step of storing only statistical data regarding one or more QoE measurement results in response to a determination that it is not possible to transmit the stored results.

[0323] 24. In the method according to Example 23, the statistical data includes one or more average values ​​for the QoE measurement results.

[0324] 25. A method according to any one of Examples 1 to 16 and 18 further comprises the step of deleting one or more results of a QoE measurement based on a relative priority value associated with the QoE measurement in response to a determination that it is not possible to transmit the stored results.

[0325] 26. In a method according to any one of the prior embodiments, in response to a determination that the storage portion is filled up to a threshold smaller than a set maximum size, the method further includes the step of transmitting an information message to a base station that includes an indication that the storage portion is filled up to a threshold.

[0326] 27. In a method according to any one of the prior embodiments,

[0327] - Step of providing user data; and

[0328] - It further includes the step of transmitting user data to the host computer via transmission to the base station.

[0329] Group B Examples

[0330] 28. A method performed by a base station to control the processing of Quality of Experience (QoE) data in a wireless device, wherein the wireless device comprises a storage medium having a storage portion allocated for the storage of QoE measurements, and the method comprises:

[0331] - A step of receiving an indication of the set maximum size of the storage portion from a wireless device; and

[0332] - Includes the step of transmitting a request to the wireless device to perform one or more measurements according to the QoE measurement settings.

[0333] 29. A method performed by a base station to control the processing of Quality of Experience (QoE) data in a wireless device, wherein the wireless device comprises a storage medium having a storage portion allocated for storing QoE measurements, and the method comprises:

[0334] - A step of transmitting a request to the wireless device to perform one or more measurements according to QoE measurement settings; and

[0335] - Includes a step of setting the maximum size of the storage portion to the wireless device.

[0336] 30. In the method of Example 29, the step of setting the set maximum size of the storage portion to the wireless device includes the step of transmitting an indication of the set maximum size of the storage portion in the QoE measurement setting.

[0337] 31. In the method according to any one of Examples 29 to 30, the wireless device is set to a maximum size for a plurality of wireless access technologies (RATs).

[0338] 32. In the method according to any one of Examples 29 to 31, a maximum size is set for a plurality of service types or sub-service types in the wireless device.

[0339] 33. In the method according to any one of Examples 29 to 32, the wireless device is set a maximum size based on a network slice targeting QoE measurement.

[0340] 34. In the method according to any one of Examples 29 to 33, the wireless device is set a maximum size for legacy QoE reporting and light QoE reporting.

[0341] 35. In the method according to any one of Examples 29 to 34, the set maximum size is associated with the storage of a defined number of QoE reports.

[0342] 36. In the method according to any one of Examples 29 to 35, the set maximum size is the first set maximum size applicable when the QoE measurement setting is associated with the first priority value.

[0343] 37. In the method according to Example 36, a second set maximum size larger than a first set maximum size is applicable when the QoE measurement setting is associated with a second priority value that is higher than a first priority value.

[0344] 38. In the method according to Example 37, the second set maximum size is applicable only while the timer associated with the second priority value is running.

[0345] 39. A method according to any one of Examples 28 to 38 further comprises the step of setting a wireless device to take one or more actions in response to a determination that a storage portion is full to a set maximum size.

[0346] 40. In the method according to Example 39, one or more operations include one or more of the steps of: transmitting the stored result of the QoE measurement to a base station; and storing the stored result of the QoE measurement until the stored result of the QoE measurement can be transmitted to the base station.

[0347] 41. In the method according to Example 39 or 40, one or more operations include: a step of pausing the initiation of additional QoE measurement according to the QoE measurement setting; a step of stopping the initiation of additional QoE measurement according to the QoE measurement setting and deleting the QoE measurement setting; and a step of continuing to initiate additional QoE measurement according to the QoE measurement setting after transmitting the stored result of the QoE measurement.

[0348] 42. A method according to any one of Examples 28 to 41 further comprises the step of receiving an information message from a wireless device that includes an indication that the storage portion is filled up to a threshold smaller than a set maximum size.

[0349] 43. The method according to Example 42 further includes the step of setting a threshold value to a wireless device.

[0350] 44. As a method of any one of the prior embodiments,

[0351] - Step of acquiring user data; and

[0352] - Includes a step of transmitting user data to a host computer or wireless device.

[0353] Group C Examples

[0354] 45. As a wireless device, the wireless device,

[0355] - A processing circuit configured to cause a wireless device to perform any step of any Group A embodiment; and

[0356] - Includes a power supply circuit configured to supply power to a wireless device.

[0357] 46. ​​As a base station, the base station,

[0358] - A processing circuit configured to allow a base station to perform any step of any Group B embodiment;

[0359] - Includes a power supply circuit configured to supply power to the base station.

[0360] 47. As a user device (UE), the UE is,

[0361] - Antenna configured to transmit and receive wireless signals;

[0362] - A wireless front-end circuit connected to an antenna and a processing circuit, configured to regulate the signal communicated between the antenna and the processing circuit;

[0363] - A processing circuit configured to allow the UE to perform any step of any Group A embodiment;

[0364] - An input interface connected to a processing circuit and configured to allow input of information to a UE to be processed by the processing circuit;

[0365] - An output interface connected to a processing circuit and configured to output information processed by the processing circuit from the UE; and

[0366] - Includes a battery connected to the processing circuit and configured to supply power to the UE.

[0367] 48. A communication system including a host computer,

[0368] - Processing circuit configured to provide user data; and

[0369] - Includes a communication interface configured to transmit user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user device (UE), and

[0370] - A cellular network includes a base station having a wireless interface and a processing circuit, and the processing circuit of the base station is configured to allow the base station to perform any step of any Group B embodiment.

[0371] 49. As a communication system of a prior embodiment,

[0372] Includes additional base stations.

[0373] 50. As a communication system of the two preceding embodiments,

[0374] It includes additional UEs, and the UEs are configured to communicate with the base station.

[0375] 51. As a communication system of the three preceding embodiments,

[0376] - The processing circuit of the host computer is configured to execute the host application and provide user data;

[0377] - The UE includes a processing circuit configured to execute a client application associated with a host application.

[0378] 52. A method implemented in a communication system comprising a host computer, a base station, and a user device (UE), wherein

[0379] - The step of providing user data from the host computer; and

[0380] - The method includes the step of initiating a transmission from a host computer to return user data to a UE through a cellular network including a base station, wherein the base station performs any step of any Group B embodiment.

[0381] 53. As a method of the prior art,

[0382] It further includes the step of transmitting user data from the base station.

[0383] 54. In the method of the two preceding embodiments,

[0384] User data is provided to the host computer by running a host application, and the method further includes the step of running a client application associated with the host application on the UE.

[0385] 55. As a user device (UE) configured to communicate with a base station,

[0386] It includes a processing circuit and a wireless interface configured to allow the UE to perform any of the three preceding embodiments.

[0387] 56. A communication system including a host computer,

[0388] - Processing circuit configured to provide user data; and

[0389] - Includes a communication interface configured to transmit user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user device (UE), and

[0390] - The UE includes a wireless interface and a processing circuit, and the components of the UE are configured to allow the UE to perform any step of any Group A embodiment.

[0391] 57. As a communication system of a prior embodiment,

[0392] The cellular network further includes base stations configured to communicate with the UE.

[0393] 58. As a communication system of the two preceding embodiments,

[0394] - The processing circuit of the host computer is configured to run the host application to provide user data.

[0395] - The UE's processing circuit is configured to execute client applications associated with the host application.

[0396] 59. A method implemented in a communication system comprising a host computer, a base station, and a user device (UE), wherein

[0397] - The step of providing user data on the host computer; and

[0398] - The host computer includes the step of initiating a transmission to return user data to the UE through a cellular network including a base station, and the UE performs any step of any Group A embodiment.

[0399] 60. As a method of the prior art,

[0400] In the UE, the step of receiving user data from the base station is further included.

[0401] 61. A communication system including a host computer,

[0402] - Includes a communication interface configured to receive user data transmitted from a user device (UE) to a base station, and

[0403] - The UE includes a wireless interface and a processing circuit, and the processing circuit of the UE is configured to allow the UE to perform any step of any Group A embodiment.

[0404] 62. As a communication system of a prior embodiment,

[0405] Includes more UE.

[0406] 63. As a communication system of the two preceding embodiments,

[0407] The base station further includes a wireless interface configured to communicate with a UE and a communication interface configured to communicate user data returned by transmission from the UE to the base station to a host computer.

[0408] 64. As a communication system of the three preceding embodiments,

[0409] - The processing circuit of the host computer is configured to execute the host application;

[0410] - The UE's processing circuit is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application and provide user data.

[0411] 65. As a communication system of the four preceding embodiments,

[0412] - The host computer's processing circuit is configured to execute the host application and provide the requested data;

[0413] - The UE's processing circuit is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application and provides user data in response to the request data.

[0414] 66. A method implemented in a communication system comprising a host computer, a base station, and a user device (UE), wherein

[0415] - The host computer includes the step of receiving user data transmitted from the UE to the base station, and the UE performs any step of any Group A embodiment.

[0416] 67. As a method of the prior art,

[0417] In the UE, it further includes the step of providing user data to the base station.

[0418] 68. As a method of the two preceding embodiments,

[0419] - A step of running a client application in the UE to provide user data to be transmitted; and

[0420] - It further includes the step of running a host application associated with a client application on a host computer.

[0421] 69. As a method of the three preceding embodiments,

[0422] - In the UE, the stage where the client application is running; and

[0423] - In the UE, the method further includes a step of receiving input data for a client application, wherein the input data is provided by the host computer by executing a host application associated with the client application, and

[0424] - User data to be transmitted is provided by the client application in response to the input data.

[0425] 70. A communication system comprising a host computer having a communication interface configured to receive user data transmitted from a user device (UE) to a base station,

[0426] The base station includes a wireless interface and a processing circuit, and the processing circuit of the base station is configured to allow the base station to perform any step of any group B embodiment.

[0427] 71. As a communication system of a prior embodiment,

[0428] Includes additional base stations.

[0429] 72. As a communication system of the two preceding embodiments,

[0430] It includes additional UEs, and the UEs are configured to communicate with the base station.

[0431] 73. As a communication system of the three preceding embodiments,

[0432] - The processing circuit of the host computer is configured to execute the host application;

[0433] - The UE is configured to run a client application associated with the host application and provides user data to be received by the host computer.

[0434] 74. A method implemented in a communication system comprising a host computer, a base station, and a user device (UE), wherein

[0435] - In a host computer, the method includes the step of receiving user data from the base station that is transmitted from the transmission received from the UE, and the UE performs any step of any Group A embodiment.

[0436] 75. As a method of the prior art,

[0437] It further includes the step of receiving user data from the UE at the base station.

[0438] 76. As a method of the two preceding embodiments,

[0439] It further includes the step of initiating the transmission of received user data from the base station to the host computer. Explanation of the symbols

[0440] At least some of the following abbreviations may be used in this disclosure. In the event of any discrepancy between the abbreviations, priority should be given to the method used as described above. If listed multiple times below, the first listing shall take precedence over any subsequent listing. 3. GPP 3rd Generation Partnership Project 5. GG 5th Generation 5GC 5G Core 5GS 5G System AMF Access and Mobility Management Function AR Augmented Reality AT Caution BAP Backhaul Adaptation Protocol Layer CN Core Network CP Control Plane CU Central Unit DL Downline DRB Data Radio Bearer DU Distributor E1 Interface between gNB-CU-CP and gNB-CU-UP. eNB Evolved Node B (Radio Base Station in LTE / E-UTRAN) EN-DC E-UTRAN-NR Duplex EPS Evolved Packet System E-UTRAN Evolved UTRANF 1 Interface between gNB-CU and gNB-DU. F1-C Control Plane Part of F1. F1-U User Plane Part of F1. FDD Frequency Division Duplex gNB Radio Base Station in NR. IAB Integrated Access and Backhaul ID Identity / Identifier LTE Long Term Evolution MDT Minimization of Drive Testing NG Next Generation NG Between RAN and CN in 5GS Interface NG-RAN Next-generation RAN (i.e., 5G RAN) NR New Radio OAM / O&M Operations and Management PDCP Packet Data Convergence Protocol QoE Quality of Experience QoS Quality of Service RAN Wireless Access Network RAT Wireless Access Technology RNL Wireless Network Layer RRC Wireless Resource Control S1 Interface between RAN and CN in EPS S1-C Control Plane Part of S1 S1-U User Plane Part of S1 S1AP S1 Application Protocol SCell Secondary Cell SFN System Frame Number TCE Trace Collector Object TCP Transmit Control Protocol TDD Time Division Redundancy TNL Transport Network Layer TS Technical Specification UE User Device UL Upline UMTS Universal Mobile Communications System UP User Plane URLLC Ultra-Reliable Ultra-Low Communication UTC Coordinated Universal Time UTRAN Universal Terrestrial Wireless Access Network VR Virtual Reality X2 Two in LTEInterface between eNBs. X2-C Control plane portion of X2 X2-U User plane portion of X2. Interface between two gNBs in Xn NR Xn-C Control plane portion of Xn Xn-U User plane portion of Xn. 1x RTT CDMA2000 1x Radio Transmission Technology 3GPP 3rd Generation Partnership Project 5G 5th Generation ABS Nearly empty subframe ARQ Automatic Repeat Request AWGN Additive white Gaussian noise BCCH Broadcast Control Channel BCH Broadcast Channel CA Carrier Aggregation CC Carrier Components CCCH SDU Common Control Channel SDUCDMA Code Division Multiplexing Access CGI Cell Global Identifier CIR Channel Impulse Response CP Circular Prefix CPICH Common Pilot Channel CPICH Ec / No Energy per Chip Received by CPICH Band Power Density CQI Channel Quality Information C-RNTI Cell RNTICSI Channel Status Information DCCH Dedicated Control Channel DL Downline DM Demodulation DMRS Demodulation Reference Signal DRX Discontinuous Receive DTX Discontinuous Transmission DTCH Dedicated Traffic Channel DUT Equipment in Test E-CID Enhanced Cell-ID (Location Method) E-SMLC Evolved Serving Mobile Location Center ECGI Evolved CGI eNB E-UTRAN Node-BePDCCH Enhanced Physical Downline Control Channel E-SMLC Evolved Serving Mobile Location Center E-UTRA Evolved UTRA E-UTRAN Evolved UTRA NFDD Frequency Division Redundancy FFS For Future Research GERAN GSM EDGE Wireless Access Network gNB Base Station of NR GNSS Global Navigation Satellite System GSM Global Mobile Communication System HARQ Hybrid Automatic Repetitive Request HO Handover HSPA High-Speed ​​Packet Access HRPD High-Speed ​​Packet Data LOS Line of Sight LPP LTE Positioning Protocol LTE Long Term Evolution MAC Media Access Control MBMS Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service MBSFN Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service Single Frequency Network MBSFN ABS MBSFN Nearly Empty Subframe MDT Minimizing Driving Test MIB Master Information Block MMEMobility Management Objects MSC Mobile Switching Center NPDCCH Narrowband Physical Downline Control Channel NR New Radio OCNG OFDMA Channel Noise Generator OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing OFDMA Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access OSS Operational Support System OTDOA Observed Delay in Reach O&M Operations and Management PBCH Physical Broadcast Channel P-CCPCH Primary Common Control Physical Channel PCell Primary Cell PCFICH Physical Control Format Indicator Channel PDCCH Physical Downline Control Channel PDP Profile Delay Profile PDSCH Physical Downline Sharing Channel PGW Packet Gateway PHICH Physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channel PLMN Public Land Mobile Network PMI Precoder Matrix Indicator PRACH Physical Random Access Channel PRS Positioning Reference Signal PSS Primary Synchronization Signal PUCCH Physical Upline Control Channel PUSCH Physical Upline Sharing Channel RACH Random Access Channel QAM Orthogonal Amplitude Modulation RAN Wireless Access Network RAT Wireless Access Technology RLM Wireless Connection Management RNC Wireless Network Controller RNTI Wireless Network Temporal Identifier RRC Wireless Resource Control RRM Wireless Resource Management RS Reference Signal RSCP Received Signal Code Power RSRP Reference Symbol Received Power or Reference Signal Received Power RSRQ Reference Signal Received Quality or Reference Symbol Received Quality RSSI Received Signal Strength Indicator RSTD Reference Signal Delay SCH Synchronization Channel SCell Secondary Cell SDU Service Data Unit SFN System Frame Number SGW Serving Gateway SI System Information SIB System Information Block SNR Signal-to-Noise Ratio SON Self-Optimizing Network SS Synchronization Signal SSS Secondary Synchronization Signal TDD Time Division Redundancy TDOA Delay TOA Time of Arrival TSS Tertiary Synchronization Signal TTI Transmit Time Interval UE User Device UL Upline UMTS Universal Mobile Communication System USIM Universal Subscriber Identity Module UTDOA Upline Delay UTRA Universal Terrestrial Access UTRAN Universal Terrestrial Access Network WCDMA WideCDMAWLAN Wide Area Local Area Network

Claims

Claim 1 A method performed by a wireless device (1200) for processing Quality of Experience (QoE) data, wherein the wireless device comprises a storage medium (1221), the method performed by the wireless device (1200) comprises: receiving a request (902) from a base station (1160) to perform one or more QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting; initiating one or more QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting (904); and storing the results of one or more QoE measurements in a storage portion of a storage medium allocated for storing QoE measurements (906), wherein the storage portion has a set maximum size, and further comprises the step (901) of transmitting a display of the set maximum size to a base station. Claim 2 A method performed by a wireless device (1200) for processing Quality of Experience (QoE) data, wherein the wireless device comprises a storage medium (1221), the method performed by the wireless device (1200) comprises: receiving a request (902) from a base station (1160) to perform one or more QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting; initiating one or more QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting (904); and storing the results of one or more QoE measurements in a storage portion of a storage medium allocated for storing QoE measurements (906), wherein the storage portion has a set maximum size, and the set maximum size is related to the storage of a defined number of QoE reports. Claim 3 A method performed by a wireless device (1200) for processing Quality of Experience (QoE) data, wherein the wireless device comprises a storage medium (1221), the method performed by the wireless device (1200) comprises: receiving a request (902) from a base station (1160) to perform one or more QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting; initiating one or more QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting (904); and storing the results of one or more QoE measurements in a storage portion of a storage medium allocated for storing QoE measurements (906), wherein the storage portion has a set maximum size, and the set maximum size is a first set maximum size applicable when the QoE measurement setting is associated with a first priority value. Claim 4 A method performed by a wireless device (1200) to process Quality of Experience (QoE) data, wherein the wireless device comprises a storage medium (1221), the method performed by the wireless device (1200) comprises: receiving a request (902) from a base station (1160) to perform one or more QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting; initiating one or more QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting (904); and storing the results of one or more QoE measurements in a storage portion of a storage medium allocated for storing QoE measurements (906), wherein the storage portion has a set maximum size, and in response to a decision that it is not possible to transmit the stored results, the method further comprises the step of continuing to store the results of one or more QoE measurements until it is possible to transmit the results and / or until the storage portion is filled to the set maximum size. Claim 5 A method performed by a wireless device (1200) for processing Quality of Experience (QoE) data, wherein the wireless device comprises a storage medium (1221), the method performed by the wireless device (1200) comprises: receiving a request (902) from a base station (1160) to perform one or more QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting; initiating one or more QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting (904); and storing the results of one or more QoE measurements in a storage portion of a storage medium allocated for storing QoE measurements (906), wherein the storage portion has a set maximum size and, in response to a determination that it is not possible to transmit the stored results, continues to store only a portion of the results of one or more QoE measurements until it is possible to transmit the results to the base station. Claim 6 A method performed by a wireless device (1200) for processing Quality of Experience (QoE) data, wherein the wireless device comprises a storage medium (1221), the method performed by the wireless device (1200) comprises: receiving a request (902) from a base station (1160) to perform one or more QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting; initiating one or more QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting (904); and storing the results of one or more QoE measurements in a storage portion of a storage medium allocated for storing QoE measurements (906), wherein the storage portion has a set maximum size and, in response to a decision that it is not possible to transmit the stored results, further comprises storing only statistical data regarding one or more QoE measurement results, wherein the statistical data includes one or more average values ​​for the QoE measurement results. Claim 7 A method performed by a wireless device (1200) for processing Quality of Experience (QoE) data, wherein the wireless device comprises a storage medium (1221), the method performed by the wireless device (1200) comprises: receiving a request (902) from a base station (1160) to perform one or more QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting; initiating one or more QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting (904); and storing the results of one or more QoE measurements in a storage portion of a storage medium allocated for storing QoE measurements (906), wherein the storage portion has a set maximum size and further comprises the step of deleting one or more results of QoE measurements based on a relative priority value associated with the QoE measurements in response to a determination that it is not possible to transmit the stored results. Claim 8 A method performed by a wireless device (1200) to process Quality of Experience (QoE) data, wherein the wireless device comprises a storage medium (1221), the method performed by the wireless device (1200) comprises: receiving a request (902) from a base station (1160) to perform one or more QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting; initiating one or more QoE measurements according to a QoE measurement setting (904); and storing the results of one or more QoE measurements in a storage portion of a storage medium allocated for storing QoE measurements (906), and further comprising: transmitting an information message to a base station that includes an indication that the storage portion is filled up to a threshold value, in response to a determination that the storage portion is filled up to a threshold value smaller than the set maximum size. Claim 9 A method performed by a wireless device (1200) in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the set maximum size is hard-coded so as not to be changed in the wireless device. Claim 10 A method performed by a wireless device (1200) in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the set maximum size can take one of a plurality of possible values. Claim 11 A method performed by a wireless device (1200), wherein, in the first paragraph, the indication of the set maximum size is transmitted as a message indicating the capability of the wireless device. Claim 12 A method performed by a wireless device (1200) according to claim 1, wherein the set maximum size is hard-coded so as not to be changed in the wireless device, and the indication of the set maximum size includes an indication that the wireless device can store the results of one or more QoE measurements in a storage portion up to the set maximum size that is hard-coded so as not to be changed. Claim 13 A method performed by a wireless device (1200), wherein, in any one of paragraphs 2 through 8, the set maximum size is set by a base station and further comprises the step of receiving an indication of the set maximum size from the base station. Claim 14 In paragraph 13, the method is performed by a wireless device (1200) which receives a request to perform one or more QoE measurements according to the QoE measurement settings, wherein the indication of the set maximum size is performed. Claim 15 A method performed by a wireless device (1200) in any one of claims 1 through 8, wherein the storage portion comprises at least one of: a maximum size set for a plurality of wireless access technologies (RATs); a maximum size set for a plurality of service types or sub-service types; a maximum size set based on a network slice targeting QoE measurements; and a maximum size set for legacy QoE reporting and light QoE reporting, respectively. Claim 16 In paragraph 3, a method performed by a wireless device (1200), wherein a second set maximum size larger than a first set maximum size is applicable when a QoE measurement setting is associated with a second priority value higher than a first priority value. Claim 17 In paragraph 16, a method performed by a wireless device (1200), wherein the second set maximum size is applicable only while a timer associated with the second priority value is running. Claim 18 A method performed by a wireless device (1200), wherein, in any one of claims 1 to 8, in response to a determination that a storage portion is filled to a set maximum size, the stored result of one or more QoE measurements is transmitted to a base station, a stopping step for additional QoE measurements, and a step of deleting QoE measurement settings. Claim 19 A method performed by a wireless device (1200), wherein, in response to a determination that a storage portion is filled to a set maximum size in any one of claims 1 to 8, the additional QoE measurement according to the QoE measurement setting further includes a pausing step. Claim 20 A method performed by a wireless device (1200), wherein, in any one of claims 1 to 8, the method further comprises the step of transmitting the stored result of one or more QoE measurements to a base station in response to a determination that the storage portion is filled to a set maximum size. Claim 21 A method performed by a wireless device (1200) according to claim 20, further comprising the step of continuing to perform QoE measurement according to QoE measurement settings after transmitting the stored result. Claim 22 A wireless device (1200) for processing quality of experience (QoE) data, wherein the wireless device is configured to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 8. Claim 23 delete Claim 24 delete Claim 25 delete Claim 26 delete Claim 27 delete Claim 28 delete Claim 29 delete Claim 30 delete Claim 31 delete Claim 32 delete Claim 33 delete Claim 34 delete Claim 35 delete Claim 36 delete Claim 37 delete Claim 38 delete Claim 39 delete Claim 40 delete

Images