Minimized Drive Test Configuration Details in New Radio

Abstract

A method for configured minimization of drive test (MDT) reporting performed by a wireless device includes obtaining an MDT configuration. The obtained MDT configuration is used for one or more of immediate MDT and logged MDT. The MDT configuration is used to perform one or more measurements associated with a specific reference signal type, beam level, or positioning assistance data, and the obtained MDT configuration includes one or more of the following: reportOnLeave configuration; reportQuantityRS‑Indexes configuration; maxNrofRS‑IndexesToReport configuration; and rsType configuration. The wireless device performs one or more measurements according to the MDT configuration and provides an MDT report based on the one or more measurements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to systems and methods for Minimization of Drive Test (MDT) configuration details in New Radio (NR). Background Art

[0002] Minimization of Drive Tests (MDT) was first studied in Release 9 (3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) TR36.805) driven by RAN2 with the goal of minimizing actual drive tests. MDT has been introduced in Long Term Evolution (LTE) since Release 10. MDT has not yet been specified for New Radio (NR) in the standards involved in the RAN2, RAN3 and SA5 groups. Use cases in 3GPP TR 36.805 include: coverage optimization; mobility optimization; capacity optimization; parameterization of common channels; and quality of service (QoS) verification.

[0003] The usual radio resource management (RRM) mechanism only allows measurements to be reported when the user equipment (UE) has a radio resource control (RRC) connection with a particular cell and there is sufficient uplink (UL) coverage to transmit a measurement report (MEASUREMENTREPORT). This will limit the collection of measurements from UEs that are not experiencing radio link failure (RLF) and experiencing sufficient uplink (UL) coverage. In addition, there is no accompanying location information in the usual RRM measurements.

[0004] Generally, there are two types of MDT measurement logs: Logged MDT and Immediate MDT. For Logged MDT, a UE in RRC_IDLE state is configured to perform periodic MDT logging after receiving the MDT configuration from the network. When it is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, the UE shall report downlink (DL) pilot strength measurements (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP) / reference signal received quality (RSRQ)) as well as time information, detailed location information (if available), and wide area network (WLAN), Bluetooth to the network via the use of the UE information framework. The downlink (DL) pilot strength measurements for Logged MDT are collected based on existing measurements required for cell reselection purposes without using the UE to perform additional measurements. The following Table 1 describes the MDT mode, radio resource control (RRC) state, and measurement quantities for measurement logs for Logged MDT.

[0005] Table 1

[0006]

[0007] Figure 1 An example of MDT logging is shown. For logged MDT, the UE receives an MDT configuration from the network in an RRC message (e.g., LoggedMeasurementConfiguration), including a logging interval (logginginterval) and a logging duration (loggingduration). A timer (e.g., timer T330) is started at the UE upon receiving the configuration and is set to the logging duration (e.g., 10 minutes-120 minutes). When the UE is in RRC_idle, the UE performs periodic MDT logging at an interval set to the logging interval (e.g., 1.28s-61.44s).

[0008] Measurements for Immediate MDT purposes may be performed by the Radio Access Network (RAN) and the UE. There are multiple measurements (e.g., M1-M9) specified for RAN measurements and UE measurements. For UE measurements, the MDT configuration is based on the existing RRC measurement procedure for configuration and reporting with some extensions for location information. Table 2 below shows the measurement quantities for Immediate MDT.

[0009] Table 2

[0010]

[0011]

[0012] The reporting of the immediate MDT is specified as follows.

[0013] For M1:

[0014] o Event-triggered measurement reporting according to existing RRM configuration for event A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, B1 or B2.

[0015] o Periodic measurement report according to MDT specific measurement configuration, A2 event triggered or A2 event triggered periodic measurement report.

[0016] • For M2: Reception of Power Headroom Report (PHR) according to the existing RRM configuration.

[0017] For M3–M9: End of measurement collection period.

[0018] In addition, a recorded multimedia broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) MDT is defined to perform measurement logging when the UE is in RRC_idle and RRC_connected. If available, enhancements to RLF are also specified for RLF reporting with detailed location information (e.g., Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)). The RLF report may also include available WLAN measurement results and / or Bluetooth measurement results for calculating the UE location. Table 3 below shows the measurement quantities for logging MBSFN MDT and RLF enhancement.

[0019] Table 3

[0020]

[0021] When MDT was introduced in Release 10, it was decided to include MDT as part of the Trace feature, which is able to provide very detailed logging data at the call level. Based on the method of activating / deactivating tracing and the trace configuration, the trace function can be divided into the following two aspects.

[0022] • Management activation / deactivation: Activating / deactivating trace sessions in different network elements (NEs) directly from the Element Manager (EM) using the management interfaces of those NEs.

[0023] • Signaling based activation / deactivation: Activating / deactivating the trace sessions in different NEs using the signaling interface between those elements so that the NEs can forward activation / deactivation originating from the EM.

[0024] On the other hand, from the perspective of use cases described below, MDT can be classified into area-based MDT and signaling-based MDT.

[0025] Area-based MDT: MDT data is collected from UEs in a specified area. An area is defined as a list of cells (e.g., Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) or Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN)) or a list of tracking / routing / positioning areas. Area-based MDT is an enhancement of the management-based tracking function. Area-based MDT can be either logged MDT or immediate MDT.

[0026] Signaling-based MDT: MDT data is collected from one specific UE. The UE participating in the MDT data collection is specified as IMEI (SV) or IMSI. Signaling-based MDT is an enhancement of signaling-based subscriber and device tracking. Signaling-based MDT can be either logged MDT or immediate MDT.

[0027] In LTE, for area-based MDT, MDT control and configuration parameters are sent by network management directly to the eNodeB (eNB). The eNB then selects UEs that meet the criteria, including area coverage and user consent, and starts MDT. For signaling-based MDT (i.e., UE-specific MDT), MDT control and configuration parameters are sent by network management to the Mobility Management Entity (MME), which then forwards the parameters to the eNB associated with the specific UE.

[0028] Figure 2 The classification of MDT is shown.

[0029] Location information

[0030] Logged MDT measurements are marked by the UE with location data in the following manner. The E-UTRAN Cell Global Identifier (ECGI) or Cell-Id of the serving cell is always included when the measurement is made. Detailed location information (e.g. GNSS location information) is included if available in the UE when the measurement is made. If detailed location information is available, the report shall include latitude and longitude. Depending on availability, altitude, uncertainty and confidence may also be included additionally. The UE marks the available detailed location information only once for the upcoming measurement sample and then discards the detailed location information (i.e., the validity of the detailed location information is implicitly assumed to be one logging interval).

[0031] For Immediate MDT, M1 measurements are tagged by the UE with location data in the following manner. Detailed location information (e.g. GNSS location information) is included if available in the UE when the measurement is made. If detailed location information is available, the report shall include latitude and longitude. Depending on availability, altitude, uncertainty and confidence may also be included in addition. The UE shall only include the detailed location information once it is available. If the detailed location information is obtained by a GNSS positioning method, GNSS time information shall be included. For both event-based reporting and periodic reporting, the detailed location information is included if the report is sent within the validity time after the detailed location information is obtained. The evaluation of the validity of the detailed location information is left to the UE implementation.

[0032] User consent processing

[0033] For signaling-based MDT, the core network (CN) should not initiate MDT to a specific user unless the user consent is available.

[0034] For area-based MDT, the CN indicates to the RAN whether configuration of MDT by the RAN for the user is allowed, taking into account, for example, user consent and roaming status, by providing management-based MDT allowed information including a management-based MDT allowed indication and optionally a management-based MDT public land mobile network (PLMN) list. If the management-based MDT PLMN list is available and includes the target PLMN, the management-based MDT allowed information is propagated during inter-PLMN handover.

[0035] The same user consent information may be used for both area-based MDT and signaling-based MDT (i.e., no need to differentiate user consent per MDT type). Collecting user consent should be done via the customer care process. User consent information availability should be considered as part of the subscription data, and as such this should be provided to the Home Subscriber Server (HSS) database.

[0036] Event A2 in NR vs. LTE

[0037] Event A2 in LTE provides an event-triggered report when the serving cell quality becomes worse than a threshold.

[0038] This is described in more detail below:

[0039] 5.5.4.3 Event A2 (Service deteriorates below threshold)

[0040] The UE shall:

[0041] 1> When condition A2-1 as specified below is met, the entry condition of the event is considered to be met;

[0042] 1> When the condition A2-2 specified below is met, the exit condition of the event is considered to be met;

[0043] 1> For this measurement, the serving cell indicated by the measurement object NR (measObjectNR) associated with this event is considered.

[0044] Inequality A2-1 (entry condition)

[0045] Ms+Hys <Thresh

[0046] Inequality A2-2 (leave condition)

[0047] Ms–Hys>Thresh

[0048] The variables in the formula are defined as follows:

[0049] Ms is the measurement result of the serving cell without considering any offset.

[0050] Hys is the hysteresis parameter for this event (ie the hysteresis as defined in the reportConfigNR for this event).

[0051] Thresh is the threshold parameter for this event (ie a2-Threshold as defined in reportConfigNR for this event).

[0052] Ms is expressed in dBm in the case of RSRP, or in dB in the case of RSRQ and RS-SINR.

[0053] Hys is expressed in dB.

[0054] Thresh is expressed in the same units as Ms.

[0055] LTE's Event A2 is taken as the baseline for NR Event A2, but some additional enhancements are included as part of the A2 event configuration. First, in NR, it is possible to configure reportOnLeave for Event A2, while it is not possible in LTE. Second, in NR, two different reference signal (RS) types are available for A2 event configuration (i.e., it is possible to configure an A2 event based on a synchronization signal block (SSB) or an A2 event based on a channel state information (CSI-RS)), while in LTE, only an A2 event based on a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) can be configured. Third, in NR, it is possible to configure the UE to include beam-level measurements (only beam index, or one or more of beam-level RSRP, beam-level RSRQ, and beam-level signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR)).

[0056] There are some challenges currently. For area-based MDT defined in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specification (3GPP TS32.422), MDT configuration parameters are always generated by the element manager (EM) and sent to the RAN node via a trace session activation request for execution. The MDT parameters used for control and configuration can be classified into control and reporting related parameters and measurement logging related parameters. The control and reporting related parameters include:

[0057] Type of job;

[0058] The area scope of UE measurements (e.g., list of E-UTRAN cells) should be collected. The tracking area should be converted to E-UTRAN;

[0059] Tracking references;

[0060] The IP address of the Tracking Collection Entity (TCE);

[0061] Anonymization of MDT data; and

[0062] MDT PLMN list.

[0063] The measurement and recording related parameters include:

[0064] A list of measurements;

[0065] Report triggering;

[0066] Reporting interval;

[0067] Report volume;

[0068] Event thresholds;

[0069] Logging interval;

[0070] Record duration;

[0071] Measurement period LTE (if measurement of either M4 or M5 is required);

[0072] • Collection period for RRM measurements LTE (only occurs when either M2 or M3 measurements are requested); and

[0073] Positioning method.

[0074] In the current LTE specifications, it is possible for an Operation Administration and Maintenance (OAM) unit to configure either immediate MDT measurements or logged MDT measurements, or both.

[0075] As part of Immediate MDT, OAM can configure the RAN to report M1 measurements in existing RRM measurement reports to the TCE (these RRM measurement report configurations are not provided by OAM) or OAM can configure explicit periodic or A2 event-based M1 measurement reports that the RAN forwards to the UE. In an explicit A2 event-based configuration, OAM can provide the following report configuration specific information: report trigger (e.g., RSRP / RSRQ); reporting interval; report amount; and event threshold. Based on the LTE A2 event, OAM can know the coverage of the serving cell. OAM can additionally configure the report amount (reportAmount) to be greater than 1 to obtain periodic measurements from the UE when the UE is in a poor serving cell radio area.

[0076] As part of logging MDT, OAM can configure the UE to log serving cell and neighbor cell RSRP / RSRQ measurements. However, in NR, there are beam level measurements available, and the UE may also include beam level measurements as part of logging MDT measurements. This is an item for further study in the RAN2#105 conference agreement. In particular, it remains to be further studied whether for logging MDT, beam level RSRP / RSRQ should be included in the measurement log together with cell level RSRP / RSRQ. Details on the number of BRSRP / BRSRQ values ​​for serving cells and neighbor cells also remain to be further studied.

[0077] However, including all available beam level measurements will increase the logged MDP report size. Additionally, the UE will require a larger buffer to store these measurements. This may even impact the UE to store fewer samples, since each sample measurement size is much larger due to the inclusion of beam level information. Summary of the invention

[0078] Certain aspects of the present disclosure and its embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. For example, the present disclosure contemplates various methods to include additional configuration parameters associated with both immediate minimization of drive tests (MDT) and logged MDT configurations. The configurations are sent by operations administration and management (OAM) to a radio access network (RAN) node so that the RAN node can configure a user equipment (UE) with these configurations for MDT purposes.

[0079] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages. For instant MDT, the following technical advantages may be provided. As an example, certain embodiments may advantageously allow reportOnLeave configuration in the A2 event. By configuring this, OAM does not need to configure reportAMount (or set it to 1) and can still know whether the UE is in the area where it satisfies the A2 event. By configuring reportAmount to 1, OAM can reduce the number of measurements sent by the UE. As another example, certain embodiments may advantageously allow the report quantity RS-Indexes (reportQuantityRS-Indexes) and the maximum number of RS-Indexes to be reported (maxNrofRS-IndexesToReport) configuration in the A2 event / periodic report. By having beam level information in the A2 event, OAM can use it for certain self-optimizing network (SON) functions (for example, OAM can estimate which beams need to be adjusted to change the coverage in a given area). As another example, certain embodiments may advantageously allow rs type (rsType) configuration in the A2 event / periodic report. By setting rsType to Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), OAM can get idle more coverage analysis from connected mode UE. In addition, by setting rsType to Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), OAM can analyze how different CSI-RS coverage is compared to SSB coverage (by having both SSB-based A2 events and SI-RS-based A2 events).

[0080] For recording MDT, the following technical advantages can be provided. Certain embodiments can advantageously provide different options for OAM. OAM can use these options to collect only relevant beam information from the UE based on the purpose of collecting these measurements. For example, by recording the best beam index in idle / inactive mode for the resident cell, the network knows the idle mode UE distribution between different beams of the resident cell within the coverage area. This can be mainly used for random access channel (RACH) optimization. In addition, when the network wants to change the beam direction or tilt in such a way that the idle mode UE distribution is balanced between beams, the coverage and capacity optimization (CCO) function related to the antenna parameter adjustment function can also benefit from this. As another example, by recording the best beam index in idle / inactive mode for the resident cell and the adjacent new radio (NR) cell, the network knows the idle mode UE distribution between different beams and the coverage overlap between different adjacent beams. This can also be used for SON functions similar to RACH and CCO. As another example, in addition to the benefits of the "beam index only" report, the report based on the received signal received power also provides detailed information on the coverage map of the beam of the resident cell. As yet another example, in addition to the benefits of "camped cell only" reporting of beam reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements, reporting of neighboring beam RSRP information can also be used for CCO and mobile robustness optimization (MRO) like functions. As another example, multi-beam level RSRP and reference signal received quality (RSRQ) measurements provide a clear indication of the beam relationship between beams of the camped cell, thus helping the network perform antenna parameter optimization (e.g., beam pair optimization / forming) for coverage and / or capacity reasons. As another example, beam level measurements with neighboring cells enable inter-cell CCO functions, such as multi-cell beamforming functions.

[0081] In certain embodiments, depending on the purpose of enabling logged MDT, OAM may configure only one of these beam reporting configurations for logged MDT, thus not forcing the UE to include beam level measurements for all scenarios, which occupies a larger buffer in the UE and also increases the logged MDT report size.

[0082] Other advantages may be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.Some embodiments may have none, some, or all of the noted advantages. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0083] For a more complete understanding of the disclosed embodiments and their features and advantages, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0084] Figure 1 An example of minimization of drive tests (MDT) logging is shown;

[0085] Figure 2shows the classification of MDT;

[0086] Figure 3 shows an example signaling flow according to certain embodiments;

[0087] Figure 4 shows an example signaling flow with positioning information processing according to certain embodiments;

[0088] Figure 5 illustrates an example wireless network in accordance with certain embodiments;

[0089] Figure 6 illustrates an example network node according to certain embodiments;

[0090] Figure 7 An example wireless device according to certain embodiments is shown;

[0091] Figure 8 illustrates an example user device according to certain embodiments;

[0092] Fig. 9 illustrates a virtualized environment in which functionality implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized according to some embodiments;

[0093] Fig.10 shows a telecommunications network connected to a host computer via an intermediate network according to some embodiments;

[0094] Fig.11 shows a generalized block diagram of a host computer communicating with a user device via a base station over a partially wireless connection in accordance with certain embodiments;

[0095] Fig.12 A method implemented in a communication system according to an embodiment is shown;

[0096] Fig.13 Another method implemented in a communication system according to an embodiment is shown;

[0097] Fig.14 Another method implemented in a communication system according to an embodiment is shown;

[0098] Fig.15 Another method implemented in a communication system according to an embodiment is shown;

[0099] Fig.16 An example method for a wireless device according to some embodiments is shown;

[0100] Fig.17 illustrates an exemplary virtual computing device according to some embodiments;

[0101] Fig.18Another example method of a wireless device according to certain embodiments is shown;

[0102] Fig.19 Another exemplary virtual computing device according to certain embodiments is shown;

[0103] Fig. 20 An example method of a network node according to some embodiments is shown;

[0104] Fig.21 Another exemplary virtual computing device according to certain embodiments is shown;

[0105] Fig. 22 An example method of a network node according to some embodiments is shown;

[0106] Fig.23 Another exemplary virtual computing device in accordance with certain embodiments is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0107] Some of the embodiments contemplated 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 disclosed subject matter should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; on the contrary, these embodiments are provided merely as examples to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0108] Generally, all terms used in this article will be interpreted according to their common meaning in the relevant technical field, unless different meanings are clearly given and / or implied from the context in which it is used. Unless otherwise clearly stated, otherwise, all references to one / an element, device, assembly, method, step, etc. will be openly interpreted as referring to at least one example in element, device, assembly, method, step, etc. The steps of any method disclosed herein are not necessarily performed in the disclosed accurate order, unless the steps are clearly described as after or before another step and / or imply that the steps must be after or before another step. As long as it is suitable, any feature of any embodiment disclosed herein may be applicable to any other embodiment. Similarly, any advantage of any embodiment may be applicable to any other embodiment, and vice versa. From the following description, other goals, features and advantages of the disclosed embodiment will be obvious.

[0109] Various embodiments that solve one or more of the problems disclosed herein are proposed herein. According to an example embodiment, an operation administration and management (OAM) configures a minimization of drive tests (MDT) scope in a radio access network (RAN) node. In some cases, the configuration may be relayed via a core network (CN) node. The MDT scope may include one or more specific report trigger conditions and / or one or more reference signal definitions. In some embodiments, the report trigger condition may be a report upon a departure condition. In some embodiments, the reference signal type may be one of a synchronization signal block (SSB), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), and a positioning reference signal (PRS). In some embodiments, the reference signal may be a portion or subset of a set of reference signals (e.g., where each reference signal is associated with a specific beam configuration). In some embodiments, the related measurements may be one or more of received power, received quality, arrival time, arrival time difference, rich received signal waveform information including multipath information, etc. The RAN node configures a user equipment (UE) based on an MDT scope for immediate or recorded MDT or both. The RAN node obtains an MDT report from the UE. The RAN node provides the MDT report to the OAM.

[0110] Additional details regarding embodiments for MDT-wide OAM configuration are described in more detail below.

[0111] Trigger, reference signal, beam, measurement

[0112] For Immediate MDT, in some embodiments, one or more of the following A2 event specific configuration enhancements of the OAM configuration may be included as part of the Immediate MDT configuration: reportOnLeave configuration; reportQuantityRS-Indexes configuration; maxNrofRS-IndexestoReport configuration; and rsType configuration. These A2 event specific configuration enhancements may be included individually, or may include a combination of one or more.

[0113] · reportOnLeave configuration : Having reportOnLeave configuration provides OAM with a way to know whether UE mobility actions (e.g., handover to another cell for RLF avoidance or for load balancing purposes) are performed when the UE is in the cell edge area (e.g., as defined by the event threshold in the OAM-based A2 configuration).

[0114] · reportQuantityRS-Indexes and maxNrofRS-IndexesToReport configuration: Having these configurations will provide a way for OAM to know which beam covers the cell edge area (e.g., defined by eventthreshold in the OAM-based A2 configuration) and what the other beam level measurements in this area are (e.g., when maxNrofRS-IndexesToReport is greater than one).

[0115] · rsType configuration : Setting rsType to SSB will provide OAM with the possibility of coverage area analysis for both connected mode and idle / inactive mode. Setting rsType to CSI-RS will provide OAM with the opportunity to estimate the impact of the coverage of connected mode CSI-RS.

[0116] In certain embodiments, OAM may also provide a dedicated CSI-RS configuration to be included in the measurement object associated with the serving cell (e.g., CSI-RS-ResourceConfigMobility). This will enable OAM to test different connection mode coverage options compared to SSB-based coverage. In certain embodiments, this may also include the exact beamforming configuration that OAM may want to use to configure the gNB distributed unit (gNB-DU). In certain embodiments, this may request the RAN to send a CSI-RS from the serving cell that can be measured and reported by the UE (i.e., the beamforming configuration used for the CSI-RS may be decided by the gNB-DU).

[0117] In certain embodiments, one or more of the following periodic event specific configuration enhancements to the OAM configuration may be included as part of the immediate MDT configuration: reportQuantityRS-Indexes configuration; maxNrofRS-IndexesToReport configuration; and rsType configuration. These periodic event specific configuration enhancements may be included individually, or may include a combination of one or more:

[0118] · reportQuantityRS-Indexes and maxNrofRS-IndexesToReport configuration : Having these configurations will provide a way for OAM to know which beam covers which area in the cell coverage area and what are the other beam level measurements in that area (when maxNrofRS-IndexesToReport is greater than one).

[0119] · rsType configuration : Setting rsType to SSB will enable OAM to generate coverage heatmaps applicable for both connected mode and idle / inactive mode. Setting rsType to CSI-RS will provide OAM with an opportunity to estimate the impact of the coverage of the connected mode CSI-RS and how it varies over the coverage of the cell.

[0120] In certain embodiments, OAM may also provide a dedicated CSI-RS configuration to be included in the measurement object associated with the serving cell (e.g., CSI-RS-ResourceConfigMobility). This will enable OAM to test different connection mode coverage options compared to SSB-based coverage. In certain embodiments, this may also include the exact beamforming configuration that OAM may want to use to configure the gNB-DU. In certain embodiments, this may request that the RAN send a CSI-RS from the serving cell that can be measured and reported by the UE (i.e., the beamforming configuration used for the CSI-RS may be determined by the gNB-DU).

[0121] In some embodiments, among these immediate MDT configurations there is a configuration whether the location information is requested by OAM.

[0122] For logging MDT:

[0123] In certain embodiments, one or more of the following OAM configurations of logged MDT configurations may be used.

[0124] In some embodiments, the OAM may configure the UE to not include any beam level measurements. In some cases, this is an explicit configuration.

[0125] In some embodiments, OAM may configure the UE to include only the best beam index for the cell that the NR camps on. In some embodiments, the UE always includes the best beam index for the cell that the NR camps on (i.e., there is no explicit OAM configuration for this).

[0126] In some embodiments, OAM may configure the UE to include the best beam index for the NR home cell and the neighboring NR cells. In some embodiments, the UE always includes the best beam index for the NR home cell and the best beam index for the NR neighboring cells (i.e., there is no explicit OAM configuration for this).

[0127] In some embodiments, the UE may include the best beam index for the cell that the NR is camping on. In some cases, OAM will explicitly configure the UE to include the best beam index for neighboring cells.

[0128] In some embodiments, OAM may configure the UE to include the best beam index and beam level measurements (e.g., one or more of reference signal received power (RSRP) / reference signal received quality (RSRQ)) for the NR camping cell. In some embodiments, the UE always includes the best beam index and beam level measurements (e.g., one or more of RSRP / RSRQ) for the NR camping cell (i.e., there is no explicit OAM configuration for this).

[0129] In some embodiments, OAM may configure the UE to include the best beam index and beam level measurements (e.g., one or more of RSRP / RSRQ) for the NR camping cell and the neighboring NR cells. In some embodiments, the UE always includes the best beam index and beam level measurements (e.g., one or more of RSRP / RSRQ) for the NR camping cell and the neighboring NR cells (i.e., there is no explicit OAM configuration for this).

[0130] In some embodiments, the UE may include the best beam index and beam level measurements (e.g., one or more of RSRP / RSRQ) of the NR camping cell. The OAM may explicitly configure the UE to include the best beam index and beam level measurements (e.g., one or more of RSRP / RSRQ) of the neighboring cells.

[0131] In some embodiments, OAM may configure the UE to include up to 'X' strongest beam indices and corresponding beam level measurements (e.g., one or more of RSRP / RSRQ) for the NR camping cell. In some embodiments, the UE always includes up to 'X' strongest beam indices and beam level measurements (one or more of RSRP / RSRQ) for the NR camping cell (i.e., there is no explicit OAM configuration for this). In some embodiments, the value of 'X' may be different for the camping cell and the remaining neighboring cells (i.e., the number of beams reported for the camping cell may be different from the number of beams reported for the neighboring cells).

[0132] In some embodiments, OAM may configure the UE to include up to 'X' strongest beam indices and corresponding beam level measurements (one or more of RSRP / RSRQ) for the NR camping cell and neighboring NR cells. In some embodiments, the UE always includes up to 'X' strongest beam indices and corresponding beam level measurements (e.g., one or more of RSRP / RSRQ) for the NR camping cell and neighboring NR cells (i.e., there is no explicit OAM configuration for this). In some embodiments, the value of 'X' may be different for the camping cell and the remaining neighboring cells (i.e., the number of beams reported for the camping cell may be different from the number of beams reported for the neighboring cells).

[0133] In some embodiments, the UE may include up to 'X' strongest beam indices and corresponding beam-level measurements (e.g., one or more of RSRP / RSRQ) of the NR camping cell. OAM may explicitly configure the UE to include (or not include) the 'X' strongest beam indices and corresponding beam-level measurements (e.g., one or more of RSRP / RSRQ) of neighboring cells. In some embodiments, the value of 'X' may be different for the camping cell and the remaining neighboring cells (i.e., the number of beams reported for the camping cell may be different from the number of beams reported for the neighboring cells).

[0134] In some embodiments, there is a configuration in these recorded MDT configurations whether the location information is requested by the OAM.

[0135] Location information

[0136] In LTE, the positioning configuration is provided by the location server. In the case of UE-assisted positioning, the UE will provide positioning information to the location server in return. For MDT purposes, this is not appropriate because the RAN node will summarize the MDT report to the OAM.

[0137] To enable efficient positioning information retrieval, in certain embodiments positioning assistance data is provided from a serving RAN node to the UE.Alternatively, the positioning assistance data may be provided by a location server.

[0138] In certain embodiments, positioning assistance data may be provided to a RAN node as described below. The core network node learns of the MDT configuration from the OAM and sends a location service request to a location server. The request may be associated with a cell or an area. When the location server gets the request, it triggers the location server to provide positioning assistance data to the RAN node associated with the cell or area. When the RAN node obtains the positioning assistance data from the location server, it configures the UE with the positioning assistance data. The UE obtains positioning data using the MDT configuration, starts obtaining measurements and retrieving positioning information, and compiles the information in an MDT report.

[0139] Certain embodiments described below include positioning information from a UE perspective, a core network (CN) node perspective, a location server perspective, and / or a RAN node perspective. For example, in certain embodiments, the UE obtains positioning assistance data from a location server or a serving RAN node, optionally together with an MDT configuration. The UE may perform measurements according to the MDT configuration and retrieve positioning information as indicated in the positioning assistance data. The measurements and retrieval may be in connected or idle mode.

[0140] According to certain embodiments, the UE provides an MDT report including positioning information based on positioning assistance data to a serving RAN node. The core network node may obtain a request for MDT from the OAM to be forwarded to the RAN node. For the purpose of MDT, the core network node may send a location service request to a location server associated with a specific cell or area. For the purpose of MDT, the location server may obtain a location service request from a core network node associated with a specific cell or area. The location server provides positioning assistance data related to the cell or area to the RAN node associated with the cell or area. For the purpose of MDT, the RAN node obtains positioning assistance data from the location server. The RAN node provides positioning assistance data to the UE for the purpose of retrieving positioning information related to MDT.

[0141] Signaling

[0142] Figure 3 An example signaling flow according to certain embodiments is shown. At step 100, OAM configures the MDT scope in the RAN node. In some cases, the configuration may be relayed via a core network node. The MDT scope may include one or more specific report trigger conditions and / or one or more reference signal definitions. In some embodiments, the report trigger condition may be a report upon a departure condition. In some embodiments, the reference signal type may be one of SSB, CSIRS, and a positioning reference signal (PRS). In some embodiments, the reference signal may be a portion or subset of a set of reference signals (e.g., wherein each reference signal is associated with a specific beam configuration). In some embodiments, the related measurements may be one or more of received power, received quality, arrival time, arrival time difference, rich received signal waveform information including multipath information, and the like.

[0143] At step 110, the RAN node configures the UE based on the MDT scope for immediate or logged MDT or both. At step 120, the RAN node obtains the MDT report from the UE. At step 130, the RAN node provides the MDT report to the OAM.

[0144] Figure 4An example signaling flow with positioning information processing according to certain embodiments is shown. At step 200, the MDT configuration is set and initiated by the OAM to the RAN node via the core network node. At step 202, the core network node may trigger a location service request to the location server. The request may be associated with a cell or area. The location server will send positioning assistance data to the UE in the cell or area at step 208, or send positioning assistance data to the RAN node associated with the cell or area at step 204. At step 210, the RAN node configures the UE with the positioning assistance data alone (at step 206) or together with the MDT configuration (at step 210). At step 220, the UE collects the MDT data and positioning information and reports to the RAN node. At step 230, the RAN node sends an MDT report to the OAM.

[0145] Figure 5 An example wireless network according to some embodiments is shown. Although the subject matter described herein can be implemented in any suitable type of system using any suitable components, the embodiments disclosed herein are related to wireless networks (such as Figure 5 For simplicity, Figure 5 The wireless network of FIG. 3 depicts only network 306, network nodes 360 and 360b, and wireless devices 310, 310b, and 310c. In practice, the wireless network may also include any additional elements suitable for supporting communications between wireless devices or between a wireless device and another communication device (such as a landline phone, a service provider, or any other network node or terminal device). Of the components shown, network node 360 ​​and wireless device 310 are shown in additional detail. The wireless network may provide communication and other types of services to one or more wireless devices to facilitate access and / or use by the wireless device of services provided by or via the wireless network.

[0146] A wireless network may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, and / or radio network or other similar type of system. In some embodiments, a wireless network may be configured to operate according to a specific standard or other type of predefined rules or procedures. Thus, specific embodiments of a wireless network may implement communication standards such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G standards; wireless local area network (WLAN) standards such as IEEE 802.11 standards; and / or any other suitable wireless communication standards such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-wave, and / or ZigBee standards.

[0147] Network 306 may include one or more backhaul networks, core networks, IP networks, public switched telephone networks (PSTN), packet data networks, optical networks, wide area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), wired networks, wireless networks, metropolitan area networks, and other networks that enable communication between devices.

[0148] The network node 360 ​​and the wireless device 310 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 connections in a wireless network. In various 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 that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals via a wired or wireless connection.

[0149] Figure 6An example network node 360 ​​according to certain embodiments is shown. As used herein, a network node refers to a device that is capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a wireless device and / or with other network nodes or devices in a wireless network to enable and / or provide wireless access to a wireless device and / or perform other functions (e.g., management) in a wireless network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), and NR NodeBs (gNBs)). Base stations can be classified based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, in other words, their transmit power levels) and may then also be 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 radio base station, such as a centralized digital unit and / or a remote radio unit (RRU), sometimes referred to as a remote radio head (RRH). Such a remote radio unit may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna-integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS). Yet another example of a network node includes a multi-standard radio (MSR) device (such as an MSR BS), a network controller (such as a radio network controller (RNC) or a base station controller (BSC)), a base transceiver station (BTS), a transmission point, a transmission node, a multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), a core network node (e.g., MSC, MME), an operation and maintenance (O&M) node, an operation support system (OSS) node, a self-optimizing network (S-node), a positioning node (e.g., an evolved serving mobile positioning center (E-SMLC) and / or an MDT. As another example, a network node may be a virtual network node as described in more detail below. More generally, however, a network node may represent any suitable device (or group of devices) that is capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to enable a wireless device and / or provide a wireless device with access to a wireless network, or to provide a certain service to a wireless device that has accessed a wireless network.

[0150] exist Figure 6 In FIG. 3 , network node 360 ​​includes processing circuitry 370, device readable medium 380, interface 390, auxiliary device 384, power supply 386, power supply circuitry 387, and antenna 362. Figure 3The network node 360 ​​shown in the example wireless network of can represent a device including the combination of hardware components shown, however, other embodiments can include network nodes having a combination of different components. It should be understood that the network node includes any suitable combination of hardware and / or software required to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. Moreover, although the components of the network node 360 ​​are depicted as a single box located within a larger box or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, the network node can include multiple different physical components that make up a single shown component (for example, the device readable medium 380 can include multiple separate hard drives and multiple RAM modules).

[0151] Similarly, the network node 360 ​​may include multiple physically separated components (e.g., NodeB components and RNC components, or BTS components and BSC components, etc.), each of which may have its own corresponding components. In certain scenarios where the network node 360 ​​includes multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared between multiple network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such scenarios, in some instances, each unique NodeB and RNC pair may be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 360 ​​may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be replicated (e.g., separate device-readable media 380 for different RATs), and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 362 may be shared by RATs). The network node 360 ​​may also include multiple groups of various components shown for different wireless technologies integrated into the network node 360, such as, for example, GSM, wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), long term evolution (LTE), new radio (NR), WiFi, or Bluetooth wireless technology. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets and other components within network node 360 ​​.

[0152] The processing circuit 370 is configured to perform any determination, calculation, or similar operation (e.g., certain obtaining operations) described herein as being provided by the network node. These operations performed by the processing circuit 370 may include processing information obtained by the processing circuit 370, by, for example, converting the obtained information to other information, comparing the obtained information or the converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or the converted information, and making a determination as a result of the processing.

[0153] The processing circuit 370 may include a combination of one or more of the following: a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a 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 network node 360 ​​functions alone or in combination with other network node 360 ​​components (such as device readable medium 380). For example, the processing circuit 370 may execute instructions stored in the device readable medium 380 or a memory within the processing circuit 370. Such functions may include providing any of the various wireless features, functions, or benefits discussed herein. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 370 may include a system on a chip (SOC).

[0154] In some embodiments, processing circuitry 370 may include one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 372 and baseband processing circuitry 374. In some embodiments, radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 372 and baseband processing circuitry 374 may be on separate chips (or chipsets), boards, or units (such as a radio unit and a digital unit). In other alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 372 and baseband processing circuitry 374 may be on the same chip or chipset, board, or unit.

[0155] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein, such as those provided by a network node, base station, eNB, or other such network device, may be performed by a processing circuit 370 executing instructions stored on a device-readable medium 380 or a memory within the processing circuit 370. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions may be provided by the processing circuit 370 without executing instructions stored on a separate or independent device-readable medium, such as in a hardwired manner. In any of those embodiments, whether or not instructions stored on a device-readable storage medium are executed, the processing circuit 370 may be configured to perform the described functions. The benefits provided by such functions are not limited to the processing circuit 370 or other components of the network node 360 ​​alone, but are enjoyed by the network node 360 ​​as a whole and / or generally by end users and wireless networks.

[0156] Device readable medium 380 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer readable memory, including but not limited to permanent storage devices, solid-state memory, remotely 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 disk (CD) or digital video disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device readable memory device and / or computer executable memory device that stores information, data and / or instructions that can be used by processing circuit 370. Device readable medium 380 may store any suitable instructions, data or information, including computer programs, software, applications including one or more of logic, rules, codes, tables, etc., and / or other instructions that can be executed by processing circuit 370 and utilized by network node 360. Device readable medium 380 may be used to store any calculations performed by processing circuit 370 and / or any data received via interface 390. In some embodiments, processing circuit 370 and device readable medium 380 may be considered integrated.

[0157] Interface 390 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network node 360, network 306, and / or wireless device 310. As shown, interface 390 includes a port / terminal 394 for sending data to network 306 and receiving data from network 306, for example, via a wired connection. Interface 390 also includes a radio front-end circuit 392, which can be coupled to antenna 362 or is a part of antenna 362 in some embodiments. Radio front-end circuit 392 includes filter 398 and amplifier 396. Radio front-end circuit 392 can be connected to antenna 362 and processing circuit 370. Radio front-end circuit can be configured to adjust the signal transmitted between antenna 362 and processing circuit 370. Radio front-end circuit 392 can receive digital data to be sent to other network nodes or wireless devices via wireless connection. Radio front-end circuit 392 can use a combination of filter 398 and / or amplifier 396 to convert digital data into a radio signal with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signal may then be transmitted via antenna 362. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 362 may collect the radio signal, which may then be converted into digital data by radio front end circuit 392. The digital data may be passed to processing circuit 370. In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0158] In some alternative embodiments, the network node 360 ​​may not include a separate radio front end circuit 392, and instead, the processing circuit 370 may include the radio front end circuit and may be connected to the antenna 362 without a separate radio front end circuit 392. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or a portion of the RF transceiver circuit 372 may be considered part of the interface 390. In other embodiments, the interface 390 may include one or more ports or terminals 394, the radio front end circuit 392, and the RF transceiver circuit 372 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the interface 390 may communicate with the baseband processing circuit 374, which is part of the digital unit (not shown).

[0159] Antenna 362 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. Antenna 362 may be coupled to radio front-end circuit 390 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly sending and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, antenna 362 may include one or more omnidirectional, sector or flat panel antennas operable to, for example, send / receive radio signals between 2 GHz and 66 GHz. Omnidirectional antennas may be used to send / receive radio signals in any direction, sector antennas may be used to send / receive radio signals from devices within a specific area, and flat panel antennas may be line of sight antennas for sending / receiving radio signals on relatively straight lines. In some instances, using more than one antenna may be referred to as MIMO. In some embodiments, antenna 362 may be separated from network node 360 ​​and may be connected to network node 360 ​​via an interface or port.

[0160] Antenna 362, interface 390 and / or processing circuit 370 can be configured to perform any receiving operation and / or some obtaining operation described as being performed by a network node in this article. Any information, data and / or signal can be received from a wireless device, another network node and / or any other network device. Similarly, antenna 362, interface 390 and / or processing circuit 370 can be configured to perform any sending operation described as being performed by a network node in this article. Any information, data and / or signal can be sent to a wireless device, another network node and / or any other network device.

[0161] The power circuit 387 may include or be coupled to a power management circuit and is configured to supply power to the components of the network node 360 ​​for performing the functions described herein. The power circuit 387 may receive power from a power source 386. The power source 386 and / or the power circuit 387 may be configured to provide power to the various components of the network node 360 ​​in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at the voltage and current level required by each respective component). The power source 386 may be included in the power circuit 387 and / or the network node 360, or may be external to the power circuit 387 and / or the network node 360. For example, the network node 360 ​​may be connected to an external power source (e.g., an electrical outlet) via an input circuit or interface (such as a cable), whereby the external power source supplies power to the power circuit 387. As another example, the power source 386 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack, which is connected to or integrated in the power circuit 387. If the external power source fails, the battery may provide backup power. Other types of power sources, such as photovoltaic devices, may also be used.

[0162] Alternative embodiments of network node 360 ​​may also include, in addition to Figure 6 Additional components other than those shown may be responsible for providing certain aspects of the functionality of the network node, including any of the functions described herein and / or any functionality required to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 360 ​​may include a user interface device that allows information to be input into the network node 360 ​​and allows information to be output from the network node 360. This may allow a user to perform diagnostics, maintenance, repair, and other management functions for the network node 360.

[0163] Figure 7A wireless device 310 according to certain embodiments is shown. As used herein, a wireless device refers to a device capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with a network node and / or other wireless devices. Unless otherwise specified, the term wireless device may be used interchangeably with a user equipment (UE) in this article. Wireless communication may involve sending and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information through the air. In some embodiments, a wireless device may be configured to send and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, a wireless device may be designed to send information to a 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 wireless devices include, but are not limited to, smart phones, mobile phones, cellular 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 endpoints, mobile stations, tablet computers, laptops, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, etc. The wireless device may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, such as by implementing 3GPP standards for sidelink communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), and in this case may be referred to as a D2D communication device. As another specific example, in an Internet of Things (IoT) scenario, a wireless device may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurement and sends the results of such monitoring and / or measurement to another wireless device and / or a network node. In this case, the wireless device may be a machine-to-machine (M2M) device, which may be referred to as an MTC device in the 3GPP context. As a specific example, the wireless device may be a UE that implements the 3GPP Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) standard. Specific examples of such machines or devices are sensors, metering devices such as electric meters, industrial machinery, or household or personal appliances (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, etc.), personal wearable products (e.g., watches, fitness trackers, etc.). In other scenarios, the wireless device may represent a vehicle or other device that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting its operating status or other functions associated with its operation. The wireless device as described above may represent an endpoint of a wireless connection, in which case the device may be referred to as a wireless terminal. In addition, the wireless device as described above may be mobile, in which case the wireless device may also be referred to as a mobile device or a mobile terminal.

[0164] As shown, wireless device 310 includes antenna 311, interface 314, processing circuit 320, device readable medium 330, user interface device 332, auxiliary device 334, power supply 336 and power supply circuit 337. Wireless device 310 may include multiple sets of one or more of the illustrated components for different wireless technologies supported by wireless device 310, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, WiMAX, or Bluetooth wireless technologies, to name a few. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets and other components within wireless device 310.

[0165] Antenna 311 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals, and connected to interface 314. In some alternative embodiments, antenna 311 can be separated from wireless device 310 and can be connected to wireless device 310 via an interface or port. Antenna 311, interface 314, and / or processing circuit 320 can be configured to perform any receiving or sending operation described as being performed by a wireless device in this article. Any information, data and / or signal can be received from a network node and / or another wireless device. In some embodiments, radio front end circuit and / or antenna 311 can be considered as an interface.

[0166] As shown, the interface 314 includes a radio front-end circuit 312 and an antenna 311. The radio front-end circuit 312 includes one or more filters 318 and an amplifier 316. The radio front-end circuit 314 is connected to the antenna 311 and the processing circuit 320, and is configured to adjust the signal transmitted between the antenna 311 and the processing circuit 320. The radio front-end circuit 312 can be coupled to the antenna 311 or a part of the antenna 311. In some embodiments, the wireless device 310 may not include a separate radio front-end circuit 312; instead, the processing circuit 320 may include a radio front-end circuit and may be connected to the antenna 311. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuit 322 may be considered as part of the interface 314. The radio front-end circuit 312 can receive digital data to be sent to other network nodes or wireless devices via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuit 312 can use a combination of filters 318 and / or amplifiers 316 to convert the digital data into a radio signal with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. Then, the radio signal can be sent via the antenna 311. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 311 may collect radio signals, which are then converted into digital data by radio front end circuit 312. The digital data may be passed to processing circuit 320. In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0167] The processing circuit 320 may include a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or encoded logic that is operable to provide wireless device 310 functionality alone or in conjunction with other wireless device 310 components such as device readable medium 330. Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features or benefits discussed herein. For example, the processing circuit 320 may execute instructions stored in the device readable medium 330 or a memory within the processing circuit 320 to provide the functionality disclosed herein.

[0168] As shown, the processing circuit 320 includes one or more of an RF transceiver circuit 322, a baseband processing circuit 324, and an application processing circuit 326. In other embodiments, the processing circuit may include different components and / or different combinations of components. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 320 of the wireless device 310 may include a SOC. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuit 322, the baseband processing circuit 324, and the application processing circuit 326 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In an alternative embodiment, a portion or all of the baseband processing circuit 324 and the application processing circuit 326 may be combined into one chip or chipset, and the RF transceiver circuit 322 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In other alternative embodiments, a portion or all of the RF transceiver circuit 322 and the baseband processing circuit 324 may be on the same chip or chipset, and the application processing circuit 326 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In other alternative embodiments, a portion or all of the RF transceiver circuit 322, the baseband processing circuit 324, and the application processing circuit 326 may be combined in a single chip or chipset. In some embodiments, RF transceiver circuitry 322 may be part of interface 314 . RF transceiver circuitry 322 may condition RF signals for processing circuitry 320 .

[0169] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein as performed by the wireless device may be provided by a processing circuit 320 executing instructions stored on a device-readable medium 330, which may be a computer-readable storage medium in some embodiments. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions may be provided by the processing circuit 320 without executing instructions stored on a separate or independent device-readable storage medium, such as in a hardwired manner. In any of those specific embodiments, the processing circuit 320 may be configured to perform the described functions regardless of whether instructions stored on a device-readable storage medium are executed. The benefits provided by such functions are not limited to the processing circuit 320 or other components of the wireless device 310 alone, but are enjoyed by the wireless device 310 as a whole and / or by end users and wireless networks in general.

[0170] The processing circuit 320 may be configured to perform any determination, calculation, or similar operation (e.g., certain obtaining operations) described herein as being performed by the wireless device. Such operations as performed by the processing circuit 320 may include processing information obtained by the processing circuit 320, by, for example, converting the obtained information to other information, comparing the obtained information or the converted information to information stored by the wireless device 310, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or the converted information, and making a determination as a result of the processing.

[0171] Device readable medium 330 may be operable to store computer programs, software, applications, including one or more of logic, rules, codes, tables, etc., and / or other instructions that can be executed by processing circuit 320. Device readable medium 330 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 disk (CD) or digital video disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory computer-readable and / or computer-executable memory device that stores information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by processing circuit 320. In some embodiments, processing circuit 320 and device readable medium 330 may be considered integrated.

[0172] The user interface device 332 may provide a component that allows a human user to interact with the wireless device 310. Such interaction may have many forms, such as visual, auditory, tactile, etc. The user interface device 332 may be operable to generate output to the user and allow the user to provide input to the wireless device 310. The type of interaction may vary depending on the type of user interface device 332 installed in the wireless device 310. For example, if the wireless device 310 is a smart phone, the interaction may be via a touch screen; if the wireless device 310 is a smart meter, the interaction may be through a screen that provides usage (e.g., the number of gallons used) or a speaker that provides an audible alarm (e.g., if smoke is detected). The user interface device 332 may include input interfaces, devices and circuits, and output interfaces, devices and circuits. The user interface device 332 is configured to allow information to be input into the wireless device 310, and is connected to the processing circuit 320 to allow the processing circuit 320 to process the input information. The user interface device 332 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 circuits. The user interface device 332 is also configured to allow output of information from the wireless device 310 and to allow the processing circuit 320 to output information from the wireless device 310. The user interface device 332 may include, for example, a speaker, a display, a vibration circuit, a USB port, a headphone jack, or other output circuitry. Using one or more input and output interfaces, devices, and circuits of the user interface device 332, the wireless device 310 may communicate with an end user and / or a wireless network and allow them to benefit from the functionality described herein.

[0173] Auxiliary device 334 is operable to provide more specific functions that may not be typically performed by a wireless device. This may include specialized sensors for taking measurements for various purposes, interfaces for additional types of communications (such as wired communications), etc. The inclusion and types of components of auxiliary device 334 may vary depending on the embodiment and / or scenario.

[0174] In some embodiments, the power source 336 may be in the form of a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources may also be used, such as an external power source (e.g., an electrical outlet), a photovoltaic device, or a power cell. The wireless device 310 may also include a power circuit 337 for delivering power from the power source 336 to various parts of the wireless device that require power from the power source 336 to perform any functions described or indicated herein. In some embodiments, the power circuit 337 may include a power management circuit. The power circuit 337 may additionally or alternatively be operable to receive power from an external power source; in this case, the wireless device 310 may be connected to an external power source (such as an electrical outlet) via an input circuit or an interface such as a power cable. In some embodiments, the power circuit 337 may also be operable to deliver power from an external power source to the power source 336. This may be used, for example, for charging the power source 336. The power circuit 337 may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modification of the power from the power source 336 to make the power suitable for the corresponding components of the wireless device 310 that are powered.

[0175] Figure 8 An embodiment of a UE in accordance with the various aspects described herein is shown. As used herein, a user equipment or UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the associated device. Rather, a UE may represent a device that is intended to be sold to or operated by a human user but may not or may not initially be associated with a particular human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended to be sold to or operated by an end user but may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart meter). UE400 may be any UE identified by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including an NB-loT UE, a Machine Type Communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE. As Figure 8 As shown, UE 400 is an example of a wireless device configured for communication according to one or more communication standards promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 3GPP's GSM, UMTS, LTE, and / or 5G standards. As previously mentioned, the terms wireless device and UE may be used interchangeably. Therefore, although Figure 8 It is a UE, but the components discussed in this article are also applicable to wireless devices and vice versa.

[0176] exist Figure 8In the embodiment, UE 400 includes a processing circuit 401, which is operably coupled to an input / output interface 405, a radio frequency (RF) interface 409, a network connection interface 411, a memory 415 (including a random access memory (RAM) 417, a read-only memory (ROM) 419, and a storage medium 421, etc.), a communication subsystem 431, a power supply 433, and / or any other components, or any combination thereof. The storage medium 421 includes an operating system 423, an application 425, and data 427. In other embodiments, the storage medium 421 may include other similar types of information. Some UEs may utilize Figure 8 All components shown or only a subset of the components. The degree of integration between components may vary from one UE to another. Further, some UEs may contain multiple instances of components, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0177] exist Figure 8 , processing circuitry 401 may be configured to process computer instructions and data. Processing circuitry 401 may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operable 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 together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored-program, general-purpose processors, such as microprocessors or digital signal processors (DSPs), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, processing circuitry 401 may include two central processing units (CPUs). Data may be information in a form suitable for use by a computer.

[0178] In the depicted embodiment, the input / output interface 405 may be configured to provide a communication interface to an input device, an output device, or an input and output device. The UE 400 may be configured to use an output device via the input / output interface 405. 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 400 and output from the UE 400. The output device may be a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, a transmitter, a smart card, another output device, or any combination thereof. The UE 400 may be configured to use an input device via the input / output interface 405 to allow a user to capture information into the UE 400. The input device may include a contact-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a webcam, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a roller, a smart card, etc. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor that senses input from the user. The sensor can be, for example, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, another similar sensor, or any combination thereof. For example, the input device can be an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a digital camera, a microphone, and an optical sensor.

[0179] exist Figure 8 In the embodiment of the present invention, the RF interface 409 can be configured to provide a communication interface to the RF component, such as a transmitter, a receiver, and an antenna. The network connection interface 411 can be configured to provide a communication interface to the network 443a. The network 443a can cover a wired and / or wireless network, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network, another similar network, or any combination thereof. For example, the network 443a may include a Wi-Fi network. The network connection interface 411 can be configured to include a receiver and a transmitter interface for communicating with one or more other devices through a communication network according to one or more communication protocols, such as Ethernet, TCP / IP, SONET, ATM, etc. The network connection interface 411 can implement receiver and transmitter functions suitable for communication network links (e.g., optical, electrical, etc.). The transmitter and receiver functions can share circuit components, software, or firmware, or can be implemented separately instead.

[0180] RAM 417 can be configured to interface to processing circuit 401 via bus 402 to provide storage or cache of data or computer instructions during the execution of software programs (such as operating systems, applications, and device drivers). ROM 419 can be configured to provide computer instructions or data to processing circuit 401. For example, ROM 419 can be configured to store low-level system code or data stored in non-volatile memory for basic system functions that are unchanged, such as basic input and output (I / O), startup, or reception of keystrokes from keyboard. Storage medium 421 can 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), disk, optical disk, floppy disk, hard disk, removable tape, or flash drive. In one example, storage medium 421 can be configured to include operating system 423, application 425, such as web browser application, widget or gadget engine, or another application, and data file 427. The storage medium 421 may store any of a variety of different operating systems or combinations of operating systems for use by the UE 400 .

[0181] The storage medium 421 may be configured to include multiple physical drive units, such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), a floppy drive, a flash memory, a USB flash drive, an external hard drive, a thumb drive, a pen drive, a key drive, a high-density digital versatile disk (HD-DVD) optical drive, an internal hard drive, a Blu-ray optical drive, a holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical drive, an external mini dual in-line memory module (DIMM), a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), an external micro DIMM SDRAM, a smart card memory such as a user identity module or a removable subscriber identity (SIM / RUIM) module, other memory, or any combination thereof. The storage medium 421 may allow the UE 400 to access computer executable instructions, applications, etc. stored on a transient or non-transitory memory medium to download data or upload data. An article (such as an article utilizing a communication system) may be tangibly implemented in the storage medium 421, which may include a device-readable medium.

[0182] exist Figure 8In the embodiment of the present invention, the processing circuit 401 can be configured to communicate with the network 443b using the communication subsystem 431. The network 443a and the network 443b can be the same one or more networks or different one or more networks. The communication subsystem 431 can be configured to include one or more transceivers for communicating with the network 443b. For example, the communication subsystem 431 can be configured to include one or more transceivers for communicating with another device capable of wireless communication (such as another wireless device, UE, or a base station of a radio access network (RAN)) according to one or more communication protocols (such as IEEE 802.11, CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, LTE, UTRAN, WiMax, etc.) One or more remote transceivers communicate. Each transceiver may include a transmitter 433 and / or a receiver 435 that respectively implements a transmitter or receiver function suitable for a RAN link (e.g., frequency allocation, etc.). Further, the transmitter 433 and the receiver 435 of each transceiver may share circuit components, software or firmware, or may be implemented separately instead.

[0183] In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functions of the communication subsystem 431 may include data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication (such as Bluetooth, near field communication), location-based communication (such as using a global positioning system (GPS) to determine the location), another similar communication function, or any combination thereof. For example, the communication subsystem 431 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth communication, and GPS communication. The network 443b may cover 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, another similar network, or any combination thereof. For example, the network 443b may be a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, and / or a near field network. The power supply 413 may be configured to provide alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power to the components of the UE 400.

[0184] The features, benefits and / or functions described herein may be implemented in one of the components of UE 400 or divided across multiple components of UE 400. Further, 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 431 may be configured to include any component described herein. Further, the processing circuit 401 may be configured to communicate with any of such components via bus 402. In another example, any such component may be represented by a program instruction stored in a memory, which performs the corresponding function described herein when executed by the processing circuit 401. In another example, the function of any such component may be divided between the processing circuit 401 and the communication subsystem 431. In another example, the non-computationally intensive functions of any such component may be implemented in software or firmware, and the computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0185] Fig. 9 5 is a schematic block diagram showing a virtualized environment 500 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualization means creating a virtual version of an apparatus or device, which may include a virtualized hardware platform, storage device, and network resources. As used herein, virtualization may be applied to a node (e.g., a virtualized base station or a virtualized radio access node) or a device (e.g., a UE, a wireless device, or any other type of communication device) or a component thereof and involves at least a portion of a function being implemented as one or more virtual components (e.g., via one or more applications, components, functions, virtual machines, or containers executed on one or more physical processing nodes in one or more networks).

[0186] In some embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines implemented in one or more virtual environments 500 hosted by one or more of the hardware nodes 530. Further, in embodiments where the virtual node is not a radio access node or does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node), then the network node may be fully virtualized.

[0187] Functionality may be implemented by one or more applications 520 (which may alternatively be referred to as software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) that are operable to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein. The applications 520 run in a virtualized environment 500 that provides hardware 530 including processing circuitry 560 and memory 590. The memory 590 contains instructions 595 executable by the processing circuitry 560, wherein the applications 520 are operable to provide one or more of the features, benefits, and / or functions disclosed herein.

[0188] The virtualized environment 500 includes a general-purpose or special-purpose network hardware device 530, which includes a set of one or more processors or processing circuits 560, which can be commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or any other type of processing circuit including digital or analog hardware components or special-purpose processors. Each hardware device may include a memory 590-1, which may be a non-persistent memory for temporarily storing instructions 595 or software executed by the processing circuit 560. Each hardware device may include one or more network interface controllers (NICs) 570 (also known as network interface cards), which include a physical network interface 580. Each hardware device may also include a non-transitory persistent machine-readable storage medium 590-2 in which software 595 and / or instructions executable by the processing circuit 560 are stored. The software 595 may include any type of software, including software for instantiating one or more virtualization layers 550 (also known as a hypervisor), software for executing virtual machines 540, and software that enables the functions, features and / or benefits described in connection with some of the embodiments described herein to be performed.

[0189] The virtual machine 540 includes virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interfaces, and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 550 or hypervisor. Different embodiments of instances of the virtual device 520 may be implemented on one or more virtual machines 540, and these implementations may be accomplished in different ways.

[0190] During operation, processing circuitry 560 executes software 595 that instantiates a hypervisor or virtualization layer 550, which may sometimes be referred to as a virtual machine monitor (VMM). Virtualization layer 550 may present to virtual machines 540 a virtual operating platform that appears to be network hardware.

[0191] like Fig. 9As shown, hardware 530 can be an independent network node with general or specific components. Hardware 530 can include antenna 5225 and can implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 530 can be part of a larger hardware cluster (e.g., in a data center or customer terminal equipment (CPE)), where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration (MANO) 5100, which particularly oversees the life cycle management of application 520.

[0192] Virtualization of hardware is referred to in some contexts as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV can be used to consolidate many network device types onto industry-standard high-volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage devices, which can be located in data centers and customer terminal devices.

[0193] In the context of NFV, a virtual machine 540 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executed on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each virtual machine 540 and the portion of the hardware 530 that executes the virtual machine (i.e., the hardware dedicated to the virtual machine) and / or the hardware shared by the virtual machine with other virtual machines 540 form a separate virtual network element (VNE).

[0194] Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function (VNF) is responsible for handling the operations of one or more virtual machines 540 running on top of the hardware network infrastructure 530 and corresponding to the Fig. 9 Specific network functions of application 520 in.

[0195] In some embodiments, one or more radio units 5200, each including one or more transmitters 5220 and one or more receivers 5210, may be coupled to one or more antennas 5225. The radio unit 5200 may communicate directly with the hardware node 530 via one or more appropriate network interfaces, and may be used in combination with virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a wireless access node or base station.

[0196] In some embodiments, some signaling may be implemented using the control system 5230 , which may alternatively be used for communications between the hardware node 530 and the radio unit 5200 .

[0197] Fig.10 A telecommunications network connected to a host computer via an intermediate network is shown according to some embodiments. Fig.10According to an embodiment, a communication system includes a telecommunication network 610, such as a 3GPP type cellular network, which includes an access network 611, such as a radio access network, and a core network 614. The access network 611 includes a plurality of base stations 612a, 612b, 612c, such as NodeB (NB), eNodeB (eNB), gNodeB (gNB) or other types of wireless access points, each base station 612a, 612b, 612c defining a corresponding coverage area 613a, 613b, 613c. Each base station 612a, 612b, 612c can be connected to the core network 614 via a wired or wireless connection 615. A first UE 691 located in the coverage area 613c is configured to be wirelessly connected to the corresponding base station 612c or to be paged by the corresponding base station 612c. A second UE 692 in the coverage area 613a can be wirelessly connected to the corresponding base station 612a. Although multiple UEs 691 , 692 are shown in this example, the disclosed embodiments are equally applicable to situations where a single UE is in the coverage area or a single UE is connected to the corresponding base station 612 .

[0198] The telecommunications network 610 itself is connected to a host computer 630, which may be implemented in hardware and / or software of a standalone server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, or as a processing resource in a server farm. The host computer 630 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider, or may be operated by or on behalf of a service provider. Connections 621 and 622 between the telecommunications network 610 and the host computer 630 may extend directly from the core network 614 to the host computer 630 or may be made via an optional intermediate network 620. The intermediate network 620 may be one or a combination of more than one of a public, private, or managed network; if present, the intermediate network 620 may be a backbone network or the Internet; in particular, the intermediate network 620 may include two or more sub-networks (not shown).

[0199] Fig.10The communication system as a whole enables connectivity between connected UEs 691, 692 and a host computer 630. Connectivity may be described as an over-the-top (OTT) connection 650. The host computer 630 and the connected UEs 691, 692 are configured to transfer data and / or signaling via an OTT connection 650 using an access network 611, a core network 614, any intermediate networks 620, and possible further infrastructure (not shown) as intermediaries. The OTT connection 650 may be transparent in the sense that the participating communication devices through which the OTT connection 650 passes are unaware of the routing of uplink and downlink communications. For example, the base station 612 may not or need not be informed of the past routing of incoming downlink communications with data originating from the host computer 630 to be forwarded (e.g., handed over) to the connected UE 691. Similarly, the base station 612 does not need to know the future routing of outgoing uplink communications originating from the UE 691 toward the host computer 630.

[0200] Fig.11 A host computer is shown communicating with a user device via a base station over a partially wireless connection according to some embodiments. Fig.11 Describe the example implementation according to the embodiment of the UE, base station and host computer discussed in the preceding paragraphs. In the communication system 700, the host computer 710 includes hardware 715, which includes a communication interface 716 configured to establish and maintain a wired or wireless connection with different communication devices of the communication system 700. The host computer 710 also includes a processing circuit 718, which may have storage and / or processing capabilities. In particular, the processing circuit 718 may include one or more programmable processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or a combination of these (not shown) suitable for executing instructions. The host computer 710 also includes software 711, which is stored in the host computer 710 or can be accessed by the host computer 710 and can be executed by the processing circuit 718. The software 711 includes a host application 712. The host application 712 can be operable to provide services to remote users, such as UEs 730 connected via OTT connections 750 terminated at UE 730 and the host computer 710. When providing services to remote users, the host application 712 may provide user data sent using the OTT connection 750 .

[0201] The communication system 700 also includes a base station 720, which is provided in the telecommunication system and includes hardware 725 that enables the base station 720 to communicate with the host computer 710 and the UE 730. The hardware 725 may include a communication interface 726 for establishing and maintaining a wired or wireless connection with different communication devices of the communication system 700, and a communication interface 726 for establishing and maintaining a connection with at least a network located in a coverage area (not shown) served by the base station 720. Fig.11 The communication interface 726 may be configured to facilitate a connection 760 to the host computer 710. The connection 760 may be direct or it may pass through a core network of the telecommunications system (not shown in FIG. Fig.11 The base station 720 may also include one or more intermediate networks (inside) and / or outside the telecommunications system. In the illustrated embodiment, the hardware 725 of the base station 720 also includes a processing circuit 728, which may include one or more programmable processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or a combination of these (not shown) suitable for executing instructions. The base station 720 also includes software 721 that is stored internally or accessible via an external connection.

[0202] The communication system 700 also includes the UE 730 already mentioned. Its hardware 735 may include a radio interface 737, which is configured to establish and maintain a wireless connection 770 with a base station serving the coverage area where the UE 730 is currently located. The hardware 735 of the UE 730 also includes a processing circuit 738, which may include one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or a combination of these (not shown) suitable for executing instructions. The UE 730 also includes software 731, which is stored in the UE 730 or can be accessed by the UE 730 and can be executed by the processing circuit 738. The software 731 includes a client application 732. The client application 732 may be operable to provide services to human or non-human users via the UE 730 under the support of the host computer 710. In the host computer 710, the executed host application 712 can communicate with the executed client application 732 via an OTT connection 750 terminated at the UE 730 and the host computer 710. In providing services to users, client application 732 may receive request data from host application 712 and provide user data in response to the request data. OTT connection 750 may transmit both request data and user data. Client application 732 may interact with the user to generate the user data it provides.

[0203] It should be noted that Fig.11 The host computer 710, base station 720 and UE 730 shown can be respectively Fig.10The host computer 630, one of the base stations 612a, 612b, 612c and one of the UEs 691, 692 may be similar or identical. That is, the internal workings of these entities may be similar to Fig.11 As shown, and independently, the surrounding network topology can be Fig.10 network topology.

[0204] exist Fig.11 , an OTT connection 750 has been abstractly drawn to illustrate communications between a host computer 710 and a UE 730 via a base station 720, without explicitly referencing any intermediate devices and the precise routing of messages via those devices. The network infrastructure may determine routing that may be configured to be concealed from the UE 730 or the service provider operating the host computer 710, or both. The network infrastructure may also take decisions to dynamically change routing while the OTT connection 750 is active (e.g., based on load balancing considerations or reconfiguration of the network).

[0205] The wireless connection 770 between the UE 730 and the base station 720 is in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. One or more of the various embodiments improves the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 730 using the OTT connection 750 whose last leg is formed by the wireless connection 770.

[0206] The measurement process may be provided for the purpose of monitoring the data rate, latency, and other factors improved by one or more embodiments. There may also be an optional network function for reconfiguring the OTT connection 750 between the host computer 710 and the UE 730 in response to changes in the measurement results. The measurement process and / or the network function for reconfiguring the OTT connection 750 may be implemented in the software 711 and hardware 715 of the host computer 710 or in the software 731 and hardware 735 of the UE 730 or in both. In an embodiment, a sensor (not shown) may be deployed in or associated with a communication device through which the OTT connection 750 passes; the sensor may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying the values ​​of the monitoring quantities exemplified above or supplying the values ​​of other physical quantities from which the software 711, 731 can calculate or estimate the monitoring quantities. The reconfiguration of the OTT connection 750 may include message formats, retransmission settings, preferred routing selection, etc.; the reconfiguration does not need to affect the base station 720, and the reconfiguration may be unknown or imperceptible to the base station 720. Such processes and functions may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, the measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation time, latency, etc., by the host computer 710. The measurements may be implemented in such a way that the software 711 and 731 causes messages (particularly empty or "dummy" messages) to be sent using the OTT connection 750 while the measurements monitor propagation time, errors, etc.

[0207] Fig.12 is a flow chart showing a method implemented in a communication system according to an embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UE, which may be a reference Fig.10 and Fig.11 For simplicity of this disclosure, only the host computer, base station and UE are described. Fig.12 References to the accompanying drawings will be included in this section. In step 810, the host computer provides user data. In sub-step 811 of step 810 (which may be optional), the host computer provides user data by executing a host application. In step 820, the host computer initiates a transmission to the UE carrying the user data. In step 830 (which may be optional), in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the base station sends the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the host computer to the UE. In step 840 (which may also be optional), the UE executes a client application associated with the host application executed by the host computer.

[0208] Fig.13 is a flow chart showing a method implemented in a communication system according to an embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UE, which may be a reference Fig.10 and Fig.11 For simplicity of this disclosure, only the host computer, base station and UE are described. Fig.13 References to the accompanying drawings will be included in this section. In step 910 of the method, the host computer provides user data. In an optional sub-step (not shown), the host computer provides the user data by executing a host application. In step 920, the host computer initiates a transmission to the UE carrying the user data. According to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the transmission may be delivered via a base station. In step 930 (which may be optional), the UE receives the user data carried in the transmission.

[0209] Fig.14 is a flow chart showing a method implemented in a communication system according to an embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UE, which may be a reference Fig.10 and Fig.11 For simplicity of this disclosure, only the host computer, base station and UE are described. Fig.14References to the accompanying drawings will be included in this section. In step 1010 (which may be optional), the UE receives input data provided by the host computer. Additionally or alternatively, in step 1020, the UE provides user data. In sub-step 1021 of step 1020 (which may be optional), the UE provides user data by executing a client application. In sub-step 1011 of step 1010 (which may be optional), the UE executes a client application that provides user data as a reaction to the received input data provided by the host computer. When providing user data, the executed client application may also consider user input received from the user. Regardless of the specific manner of providing user data, in sub-step 1030 (which may be optional), the UE initiates the transmission of user data to the host computer. In step 1040 of the method, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the host computer receives user data sent from the UE.

[0210] Fig.15 is a flow chart showing a method implemented in a communication system according to an embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UE, which may be a reference Fig.10 and Fig.11 For simplicity of this disclosure, only the host computer, base station and UE are described. Fig.15 References to the accompanying drawings will be included in this section. In step 1110 (which may be optional), in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the base station receives user data from the UE. In step 1120 (which may be optional), the base station initiates a transmission of the received user data to the host computer. In step 1130 (which may be optional), the host computer receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the base station.

[0211] Fig.16 1 is a flow chart of a method 1200 in a wireless device (e.g., UE) according to some embodiments. The method starts at step 1202, where the wireless device obtains an MDT configuration, where the obtained MDT configuration is for one or more of immediate MDT and logged MDT. In some embodiments, the MDT configuration may be obtained from a RAN node.

[0212] In some embodiments, the obtained MDT configuration may include one or more of the following: one or more A2 event specific configuration enhancements; and one or more periodic event specific configuration enhancements. In some embodiments, the obtained MDT configuration may include one or more of the following: reportOnLeave configuration; reportQuantityRS-Indexes configuration; maxNrofRS-IndexesToReport configuration: and rsType configuration. In some embodiments, the obtained MDT configuration may include an indication of whether the location information is requested by OAM.

[0213] At step 1204, the wireless device performs one or more measurements according to the MDT configuration.

[0214] At step 1206, the wireless device provides an MDT report based on the one or more measurements. In some embodiments, the MDT report may be provided to a RAN node.

[0215] In some embodiments, the method may further include obtaining positioning assistance data. In some embodiments, the positioning assistance data may be obtained from a RAN node. In some embodiments, the positioning assistance data may be obtained together with the MDT configuration. In some embodiments, the positioning assistance data may be obtained from a location server. In some embodiments, the method may include retrieving positioning information based on the positioning assistance data and including the positioning information in the provided MDT report.

[0216] In certain embodiments, the obtained MDT configuration may configure the wireless device to include the best beam index of the new radio (NR) camped cell in the MDT report.

[0217] In some embodiments, the obtained MDT configuration may configure the wireless device to include the best beam index of the NR camped cell and one or more neighboring NR cells in the MDT report.

[0218] In some embodiments, the obtained MDT configuration may configure the wireless device to include the best beam index of the NR camping cell and at least one beam level measurement quantity of the NR camping cell in the MDT report.

[0219] In some embodiments, the obtained MDT configuration may configure the wireless device to include the best beam index and at least one beam level measurement quantity of the NR camped cell and one or more neighboring NR cells in the MDT report.

[0220] In certain embodiments, the obtained MDT configuration may configure the wireless device to include up to a predefined number of strongest beam indices and at least one corresponding beam level measurement quantity for the NR camped cell in the MDT report.

[0221] In certain embodiments, the obtained MDT configuration may configure the wireless device to include up to a predefined number of strongest beam indices and at least one corresponding beam level measurement quantity for the NR camped cell and one or more neighboring NR cells in the MDT report.

[0222] In certain embodiments, the method may further include providing user data and forwarding the user data to a host computer via transmission to the base station.

[0223] Fig.17 A wireless network (e.g., Figure 5 The apparatus 1300 is a schematic block diagram of a wireless network (shown in FIG. 1 ). The apparatus may be implemented in a wireless device (eg, Figure 5 The apparatus 1300 is operable to perform the reference Fig.16 The example methods described and possibly any other processes or methods disclosed herein. It should also be understood that Fig.16 The method does not have to be performed solely by the apparatus 1300. At least some operations of the method may be performed by one or more other entities.

[0224] The virtual device 1300 may include a processing circuit, which may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers, and other digital hardware, which may include (DSP), dedicated digital logic, etc. The processing circuit may be configured to execute program code stored in a 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. In multiple embodiments, the program code stored in the memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communication protocols and instructions for executing one or more of the techniques described herein. In some embodiments, the processing circuit can be used to cause the receiving unit 1302, the determining unit 1304, the communication unit 1306, and any other suitable unit of the device 1300 to perform corresponding functions according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0225] In some embodiments, the apparatus 1300 may be a UE. Fig.17 As shown, the apparatus 1300 includes a receiving unit 1302, a determining unit 1304, and a communicating unit 1306. The receiving unit 1302 may be configured to perform the receiving function of the apparatus 1300. For example, the receiving unit 1302 may be configured to obtain an MDT configuration (e.g., from a network node such as a RAN node). As another example, the receiving unit 1302 may be configured to obtain positioning assistance data (e.g., from a RAN node and / or a location server).

[0226] The receiving unit 1302 can receive any suitable information (eg, from a wireless device or another network node). The receiving unit 1302 can include a receiver and / or a transceiver, such as described above with respect to Figure 3 1300. The RF transceiver circuit 122 described herein. The receiving unit 1302 may include circuits configured to receive messages and / or signals (wireless or wired). In certain embodiments, the receiving unit 1302 may pass the received messages and / or signals to the determining unit 1304 and / or any other suitable unit of the device 1300. In some embodiments, the functions of the receiving unit 1302 may be performed in one or more different units.

[0227] The determining unit 1304 may perform the processing functions of the apparatus 1300. For example, the determining unit 1304 may be configured to perform one or more measurements according to the MDT configuration. As another example, the determining unit 1304 may be configured to generate an MDT report based on the one or more measurements. As yet another example, the determining unit 1304 may be configured to retrieve positioning information based on the positioning assistance data and include the positioning information in the MDT report. As yet another example, the determining unit 1304 may be configured to provide user data.

[0228] The determining unit 1304 may include or be included in one or more processors, such as the one described above with respect to Figure 5 The determining unit 1304 may include analog and / or digital circuits configured to perform any of the functions of the determining unit 1304 and / or the processing circuit 320 described above. In some embodiments, the functions of the determining unit 1304 may be performed in one or more different units.

[0229] The communication unit 1306 may be configured to perform transmission functions of the apparatus 1300. For example, the communication unit 1306 may be configured to provide an MDT report (e.g., to a RAN node) based on one or more measurements. As another example, the communication unit 1306 may be configured to forward user data to a host computer via a transmission to a network node (e.g., a base station).

[0230] The communication unit 1306 can send messages (e.g., to a wireless device and / or another network node). The communication unit 1306 may include a transmitter and / or a transceiver, such as those described above with respect to Figure 51304 or 1306. The communication unit 1306 may include circuits configured to send messages and / or signals (e.g., wirelessly or by wire). In certain embodiments, the communication unit 1306 may receive messages and / or signals for transmission from the determination unit 1304 or any other unit of the device 1300. In some embodiments, the functions of the communication unit 1304 may be performed in one or more different units.

[0231] As used herein, the term unit may have the conventional meaning in the field of electronic devices, electrical equipment, and / or electronic equipment, and may include, for example, electrical and / or electronic circuits, devices, modules, processors, memories, logical solid-state and / or discrete devices, computer programs or instructions for performing corresponding tasks, processes, calculations, output, and / or display functions, etc., such as those described herein.

[0232] In some embodiments, a computer program, a computer program product, or a computer-readable storage medium includes instructions that, when executed on a computer, perform any of the embodiments disclosed herein. In a further example, the instructions are carried on a signal or carrier and can be executed on a computer, wherein, when executed, any of the embodiments disclosed herein are performed.

[0233] Fig.18 Another method 1400 for configured MDT reporting performed by a wireless device 310 (e.g., a UE) in accordance with certain embodiments is shown. The method starts at step 1402 when the wireless device 310 obtains an MDT configuration. The obtained MDT configuration is for one or more of an immediate MDT and a logged MDT, and is used to perform one or more measurements associated with a specific reference signal type, beam level, or positioning assistance data. The obtained MDT configuration includes one or more of the following: reportOnLeave configuration; reportQuantityRS-Indexes configuration; maxNrofRS-IndexesToReport configuration; and rsType configuration. At step 1404, the wireless device 310 performs one or more measurements according to the MDT configuration. At step 1406, the wireless device 310 provides an MDT report based on the one or more measurements.

[0234] In certain embodiments, when obtaining the MDT configuration, the wireless device 310 receives the MDT configuration from a RAN node.

[0235] In certain embodiments, when the MDT report is provided, the wireless device 310 sends the MDT report to the RAN node.

[0236] In certain embodiments, the obtained MDT configuration includes one or more of: one or more A2 event specific configuration enhancements; and one or more periodic event specific configuration enhancements.

[0237] In certain embodiments, the obtained MDT configuration includes an indication of whether the location information was requested by OAM.

[0238] In certain embodiments, the obtained MDT configuration configures the wireless device 310 to include beam level information in the MDT report.

[0239] In certain embodiments, the obtained MDT configuration configures the wireless device 310 to include a best beam index of at least one of the NR camped cell and the one or more neighboring NR cells in the MDT report.

[0240] In a particular embodiment, the obtained MDT configuration configures the wireless device 310 to include a best beam index of the NR camped cell and at least one beam level measurement quantity of the NR camped cell in the MDT report.

[0241] In a particular embodiment, the obtained MDT configuration configures the wireless device 310 to include the best beam index and at least one beam level measurement quantity for the NR camped cell and one or more neighboring NR cells in the MDT report.

[0242] In a particular embodiment, the obtained MDT configuration configures the wireless device 310 to include at least one corresponding beam level measurement quantity for the NR camped cell in the MDT report, and the MDT report includes up to a predefined number of strongest beam indices.

[0243] In a particular embodiment, the obtained MDT configuration configures the wireless device 310 to include at least one corresponding beam level measurement quantity for the NR camped cell and one or more neighboring NR cells in the MDT report, and the MDT report includes up to a predefined number of strongest beam indices.

[0244] In a particular embodiment, the wireless device 310 may obtain the positioning assistance data from at least one of a RAN node and a location server. In another particular embodiment, the positioning assistance data is obtained together with the MDT configuration.

[0245] In certain embodiments, the wireless device 310 retrieves positioning information based on the positioning assistance data and includes the positioning information in the provided MDT report.

[0246] Fig.19 A wireless network (eg, Figure 5 The apparatus 1500 is a schematic block diagram of a wireless network (shown in FIG. 1 ). The apparatus may be implemented in a wireless device (eg, Figure 5 The apparatus 1500 is operable to perform the example method described in reference 18 and possibly any other process or method disclosed herein. It should also be understood that Fig.18 The method does not have to be performed solely by the apparatus 1500. At least some operations of the method may be performed by one or more other entities.

[0247] The virtual device 1500 may include a processing circuit, which may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers, and other digital hardware, which may include (DSP), dedicated digital logic, etc. The processing circuit may be configured to execute program code stored in a 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. In multiple embodiments, the program code stored in the memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communication protocols and instructions for executing one or more of the techniques described herein. In some embodiments, the processing circuit can be used to cause the receiving unit 1502, the determining unit 1504, the communication unit 1506, and any other suitable unit of the device 1500 to perform corresponding functions according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0248] In some embodiments, the apparatus 1500 may be a UE. Fig.19 As shown, the device 1500 includes a receiving unit 1502, a determining unit 1504, and a communicating unit 1506. The receiving unit 1502 may be configured to perform a receiving function of the device 1500. For example, the receiving unit 1502 may be configured to obtain an MDT configuration (e.g., from a network node such as a RAN node). According to certain embodiments, the obtained MDT configuration is used for one or more of an immediate MDT and a logged MDT, and is used to perform one or more measurements associated with a specific reference signal type, a beam level, or positioning assistance data. According to certain embodiments, the obtained MDT configuration includes one or more of the following: reportOnLeave configuration; reportQuantityRS-Indexes configuration; maxNrofRS-IndexesToReport configuration: and rsType configuration. As another example, the receiving unit 1502 may be configured to obtain positioning assistance data (e.g., from a RAN node and / or a location server).

[0249] The receiving unit 1502 can receive any suitable information (eg, from a wireless device or another network node). The receiving unit 1502 can include a receiver and / or a transceiver, such as described above with respect to Figure 51500. The RF transceiver circuit 322 described above. The receiving unit 1502 may include a circuit configured to receive messages and / or signals (wireless or wired). In certain embodiments, the receiving unit 1502 may pass the received messages and / or signals to the determining unit 1504 and / or any other suitable unit of the device 1500. In some embodiments, the functions of the receiving unit 1302 may be performed in one or more different units.

[0250] The determining unit 1504 may perform the processing functions of the apparatus 1500. For example, the determining unit 1504 may be configured to perform one or more measurements according to the MDT configuration. As another example, the determining unit 1504 may be configured to generate an MDT report based on the one or more measurements. As yet another example, the determining unit 1504 may be configured to retrieve positioning information based on the positioning assistance data and include the positioning information in the MDT report. As yet another example, the determining unit 1504 may be configured to provide user data.

[0251] The determining unit 1504 may include or be included in one or more processors, such as the one described above with respect to Figure 5 The determining unit 1504 may include analog and / or digital circuits configured to perform any of the functions of the determining unit 1504 and / or the processing circuit 320 described above. In some embodiments, the functions of the determining unit 1504 may be performed in one or more different units.

[0252] The communication unit 1506 may be configured to perform transmission functions of the apparatus 1500. For example, the communication unit 1506 may be configured to provide an MDT report (e.g., to a RAN node) based on one or more measurements. As another example, the communication unit 1506 may be configured to forward user data to a host computer via a transmission to a network node (e.g., a base station).

[0253] The communication unit 1506 can send messages (e.g., to a wireless device and / or another network node). The communication unit 1506 may include a transmitter and / or a transceiver, such as those described above with respect to Figure 5 RF transceiver circuit 322 as described. Communication unit 1306 may include circuits configured to send messages and / or signals (e.g., wirelessly or by wire). In certain embodiments, communication unit 1506 may receive messages and / or signals for transmission from determination unit 1504 or any other unit of device 1500. In some embodiments, the functions of communication unit 1504 may be performed in one or more different units.

[0254] Fig. 2016 is a flow chart of a method 1600 in a network node according to some embodiments. The method starts at step 1602, where the network node determines a minimization of drive tests (MDT) configuration for a wireless device, where the MDT configuration is for one or more of immediate MDT and logged MDT. In some embodiments, the network node may be a RAN node. In some embodiments, the MDT configuration may be determined in collaboration with an OAM.

[0255] At step 1604, the network node provides the MDT configuration to the wireless device.

[0256] At step 1606, the network node obtains the MDT report from the wireless device. In certain embodiments, the method may further include providing the MDT report to the OAM.

[0257] In some embodiments, the method may include obtaining positioning assistance data and configuring the wireless device with the positioning assistance data. In some embodiments, the positioning assistance data may be obtained from a location server. In some embodiments, configuring the wireless device with the positioning assistance data may include providing the positioning assistance data along with the MDT configuration. In some embodiments, the method may also include obtaining positioning information from the wireless device, the positioning information being based on the positioning assistance data. In some embodiments, the positioning information may be included in the obtained MDT report.

[0258] In certain embodiments, the MDT configuration may include one or more of: one or more A2 event specific configuration enhancements; and one or more periodic event specific configuration enhancements.

[0259] In some embodiments, the MDT configuration may include one or more of the following: reportOnLeave configuration; reportQuantityRS-Indexes configuration; maxNrofRS-IndexesToReport configuration; and rsType configuration.

[0260] In certain embodiments, the MDT configuration may include an indication of whether the location information is requested by OAM.

[0261] In certain embodiments, the MDT configuration may configure the wireless device to include the best beam index of the New Radio (NR) camped cell in the MDT report.

[0262] In certain embodiments, the MDT configuration may configure the wireless device to include the best beam index of the NR camped cell and one or more neighboring NR cells in the MDT report.

[0263] In some embodiments, the MDT configuration may configure the wireless device to include the best beam index of the NR camped cell and at least one beam level measurement quantity of the NR camped cell in the MDT report.

[0264] In some embodiments, the MDT configuration may configure the wireless device to include the best beam index and at least one beam level measurement quantity of the NR camped cell and one or more neighboring NR cells in the MDT report.

[0265] In certain embodiments, the MDT configuration may configure the wireless device to include up to a predefined number of strongest beam indices and at least one corresponding beam level measurement quantity for the NR camped cell in the MDT report.

[0266] In certain embodiments, the MDT configuration may configure the wireless device to include up to a predefined number of strongest beam indices and at least one corresponding beam level measurement quantity for the NR camped cell and one or more neighboring NR cells in the MDT report.

[0267] In certain embodiments, the method may also include obtaining user data and forwarding the user data to a host computer or a wireless device.

[0268] Fig.21 A wireless network (e.g., Figure 5 The device 1700 is a schematic block diagram of a wireless network (shown in FIG. 1 ). The device may be implemented in a network node (eg, Figure 5 The apparatus 1700 is operable to perform reference Fig. 20 The example methods described and possibly any other processes or methods disclosed herein. It should also be understood that Fig. 20 The method does not have to be performed solely by the apparatus 1700. At least some operations of the method may be performed by one or more other entities.

[0269] The virtual device 1700 may include a processing circuit, which may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers, and other digital hardware, which may include (DSP), dedicated digital logic, etc. The processing circuit may be configured to execute program code stored in a 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. In multiple embodiments, the program code stored in the memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communication protocols and instructions for executing one or more of the techniques described herein. In some embodiments, the processing circuit can be used to cause the receiving unit 1702, the determining unit 1704, the communication unit 1706, and any other suitable unit of the device 1700 to perform corresponding functions according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0270] In some embodiments, the apparatus 1700 may be an eNB or a gNB. Fig.21 As shown, the apparatus 1700 includes a receiving unit 1702, a determining unit 1704, and a communicating unit 1706. The receiving unit 1702 may be configured to perform the receiving function of the apparatus 1700. For example, the receiving unit 1702 may be configured to obtain an MDT report from a wireless device. As another example, the receiving unit 1702 may be configured to obtain positioning assistance data (e.g., from a location server). As yet another example, the receiving unit 1702 may be configured to obtain positioning information from a wireless device. As yet another example, the receiving unit 1702 may be configured to obtain user data.

[0271] The receiving unit 1702 can receive any suitable information (eg, from a wireless device or another network node). The receiving unit 1702 can include a receiver and / or a transceiver, such as described above with respect to Figure 5 1700. The RF transceiver circuit 372 described above. The receiving unit 1702 may include a circuit configured to receive messages and / or signals (wireless or wired). In a specific embodiment, the receiving unit 1702 may pass the received message and / or signal to the determining unit 1704 and / or any other suitable unit of the device 1700. In some embodiments, the functions of the receiving unit 1702 may be performed in one or more different units.

[0272] The determining unit 1704 may perform the processing functions of the apparatus 1700. For example, the determining unit 1704 may be configured to determine an MDT configuration for the wireless device, wherein the MDT configuration is for one or more of an immediate MDT and a logged MDT. In some embodiments, the determining unit 1704 may be configured to determine the MDT configuration in cooperation with the OAM. As another example, the determining unit 1704 may be configured to configure the wireless device with the positioning assistance data.

[0273] The determining unit 1704 may include or be included in one or more processors, such as the one described above with respect to Figure 5 The determining unit 1704 may include analog and / or digital circuits configured to perform any of the functions described above for the determining unit 1704 and / or the processing circuit 370. In some embodiments, the functions of the determining unit 1704 may be performed in one or more different units.

[0274] The communication unit 1706 may be configured to perform the transmission functions of the apparatus 1700. For example, the communication unit 1706 may be configured to provide the MDT configuration to the wireless device. As another example, the communication unit 1706 may be configured to provide the MDT report to the OAM. As yet another example, the communication unit 1706 may be configured to provide the positioning assistance data together with the MDT configuration. As yet another example, the communication unit 1706 may be configured to forward the user data to the host computer or the wireless device.

[0275] The communication unit 1706 can send messages (e.g., to a wireless device and / or another network node). The communication unit 1706 may include a transmitter and / or a transceiver, such as those described above with respect to Figure 5 1704 or 1706. The communication unit 1706 may include circuits configured to send messages and / or signals (e.g., wirelessly or by wire). In certain embodiments, the communication unit 1706 may receive messages and / or signals for transmission from the determination unit 1704 or any other unit of the device 1700. In some embodiments, the functions of the communication unit 1704 may be performed in one or more different units.

[0276] Fig. 22Another method 1800 for configured MDT performed by the network node 360 ​​according to certain embodiments is shown. The method starts at step 1802, where the network node 360 ​​determines an MDT configuration for the wireless device 310. The MDT configuration is for one or more of immediate MDT and logged MDT. According to certain embodiments, the MDT configuration is for performing one or more measurements associated with a specific reference signal type, beam level, or positioning assistance data, and the MDT configuration includes one or more of the following: reportOnLeave configuration; reportQuantityRS-Indexes configuration; maxNrofRS-IndexesToReport configuration; and rsType configuration. At step 1804, the network node provides the MDT configuration to the wireless device 360. At step 1806, the network node obtains an MDT report from the wireless device 360.

[0277] In certain embodiments, network node 360 ​​is a RAN node.

[0278] In certain embodiments, the MDT configuration is determined in cooperation with the OAM, and the network node 360 ​​determines the MDT reporting to the OAM.

[0279] In certain embodiments, the MDT configuration includes one or more of: one or more A2 event specific configuration enhancements and one or more periodic event specific configuration enhancements.

[0280] In certain embodiments, the MDT configuration includes an indication of whether the location information is requested by OAM.

[0281] In certain embodiments, the MDT configuration configures the wireless device 310 to include beam level information in the MDT report.

[0282] In a particular embodiment, the MDT configuration configures the wireless device 310 to include a best beam index of at least one of the NR camped cell and the one or more neighboring NR cells in the MDT report.

[0283] In a particular embodiment, the MDT configuration configures the wireless device 310 to include a best beam index of the NR camped cell and at least one beam level measurement quantity of the NR camped cell in the MDT report.

[0284] In a particular embodiment, the MDT configuration configures the wireless device 310 to include the best beam index and at least one beam level measurement quantity for the NR camped cell and one or more neighboring NR cells in the MDT report.

[0285] In a particular embodiment, the MDT configuration configures the wireless device 310 to include at least one corresponding beam level measurement quantity for the NR camped cell in the MDT report, and the MDT report includes up to a predefined number of strongest beam indices.

[0286] In a particular embodiment, the MDT configuration configures the wireless device 310 to include at least one corresponding beam level measurement quantity for the NR camped cell and one or more neighboring NR cells in the MDT report, and the MDT report includes up to a predefined number of strongest beam indices.

[0287] In certain embodiments, the network node 360 ​​obtains positioning assistance data from a location server and configures the wireless device 310 with the positioning assistance data.

[0288] In certain embodiments, configuring the wireless device 310 with the positioning assistance data includes providing the positioning assistance data along with the MDT configuration.

[0289] In a particular embodiment, the network node 360 ​​obtains the positioning information from the wireless device 310, and the positioning information is based on the positioning assistance data. In another particular embodiment, the positioning information is included in the obtained MDT report.

[0290] Fig.23 A wireless network (e.g., Figure 5 The device 1900 is a schematic block diagram of a wireless network (shown in FIG. 1 ). The device may be implemented in a network node (eg, Figure 5 The apparatus 1900 is operable to perform the reference Fig. 22 The example methods described and possibly any other processes or methods disclosed herein. It should also be understood that Fig. 22 The method does not have to be performed solely by the apparatus 1900. At least some operations of the method may be performed by one or more other entities.

[0291] The virtual device 1900 may include a processing circuit, which may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers, and other digital hardware, which may include (DSP), dedicated digital logic, etc. The processing circuit may be configured to execute program code stored in a 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. In multiple embodiments, the program code stored in the memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communication protocols and instructions for executing one or more of the techniques described herein. In some embodiments, the processing circuit can be used to cause the receiving unit 1902, the determining unit 1904, the communication unit 1906, and any other suitable unit of the device 1900 to perform corresponding functions according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0292] In some embodiments, the apparatus 1900 may be an eNB or a gNB. Fig.23 As shown, the apparatus 1900 includes a receiving unit 1902, a determining unit 1904, and a communicating unit 1906. The receiving unit 1902 may be configured to perform the receiving function of the apparatus 1900. For example, the receiving unit 1902 may be configured to obtain or determine an MDT configuration for the wireless device 310. According to certain embodiments, the MDT configuration is used for one or more of an immediate MDT and a logged MDT. According to certain embodiments, the MDT configuration is used to perform one or more measurements associated with a specific reference signal type, a beam level, or positioning assistance data, and the MDT configuration includes one or more of the following: reportOnLeave configuration; reportQuantityRS-Indexes configuration; maxNrofRS-IndexesToReport configuration; and rsType configuration. As another example, the receiving unit 1902 may be configured to obtain positioning assistance data (e.g., from a location server). As yet another example, the receiving unit 1902 may be configured to obtain positioning information from a wireless device. As yet another example, the receiving unit 1902 may be configured to obtain user data.

[0293] The receiving unit 1902 may receive any suitable information (eg, from a wireless device or another network node). The receiving unit 1902 may include a receiver and / or a transceiver, such as described above with respect to Figure 51900. The RF transceiver circuit 372 described above. The receiving unit 1902 may include a circuit configured to receive messages and / or signals (wireless or wired). In a specific embodiment, the receiving unit 1902 may pass the received message and / or signal to the determining unit 1904 and / or any other suitable unit of the device 1900. In some embodiments, the functions of the receiving unit 1902 may be performed in one or more different units.

[0294] The determining unit 1904 may perform the processing functions of the apparatus 1900. For example, the determining unit 1904 may be configured to determine an MDT configuration for the wireless device, wherein the MDT configuration is for one or more of an immediate MDT and a logged MDT. In some embodiments, the determining unit 1904 may be configured to determine the MDT configuration in cooperation with the OAM. As another example, the determining unit 1904 may be configured to configure the wireless device with the positioning assistance data.

[0295] The determining unit 1904 may include or be included in one or more processors, such as the one described above with respect to Figure 5 The determining unit 1904 may include analog and / or digital circuits configured to perform any of the functions described above for the determining unit 1904 and / or the processing circuit 370. In some embodiments, the functions of the determining unit 1904 may be performed in one or more different units.

[0296] The communication unit 1906 may be configured to perform the transmission functions of the apparatus 1900. For example, the communication unit 1906 may be configured to provide the MDT configuration to the wireless device 310. As another example, the communication unit 1906 may be configured to obtain an MDT report from the wireless device and, in a particular embodiment, provide the MDT report to the OAM. As yet another example, the communication unit 1906 may be configured to provide positioning assistance data together with the MDT configuration. As yet another example, the communication unit 1906 may be configured to forward user data to a host computer or wireless device.

[0297] The communication unit 1906 can send messages (e.g., to a wireless device and / or another network node). The communication unit 1906 may include a transmitter and / or a transceiver, such as those described above with respect to Figure 5 RF transceiver circuit 372 as described. Communication unit 1906 may include circuits configured to send messages and / or signals (e.g., wirelessly or by wire). In certain embodiments, communication unit 1906 may receive messages and / or signals for transmission from determination unit 1904 or any other unit of device 1900. In some embodiments, the functions of communication unit 1904 may be performed in one or more different units.

Claims

1. A method (1400) for configured minimization of drive tests (MDT) reporting performed by a wireless device (310), the method comprising: Obtaining (1402) an MDT configuration, wherein the obtained MDT configuration is for one or more of an immediate MDT and a logged MDT, the MDT configuration being for performing one or more measurements associated with a specific reference signal type, a beam level, or positioning assistance data, the obtained MDT configuration comprising one or more of the following: reportOnLeave configuration; reportQuantityRS-Indexes configuration; maxNrofRS-IndexesToReport configuration; and rsType configuration; performing (1404) the one or more measurements according to the MDT configuration; and providing (1406) an MDT report based on the one or more measurements; The method further comprises: obtaining positioning assistance data from a RAN node; wherein the positioning assistance data is obtained together with the MDT configuration; Wherein, the method further comprises: retrieving positioning information based on the positioning assistance data; and The positioning information is included in the provided MDT report.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Obtaining the MDT configuration includes receiving the MDT configuration from a radio access network RAN ​​node (360).

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: Providing the MDT report includes sending the MDT report to the RAN node.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The obtained MDT configuration includes one or more of the following: One or more A2 event specific configuration enhancements; and One or more periodic event specific configuration enhancements.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The obtained MDT configuration configures the wireless device to include at least one of the following in the MDT report: The location information requested by OAM is managed and maintained by operations; Beam level information; a best beam index of at least one of the cells on which the new radio NR is camped; The best beam index of one or more neighboring NR cells; At least one beam-level measurement quantity of the NR camping cell; and At least one beam level measurement of one or more neighboring NR cells.

6. A method (1800) for configured minimization of drive tests (MDT) performed by a network node (360), the method comprising: Determining (1802) an MDT configuration for a wireless device (310), wherein the MDT configuration is for one or more of immediate MDT and logged MDT, the MDT configuration is for performing one or more measurements associated with a specific reference signal type, beam level, or positioning assistance data, the MDT configuration comprising one or more of: reportOnLeave configuration; reportQuantityRS-Indexes configuration; maxNrofRS-IndexesToReport configuration; and rsType configuration; providing (1804) the MDT configuration to the wireless device; and Obtaining (1806) an MDT report from the wireless device; Wherein, the method further comprises: Obtaining positioning assistance data from a location server; and configuring the positioning assistance data for the wireless device; Wherein, configuring the positioning assistance data for the wireless device includes: providing the positioning assistance data together with the MDT configuration; Wherein, the method further comprises: obtaining positioning information from the wireless device, the positioning information being based on the positioning assistance data; The positioning information is included in the obtained MDT report.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The network node is a Radio Access Network RAN ​​node.

8. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 7, wherein: The MDT configuration is determined in collaboration with operations administration and maintenance (OAM), and the method further comprises providing the MDT report to the OAM.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 7, wherein: The MDT configuration includes one or more of the following: One or more A2 event specific configuration enhancements; and One or more periodic event specific configuration enhancements.

10. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 7, wherein: The MDT configuration configures the wireless device to include at least one of the following in the MDT report: The location information requested by OAM is managed and maintained by operations; Beam level information; a best beam index of at least one of the cells on which the new radio NR is camped; The best beam index of one or more neighboring NR cells; At least one beam-level measurement quantity of the NR camping cell; and At least one beam level measurement of one or more neighboring NR cells.

11. A wireless device (310) for configured minimization of drive tests (MDT) reporting, the wireless device (310) comprising: A processing circuit (320) configured to: Obtaining an MDT configuration, wherein the obtained MDT configuration is used for one or more of an immediate MDT and a logged MDT, the MDT configuration is used to perform one or more measurements associated with a specific reference signal type, a beam level, or positioning assistance data, and the obtained MDT configuration includes one or more of the following: reportOnLeave configuration; reportQuantityRS-Indexes configuration; maxNrofRS-IndexesToReport configuration; and rsType configuration; performing the one or more measurements according to the MDT configuration; and providing an MDT report based on the one or more measurements; Wherein, the processing circuit (320) is further configured to: obtain positioning assistance data from a RAN node; wherein the positioning assistance data is obtained together with the MDT configuration; Wherein, the processing circuit (320) is further configured to: retrieving positioning information based on the positioning assistance data; and The positioning information is included in the provided MDT report.

12. The wireless device of claim 11, wherein: The processing circuit is configured to perform any of the steps according to any of claims 2 to 5 .

13. A network node (360) for configured minimization of drive tests (MDT), the network node comprising: A processing circuit (370) configured to: Determining an MDT configuration for a wireless device (310), wherein the MDT configuration is for one or more of immediate MDT and logged MDT, the MDT configuration is for performing one or more measurements associated with a specific reference signal type, beam level, or positioning assistance data, the MDT configuration comprising one or more of the following: reportOnLeave configuration; reportQuantityRS-Indexes configuration; maxNrofRS-IndexesToReport configuration; and rsType configuration; providing the MDT configuration to the wireless device; and obtaining an MDT report from the wireless device; Wherein, the processing circuit (370) is further configured to: Obtaining positioning assistance data from a location server; and configuring the positioning assistance data for the wireless device; Wherein, configuring the positioning assistance data for the wireless device includes: providing the positioning assistance data together with the MDT configuration; Wherein, the processing circuit (370) is further configured to: obtaining positioning information from the wireless device, the positioning information being based on the positioning assistance data; The positioning information is included in the obtained MDT report.

14. The network node according to claim 13, wherein: The processing circuit is configured to perform any of the steps according to any of claims 7 to 10.

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