Communication method and communication device

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and a communication device, which enable a terminal device in an MR‑DC architecture to send a QoE measurement result to a correct access network device. The communication method includes: an access layer of a terminal device receives a quality of experience QoE measurement result and a first indication information from an upper layer of the access layer; the access layer of the terminal device determines to send the QoE measurement result to a primary base station or a secondary base station of the terminal device according to the first indication information. Therefore, the present application sends the QoE measurement result and the first indication information corresponding to the QoE measurement result to the access layer through the upper layer of the access layer of the terminal device, so that the access layer can determine to send the QoE measurement result to the primary base station or the secondary base station of the terminal device according to the first indication information, thereby enabling the terminal device in the MR‑DC architecture to send the QoE measurement result to the correct access network device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a communication method and a communication device. Background Art

[0002] For some streaming services or voice services, such as streaming services, multimedia telephony services for IMS (MTSI) services of Internet protocol (IP) multimedia systems, etc., the signal quality alone cannot reflect the user experience when using these services. By knowing the user's experience, operators can better optimize the network to improve the user experience. This type of measurement collection can be called quality of experience (QoE) measurement collection (QoE measurement collection, QMC), or application layer measurement collection. During QoE measurement collection, the access network device receives measurement configuration information for QoE measurement from the core network (CN) or operation, administration and maintenance (OAM), and sends the measurement configuration information to the terminal device. After the terminal device obtains the measurement result according to the measurement configuration information, it sends the measurement result to the access network device.

[0003] In a multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC) architecture, a terminal device can simultaneously have a communication connection with at least two access network devices and can send and receive data. Among the at least two access network devices, the access network device responsible for interacting with the terminal device through radio resource control messages and with the core network control plane entity can be referred to as a master node (MN), and other access network devices can be referred to as secondary nodes (SN). Among them, both MN and SN can send measurement configuration information corresponding to QoE measurements to the terminal device. In this scenario, how the terminal device reports the QoE measurement results is an issue that needs to be studied. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides a communication method and a communication device, so that a terminal device in an MR-DC architecture can send a QoE measurement result to a correct access network device.

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, comprising:

[0006] An access layer of a terminal device receives a quality of experience (QoE) measurement result and first indication information from an upper layer of the access layer;

[0007] The access layer of the terminal device determines, according to the first indication information, to send the QoE measurement result to a primary base station or a secondary base station of the terminal device.

[0008] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, the QoE measurement result and the first indication information corresponding to the QoE measurement result are sent to the access layer through the upper layer of the access layer of the terminal device, so that the access layer can determine the main base station or the secondary base station to send the QoE measurement result to the terminal device based on the first indication information, thereby enabling the terminal device in the MR-DC architecture to send the QoE measurement result to the correct access network device.

[0009] It should be noted that the terminal device can determine whether to send the QoE measurement result to the primary base station or the secondary base station of the terminal device based on the first indication information. As a possible implementation method, the indication information #1 can explicitly indicate "send the QoE measurement result to the MN of the terminal device" or "send the QoE measurement result to the SN of the terminal device". As another possible implementation method, the indication information #1 can implicitly indicate "send the QoE measurement result to the MN of the terminal device" or "send the QoE measurement result to the SN of the terminal device".

[0010] In some implementations, when the time for the application layer of a terminal device to perform QoE measurements according to at least two application layer measurement configurations overlaps, or the period for reporting QoE measurements corresponding to at least two application layer measurement configurations overlaps, when the access layer of the terminal device receives the QoE measurement result from the upper layer, it may not be possible to know which QoE measurement configuration the QoE measurement result corresponds to, and thus it is impossible to determine whether to send the QoE measurement result to the primary base station or the secondary base station. At this time, if the access layer can receive the first indication information corresponding to the QoE measurement result, the terminal device can determine whether to send the QoE measurement result to the primary base station or the secondary base station according to the first indication information.

[0011] Alternatively, in some embodiments, even if the application layer of the terminal device only receives one application layer measurement configuration, in order to be compatible with the subsequent expansion to at least two application layer measurement configurations for QoE measurement, the access layer can receive the first indication information corresponding to the QoE measurement result, and determine whether to send the QoE measurement result to the primary base station or the secondary base station based on the first indication information.

[0012] As an example, the first indication information may include at least one of a trace ID, a TCE ID, a QoE service type, a node type, a RAT type, a PDU session ID, a 5G quality of service identifier (5G QoS identifier, 5QI), a quality of service flow identifier (Qos Flow identifier, QFI) and a first identifier, wherein the first identifier is assigned by an OAM or access network device. Among them, the node type information may indicate a primary base station or a secondary base station. As a specific example, the first identifier may be a base station identifier, or a measurement task identifier, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, before the access layer of the terminal device receives the QoE measurement result and the first indication information from the upper layer of the access layer, the method further includes:

[0014] The access layer of the terminal device receives first configuration information from a first access network device, where the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform QoE measurement at the application layer, and the first access network device is a primary base station or a secondary base station of the terminal device. That is, the primary base station can send the first configuration information to the access layer of the terminal device to instruct the terminal device to perform QoE measurement at the application layer, and the secondary base station can also send the first configuration information to the access layer of the terminal device to instruct the terminal device to perform QoE measurement at the application layer.

[0015] Then, the access layer of the terminal device sends the first configuration information and the first indication information to an upper layer of the access layer of the terminal device.

[0016] Therefore, the first configuration information and the corresponding first indication information are sent to the upper layer of the access layer through the access layer of the terminal device, so that the upper layer can obtain the first indication information corresponding to the QoE measurement result when obtaining the QoE measurement result according to the first configuration information. Afterwards, the upper layer of the access layer of the terminal device sends the QoE measurement result and the first indication information to the access layer of the terminal device, so that the access layer can determine whether to send the QoE measurement result to the primary base station or the secondary base station according to the first indication information.

[0017] In some embodiments, the first indication information may be determined by the upper layer of the access layer itself, for example, based on the application layer measurement configuration used to instruct the terminal device to perform QoE measurement, or related information (such as service type information) sent together with the application layer measurement configuration. This application does not limit this.

[0018] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0019] The access layer of the terminal device receives second indication information from the first access network device, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the first access network device is a primary base station or a secondary base station;

[0020] The access layer determines the first indication information according to the second indication information.

[0021] As an example, the second indication information may include trace ID, TCE ID, QoE service type information, node type information, RAT type information, PDU session identifier, 5G service quality identifier (5G QoS identifier, 5QI), service quality flow identifier (Qos Flow identifier, QFI) and at least one of the first identifier, wherein the first identifier is assigned by OAM or access network equipment.

[0022] As an example, the second indication information and the first indication information may be the same information. That is, the first indication information and the second indication information contain the same content. For example, when the access layer of the terminal device receives the second indication information sent by the first access network device, the access layer may send the second indication information to the upper layer of the access layer to send the first indication information to the upper layer. At this time, the terminal device does not need to regenerate the first indication information, which helps to reduce the complexity of the terminal.

[0023] In some embodiments, the access layer of the terminal device may also determine the first indication information according to the source of the first configuration information (eg, from a primary base station or a secondary base station), which is not limited in the present application.

[0024] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, by determining the first indication information based on the second indication information, or determining the first indication information based on whether the access network device that sends the first configuration information is a primary base station or a secondary base station, the first indication information can be used to indicate that the QoE measurement result obtained by performing QoE measurement based on the first configuration information will be sent to the access network device that sends the first configuration information, thereby helping the terminal device to send the QoE measurement result to the correct access network device.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, before the access layer of the terminal device receives the QoE measurement result and the first indication information from the upper layer of the access layer, the method further includes:

[0026] The access layer of the terminal device receives third indication information from the second access network device, where the third indication information is used to instruct the access layer of the terminal device to send the QoE measurement result to the first access network device;

[0027] The first access network device is a primary base station, and the second access network device is a secondary base station; or the first access network device is a secondary base station, and the second access network device is a primary base station.

[0028] Therefore, the embodiment of the present application uses the access network device to instruct the terminal device to which access network device to report the QoE measurement results, so that the terminal device only needs to send the QoE measurement results to which access network device according to the instructions of the access network device. On the one hand, it can help reduce the processing complexity of the terminal device. On the other hand, it can help the network side decide which access network device to send the QoE measurement results to based on the load of the node, thereby reducing the load on the access network device that receives the QoE measurement results.

[0029] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0030] The access layer of the terminal device determines that the bearer type corresponding to the service type measured by QoE has changed;

[0031] When the bearer type changes, the access layer of the terminal device sends first information to the upper layer of the access layer, where the first information is used to trigger the reporting of QoE measurement results, or the first information is used to notify the bearer type corresponding to the service type of the QoE measurement before and after the change.

[0032] Therefore, when the embodiment of the present application changes the service bearer type on the network side, the terminal device can send the bearer type of the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result to the access network device, and then the access network device can send the bearer type to the TCE, so that the TCE can associate the QoE measurement result with the bearer type of the service type for which the QoE measurement is performed, which helps to optimize the network based on the QoE measurement result and the bearer type of the associated service type.

[0033] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, when the first information is used to notify the bearer type corresponding to the service type of the QoE measurement before and after the change, the method further includes:

[0034] The access layer of the terminal device receives second information from an upper layer of the access layer, where the second information is used to indicate the bearer type of the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result in different time periods.

[0035] Therefore, when the embodiment of the present application changes the service bearer type on the network side, the terminal device can send the bearer type of the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result to the access network device, and then the access network device can send the bearer type to the TCE, so that the TCE can associate the QoE measurement result with the bearer type of the service type for which the QoE measurement is performed, which helps to optimize the network based on the QoE measurement result and the bearer type of the associated service type.

[0036] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0037] The access layer of the terminal device receives time information corresponding to the bearer types in different time periods from an upper layer of the access layer.

[0038] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0039] The terminal device receives third information from a third access network device, where the third information is used to indicate an area range for the QoE measurement, where the area range includes area ranges of at least two RATs, and the third access network device is a primary base station or a secondary base station for the terminal device.

[0040] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, in the MR-DC scenario, the network side device can still configure multiple RAT area ranges for QoE measurement, so that the terminal device in the MR-DC scenario can also perform QoE measurement in multiple RAT areas.

[0041] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, characterized by comprising:

[0042] An access layer of a terminal device receives first configuration information from a first access network device, where the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform a quality of experience (QoE) measurement at an application layer;

[0043] The access layer of the terminal device receives second indication information from the first access network device, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the first access network device is a primary base station or a secondary base station of the terminal device;

[0044] The access layer of the terminal device sends the first configuration information and the second indication information to an upper layer of the access layer;

[0045] An access layer of a terminal device receives a QoE measurement result and the second indication information from an upper layer of the access layer, wherein the QoE measurement result is obtained by the upper layer performing QoE measurement according to the first configuration information;

[0046] The access layer of the terminal device sends the second indication information and the QoE measurement result to a second access network device, wherein the first access network device is the same as the second access network device, or the first access network device is a primary base station and the second access network device is a secondary base station, or the first access network device is a secondary base station and the second access network device is a primary base station.

[0047] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, the access layer of the terminal device can be configured to send the QoE measurement results and the second indication information to the main base station (or secondary base station) uniformly, and then the main base station (or secondary base station) sends the QoE measurement results to the network device based on the second indication information. That is, the access layer of the terminal device does not need to determine whether the first configuration information corresponding to the QoE measurement result is sent by the main base station or the secondary base station, and the measurement results are sent to the main base station (or secondary base station), thereby reducing the processing complexity of the terminal device.

[0048] It should be noted that the access layer of the terminal device sends the second indication information to the upper layer of the access layer, which means that the access layer can directly send the second indication information to the upper layer, and the access layer does not need to know (or perceive, or know) the content of the second indication information. In addition, the upper layer can also directly send the second indication information to the access layer, and does not need to know (or perceive, or know) the content of the second indication information.

[0049] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the second indication information includes a tracking ID, a tracking collection entity identifier TCE ID, a QoE service type, a node type, a wireless access technology RAT type, a PDU session identifier, a 5G service quality identifier 5QI, a service quality flow identifier QFI and at least one of the first identifiers, wherein the first identifier is allocated by operation, management and maintenance OAM or access network equipment.

[0050] A third aspect provides a communication method, characterized by comprising:

[0051] A first access network device receives a quality of experience (QoE) measurement result and second indication information from a terminal device, wherein the QoE measurement result is obtained by the terminal device performing QoE measurement according to the first configuration information, and the second indication information indicates that the second access network device that sends the first configuration information to the terminal device is a primary base station or a secondary base station of the terminal device, and the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform QoE measurement at the application layer;

[0052] The first access network device sends the QoE measurement result to a network device according to the second indication information, wherein the first access network device is the same as the second access network device, or the first access network device is a primary base station and the second access network device is a secondary base station, or the first access network device is a secondary base station and the second access network device is a primary base station.

[0053] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, the access layer of the terminal device can be configured to send the QoE measurement result and the second indication information uniformly to the first access network device (the first access network device is, for example, the main base station or the secondary base station of the terminal device), and then the first access network device sends the QoE measurement result to the network device according to the second indication information. That is, the access layer of the terminal device does not need to determine whether the first configuration information corresponding to the QoE measurement result is sent by the main base station or the secondary base station, and sends the measurement result to the first access network device, thereby reducing the processing complexity of the terminal device.

[0054] It should be noted that when the first access network device receives the QoE measurement result from the access layer of the terminal device, it can know based on the second indication information whether the QoE measurement result corresponds to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the main base station, or the QoE measurement result corresponds to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the auxiliary base station.

[0055] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first access network device is the same as the second access network device,

[0056] The first access network device sending the QoE measurement result to the network device according to the second indication information includes:

[0057] The first access network device sends the QoE measurement result to a tracking collection entity TCE corresponding to the first access network device.

[0058] That is to say, when the first access network device determines, based on the second indication information, that the first configuration information corresponding to the QoE measurement result received from the terminal device is sent by itself, the first access network device can send the QoE measurement result to the TCE corresponding to the first access network device.

[0059] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first access network device is a primary base station and the second access network device is a secondary base station, or the first access network device is a secondary base station and the second access network device is a primary base station;

[0060] The first access network device sending the QoE measurement result to the network device according to the second indication information includes:

[0061] The first access network device sends the QoE measurement result to the TCE corresponding to the second access network device, or the first access network device sends the QoE measurement result to the second access network device.

[0062] That is to say, when the first access network device determines, based on the second indication information, that the first configuration information corresponding to the QoE measurement result received from the terminal device is not sent by itself (for example, sent by the second access network device), the first access network device may send the QoE measurement result to the TCE corresponding to the second access network device, or send the QoE measurement result to the second access network device.

[0063] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the second indication information includes at least one of a tracking ID, a tracking collection entity identifier TCE ID, a QoE service type, a node type, a wireless access technology RAT type, a PDU session identifier, a 5G service quality identifier 5QI, a service quality flow identifier QFI and a first identifier, wherein the first identifier is allocated by operation, management and maintenance OAM or access network equipment.

[0064] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the second indication information includes a tracking collection entity TCE ID,

[0065] The first access network device sending the QoE measurement result to the network device according to the second indication information includes:

[0066] The first access network device obtains the TCEIP corresponding to the TCE ID according to the relationship between the TCE ID and the IP address;

[0067] The first access network device sends the QoE measurement result to the TCE corresponding to the TCE IP.

[0068] Optionally, the second access network device may send the TCE ID and the corresponding TCE IP address corresponding to the QoE measurement configured by it to the first access network device. Or the second access network device may send the TCE IP address corresponding to the QoE measurement configured by it to the first access network device. In this way, when the first access network device determines that the first configuration information is sent by the second access network device, that is, when the first configuration information corresponding to the QoE measurement result received from the terminal device is sent by the second access network device, the first access network device may send the QoE measurement result to the TCE corresponding to the second access network according to the TCE IP address corresponding to the QoE measurement configured by the second access network device.

[0069] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the second indication information includes a tracking ID.

[0070] The first access network device sending the QoE measurement result to the network device according to the second indication information includes:

[0071] The first access network device sends the QoE measurement result and the tracking ID to the TCE.

[0072] In this way, when the TCE ID corresponding to the QoE measurement sent by the first access network device is the same as the TCE ID corresponding to the QoE measurement sent by the second access network device, when the TCE receives the QoE measurement result and the trace ID, it can determine whether the QoE measurement result corresponds to the first configuration information configured by the first access network device or the first configuration information configured by the second access network device based on the trace ID. For example, when the trace ID is assigned by CN, OAM or EM to the main base station for QoE measurement, the QoE measurement result corresponds to the first configuration information configured by the main base station; when the trace ID is assigned by CN, OAM or EM to the secondary base station for QoE measurement, the QoE measurement result corresponds to the first configuration information configured by the secondary base station.

[0073] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, before the first access network device receives the QoE measurement result and the second indication information from the terminal device, the method further includes:

[0074] The first access network device sends the first configuration information and the second indication information to the terminal device.

[0075] That is to say, the access network device that sends the first configuration information and the second indication information to the terminal device and the access network device that receives the QoE measurement result and the second indication information are the same access network device, for example, both are primary base stations, or both are secondary base stations.

[0076] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, comprising:

[0077] The access network device receives the QoE measurement result from the terminal device;

[0078] The access network device sends the QoE measurement result and second information to the TCE, where the second information is used to indicate the bearer types corresponding to the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result in different time periods.

[0079] Therefore, when the embodiment of the present application changes the service bearer type on the network side, the access network device can send the bearer type of the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement to the access network device, so that the TCE can associate the QoE measurement result with the bearer type of the service type for which the QoE measurement is performed, which helps to optimize the network based on the QoE measurement result and the bearer type of the associated service type.

[0080] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the access network device may determine the bearer type of the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result in different time periods. That is, the access network device can record the bearer type of the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement, and send the bearer type corresponding to the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result in different time periods to the TCE.

[0081] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the access network device may also determine time information corresponding to bearer types in different time periods, and send the time information to the TCE.

[0082] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the access network device receives the bearer type of the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result in different time periods from the terminal device. That is, the terminal device can send the bearer type of the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result to the access network device, and then the access network device can send the bearer type of the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result to the TCE.

[0083] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the access network device may also receive time information corresponding to the bearer types in the different time periods from the terminal device, and send time information corresponding to the bearer types in the different time periods to the TCE.

[0084] Optionally, the access network equipment may also indicate the network architecture to the TCE, such as whether an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) network architecture is adopted, or whether a CU / DU network architecture is adopted.

[0085] In a fifth aspect, a communication method is provided, in which an access network device may receive third information from a CN / OAM / EM, where the third information is used to indicate an area range for measuring the QoE, where the area range includes area ranges of at least two RATs;

[0086] The access network device sends first configuration information to the terminal device based on the third information, where the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform quality of experience (QoE) measurement at the application layer.

[0087] Exemplarily, when the access network device determines that the terminal device is currently within the area range of RAT1 in the area range of QoE measurement, or within the area range of RAT2 in the area range of QoE measurement, the access network device may send the first configuration information to the terminal device. When the access network device determines that the terminal device is not currently within the area range of RAT1 in the area range of QoE measurement, and is not within the area range of RAT2 in the area range of QoE measurement, the access network device does not send the first configuration information to the terminal device.

[0088] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, in the MR-DC scenario, the network side device can still configure multiple RAT area ranges for QoE measurement, so that the terminal device in the MR-DC scenario can also perform QoE measurement in multiple RAT areas.

[0089] In some optional implementations, when the network side needs to change the bearer type of the service for QoE measurement, if the area range corresponding to the target bearer type to be changed is not within the area range of the QoE measurement, the access network device may determine not to change the bearer type of the service. In this way, the access network device can still perform QoE measurement when changing the bearer type corresponding to the service for QoE measurement.

[0090] Alternatively, in some optional implementations, when the network side needs to change the bearer type of the service for QoE measurement, if the area range corresponding to the target bearer type to be changed is not within the area range of the above-mentioned QoE measurement, the access network device can notify the terminal device to suspend the current QoE measurement or suspend reporting of the QoE measurement results, or the QoE measurement corresponding to the session that has started in the service type corresponding to the current QoE measurement continues, but QoE measurement is no longer performed on subsequent new sessions.

[0091] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in certain implementations of the fifth aspect, the access network device may send the third information to the terminal device. In this way, when the terminal device determines that the area range corresponding to the bearer type of the service measured by QoE is not within the area range of the QoE measurement, the terminal device may suspend the current QoE measurement or suspend reporting of the QoE measurement result, or the QoE measurement corresponding to the session for which the current QoE measurement has already started continues, but the subsequent new session will no longer perform QoE measurement.

[0092] A sixth aspect provides a communication method, including:

[0093] The access layer of the terminal device determines that the bearer type corresponding to the service type of the QoE measurement has changed;

[0094] When the bearer type changes, the access layer of the terminal device sends first information to the upper layer of the access layer, where the first information is used to trigger the reporting of QoE measurement results, or the first information is used to notify the bearer type corresponding to the service type of the QoE measurement before and after the change.

[0095] Therefore, when the embodiment of the present application changes the service bearer type on the network side, the terminal device can send the bearer type of the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result to the access network device, and then the access network device can send the bearer type to the TCE, so that the TCE can associate the QoE measurement result with the bearer type of the service type for which the QoE measurement is performed, which helps to optimize the network based on the QoE measurement result and the bearer type of the associated service type.

[0096] In combination with the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, when the first information is used to notify the bearer type corresponding to the service type of the QoE measurement before and after the change, the method further includes:

[0097] The access layer of the terminal device receives second information from an upper layer of the access layer, where the second information is used to indicate the bearer type of the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result in different time periods.

[0098] Therefore, when the embodiment of the present application changes the service bearer type on the network side, the terminal device can send the bearer type of the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result to the access network device, and then the access network device can send the bearer type to the TCE, so that the TCE can associate the QoE measurement result with the bearer type of the service type for which the QoE measurement is performed, which helps to optimize the network based on the QoE measurement result and the bearer type of the associated service type.

[0099] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the following further includes:

[0100] The access layer of the terminal device receives time information corresponding to the bearer types in different time periods from an upper layer of the access layer.

[0101] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device for executing the method in any aspect of the first to sixth aspects or any possible implementation of any aspect. Specifically, the device includes a unit or module for executing the method in any aspect of the first to sixth aspects or any possible implementation of any aspect.

[0102] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising: a processor and a transceiver. Optionally, a memory may also be included. The memory is used to store instructions, and the processor is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory, and when the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory, the execution causes the processor to execute the method in any aspect of the first to sixth aspects or any possible implementation of any aspect.

[0103] In the ninth aspect, a communication chip is provided, comprising a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor is used to call and run instructions from the communication interface, and when the processor executes the instructions, the method of any aspect of the first to sixth aspects or any possible implementation of any aspect is implemented.

[0104] Optionally, the communication chip may further include a memory, in which instructions are stored, and the processor is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory or instructions from other sources. When the instructions are executed, the processor is used to implement the method in any aspect of the first to sixth aspects or any possible implementation of any aspect.

[0105] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable medium for storing a computer program, wherein the computer program includes instructions for executing a method in any one of the first to sixth aspects or any possible implementation of any one of the aspects.

[0106] In the eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute a method in any one of the first to sixth aspects or any possible implementation of any one of the aspects.

[0107] In a twelfth aspect, a communication system is provided, the communication system comprising an apparatus having functions for implementing the methods of the first aspect and various possible designs, and an access network device, the access network device may be, for example, an apparatus for implementing the methods of the fourth aspect and various possible designs, or an apparatus for implementing the methods of the fifth aspect and various possible designs; or

[0108] The communication system includes a device having functions for implementing the methods of the second aspect and various possible designs, and a device having functions for implementing the methods of the third aspect and various possible designs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0109] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of the communication system of the present application.

[0110] Figure 2It is a structural diagram of the access network device of the present application.

[0111] Figure 3 This is another structural diagram of the access network device of the present application.

[0112] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the QoS architecture.

[0113] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the protocol stack of the bearer.

[0114] Figure 6 The present invention is a schematic flow chart of a QoE measurement method.

[0115] Figure 7 is a schematic flow chart of another QoE measurement method.

[0116] Figure 8 It is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0117] Fig. 9 It is a schematic flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0118] Fig.10 It is a schematic flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0119] Fig.11 It is a schematic flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0120] Fig.12 It is a schematic flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0121] Fig.13 It is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0122] Fig.14 It is a structural schematic diagram of a terminal device provided by this application.

[0123] Fig.15 It is a structural diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0124] The technical solution in this application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0125] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), fifth generation (5G) system or new radio (NR), or future next generation communication systems, etc.

[0126] The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as: user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent or user device, etc.

[0127] The terminal device may be a device that provides voice / data connectivity to users, such as a handheld device or vehicle-mounted device with wireless connection function. At present, some examples of terminals are: mobile phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MID), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self driving, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication functions, computing devices or other processing devices connected to wireless modems, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, terminal devices in future 5G networks or future evolved public land mobile communication networks (public land mobile The embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0128] As an example but not limitation, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device may also be a wearable device. Wearable devices may also be referred to as wearable smart devices, which are a general term for wearable devices that are intelligently designed and developed using wearable technology for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. Wearable devices are not only hardware devices, but also powerful functions achieved through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include full-featured, large-sized, and fully or partially independent of smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as devices that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various types of smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0129] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device may also be a terminal device in an Internet of Things (IoT) system. IoT is an important part of the future development of information technology. Its main technical feature is to connect objects to the network through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network that interconnects people and machines and things.

[0130] In the embodiments of the present application, IoT technology can achieve massive connections, deep coverage, and terminal power saving through narrowband (NB) technology, for example. For example, NB only includes one resource block (RB), that is, the bandwidth of NB is only 180KB. To achieve massive access, it is necessary to require that the terminal is discrete in access. According to the communication method of the embodiments of the present application, it can effectively solve the congestion problem of massive terminals of IoT technology when accessing the network through NB.

[0131] The access network device in the embodiment of the present application may be a device for communicating with a terminal device. The access network device may also be referred to as an access device or a wireless access network device. It may be a base station (base transceiver station, BTS) in a global system for mobile communications (GSM) system or code division multiple access (CDMA), or a base station (NodeB, NB) in a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, or an evolved NodeB (eNB or eNodeB) in an LTE system, or a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, or the access network device may be a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, an access network device in a 5G network, or an access network device in a future evolved PLMN network, etc. It may be an access point (AP) in a WLAN, or a gNB in ​​a new radio system (NR) system, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto.

[0132] In addition, in the embodiment of the present application, the access network device is a device in the RAN, or in other words, a RAN node that connects the terminal device to the wireless network. For example, as an example but not a limitation, as the access network device, the following can be listed: gNB, transmission reception point (TRP), evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), base band unit (BBU), or wireless fidelity (Wifi) access point (AP), etc. In a network structure, the access network device can be a RAN device including a centralized unit (CU) node and a distributed unit (DU) node, or a RAN device including a control plane CU node (CU-CP node) and a user plane CU node (CU-UP node) and a DU node.

[0133] The access network device provides services for the cell, and the terminal device communicates with the access network device through the transmission resources used by the cell (for example, frequency domain resources, or spectrum resources). The cell may be a cell corresponding to the access network device (for example, a base station). The cell may belong to a macro base station or a base station corresponding to a small cell. The small cells here may include: metro cells, micro cells, pico cells, femto cells, etc. These small cells have the characteristics of small coverage and low transmission power, and are suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services.

[0134] In addition, multiple cells can work at the same frequency on a carrier in an LTE system or a 5G system at the same time. In some special scenarios, the above-mentioned carrier and cell concepts can also be considered equivalent. For example, in a carrier aggregation (CA) scenario, when a secondary carrier is configured for a UE, the carrier index of the secondary carrier and the cell identification (cell identification, Cell ID) of the secondary cell working on the secondary carrier will be carried at the same time. In this case, the concepts of carrier and cell can be considered equivalent, for example, a terminal device accessing a carrier is equivalent to accessing a cell.

[0135] The core network device in the embodiment of the present application refers to the device in the core network (core network, CN) that provides service support for the terminal device. At present, some examples of core network devices are: access and mobility management function (access and mobility management function, AMF) entity, session management function (session management function, SMF) entity, user plane function (user plane function, UPF) entity, etc., which are not listed here one by one. For example, the AMF entity can be responsible for the access management and mobility management of the terminal; the SMF entity can be responsible for session management, such as user session establishment, etc.; the UPF entity can be a functional entity of the user plane, which is mainly responsible for connecting to the external network.

[0136] It should be noted that the entities in this application may also be referred to as network elements or functional entities. For example, the AMF entity may also be referred to as an AMF network element or an AMF functional entity. For example, the SMF entity may also be referred to as an SMF network element or an SMF functional entity, etc.

[0137] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a network architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown, such as Figure 1 As shown, the terminal device can have communication connections with two access network devices at the same time and can send and receive data, which can be called dual-connectivity (DC) or multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC). In this way, the network side can use the resources of the two access network devices to provide communication services for the terminal device, thereby providing high-speed transmission for the terminal device. Among the two access network devices, one access network device can be responsible for interacting with the terminal device with wireless resource control messages and interacting with the core network control plane entity. Then, the access network device can be called a master base station (master node, MN), and the other wireless access network device can be called a secondary base station (secondary node, SN).

[0138] In MR-DC, a terminal device can also simultaneously establish communication connections with multiple access network devices and send and receive data. Among the multiple access network devices, there can be an access network device that is responsible for interacting with the terminal device via wireless resource control messages and interacting with the core network control plane entity. Then, the access network device can be called MN, and the remaining access network devices can be called SN.

[0139] In an embodiment of the present application, the two access network devices or multiple access network devices may be access network devices belonging to the same radio access technology (RAT) (for example, both are 4G base stations, or both are 5G base stations), or they may be access network devices of different RATs (for example, one is a 4G base station and the other is a 5G base station).

[0140] MR-DC can include multiple types, such as evolved universal land-based radio access and new radio dual connectivity (E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity, EN-DC), next generation radio access node evolved universal land-based radio access and new radio dual connectivity (NG-RAN E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity, NGEN-DC), new radio and evolved universal land-based radio access dual connectivity (NR-E-UTRA dual connectivity, NE-DC) and new radio and new radio dual connectivity (NR-NR dual connectivity, NR-DC), etc.

[0141] Exemplarily, in EN-DC, MN is an LTE base station (such as eNB) connected to an evolved packet core (EPC), and SN is an NR base station (such as gNB).

[0142] Exemplarily, in NGEN-DC, MN is an LTE base station (such as ng-eNB) connected to a 5G core network (5generation core, 5GC), and SN is an NR base station (such as gNB).

[0143] Exemplarily, the MN in NE-DC is an NR base station (such as gNB) connected to 5GC, and the SN is an LTE base station (such as eNB).

[0144] Exemplarily, in NR-DC, MN is an NR base station (such as gNB) connected to 5GC, and SN is an NR base station (such as gNB).

[0145] For a terminal device in an MR-DC, the SN may have a user plane connection with the core network to which the MN is connected, that is, the core network can directly send data to the terminal device through the SN.

[0146] In MR-DC, there is a primary cell in the MN and a primary and secondary cell in the SN. The primary cell refers to the cell deployed at the primary frequency point, and the terminal device initiates the initial connection establishment process or the connection reconstruction process in the cell, or indicates as the primary cell during the switching process. The primary and secondary cell refers to the cell where the terminal device initiates the random access process in the SN, or the cell where the terminal device skips the random access process and initiates data transmission during the SN change process, or the cell of the SN that initiates random access during the synchronization reconfiguration process.

[0147] EN-DC networks are sometimes also called non-standalone (NSA) networks. This is because in the early stages of 5G, terminal devices in EN-DC networks cannot reside in NR cells. NR base stations that can host terminal devices are sometimes also called standalone (SA) NR base stations.

[0148] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 As shown, the communication between the RAN device and the terminal device follows a certain protocol layer structure. For example, the control plane protocol layer structure may include the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) layer, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) layer, and the physical layer. The user plane protocol layer structure may include the functions of the PDCP layer, the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and the physical layer. In one implementation, the user plane protocol layer structure may also include a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer above the PDCP layer.

[0149] The functions of these protocol layers may be implemented by one node or by multiple nodes; for example, in an evolutionary structure, a RAN device may include a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), and multiple DUs may be centrally controlled by one CU.

[0150] like Figure 2As shown, CU and DU can be divided according to the protocol layers of the wireless network, for example, the functions of the PDCP layer and above protocol layers are set in CU, and the functions of the protocol layers below PDCP, such as the RLC layer and the MAC layer, are set in DU. In other words, CU has functions above the PDCP layer (including PDCP, RRC and SDAP), and DU has functions below the PDCP layer (including RLC, MAC and PHY).

[0151] This division of the protocol layer is only an example. It can also be divided in other protocol layers, such as dividing in the RLC layer, setting the functions of the RLC layer and the protocol layers above in the CU, and the functions of the protocol layers below the RLC layer in the DU; or dividing in a certain protocol layer, for example, setting some functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layers above the RLC layer in the CU, and setting the remaining functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layers below the RLC layer in the DU. In addition, it can also be divided in other ways, such as dividing by latency, setting the functions whose processing time needs to meet the latency requirements in the DU, and the functions that do not need to meet the latency requirements in the CU.

[0152] Figure 3 Another schematic diagram of a network architecture applicable to an embodiment of the present application is shown. Figure 2 The architecture shown can also separate the control plane (CP) and user plane (UP) of the CU and implement them in different entities, namely, the control plane CU entity (CU-CP entity) and the user plane CU entity (CU-UP entity).

[0153] In the above network architecture, the signaling generated by the CU can be sent to the terminal device through the DU, or the signaling generated by the terminal device can be sent to the CU through the DU. The DU can directly encapsulate the signaling through the protocol layer and transparently transmit it to the terminal device or CU without parsing it. In the following embodiments, if the transmission of such signaling between the DU and the terminal device is involved, at this time, the sending or receiving of the signaling by the DU includes this scenario. For example, the signaling of the RRC or PDCP layer will eventually be processed as the signaling of the PHY layer and sent to the terminal device, or it will be converted from the received signaling of the PHY layer. Under this architecture, the signaling of the RRC or PDCP layer can also be considered to be sent by the DU, or sent by the DU and the radio frequency.

[0154] In the above embodiments, the CU is divided into a network device on the RAN side. In addition, the CU may also be divided into a network device on the CN side, which is not limited here.

[0155] Figure 4The schematic diagram of the QoS architecture based on the quality of service (QoS) flow in the 5G scenario is shown. The terminal device is UE, the RAN device is gNB, and 5GC includes UPF as an example. This architecture is applicable to NR connected to 5GC and also to E-UTRA connected to 5GC. Figure 4 As shown, for each UE, 5GC establishes one or more PDU sessions for it. PDU session can be understood as a link between UE and data network (DN) that provides PDU link service. For each UE, NG-RAN establishes one or more data radio bearers (DRB) for each PDU session. DRB can be understood as a data bearer between NB and UE, and the data packets in the data bearer have the same forwarding processing.

[0156] like Figure 4 As shown, a DRB can transmit or carry one or more QoS flows. QoS flow refers to a data flow with the same QoS requirements within a PDU session. Among them, QoS flow is the minimum granularity of QoS differentiation in a PDU session.

[0157] The transmission between NB and UE can be called access stratum (AS), and the transmission between UE and 5GC can be called non-access stratum (NAS). In the QoS architecture based on QoS flow, the QoS flow mapping of AS and NAS is mainly included. The NAS layer is mainly responsible for the mapping relationship between IP flow or other types of data packets and QoS flow. The core network UPF generates the downlink QoS flow, and the terminal generates the uplink QoS flow. The AS layer is mainly responsible for the mapping relationship between QoS flow and DRB. The network side (such as the base station) configures the mapping relationship between QoS flow and DRB, and provides QoS service for QoSflow in the DRB of the air interface.

[0158] In the embodiment of the present application, the DRB in MR-DC is divided into a master cell group (MCG) bearer, a secondary cell group (SCG) bearer, and a split bearer. Among them, MCGBearer means that the RLC / MAC entity of the DRB is only on the MN, SCG bearer means that the RLC / MAC entity of the DRB is only on the SN, and Split bearer means that the RLC / MAC entity of the DRB is on both the MN and the SN.

[0159] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a protocol stack for MCG bearer, SCG bearer, and split bearer on the network side in EN-DC is shown. Among them, MN and SN have different RLC / MAC entities. For the MCG bearer on the MN, data is transmitted between the RLC / MAC entity on the MN and the terminal device; for the MCG bearer on the SN, data is transmitted between the RLC / MAC entity on the MN and the terminal device; for the SCG bearer of the MN, data is transmitted between the RLC / MAC entity on the SN and the terminal device; for the SCG bearer of the SN, data is transmitted between the RLC / MAC entity on the SN and the terminal device; for the splitbearer on the MN, data can be transmitted between the RLC / MAC entity on the MN and the terminal device, or between the RLC / MAC entity on the SN and the terminal device; for the split bearer on the SN, data can be transmitted between the RLC / MAC entity on the MN and the terminal device, or between the RLC / MAC entity on the SN and the terminal device.

[0160] The bearer whose PDCP terminates on MN is called MN terminated bearer, that is, downlink (DL) data directly reaches MN from the core network, is processed by MN's PDCP / SDAP, and then sent to the terminal device through MN or / and SN's RLC / MAC, and uplink (UL) data is sent to the core network after being processed by MN's PDCP / SDAP. Similarly, the bearer whose PDCP terminates on SN is called SN terminated bearer, that is, DL data directly reaches SN from the core network, is processed by SN's PDCP / SDAP, and then sent to the terminal device through MN or / and SN's RLC / MAC, and UL data is sent to the core network after being processed by SN's PDCP / SDAP.

[0161] In addition, in MR-DC, both MN and SN have RRC entities and can generate RRC messages (i.e., control messages, such as measurement messages, etc.). In one possible implementation, SN can directly send the RRC message generated by SN to the terminal device. In this case, the RRC message sent by the terminal device to SN is also directly sent to SN. In this case, the RRC message between SN and the terminal device is transmitted through what is called Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB) 3, or the RRC message is said to be carried in SRB3. In another possible implementation, the RRC message generated by SN can be sent to MN, and MN sends it to the terminal device. In this case, the terminal device also transfers the RRC message to SN to SN through MN, that is, the terminal device sends these RRC messages to MN, and MN transfers the message to SN.

[0162] The devices in the following embodiments of the present application may be located in a terminal device, an MN, or an SN according to the functions implemented. When the above CU-DU structure is adopted, the MN may be a CU node, a DU node, or a RAN device including a CU node and a DU node, and the SN may be a CU node, a DU node, or a RAN device including a CU node and a DU node.

[0163] It should be understood that the above Figures 1 to 5 This is only an exemplary description and should not constitute any limitation to the present application. For example, in a communication system, a core network device may also be connected to multiple access network devices to control the access network devices, and may distribute data received from a network side (eg, the Internet) to the access network devices.

[0164] For some streaming services, voice services or other services, such as streaming services, IPMTSI services, the signal quality alone cannot reflect the user experience when using these services. In this case, operators can collect QoE measurements to learn about the user experience, so as to better optimize the network to improve the user experience.

[0165] Figure 6 FIG. 4 is a schematic flow chart of a method for measuring QoE. Figure 6 As shown, the QoE measurement method includes steps 101 to 106.

[0166] 101, CN or OAM or element manager (EM) sends a QoE measurement request to an access network device, including QoE measurement configuration information. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the QoE measurement request. The QoE measurement configuration information in the QoE measurement request is used to instruct the terminal device to perform QoE measurement at the application layer, for example, to instruct the terminal device to start QoE measurement at the application layer.

[0167] In some embodiments, when the QoE measurement is initiated using signaling based minimization of drive-tests (MDT), that is, the QoE measurement is a signaling-based QoE measurement, the CN sends the above-mentioned QoE measurement configuration information to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the QoE measurement configuration information from the CN. As a possible implementation method, the CN can notify the QoE measurement configuration information for a specific terminal device, for example, the QoE measurement configuration information can be sent through an interface message between the access network device and the CN for the specific terminal device, such as the initial context setup message (initialcontext setup message), the trace start message (trace start message), and the handover request message (handover request message) sent by the CN to the access network device for the specific terminal device. Carry the QoE measurement configuration information.

[0168] In some implementations, when the QoE measurement is initiated using management based MDT, that is, the QoE measurement is management based QoE measurement, the OAM or EM sends the QoE measurement configuration information to the access network device, and correspondingly, the access network device receives the QoE measurement configuration information from the OAM or EM. It should be noted that the QoE measurement configuration information here is not the QoE measurement configuration information for a specific terminal device, that is, when the access network device receives the QoE measurement configuration information from the OAM or EM, the QoE measurement configuration information does not specify which terminal device is to be measured.

[0169] As an example, the QoE measurement configuration information may be as shown in Table 1 below:

[0170] Table 1

[0171]

[0172]

[0173]

[0174] Among them, (1..1000) represents the value range of the 8-bit string.

[0175] In Table 1, the QoE measurement collection area range selection can be a cell-based QoE measurement collection area range, a TA-based QoE measurement collection area range, a TAI-based QoE measurement collection area range, and a PLMN-based QoE measurement collection area range. The cell-based QoE measurement collection area range can carry a QMC cell list. <maxnoofcellidforqmc>Indicates that there can be multiple cell lists, each of which contains a global cell identifier (i.e., the content in the line below it). The TA-based QoE measurement collection area range can carry the TA list of the QMC. <maxnooftaforqmc>Indicates that there can be multiple TA lists, each of which contains a TAC (i.e., the content in the line below it). The TAI-based QoE measurement collection area range can carry the TAI list of the QMC. <maxnooftaforqmc>Indicates that there can be multiple TAI lists, each of which contains TAI (i.e., the content in the line below it). The QoE measurement collection area based on the PLMN area can carry the PLMN list of the QMC. <maxnoofplmnforqmc>It indicates that there may be multiple PLMN lists, each of which contains a PLMN identifier (ie, the content in the line below it).

[0176] When the QoE measurement configuration information includes the QoE measurement area range in Table 1, the access network device will only send the QoE measurement configuration information to the terminal device, or the access network device will request the terminal device to report the QoE measurement results, or the access network device will request the terminal device to perform QoE measurement only when the terminal device is in these areas.

[0177] It should be noted that in Table 1, the application layer measurement configuration container in the QoE measurement configuration information is transparent to the access network device. In other words, the access network device cannot perceive the information content contained in the application layer measurement configuration container. The information contained in the application layer measurement configuration container can be referred to as application layer measurement configuration information (or application layer measurement configuration). In other implementations, the application layer measurement configuration container can also carry the information content contained therein in a form that can be perceived by the access network device, and this application does not limit this.

[0178] It should be noted that in this embodiment, CN or OAM or EM sends a QoE measurement request to the access network device as an example. Other network devices may also send a QoE measurement request to the access network device, or the access network device may trigger QoE measurement according to its own needs. This application is not limited to this.

[0179] 102. The access network device sends application layer measurement configuration information to the access layer of the terminal device.

[0180] Exemplarily, the access network device may send the application layer measurement configuration information to the access layer of the terminal device via an RRC message.

[0181] Optionally, the access network device also sends the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement to the access layer of the terminal device.

[0182] 103. The access layer of the terminal device sends application layer measurement configuration information to an upper layer of the access layer.

[0183] Optionally, the access layer of the terminal device also sends the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement to the upper layer of the access layer.

[0184] Exemplarily, the upper layer of the access layer may be, for example, an application (APP) layer, or a layer between the application layer and the access layer, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0185] It should be noted that the access layer of the terminal device refers to the functional layer for communication between the terminal device and the access network device. Exemplarily, the access layer may include at least one of the RRC, PDCP, and SDAP layers. Optionally, the access layer may also include at least one of the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers. For example, the RRC layer of the terminal device may receive the application layer measurement configuration information and the service type, and send the application layer measurement configuration information and the service type to the upper layer of the RRC layer.

[0186] 104. The upper layer sends the QoE measurement result to the access layer.

[0187] Exemplarily, when the upper layer is an application layer, the application layer can perform QoE measurement according to the received application layer measurement configuration information and obtain the QoE measurement result. Afterwards, the application layer can send the QoE measurement result to the access layer of the terminal device. When the upper layer is another layer, the other layer can perform QoE measurement according to the received application layer measurement configuration information and obtain the QoE measurement result. The application layer sends the QoE measurement result to the other layer, and then the other layer can send the QoE measurement result to the access layer of the terminal device.

[0188] In some implementations, the upper layer may send the QoE measurement result and the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result to the access layer. Here, when the application layer performs QoE measurement according to the application layer measurement configuration information to obtain the QoE measurement result, the service type corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration information is the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result.

[0189] 105. The access layer of the terminal device sends the QoE measurement result to the access network device.

[0190] Exemplarily, the access layer may encapsulate the QoE measurement result in a transparent container and send it to the access network device.

[0191] In some optional implementations, when the access layer receives the QoE measurement result and the corresponding service type, the QoE measurement result and the corresponding service type may be sent together (for example, carried in the same RRC message) to the access network device.

[0192] It should be noted that the access network device that sends the application layer measurement configuration information and the access network device that receives the QoE measurement result may not be the same access network device, or may be the same access network device, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. For example, when the terminal device switches the access network device of the service due to the mobility of the terminal device, the two are not the same access network device.

[0193] 106. The access network device sends the QoE measurement result to a trace collection entity (TCE).

[0194] In one example, before step 102, the TCE ID may be included in the QoE measurement request in step 101. In this way, the access network device may determine the TCE IP address according to the mapping relationship between the TCE ID and the TCE IP address, and send the QoE measurement result to the TCE corresponding to the TCE IP address.

[0195] In another example, before step 102, the TCEIP may be included in the QoE measurement request in step 101. In this way, the access network device may send the QoE measurement result to the TCE corresponding to the TCE IP address according to the TCE IP address.

[0196] Through the above steps 101 to 106, the QoE measurement process can be completed.

[0197] In the MR-DC architecture, both the MN and the SN may send application layer measurement configuration information to the terminal device. After the terminal device obtains the QoE measurement result according to the application layer measurement configuration information, the terminal device may send the QoE measurement result to the corresponding base station. Figure 7 A schematic flow chart of a method for performing QoE measurement under MR-DC is shown. The method includes steps 201 to 205.

[0198] Before step 201, CN / OAM / EM may send QoE measurement configuration information to the access network device. In one possible case, CN / OAM / EM may send QoE measurement configuration information to the MN in the MR-DC. In another possible case, CN / OAM / EM sends QoE measurement configuration information to the MN in the MR-DC, and the MN then sends QoE measurement configuration information to the SN (which may be part of the QoE measurement configuration information received by the MN, or may be all the information in the QoE measurement configuration information received by the MN). In this case, the access network device receiving the QoE measurement configuration information may be the SN.

[0199] 201. The MN and the SN negotiate QoE measurement.

[0200] Exemplarily, the MN may ask the SN whether it can configure QoE measurement for the UE (or whether it can send application layer measurement configuration information to the UE), or the MN may notify the SN that the MN configures QoE measurement for the UE (or the MN sends application layer measurement configuration information to the UE), or the SN may notify the MN that the SN configures QoE measurement for the UE (or the SN sends application layer measurement configuration information to the UE), etc. The embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0201] In some implementations, the MN and the SN may respectively send application layer measurement configuration information to the UE. At this time, the service type of the QoE measurement may be negotiated between the MN and the SN. For example, the MN may notify the SN that the MN configures the QoE measurement of the first service type (also referred to as the service type) for the UE, or indicate to the SN that the SN configures the QoE measurement of the second service type for the UE.

[0202] In some optional implementations, the MN may send application layer measurement configuration information to the UE. Correspondingly, the UE sends the QoE measurement result to the MN. For details, see steps 202 and 203 below.

[0203] 202, the MN sends application layer measurement configuration information to the UE, where the application layer measurement configuration information is used to instruct the UE to perform application layer QoE measurement, for example, to instruct the terminal device to start application layer QoE measurement. Specifically, the application layer measurement configuration information can be found in Figure 1 As well as the description in Table 1, no further elaboration is given.

[0204] 203 , the UE sends a QoE measurement result to the MN, wherein the QoE measurement result is obtained by the UE performing QoE measurement according to the application layer measurement configuration information in step 202 .

[0205] In some optional implementations, the SN may send application layer measurement configuration information to the UE. Correspondingly, the UE may send QoE measurement results to the SN. For details, see steps 204 and 205 below.

[0206] 204, the SN sends application layer measurement configuration information to the UE, where the application layer measurement configuration information is used to instruct the UE to perform application layer QoE measurement, for example, to instruct the terminal device to start application layer QoE measurement. Specifically, the application layer measurement configuration information can be found in Figure 1 As well as the description in Table 1, no further elaboration is given.

[0207] 205 , the UE sends a QoE measurement result to the SN, wherein the QoE measurement result is obtained by the UE performing QoE measurement according to the application layer measurement configuration information in step 204 .

[0208] As a possible implementation method, in step 204, the SN can send the RRC message that needs to be sent to the UE (i.e., the RRC message between the SN and the UE, which includes the application layer measurement configuration information) to the MN, and then the MN encapsulates the RRC message between the UE and the SN in the RRC message between it and the UE.

[0209] Correspondingly, in step 205, the UE can encapsulate the RRC message to be sent to the SN (i.e., the RRC message between the SN and the UE, which includes the QoE measurement result) in the RRC message from the UE to the MN and send it to the MN. After receiving the RRC message, the MN can send the RRC message between the UE and the SN to the SN.

[0210] As another possible implementation, in step 204, the SN may directly send the application layer measurement configuration information to the UE via SRB3. Correspondingly, in step 205, the UE may directly send the QoE measurement result to the SN via SRB3.

[0211] However, in DC communication, if the access layer of the terminal device cannot determine whether the measurement result corresponds to the measurement configuration information sent by the MN or the measurement configuration information sent by the SN after obtaining the QoE measurement result from its upper layer, the terminal device will send the QoE measurement result to the wrong access network device, so that the access network device will mistakenly believe that the QoE measurement result belongs to its own QoE measurement result, resulting in inaccurate subsequent processing results based on the QoE measurement result (such as the access network device optimizing the network configuration or adjusting the resource allocation of the terminal device, etc.). Alternatively, it may cause the access network device to send the QoE measurement result to other network devices (such as TCE). If the terminal device sends the QoE measurement result to the wrong access network device, and the access network device sends it to the TCE, the TCE will mistakenly believe that the QoE belongs to its own QoE measurement result or mistakenly believe that it is from the QoE measurement result corresponding to the wrong access network device, resulting in inaccurate subsequent processing results based on the QoE measurement result.

[0212] The embodiment of the present application provides a communication solution, in which the access layer of the terminal device can receive the QoE measurement result and the indication information corresponding to the QoE measurement result from the upper layer of the access layer, so that the access layer can determine to send the QoE measurement result to the access network device in the DC communication, such as MN or SN, according to the indication information.

[0213] The communication method and communication device provided by the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0214] The technical solution of the present application can be applied to wireless communication systems, for example, Figure 1 The communication system shown in, or Figure 2 The communication system shown in, or Figure 3 The communication system shown. The communication devices in the wireless communication system may have a wireless communication connection relationship. One of the communication devices may be, for example, a primary base station, or a chip configured in the primary base station, and another device may be, for example, a secondary base station, or a chip configured in the secondary base station, and another device may be, for example, a terminal device, or a chip configured in a terminal device. The embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0215] Below, without loss of generality, the communication process of a terminal device is first used as an example to describe the embodiment of the present application in detail. It can be understood that any terminal device in a wireless communication system or a chip configured in a terminal device can communicate based on the same method, any main base station in a wireless communication system or a chip configured in a main base station can communicate based on the same method, and any secondary base station in a wireless communication system or a chip configured in a secondary base station can communicate based on the same method. This application does not limit this.

[0216] In the following, a description is given by taking the primary base station as MN and the secondary base station as SN as an example, but this does not constitute a limitation to the embodiments of the present application.

[0217] Figure 8 FIG. 3 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 300 provided in an embodiment of the present application. In the method 300, the access layer of the terminal device receives the QoE measurement result and indication information #1 from its upper layer, and determines to send the QoE measurement result to the MN or SN according to the indication information #1. Figure 8 As shown, method 300 includes steps 310 to 320 .

[0218] 310. The access layer of the terminal device receives the quality of experience (QoE) measurement result and indication information #1 from the upper layer of the access layer.

[0219] Here, the terminal device may determine, based on the indication information #1, whether to send the QoE measurement result to the MN or SN of the terminal device.

[0220] As a possible implementation, the indication information #1 may explicitly indicate "send the QoE measurement result to the MN of the terminal device" or "send the QoE measurement result to the SN of the terminal device". For example, the indication information #1 may be a 1-bit indication bit. When the value of the indication bit is "0", it may indicate that the QoE measurement result is sent to the MN of the terminal device. When the value of the indication bit is "1", it may indicate that the QoE measurement result is sent to the SN of the terminal device. Or vice versa.

[0221] As another possible implementation, the indication information #1 may implicitly indicate "send the QoE measurement result to the MN of the terminal device" or "send the QoE measurement result to the SN of the terminal device". For example, when the indication information #1 is the first QoE service type, it may indicate that the QoE measurement result is sent to the MN of the terminal device, and when the indication information #1 is the second QoE service type, it may indicate that the QoE measurement result is sent to the SN of the terminal device. In other words, the QoEservice type may be used to indicate the service type of the QoE measurement, and when the QoE measurement result is reported, the terminal device may also determine whether to send the QoE measurement result to the MN or the SN according to the QoE service type.

[0222] In some implementations, when the time for the application layer of the terminal device to perform QoE measurement according to at least two application layer measurement configuration information overlaps, or the period for reporting QoE measurement corresponding to at least two application layer measurement configuration information overlaps, the access layer of the terminal device may not be able to know which application layer measurement configuration information the QoE measurement result corresponds to when receiving the QoE measurement result from the upper layer, and thus cannot determine whether to send the QoE measurement result to the MN or the SN. At this time, if the access layer can receive the indication information #1 corresponding to the QoE measurement result, the terminal device can determine whether to send the QoE measurement result to the MN or the SN according to the indication information #1.

[0223] Alternatively, in some embodiments, even if the application layer of the terminal device only receives one application layer measurement configuration information, in order to be compatible with the subsequent expansion to at least two application layer measurement configuration information for QoE measurement, the access layer can receive the indication information #1 corresponding to the QoE measurement result, and determine whether to send the QoE measurement result to the MN or the SN based on the indication information #1.

[0224] As an example, indication information #1 may include at least one of a trace ID, a TCE ID, QoE service type information, a node type information, a RAT type information, a PDU session ID, a 5G quality of service identifier (5G QoS identifier, 5QI), a quality of service flow identifier (Qos Flow identifier, QFI) and a first identifier, wherein the first identifier is assigned by an OAM or access network device. Among them, the node type information may indicate an MN or a SN. As a specific example, the first identifier may be a base station identifier, or a measurement task identifier, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0225] For example, when indication information #1 includes the trace ID corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the MN, the TCE ID corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the MN, the service type corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the MN, the node type information of the MN, the PDU session identifier corresponding to the data transmitted on the MN terminated bearer, the QFI corresponding to the data transmitted on the bearer terminated by PDCP on the MN, an identifier allocated by the MN or an identifier allocated by OAM for the application layer measurement configuration sent by the MN, indication information #1 can be used to indicate that the QoE measurement result is sent to the MN.

[0226] For another example, when indication information #1 includes the trace ID corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the SN, the TCE ID corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the SN, the service type corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the SN, the node type information of the SN, the PDU session identifier corresponding to the data transmitted on the bearer where the PDCP is terminated on the SN, the QFI corresponding to the data transmitted on the bearer where the PDCP is terminated on the SN, an identifier assigned by the SN, or an identifier assigned by OAM to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the SN, indication information #1 can be used to indicate that the QoE measurement result is sent to the SN.

[0227] In some implementations, indication information #1 may be determined by the upper layer of the access layer itself, for example, based on application layer measurement configuration information used to instruct the terminal device to perform QoE measurement, or related information (such as QoE service type information) sent down together with the application layer measurement configuration information. Indication information #1 may also be received by the upper layer of the access layer from the access layer of the terminal device (for example, through steps 301 and 302 below), which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0228] In some optional implementations, before step 310, steps 301 and 302 may also be included.

[0229] 301. A first access network device sends first configuration information to an access layer of a terminal device, where the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform QoE measurement at the application layer.

[0230] The first access network device may be the MN or SN of the terminal device, which is not limited in the present embodiment. That is, the MN may send the first configuration information to the access layer of the terminal device to instruct the terminal device to perform the QoE measurement of the application layer, and the SN may also send the first configuration information to the access layer of the terminal device to instruct the terminal device to perform the QoE measurement of the application layer.

[0231] In some possible implementations, the SN may also request the MN to send the first configuration information to the terminal device. When the MN sends the first configuration information to the terminal device, it may indicate that the first configuration information comes from the SN. At this time, it may be considered that the SN sends the first configuration information to the access layer of the terminal device, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0232] Exemplarily, the first configuration information may be Figure 6 The application layer measurement configuration information in the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this. For details, please refer to Figure 6 The description in will not be repeated here.

[0233] In some optional embodiments, the first access network device also sends indication information #2 to the access layer of the terminal device. Exemplarily, indication information #2 can be used to indicate that the first access network device that sends the first configuration information is MN or SN. As a specific example, indication information #2 may include trace ID, TCE ID, QoE service type (service type) information, node type information, RAT type information, PDU session identifier, 5G service quality identifier (5G QoS identifier, 5QI), service quality flow identifier (Qos Flow identifier, QFI) and at least one of the first identifier, wherein the first identifier is assigned by OAM or access network equipment. The first identifier can be found in the description above and will not be repeated here.

[0234] It should be noted that the terminal device can determine that the first access network device that sends the first configuration information is MN or SN based on the indication information #2. Among them, the indication information #2 can explicitly indicate that the first access network device that sends the first configuration information is MN, or indicate that the first access network device that sends the first configuration information is SN, and the indication information #2 can also implicitly indicate that the first access network device that sends the first configuration information is MN, or indicate that the first access network device that sends the first configuration information is SN. Specifically, the explicit indication or implicit indication can refer to the description of the indication information #1 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0235] For example, when indication information #2 includes the trace ID corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the MN, the TCE ID corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the MN, the service type corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the MN, the node type information of the MN, the PDU session identifier corresponding to the data transmitted on the bearer with PDCP termination on the MN, the QFI corresponding to the data transmitted on the bearer with PDCP termination on the MN, an identifier allocated by the MN or an identifier allocated by OAM for the application layer measurement configuration sent by the MN, indication information #2 can be used to indicate that the MN sends the above-mentioned first configuration information to the terminal device.

[0236] For another example, when indication information #2 includes the trace ID corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the SN, the TCE ID corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the SN, the service type corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the SN, the node type information of the SN, the PDU session identifier corresponding to the data transmitted on the bearer where the PDCP is terminated on the SN, the QFI corresponding to the data transmitted on the bearer where the PDCP is terminated on the SN, an identifier assigned by the SN or an identifier assigned by OAM to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the SN, indication information #2 can be used to indicate that the SN sends the above-mentioned first configuration information to the terminal device.

[0237] In some implementations, the MN may include the above-mentioned first configuration information and indication information #2 in one RRC message and send it to the access layer of the terminal device. In this case, the first configuration information may be encapsulated in the RRC message in the form of a container. The indication information #2 may also be encapsulated in the container, or the indication information #2 may be included in a form other than a container outside the container in the RRC message. For example, the MN explicitly sends the indication information #2 to the terminal device in the form of an information element, and the MN, SN or the RRC layer of the terminal device may know the specific meanings of these information elements.

[0238] In some optional implementations, if indication information #2 is trace ID, TCE ID, QoE servicetype information, PDU session identifier, 5QI, QFI or the first identifier, then before step 301, the MN and SN need to exchange the respective available ranges of these information.

[0239] For example, MN can send the trace ID, TCE ID, QoE service type information, PDU session identifier, 5QI, QFI or the usage scope of the first identifier that SN uses to configure QoE measurement for the terminal device to SN, or SN can send the trace ID, TCE ID, QoE service type information, PDU session identifier, 5QI, QFI or the usage scope of the first identifier that SN uses to configure QoE measurement for the terminal device to MN. When MN learns the usage scope of the available trace ID, TCEID, QoE service type information, PDU session identifier, 5QI, QFI or the first identifier of SN, it can determine the usage scope of the available trace ID, TCE ID, QoE service type information, PDU session identifier, 5QI, QFI or the first identifier of MN that does not overlap with that of SN. In this way, the terminal device can determine which access network device (such as MN or SN) sent the first configuration information to the terminal device based on at least one of the trace ID, TCE ID, QoE service type information, PDU session identifier, 5QI, QFI or the first identifier.

[0240] As a specific example, when the first configuration information is the application layer measurement configuration information shown in Table 1, indication information #2 may be the QoE service type information in Table 1. When the QoEservice type corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration information is QMC for streaming media services and the MN sends the application layer measurement configuration information to the terminal device, indication information #2 may indicate that the first access network device that sends the application layer measurement configuration information is the MN; when the QoE service type corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration information is QMC for MTSI services and the SN sends the application layer measurement configuration information to the terminal device, indication information #2 may indicate that the first access network device that sends the QoE measurement configuration information is the SN. In addition, in this example, if the QoE service type corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration information sent by the MN or SN is the same, indication information #2 may be at least one of trace ID, TCE ID, PDU session ID, 5QI, QFI or the first identifier, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0241] Optionally, before the first access network device sends the application layer measurement configuration information, the MN and the SN may interact to determine that the QoE service type of the QoE measurement corresponding to the MN is QMC for streaming media services, and the QoEservice type of the QoE measurement corresponding to the SN is QMC for MTSI services.

[0242] On the contrary, when the service type corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration information is QMC of MTSI service and the MN sends the application layer measurement configuration information to the terminal device, the indication information #2 may indicate that the first access network device that sends the application layer measurement configuration information is the MN; when the service type corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration information is QMC of streaming media service and the SN sends the application layer measurement configuration information to the terminal device, the indication information #2 may indicate that the first access network device that sends the application layer measurement configuration information is the SN. Optionally, before the first access network device sends the application layer measurement configuration information, the MN and the SN may interact to determine that the service type of the application layer measurement corresponding to the MN is QMC of MTSI service and the service type of the application layer measurement corresponding to the SN is QMC of streaming media service.

[0243] 302. After the access layer of the terminal device receives the first configuration information sent by the first access network device, it can send the first configuration information and indication information #1 to the upper layer of the access layer.

[0244] Correspondingly, the upper layer of the access layer of the terminal device receives the first configuration information and indication information #1.

[0245] Exemplarily, after the application layer of the terminal device receives the first configuration information and indication information #1, it can perform QoE measurement according to the first configuration information and obtain a QoE measurement result (in this case, the QoE measurement result can be referred to as the QoE measurement result corresponding to the first configuration information). Then, the application layer can send the QoE measurement result and the indication information #1 to the access layer of the terminal device, for example, executing the above step 310.

[0246] Therefore, the first configuration information and the corresponding indication information #1 are sent to the upper layer of the access layer through the access layer of the terminal device, so that the upper layer can obtain the indication information #1 corresponding to the QoE measurement result when obtaining the QoE measurement result according to the first configuration information. Afterwards, the upper layer of the access layer of the terminal device sends the QoE measurement result and the indication information #1 to the access layer of the terminal device, so that the access layer can determine whether to send the QoE measurement result to the MN or the SN according to the indication information #1.

[0247] In step 302, the access layer of the terminal device may also determine the indication information #1. Exemplarily, the access layer may determine the indication information #1 according to the indication information #2, or may determine the indication information #1 according to the first configuration information, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0248] As an example, indication information #2 and indication information #1 may be the same information. That is, indication information #1 and indication information #2 contain the same content. For example, when the access layer of the terminal device receives indication information #2 sent by the first access network device, the access layer may send the indication information #2 to the upper layer of the access layer.

[0249] In this way, when indication information #2 and indication information #1 are the same piece of information (for example, information a), the information a is used to indicate that the first access network device that sends the first configuration information is the MN, and can also be used to indicate that the terminal device sends the QoE measurement result obtained by performing QoE measurement according to the first configuration information to the MN. Alternatively, the information a is used to indicate that the first access network device that sends the first configuration information is the SN, and can also be used to indicate that the terminal device sends the QoE measurement result obtained by performing QoE measurement according to the first configuration information to the SN.

[0250] As another example, when the access layer of the terminal device receives the first configuration information and is able to determine that the access network device sending the first configuration information is MN or SN (for example, it can be determined based on indication information #2, or by other means), the terminal device can generate the indication information #1.

[0251] For example, when it is determined that the first configuration information is sent by the MN, the indication information #1 may be at least one of the trace ID corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the MN, the TCE ID corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the MN, the service type information corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the MN, the node type information of the MN, the PDU session identifier corresponding to the data transmitted on the bearer where the PDCP is terminated on the MN, the QFI corresponding to the data transmitted on the bearer where the PDCP is terminated on the MN, an identifier allocated by the MN, or an identifier allocated by OAM for the application layer measurement configuration sent by the MN, that is, the indication information #1 is used to instruct the terminal device to send the QoE measurement result obtained by performing QoE measurement according to the first configuration information to the MN.

[0252] For another example, when it is determined that the first configuration information is sent by the SN, the indication information #1 may be at least one of the trace ID corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the SN, the TCE ID corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the SN, the service type corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the SN, the node type information of the SN, the PDU session identifier corresponding to the data transmitted on the bearer where the PDCP is terminated on the SN, the QFI corresponding to the data transmitted on the bearer where the PDCP is terminated on the SN, an identifier assigned by the SN, or an identifier assigned by OAM to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the SN, that is, the indication information #1 is used to instruct the terminal device to send the QoE measurement result obtained by performing QoE measurement according to the first configuration information to the SN.

[0253] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, by determining indication information #1 based on indication information #2, or determining indication information #1 based on whether the access network device that issues the first configuration information is MN or SN, indication information #1 can be used to indicate that the QoE measurement result obtained by performing QoE measurement based on the first configuration information will be sent to the access network device that issues the first configuration information, thereby helping the terminal device to send the QoE measurement result to the correct access network device.

[0254] Furthermore, when indication information #1 and indication information #2 are the same information, the terminal device does not need to regenerate the indication information #1, thereby helping to reduce terminal complexity.

[0255] It should be noted that the access layer of the terminal device sends the first configuration information to the upper layer of the access layer, which may include the access layer directly sending the first configuration information to the upper layer, or may include the access layer obtaining new configuration information according to the first configuration information and sending the configuration information to the upper layer. The new configuration information is used to instruct the upper layer to perform QoE measurement of the application layer.

[0256] Alternatively, in step 302, after the access layer of the terminal device receives the first configuration information sent by the first access network device, when the access layer determines that the first configuration information is sent by the MN, the access layer may send the first configuration information to the upper layer through the first interface between the access layer and the upper layer. When the access layer determines that the first configuration information is sent by the SN, the access layer may send the first configuration information to the upper layer through the second interface between the access layer and the upper layer. At this time, in step 302, the access layer may not need to send indication information #1 to the upper layer.

[0257] Correspondingly, when the upper layer receives the first configuration information from the first interface, when the upper layer obtains the QoE measurement result corresponding to the first configuration information, the upper layer can send the QoE measurement result to the access layer through the first interface. Correspondingly, when the access layer receives the QoE measurement result from the first interface, it can be determined to send the QoE measurement result to the MN.

[0258] When the upper layer receives the first configuration information from the second interface, when the upper layer obtains the QoE measurement result corresponding to the first configuration information, the upper layer can send the QoE measurement result to the access layer through the second interface. Correspondingly, when the access layer receives the QoE measurement result from the second interface, it can determine to send the QoE measurement result to the SN.

[0259] In some optional embodiments, when the upper layer obtains the first configuration information from the first interface, the upper layer may determine that the first configuration information is sent by the MN, or determine that the QoE measurement result corresponding to the first measurement configuration information is sent to the MN, and the upper layer may generate indication information #1 of the QoE measurement result corresponding to the first configuration information, used to indicate that the QoE measurement result is sent to the MN, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0260] In some optional embodiments, when the upper layer obtains the first configuration information from the second interface, the upper layer may determine that the first configuration information is sent by the SN, or determine that the QoE measurement result corresponding to the first measurement configuration information is sent to the SN, and the upper layer may generate indication information #1 of the QoE measurement result corresponding to the first configuration information, used to indicate that the QoE measurement result is sent to the SN, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0261] 320. The access layer of the terminal device determines to send the QoE measurement result to the MN or SN of the terminal device according to the indication information #1.

[0262] Exemplarily, if indication information #1 is used for the terminal device to send the QoE measurement result obtained by performing QoE measurement according to the first configuration information to the MN, the access layer may determine to send the QoE measurement result to the MN according to the indication information #1.

[0263] If indication information #1 is used to instruct the terminal device to send the QoE measurement result obtained by performing QoE measurement according to the first configuration information to the SN, the access layer can determine to send the QoE measurement result to the SN according to the indication information #1.

[0264] Exemplarily, when indication information #1 is used to implicitly indicate "send the QoE measurement result to the MN of the terminal device" or "send the QoE measurement result to the SN of the terminal device", for example, when indication information #1 is a service type, if the service type is a service type corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the MN, the access layer of the terminal device determines to send the QoE measurement result to the MN according to indication information #1. If the service type is a service type corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration sent by the SN, the access layer of the terminal device determines to send the QoE measurement result to the SN according to indication information #1.

[0265] As a specific example, when MN and SN negotiate, MN configures the terminal device to perform QoE measurement of QMC for streaming media services, and SN configures the terminal device to perform QoE measurement of QMC for MTSI services, when indication information #1 indicates that the service type of QMC is streaming media services, the access layer of the terminal device determines to send the QoE measurement result to MN based on indication information #1; when indication information #1 indicates that the service type of QMC is MTSI services, the access layer of the terminal device determines to send the QoE measurement result to SN based on indication information #1.

[0266] Alternatively, in step 320, when the access layer of the terminal device receives the QoE measurement result through the first interface described above, it can be determined to send the QoE measurement result to the MN; when the access layer of the terminal device receives the QoE measurement result through the second interface described above, it can be determined to send the QoE measurement result to the SN.

[0267] It should be noted that the first access network device that sends the first configuration information may not be the same access network device as the QoE measurement result corresponding to the first configuration information reported by the terminal device to the access network device (MN or SN of the terminal device), but may be the same access network device, and this embodiment of the present application does not limit this. For example, when the terminal device switches the access network device of the service due to the mobility of the terminal device, the two are not the same access network device.

[0268] Optionally, when the terminal device needs to report the QoE measurement result, if the terminal device is not in the MR-DC state (for example, the network side releases the SN of the terminal device), the terminal device sends the QoE measurement result to the access network device that provides services for the terminal device. Optionally, when the first access network device sends the first configuration information, the terminal device is not in the MR-DC state (that is, the network side does not configure MR-DC for the terminal device), and when the terminal device needs to report the QoE measurement result, if the terminal device is in the MR-DC state (for example, the network side configures MR-DC for the terminal device), the terminal device can send the QoE measurement result to the MN, or the terminal device can send the QoE measurement result to the node (for example, MN or SN) that currently carries the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result.

[0269] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, the QoE measurement result and the indication information #1 corresponding to the QoE measurement result are sent to the access layer through the upper layer of the access layer of the terminal device, so that the access layer can determine the MN or SN to send the QoE measurement result to the terminal device based on the indication information #1, thereby enabling the terminal device in the MR-DC architecture to send the QoE measurement result to the correct access network device.

[0270] Fig. 9 The schematic flow chart of the communication method 400 provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown. In the method 400, the access layer of the terminal device receives the QoE measurement result and the indication information #2 from its upper layer, and does not need to determine which access network device the QoE measurement result corresponds to. The QoE measurement result and the indication information #2 are uniformly sent to the first access network device (e.g., MN), and then the MN sends the QoE measurement result to the network device (e.g., SN or TCE) according to the indication information #2. Fig. 9 As shown, method 400 includes steps 410 to 480 .

[0271] It should be noted that, in method 400, the access layer of the pre-configured terminal device is used to send the QoE measurement result and indication information #2 to the MN as an example for explanation. In other embodiments, the access layer may also be pre-configured to send the QoE measurement result and indication information #2 to the SN, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. The following description will be mainly based on the pre-configured terminal device sending the QoE measurement result and indication information #2 to the MN. When the terminal device is pre-configured to send the QoE measurement result and indication information #2 to the SN, its specific implementation can refer to the relevant description of the terminal device sending the QoE measurement result and indication information #2 to the MN. Some simple adaptation may be required, but it is also within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0272] It should be understood that "pre-configuration" here may include being indicated by access network device signaling or being pre-defined, such as protocol definition. Among them, "pre-definition" can be implemented by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in devices (for example, including terminal devices and network devices), and this application does not limit its specific implementation method.

[0273] Optionally, 410, the MN sends first configuration information and indication information #2 to the access layer of the terminal device, wherein the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform QoE measurement at the application layer. Exemplarily, indication information #2 is used to indicate that the access network device sending the first configuration information is the MN of the terminal device.

[0274] It should be noted that when the MN receives the QoE measurement result from the access layer of the terminal device, it can know based on indication information #2 whether the QoE measurement result corresponds to the application layer measurement configuration information sent by the MN, or the QoE measurement result corresponds to the application layer measurement configuration information sent by the SN.

[0275] Optionally, 420, the SN sends first configuration information and indication information #2 to the access layer of the terminal device, where the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform QoE measurement at the application layer, and indication information #2 is used to indicate that the access network device sending the first configuration information is the SN of the terminal device.

[0276] In method 400, both step 410 and step 420 may be performed, or one of the two steps may be performed. That is, here, either the MN or the SN may instruct the terminal device to perform QoE measurement at the application layer.

[0277] Exemplarily, the first configuration information may be Figure 6 The application layer measurement configuration information in the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this. Specifically, the first configuration information and indication information #2 can be referred to Figure 3 The description in will not be repeated here.

[0278] 430. The access layer of the terminal device sends first configuration information and indication information #2 to an upper layer of the access layer.

[0279] Optionally, the access layer may send the first configuration information and indication information #2 to its upper layer after receiving the first configuration information and indication information #2 from the MN or after receiving the first configuration information and indication information #2 from the SN.

[0280] It should be noted that the access layer of the terminal device sends the indication information #2 to the upper layer of the access layer, which means that the access layer can directly send the indication information #2 to the upper layer, and the access layer does not need to know (or perceive, or know) the content of the indication information #2, that is, the access layer does not need to determine that the access network device sending the first configuration information is the MN based on the indication information #2.

[0281] The access layer of the terminal device sends the first configuration information to the upper layer of the access layer, which may include the access layer directly sending the first configuration information to the upper layer, or may include the access layer obtaining new configuration information according to the first configuration information and sending the configuration information to the upper layer. The new configuration information is used to indicate the QoE measurement of the application layer.

[0282] 440. The upper layer of the access layer sends the QoE measurement result and indication information #2 to the access layer.

[0283] The upper layer of the access layer of the terminal device can obtain the QoE measurement result. For example, the upper layer can receive the QoE measurement result from the application layer, or when the upper layer is the application layer, the upper layer can perform QoE measurement according to the first configuration information to obtain the QoE measurement result. Then, the upper layer can send the QoE measurement result and indication information #2 to the access layer.

[0284] Exemplarily, the upper layer may report the QoE measurement result and indication information #2 according to certain rules. In some implementations, the rule may be included in the first configuration information, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, the upper layer may periodically report the QoE measurement result according to the QoE reporting period, or report the QoE measurement result only after a session ends, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0285] It should be noted that the upper layer can also directly send indication information #2 to the access layer without having to know (or perceive, or know) the content of the indication information #2, that is, the upper layer does not need to determine that the access network device sending the first configuration information is the MN based on the indication information #2.

[0286] 450. The access layer of the terminal device sends the QoE measurement result and indication information #2 to the MN. Correspondingly, the MN receives the QoE measurement result and indication information #2 from the terminal device.

[0287] Here, after the access layer of the terminal device receives the QoE measurement result and indication information #2 from its upper layer, it does not need to determine which access network device the QoE measurement result corresponds to, and uniformly sends the QoE measurement result and indication information #2 to the MN. The QoE measurement result and indication information #2 may be defined by the protocol, or the terminal device may be pre-configured to send the QoE measurement result and indication information #2 to the MN.

[0288] In some implementations, the access layer may include the above-mentioned QoE measurement result and indication information #2 in one RRC message and send it to the MN. In this case, the QoE measurement result may be encapsulated in the RRC message in the form of a container. Indication information #2 may also be encapsulated in the container, or the indication information #2 may be included in a form other than a container outside the container in the RRC message, which will not be described in detail.

[0289] In some optional implementations, the access network device may configure a dedicated signaling bearer (such as SRB4) for the terminal device to transmit the QoE measurement result and indication information #2. Exemplarily, the transmission priority of SRB4 is lower than that of other SRBs.

[0290] It should be noted that the MN that sends the first configuration information and the MN that receives the QoE measurement result may not be the same access network device, or may be the same access network device, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. For example, when the terminal device switches the MN served due to the mobility of the terminal device, the two are not the same MN at this time. Optionally, when the two are not the same MN, when switching, the source access network device will send indication information #2 to the target access network device, so that the target access network device can know that the source access network device is configured with the first configuration information according to indication information #2. When the target access network device receives the above-mentioned QoE measurement results and indication information #2 from the terminal device, it can send the QoE measurement results to the network device according to the indication information #2.

[0291] It should also be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, the access network device that receives the QoE measurement results is predefined, for example, it can be defined by a protocol, or the terminal device is preset to be configured to send the QoE measurement results to the access network device, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit this. Thus, in the embodiment of the present application, the access network device that sends the above-mentioned first configuration information and the access network device that receives the QoE measurement results can be the same type of access network devices, for example, both are MNs, or both are SNs. Alternatively, the access network device that sends the above-mentioned first configuration information and the access network device that receives the QoE measurement results can be different types of access network devices, for example, MN sends the first configuration information, SN receives the QoE measurement results, or SN sends the first configuration information, and MN receives the QoE measurement results, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0292] In the embodiment of the present application, after the MN receives the QoE measurement result and the indication information #2, it can send the QoE measurement result to the network device according to the indication information #2. Exemplarily, the network device can be the TCE corresponding to the MN, or the TCE corresponding to the SN, or the SN, etc., without limitation. Below, in combination with steps 460 to 480, the specific implementation method of the MN sending the QoE measurement result to the network device is described.

[0293] 460. The MN sends the QoE measurement result to the TCE.

[0294] In one possible case, the access network device that sends the first configuration information is of the same type as the access network device that receives the QoE measurement result, that is, they are the same type of access network devices. For example, in method 400, step 410 is included but step 420 is not included, that is, the MN sends the first configuration information and indication information #2 to the access layer of the terminal device. At this time, the MN can determine that the first configuration information is sent by the MN based on the indication information #2 received from the terminal device, that is, the first configuration information corresponding to the QoE measurement result received from the terminal device is sent by the MN, and then the MN sends the QoE measurement result to the TCE corresponding to the MN.

[0295] As an example, the indication information #2 may include the TCE ID corresponding to the MN. At this time, the MN may obtain the TCE IP corresponding to the TCE ID according to the mapping relationship between the TCEID and the TCE IP address, and then send the QoE measurement result to the TCE corresponding to the TCE IP.

[0296] As another example, when indication information #2 includes service type information, and the MN determines that the first configuration information of the QoE measurement corresponding to the service type is configured by the MN to the terminal device, the MN can send the QoE measurement result to the TCE corresponding to the MN.

[0297] In another possible situation, the access network device that sends the first configuration information and the access network device that receives the QoE measurement result are different types of access network devices. For example, in method 400, step 420 is included but step 410 is not included, that is, the SN sends the first configuration information and indication information #2 to the access layer of the terminal device. At this time, the MN can determine, based on indication information #2, that the first configuration information is sent by the SN, that is, the first configuration information corresponding to the QoE measurement result received from the terminal device is sent by the SN, and then the MN sends the QoE measurement result to the TCE corresponding to the SN.

[0298] As an example, at this time, the indication information #2 may include the TCE ID corresponding to the SN. At this time, the MN may send the QoE measurement result to the TCE corresponding to the TCE IP according to the mapping relationship between the TCEID and the TCE IP address.

[0299] As another example, when indication information #2 includes service type information, and MN determines that the first configuration information of QoE measurement corresponding to the service type is not configured by MN to the terminal device, MN can send the QoE measurement result to the TCE corresponding to the SN.

[0300] Optionally, before step 420, the SN may send the TCE ID and the corresponding TCEIP address corresponding to the QoE measurement configured by the SN to the MN. Alternatively, the SN may send the TCE IP address corresponding to the QoE measurement configured by the SN to the MN. In this way, when the MN determines that the first configuration information is issued by the SN, that is, when the first configuration information corresponding to the QoE measurement result received from the terminal device is issued by the SN, the MN may send the QoE measurement result to the TCE corresponding to the SN according to the TCE IP address corresponding to the QoE measurement configured by the SN.

[0301] In some implementations, the TCE ID corresponding to the QoE measurement sent by the MN is the same as the TCE ID corresponding to the QoE measurement sent by the SN. At this time, the indication information #2 may include a trace ID, so the MN can send the QoE measurement result together with the traceID to the TCE corresponding to the TCE ID. In this way, when the TCE receives the QoE measurement result and the trace ID, it can determine, based on the trace ID, whether the QoE measurement result is the first configuration information corresponding to the MN configuration or the first configuration information corresponding to the SN configuration. For example, when the trace ID is assigned to the MN by the CN, OAM, or EM for QoE measurement, the QoE measurement result is the first configuration information corresponding to the MN configuration; when the trace ID is assigned to the SN by the CN, OAM, or EM for QoE measurement, the QoE measurement result is the first configuration information corresponding to the SN configuration.

[0302] 470. The MN sends the QoE measurement result to the SN.

[0303] Exemplarily, when the access network device that issues the first configuration information is different from the access network device that receives the QoE measurement result, that is, they are different types of access network devices. For example, in method 400, step 420 is included but step 410 is not included, that is, the SN sends the first configuration information and indication information #2 to the access layer of the terminal device. At this time, the MN can determine, based on indication information #2, that the first configuration information is issued by the SN, that is, the first configuration information corresponding to the QoE measurement result received from the terminal device is issued by the SN, and then the MN sends the QoE measurement result to the SN.

[0304] As a specific example, when indication information #2 includes service type information, and MN determines that the first configuration information of QoE measurement corresponding to the service type is not configured by MN to the terminal device, MN can send the QoE measurement result to SN.

[0305] 480. SN sends the QoE measurement result to TCE.

[0306] Specifically, after receiving the QoE measurement result from the MN, the SN sends the QoE measurement result to the TCE corresponding to the SN.

[0307] It should be noted that when the protocol pre-defines or pre-configures the terminal device to send the QoE measurement results and indication information #2 to the SN, the specific implementation of the SN sending the QoE measurement results to the network device can refer to the relevant description of the terminal device sending the QoE measurement results and indication information #2 to the MN, and some simple adaptation may be required.

[0308] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, the QoE measurement result and indication information #2 are uniformly sent to the MN (or SN) by pre-configuring the access layer of the terminal device, and then the MN (or SN) sends the QoE measurement result to the network device according to the indication information #2. That is, the access layer of the terminal device does not need to determine whether the first configuration information corresponding to the QoE measurement result is issued by the MN or the SN, and the measurement result is sent to the MN (or SN), thereby reducing the processing complexity of the terminal device.

[0309] Fig.10 FIG. 5 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 500 provided in an embodiment of the present application. In the method 500, when an access network device (e.g., MN or SN) sends application layer measurement configuration information to a terminal device, it can indicate to the access layer of the terminal device which access network device to report the QoE measurement result obtained according to the application layer measurement configuration information, such as MN or SN. Fig.10 As shown, method 500 includes steps 510 to 570 .

[0310] Optionally, 510, MN sends first configuration information and indication information #3 to the access layer of the terminal device, where the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform QoE measurement at the application layer, and indication information #3 is used to instruct the access layer of the terminal device to send the QoE measurement result to the first access network device, wherein the first access network device is MN or SN.

[0311] Among them, indication information #3 is used to indicate to which node the access layer of the terminal device reports the QoE measurement result obtained according to the application layer measurement configuration information corresponding to the indication information #3 (for example, the application layer measurement configuration information in the same message as the indication information #3) to which node. In other words, it is necessary to indicate once which node the QoE measurement result corresponding to each application layer measurement configuration information is reported to. Alternatively, indication information #3 can be used to indicate to which node the access layer of the terminal device reports the QoE measurement result obtained by all application layer measurement configuration information, or to which node the access layer of the terminal device reports the QoE measurement result obtained by all types of application layer measurement configuration information. At this time, it only needs to be indicated once to which node the QoE measurement results corresponding to multiple application layer measurement configuration information are reported to. Here, the node refers to an access network device, such as an MN, or an SN.

[0312] Exemplarily, the first configuration information may be Figure 6 The application layer measurement configuration information in the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this. For details, please refer to Figure 6 The description in will not be repeated here.

[0313] Exemplarily, indication information #3 may include at least one of QoE service type information, node type information, and RAT type information.

[0314] For example, when indication information #3 includes the service type corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration information sent by the MN, the node type information of the MN, and the RAT type corresponding to the MN, indication information #3 can be used to instruct the access layer of the terminal device to send the QoE measurement result obtained by the application layer measurement configuration information to the MN.

[0315] For another example, when indication information #3 includes the service type corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration information sent by the SN, the node type information of the SN, and the RAT type corresponding to the SN, indication information #3 can be used to instruct the access layer of the terminal device to send the QoE measurement result obtained by the application layer measurement configuration information to the SN.

[0316] As an example, when indication information #3 includes service type information, it can also be specifically used to indicate which / which service type's corresponding QoE measurement results are reported to the MN, and / or which / which service type's corresponding QoE measurement results are reported to the SN. For example, indication information #3 can be used to instruct the terminal device to report the QoE measurement results corresponding to service type 1 and service type 2 to the MN, and report the QoE measurement results corresponding to service type 3 to the SN.

[0317] In some optional implementations, before step 510, the MN and the SN may further negotiate which node to use to report the QoE measurement result. For example, the MN may notify the SN to send the QoE measurement result corresponding to the first configuration information sent by the MN to the SN, or the MN may request the SN to send the QoE measurement result corresponding to the first configuration information sent by the SN to the MN, or the SN may request the MN to send the QoE measurement result corresponding to the first configuration information sent by the SN to the MN, or the MN may notify the SN to send the QoE measurement result of a certain service type to the SN, or the SN may request the MN to send the QoE measurement result of a certain service type to the MN.

[0318] Optionally, when the MN and the SN are negotiating, they may also exchange the TCE IP address corresponding to the first configuration information. For example, when the MN requests the SN to send the QoE measurement result corresponding to the first configuration information issued by the SN to the MN or the SN requests the MN to send the QoE measurement result corresponding to the first configuration information issued by the SN to the MN, the SN may send the TCE IP address corresponding to the first configuration information to the MN. In this way, when the MN receives the QoE measurement result, it may send the QoE measurement result to the correct TCE according to the TCE IP address.

[0319] Optionally, the SN may also send the trace ID to the MN. The MN will send the trace ID and the QoE measurement result to the TCE. Or, if the TCE IP address corresponding to the first configuration information sent by the MN is the same as the TCE IP address corresponding to the first configuration information sent by the SN, the SN may send the trace ID to the MN. In this way, the MN may send the trace ID and the QoE measurement result to the TCE together, so that the TCE determines, based on the trace ID, whether the QoE measurement result corresponds to the first configuration information configured by the MN or the first configuration information configured by the SN.

[0320] For example, when MN can notify SN to send the QoE measurement result corresponding to the first configuration information sent by MN to SN, MN can send the TCE IP address corresponding to the first configuration information to SN. In this way, when SN receives the QoE measurement result, it can send the QoE measurement result to the correct TCE according to the TCE IP address. Optionally, MN may also send the trace ID to SN. SN will send the trace ID and the QoE measurement result to TCE. Or when the TCE IP address corresponding to the first configuration information sent by MN is the same as the TCE IP address corresponding to the first configuration information sent by SN, MN can send the trace ID to SN. In this way, SN can send the trace ID and the QoE measurement result to TCE together, so that TCE can determine whether the QoE measurement result corresponds to the first configuration information configured by MN or the first configuration information configured by SN according to the trace ID.

[0321] In some implementations, the MN may include the above-mentioned first configuration information and indication information #3 in an RRC message and send it to the access layer of the terminal device. In this case, the first configuration information may be encapsulated in the RRC message in the form of a container. Indication information #3 may also be encapsulated in the container, or the indication information #3 may not be included in the form of a container outside the container in the RRC message (for example, it may be explicitly sent to the terminal device in the form of an information element, and the RRC layer of the access network device and the terminal device may know the specific meaning of these information elements).

[0322] In some embodiments, indication information #3 may not be carried in the first configuration information. For example, it may be sent to the access layer of the terminal device in an RRC message different from the first configuration information, or it may be encapsulated with the first configuration information in the same RRC message and sent to the access layer of the terminal device. This embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0323] Optionally, 520, the SN sends the first configuration information and indication information #3 to the access layer of the terminal device. Specifically, the first configuration information and indication information #3 can refer to the description in step 510, which will not be repeated here.

[0324] In method 500, both step 510 and step 520 may be performed, or one of the two steps may be performed. That is, here, the MN or SN may instruct the terminal device to perform the QoE measurement at the application layer, and instruct the access layer of the terminal device to which node to report the QoE measurement result.

[0325] 530, the access layer of the terminal device sends the first configuration information to the upper layer of the access layer. Here, the access layer may send the first configuration information to its upper layer after receiving the first configuration information from the MN or after receiving the first configuration information from the SN.

[0326] It should be noted that the access layer of the terminal device sends the first configuration information to the upper layer of the access layer, which may include the access layer directly sending the first configuration information to the upper layer, or may include the access layer obtaining new configuration information according to the first configuration information, and sending the configuration information to the upper layer. The new configuration information is used to instruct the upper layer to perform QoE measurement of the application layer.

[0327] 540. The upper layer of the access layer sends the QoE measurement result to the access layer.

[0328] The upper layer of the access layer of the terminal device can obtain the QoE measurement result. For example, the upper layer can receive the QoE measurement result from the application layer, or when the upper layer is the application layer, the upper layer can perform QoE measurement according to the first configuration information to obtain the QoE measurement result. Then, the upper layer can send the QoE measurement result to the access layer.

[0329] Exemplarily, the upper layer may report the QoE measurement result according to a certain rule. In some implementations, the rule may be included in the first configuration information, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, the upper layer may periodically report the QoE measurement result according to the QoE reporting period, or report the QoE measurement result only after a session ends, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0330] 550. The access layer of the terminal device determines whether to send the QoE measurement result to the MN or the SN according to the indication information #3.

[0331] As an example, when indication information #3 is used to indicate that all QoE measurement results are sent to MN, step 560 is executed, that is, the access layer sends all QoE measurement results received from the upper layer to MN. When indication information #3 is used to indicate that all QoE measurement results are sent to SN, step 570 is executed, that is, the access layer sends all QoE measurement results received from the upper layer to SN.

[0332] As another example, when indication information #3 is used to indicate that the QoE measurement results of service type 1 and service type 2 are reported to the MN, and the QoE measurement results of service type 3 are reported to the SN, when the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result is service type 1 or service type 2, step 560 is executed, that is, the access layer sends the QoE measurement result to the MN. When the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result is service type 3, step 570 is executed, that is, the access layer sends the QoE measurement result to the SN.

[0333] Correspondingly, in step 560, the MN receives the QoE measurement result. In step 570, the SN receives the QoE measurement result. After receiving the QoE measurement result, the MN or SN may directly send the QoE measurement result to the TCE or to another access network device.

[0334] For example, after MN receives the QoE measurement result, it can send the QoE measurement result directly to TCE, and TCE determines whether the QoE measurement result corresponds to the first configuration information sent by MN or the first configuration information sent by SN. For another example, after MN receives the QoE measurement result, when it is determined that the QoE measurement result corresponds to the first configuration information sent by SN, for example, it can be determined based on the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result that the QoE measurement of the service type type is not configured by itself for the terminal device. MN can send the QoE measurement result to SN, and then SN sends the measurement result to TCE. After SN receives the QoE measurement result, the processing method is similar to that of MN and will not be repeated.

[0335] Therefore, the embodiment of the present application uses the access network device to instruct the terminal device to which node to report the QoE measurement results, so that the terminal device only needs to send the QoE measurement results to which node according to the instructions of the access network device. On the one hand, it can help reduce the processing complexity of the terminal device. On the other hand, it can help the network side decide which node to send the QoE measurement results to based on the load of the node, thereby reducing the load on the node receiving the QoE measurement results.

[0336] In some implementations, the network side may change the service bearer type. For example, the access network device may convert the bearer type of the first service between MCG bearer, SCG bearer, and split bearer, and / or convert the bearer type of the first service between MN terminated bearer and SN terminated bearer. At this time, the terminal device may Fig.11 The method shown reports the QoE measurement results.

[0337] Fig.11 FIG. 6 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 600 provided in an embodiment of the present application. In the method 600, the network side changes the service bearer type. Fig.11 As shown, method 600 includes steps 610 to 660 .

[0338] 610. The MN sends first configuration information to the access layer of the terminal device, where the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform QoE measurement at the application layer.

[0339] Exemplarily, the first configuration information may be Fig.10 The application layer measurement configuration information in the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this. For details, please refer to Figure 6 The description in will not be repeated here.

[0340] It should be noted that the description here is based on the example of the MN sending the first configuration information to the access layer of the terminal device. In other possible implementations, the SN may also send the first configuration information to the access layer of the terminal device, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0341] 620. The access layer of the terminal device sends first configuration information to its upper layer.

[0342] Specifically, step 620 can refer to Figure 5 The description of step 530 is omitted here.

[0343] 630, the bearer type of the service for QoE measurement changes.

[0344] For example, the bearer type of the first service for QoE measurement is converted between MCG bearer, SCG bearer, and split bearer, and / or the bearer type of the first service is converted between MN terminated bearer and SN terminated bearer.

[0345] In some optional embodiments, when the access layer of the terminal device learns that the bearer type corresponding to the service type of the QoE measurement has changed, for example, when the access layer learns that the bearer type of the first service of the QoE measurement has changed from MCG bearer to SCG bearer, the access layer may also execute step 635, i.e., send information #1 to the upper layer to trigger the reporting of the QoE measurement result, or to notify the bearer type corresponding to the service type of the QoE measurement before the change, and the bearer type corresponding to the service type of the QoE measurement after the change.

[0346] Here, triggering the reporting of the QoE measurement result means triggering the upper layer to report the QoE measurement result. Exemplarily, reporting the QoE measurement result may include the upper layer sending the QoE measurement result to the access layer, and the access layer sending the measurement result to the access network device, which is not limited in this application.

[0347] 640. The upper layer of the access layer sends the QoE measurement result to the access layer.

[0348] The upper layer of the access layer of the terminal device can obtain the QoE measurement result. For details, see Fig.10 The description in step 540 is not repeated here.

[0349] In some optional implementations, an upper layer of the access layer may report the QoE measurement result in a manner of reporting the QoE measurement report indicated in the first configuration information.

[0350] In some optional embodiments, when information #1 is used to trigger the reporting of QoE measurement results, the upper layer of the access layer can report the QoE measurement results based on information #1 in step 630. For example, after receiving information #1, the QoE measurement results can be reported, that is, the QoE measurement results can be sent to the access layer.

[0351] In some optional implementations, when information #1 is used to notify the bearer type corresponding to the service type of the QoE measurement before and after the change, the upper layer can send the QoE measurement result to the access layer according to the instruction in the first configuration information. In addition to sending the QoE measurement result to the access layer, the upper layer can send information #2 to the access layer to indicate the bearer type of the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result in different time periods, that is, the upper layer can indicate to the access layer the change in the bearer type passed by the terminal device. Exemplarily, information #2 can include MCG bearer, SCG bearer, split bearer, indicating that the bearer type of the terminal device changes from MCG bearer to SCG bearer, and then from SCG bearer to splitbearer.

[0352] Optionally, when the upper layer sends the QoE measurement result to the access layer, it can also send the time information corresponding to the bearer types in the above different time periods to the access layer, for example, before or after a certain time point, which bearer type corresponds to the first service between the latter two time points.

[0353] In some possible implementations, the QoE measurement result may include the above information #2, or time information of the bearer type in different time periods, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0354] 650. The access layer of the terminal device sends the QoE measurement result to the MN.

[0355] It should be noted that in Fig.11 In the description, the access layer of the terminal device sends the QoE measurement result to the MN as an example. In other implementations, the access layer of the terminal device can also send the QoE measurement result to the SN, and this application does not limit this.

[0356] Exemplarily, the access layer of the terminal device sends the QoE measurement result to the MN or the SN, which can be implemented by the aforementioned Figure 8 , Fig. 9 or Fig.10 This application does not limit any possible method or combination thereof, or other methods.

[0357] In some optional implementations, when the upper layer of the access layer sends information #2 or time information of the bearer type in different time periods to the access layer, the access layer may send the QoE measurement result and information #2 or time information of the bearer type in different time periods to the MN, which is not limited in this application. The access layer may encapsulate the QoE measurement result and the above-mentioned information #2 or time information of the bearer type in different time periods in the same RRC message and send it to the MN, or use different RRC messages to send them to the MN, which is not limited in this embodiment of the application.

[0358] In some possible implementations, the QoE measurement result may include the above information #2, or time information of bearer types in different time periods.

[0359] 660. MN sends the QoE measurement result and information #2 to TCE.

[0360] In one possible scenario, when the MN receives the QoE measurement result and information #2 from the access layer of the terminal device, the MN can send the QoE measurement result and information #2 to the TCE. Optionally, when the MN also receives the time information of the bearer type in different time periods, the time information of the bearer type in different time periods can be sent to the TCE.

[0361] In another possible situation, the terminal device does not need the access layer to send information #1 to the upper layer of the access layer in steps 630 to 650, and the upper layer of the access layer does not need to send information #2 to the access layer. The MN can record the changes in the bearer type during the QoE measurement, that is, record the bearer types corresponding to the service types corresponding to the QoE measurement results obtained by the QoE measurement in different time periods, that is, the MN determines the above information #2 by itself. When the MN switches, that is, the UE switches from the source MN to the target MN, the source MN will send the recorded information #2 to the target MN, and the MN will continue to record the changes in the bearer type during the QoE measurement. When the MN receives the QoE measurement results from the access layer of the terminal device, the QoE measurement results and information #2 can be sent to the TCE together. Optionally, the MN can also record the time information of the bearer types in different time periods. In this way, when the MN sends the QoE measurement results to the TCE, it can also send the time information of the bearer types in different time periods to the TCE.

[0362] Optionally, the MN may also indicate the network architecture to the TCE, for example, whether an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) network architecture is adopted, or whether a CU / DU network architecture is adopted.

[0363] It should be noted that when performing QoE measurement, the protocol may only consider changes in several of the above-mentioned bearer types, for example, only consider the conversion between MN terminated MCG bearer and SN terminated SCG bearer. Alternatively, the protocol may only consider changes in bearer types in MR-DCs where MCG and SCG belong to different RATs, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0364] Correspondingly, after TCE receives the QoE measurement results and information #2 (or also including time information corresponding to different bearer types, or network structure and other information), it can associate the QoE measurement results with the bearer type of the service type for which the QoE measurement is performed. For example, it can be determined whether the service type for which the QoE measurement is performed is carried on MCG transmission or SCG transmission, so as to facilitate subsequent network optimization based on the QoE measurement results and the bearer type of the associated service type.

[0365] Therefore, when the embodiment of the present application changes the service bearer type on the network side, the terminal device can send the bearer type of the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result to the access network device, or the access network device records the bearer type of the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement, so that the QoE measurement result and the bearer type of the service type for which the QoE measurement is performed can be associated, which helps to optimize the network based on the QoE measurement result and the bearer type of the associated service type.

[0366] In some optional embodiments, in the MR-DC scenario, if the configuration of the area range corresponding to the QoE measurement in the non-MR-DC scenario is still used, it may lead to the inability to change the bearer type of the service, or when changing the bearer type of the service, the network side needs to suspend or cancel the QoE measurement corresponding to the previously configured QoE measurement configuration. Based on this, the embodiment of the present application provides a QoE measurement method for the MR-DC scenario.

[0367] Fig.12 FIG. 7 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 700 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig.12 As shown, method 700 includes steps 710 to 730 .

[0368] 710, the access network device receives a QoE measurement request and the area range information of the QoE measurement from the CN / OAM / EM. Figure 6 The description of step 101 is omitted here.

[0369] Exemplarily, the area scope information of the QoE measurement includes relevant information of multiple RATs, such as area scope information of RAT1 and area scope information of RAT2. Specifically, the area scope information may be one or more of the area Scope of QMC in Table 1 above.

[0370] Here, the access network device may be a MN or a SN, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0371] 720, the access network device sends first configuration information to the terminal device. Exemplarily, the first configuration information may be Figure 6 The application layer measurement configuration information in the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this. For details, please refer to Figure 6 The description in will not be repeated here.

[0372] Among them, after receiving the area range information of QoE measurement from CN / OAM / EM, the access network device can send the first configuration information to the terminal device according to the area range information. Exemplarily, when the access network device determines that the terminal device is currently within the area range of RAT1 in the area range of QoE measurement, or within the area range of RAT2 in the area range of QoE measurement, the access network device can send the first configuration information to the terminal device. When the access network device determines that the terminal device is not currently within the area range of RAT1 in the area range information of QoE measurement, and is not within the area range of RAT2 in the area range information of QoE measurement, the access network device does not send the first configuration information to the terminal device.

[0373] In some optional implementations, when the network side needs to change the bearer type of the service for QoE measurement, if the area range corresponding to the target bearer type to be changed (here, for example, the area range of the base station corresponding to the RLC / MAC layer corresponding to the bearer type corresponding to the service type for QoE measurement on the network side) is not within the area range of the above QoE measurement (for example, it is neither within the area range of RAT1 in the area range of QoE measurement, nor within the area range of RAT2 in the area range of QoE measurement), the access network device can determine not to change the bearer type of the service. Alternatively, the access network device can notify the terminal device to suspend the current QoE measurement (that is, the QoE measurement of the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement is suspended) or suspend the reporting of the QoE measurement results, or the QoE measurement corresponding to the session that has started in the service type corresponding to the current QoE measurement continues, but the subsequent new session will no longer perform QoE measurement.

[0374] Optionally, the access network device may send the area range information of the QoE measurement (for example, may be called information #3) to the terminal device. For example, the area range information and the first configuration information may be encapsulated in the same RRC message or different RRC messages, or the area range information may be carried in the first configuration information. This is not limited to the embodiments of the present application.

[0375] In some optional implementations, when the access network device sends the area range information of the QoE measurement to the terminal device, if the terminal device determines that the area range corresponding to the bearer type of the service measured by the QoE (for example, here refers to the area range of the base station corresponding to the RLC / MAC layer corresponding to the bearer type of the service type measured by the QoE on the network side) is not within the area range of the above-mentioned QoE measurement (for example, it is neither within the area range of RAT1 in the area range of the QoE measurement, nor within the area range of RAT2 in the area range of the QoE measurement), the terminal device suspends the current QoE measurement (that is, the QoE measurement of the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement is suspended) or suspends reporting of the QoE measurement results, or the QoE measurement corresponding to the session for which the current QoE measurement has started continues, but the subsequent new session will no longer perform QoE measurement.

[0376] 730. The terminal device sends the QoE measurement result to the access network device. Specifically, the terminal device may perform QoE measurement according to the first configuration information to obtain the QoE measurement result.

[0377] Exemplarily, the access layer of the terminal device sends the QoE measurement result to the MN or the SN, which can be implemented by the aforementioned Figure 8 , Fig. 9 or Fig.10 This application does not limit any possible method or combination thereof, or other methods.

[0378] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, in the MR-DC scenario, the network side device can still configure the area range information of multiple RATs for QoE measurement, so that the terminal device in the MR-DC scenario can also perform QoE measurement in multiple RAT areas. At the same time, the access network device can still perform QoE measurement when the bearer type corresponding to the service for which the QoE measurement is performed changes.

[0379] It should be noted that the various embodiments in this application can be used independently or in combination, which is not limited here. Figure 8 , Fig. 9 or Fig.10 When reporting QoE measurement results using the method shown, Fig.11 The method shown in FIG. 1 reports the change of the bearer type of the service measured by QoE to TCE, or at the same time, according to Fig.12 The method shown is to configure the area range information corresponding to the QoE measurement, etc.

[0380] It can be understood that in the above-mentioned embodiments of the present application, the method implemented by the access network device can also be implemented by components (such as chips or circuits) that can be used for the access network device, and the method implemented by the terminal device can also be implemented by components (such as chips or circuits) that can be used for the terminal device.

[0381] According to the above method, Fig.13 A schematic diagram of a wireless communication apparatus 800 provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present application.

[0382] In some embodiments, the device 800 may be an access network device, or a chip or circuit, such as a chip or circuit that can be set in an access network. In some embodiments, the device 800 may be a terminal device, or a chip or circuit, such as a chip or circuit that can be set in a terminal device.

[0383] The apparatus 800 may include a processing unit 810 (ie, an example of a processor) and a transceiver unit 830 .

[0384] Optionally, the transceiver unit 830 may be implemented by a transceiver or a transceiver-related circuit or an interface circuit.

[0385] Optionally, the device may further include a storage unit 820. In one possible manner, the storage unit 820 is used to store instructions. Optionally, the storage unit may also be used to store data or information. The storage unit 820 may be implemented by a memory.

[0386] In one possible design, the processing unit 810 can be used to execute instructions stored in the storage unit 820 so that the device 800 implements the steps performed by the access network device in the above method.

[0387] Furthermore, the processing unit 810, the storage unit 820, and the transceiver unit 830 can communicate with each other through the internal connection path to transmit control and / or data signals. For example, the storage unit 820 is used to store a computer program, and the processing unit 810 can be used to call and run the computer program from the storage unit 820 to control the transceiver unit 830 to receive signals and / or send signals, thereby completing the steps of accessing the network device in the above method.

[0388] In one possible design, the processing unit 810 can be used to execute instructions stored in the storage unit 820 so that the apparatus 800 implements the steps performed by the terminal device in the above method.

[0389] Furthermore, the processing unit 810, the storage unit 820, and the transceiver unit 830 can communicate with each other through the internal connection path to transmit control and / or data signals. For example, the storage unit 820 is used to store a computer program, and the processing unit 810 can be used to call and run the computer program from the storage unit 820 to control the transceiver unit 830 to receive signals and / or send signals, thereby completing the steps of the terminal device in the above method.

[0390] The storage unit 820 may be integrated into the processing unit 810 or may be provided separately from the processing unit 810 .

[0391] Optionally, if the apparatus 800 is a communication device, the transceiver unit 830 may include a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver and the transmitter may be the same or different physical entities. When they are the same physical entity, they may be collectively referred to as a transceiver.

[0392] Optionally, if the device 800 is a chip or a circuit, the transceiver unit 830 may include an input interface and an output interface.

[0393] As an implementation, the function of the transceiver unit 830 may be implemented by a transceiver circuit or a dedicated chip for transceiver. The processing unit 810 may be implemented by a dedicated processing chip, a processing circuit, a processing unit or a general chip.

[0394] As another implementation method, it is possible to use a general-purpose computer to implement the communication device (e.g., access network device or terminal device) provided in the embodiment of the present application. That is, the program code that implements the functions of the processing unit 810 and the transceiver unit 830 is stored in the storage unit 820, and the general-purpose processing unit implements the functions of the processing unit 810 and the transceiver unit 830 by executing the code in the storage unit 820.

[0395] In some embodiments, when the apparatus 800 is a terminal device or a chip or circuit disposed in a terminal device,

[0396] Processing unit 810, configured for an access layer of a terminal device to receive a quality of experience (QoE) measurement result and first indication information from an upper layer of the access layer;

[0397] The processing unit 810 is further configured to determine, at the access layer, according to the first indication information, whether to send the QoE measurement result to a primary base station or a secondary base station of a terminal device.

[0398] Optionally, the apparatus 800 further includes a transceiver unit 830, configured to receive first configuration information from a first access network device, where the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform QoE measurement at the application layer, and the first access network device is a primary base station or a secondary base station of the terminal device;

[0399] The processing unit 810 is also used for the access layer to send the first configuration information and the first indication information to an upper layer of the access layer of the terminal device.

[0400] Optionally, the transceiver unit 830 is further used to receive second indication information from the first access network device, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the first access network device is a primary base station or a secondary base station;

[0401] The processing unit 810 is further configured for the access layer to determine the first indication information according to the second indication information.

[0402] Optionally, the first indication information and the second indication information are the same piece of information.

[0403] Optionally, the transceiver unit 830 is further used to receive third indication information from the second access network device, where the third indication information is used to instruct the access layer of the terminal device to send the QoE measurement result to the first access network device;

[0404] The first access network device is a primary base station, and the second access network device is a secondary base station; or the first access network device is a secondary base station, and the second access network device is a primary base station.

[0405] Optionally, the first indication information includes at least one of a tracking identifier ID, a tracking collection entity identifier TCE ID, QoE service type information, node type information, wireless access technology RAT type information, a PDU session identifier, a 5G service quality identifier 5QI, a service quality flow identifier QFI and a first identifier, wherein the first identifier is allocated by operation, management and maintenance OAM or access network equipment.

[0406] Optionally, the processing unit 810 is further configured to:

[0407] The access layer determines that a bearer type corresponding to a service type measured by QoE has changed;

[0408] When the bearer type changes, the access layer sends first information to an upper layer of the access layer, where the first information is used to trigger reporting of QoE measurement results, or the first information is used to notify the bearer type corresponding to the service type of the QoE measurement before and after the change.

[0409] Optionally, when the first information is used to notify the bearer type corresponding to the service type of the QoE measurement before and after the change, the processing unit 810 is also used for the access layer to receive second information from the upper layer of the access layer, and the second information is used to indicate the bearer type of the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result in different time periods.

[0410] Optionally, the processing unit 810 is further configured to enable the access layer to receive time information corresponding to the bearer types in different time periods from an upper layer of the access layer.

[0411] Optionally, the transceiver unit 830 is also used to receive third information from a third access network device, where the third information is used to indicate the area range of the QoE measurement, where the area range includes the area ranges of at least two RATs, and the third access network device is a primary base station or a secondary base station of the terminal device.

[0412] In some embodiments, when the apparatus 800 is a terminal device or a chip or circuit disposed in a terminal device,

[0413] The transceiver unit 830 is configured to receive first configuration information from a first access network device, where the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform quality of experience (QoE) measurement at the application layer;

[0414] The transceiver unit 830 is further used to receive second indication information from the first access network device, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the first access network device is a primary base station or a secondary base station of the terminal device;

[0415] Processing unit 810, configured for an access layer of a terminal device to send the first configuration information and the second indication information to an upper layer of the access layer;

[0416] The processing unit 810 is further configured to receive, at the access layer, a QoE measurement result and the second indication information from an upper layer of the access layer, wherein the QoE measurement result is obtained by the upper layer performing QoE measurement according to the first configuration information;

[0417] The transceiver unit 830 is further used to send the second indication information and the QoE measurement result to a second access network device, wherein the first access network device is the same as the second access network device, or the first access network device is a primary base station and the second access network device is a secondary base station, or the first access network device is a secondary base station and the second access network device is a primary base station.

[0418] Optionally, the second indication information includes tracking ID, tracking collection entity identifier TCE ID, QoE service type, node type, wireless access technology RAT type, PDU session identifier, 5G service quality identifier 5QI, service quality flow identifier QFI and at least one of the first identifier, wherein the first identifier is allocated by operation, management and maintenance OAM or access network equipment.

[0419] In some implementations, when the apparatus 800 is a first access network device or a chip or circuit disposed in the first access network device,

[0420] The transceiver unit 830 is configured to receive a quality of experience (QoE) measurement result and second indication information from a terminal device, wherein the QoE measurement result is obtained by the terminal device performing QoE measurement according to the first configuration information, and the second indication information indicates that the second access network device that sends the first configuration information to the terminal device is a primary base station or a secondary base station of the terminal device, and the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform QoE measurement at the application layer;

[0421] The transceiver unit 830 is further used to send the QoE measurement result to the network device according to the second indication information, wherein the first access network device is the same as the second access network device, or the first access network device is a primary base station and the second access network device is a secondary base station, or the first access network device is a secondary base station and the second access network device is a primary base station.

[0422] Optionally, the first access network device is the same as the second access network device, and the transceiver unit 830 is specifically used to send the QoE measurement result to the tracking collection entity TCE corresponding to the first access network device.

[0423] Optionally, the first access network device is a primary base station and the second access network device is a secondary base station, or the first access network device is a secondary base station and the second access network device is a primary base station;

[0424] The transceiver unit 830 is specifically configured to send the QoE measurement result to the TCE corresponding to the second access network device, or to send the QoE measurement result to the second access network device.

[0425] Optionally, the second indication information includes tracking ID, tracking collection entity identifier TCE ID, QoE service type, node type, wireless access technology RAT type, PDU session identifier, 5G service quality identifier 5QI, service quality flow identifier QFI and at least one of the first identifier, wherein the first identifier is allocated by operation, management and maintenance OAM or access network equipment.

[0426] Optionally, the second indication information includes a tracking collection entity TCE identification ID, and the transceiver unit 830 is specifically configured to:

[0427] According to the relationship between the TCE ID and the IP address, obtain the TCE IP corresponding to the TCE ID;

[0428] The QoE measurement result is sent to the TCE corresponding to the TCE IP.

[0429] Optionally, the second indication information includes a tracking ID, and the transceiver unit 830 is specifically configured to send the QoE measurement result and the tracking ID to the TCE.

[0430] Optionally, before the transceiver unit 830 receives the QoE measurement result and the second indication information from the terminal device, the transceiver unit is further used to send the first configuration information and the second indication information to the terminal device.

[0431] In some implementations, when the apparatus 800 is an access network device or a chip or circuit disposed in the access network device,

[0432] The transceiver unit 830 is configured to receive the QoE measurement result from the terminal device;

[0433] The transceiver unit 830 is further configured to send the QoE measurement result and second information to the TCE, where the second information is configured to indicate the bearer type corresponding to the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result in different time periods.

[0434] Optionally, the system further includes a processing unit 810, configured to determine the bearer type of the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result in different time periods.

[0435] Optionally, the processing unit 810 is further used to determine time information corresponding to the bearer types in different time periods, and the transceiver unit 830 is further used to send the time information to the TCE.

[0436] Optionally, the transceiver unit 830 is further configured to receive, from a terminal device, bearer types of the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result in different time periods.

[0437] Optionally, the transceiver unit 830 may also receive time information corresponding to the bearer types in different time periods from the terminal device, and send the time information corresponding to the bearer types in different time periods to the TCE.

[0438] Optionally, the transceiver unit 830 is also used to indicate the network architecture to the TCE, for example, whether an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) network architecture is adopted, or whether a CU / DU network architecture is adopted.

[0439] In some implementations, when the apparatus 800 is an access network device or a chip or circuit disposed in the access network device,

[0440] The transceiver unit 830 is used to receive third information from the CN / OAM / EM, where the third information is used to indicate the area range of the QoE measurement;

[0441] The transceiver unit 830 is further configured to send first configuration information to the terminal device according to the third information, where the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform application layer quality of experience (QoE) measurement.

[0442] Optionally, a processing unit 810 is further included, which is used to determine that the area range corresponding to the target bearer type to be changed is not within the area range of the above-mentioned QoE measurement when the network side needs to change the bearer type of the service for QoE measurement. The transceiver unit 830 is also used to notify the terminal device to suspend the current QoE measurement or suspend the reporting of the QoE measurement result, or the QoE measurement corresponding to the session that has started in the service type corresponding to the current QoE measurement continues, but the subsequent new session will no longer perform QoE measurement.

[0443] Optionally, the transceiver unit 830 is further used to send the third information to the terminal device.

[0444] In some embodiments, when the apparatus 800 is a terminal device or a chip or circuit disposed in a terminal device,

[0445] The processing unit 810 is configured to determine whether a bearer type corresponding to a service type measured by QoE has changed;

[0446] The processing unit 810 is also used to, when the bearer type changes, the access layer of the terminal device sends first information to the upper layer of the access layer, wherein the first information is used to trigger the reporting of the QoE measurement results, or the first information is used to notify the bearer type corresponding to the service type of the QoE measurement before and after the change.

[0447] Optionally, when the first information is used to notify the bearer type corresponding to the service type of the QoE measurement before and after the change, the processing unit 810 is also used for the access layer to receive second information from the upper layer of the access layer, and the second information is used to indicate the bearer type of the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result in different time periods.

[0448] Optionally, the processing unit 810 is further configured to enable the access layer to receive time information corresponding to the bearer types in different time periods from an upper layer of the access layer.

[0449] Each unit in the above embodiments may also be referred to as a module, a circuit, or a component.

[0450] The functions and actions of the modules or units in the apparatus 800 listed above are only exemplary. When the apparatus 800 is configured in or is itself an access network device, the modules or units in the apparatus 800 can be used to execute the actions or processing procedures executed by the access network device in the above method. When the apparatus 800 is configured in or is itself a terminal device, the modules or units in the apparatus 800 can be used to execute the actions or processing procedures executed by the terminal device in the above method.

[0451] For the concepts, explanations, detailed descriptions and other steps involved in the device 800 and related to the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, please refer to the description of these contents in the aforementioned method or other embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0452] Fig.14 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device 900 provided in the present application. The terminal device 900 can execute the actions executed by the terminal device in the above method embodiment.

[0453] For ease of explanation, Fig.14 Only the main components of the terminal device are shown. Fig.14 As shown, the terminal device 900 includes a processor, a memory, a control circuit, an antenna, and an input and output device.

[0454] The processor is mainly used to process the communication protocol and communication data, as well as to control the entire terminal device, execute the software program, and process the data of the software program, for example, to support the terminal device to perform the actions described in the above communication method embodiment. The memory is mainly used to store software programs and data, such as storing the codebook described in the above embodiment. The control circuit is mainly used for conversion between baseband signals and radio frequency signals and processing of radio frequency signals. The control circuit and antenna together can also be called a transceiver, which is mainly used to send and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input and output devices, such as touch screens, display screens, keyboards, etc. are mainly used to receive data input by users and output data to users.

[0455] When the terminal device is turned on, the processor can read the software program in the storage unit, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be sent wirelessly, the processor performs baseband processing on the data to be sent, and outputs the baseband signal to the RF circuit. The RF circuit performs RF processing on the baseband signal and then sends the RF signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the terminal device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor. The processor converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0456] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that for ease of description, Fig.14 Only one memory and processor are shown. In an actual terminal device, there may be multiple processors and memories. The memory may also be referred to as a storage medium or a storage device, etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0457] For example, the processor may include a baseband processor and a central processing unit. The baseband processor is mainly used to process the communication protocol and communication data, and the central processing unit is mainly used to control the entire terminal device, execute software programs, and process data of the software programs. Fig.14 The processor in integrates the functions of the baseband processor and the central processing unit. Those skilled in the art will understand that the baseband processor and the central processing unit may also be independent processors, which are interconnected through technologies such as buses. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terminal device may include multiple baseband processors to adapt to different network standards, and the terminal device may include multiple central processing units to enhance its processing capabilities. The various components of the terminal device may be connected through various buses. The baseband processor may also be described as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. The central processing unit may also be described as a central processing circuit or a central processing chip. The function of processing the communication protocol and communication data may be built into the processor, or may be stored in the storage unit in the form of a software program, and the processor executes the software program to implement the baseband processing function.

[0458] For example, in the embodiment of the present application, the antenna and the control circuit having the transceiver function may be regarded as the transceiver unit 910 of the terminal device 900, and the processor having the processing function may be regarded as the processing unit 920 of the terminal device 900. Fig.14 As shown, the terminal device 900 includes a transceiver unit 910 and a processing unit 920. The transceiver unit 910 may also be referred to as a transceiver, a transceiver, a transceiver device, etc. Optionally, a device used to implement a receiving function in the transceiver unit 910 may be regarded as a receiving unit, and a device used to implement a sending function in the transceiver unit 910 may be regarded as a sending unit, that is, the transceiver unit includes a receiving unit and a sending unit. Exemplarily, the receiving unit may also be referred to as a receiver, a receiver, a receiving circuit, etc., and the sending unit may be referred to as a transmitter, a transmitter, or a transmitting circuit, etc.

[0459] Fig.15 A structural diagram of a network device 1000 provided in an embodiment of the present application can be used to implement the functions of the access network device (e.g., the first access network device) in the above method. The network device 1000 includes one or more radio frequency units, such as a remote radio unit (RRU) 1010 and one or more baseband units (BBU) (also referred to as digital units, digital units, DU) 1020. The RRU 1010 can be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, or a transceiver, etc., and it may include at least one antenna 1011 and a radio frequency unit 1012. The RRU 1010 part is mainly used for the transceiver of radio frequency signals and the conversion of radio frequency signals and baseband signals, for example, for sending the signaling message described in the above embodiment to the terminal device. The BBU 1020 part is mainly used for baseband processing, controlling the base station, etc. The RRU 1010 and the BBU 1020 can be physically arranged together or physically separated, that is, a distributed base station.

[0460] The BBU 1020 is the control center of the base station, which can also be called a processing unit, and is mainly used to complete baseband processing functions, such as channel coding, multiplexing, modulation, spread spectrum, etc. For example, the BBU (processing unit) 1020 can be used to control the access network device to execute the operation flow of the access network device in the above method embodiment.

[0461] In one example, the BBU 1020 may be composed of one or more single boards, and the multiple single boards may jointly support a wireless access network of a single access standard (such as an LTE system or a 5G system), or may respectively support wireless access networks of different access standards. The BBU 1020 also includes a memory 1021 and a processor 1022. The memory 1021 is used to store necessary instructions and data. The processor 1022 is used to control the access network device to perform necessary actions, for example, to control the access network device to execute the operation process of the access network device in the above method embodiment. The memory 1021 and the processor 1022 can serve one or more single boards. In other words, a memory and a processor may be separately set on each single board. It is also possible that multiple single boards share the same memory and processor. In addition, necessary circuits may be set on each single board.

[0462] In a possible implementation, with the development of system-on-chip (SoC) technology, all or part of the functions of parts 1020 and 1010 can be implemented by SoC technology, for example, by a base station function chip, which integrates devices such as a processor, a memory, and an antenna interface, and the program of the base station-related functions is stored in the memory, and the processor executes the program to implement the relevant functions of the base station. Optionally, the base station function chip can also read the memory outside the chip to implement the relevant functions of the base station.

[0463] It should be understood that Fig.15 The structure of the network device in the example is only one possible form and should not constitute any limitation to the embodiments of the present application. The present application does not exclude the possibility of other forms of base station structures that may appear in the future.

[0464] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned access network device and terminal device.

[0465] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), and the processor may also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc.

[0466] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of random access memory (RAM) are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0467] The above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any other combination. When implemented by software, the above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer programs are loaded or executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website site, computer, server or data center to another website site, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that contains one or more available media sets. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium. The semiconductor medium can be a solid-state hard disk.

[0468] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable medium on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a computer, the steps performed by the access network device or the steps performed by the terminal device in any of the above embodiments are implemented.

[0469] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, which, when executed by a computer, implements the steps performed by the access network device or the steps performed by the terminal device in any of the above embodiments.

[0470] The embodiment of the present application also provides a system chip, which includes: a communication unit and a processing unit. The processing unit may be, for example, a processor. The communication unit may be, for example, an input / output interface, a pin or a circuit. The processing unit may execute computer instructions to enable the chip in the communication device to execute the steps performed by the access network device provided in the embodiment of the present application, or the steps performed by the terminal device.

[0471] Optionally, the computer instructions are stored in a storage unit.

[0472] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, including the access network device and terminal device in the aforementioned embodiment.

[0473] The various embodiments in this application may be used independently or in combination, which is not limited here.

[0474] In addition, various aspects or features of the present application can be implemented as methods, devices or products using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. The term "product" used in this application covers computer programs that can be accessed from any computer-readable device, carrier or medium. For example, computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks or tapes, etc.), optical disks (e.g., compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), etc.), smart cards and flash memory devices (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), cards, sticks or key drives, etc.). In addition, the various storage media described herein may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable medium" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing and / or carrying instructions and / or data.

[0475] It should be understood that in the embodiments shown above, the first and the second are only used to distinguish different objects and should not constitute any limitation to the present application.

[0476] It should also be understood that "and / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the previously associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one" means one or more; "at least one of A and B" is similar to "A and / or B", describing the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, at least one of A and B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone.

[0477] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0478] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0479] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0480] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0481] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0482] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application can be essentially or partly embodied in the form of a software product that contributes to the prior art. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage media include: various media that can store program codes, such as USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, read-only memories (ROM), random access memories (RAM), magnetic disks or optical disks.

[0483] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.< / maxnoofplmnforqmc> < / maxnooftaforqmc> < / maxnooftaforqmc> < / maxnoofcellidforqmc>

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: An access layer of a terminal device receives a quality of experience (QoE) measurement result and first indication information from an upper layer of the access layer; The access layer of the terminal device determines, according to the first indication information, to send the QoE measurement result to a primary base station or a secondary base station of the terminal device; Before the access layer of the terminal device receives the QoE measurement result and the first indication information from the upper layer of the access layer, the method further includes: The access layer of the terminal device receives first configuration information from a first access network device, where the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform QoE measurement at the application layer, and the first access network device is a primary base station or a secondary base station of the terminal device; The access layer of the terminal device sends the first configuration information and the first indication information to an upper layer of the access layer of the terminal device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: The access layer of the terminal device receives second indication information from the first access network device, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the first access network device is a primary base station or a secondary base station; The access layer determines the first indication information according to the second indication information.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The first indication information and the second indication information are the same piece of information.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before the access layer of the terminal device receives the QoE measurement result and the first indication information from the upper layer of the access layer, the method further includes: The access layer of the terminal device receives third indication information from the second access network device, where the third indication information is used to instruct the access layer of the terminal device to send the QoE measurement result to the first access network device; The first access network device is a primary base station, and the second access network device is a secondary base station; or the first access network device is a secondary base station, and the second access network device is a primary base station.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The first indication information includes at least one of a tracking identifier ID, a tracking collection entity identifier TCE ID, QoE service type information, node type information, wireless access technology RAT type information, a protocol data unit PDU session identifier, a 5G service quality identifier 5QI, a service quality flow identifier QFI and a first identifier, wherein the first identifier is allocated by operation, administration and maintenance OAM or access network equipment.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: Also includes: The access layer of the terminal device determines that the bearer type corresponding to the service type measured by QoE has changed; When the bearer type changes, the access layer of the terminal device sends first information to the upper layer of the access layer, where the first information is used to trigger the reporting of QoE measurement results, or the first information is used to notify the bearer type corresponding to the service type of the QoE measurement before and after the change.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that When the first information is used to notify the bearer type corresponding to the service type of the QoE measurement before and after the change, the method further includes: The access layer of the terminal device receives second information from an upper layer of the access layer, where the second information is used to indicate the bearer type of the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement result in different time periods.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that Also includes: The access layer of the terminal device receives time information corresponding to the bearer types in different time periods from an upper layer of the access layer.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, 7-8, characterized in that: Also includes: The terminal device receives third information from a third access network device, where the third information is used to indicate an area range for the QoE measurement, where the area range includes area ranges of at least two RATs, and the third access network device is a primary base station or a secondary base station for the terminal device.

10. A communication method, characterized in that: include: An access layer of a terminal device receives first configuration information from a first access network device, where the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform a quality of experience (QoE) measurement at an application layer; The access layer of the terminal device receives second indication information from the first access network device, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the first access network device is a primary base station or a secondary base station of the terminal device; The access layer of the terminal device sends the first configuration information and the second indication information to an upper layer of the access layer; An access layer of a terminal device receives a QoE measurement result and the second indication information from an upper layer of the access layer, wherein the QoE measurement result is obtained by the upper layer performing QoE measurement according to the first configuration information; The access layer of the terminal device sends the second indication information and the QoE measurement result to a second access network device, wherein the first access network device is the same as the second access network device, or the first access network device is a primary base station and the second access network device is a secondary base station, or the first access network device is a secondary base station and the second access network device is a primary base station.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The second indication information includes at least one of a tracking ID, a tracking collection entity identifier TCE ID, a QoE service type, a node type, a wireless access technology RAT type, a protocol data unit PDU session identifier, a 5G service quality identifier 5QI, a service quality flow identifier QFI and a first identifier, wherein the first identifier is allocated by operation, administration and maintenance OAM or access network equipment.

12. A communication method, characterized in that: include: A first access network device receives a quality of experience (QoE) measurement result and second indication information from a terminal device, wherein the QoE measurement result is obtained by the terminal device performing QoE measurement according to the first configuration information, and the second indication information indicates that the second access network device that sends the first configuration information to the terminal device is a primary base station or a secondary base station of the terminal device, and the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform QoE measurement at the application layer; The first access network device sends the QoE measurement result to a network device according to the second indication information, wherein the first access network device is the same as the second access network device, or the first access network device is a primary base station and the second access network device is a secondary base station, or the first access network device is a secondary base station and the second access network device is a primary base station.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The first access network device is the same as the second access network device, The first access network device sending the QoE measurement result to the network device according to the second indication information includes: The first access network device sends the QoE measurement result to a tracking collection entity TCE corresponding to the first access network device.

14. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The first access network device is a primary base station and the second access network device is a secondary base station, or the first access network device is a secondary base station and the second access network device is a primary base station; The first access network device sending the QoE measurement result to the network device according to the second indication information includes: The first access network device sends the QoE measurement result to the TCE corresponding to the second access network device, or the first access network device sends the QoE measurement result to the second access network device.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that: The second indication information includes at least one of a tracking ID, a tracking collection entity identifier TCE ID, a QoE service type, a node type, a wireless access technology RAT type, a protocol data unit PDU session identifier, a 5G service quality identifier 5QI, a service quality flow identifier QFI and a first identifier, wherein the first identifier is allocated by operation, administration and maintenance OAM or access network equipment.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The second indication information includes a tracking collection entity TCE ID, The first access network device sending the QoE measurement result to the network device according to the second indication information includes: The first access network device obtains the TCE IP corresponding to the TCE ID according to the relationship between the TCE ID and the IP address; The first access network device sends the QoE measurement result to the TCE corresponding to the TCE IP.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The second indication information includes a tracking ID, The first access network device sending the QoE measurement result to the network device according to the second indication information includes: The first access network device sends the QoE measurement result and the tracking ID to the TCE.

18. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that Before the first access network device receives the QoE measurement result and the second indication information from the terminal device, the method further includes: The first access network device sends the first configuration information and the second indication information to the terminal device.

19. A wireless communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises means for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

20. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor and a transceiver, wherein the processor is used to call and run a computer program from a memory to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

21. The communication device according to claim 20, characterized in that: Also includes: The memory.

22. A communication chip, characterized in that: The chip comprises: A processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor is used to call and run instructions from the communication interface, and when the processor executes the instructions, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18 is implemented.

23. A communication system, characterized in that: include: An apparatus and access network equipment for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9; or An apparatus for executing the method according to any one of claims 10-11 and an apparatus for executing the method according to any one of claims 12-18.

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