Method and apparatus for supporting quality of experience (QoE) measurement collection

Abstract

The invention provides a method and equipment for supporting QoE measurement collection. An exemplary method may include transmitting, to a UE (102), first information indicating a configuration of at least one set of QoE measurements, where each set of QoE measurements includes one or more QoE measurements for a same service type and a different set of QoE measurements for a different service type; and transmit second information indicating a configuration of at least one QoE measurement to the UE (102) in response to an inter-RAT handover to the target RAN node, where the at least one QoE measurement is selected from the at least one set of QoE measurements, and different QoE measurements of the at least one QoE measurement are used for different service types.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present application generally relate to wireless communication technology, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for supporting Quality of Experience (QoE) measurement collection (QMC, also known as QoE, QoE measurement, or QoE measurement collection operation, etc.). Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcast, etc. Wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of wireless communication systems may include fourth generation (4G) systems such as long term evolution (LTE) systems, advanced LTE (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth generation (5G) systems which may also be referred to as new radio (NR) systems.

[0003] In 3GPP Release (Rel)-17, basic mechanisms for NR QoE are specified, such as basic mechanisms for triggering, configuration, collection, mobility support, and QoE measurement reporting. However, only QoE measurement collection continuity for intra-radio access technology (RAT) mobility within the system is supported in Rel-17. Support for QoE measurement collection continuity for intra-RAT mobility within the system is expected to be implemented in Rel-18.

[0004] Therefore, the industry expects a technology to support the continuity of QoE measurement collection for inter-RAT mobility within the system. Summary of the invention

[0005] An objective of embodiments of the present application is to provide a technical solution to support QoE measurement collection, for example, a method and apparatus to support continuity of QoE measurement collection for inter-RAT mobility within a system.

[0006] Some embodiments of the present application provide a radio access network (RAN) node, such as a gNB, comprising: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the transceiver is configured to: transmit first information indicating a configuration of at least one set of QoE measurements to a user equipment (UE), wherein each set of QoE measurements includes one or more QoE measurements for the same service type and different sets of QoE measurements are used for different service types; and transmit second information indicating a configuration of at least one QoE measurement to the UE in response to an inter-RAT handover to a target RAN node, wherein the at least one QoE measurement is selected from the at least one set of QoE measurements and different QoE measurements in the at least one QoE measurement are used for different service types.

[0007] In some embodiments of the present application, the transceiver is further configured to: receive information indicating QoE measurement continuity after inter-RAT switching from the OAM system or from the OAM system via a core network (CN), wherein the at least one QoE measurement is selected based on the information indicating QoE measurement continuity after inter-RAT switching.

[0008] According to some embodiments of the present application, the information indicating the continuity of QoE measurement after inter-RAT switching indicates which QoE measurement for the service type is continued after the inter-RAT switching, or indicates the continuity priority of each QoE measurement for the service type after the inter-RAT switching. In the case where there is only one QoE measurement in a group of QoE measurements, the information indicating the continuity of QoE measurement after inter-RAT switching is the service type.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present application, the transceiver is configured to: transmit the information indicating QoE measurement continuity after inter-RAT switching together with the first information to the UE.

[0010] According to some embodiments of the present application, the transceiver is configured to: transmit the information indicating QoE measurement continuity after inter-RAT switching together with the second information to the UE.

[0011] According to some embodiments of the present application, the processor is configured to: select the at least one QoE measurement based on the information indicating the continuity of the QoE measurement; and the transceiver is configured to: transmit third information indicating only the configuration of the at least one QoE measurement to the target RAN node; and receive the second information indicating the configuration of the at least one QoE measurement from the target RAN node, wherein the configuration of the at least one QoE measurement indicated in the second information is generated or updated based on the configuration of the at least one QoE measurement indicated in the third information. Each configuration of the at least one QoE measurement indicated in the second information is identified by a corresponding service type.

[0012] According to some embodiments of the present application, the transceiver is configured to: transmit to the target RAN node third information indicating the configuration of the at least one set of QoE measurements and the information indicating the continuity of QoE measurements after inter-RAT handover; and receive from the target RAN node the second information indicating the configuration of the at least one QoE measurement, wherein the configuration of the at least one QoE measurement indicated in the second information is generated or updated based on the configuration of the at least one set of QoE measurements indicated in the third information. Exemplary third information further includes a measurement configuration application layer identifier for each configuration of the at least one set of QoE measurements assigned by the RAN node to the UE; and the second information further includes the measurement configuration application layer identifier for each configuration of the at least one QoE measurement. In an example, the transceiver is configured to: receive from the target RAN node information indicating the QoE measurements to be released; and transmit to the UE the information indicating the QoE measurements to be released. In another example, the transceiver is configured to: receive information indicating QoE measurements to be continued from the target RAN node; and transmit the information indicating QoE measurements to be continued to the UE. In yet another example, the third information and the information indicating QoE measurement continuity after inter-RAT handover are transmitted to the target RAN node via a handover request message or via a source-to-target transparent container.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present application, the transceiver is configured to: transmit information indicating QoE measurement continuity after inter-RAT switching to the UE by indicating release of other QoE measurements in the at least one set of QoE measurements except the at least one QoE measurement.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present application, the RAN node is a gNB and the target RAN node is an ng-eNB.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present application, the configuration of at least one set of QoE measurements indicated in the first information is in a first RAT, and the configuration of at least one QoE measurement indicated in the second information is in a second RAT different from the first RAT.

[0016] Some embodiments of the present application provide a RAN node, such as an ng-eNB, comprising: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the transceiver is configured to: receive first information indicating a configuration of at least one set of QoE measurements from a source RAN node in response to an inter-RAT handover, wherein each set of QoE measurements includes one or more QoE measurements for the same service type and different sets of QoE measurements are used for different service types; and transmit second information indicating a configuration of at least one QoE measurement to the source RAN node, wherein the at least one QoE measurement is selected from the at least one set of QoE measurements and different QoE measurements in the at least one QoE measurement are used for different service types.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present application, the transceiver is configured to: receive information indicating QoE measurement continuity after inter-RAT switching from the source RAN node; and the transceiver is configured to: select the at least one QoE measurement from the at least one set of QoE measurements based on the information indicating QoE measurement continuity after inter-RAT switching.

[0018] According to some embodiments of the present application, the information indicating QoE measurement continuity after inter-RAT switching indicates which QoE measurement for a service type is continued after inter-RAT switching, or indicates a continuity priority for each QoE measurement for a service type after inter-RAT switching.

[0019] In some embodiments of the present application, the configuration of the at least one QoE measurement indicated in the second information is generated or updated based on the configuration of the at least one set of QoE measurements indicated in the first information.

[0020] In some embodiments of the present application, the transceiver is configured to: transmit information indicating the QoE measurement to be released to the source RAN node.

[0021] In some embodiments of the present application, the transceiver is configured to: transmit information indicating that the QoE measurement is to be continued to the source RAN node.

[0022] In some embodiments of the present application, the information indicating the continuity of QoE measurements after the inter-RAT handover is received from the source RAN node via a handover request message or a source-to-target transparent container.

[0023] In some embodiments of the present application, the RAN node is an ng-eNB and the source RAN node is a gNB.

[0024] In some embodiments of the present application, the first information further includes a measurement configuration application layer identifier for each configuration of the at least one set of QoE measurements assigned by the RAN node to the UE; and the second information further includes the measurement configuration application layer identifier for each configuration of the at least one QoE measurement.

[0025] In some embodiments of the present application, the configuration of at least one set of QoE measurements indicated in the first information is in a first RAT, and the configuration of at least one QoE measurement indicated in the second information is in a second RAT different from the first RAT.

[0026] Some embodiments of the present application provide a RAN node, such as an ng-eNB, comprising: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the transceiver is configured to: transmit information indicating at least one QoE measurement and information indicating that the at least one QoE measurement has been configured to a UE having a first RAT identification information to a target RAN node in response to an inter-RAT switching, wherein different QoE measurements in the at least one QoE measurement are used for different service types; receive second RAT identification information and information associating the at least one QoE measurement with the second RAT identification information from the target RAN node; and transmit the second RAT identification information and the information associating the at least one QoE measurement with the second RAT identification information to the UE.

[0027] In some embodiments of the present application, the first RAT identification information is a service type, and the second RAT identification information is a measurement configuration application layer identifier.

[0028] In some embodiments of the present application, the information associating the at least one QoE measurement with the second RAT identification information is implicitly indicated by the second RAT identification information.

[0029] In some embodiments of the present application, the RAN node is an ng-eNB and the target RAN node is a gNB.

[0030] Some embodiments of the present application provide a RAN node, such as a gNB, comprising: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the transceiver is configured to: receive information indicating at least one QoE measurement and information indicating that the at least one QoE measurement has been configured to a UE having first RAT identification information from a source RAN node in response to an inter-RAT switching, wherein different QoE measurements in the at least one QoE measurement are used for different service types; and transmit second RAT identification information and information associating the at least one QoE measurement identified by the first RAT identification information with the second RAT identification information to the source RAN node.

[0031] In some embodiments of the present application, the RAN node is a gNB and the source RAN node is a ng-eNB.

[0032] Some embodiments of the present application provide a remote device, such as a UE, comprising: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the transceiver is configured to: receive first information indicating a configuration of at least one set of QoE measurements from a RAN node, wherein each set of QoE measurements includes one or more QoE measurements for the same service type and different sets of QoE measurements are used for different service types; and receive second information indicating a configuration of at least one QoE measurement from the RAN node in response to an inter-RAT handover from the RAN node to a target RAN node, wherein the at least one QoE measurement is selected from the at least one set of QoE measurements, and different QoE measurements in the at least one QoE measurement are used for different service types.

[0033] In some embodiments of the present application, the transceiver is further configured to: receive information indicating QoE measurement continuity after inter-RAT switching together with at least one of the first information or the second information; and based on the information indicating QoE measurement continuity after inter-RAT switching, continue the at least one QoE measurement after the inter-RAT switching.

[0034] In some embodiments of the present application, the transceiver is configured to: receive information indicating that other QoE measurements in the at least one set of QoE measurements except the at least one QoE measurement will be released in response to the inter-RAT switching; and the processor is configured to: release the other QoE measurements in the at least one set of QoE measurements.

[0035] In some embodiments of the present application, the transceiver is configured to: receive information indicating that the at least one QoE measurement will continue in response to the inter-RAT handover; and the processor is configured to: continue the at least one QoE measurement after the inter-RAT handover.

[0036] According to some embodiments of the present application, when the information indicating QoE measurement continuity after inter-RAT switching is received together with the first information, each configuration of the at least one QoE measurement indicated in the second information is identified by a corresponding service type.

[0037] According to some embodiments of the present application, in a case where the information indicating QoE measurement continuity after inter-RAT switching is received together with the second information, the information indicating QoE measurement continuity after inter-RAT switching is indicated by a measurement application layer identifier included in the second information, and the measurement application layer is allocated by the source RAN node.

[0038] In some embodiments of the present application, the configuration of at least one set of QoE measurements indicated in the first information is in a first RAT, and the configuration of at least one QoE measurement indicated in the second information is in a second RAT different from the first RAT.

[0039] In view of the above, the embodiments of the present application at least provide a technical solution to support QoE measurement collection, for example, a method and apparatus to support continuity of QoE measurement collection for intra-RAT inter-mobility in the system, which considers both the scenario from a source RAN node supporting more than one QoE measurement for each service type to a target RAN node supporting only one QoE measurement for each service type and the scenario from a source RAN node supporting only one QoE measurement for each service type to a target RAN node supporting more than one QoE measurement for each service type. Therefore, the present application can promote and improve the implementation of NR. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] In order to describe the manner in which the advantages and features of the present application can be obtained, the description of the present application is presented by reference to specific embodiments of the present application illustrated in the accompanying drawings. These drawings depict only example embodiments of the present application and are therefore not to be considered as limiting the scope of the present application.

[0041] Figure 1 A wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the present application is described.

[0042] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of supporting QoE measurement collection in scenario 1 according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0043] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for QoE measurement collection using Scheme 1 in Support Scenario 1 according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0044] Figure 4is a flowchart illustrating a method for collecting QoE measurements using scheme 2 in support scenario 1 according to some other embodiments of the present application.

[0045] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of supporting QoE measurement collection in scenario 2 according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0046] Figure 6 A block diagram illustrating a device supporting QoE measurement collection according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0047] Figure 7 A block diagram illustrating an apparatus supporting QoE measurement collection according to some other embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] The detailed description of the accompanying drawings is intended as a description of the preferred embodiments of the present application, and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present application can be practiced. It should be understood that the same or equivalent functions can be implemented by different embodiments that are intended to be included in the spirit and scope of the present application.

[0049] Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of the present application, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. To facilitate understanding, embodiments are provided under specific network architectures and new service scenarios, such as 3GPP 5G, 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), etc. It is considered that all embodiments in the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems as network architectures and new service scenarios develop. In addition, the terms cited in the present application may change, which should not affect the principles of the present application.

[0050] Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication system 100 in accordance with some embodiments of the present application.

[0051] like Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1 , the wireless communication system 100 includes at least one BS 101 and at least one UE 102. Specifically, for illustrative purposes, the wireless communication system 100 includes one BS 101 and two terminal devices 102 (eg, a first UE 102a and a second UE 102b). Although for simplicity, Figure 1 A specific number of BSs and terminal devices are described in FIG. 1 , but it is considered that in some other embodiments of the present application, the wireless communication system 100 may include more or fewer BSs and terminal devices.

[0052] The wireless communication system 100 is compatible with any type of network capable of sending and receiving wireless communication signals. For example, the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with wireless communication networks, cellular telephone networks, time division multiple access (TDMA)-based networks, code division multiple access (CDMA)-based networks, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA)-based networks, LTE networks, 3GPP-based networks, 3GPP 5G networks, satellite communication networks, high altitude platform networks, and / or other communication networks.

[0053] BS101 may communicate with a CN node (not shown) (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME) or a serving gateway (S-GW), an access and mobility management function (AMF), or a user plane function (UPF), etc.) via an interface. BSs are also referred to as access points, access terminals, base stations, macro cells, Node Bs, enhanced Node Bs (eNBs), gNBs, home Node Bs, relay nodes, or devices, or are described using other terms used in the art. In 5G NR, BSs may also be referred to as RAN nodes. Each BS may serve a number of UEs within a service area (e.g., a cell or a cell sector) via wireless communication links. Neighboring BSs may communicate with each other as needed (e.g., during a handover procedure of a UE).

[0054] The terminal device (or remote device) 102 (e.g., the first UE 102a and the second UE 102b) may include a computing device, such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a smart TV (e.g., a TV connected to the Internet), a set-top box, a game console, a security system (including a security camera), a car computer, a network device (e.g., a router, a switch and a modem), or the like. According to an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may include a portable wireless communication device, a smart phone, a cellular phone, a flip phone, a device with a subscriber identification module, a personal computer, a selective call receiver, or any other device capable of sending and receiving communication signals on a wireless network. In some embodiments, the terminal device may include a wearable device, such as a smart watch, a fitness bracelet, an optical head-mounted display, or the like. In addition, the terminal device may be referred to as a subscriber unit, a mobile device, a mobile station, a user, a terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a fixed terminal, a subscriber station, a user terminal or a device, or described using other terms used in the art. Herein (throughout this specification), although "UE" is exemplarily used as a classic terminal device for explaining a terminal device, it should be understood as any type of terminal device.

[0055] In 3GPP Rel-17, the basic mechanisms of NR QoE are specified. For example, regarding QoE measurement collection activation and reporting, TS38.300 specifies the following:

[0056] “The feature is activated in NG-RAN by direct configuration from the OAM system (management-based activation) or by signaling from OAM via the core network (signaling-based activation) containing the QoE configuration associated with the UE. Each service type may activate one or more QoE measurement collection operations at the UE, and each QoE measurement configuration is uniquely identified by a QoE reference.

[0057] For signaling-based QoE measurements, OAM initiates QoE measurement activation for a specific UE via the core network, and the NG-RAN node receives one or more QoE measurement configurations via signaling associated with the UE. The QoE measurement configuration for signaling-based activation contains a list of application layer measurement configurations and corresponding information for QoE measurement collection, such as QoE reference, service type, MCE IP address, slice range, area range, MDT alignment information, and an indication of available RAN-visible QoE metrics. Each application layer measurement configuration is encapsulated in a transparent container. The NG-RAN node forwards the corresponding QoE measurement configuration to the UE in a downlink RRC message containing AppLayerMeasConfig, as specified in TS 38.331

[12] .

[0058] For management-based QoE measurement activation, OAM sends one or more QoE measurement configurations to the NG-RAN node. The QoE measurement configuration for management-based activation also includes a list of application layer measurement configurations and corresponding information for QoE measurement collection. Each application layer measurement configuration is encapsulated in a transparent container. The NG-RAN node selects a UE that meets the required QoE measurement capability, area scope, and slice scope.

[0059] The UE reports the QoE measurement results to the NG-RAN node in an uplink RRC message as specified in TS 38.331

[12] . The NG-RAN node transmits the QoE report and the corresponding QoE reference ID to the MCE.

[0060] QoE measurement collection is handled by application layer measurement configuration and measurement reporting, which is only supported in RRC_CONNECTED state. The application layer measurement configuration received by the gNB from OAM or CN is encapsulated in a transparent container, which is forwarded to the UE as an application layer configuration in the RRCReconfiguration message (multiple configurations may be present in the same message). Application layer measurement reports received from higher layers of the UE are encapsulated in a transparent container and sent to the network in a MeasurementReportAppLayer message as specified in TS 38.331

[12] . The UE may send multiple application layer measurement reports to the gNB in ​​one MeasurementReportAppLayer message. To allow the transmission of application layer measurement reports exceeding the maximum PDCP SDU size, the gNB may enable segmentation of the MeasurementReportAppLayer message. The measConfigAppLayerId passed in RRC signaling is used to identify the application layer measurement configuration and report between the gNB and the UE. The RRC identifier is mapped to a QoE reference in the gNB. The application layer measurement report is forwarded to OAM together with the QoE reference. The gNB may release one or more application layer measurement configurations from the UE in an RRCReconfiguration message at any time. The UE may additionally be configured by the gNB to report when a QoE measurement session for a certain application layer measurement configuration is started or stopped.

[0061] Therefore, QoE measurement collection can be activated in two ways, namely, management-based activation and signaling-based activation. In the case of management-based activation, the RAN node (e.g., gNB) receives a direct configuration from OAM (or OAM system). In the case of signaling-based activation, the RAN node receives signaling containing the QoE configuration associated with the UE from OAM via CN. The application layer measurement configuration received by the gNB from OAM or CN is encapsulated in a transparent container in Rel-17, which is forwarded to the UE as an application layer configuration in the RRCReconfiguration message (multiple configurations may be present in the same message). The application layer measurement report received from the application layer of the UE is encapsulated in a transparent container and sent to the network in a MeasurementReportAppLayer message. In order to allow the transmission of application layer measurement reports exceeding the maximum PDCP SDU size, the gNB may enable segmentation of the MeasurementReportAppLayer message.

[0062] TS 38.300 also specifies the QoE measurement continuity for mobility as follows:

[0063] "Support QoE measurement collection continuity for intra-RAT mobility within the system with area-wide parameters configured by OAM, where the network is responsible for tracking whether the UE is within or outside the area. Even if the UE leaves the area, it shall continue the ongoing measurements unless the network instructs the UE to release the QoE configuration.

[0064] For RRC_CONNECTED state mobility, the source NG-RAN node may transmit QoE measurement configuration and / or information related to the configuration of a specific UE to the target NG-RAN node via XnAP or NGAP. For signaling-based QoE, the QoE reference, MCE IP address, measurement configuration application layer ID, MDT alignment information, area range, slice range, and measurement status are passed to the target node. For management-based QoE, the measurement configuration application layer ID, MCE IP address, and measurement status are passed to the target node. For RRC_INACTIVE state mobility, when a specific UE reverts to the RRC_CONNECTED state, the QoE measurement configuration of the UE may be restored from the node hosting the UE context. Multiple sets of QoE measurement configurations should be supported during mobility.

[0065] For signaling-based QoE, when switching to a target gNB that supports QoE, the target gNB decides which application layer measurement configurations to keep and which to release, for example based on the application layer measurement configuration information received from the source gNB in ​​Xn / NG signaling.

[0066] When the UE resumes connection in a gNB that does not support QoE, the UE releases all application layer measurement configurations.

[0067] It can be seen that Rel-17 only specifies the continuity of QoE measurement collection for intra-RAT mobility within the system. The continuity of QoE measurement collection for inter-RAT mobility within the system is expected to be resolved in Rel-18. For example, according to RP-213159, it has been agreed that "the continuity of legacy QoE measurement operations for streaming media and MTSI services during the intra-RAT handover process [RAN2, RAN3] within the 5GC." Related issues to be resolved include, but are not limited to: problems caused by the mismatch of QoE measurement capabilities between two different RATs (for example, the mismatch between NR QoE measurement collection capabilities and LTE QoE measurement collection capabilities). The term LTE refers to Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA). 'LTE' is used for convenience. When the BS is connected to a 5GC, 'LTE' can be replaced by 'E-UTRA'. The RAN nodes within the intra-RAT within the system are NG-RAN nodes. An NG-RAN node is either a gNB, which provides NR user plane and control plane protocol termination to the UE and is connected to the 5GC via an NG interface, or an ng-eNB, which provides E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol termination to the UE and is connected to the 5GC via an NG interface.

[0068] Specifically, NR QoE supports multiple QoE measurements per service type, where QoE measurements (including QoE measurement configurations and QoE measurement reports) are identified by NR QoE identification information (e.g., measurement configuration application layer identifier (ID) (currently specified as "measConfigAppLayerId" in 3GPP specifications). The measurement configuration application layer ID can be passed as an RRC identifier in radio resource control (RRC) signaling to identify application layer measurement configurations and reports between the gNB and the UE. Each service type can activate one or more QoE measurement collection operations at the UE, and each QoE measurement configuration is uniquely identified by a QoE reference (e.g., QoE reference ID), where measConfigAppLayerId is mapped to the QoE reference in the gNB.

[0069] However, LTE QoE only supports a single QoE measurement for each service type, and each QoE measurement collection operation is implicitly identified by the QoE service type. There is no additional identification information for different QoE measurement collection operations in LTE QoE. Currently, two service types are supported in LTE QoE, namely, streaming media services and multimedia telephony services for IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) (MTSI) services. Therefore, there are two types of LTE QoE measurements, one is QoE measurement collection for streaming media services and the other is QoE measurement collection for MTSI services.

[0070] In some scenarios (hereinafter, scenario 1) where the inter-RAT handover is from a source RAN node (e.g., gNB) supporting NR QoE or the like to a target RAN node (e.g., ng-eNB) supporting LTE QoE or the like instead of NR QoE, more than one QoE measurement collection operation may have been activated for a certain service type (e.g., streaming service or MTSI service) in the source gNB. However, the target ng-eNB can only support one QoE measurement collection operation for the service type. Therefore, how to ensure that the UE determines one QoE measurement collection operation with QoE measurement continuity from more than one QoE measurement collection operations for each service type should be addressed.

[0071] On the other hand, in some other scenarios (hereinafter, scenario 2) where the inter-RAT handover is from a source RAN node supporting LTE QoE (e.g., ng-eNB) to a target RAN node supporting NRQoE (e.g., gNB), how to configure the NR QoE measurement identification information (e.g., measConfigAppLayerId) with QoE measurement continuity for QoE measurements identified only by service type should also be addressed to ensure that the UE continues and reports correct QoE measurements.

[0072] In view of the above, at least in order to support the continuity of QoE measurement collection for intra-RAT mobility, embodiments of the present application provide a technical solution for supporting QoE measurement collection, especially a method and apparatus for supporting QoE measurement collection. Although the exemplary inter-RAT handover described herein is between an NR RAN node (e.g., gNB) and an LTE RAN node (e.g., ng-eNB), it should be known to those skilled in the art that the terminology, especially "NR" and "gNB", may change with the evolution of 3GPP. Any inter-RAT handover between a RAN node in which one RAT supports more than one QoE measurement collection operation for each service type and a RAN node in which the other RAT only supports one QoE measurement collection operation for each service type will result in the same problem, which will be solved by the technical solution disclosed in the embodiments of the present application.

[0073] For example, considering scenario 1, some embodiments of the present application provide a method that may be performed by a RAN node (e.g., a source gNB or the like) in which one RAT supports more than one QoE measurement collection operation for each service type. The exemplary method includes: transmitting first information indicating the configuration of at least one set of QoE measurements to a UE; and transmitting second information indicating the configuration of at least one QoE measurement to the UE in response to an inter-RAT handover to a target RAN node (e.g., an ng-eNB or the like) in which another RAT supports only one QoE measurement collection operation for each service type. Each set of QoE measurements includes one or more QoE measurements for the same service type and different sets of QoE measurements are for different service types. At least one QoE measurement is selected from at least one set of QoE measurements, and different QoE measurements in the at least one QoE measurement are for different service types.

[0074] Some other embodiments of the present application provide another method that can be performed by a RAN node (e.g., a target ng-eNB or the like) that supports only one QoE measurement per service type. The exemplary method includes: receiving first information indicating a configuration of at least one set of QoE measurements from a source RAN node (e.g., a gNB or the like) that supports more than one QoE measurement per service type in response to an inter-RAT handover; and transmitting second information indicating a configuration of at least one QoE measurement to the source RAN node. Similarly, each set of QoE measurements includes one or more QoE measurements for the same service type and different sets of QoE measurements are for different service types. At least one QoE measurement is selected from at least one set of QoE measurements, and different QoE measurements in the at least one QoE measurement are for different service types.

[0075] Some other embodiments of the present application provide yet another method that may be performed by a UE or the like in response to an inter-RAT handover from a RAN node in which one RAT supports more than one QoE measurement per service type to a target RAN node in which another RAT supports only one QoE measurement per service type. The exemplary method includes: receiving first information indicating a configuration of at least one set of QoE measurements from a RAN node (e.g., a source gNB or the like); and receiving second information indicating a configuration of at least one QoE measurement from the RAN node in response to an inter-RAT handover from the RAN node to a target RAN node (e.g., an ng-eNB or the like). Similarly, each set of QoE measurements includes one or more QoE measurements for the same service type and different sets of QoE measurements are for different service types. At least one QoE measurement is selected from the at least one set of QoE measurements, and different QoE measurements in the at least one QoE measurement are for different service types.

[0076] Considering scenario 2, some embodiments of the present application provide a method that can be performed by a RAN node (e.g., a source ng-eNB or the like) in which a first RAT supports only one QoE measurement per service type. The exemplary method includes: transmitting information indicating at least one QoE measurement and information indicating that at least one QoE measurement has been configured to a UE with first RAT identification information (e.g., service type) to a target RAN node (e.g., a gNB or the like) in which a second RAT supports more than one QoE measurement per service type in response to an inter-RAT handover, wherein different QoE measurements in the at least one QoE measurement are for different service types; receiving second RAT identification information (e.g., measConfigAppLayerId) and information associating at least one QoE measurement with the second RAT identification information from the target RAN node; and transmitting the second RAT identification information and information associating at least one QoE measurement with the second RAT identification information to the UE.

[0077] Some other embodiments of the present application provide a method that can be performed by a RAN node (e.g., a target gNB or the like) in which a second RAT supports more than one QoE measurement per service type. The exemplary method includes: receiving, in response to an inter-RAT handover, information indicating at least one QoE measurement and information indicating that at least one QoE measurement has been configured to a UE with first RAT identification information (e.g., service type) from a source RAN node (e.g., an ng-eNB or the like) in which a first RAT supports only one QoE measurement per service type, wherein different QoE measurements in the at least one QoE measurement are for different service types; and transmitting to the source RAN node second RAT identification information (e.g., measConfigAppLayerId) and information associating at least one QoE measurement identified by the first RAT identification information with the second RAT identification information.

[0078] Figure 2 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting QoE measurement collection for scenario 1 according to some embodiments of the present application. Although the method is described at a system level among a source RAN node, a target RAN node, and a remote device, a person skilled in the art should understand that the method implemented in the source RAN node, the target RAN node, and the remote device can be implemented separately and / or combined by other devices with similar functions.

[0079] As described above, in scenario 1, the inter-RAT handover is from a source RAN node (e.g., NR RAN node, gNB, etc.) where one RAT supports more than one QoE measurement per service type to a target RAN node (e.g., E-UTRA RAN node, ng-eNB, etc.) where another RAT supports only one QoE measurement per service type.

[0080] refer to Figure 2 , the source RAN node may configure at least one set of QoE measurements for a remote device (e.g., UE) in response to the QoE measurements being activated by direct configuration from OAM (not shown) (i.e., management-based activation) or by signaling from OAM via a CN node (e.g., AMF) (i.e., signaling-based activation), the signaling containing the QoE configuration associated with the UE. Each set of QoE measurements includes one or more QoE measurements for the same service type and different sets of QoE measurements are for different service types. For example, at least one set of QoE measurements may include a set of QoE measurements including one or more QoE measurements for streaming media services. In another example, at least one set of QoE measurements may include a set of QoE measurements including one or more QoE measurements for MTSI services. In yet another example, at least one set of QoE measurements may include a first set of QoE measurements including one or more QoE measurements for streaming media services and a second set of QoE measurements including one or more QoE measurements for MTSI services. Similar solutions are also applicable to other service types in the future (if any).

[0081] For management-based QoE measurement activation, OAM sends one or more QoE measurement configurations to the source RAN node. For signaling-based QoE measurement, OAM initiates QoE measurement activation for a specific UE via a CN node (e.g., AMF), and the CN node sends QoE measurement configuration information to the source RAN node for QoE measurement activation. Exemplary QoE measurement configuration information from CN or OAM (also referred to as "CN / OAM QoE measurement configuration information") includes:

[0082] -QoE reference: It is used to identify the QoE measurements between gNB and CN or between gNB and OAM;

[0083] - Service Type: It indicates the service type of QoE measurement;

[0084] - Application layer measurement configuration container: it contains the application layer measurement configuration; and

[0085] - Area scope: The area scope for QoE measurement, which includes a cell list, Tracking Area (TA), Tracking Area ID (TAI) or Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) ID.

[0086] Regarding the QoE Reference (or QoE Reference ID), it may be defined as in clause 5.2 of TS28.405, which is an octet string of size (6). The QoE Reference consists of a Mobile Country Code (MCC), a Mobile Network Code (MNC), and a QMC ID, where the MCC and MNC accompany a trace activation request from a management system to identify a PLMN containing the management system, and the QMC ID is a 3-byte octet string.

[0087] According to the QoE measurement information from the CN or OAM, in step 201, the source RAN node will transmit first information indicating the configuration of at least one set of QoE measurements to the UE, and thus, the UE will receive the first information. The configuration of at least one set of QoE measurements indicated in the first information is in a first RAT that supports more than one QoE measurement per service type (e.g., NR QoE). For example, the source RAN node will provide the corresponding RRC QoE measurement configuration to the UE in a downlink RRC message containing an application layer measurement configuration (e.g., AppLayerMeasConfig), which includes:

[0088] -MeasConfigAppLayerId: measurement configuration application layer ID, which is used to identify the application layer measurement configuration and reporting between the gNB and the UE; and

[0089] -Container of application layer measurement configuration: It contains application layer measurement configuration.

[0090] Regarding the measurement configuration application layer ID, it may be as defined in TS 38.331 and is an integer (0..61, ...). The measurement configuration application layer ID will be mapped to a QoE reference in the source RAN node.

[0091] It should be known to those skilled in the art that the above-mentioned information elements (IEs) or parameters are only used as examples, which may change with the evolution of 3GPP specifications and therefore should not be used to unduly limit the scope of protection of the present application.

[0092] Based on the received configuration of at least one set of QoE measurements, the UE will perform the corresponding QoE measurement collection operation. However, in step 203, the source RAN node may decide to perform an inter-system inter-RAT handover to a target RAN node (e.g., ng-eNB). For example, in step 205, the source RAN node may transmit a handover request message to the target RAN node, and in step 207, the target RAN node may transmit a handover response message, such as a handover request acknowledgement (ACK) message.

[0093] In response to the inter-RAT handover, the source RAN node will transmit second information indicating the configuration of at least one QoE measurement selected from the at least one set of QoE measurements to the UE in step 208 (e.g., in a handover command (e.g., MobilityFromNRCommand) message). The configuration of the at least one QoE measurement indicated in the second information is in a second RAT different from the first RAT, for example, a RAT that supports only one QoE measurement for each service type (e.g., LTE QoE). Different QoE measurements in the at least one QoE measurement are for different service types. That is, the at least one QoE measurement is for each service type, and only one QoE measurement is selected for the same service type. Therefore, the UE will receive the second information indicating the configuration of the at least one QoE measurement and will continue the at least one QoE measurement after the inter-RAT handover. The other QoE measurements in the at least one set of QoE measurements except for the at least one QoE measurement will be stopped or released.

[0094] There are various ways on how to select at least one QoE measurement with QoE measurement continuity from at least one set of QoE measurements and / or how to indicate QoE measurement continuity to the UE after inter-RAT handover.

[0095] According to some embodiments of the present application, a mechanism indicating QoE measurement continuity after inter-RAT handover will be used to determine which QoE measurement of each service type will be continued after inter-RAT handover.

[0096] In some embodiments of the present application, information indicating QoE measurement continuity after inter-RAT handover (hereinafter, inter-RAT QoE continuity indication) is received from the OAM system or from the OAM system via the CN. The inter-RAT QoE continuity may be included in the UE application layer measurement information IE of the QMC configuration information IE in the NG-AP signaling. For example, for a certain service type (e.g., the service type is streaming media), the OAM system or CN may provide more than one QoE measurement configuration (e.g., application layer measurement), each QoE measurement configuration being uniquely identified by a QoE reference (e.g., QoE reference ID "1" for the first QoE measurement and QoE reference ID "2" for the second QoE measurement). The OAM system or CN will also provide an inter-RAT QoE continuity indication for one of the more than one QoE measurements for each service type, which is used to indicate which QoE measurement each service type will continue after an inter-RAT handover, for example, from a gNB to an ng-eNB. For example, the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication is configured for the QoE measurement with the QoE reference ID “1” to indicate that the QoE measurement with the QoE reference ID “1” of the streaming media service will be continued after the inter-RAT handover.

[0097] It should be well known to those skilled in the art that, although for each service type, it is supported to continue one QoE measurement after the inter-RAT switching, this does not mean that one QoE measurement must be continued for each service type. For example, in the case where there is a set of QoE measurements for streaming services and a set of QoE measurements for MTSI services, in some embodiments of the present application, only one QoE measurement for streaming services or only one QoE measurement for MTSI services is configured to continue after the inter-RAT switching.

[0098] The inter-RAT QoE continuity indication may be provided in various ways. For example, the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication from the OAM or the CN may explicitly indicate which QoE measurement of the service type is continued after the inter-RAT handover. In another example, the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication may implicitly indicate which QoE measurement of the service type is continued after the inter-RAT handover, for example by indicating a continuity priority of each QoE measurement of the service type after the inter-RAT handover. The QoE measurement with the highest priority among more than one QoE measurements of the service type is continued after the inter-RAT handover. In some cases, there may be only one QoE measurement in a set of QoE measurements of a service type, which may also be used as an inter-RAT QoE continuity indication, which implicitly indicates that only one QoE measurement of the service type is continued after the inter-RAT handover.

[0099] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the received inter-RAT QoE continuity indication, the source RAN node may select at least one QoE measurement from at least one set of QoEs on its own (Scheme 1), or transmit the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication to the target RAN node and the target RAN node will select at least one QoE measurement from at least one set of QoEs (Scheme 2).

[0100] Figure 3 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for collecting QoE measurements using Scheme 1 in Support Scenario 1 according to some embodiments of the present application. Although the method is described at a system level among a source RAN node, a target RAN node, and a remote device, a person skilled in the art should understand that the method implemented in the source RAN node, the target RAN node, and the remote device can be implemented separately and / or combined by other devices with similar functions. In addition, due to Figure 3 The embodiment described in the view of FIG. 1 is also applicable in scenario 1, so for Figure 2 The described embodiment of the view of scene 1 is also applicable to Figure 3 And therefore the same operations will be simplified or omitted in the following description.

[0101] Similarly, an inter-RAT handover is from a source RAN node (e.g., NR RAN node, gNB, etc.) where the first RAT supports more than one QoE measurement per service type to a target RAN node (e.g., E-UTRA RAN node, ng-eNB, etc.) where the second RAT supports only one QoE measurement per service type.

[0102] refer to Figure 3 , similar to step 201, in step 301, the source RAN node may transmit first information indicating a configuration of at least one set of QoE measurements of a remote device (e.g., UE), in response to the QoE measurements being activated by direct configuration from an OAM (not shown) (i.e., management-based activation) or by signaling from the OAM via a CN node (e.g., AMF) (i.e., signaling-based activation), the signaling containing the QoE configuration associated with the UE.

[0103] The source RAN node also receives an inter-RAT QoE continuity indication from the OAM or CN, which indicates, for example, that QoE measurement with QoE reference ID "1" will continue after the inter-RAT handover. According to some embodiments of the present application, in step 301, the source RAN node will also transmit the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication and the first information to the UE.

[0104] For example, the source RAN node will provide the configuration of at least one set of QoE measurements in the first RAT and the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication to the UE through an application layer configuration (e.g., AppLayerMeasConfig IE) in an RRC reconfiguration message, wherein each configuration of the at least one set of QoE measurements is identified by first RAT identification information, such as measConfigAppLayerId transmitted in RRC signaling, which can identify the application layer measurement configuration and reporting between the source RAN node and the UE. measConfigAppLayerId will be mapped to a QoE reference, for example, measConfigAppLayerId "1" is mapped to QoE reference ID "1", and measConfigAppLayerId "1" is mapped to QoE reference ID "2". In the case where the access stratum (AS) layer of the UE receives the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication, the AS layer can forward the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication to the application layer of the UE.

[0105] In case the source RAN node decides to perform an inter-system inter-RAT handover to the target RAN node in step 303, the source RAN node may select at least one QoE measurement from at least one set of QoE measurements based on the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication. Each of the at least one QoE measurement is for a different service type as required in the second RAT. In step 305, the source RAN node will transmit third information indicating only the configuration of the at least one QoE measurement to the target RAN node, for example via a handover request message or via a source-to-target transparent container.

[0106] For example, based on the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication for the QoE measurement configuration with QoE reference ID "1", the source RAN node will select the QoE measurement with QoE reference ID "1" and will only include the configuration of the QoE measurement with QoE reference ID "1" for the target RAN node in, for example, the handover request message in step 305. In some other embodiments, the source RAN node may also generate a QoE measurement configuration in the second RAT, for example, an LTE RRC QoE configuration of the QoE measurement configuration, and include it in a source-to-target transparent container to the target RAN node. The LTE RRC QoE configuration may be encoded in the LTE RRC ASN.1 format.

[0107] After receiving the configuration of at least one QoE measurement configuration (e.g., the configuration of QoE measurement with QoE reference ID "1"), the target RAN node will generate an LTE RRC QoE configuration for the UE based on the received QoE measurement configuration or update the received LTE RRC QoE configuration to provide the UE with an updated LTE RRC QoE configuration. In step 307, the target RAN node will send the generated or updated LTE RRC QoE configuration to the source RAN node in a handover response message, for example, via a target RAT message container. In the LTE RRC QoE configuration provided by the target RAN node, only service types, such as "streaming media", are provided without any measConfigAppLayerId.

[0108] After receiving the configuration of at least one QoE measurement in the second RAT (e.g., LTE RRC QoE configuration of QoE measurement with QoE reference ID "1"), the source RAN node will forward it to the UE (e.g., in a MobilityFromNRCommand message) in step 308. That is, corresponding to step 208, in step 308, the source RAN node will transmit second information indicating the configuration of the selected at least one QoE measurement to the UE, wherein the configuration of the selected at least one QoE measurement is in the second RAT.

[0109] Based on the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication received from the source RAN node and the configuration of the selected at least one QoE measurement in the second RAT, e.g., the LTE RRC QoE configuration for each service type, the UE may determine which QoE measurement of each service type to continue after the inter-RAT handover. Thus, the UE will continue at least one QoE measurement, e.g., continue the QoE measurement of the streaming media with measConfigAppLayerId "1" mapped to the QoE reference ID "1" indicated by the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication. The UE will stop or release other QoE measurements, e.g., stop or release the QoE measurement of the streaming media with measConfigAppLayerId "2" mapped to the QoE reference ID "2".

[0110] In addition to transmitting the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication and the first information to the UE, in some other embodiments of the present application, in step 308 (for example, in the MobilityFromNRComman message), the source RAN node may transmit the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication and the second information to the UE.

[0111] For example, the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication is provided together with the LTE RRC QoE configuration in an exemplary MobilityFromNRCommand message as follows:

[0112] MobilityFromNRCommand:={

[0113] Inter-RAT QoE continuity indication measConfigAppLayerId;

[0114] RRC container containing LTE RRC QoE configuration}

[0115] When the UE receives the configuration of at least one QoE measurement in the second RAT in the MobilityFromNRCommand message, the UE shall continue to perform QoE measurements for a certain service type with the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication and release other QoE configurations for the same service type.

[0116] In some embodiments of the present application, the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication may be indicated to the UE in an implicit manner (e.g., by transmitting information indicating the release of other QoE measurements except at least one QoE measurement in at least one set of QoE measurements, for example, in a MobilityFromNRCommand message).

[0117] For example, based on the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication, the source RAN node may trigger the release of other QoE measurements of the same service type that do not use the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication, such as the QoE measurement of streaming media with measConfigAppLayerId "2". The source RAN node will include the measConfigAppLayerId of the QoE measurement to be released in the exemplary MobilityFromNRCommand message as follows:

[0118] MobilityFromNRCommand:={

[0119] measConfigAppLayerToRelease measConfigAppLayerId;

[0120] RRC container containing LTE RRC QoE configuration}

[0121] After receiving the MobilityFromNRCommand message, the UE shall release the QoE measurements that were instructed to be released, and shall maintain and continue the QoE measurements that will not be released after the inter-RAT handover from the source RAN node to the target RAN node, for example, performing QoE measurements and / or transmitting QoE measurement reports to the target RAN node.

[0122] Solution 2

[0123] Figure 4 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for collecting QoE measurements using scheme 2 in support scenario 1 according to some embodiments of the present application. Although the method is described at a system level among a source RAN node, a target RAN node, and a remote device, a person skilled in the art should understand that the method implemented in the source RAN node, the target RAN node, and the remote device can be implemented separately and / or combined by other devices with similar functions. In addition, due to Figure 4 The embodiment described in the view of FIG. 1 is also applicable in scenario 1, so for Figure 2 The described embodiment of the view of scene 1 is also applicable to Figure 4 And therefore the same operations will be simplified or omitted in the following description.

[0124] Similarly, an inter-RAT handover is from a source RAN node (e.g., NR RAN node, gNB, etc.) where the first RAT supports more than one QoE measurement per service type to a target RAN node (e.g., E-UTRA RAN node, ng-eNB, etc.) where the second RAT supports only one QoE measurement per service type.

[0125] refer to Figure 4, similar to step 201, in step 401, the source RAN node may transmit first information indicating configuration of at least one set of QoE measurements in a first RAT to a remote device (e.g., UE), in response to the QoE measurements being activated by direct configuration from an OAM (not shown) (i.e., management-based activation), or by signaling from the OAM via a CN node (e.g., AMF) (i.e., signaling-based activation), the signaling containing the QoE configuration associated with the UE. The source RAN node also receives an inter-RAT QoE continuity indication from the OAM or CN, which, for example, indicates that QoE measurements with a QoE reference ID "1" will continue after the inter-RAT handover. However, in step 401, the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication is not necessary.

[0126] For example, the source RAN node will provide the configuration of at least one set of QoE measurements in the first RAT to the UE through an application layer configuration (e.g., AppLayerMeasConfig IE) in the RRC reconfiguration message, wherein each configuration of the at least one set of QoE measurements is identified by the first RAT identification information, for example, measConfigAppLayerId transmitted in the RRC signaling, which can identify the application layer measurement configuration and reporting between the source RAN node and the UE. measConfigAppLayerId will be mapped to a QoE reference, for example, measConfigAppLayerId "1" is mapped to QoE reference ID "1", and measConfigAppLayerId "2" is mapped to QoE reference ID "2".

[0127] In case the source RAN node decides to perform an inter-system inter-RAT handover to the target RAN node in step 403, the source RAN node will not select QoE measurements. Instead, in step 405, the source RAN node will transmit third information indicating the configuration of at least one set of QoE measurements and the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication to the target RAN node, for example via a handover request message or via a source-to-target transparent container.

[0128] For example, the source RAN node will provide the UE application layer measurement information IE of the QMC configuration information IE in the XnAP handover request message. The source RAN node will also provide the second RAT identification information to the target RAN node in the same XnAP message, for example, the configuration measConfigAppLayerId of each QoE measurement. For example, the source RAN node will provide the target RAN node with measConfigAppLayerId "1" for QoE measurement with QoE reference ID "1", and measConfigAppLayerId "2" for QoE measurement with QoE reference ID "2". The source RAN node may also provide an inter-RAT QoE continuity indication to the target RAN node.

[0129] After receiving the third information and the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication, the target RAN node will select at least one QoE measurement from at least one set of QoE measurements to be maintained and continued according to the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication. For example, since the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication only indicates to continue the QoE measurement with QoE reference "1" after the inter-RAT handover, the target RAN node will select the QoE measurement with QoE reference ID "1" to maintain and continue after the inter-RAT handover. In the case where the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication is indicated as the continuity priority of the QoE measurement after the inter-RAT handover, the target RAN node will decide to select the QoE measurement with the highest continuity priority among one or more QoE measurements of the same service type.

[0130] Similarly, the target RAN node will generate a configuration of at least one QoE measurement in the second RAT (e.g., LTE RRC QoE configuration of the UE) based on the received QoE measurement configuration or update the received LTE RRC QoE configuration to provide the UE with an updated LTE RRC QoE configuration. In step 407, the target RAN node will send the generated or updated configuration of at least one QoE measurement in the second RAT (e.g., LTE RRC QoE configuration) and corresponding second RAT identification information (e.g., measConfigAppLayerId) to the source RAN node, for example, in a handover response message. In some embodiments of the present application, measConfigAppLayeId may be included in the LTE RRC QoE configuration.

[0131] After receiving the configuration of at least one QoE measurement in the second RAT (eg, LTE RRC QoE configuration of QoE measurement with corresponding measConfigAppLayerId), the source RAN node will forward it to the UE in step 408 (eg, in a MobilityFromNRCommand message).

[0132] Based on the LTE QoE configuration including the corresponding NRmeasConfigAppLayeId in the MobilityFromNRCommand message received from the source RAN node, the UE will continue to have at least one QoE measurement of the corresponding measConfigAppLayeId, for example, continue the QoE measurement of the streaming media with measConfigAppLayerId "1" mapped to QoE reference ID "1". The UE will stop or release other QoE measurements, for example, stop or release the QoE measurement of the streaming media with measConfigAppLayerId "2" mapped to QoE reference ID "2".

[0133] In some other embodiments of the present application, in step 407, the target RAN node may transmit information indicating the QoE measurements to be released to the source RAN node, for example, a QoE measurement release list in a handover response message. The QoE measurement release list may also present a QoE deactivation list, which includes a list of QoE reference IDs of the QoE measurements to be released or deactivated.

[0134] In some other embodiments of the present application, in step 407, the target RAN node may transmit information indicating the QoE measurements to be continued and maintained to the source RAN node, for example, by including a QoE measurement maintenance list (or continuity list) for the source RAN node in the handover response message to indicate that the QoE measurements will be continued and maintained after the inter-RAT handover.

[0135] In some yet other embodiments of the present application, the target RAN node may transmit a QoE measurement release list and a QoE measurement keep list to the source RAN node.

[0136] After the source RAN node receives the QoE measurement release list and / or the QoE measurement keep list in the handover response message, in step 408, the source gNB will send a corresponding QoE measurement release list (e.g., measConfigAppLayerToReleaseList) to the UE to release the listed QoE measurements. The measConfigAppLayerToReleaseList may include a list of measConfigAppLayerIds of the QoE measurements to be released. In some other embodiments of the present application, the source RAN node may send a corresponding QoE measurement keep list (e.g., measConfigAppLayerToKeptList) to indicate the QoE measurements to be maintained and continued. In some other embodiments of the present application, in step 408, the source RAN node may send measConfigAppLayerToReleaseList and measConfigAppLayerToKeptList to the UE. The measConfigAppLayerToReleaseList and / or measConfigAppLayerToKeptList may be included in the MobilityFromNRCommand message.

[0137] After receiving the MobilityFromNRCommand message, the UE shall release the QoE measurements indicated in measConfigAppLayerToReleaseList and keep (continue) other QoE measurements; and / or the UE shall keep the QoE measurements in measConfigAppLayerToKeptList and release other QoE measurements.

[0138] In some other embodiments of the present application, the source RAN node may select at least one QoE measurement based on its implementation in solution 1, that is, the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication may be generated by the source RAN node instead of being received directly from OAM or from OAM via CN. In solution 2, the source RAN node may also transmit the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication generated by it to the target RAN node. Similarly, the target RAN node may select at least one QoE measurement based on its implementation in solution 2, that is, the inter-RAT QoE continuity indication may be generated by the target RAN node instead of being provided by the source RAN node.

[0139] Figure 51 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting QoE measurement collection in scenario 2 according to some embodiments of the present application. Although the method is described at a system level among a source RAN node, a target RAN node, and a remote device, a person skilled in the art should understand that the method implemented in the source RAN node, the target RAN node, and the remote device can be implemented separately and / or combined by other devices with similar functions.

[0140] As described above, in scenario 2, the inter-RAT handover is from a source RAN node (e.g., E-UTRARAN node, ng-eNB, etc.) in which the first RAT supports only one QoE measurement per service type to a target RAN node (e.g., NR RAN node, gNB, etc.) in which the second RAT supports more than one QoE measurement per service type.

[0141] refer to Figure 5 , the source RAN node may configure at least one QoE measurement for a remote device (e.g., UE) in response to the QoE measurement being activated by direct configuration from OAM (not shown) (i.e., management-based activation) or by signaling from OAM via a CN node (e.g., AMF) (i.e., signaling-based activation), the signaling containing the QoE configuration associated with the UE. Each QoE measurement is for one service type and different QoE measurements are for different service types. That is, the QoE measurement is for each service type, implicitly identified by the service type. For example, the at least one QoE measurement may include at least one of a QoE measurement for a streaming service or a QoE measurement for an MTSI service. Similar solutions are also applicable to other service types in the future (if any).

[0142] In step 501, the source RAN node (e.g., ng-eNB) transmits a configuration of at least one QoE measurement with first RAT identification information (e.g., service type) to the UE. For example, the source RAN node may transmit the UE application layer configuration (e.g., AppLayerMeasConfig IE) in an RRC reconfiguration message and indicate the corresponding service type to the UE, e.g., streaming media service.

[0143] In step 503, the source RAN node may decide to perform an inter-system inter-RAT handover to a target RAN node (e.g., a gNB). In step 505, the source RAN node will transmit the configuration of at least one QoE measurement to the target RAN node, for example, by transmitting a UE application layer measurement information IE of a QMC configuration information IE in an XnAP handover request message. The source RAN node may also provide information indicating that at least one QoE measurement has been configured to a UE having the first RAT identification information (hereinafter, indication information), for example, an indication indicating whether the QoE measurement has been configured to the UE in LTE QoE. The indication information also indicates that the QoE measurement is in progress when the inter-RAT handover occurs.

[0144] After receiving at least one QoE measurement and indication information, the target RAN node will identify the QoE measurement (e.g., LTE QoE) that has been configured to the UE in the first RAT. The target RAN node allocates (or assigns) the second RAT identification information (e.g., measConfigAppLayerId) to each of the at least one QoE measurement. In step 507, the target RAN node will send the second RAT identification information of the at least one QoE measurement and the information associating the at least one QoE measurement with the second RAT identification information (hereinafter, the associated information) to the source RAN node, for example in a handover request confirmation message, and the handover request confirmation message will indicate that the UE associates the ongoing QoE measurement identified by the first RAT identification information with the second RAT identification information. In some embodiments of the present application, the associated information may be implicitly indicated by the second RAT identification information. For example, the ongoing QoE measurement associated information may be implicitly indicated by the measConfigAppLayerId containing one QoE measurement of one service type.

[0145] The target RAN node will generate a configuration of at least one QoE measurement in the second RAT, e.g., an NR QoE measurement configuration, and transmit the configuration of at least one QoE measurement in the second RAT to the source RAN node, e.g. in a handover request confirm message.

[0146] In step 508, the source RAN node forwards the received information to the UE, for example in a MobilityFromE-UTRACommand message. After receiving the association information and the measConfigAppLayerId, the UE associates the ongoing QoE measurements with the assigned measConfigLayerId and continues the QoE measurements after the inter-RAT handover, including transmitting the QoE measurement report to the target node. In some embodiments, the UE RRC layer forwards the received association information and the measConfigAppLayerId to the UE application layer. The UE application layer associates the ongoing QoE measurements with the assigned measConfigLayerId and continues the QoE measurements after the inter-RAT handover, including transmitting the QoE measurement report to the target node.

[0147] In addition to the method, embodiments of the present application also propose a device that supports QoE measurement collection.

[0148] For example, Figure 6 A block diagram illustrating an apparatus 600 supporting QoE measurement reporting according to some other embodiments of the present application.

[0149] like Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 6 , an apparatus 600 may include at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 601, at least one receiving circuit system 602, at least one transmitting circuit system 604, and at least one processor 606 coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium 601, the receiving circuit system 602, and the transmitting circuit system 604. The apparatus 600 may be a RAN node or a terminal device (e.g., UE) configured to perform the method described above or the like.

[0150] Although in this figure, elements such as at least one processor 606, transmit circuit system 604, and receive circuit system 602 are described in singular form, plural form is contemplated unless limitation to the singular form is explicitly stated. In some embodiments of the present application, receive circuit system 602 and transmit circuit system 604 may be combined into a single device, such as a transceiver. Processor 606 may be a CPU, a DSP, a microprocessor, etc. In certain embodiments of the present application, apparatus 600 may further include an input device, a memory, and / or other components.

[0151] In some embodiments of the present application, a non-transitory computer-readable medium 601 may have computer-executable instructions stored thereon to cause a processor 606 to implement the method described above with respect to a RAN node (e.g., a gNB or ng-eNB). For example, when the computer-executable instructions are executed, the processor 606 interacts with the receiving circuit system 602 and the transmitting circuit system 604 to perform the steps described above with respect to the RAN node.

[0152] In some other embodiments of the present application, the non-transitory computer-readable medium 601 may store thereon computer-executable instructions to enable the processor to implement the method for the UE as described above. For example, when the computer-executable instructions are executed, the processor 606 interacts with the receiving circuit system 602 and the transmitting circuit system 604 to perform the steps for the UE as described above.

[0153] Figure 7 is a block diagram of a device supporting QoE measurement collection according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0154] refer to Figure 7 , the device 700 (e.g., a UE or a RAN node, such as a source RAN node or a target RAN node) may include at least one processor 702 and at least one transceiver 704. The transceiver 704 may include at least one separate receive circuit system 706 and transmit circuit system 708, or at least one integrated receive circuit system 706 and transmit circuit system 708. The at least one processor 702 may be a CPU, a DSP, a microprocessor, etc.

[0155] According to some embodiments of the present application, when device 700 is a RAN node (e.g., a source gNB), the device is configured to: transmit first information indicating the configuration of at least one group of QoE measurements to the UE, wherein each group of QoE measurements includes one or more QoE measurements for the same service type and different groups of QoE measurements are used for different service types; and transmit second information indicating the configuration of at least one QoE measurement to the UE in response to an inter-RAT handover to a target RAN node, wherein at least one QoE measurement is selected from at least one group of QoE measurements, and different QoE measurements in the at least one QoE measurement are used for different service types.

[0156] According to some embodiments of the present application, when the device 700 is a RAN node (e.g., a target ng-eNB), the device is configured to: receive first information indicating the configuration of at least one set of QoE measurements from a source RAN node in response to an inter-RAT handover, wherein each set of QoE measurements includes one or more QoE measurements for the same service type and different sets of QoE measurements are used for different service types; and transmit second information indicating the configuration of at least one QoE measurement to the source RAN node, wherein the at least one QoE measurement is selected from the at least one set of QoE measurements and different QoE measurements in the at least one QoE measurement are used for different service types.

[0157] According to some embodiments of the present application, when the device 700 is a RAN node (e.g., a source ng-eNB), the device is configured to: transmit information indicating at least one QoE measurement and information indicating that at least one QoE measurement has been configured to a UE having first RAT identification information to a target RAN node in response to an inter-RAT switching, wherein different QoE measurements in the at least one QoE measurement are used for different service types; receive second RAT identification information and information associating at least one QoE measurement with the second RAT identification information from the target RAN node; and transmit the second RAT identification information and information associating at least one QoE measurement with the second RAT identification information to the UE.

[0158] According to some embodiments of the present application, when the device 700 is a RAN node (e.g., a target gNB), the device is configured to: receive information indicating at least one QoE measurement and information indicating that at least one QoE measurement has been configured to a UE having first RAT identification information from a source RAN node in response to an inter-RAT switching, wherein different QoE measurements in the at least one QoE measurement are used for different service types; and transmit second RAT identification information and information associating at least one QoE measurement identified by the first RAT identification information with the second RAT identification information to the source RAN node.

[0159] According to some embodiments of the present application, when device 700 is a UE, the device may be configured to: receive first information indicating the configuration of at least one group of QoE measurements from a RAN node, wherein each group of QoE measurements includes one or more QoE measurements for the same service type and different groups of QoE measurements are used for different service types; and receive second information indicating the configuration of at least one QoE measurement from the RAN node in response to an inter-RAT handover from the RAN node to a target RAN node, wherein the at least one QoE measurement is selected from the at least one group of QoE measurements, and different QoE measurements in the at least one QoE measurement are used for different service types.

[0160] The method according to the embodiment of the present application may also be implemented on a programmed processor. However, the controller, flow chart and module may also be implemented on a general or special purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuit elements, an integrated circuit, a hardware electronic or logic circuit (such as a discrete element circuit), a programmable logic device or the like. In general, any device capable of implementing the flow chart shown in the figure may be used to implement the processor function of the present application. For example, an embodiment of the present application provides a device including a processor and a memory. Computer programmable instructions for implementing a method are stored in a memory, and the processor is configured to execute the computer programmable instructions to implement the method. The method may be a method as described above or other methods according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0161] Alternative embodiments preferably implement the method according to the embodiments of the present application in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer programmable instructions. The instructions are preferably executed by a computer executable component that is preferably integrated with the network security system. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium can be stored on any suitable computer-readable medium, such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EEPROM, optical storage device (CD or DVD), hard drive, floppy disk drive, or any suitable device. The computer executable component is preferably a processor, but the instructions can be executed alternatively or additionally by any suitable dedicated hardware device. For example, an embodiment of the present application provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer programmable instructions stored therein. The computer programmable instructions are configured to implement the method as described above or other methods according to the embodiments of the present application.

[0162] Although the present application has been described with reference to the specific embodiments of the present disclosure, it is apparent that many substitutions, modifications and variations may be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the various components of the embodiments may be interchanged, added or substituted in other embodiments. Moreover, all elements of each figure are not necessary for the operation of the disclosed embodiments. For example, it will enable a person of ordinary skill in the field of the disclosed embodiments to make and use the teachings of the present application by simply adopting the elements of the independent claims. Therefore, the embodiments of the present application as described herein are intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A radio access network RAN ​​node, comprising: processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the transceiver is configured to: transmitting first information indicating configuration of at least one set of quality of experience (QoE) measurements to a user equipment (UE), wherein each set of QoE measurements comprises one or more QoE measurements for the same service type and different sets of QoE measurements are for different service types; and In response to an inter-radio access technology (RAT) handover to a target RAN node, second information indicating configuration of at least one QoE measurement is transmitted to the UE, wherein the at least one QoE measurement is selected from the at least one set of QoE measurements and different ones of the at least one QoE measurement are for different service types.

2. The RAN node of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is further configured to: Information indicating QoE measurement continuity after inter-RAT handover is received from an operations administration and maintenance OAM system or from the OAM system via a core network CN, wherein the at least one QoE measurement is selected based on the information indicating QoE measurement continuity after inter-RAT handover.

3. The RAN node according to claim 2, wherein the information indicating the continuity of QoE measurement after inter-RAT switching indicates which QoE measurement for a service type is continued after the inter-RAT switching, or indicates a continuity priority of each QoE measurement for a service type after the inter-RAT switching.

4. The RAN node according to claim 2, wherein: The processor is configured to: selecting the at least one QoE measurement based on the information indicating continuity of QoE measurements; and The transceiver is configured to: transmitting to the target RAN node third information indicating only the configuration of the at least one QoE measurement; and receiving the second information indicating the configuration of the at least one QoE measurement from the target RAN node, wherein the configuration of the at least one QoE measurement indicated in the second information is generated or updated based on the configuration of the at least one QoE measurement indicated in the third information.

5. The RAN node of claim 2, wherein the transceiver is configured to: transmitting, to the target RAN node, third information indicating configuration of the at least one set of QoE measurements and the information indicating continuity of QoE measurements after inter-RAT handover; and receiving the second information indicating the configuration of the at least one QoE measurement from the target RAN node, wherein the configuration of the at least one QoE measurement indicated in the second information is generated or updated based on the configuration of the at least one set of QoE measurements indicated in the third information.

6. The RAN node according to claim 1, wherein: The configuration of at least one set of QoE measurements indicated in the first information is in a first RAT, and the configuration of at least one QoE measurement indicated in the second information is in a second RAT different from the first RAT.

7. A radio access network RAN ​​node, comprising: processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the transceiver is configured to: receiving, from a source RAN node, first information indicating configuration of at least one set of quality of experience (QoE) measurements in response to an inter-radio access technology (RAT) handover, wherein each set of QoE measurements comprises one or more QoE measurements for the same service type and different sets of QoE measurements are for different service types; and Second information indicating configuration of at least one QoE measurement is transmitted to the source RAN node, wherein the at least one QoE measurement is selected from the at least one set of QoE measurements and different ones of the at least one QoE measurement are for different service types.

8. A radio access network RAN ​​node, comprising: processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the transceiver is configured to: transmitting, in response to an inter-radio access technology (RAT) handover, information indicating at least one quality of experience (QoE) measurement and information indicating that the at least one QoE measurement has been configured for a user equipment (UE) having first RAT identification information to a target RAN node, wherein different QoE measurements in the at least one QoE measurement are for different service types; receiving, from the target RAN node, second RAT identification information and information associating the at least one QoE measurement with the second RAT identification information; and The second RAT identification information and the information associating the at least one QoE measurement with the second RAT identification information are transmitted to the UE.

9. The RAN node according to claim 8, wherein: The first RAT identification information is a service type, and the second RAT identification information is a measurement configuration application layer identifier ID.

10. The RAN node according to claim 8, wherein: The information associating the at least one QoE measurement with the second RAT identification information is implicitly indicated by the second RAT identification information.

11. The RAN node according to claim 8, wherein: The RAN node is an ng-eNB and the target RAN node is a gNB.

12. A remote device comprising: processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the transceiver is configured to: receiving first information indicating configuration of at least one set of quality of experience (QoE) measurements from a radio access network (RAN) node, wherein each set of QoE measurements comprises one or more QoE measurements for the same service type and different sets of QoE measurements are for different service types; and Second information indicating configuration of at least one QoE measurement is received from the RAN node in response to an inter-radio access technology (RAT) handover from the RAN node to a target RAN node, wherein the at least one QoE measurement is selected from the at least one set of QoE measurements, and different ones of the at least one QoE measurement are for different service types.

13. The remote device of claim 12, wherein: The transceiver is further configured to: receiving information indicating QoE measurement after inter-RAT handover together with at least one of the first information or the second information; and The at least one QoE measurement after the inter-RAT handover is continued based on the information indicating the QoE measurement after the inter-RAT handover.

14. The remote device of claim 12, wherein: The transceiver is configured to: receiving information indicating that the at least one QoE measurement is to be continued in response to the inter-RAT handover; and The processor is configured to: The at least one QoE measurement is continued after the inter-RAT handover.

15. The remote device of claim 12, wherein the configuration of at least one set of QoE measurements indicated in the first information is in a first RAT, and the configuration of at least one QoE measurement indicated in the second information is in a second RAT different from the first RAT.

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