Node in wireless communication system, user equipment and method performed by same

Abstract

The invention provides a node in a wireless communication system, user equipment and a method performed by the same. An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method performed by a second node in a wireless communication system, comprising: receiving a first message from a first node, the first message comprising a first collection configuration and a first reporting configuration of multi-hop data collection of a user equipment (UE); and sending a seventh message to a third node, the seventh message comprising a second collection configuration of the multi-hop data collection, where the second collection configuration is determined based on the first collection configuration and data collection information of the UE at the second node.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of wireless communication, and more particularly, to a node in a wireless communication system, a user equipment and methods performed thereby. BACKGROUND

[0002] To meet the demand for wireless data traffic having increased since deployment of 4G communication systems, efforts have been made to develop an improved 5G or pre-5G communication system. Therefore, the 5G or pre-5G communication system is also called a 'Beyond 4G Network' or a '5G Network'.

[0003] Wireless communication is one of the most successful innovations in modern history. Recently, the number of subscribers to wireless communication services has exceeded 5 billion and is continuing to grow rapidly. As smart phones and other mobile data devices (e.g., tablet computers, notebook computers, netbooks, e-book readers, and machine-type devices) are increasingly popular among consumers and enterprises, demand for wireless data traffic is rapidly growing. In order to meet the high-speed growth of mobile data traffic and support new applications and deployments, it is essential to improve the efficiency and coverage of the wireless interface.

[0004] The prior art has deficiencies in the study of data collection in a multi-hop case and data collection in a dual connectivity case. SUMMARY

[0005] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method performed by a second node in a wireless communication system, comprising: receiving a first message from a first node, the first message comprising a first collection configuration and a first reporting configuration of a multi-hop data collection of a user equipment, UE; and transmitting a seventh message to a third node, the seventh message comprising a second collection configuration of the multi-hop data collection, wherein the second collection configuration is determined based on the first collection configuration and data collection information of the UE at the second node, wherein the first message further comprises at least one of the following information: a node identity of an initial configuration node of the multi-hop data collection, a UE identity allocated to the UE by the initial configuration node, an identity indicating that the first collection configuration is a start configuration of the multi-hop data collection, and wherein the seventh message further comprises at least one of the following information: the node identity of the initial configuration node, the UE identity allocated to the UE by the initial configuration node, an identity indicating that the second collection configuration is a subsequent configuration of the multi-hop data collection.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first collection configuration comprises at least one of: a first collection time corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a first maximum number of visited nodes corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a first maximum hop number corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a third maximum number of visited cells corresponding to the multi-hop data collection; wherein the second collection configuration comprises at least one of: a second collection time corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a second maximum number of visited nodes corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a second maximum hop number corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a fourth maximum number of visited cells corresponding to the multi-hop data collection; and wherein the second collection time is determined based on the first collection time and a data collection time of the UE at the second node; the second maximum number is determined based on the first maximum number and a number of visited nodes of the UE at the second node; the second maximum hop number is determined based on the first maximum hop number and a number of visited hops of the UE at the second node; and the fourth maximum number is determined based on the third maximum number and a number of visited cells of the UE at the second node.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the UE identifier allocated by the initial configuration node for the UE is a UE Xn interface application protocol (UE XnAP) identifier.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further comprises: receiving, from the first node, a handover request message, the handover request message comprising at least one of: a node identifier of an initial configuration node of the multi-hop data collection, a UE identifier allocated by the initial configuration node for the UE.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further comprises: sending, to the third node, an eighth message, the eighth message comprising a second reporting configuration of the multi-hop data collection.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the seventh message further comprises a second reporting configuration of the multi-hop data collection.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further comprises: receiving, from the third node, a ninth message, the ninth message comprising information about whether the third node is capable of directly sending a collection result of the multi-hop data collection to the initial configuration node of the multi-hop data collection.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further comprises: receiving, from the third node, a third message, the third message comprising a collection result of the multi-hop data collection of the third node; and sending, to the first node, the collection result.

[0013] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method performed by a first node in a wireless communication system, comprising: sending, to a second node, a first message comprising a first collection configuration and a first reporting configuration of a multi-hop data collection of a user equipment, UE; and receiving, from the second node, a second message comprising a first response to the first message, wherein a seventh message is sent by the second node to a third node, the seventh message comprising a second collection configuration of the multi-hop data collection, wherein the second collection configuration is determined based on the first collection configuration and data collection information of the UE at the second node, wherein the first message further comprises at least one of the following: a node identity of an initial configuration node of the multi-hop data collection, a UE identity allocated by the initial configuration node for the UE, an identity indicating that the first collection configuration is a start configuration of the multi-hop data collection, and wherein the seventh message further comprises at least one of the following: the node identity of the initial configuration node, the UE identity allocated by the initial configuration node for the UE, an identity indicating that the second collection configuration is a subsequent configuration of the multi-hop data collection.

[0014] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the first collection configuration comprises at least one of the following: a first collection time corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a first maximum number of visited nodes corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a first maximum hop number corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a third maximum number of visited cells corresponding to the multi-hop data collection; wherein the second collection configuration comprises at least one of the following: a second collection time corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a second maximum number of visited nodes corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a second maximum hop number corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a fourth maximum number of visited cells corresponding to the multi-hop data collection; and wherein the second collection time is determined based on the first collection time and a data collection time of the UE at the second node; the second maximum number is determined based on the first maximum number and a number of visited nodes of the UE at the second node; the second maximum hop number is determined based on the first maximum hop number and a number of visited hops of the UE at the second node; the fourth maximum number is determined based on the third maximum number and a number of visited cells of the UE at the second node.

[0015] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE identity allocated by the initial configuration node for the UE is a user equipment Xn interface application protocol, UE XnAP, identity.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further includes: sending, to the second node, a handover request message, the handover request message including at least one of the following: a node identity of an initial configuration node of the multi-hop data collection, a UE identity allocated by the initial configuration node for the UE.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the seventh message further includes a second reporting configuration of the multi-hop data collection.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further includes: receiving, from at least one of the second node, the third node, and a core network node, a collection result of the multi-hop data collection of the third node.

[0019] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method performed by a third node in a wireless communication system, including: receiving, from a second node, a seventh message including a second collection configuration of a multi-hop data collection of a user equipment (UE), wherein the second collection configuration is determined based on a first collection configuration of the multi-hop data collection and data collection information of the UE at the second node, wherein the first collection configuration is received by the second node from a first node; and sending, to the second node, a ninth message including information about whether the third node is capable of directly sending a collection result of the multi-hop data collection to an initial configuration node of the multi-hop data collection, wherein the seventh message further includes at least one of the following: a node identity of the initial configuration node of the multi-hop data collection, a UE identity allocated by the initial configuration node for the UE, an identity indicating that the second collection configuration is a subsequent configuration of the multi-hop data collection.

[0020] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first collection configuration comprises at least one of: a first collection time corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a first maximum number of visited nodes corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a first maximum hop number corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a third maximum number of visited cells corresponding to the multi-hop data collection; wherein the second collection configuration comprises at least one of: a second collection time corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a second maximum number of visited nodes corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a second maximum hop number corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a fourth maximum number of visited cells corresponding to the multi-hop data collection; and wherein the second collection time is determined based on the first collection time and a data collection time of the UE at the second node; the second maximum number is determined based on the first maximum number and a number of visited nodes of the UE at the second node; the second maximum hop number is determined based on the first maximum hop number and a number of visited hops of the UE at the second node; and the fourth maximum number is determined based on the third maximum number and a number of visited cells of the UE at the second node.

[0021] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further comprises: receiving an eighth message from the second node, the eighth message comprising a second reporting configuration of the multi-hop data collection.

[0022] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the seventh message further comprises a second reporting configuration of the multi-hop data collection.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further comprises: sending, to at least one of the first node, the second node and a core network node, a collection result of the multi-hop data collection of the third node.

[0024] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method performed by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, comprising: receiving a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message from a first node; and sending an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the first node, wherein a first message is sent by the first node to a second node, the first message including a first collection configuration and a first reporting configuration for multi-hop data collection of the UE; and wherein a seventh message is sent by the second node to a third node, the seventh message including a second collection configuration for the multi-hop data collection, wherein the second collection configuration is determined based on the first collection configuration and data collection information of the UE at the second node, wherein the first message further includes at least one of the following information: a node identifier of an initial configuration node for the multi-hop data collection, a UE identifier allocated by the initial configuration node to the UE, and an identifier indicating that the first collection configuration is a start configuration for the multi-hop data collection, and wherein the seventh message further includes at least one of the following information: a node identifier of the initial configuration node, a UE identifier allocated by the initial configuration node to the UE, and an identifier indicating that the second collection configuration is a subsequent configuration for the multi-hop data collection.

[0025] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a first node device in a wireless communication system, including: a transceiver configured to send and receive signals; and a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to execute a method performed by the first node in the wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a second node device in a wireless communication system, including: a transceiver configured to send and receive signals; and a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to execute a method performed by the second node in the wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a third node device in a wireless communication system, including: a transceiver configured to send and receive signals; and a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to execute a method performed by the third node in the wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a user equipment UE in a wireless communication system, comprising: a transceiver configured to send and receive signals; and a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to execute a method performed by the user equipment UE in the wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer readable medium having stored thereon computer readable instructions for implementing a method performed by a first node and / or a second node and / or a third node and / or a user equipment in a wireless communication system according to embodiments of the present disclosure when executed by a processor.

[0030] The method performed by the first node and / or the second node and / or the third node and / or the user equipment in a wireless communication system according to embodiments of the present disclosure provided by the present disclosure can effectively support the node and / or the user equipment to perform data collection in a multi-hop and / or dual connectivity scenario by interacting information related to multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection between the nodes and / or the user equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0031] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain embodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0032] Figure 1 is an exemplary system architecture 100 of system architecture evolution (SAE);

[0033] Figure 2 is an exemplary system architecture 200 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 3A-Figure 3I illustrate one aspect of a method of supporting data collection according to embodiments of the present disclosure, respectively;

[0035] Figures 4A-4C illustrate one aspect of a method of supporting data collection according to embodiments of the present disclosure, respectively;

[0036] Figure 5 illustrates a flowchart of a method performed by a second node in a wireless communication system according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method performed by a first node in a wireless communication system according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0038] Figure 7 illustrates a flowchart of a method performed by a third node in a wireless communication system according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0039] Figure 8 illustrates a flowchart of a method performed by a user equipment UE in a wireless communication system according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0040] Figure 9 illustrates a schematic diagram of a node according to embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0041] Figure 10A schematic diagram of a user equipment (UE) according to embodiments of the disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of various embodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. The description includes various specific details to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the various embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions can be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

[0043] The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used to enable a comprehensive understanding of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of the present disclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0044] It should be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes reference to one or more of such surfaces.

[0045] The terms “comprise” or “may comprise” refer to the existence of the corresponding disclosed function, operation, or component in the various embodiments of the present disclosure and do not exclude the existence of one or more additional functions, operations, or features. In addition, the terms “comprise” or “have” can be interpreted to denote the existence of certain characteristics, numbers, steps, operations, constituent elements, components, or combinations thereof, but should not be interpreted as excluding the possibility of the existence of one or more other characteristics, numbers, steps, operations, constituent elements, components, or combinations thereof.

[0046] The term “or” used in the various embodiments of the present disclosure includes any of the listed terms and all combinations thereof. For example, “A or B” can include A, can include B, or can include both A and B.

[0047] Unless defined differently, all terms used in the present disclosure, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. The terms generally used in the dictionary are interpreted to have the same meaning as consistent with the context of the relevant technical field, and should not be ideally or excessively formalized, unless clearly defined in the present disclosure.

[0048] The accompanying drawings discussed below and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present disclosure in this patent document are intended to be illustrative only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present disclosure can be implemented in any suitably arranged system or device.

[0049] Figure 1 This is an exemplary system architecture 100 of System Architecture Evolution (SAE). User Equipment (UE) 101 is a terminal device used to receive data. Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) 102 is a radio access network, which includes a macro base station (eNodeB / NodeB) that provides the UE with an access wireless network interface. The Mobility Management Entity (MME) 103 is responsible for managing the UE's mobility context, session context and security information. The Serving Gateway (SGW) 104 mainly provides user plane functions, and the MME 103 and SGW 104 may be in the same physical entity. The Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW) 105 is responsible for functions such as billing and lawful interception, and may also be in the same physical entity as the SGW 104. The Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) 106 provides Quality of Service (QoS) policies and charging criteria. The General Packet Radio Service Support Node (SGSN) 108 is a network node device that provides routing for data transmission in the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). The Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 109 is the home subsystem of the UE and is responsible for protecting user information including the current location of the user equipment, the address of the serving node, user security information, and the packet data context of the user equipment.

[0050] Figure 2 2 is an exemplary system architecture 200 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Other embodiments of the system architecture 200 can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0051] User equipment (UE) 201 is a terminal device used to receive data. The next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN) 202 is a radio access network that includes base stations (gNBs or eNBs connected to the 5G core network 5GC; eNBs connected to 5GC are also called ng-gNBs) that provide UEs with access to wireless network interfaces. The access control and mobility management function (AMF) 203 is responsible for managing the UE's mobility context and security information. The user plane function (UPF) 204 mainly provides user plane functions. The session management function (SMF) 205 is responsible for session management. The data network (DN) 206 includes services such as operator services, Internet access, and third-party services.

[0052] The node in the present disclosure can include: a gNB, a gNB Central Unit (gNB-CU), a gNB Distributed Unit (gNB-DU), a gNB Central Unit Control Plane (gNB-CU-Control Plane (gNB CU-CP)), a gNB Central Unit User Plane (gNB-CU-User Plane (gNB CU-UP)), an en-gNB, an eNB, an ng-eNB, a UE, an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), a Session Management Function (SMF), a Mobility Management Entity (MME), and the like network entity or network logical unit, and a cell and / or beam and the like managed thereby.

[0053] The information and / or field in the present disclosure can be an average value, an instantaneous value, a maximum value, a minimum value, and the like. The present disclosure is not limited.

[0054] The information and / or field in the present disclosure can be used to represent one or more of the following cases: uplink, downlink, uplink and downlink, uplink or downlink.

[0055] The information and / or field in the present disclosure can be a measured value and / or a true value, or a predicted value.

[0056] The signal strength and / or signal quality and / or measurement report result and / or measurement result in the present disclosure can be a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), a Reference Signal Receiving Power (RSRP), a Reference Signal Receiving Quality (RSRQ), a Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR), and the like.

[0057] In the present disclosure, the slice identifier can be identified by one or more Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI).

[0058] In the present disclosure, the failure type and / or problem type can also be a report type.

[0059] In the present disclosure, the SON related report can include one or more of the following: a Connection Establishment Failure (CEF) report, or a Random Access report, or a Successful Handover report, or a Radio Link Failure (RLF) report, or a measurement report, or other radio related report.

[0060] In the present disclosure, the radio link failure includes both radio link failure and handover failure.

[0061] In the present disclosure, the TA value in the LTM command and the TA value acquired in advance can refer to each other.

[0062] The network self-optimization decision in the present disclosure can include network energy saving, load balancing, coverage and / or capacity optimization, mobility optimization and / or management, configuration making and / or updating, etc.

[0063] The result and the report in the present disclosure can refer to each other.

[0064] In the present disclosure, the time can be represented in one or more of the following ways: time stamp, time point, time interval, timer, time period, time length, time cycle, time interval, etc. The time length can be the time length from a certain time point, which can be the current time. The time can be a relative time or an absolute time. In some embodiments, the time period can be represented by a separate field, for example, it can be represented by the combination of the start time and the end time, or by the combination of the start time and the time period.

[0065] In the disclosure, a Quality of Experience (QoE) parameter and / or a user experience parameter can include one or more of the following: Round-trip time, Jitter duration, Corruption duration, Average throughput, Initial playout delay, Playout Delay at Initial Startup, Device information, Rendered viewports, Codec information, Buffer level, Representation switch events, Play List, MPD (Media presentation description) Information, Interactivity Summary, Interactivity Event List, etc.

[0066] In the disclosure, a Quality of Service (QoS) parameter and / or a service quality parameter can include at least one of the following: Packet loss rate, latency, throughput, data rate, etc.

[0067] In the present disclosure, the load situation and / or load information can include one or more of the following: PRB usage ratio, available PRB number, allocated PRB number, scheduling PDCCH CCE usage, Transport Network Layer (TNL) capacity indication, radio resource status, comprehensive available capacity group, comprehensive available resource group, active user terminal number, Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection number, slice available capacity, hardware capacity indication, S1 TNL load indication, hardware load indication, Almost Blank Subframe (ABS) status, Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) measurement report list, Reference Signal Receiving Quality (RSRQ) measurement report, Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR) measurement report, Channel State Information (CSI) report, cell report indication, Channel Occupancy time ratio, Energy Detection threshold, signal strength and / or signal quality, channel busy ratio, data volume, and jitter of various content parameters, etc.

[0068] In the present disclosure, the load situation and / or load information can be referred to as the resource status.

[0069] In the present disclosure, the capacity information can be one or more of the following: QoS requirement, QoS level, capacity status, average QoS requirement, average QoS level, average capacity status identifier, proportion of one or more QoS requirements, proportion of one or more QoS levels, proportion of one and / or more capacity status identifiers, etc. The capacity status identifier is represented by an identifier, and one identifier represents one capacity configuration. The QoS level can be represented by an identifier, for example, it can be a mapped 5G QoS Identifier (5QI) or QoS Class Identifier (QCI).

[0070] In the present disclosure, the capacity prediction information can be a predicted value of the capacity information.

[0071] In the present disclosure, coverage information may include one or more of the following: coverage status, information about coverage increase and / or decrease, ratio of coverage increase and / or decrease, load information at the cell edge, load information resulting from a change from within coverage to outside coverage due to coverage changes, etc. The coverage status may be represented by an identifier, with one identifier representing one coverage configuration.

[0072] In the present disclosure, the coverage prediction information may be a predicted value of coverage information.

[0073] In this disclosure, coverage and / or capacity, coverage change, and coverage and / or capacity optimization may refer to each other.

[0074] In the present disclosure, coverage and / or capacity policy (information) may include one or more of the following: cell identity, cell status, cell deployment status indication, replacement cell information, beam coverage change information, reasons for coverage change, etc. The replacement cell information may include one or more of the following: replacement cell identity, replaced cell identity, ratio of replaced cells, etc. The beam coverage change information may include one or more of the following: beam identity, beam coverage status, etc.

[0075] In this disclosure, a beam may refer to an SSB beam or any other beam.

[0076] In the present disclosure, the location range may be referred to by one or more of the following: coordinates, areas, cell identifiers, beam identifiers, identifiers for indicating locations and / or areas, etc. Among them, the cell identifier may be one or more of the following: access cell identifier, connection cell identifier, service cell identifier, etc. The beam identifier may be one or more of the following: access beam identifier, connection beam identifier, access beam identifier, etc. Among them, the identifier for indicating a location and / or area is used to indicate one or more locations and / or one or more areas. In some embodiments, for example, it may be an area whose distance is greater than and / or equal to and / or less than a threshold value, represented by an identifier. In other embodiments, for example, it may be an area whose signal quality is greater than and / or equal to and / or less than a threshold value, represented by an identifier.

[0077] In the present disclosure, a target node may also be a candidate target node, a target primary node, a target secondary node, a candidate target primary node, a candidate target secondary node, etc.

[0078] In the present disclosure, the source node may also be a source master node, a source slave node, etc.

[0079] In the disclosure, the data collection can be Minimization of Drive Tests (MDT), or any other data collection. The disclosure does not make any limitation. The MDT can be logged MDT, or immediate MDT; the MDT can be signaling-based MDT, or management-based MDT.

[0080] In the disclosure, the data collection can be used to collect user trajectory information and / or user performance information, or any other data collection.

[0081] In the disclosure, the secondary cell can be a Primary Secondary Cell (PSCell), or a Secondary Cell (SCell).

[0082] In the disclosure, the collection can be replaced by measurement.

[0083] In the disclosure, the data corresponding to the data collection can include one or more of the following:

[0084] • User trajectory related data: can include one or more of the following:

[0085] ○ User identity

[0086] ○ Visited cell identity

[0087] ○ Visited primary cell identity

[0088] ○ Visited secondary cell identity

[0089] ○ Visited primary cell identity and visited secondary cell identity: indicates the visited primary cell and visited secondary cell of the user in the case of dual connectivity.

[0090] ○ Node where the visited cell is located: can be a node identity, or a node name. ○ Node where the visited primary cell is located: can be a node identity, or a node name.

[0091] ○ Node where the visited secondary cell is located: can be a node identity, or a node name.

[0092] ○ Visited time and / or stay time

[0093] ○ Coordinates

[0094] ○ Visited beam information: can be a beam identity.

[0095] • User performance related data: can include one or more of the following:

[0096] o User identity

[0097] o Time of user performance collection

[0098] o Corresponding node of user performance collection: can be node identity or node name.

[0099] o Corresponding cell identity of user performance

[0100] o User performance: can include one or more of the following: uplink and / or downlink data rate, uplink and / or downlink throughput, uplink and / or downlink latency, uplink and / or downlink packet loss rate, uplink and / or downlink QoE parameter.

[0101] • User measurement result information: can include one or more of the following:

[0102] o User identity

[0103] o Corresponding node identity and / or cell identity of user measurement result

[0104] o Measurement result

[0105] o Measurement time

[0106] • Perception related result information: can include one or more of the following:

[0107] o User identity

[0108] o Corresponding node identity and / or cell identity of user perception related measurement result

[0109] o Perception related measurement result

[0110] o Perception related measurement time

[0111] Example 1

[0112] An aspect of the present disclosure proposes a method of supporting data collection, which can include: a first node sending, to a second node, a first message including a request of single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection, to inform the second node of a collection configuration and / or a reporting configuration corresponding to the single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection. In this document, the single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can also be referred to simply as data collection.

[0113] In some embodiments, the first message can be included in one or more of the following:

[0114] Xn Handover Request message or Secondary Node Addition Request (S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST) message or Secondary Node Modification Request (S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST) message or Secondary Node Modification Required (S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUIRED) message or Secondary Node Change Required (S-NODE CHANGE REQUIRED) message or Resource Status Request (RESOURCE STATUS REQUEST) message or NG-RAN Node Configuration Update (NG-RAN NODE CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or NG-RAN Node Configuration Update Acknowledge (NG-RAN NODE CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or Xn Setup Request (XN SETUP REQUEST) message or Xn Setup Response (XN SETUP RESPONSE) message or Data Collection Request (DATA COLLECTION REQUEST) message;

[0115] or NG Setup Request (NG SETUP REQUEST) message or NG Setup Response (NG SETUP RESPONSE) message or RAN Configuration Update (RAN CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or RAN Configuration Update Acknowledge (RAN CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or AMF Configuration Update (AMF CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or AMF Configuration Update Acknowledge (AMF CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or AMF Status Indication (AMF STATUS INDICATION) message or Overload Start (OVERLOAD START) message or Overload Stop (OVERLOAD STOP) message;

[0116] or an F1 setup request (F1 SETUP REQUEST) message or an F1 setup response (F1 SETUP RESPONSE) message or a gNB DU configuration update (GNB-DU CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or a gNB DU configuration update acknowledge (GNB-DU CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or a gNB CU configuration update (GNB-CU CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or a gNB CU configuration update acknowledge (GNB-CU CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or a gNB DU status indication (GNB-DU STATUS INDICATION) message or a resource status request (RESOURCE STATUS REQUEST) message of the F1;

[0117] or a gNB CU UP E1 setup request (GNB-CU-UP E1 SETUP REQUEST) message or a gNB CU UP E1 setup response (GNB-CU-UP E1 SETUP RESPONSE) message or a gNB CU CP E1 setup request (GNB-CU-CP E1 SETUP REQUEST) message or a gNB CU CP E1 setup response (GNB-CU-CP E1 SETUP RESPONSE) message or a gNB CU UP configuration update (GNB-CU-UP CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or a gNB CU UP configuration update acknowledge (GNB-CU-UP CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or a gNB CU CP configuration update (GNB-CU-CP CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or a gNB CU CP configuration update acknowledge (GNB-CU-CP CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or a gNB CU UP status indication (GNB-CU-UP STATUS INDICATION) message or a resource status request (RESOURCE STATUS REQUEST) message of the E1;

[0118] or an RRC reconfiguration (RRCReconfiguration) message or an RRC reconfiguration complete (RRCReconfigurationComplete) message or a UE information request (UEInformationRequest) message of the RRC;

[0119] or one other and / or newly defined RRC and / or Xn and / or X2 and / or Fl and / or El and / or NG message and / or RRC container and / or MAC CE, etc.

[0120] In some embodiments, the first message can comprise one or more of the following information and / or fields:

[0121] • Sender node identity: used to identify the node sending the message.

[0122] • Receiver node identity: used to identify the node receiving the message.

[0123] • Request identity: used to identify the request.

[0124] • Measurement identity: used to identify the measurement request. For example, the measurement identity can be assigned by the message sender node and / or the message receiver node.

[0125] • Collection identity: used to identify the data collection. For example, the collection identity can be assigned by the message sender node and / or the message receiver node.

[0126] • Configuration identity: used to identify the configuration of the data collection. The identity can uniquely determine one data collection configuration.

[0127] • Start indication (identity) of data collection: can also be referred to as an identity indicating the configuration (e.g., collection configuration and / or reporting configuration) corresponding to the message as the start configuration of data collection, used to indicate that the collection configuration and / or reporting configuration is the start of data collection. In some embodiments, for example, the indication informs the message receiver node that the current configuration is the start configuration of data collection. If the UE needs to be handed over, the message receiver node needs to decide whether to request the (candidate) target node for handover to perform data collection on the UE according to the configuration, and / or request the configuration of the (candidate) target node for handover to perform data collection on the UE. In some other embodiments, for example, the indication informs the message receiver node that the current configuration is the start configuration of data collection. If the UE needs to be added with a secondary node and / or changed, the message receiver node needs to decide whether to request the (candidate) target secondary node to perform data collection on the UE according to the configuration, and / or request the configuration of the (candidate) target secondary node to perform data collection on the UE. In some other embodiments, the message receiver node can know through the indication that the result of data collection needs to be finally sent to the message sender node of the message.

[0128] • Node and / or cell information of initial configuration data collection: in some embodiments, for example,

[0129] The information can be used to uniquely determine a data collection among multiple nodes. In some embodiments, for example, the information can be used to uniquely determine a data collection for one UE among multiple nodes. In some embodiments, for example, the information can indicate the node to which the data collection result needs to be finally sent. For example, in a multi-hop case, the data collection node can send the result directly to the node that initially configures the data collection, to avoid the need for the intermediate nodes in the multi-hop case to forward, to save signaling. For example, in a multi-hop case, the data collection node uses the node that initially configures the data collection and / or cell information to uniquely determine a data collection among multiple nodes and / or a data collection for the same UE, which can avoid the need for nodes other than the node that initially configures the data collection to retain the UE context after the UE switches to another node in a multi-hop case, resulting in excessive node storage information and / or the UE identifier allocated for the data collection being unable to be allocated to other UEs for a long time. One or more of the following can be included:

[0130] • Node identifier of the node that initially configures the data collection

[0131] • Cell identifier of the node that initially configures the data collection

[0132] • UE identifier allocated by the node that initially configures the data collection: In some embodiments, for example, it can be the XnAP (Xn interface application protocol) UE identifier allocated by the node that initially configures the data collection to the UE.

[0133] • UE identifier allocated by the node that initially configures the data collection: In some embodiments, for example, it can be the XnAP (Xn interface application protocol) UE identifier allocated by the node that initially configures the data collection to the UE.

[0134] • Identifier allocated by the node that initially configures the data collection for the data collection: One or more of the following can be included: request identifier, measurement identifier, collection identifier, configuration identifier, etc.

[0135] • Identifier allocated by the node that initially configures the data collection for the data collection:

[0136] • Identifier allocated by the node that initially configures the data collection for the data collection: One or more of the following can be included: request identifier, measurement identifier, collection identifier, configuration identifier, etc.

[0137] • Measurement configuration: Corresponding configuration of the measurement. The measurement configuration can include one or more of the following:

[0138] • Frequency domain information of the measurement, time information of the measurement, start time of the measurement, end time of the measurement, period of the measurement, time of the measurement, type of the measurement, signal of the measurement, frequency domain information of the signal of the measurement, type of the signal of the measurement, configuration corresponding to the signal of the measurement, etc.

[0139] The type of measurement can include one or more of the following: periodic measurement, continuous measurement, single measurement, etc. The frequency information of the measurement and / or the frequency domain information where the measurement signal is located can include one or more of the following: the frequency at which the measurement starts, the center frequency, frequency hopping information, subcarrier spacing, etc.

[0140] • The number of access nodes: indicates the maximum number of access nodes. The access node can be one or more of the following: connected nodes, accessed master nodes, accessed secondary nodes, etc. In some embodiments, for example, when the actual number of access nodes reaches the number of access nodes, the data collection is stopped, and / or the data reporting is started. If it is the second hop and / or the data collection after the second hop, this information needs to be set considering the collected data (e.g., the current data collection situation of the corresponding UE, which will not be described below). For example, the configured number of nodes should be the number of nodes in the configuration contained in the request corresponding to the first hop and / or the last hop and / or the initial configuration minus the number of nodes corresponding to the collected data.

[0141] • The number of access nodes: indicates the maximum number of access nodes. The access node can be one or more of the following: connected nodes, accessed master nodes, accessed secondary nodes, etc. In some embodiments, for example, when the actual number of access nodes reaches the number of access nodes, the data collection is stopped, and / or the data reporting is started. If it is the second hop and / or the data collection after the second hop, this information needs to be set considering the collected data (e.g., the current data collection situation of the corresponding UE, which will not be described below). For example, the configured number of nodes should be the number of nodes in the configuration contained in the request corresponding to the first hop and / or the last hop and / or the initial configuration minus the number of nodes corresponding to the collected data.

[0142] • The number of access nodes: indicates the maximum number of access nodes. The access node can be one or more of the following: connected nodes, accessed master nodes, accessed secondary nodes, etc. In some embodiments, for example, when the actual number of access nodes reaches the number of access nodes, the data collection is stopped, and / or the data reporting is started. If it is the second hop and / or the data collection after the second hop, this information needs to be set considering the collected data (e.g., the current data collection situation of the corresponding UE, which will not be described below). For example, the configured number of nodes should be the number of nodes in the configuration contained in the request corresponding to the first hop and / or the last hop and / or the initial configuration minus the number of nodes corresponding to the collected data.

[0143] For example, the access cell can be the corresponding access cell of the multiple nodes in the multi-hop case. In yet some embodiments, for example, the access cell can be the accessed master cell, or the accessed secondary cell, or the accessed master cell and the accessed secondary cell. In some embodiments, for example, when the actual number of access cells reaches the number of access cells, the data collection is stopped, and / or the data reporting is started. If it is the second hop and / or the data collection after the second hop, this information needs to be set considering the collected data. For example, the configured number of cells should be the number of cells in the configuration contained in the request corresponding to the first hop and / or the last hop and / or the initial configuration minus the number of cells corresponding to the collected data.

[0144] • Number of corresponding visited cells of one access node: indicates the number of visited cells in one access node. In some embodiments, for example, when the number of visited cells in one access node reaches the number of corresponding visited cells of the one access node, the data collection is stopped, and / or the data collection of other visited cells of the one access node is stopped, and / or the reporting is started.

[0145] • Number of visited secondary nodes: indicates the maximum number of visited secondary nodes. In some embodiments, for example, when the number of actually visited secondary nodes reaches the number of visited secondary nodes, the data collection is stopped, and / or the data reporting is started. If it is the second hop and / or the data collection after the second hop, this information needs to be set considering the collected data. For example, the configured number of nodes should be the number of nodes in the configuration contained in the request corresponding to the first hop and / or the last hop and / or the initial configuration minus the number of nodes corresponding to the collected data.

[0146] • Number of visited secondary cells: indicates the maximum number of visited secondary cells. In some embodiments, for example, when the number of actually visited secondary cells reaches the number of visited secondary cells, the data collection is stopped, and / or the reporting is started. If it is the second hop and / or the data collection after the second hop, this information needs to be set considering the collected data. For example, the configured number of cells should be the number of cells in the configuration contained in the request corresponding to the first hop and / or the last hop and / or the initial configuration minus the number of cells corresponding to the collected data.

[0147] • Number of visited primary nodes: indicates the maximum number of visited primary nodes. In some embodiments, for example, when the number of actually visited primary nodes reaches the number of visited primary nodes, the data collection is stopped, and / or the data reporting is started. If it is the second hop and / or the data collection after the second hop, this information needs to be set considering the collected data. For example, the configured number of nodes should be the number of nodes in the configuration contained in the request corresponding to the first hop and / or the last hop and / or the initial configuration minus the number of nodes corresponding to the collected data.

[0148] • Number of visited primary cells: indicates the maximum number of visited primary cells. In some embodiments, for example, when the number of actually visited primary cells reaches the number of visited primary cells, the data collection is stopped, and / or the reporting is started. If it is the second hop and / or the data collection after the second hop, this information needs to be set considering the collected data. For example, the configured number of cells should be the number of cells in the configuration contained in the request corresponding to the first hop and / or the last hop and / or the initial configuration minus the number of cells corresponding to the collected data.

[0149] • The number of corresponding visited secondary cells of one visited secondary node: indicates the number of visited secondary cells within one visited secondary node. In some embodiments, for example, when the actual number of visited secondary cells of one visited secondary node reaches the number of corresponding visited secondary cells of the one visited secondary node, the data collection is stopped, and / or the corresponding data collection of the subsequent other visited secondary cells of the one visited secondary node is stopped, and / or the reporting is started.

[0150] • The number of corresponding visited primary cells of one visited primary node: indicates the number of visited primary cells within one visited primary node. In some embodiments, for example, when the actual number of visited primary cells of one visited primary node reaches the number of corresponding visited primary cells of the one visited primary node, the data collection is stopped, and / or the corresponding data collection of the subsequent other visited primary cells of the one visited primary node is stopped, and / or the reporting is started.

[0151] • The number of corresponding visited primary cells and / or secondary cells of one visited primary node: indicates the maximum number of the number of visited primary cells and / or the number of visited secondary cells within one visited primary node. In some embodiments, for example, when the number of visited primary cells and / or the number of visited secondary cells within one visited primary node reaches the number of corresponding visited primary cells and / or secondary cells of the one visited primary node, the data collection is stopped, and / or the corresponding data collection of the subsequent other visited cells of the one visited primary node is stopped, and / or the reporting is started.

[0152] If it is the data collection of the second hop and / or the hop after the second hop, the information needs to be set considering the collected data. For example, the number of corresponding visited primary cells and / or secondary cells of one visited primary node of the configuration should be the number of secondary cells in the configuration and / or the initial configuration contained in the configuration of the first hop and / or the hop before the first hop minus the number of secondary cells corresponding to the collected data.

[0153] • Indication (identification) of subsequent multi-hop data collection: can also be referred to as identification of the configuration (e.g., collection configuration and / or reporting configuration) corresponding to the message as a subsequent configuration of data collection, used to indicate that the collection configuration and / or reporting configuration is for second-hop and / or data collection after the second-hop. The indication informs the message receiving node that the configuration is a configuration of subsequent multi-hop data collection. In some embodiments, for example, the message receiving node needs to obtain all and / or part of the data collection configuration in the subsequent message. For example, the configuration message only contains the reporting configuration, and the collection configuration is included in the subsequent message. In some other embodiments, for example, the message receiving node needs to obtain more data collection configuration in the subsequent message. In some other embodiments, for example, if the message receiving node receives the data collection configuration in the subsequent message, the subsequent received data collection configuration is used. In some other embodiments, for example, the data reporting configured by the data collection configuration can be used to carry the multi-hop data collection result.

[0154] For example, the message receiving node needs to obtain the multi-hop data collection configuration in the subsequent message. The subsequent message can be a handover request message, a secondary node addition request message, or a secondary node modification request message.

[0155] • Corresponding receiving node and / or cell of data collection reporting: used to indicate to which node and / or cell the data collection needs to be reported. The information can be represented by the identification of the node and / or cell.

[0156] In the case of multi-hop, the data collection node can directly send the collected data to the receiving node and / or cell corresponding to the data collection reporting, avoiding the forwarding of the intermediate node in the multi-hop case, and achieving the effect of saving signaling.

[0157] • Collection time: the collection time corresponding to the data collection. If it is second-hop and / or data collection after the second-hop, the information needs to be set considering the collected data. For example, the collection time of the configuration should be the collection time in the initial configuration and / or the configuration contained in the request corresponding to the first-hop and / or the last-hop minus the collection time corresponding to the collected data.

[0158] • Collection stop event: stop data collection when the event is met. It can include one or more of the following:

[0159] o UE leaves the node currently connected

[0160] o UE switches to other nodes

[0161] o Actual collection time reaches the collection time

[0162] • UE transitions from RRC Connected state to RRC Idle state or RRC Inactive state.

[0163] • UE transitions from RRC Idle state or RRC Inactive state to RRC Connected state.

[0164] • UE transitions from RRC Idle state or RRC Inactive state to RRC Connected state.

[0165] • UE's RRC state changes.

[0166] • UE accesses and / or leaves one or more slices: The event can include one or more of the following: event type, event, slice identity and / or list of identities, etc.

[0167] • UE's measurement report is less than and / or equal to a predetermined threshold value. The event configuration includes one or more of the following: event type, event, predetermined threshold value, hysteresis and / or time to satisfy. For example, the event can imply that the UE needs to be handed over, etc., so the UE accesses the next node and / or cell, and thus the data collection at the node and / or cell stops.

[0168] • Event of collection start: Data collection starts when the event is satisfied. It can include one or more of the following and / or multiple simultaneous satisfaction:

[0169] • UE accesses a message receiving node

[0170] • UE switches to a message receiving node

[0171] • UE transitions from RRC Idle state or RRC Inactive state to RRC Connected state

[0172] • UE transitions from RRC Connected state to RRC Idle state or RRC Inactive state.

[0173] • UE's RRC state changes.

[0174] • UE accesses and / or leaves one or more slices: The event can include one or more of the following: event type, event, slice identity and / or list of identities, etc.

[0175] • UE's measurement report is greater than and / or equal to a predetermined threshold value. The event configuration includes one or more of the following: event type, event, predetermined threshold value, hysteresis and / or time to satisfy. For example, the event can indicate that the UE's measurement result at the node and / or cell is good, so the UE will not be handed over, etc., for the time being, so the data collection corresponding to the node and / or cell can start.

[0176] ○ The message receiving node receives artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML) related information: The AI / ML related information can include one or more of the following: measurement result prediction, trajectory prediction result, load prediction result, AI / ML related decision, etc. In some embodiments, for example, the AI / ML related decision can be an AI / ML related self-optimization decision.

[0177] • Reporting configuration: can include one or more of the following:

[0178] ○ Reporting time: within which the reporting is performed.

[0179] ○ Reporting type: can include one or more of the following: single reporting, on-demand reporting, periodic reporting, event-triggered reporting.

[0180] ○ Reporting period: the time interval between two reports. In some embodiments, in the case of periodic reporting, the time interval between two reports.

[0181] ○ Trigger event: when the following conditions are met, the reporting is triggered. Can include one or more of the following:

[0182] ■ The UE leaves the node currently connected

[0183] ■ The UE switches to other nodes

[0184] ■ The actual collection time reaches the collection time

[0185] ■ The UE enters the RRC Idle state or the RRC Inactive state. For example, the UE transitions from the RRC Idle state or the RRC Inactive state to the RRC Connected state

[0186] ■ The UE transitions from the RRC Connected state to the RRC Idle state or the RRC Inactive state.

[0187] ■ The RRC state of the UE changes.

[0188] ■ The UE accesses and / or leaves one or more slices: the event can include one or more of the following: event type, event, slice identification and / or identification list, etc.

[0189] ■ The measurement report of the UE is less than and / or equal to a predetermined threshold value. The event configuration includes one or more of the following: event type, event, predetermined threshold value, satisfaction time. For example, the event can imply that the UE needs to be switched, etc. operation, so the UE will access the next node and / or cell, and thus report the data collected in the node and / or cell.

[0190] a corresponding receiving node and / or cell for data collection reporting: used to indicate to which node and / or cell the data collection needs to be reported. This information can be represented by the identity of the node and / or cell. In the case of multi-hop, the data collection node can be allowed to send the collected data directly to the corresponding receiving node and / or cell for data collection reporting, avoiding the forwarding of intermediate nodes in the case of multi-hop, achieving the effect of saving signaling.

[0191] Optionally, after receiving the first message of the single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual-connection data collection request sent by the first node, the second node sends a second message of the response of the single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual-connection data collection to the first node to inform the first node whether the second node can perform reporting and / or collection.

[0192] In some embodiments, the second message can be contained in one or more of the following:

[0193] a HANDOVER REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message or a S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message or a S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message or a S-NODE MODIFICATION CONFIRM message or a S-NODE CHANGE CONFIRM message or a RESOURCE STATUS RESPONSE message or a RESOURCE STATUS FAILURE message or a NG-RAN NODE CONFIGURATION UPDATE message or a NG-RAN NODE CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE message or a XN SETUP REQUEST message or a XN SETUP RESPONSE message or a DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE message or a DATA COLLECTION FAILURE message of the Xn;

[0194] or NG's NG setup request (NG SETUP REQUEST) message or NG setup response (NG SETUP RESPONSE) message or RAN configuration update (RAN CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or RAN configuration update acknowledgement (RAN CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or AMF configuration update (AMF CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or AMF configuration update acknowledgement (AMF CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or AMF status indication (AMF STATUS INDICATION) message or overload start (OVERLOAD START) message or overload stop (OVERLOAD STOP) message;

[0195] or F1's F1 setup request (F1 SETUP REQUEST) message or F1 setup response (F1 SETUP RESPONSE) message or gNB DU configuration update (GNB-DU CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or gNB DU configuration update acknowledgement (GNB-DU CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or gNB CU configuration update (GNB-CU CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or gNB CU configuration update acknowledgement (GNB-CU CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or gNB DU status indication (GNB-DU STATUS INDICATION) message or resource status response (RESOURCE STATUS RESPONSE) message or resource status failure (RESOURCE STATUS FAILURE) message;

[0196] or a gNB CU UP E1 setup request (GNB-CU-UP E1 SETUP REQUEST) message or a gNB CU UP E1 setup response (GNB-CU-UP E1 SETUP RESPONSE) message or a gNB CU CP E1 setup request (GNB-CU-CP E1 SETUP REQUEST) message or a gNB CU CP E1 setup response (GNB-CU-CP E1 SETUP RESPONSE) message or a gNB CU UP configuration update (GNB-CU-UP CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or a gNB CU UP configuration update acknowledge (GNB-CU-UP CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or a gNB CU CP configuration update (GNB-CU-CP CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or a gNB CU CP configuration update acknowledge (GNB-CU-CP CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or a gNB CU UP status indication (GNB-CU-UP STATUS INDICATION) message or a resource status response (RESOURCE STATUS RESPONSE) message or a resource status failure (RESOURCE STATUS FAILURE) message;

[0197] or an RRC reconfiguration (RRCReconfiguration) message or an RRC reconfiguration complete (RRCReconfigurationComplete) message or a measurement report (MeasurementReport) message or a UE information response (UEInformationResponse) message of RRC;

[0198] or one other and / or newly defined RRC and / or Xn and / or X2 and / or F1 and / or E1 and / or NG message and / or RRC container and / or MAC CE, etc.

[0199] In some embodiments, the second message can comprise one or more of the following information and / or fields:

[0200] • a sending node identity: for identifying the node sending the message.

[0201] • a receiving node identity: for identifying the node receiving the message.

[0202] • a request identity: for identifying the request. The identity can be consistent with the request identity in the first message to match the response message with the request message.

[0203] • Measurement identification: used to identify this measurement request. For example, the identification can comprise a measurement identification assigned by the message sending node, and / or a measurement identification assigned by the message receiving node. For example, the identification can comprise a measurement identification assigned by the second node, and / or a measurement identification assigned by the first node. The identification can be consistent with the measurement identification in the first message to match the response message with the request message. The identification can be consistent with the measurement identification in the first message to match the response message with the request message.

[0204] • Collection identification: used to identify this data collection. For example, the identification can comprise a collection identification assigned by the message sending node, and / or a collection identification assigned by the message receiving node. For example, the identification can comprise a collection identification assigned by the second node, and / or a collection identification assigned by the first node. The identification can be consistent with the collection identification in the first message to match the response message with the request message. For example, the collection identification in the identification can be consistent with the collection identification in the first message to match the response message with the request message.

[0205] • Configuration identification: used to identify the configuration corresponding to this data collection response. The identification can uniquely determine a data collection configuration.

[0206] • Collectable configuration: can comprise one or more of:

[0207] • Number of collectable access nodes: indicates the maximum number of corresponding access nodes that can be collected. The access node can be one or more of: connected nodes, accessed master nodes, accessed secondary nodes, etc. In some embodiments, for example, when the number of actual access nodes reaches the number of access nodes, stop collecting data, and / or start reporting data. If it is the second hop and

[0208] • For data collection after the second hop, this information needs to be set considering the collected data. For example, the number of nodes of this configuration should be the number of nodes in the configuration and / or initial configuration contained in the request corresponding to the first hop and / or the last hop minus the number of nodes corresponding to the collected data.

[0209] o Number of hops for which collection can be performed: used to indicate the maximum number of hops (Hop) for which the corresponding access can be performed. The number of hops can include one or more of the following: the number of hops for the UE to move from one connected node to another connected node, the number of hops for the UE to move from one master node to another master node, the number of hops for the UE to move from connecting to one (master) node to connecting to one master node plus one secondary node, the number of hops for the UE to move from one secondary node to another secondary node, the number of hops for the UE to move from no secondary node to connecting to one secondary node, etc. In some embodiments, for example, when the actual number of hops reaches the number of hops, the data collection is stopped, and / or the reporting is started.

[0210] If the data collection is for the second hop and / or after the second hop, the information needs to be set considering the collected data. For example, the configured number of hops should be the number of hops configured in the request from the first hop and / or the last hop and / or the initial configuration minus the number of hops for the collected data.

[0211] o Number of visited cells for which collection can be performed: used to indicate the maximum number of visited cells for which the corresponding access can be performed. In some embodiments, for example, the visited cells can be the corresponding visited cells for the access to multiple nodes in the case of multi-hop. In some other embodiments, for example, the visited cells can be the master cell for the access, the secondary cell for the access, or both the master cell and the secondary cell for the access.

[0212] In some embodiments, for example, when the actual number of visited cells reaches the number of visited cells, the data collection is stopped, and / or the reporting is started. If the data collection is for the second hop and / or after the second hop, the information needs to be set considering the collected data. For example, the configured number of cells should be the number of cells configured in the request from the first hop and / or the last hop and / or the initial configuration minus the number of cells for the collected data.

[0213] o Number of corresponding visited cells for one access node for which collection can be performed: used to indicate the number of corresponding visited cells for one access node for which the collection can be performed. In some embodiments, for example, in the case of multi-hop, when the number of visited cells for one of the access nodes reaches the number of corresponding visited cells for the one access node, the data collection is stopped, and / or the collection of other visited cells for the one access node is stopped, and / or the reporting is started.

[0214] o Number of visited secondary nodes that can be collected: indicates the maximum number of corresponding visited secondary nodes that can be collected. In some embodiments, for example, when the actual number of visited secondary nodes reaches the number of visited secondary nodes, the data collection is stopped, and / or the data reporting is started. If it is the second hop and / or the data collection after the second hop, this information needs to be set considering the collected data. For example, the number of nodes configured in this configuration should be the number of nodes in the configuration contained in the request corresponding to the first hop and / or the last hop and / or the initial configuration minus the number of nodes corresponding to the collected data.

[0215] o Number of visited secondary cells that can be collected: indicates the maximum number of corresponding visited secondary cells that can be collected. In some embodiments, for example, when the actual number of visited secondary cells reaches the number of visited secondary cells, the data collection is stopped, and / or the reporting is started. If it is the second hop and / or the data collection after the second hop, this information needs to be set considering the collected data. For example, the number of cells configured in this configuration should be the number of cells in the configuration contained in the request corresponding to the first hop and / or the last hop and / or the initial configuration minus the number of cells corresponding to the collected data.

[0216] o Number of visited primary nodes that can be collected: indicates the maximum number of corresponding visited primary nodes that can be collected. In some embodiments, for example, when the actual number of visited primary nodes reaches the number of visited primary nodes, the data collection is stopped, and / or the data reporting is started. If it is the second hop and / or the data collection after the second hop, this information needs to be set considering the collected data. For example, the number of nodes configured in this configuration should be the number of nodes in the configuration contained in the request corresponding to the first hop and / or the last hop and / or the initial configuration minus the number of nodes corresponding to the collected data.

[0217] o Number of visited primary cells that can be collected: indicates the maximum number of corresponding visited primary cells that can be collected. In some embodiments, for example, when the actual number of visited primary cells reaches the number of visited primary cells, the data collection is stopped, and / or the reporting is started. If it is the second hop and / or the data collection after the second hop, this information needs to be set considering the collected data. For example, the number of cells configured in this configuration should be the number of cells in the configuration contained in the request corresponding to the first hop and / or the last hop and / or the initial configuration minus the number of cells corresponding to the collected data.

[0218] • Number of corresponding visited secondary cells that can be collected in one visited secondary node: indicates the number of corresponding visited secondary cells that can be collected in one visited secondary node. In some embodiments, for example, multiple secondary nodes are visited, when the actual number of visited secondary cells in one of the visited secondary nodes reaches the number of corresponding visited secondary cells in the one visited secondary node, the data collection is stopped, and / or the corresponding data collection of the subsequent other visited secondary cells in the one visited secondary node is stopped, and / or the reporting is started.

[0219] or, the reporting is started.

[0220] • Number of corresponding visited primary cells that can be collected in one visited primary node: indicates the number of visited primary cells that can be collected in one visited primary node.

[0221] In some embodiments, for example, multiple primary nodes are visited, when the actual number of visited primary cells in one of the visited primary nodes reaches the number of corresponding visited primary cells in the one visited primary node, the data collection is stopped, and / or the corresponding data collection of the subsequent other visited primary cells in the one visited primary node is stopped, and / or the reporting is started.

[0222] • Number of corresponding visited primary cells and / or secondary cells that can be collected in one visited primary node: indicates the maximum number of corresponding visited primary cells and / or secondary cells that can be collected in one visited primary node. In some embodiments, for example, in one visited primary node, when the number of visited primary cells and / or secondary cells reaches the number of corresponding visited primary cells and / or secondary cells in the one visited primary node, the data collection is stopped, and / or the corresponding data collection of the subsequent other visited cells in the one visited primary node is stopped, and / or the reporting is started. If it is the second hop and / or the data collection after the second hop, this information needs to be set considering the collected data. For example, the number of corresponding visited primary cells and / or secondary cells of this configuration of one visited primary node should be the number of secondary cells in the configuration contained in the corresponding request of the first hop and / or the last hop and / or the initial configuration minus the number of secondary cells corresponding to the collected data.

[0223] • Indication of whether the subsequent multi-hop data collection can be performed: used to indicate whether the second hop and / or the data collection after the second hop can be performed.

[0224] ○ Collecting time corresponding to the collectable data collection: the collecting time corresponding to the data collection that can be performed. ○ Whether the data collection result can be reported to the corresponding receiving node and / or cell requested: used for whether the data collection result can be reported to the corresponding receiving node and / or cell of the data collection reporting in the first message. It can also be that whether the data collection result can be reported to the node and / or cell corresponding to the node and / or cell information of the initial configuration data collection in the first message.

[0225] ○ Collecting stop event corresponding to the collectable data collection: the event can be one or more of the collecting stop events in the first message.

[0226] ○ Collecting start event corresponding to the collectable data collection: the event can be one or more of the collecting start events in the first message.

[0227] ○ Measurement configuration corresponding to the collectable data collection: the measurement configuration can include one or more of the following: frequency domain information of the measurement, time information of the measurement, start time of the measurement, end time of the measurement, period of the measurement, time of the measurement, type of the measurement, signal of the measurement, frequency domain information where the signal of the measurement is located, type of the signal of the measurement, configuration corresponding to the signal of the measurement, etc. The type of the measurement can include one or more of the following: periodic measurement, continuous measurement, single measurement, etc. The frequency information of the measurement and / or the frequency domain information where the signal of the measurement is located can include one or more of the following:

[0228] Frequency, center frequency, frequency hopping information, etc. of the start measurement.

[0229] ● Configuration corresponding to the reportable: can include one or more of the following:

[0230] ○ Reporting time corresponding to the reportable: the reporting time in which the reporting is performed.

[0231] ○ Reporting type corresponding to the reportable: can include one or more of the following: single reporting, on-demand reporting, periodic reporting, event-triggered reporting.

[0232] ○ Reporting period corresponding to the reportable: the time interval between two reports. In some embodiments, in the case of periodic reporting, the time interval between two reports.

[0233] ○ Trigger event corresponding to the reportable: the event can be one or more of the trigger events in the reporting configuration in the first message.

[0234] • Whether the data collection result can be reported to the requested corresponding receiving node and / or cell: used for whether the data collection result can be reported to the corresponding receiving node and / or cell of the data collection reporting in the first message. Alternatively, used for whether the data collection result can be reported to the node and / or cell corresponding to the node and / or cell information of the initial configuration data collection in the first message.

[0235] • Configuration of which collection cannot be performed: can include one or more of the following: o Number of visited nodes which collection cannot be performed: indicates the maximum number of corresponding visited nodes which collection cannot be performed. The visited nodes can be one or more of the following:

[0236] connected nodes, visited master nodes, visited secondary nodes, etc. In some embodiments, for example, when the actual number of visited nodes reaches the number of visited nodes, the data collection is stopped, and / or the data reporting is started. If it is the second hop and / or the data collection after the second hop, the information needs to be set considering the collected data. For example, the configured number of nodes should be the number of nodes in the configuration and / or initial configuration contained in the request corresponding to the first hop and / or the last hop minus the number of nodes corresponding to the collected data.

[0237] o Number of hops which collection cannot be performed: used for indicating the maximum number of corresponding hops which collection cannot be performed. The number of hops can include one or more of the following: UE hops from one connected node to another connected node, UE hops from one master node to another master node, UE changes from connecting one (master) node to connecting one master node plus one secondary node, UE hops from one secondary node to another secondary node, UE changes from no secondary node to connecting one secondary node, etc. In some embodiments, for example, when the actual number of hops reaches the number of hops, the data collection is stopped, and / or the data reporting is started. If it is the second hop and / or the data collection after the second hop, the information needs to be set considering the collected data. For example, the configured number of hops should be the number of hops in the configuration and / or initial configuration contained in the request corresponding to the first hop and / or the last hop minus the number of hops corresponding to the collected data.

[0238] o Number of visited cells which collection cannot be performed: indicates the maximum number of corresponding visited cells which collection cannot be performed. In some embodiments, for example, the visited cells can be the corresponding visited cells of the multiple nodes in the case of multi-hop. In yet some embodiments, for example, the visited cells can be the visited master cells, the visited secondary cells, or the visited master cells and the visited secondary cells. In some embodiments, for example, when the actual number of visited cells reaches the number of visited cells, the data collection is stopped, and / or the data reporting is started.

[0239] The number of access nodes that cannot be collected: indicates the maximum number of access nodes that cannot be collected. In some embodiments, for example, when the actual number of access nodes reaches the number of access nodes, the data collection is stopped, and / or the data reporting is started. If it is the second hop and / or the data collection after the second hop, the information needs to be set considering the collected data. For example, the number of nodes configured should be the number of nodes in the configuration contained in the request corresponding to the first hop and / or the last hop and / or the initial configuration minus the number of nodes corresponding to the collected data.

[0240] The number of corresponding access cells of one access node that cannot be collected: indicates the number of corresponding access cells of one access node that cannot be collected.

[0241] In some embodiments, for example, in the case of multi-hop, multiple nodes are accessed, when the number of access cells of one of the access nodes reaches the number of corresponding access cells of the one access node, the data collection is stopped, and / or the collection of other access cells of the access node is stopped, and / or the reporting is started.

[0242] The number of access secondary nodes that cannot be collected: indicates the maximum number of corresponding access secondary nodes that cannot be collected. In some embodiments, for example, when the actual number of access secondary nodes reaches the number of access secondary nodes, the data collection is stopped, and / or the data reporting is started. If it is the second hop and / or the data collection after the second hop, the information needs to be set considering the collected data. For example, the number of nodes configured should be the number of nodes in the configuration contained in the request corresponding to the first hop and / or the last hop and / or the initial configuration minus the number of nodes corresponding to the collected data.

[0243] The number of access secondary cells that cannot be collected: indicates the maximum number of corresponding access secondary cells that cannot be collected. In some embodiments, for example, when the actual number of access secondary cells reaches the number of access secondary cells, the data collection is stopped, and / or the reporting is started. If it is the second hop and / or the data collection after the second hop, the information needs to be set considering the collected data. For example, the number of cells configured should be the number of cells in the configuration contained in the request corresponding to the first hop and / or the last hop and / or the initial configuration minus the number of cells corresponding to the collected data.

[0244] The number of access primary nodes that cannot be collected: indicates the maximum number of corresponding access primary nodes that cannot be collected. In some embodiments, for example, when the actual number of access primary nodes reaches the number of access primary nodes, the data collection is stopped, and / or the data reporting is started. If it is the second hop and / or the data collection after the second hop, the information needs to be set considering the collected data.

[0245] For example, the configured number of nodes should be the number of nodes in the configuration contained in the request corresponding to the first hop and / or the last hop and / or the initial configuration minus the number of nodes corresponding to the collected data.

[0246] o Number of visited primary cells that cannot be collected: indicates the maximum number of corresponding visited primary cells that cannot be collected. In some embodiments, for example, when the actual number of visited primary cells reaches the number of visited primary cells, stop collecting data, and / or, start reporting. If it is the data collection of the second hop and / or after the second hop, this information needs to be set considering the collected data. For example, the configured number of cells should be the number of cells in the configuration contained in the request corresponding to the first hop and / or the last hop and / or the initial configuration minus the number of cells corresponding to the collected data.

[0247] o Number of corresponding visited secondary cells of one visited secondary node that cannot be collected:

[0248] Indicates the number of corresponding visited secondary cells that cannot be collected within one visited secondary node. In some embodiments, for example, multiple secondary nodes are visited, when the actual number of visited secondary cells of one of the visited secondary nodes reaches the number of corresponding visited secondary cells of the one visited secondary node, stop collecting data, and / or, stop the corresponding data collection of the subsequent other visited secondary cells of the one visited secondary node, and / or, start reporting.

[0249] o Number of corresponding visited primary cells of one visited primary node that cannot be collected:

[0250] Indicates the number of visited primary cells that cannot be collected within one visited primary node. In some embodiments, for example, multiple primary nodes are visited, when the actual number of visited primary cells of one of the visited primary nodes reaches the number of corresponding visited primary cells of the one visited primary node, stop collecting data, and / or, stop the corresponding data collection of the subsequent other visited primary cells of the one visited primary node, and / or, start reporting.

[0251] o Number of corresponding visited primary cells and / or secondary cells of one visited primary node that cannot be collected: indicates the maximum number of corresponding visited primary cells and / or the number of corresponding visited secondary cells that cannot be collected within one visited primary node. In some embodiments, for example, within one visited primary node, when the number of visited primary cells and / or the number of visited secondary cells reaches the number of corresponding visited primary cells and / or the number of corresponding visited secondary cells of the one visited primary node, stop collecting data, and / or,

[0252] Stop the data collection of the subsequent other access cells of the access master node, and / or, start the reporting. If it is the data collection of the second hop and / or after the second hop, the information needs to be set considering the collected data. For example, the number of access master cells corresponding to one access master node of the configuration should be the number of secondary cells in the configuration and / or initial configuration contained in the request corresponding to the first hop and / or the last hop minus the number of secondary cells corresponding to the collected data.

[0253] ○ Indication of whether the subsequent multi-hop data collection can be performed: used to indicate whether the data collection of the second hop and / or after the second hop can be performed.

[0254] ○ Collection time that cannot be performed: the collection time corresponding to the data collection that cannot be performed.

[0255] ○ Whether the data collection result can be reported to the corresponding receiving node and / or cell requested: used to indicate whether the data collection result can be reported to the corresponding receiving node and / or cell of the data collection reporting in the first message. It can also be used to indicate whether the data collection result can be reported to the node and / or cell corresponding to the node and / or cell information of the initial configuration data collection in the first message.

[0256] ○ Collection stop event corresponding to the data collection that cannot be performed: the event can be one or more of the collection stop events in the first message.

[0257] ○ Collection start event corresponding to the data collection that cannot be performed: the event can be one or more of the collection start events in the first message.

[0258] ○ Measurement configuration corresponding to the data collection that cannot be performed: the measurement configuration can include one or more of the following: frequency domain information of measurement, time information of measurement, start time of measurement, end time of measurement, period of measurement, time of measurement, type of measurement, signal of measurement, frequency domain information where the measurement signal is located, type of measurement signal, configuration corresponding to the measurement signal, etc. The type of measurement can include one or more of the following: periodic measurement, continuous measurement, single measurement, etc. The frequency information of measurement and / or the frequency domain information where the measurement signal is located can include one or more of the following:

[0259] Start frequency, center frequency, frequency hopping information, etc.

[0260] ● Configuration corresponding to the reporting that cannot be performed: can include one or more of the following:

[0261] ○ Reporting time that cannot be performed: reporting is performed within the reporting time.

[0262] The reporting type that cannot be reported: one or more of the following can be included: single reporting, on-demand reporting, periodic reporting, event-triggered reporting.

[0263] The reporting period that cannot be reported: the time interval between two reports. In some embodiments, in the case of periodic reporting, the time interval between two reports.

[0264] The trigger event corresponding to the reporting that cannot be reported: the event can be one or more of the trigger events in the reporting configuration in the first message.

[0265] Whether the data collection result can be reported to the corresponding receiving node and / or cell: whether the data collection result can be reported to the corresponding receiving node and / or cell of the data collection reporting in the first message. It can also be whether the data collection result can be reported to the node and / or cell corresponding to the node and / or cell information of the initial configuration data collection in the first message.

[0266] Reason: the reason why the collection and / or reporting cannot be performed.

[0267] In some embodiments, the second node can send a third message of the single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual-connection data collection result to the first node according to its own situation and / or the first message including the request message of the single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual-connection data collection received from the first node, so as to send the data collected by the second node to the first node.

[0268] It can also be that node A (for example, an access node in multi-hop and / or a node where data collection is completed) sends a third message of the single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual-connection data collection result to the first node according to its own situation and / or the first message including the request message of the single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual-connection data collection received from node B (for example, the previous hop node of node A in multi-hop and / or the previous node of the node where data collection is completed), so as to send the data collected by node A to the first node.

[0269] In some embodiments, for example, after the first node receives the result of the data collection, the first node can perform training of the AI / ML model based on the received result of the data collection. In some other embodiments, for example, after the first node receives the result of the data collection, the first node can perform evaluation of the output result of the AI / ML model and / or the accuracy of the AI / ML model. The evaluation of the output result of the AI / ML model can be evaluation of the accuracy of the output result of the AI / ML model. For example, when the result of the data collection deviates greatly from the output result of the model, it indicates that the output result of the AI / ML model is inaccurate and / or the accuracy of the AI / ML model is low. The node can trigger update and / or retraining of the AI / ML model.

[0270] In some embodiments, the third message can be contained in one or more of the following:

[0271] a handover request response (HANDOVER REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE) message or a secondary node addition request response (S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE) message or a secondary node modification request response (S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE) message or a secondary node modification confirm (S-NODE MODIFICATION CONFIRM) message or a secondary node change confirm (S-NODE CHANGE CONFIRM) message or a resource status update (RESOURCE STATUS UPDATE) message or an NG-RAN node configuration update (NG-RAN NODE CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or an NG-RAN node configuration update acknowledge (NG-RAN NODE CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or an Xn setup request (XN SETUP REQUEST) message or an Xn setup response (XN SETUP RESPONSE) message or a data collection update (DATA COLLECTION UPDATE) message;

[0272] or NG's NG setup request (NG SETUP REQUEST) message or NG setup response (NG SETUP RESPONSE) message or RAN configuration update (RAN CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or RAN configuration update acknowledgement (RAN CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or AMF configuration update (AMF CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or AMF configuration update acknowledgement (AMF CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or AMF status indication (AMF STATUS INDICATION) message or overload start (OVERLOAD START) message or overload stop (OVERLOAD STOP) message;

[0273] or F1's F1 setup request (F1 SETUP REQUEST) message or F1 setup response (F1 SETUP RESPONSE) message or gNB DU configuration update (GNB-DU CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or gNB DU configuration update acknowledgement (GNB-DU CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or gNB CU configuration update (GNB-CU CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or gNB CU configuration update acknowledgement (GNB-CU CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or gNB DU status indication (GNB-DU STATUS INDICATION) message or resource status update (RESOURCE STATUS UPDATE) message;

[0274] or a gNB CU UP E1 setup request (GNB-CU-UP E1 SETUP REQUEST) message or a gNB CU UP E1 setup response (GNB-CU-UP E1 SETUP RESPONSE) message or a gNB CU CP E1 setup request (GNB-CU-CP E1 SETUP REQUEST) message or a gNB CU CP E1 setup response (GNB-CU-CP E1 SETUP RESPONSE) message or a gNB CU UP configuration update (GNB-CU-UP CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or a gNB CU UP configuration update acknowledge (GNB-CU-UP CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or a gNB CU CP configuration update (GNB-CU-CP CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or a gNB CU CP configuration update acknowledge (GNB-CU-CP CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or a gNB CU UP status indication (GNB-CU-UP STATUS INDICATION) message or a resource status update (RESOURCE STATUS UPDATE) message;

[0275] or an RRC reconfiguration (RRCReconfiguration) message or an RRC reconfiguration complete (RRCReconfigurationComplete) message or a measurement report (MeasurementReport) message or a UE information response (UEInformationResponse) message of RRC;

[0276] or one other and / or newly defined RRC and / or Xn and / or X2 and / or F1 and / or E1 and / or NG message and / or RRC container and / or MAC CE, etc.

[0277] In some embodiments, the third message can comprise one or more of the following information and / or fields:

[0278] • a sending node identity: used to identify the node sending the message.

[0279] • a receiving node identity: used to identify the node receiving the message.

[0280] • a request identity: used to identify the request. The identity can be consistent with the request identity in the first message and / or the second message, to match the result reporting message with the request message.

[0281] • Measurement identity: used to identify this measurement request. The identity can be consistent with the measurement identity in the first message and / or the second message to match the result reporting message with the request message. For example, the identity can comprise a measurement identity assigned by the message sending node, and / or a measurement identity assigned by the message receiving node. For example, the identity can comprise a measurement identity assigned by the second node, and / or a measurement identity assigned by the first node. The identity can be consistent with the measurement identity in the first message and / or the second message to match the result reporting message with the request message. The identity can be consistent with the measurement identity in the first message and / or the second message to match the result reporting message with the request message.

[0282] • Collection identity: used to identify this data collection. For example, the identity can comprise a collection identity assigned by the message sending node, and / or a collection identity assigned by the message receiving node. For example, the identity can comprise a collection identity assigned by the second node, and / or a collection identity assigned by the second node. The identity can be consistent with the collection identity in the first message to match the result reporting message with the request message. For example, the identity assigned by the first node in the identity can be consistent with the identity assigned by the first node in the first message and / or the second message, and / or the identity assigned by the second node in the identity can be consistent with the identity assigned by the second node in the second message to match the result reporting message with the request message.

[0283] • Configuration identity: used to identify the configuration that this data collection result corresponds to. The identity can uniquely determine one data collection configuration.

[0284] • Node and / or cell information of the initial configuration data collection: In some embodiments, for example,

[0285] The information can be used to uniquely determine one data collection among multiple nodes. In other embodiments, for example, the information can be used to uniquely determine one data collection for one UE among multiple nodes. In yet other embodiments, for example, the information can inform the node that the data collection result finally needs to be sent to. For example, in a multi-hop case, the data collection node can send the result directly to the node of the initial configuration data collection to avoid the need for the intermediate nodes in the multi-hop case to forward, achieving the effect of saving signaling. For example, in a multi-hop case, the data collection node uses the node and / or cell information of the initial configuration data collection to uniquely determine one data collection and / or one data collection for the same UE among multiple nodes, which can avoid the need for nodes other than the node of the initial configuration data collection to still need to retain the UE context after the UE switches to another node in a multi-hop case, resulting in excessive node storage information and / or the long-term inability to allocate the identity assigned for the data collection to other UEs. One or more of the following can be included:

[0286] • Node identity for initial configuration data collection

[0287] • Cell identity for initial configuration data collection

[0288] • UE identity assigned by the node for initial configuration data collection: In some embodiments, for example, it can be the XnAP UE identity assigned by the node for initial configuration data collection.

[0289] • Identity assigned by the node for data collection: It can include one or more of the following: request identity, measurement identity, collection identity, configuration identity, etc.

[0290] • Identity assigned by the node for data collection:

[0291] It can include one or more of the following: request identity, measurement identity, collection identity, configuration identity, etc.

[0292] • Collected data: It represents the data corresponding to the data collection.

[0293] • Collection time corresponding to the collected data.

[0294] • Hop number corresponding to the collected data: This information is used to represent the hop number corresponding to the collected data.

[0295] For example, this information can be used to represent that the collected data corresponds to the data collection of the nth hop. In some embodiments, for example, the hop number can be used by the node to associate and / or integrate multiple data collection results.

[0296] • Identity corresponding to the collected data: This information is used to identify the collected data. In some embodiments, for example, the identity can be used by the node to associate and / or integrate multiple data collection results.

[0297] Example Two

[0298] An aspect of the present disclosure proposes a method of supporting data collection, which can include: a third node sending a fourth message including a handover related assistance information prediction request to a fourth node to inform the fourth node that it needs to predict handover related assistance information and / or report the predicted handover related assistance information.

[0299] The handover related assistance information prediction can include one or more of the following: measurement result prediction, trajectory prediction, etc.

[0300] In some embodiments, the fourth message can be included in one or more of the following:

[0301] Xn Handover Request or Secondary Node Addition Request or Secondary Node Modification Request or Secondary Node Modification Required or Secondary Node Change Required or Resource Status Request or NG-RAN Node Configuration Update or NG-RAN Node Configuration Update Acknowledge or Xn Setup Request or Xn Setup Response or Data Collection Request messages;

[0302] or NG Setup Request or NG Setup Response or RAN Configuration Update or RAN Configuration Update Acknowledge or AMF Configuration Update or AMF Configuration Update Acknowledge or AMF Status Indication or Overload Start or Overload Stop messages;

[0303] or an F1 setup request (F1 SETUP REQUEST) message or an F1 setup response (F1 SETUP RESPONSE) message or a gNB DU configuration update (GNB-DU CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or a gNB DU configuration update acknowledge (GNB-DU CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or a gNB CU configuration update (GNB-CU CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or a gNB CU configuration update acknowledge (GNB-CU CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or a gNB DU status indication (GNB-DU STATUS INDICATION) message or a resource status request (RESOURCE STATUS REQUEST) message of the F1;

[0304] or a gNB CU UP E1 setup request (GNB-CU-UP E1 SETUP REQUEST) message or a gNB CU UP E1 setup response (GNB-CU-UP E1 SETUP RESPONSE) message or a gNB CU CP E1 setup request (GNB-CU-CP E1 SETUP REQUEST) message or a gNB CU CP E1 setup response (GNB-CU-CP E1 SETUP RESPONSE) message or a gNB CU UP configuration update (GNB-CU-UP CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or a gNB CU UP configuration update acknowledge (GNB-CU-UP CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or a gNB CU CP configuration update (GNB-CU-CP CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or a gNB CU CP configuration update acknowledge (GNB-CU-CP CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or a gNB CU UP status indication (GNB-CU-UP STATUS INDICATION) message or a resource status request (RESOURCE STATUS REQUEST) message of the E1;

[0305] or an RRC reconfiguration (RRCReconfiguration) message or an RRC reconfiguration complete (RRCReconfigurationComplete) message or a UE information request (UEInformationRequest) message of the RRC;

[0306] or one other and / or newly defined RRC and / or Xn and / or X2 and / or Fl and / or El and / or NG message and / or RRC container and / or MAC CE, etc.

[0307] In some embodiments, the fourth message can comprise one or more of the following information and / or fields:

[0308] • Sender node identity: used to identify the node sending the message.

[0309] • Receiver node identity: used to identify the node receiving the message.

[0310] • Request identity: used to identify the request.

[0311] • Measurement identity: used to identify the measurement request. For example, the measurement identity can be assigned by the message sender node and / or the message receiver node.

[0312] • Collection identity: used to identify the data collection. For example, the collection identity can be assigned by the message sender node and / or the message receiver node.

[0313] • Configuration identity: used to identify the configuration of the measurement result prediction. The identity can uniquely determine one measurement result configuration.

[0314] • Identity of the requested measurement result prediction: used to indicate the request for predicting the measurement result.

[0315] • Predicted registration request: can comprise one or more of the following: start, end, update, increase, decrease, etc.

[0316] • Prediction time: the prediction time corresponding to the requested predicted measurement result.

[0317] • Applicable time: the applicable time corresponding to the requested predicted measurement result.

[0318] • Type of prediction: can comprise one or more of the following: single prediction, on-demand prediction, periodic prediction, event-triggered reporting.

[0319] • Prediction period: the time interval between two predictions. In some embodiments, the time interval between two predictions in the case of periodic prediction.

[0320] • Trigger event corresponding to the prediction: when the trigger event is met, the prediction is performed. The trigger event can comprise one or more of the following, or a plurality of events are met at the same time:

[0321] o The measurement result is greater than and / or less than and / or equal to a threshold value, and the event configuration comprises one or more of the following: event type, event, threshold value, time of satisfaction.

[0322] o User (trajectory) enters a predetermined range, the event configuration including one or more of: event type, event, predetermined threshold, time of fulfillment. The predetermined range can include one or more of: range covered by one or more cells (e.g., can be represented by a cell identity and / or a list of cell identities), range covered by one or more nodes (e.g., can be represented by a node identity and / or a list of node identities), range covered by one or more beams (e.g., can be represented by a cell identity and / or a beam identity, and / or, a list of cell identities and / or beam identities),

[0323] o Geographic area, etc.

[0324] o Load condition is greater than and / or less than and / or equal to a threshold value, the event configuration including one or more of: event type, event, threshold value, time of fulfillment.

[0325] o Predicted load condition is greater than and / or less than and / or equal to a threshold value, the event configuration including one or more of: event type, event, threshold value, time of fulfillment.

[0326] o Overload condition is predicted to occur.

[0327] o Overload condition occurs.

[0328] o Underload condition is predicted to occur.

[0329] o Underload condition occurs.

[0330] o Load presents an upward and / or downward trend.

[0331] • Node and / or cell information corresponding to the predicted result of the requested handover-related assistance information: can include one or more of:

[0332] o Node identity corresponding to the predicted result

[0333] o Node name corresponding to the predicted result

[0334] o Cell identity corresponding to the predicted result

[0335] o Beam identity corresponding to the predicted result

[0336] • Reporting configuration: can include one or more of:

[0337] o Reporting time: reporting is performed within the reporting time.

[0338] o Reporting type: can include one or more of: single reporting, on-demand reporting, periodic reporting, event-triggered reporting.

[0339] o Reporting period: Time interval between two reports. In some embodiments, in case of periodic reporting, the time interval between two reports.

[0340] o Triggered event: Reporting is performed when a triggered event is met. The triggered event can include one or more of the following, or multiple of the following are met at the same time:

[0341] ■Predicted measurement result is greater than and / or less than and / or equal to a threshold value, the event configuration including one or more of the following: event type, event, threshold value, time of meeting.

[0342] ■Measurement result is greater than and / or less than and / or equal to a threshold value, the event configuration including one or more of the following: event type, event, threshold value, time of meeting.

[0343] ■Predicted user (trajectory) enters a predetermined range, the event configuration including one or more of the following: event type, event, predetermined threshold value, time of meeting. The predetermined range can include one or more of the following: range covered by one or more cells (e.g., can be represented by a cell identity and / or a list of cell identities), range covered by one or more nodes (e.g., can be represented by a node identity and / or a list of node identities), range covered by one or more beams (e.g., can be represented by a cell identity and / or a beam identity, and / or, a list of cell identities and / or a list of beam identities), a geographical area, etc.

[0344] ■User (trajectory) enters a predetermined range, the event configuration including one or more of the following: event type, event, predetermined threshold value, time of meeting. The predetermined range can include one or more of the following: range covered by one or more cells (e.g., can be represented by a cell identity and / or a list of cell identities), range covered by one or more nodes (e.g., can be represented by a node identity and / or a list of node identities), range covered by one or more beams (e.g., can be represented by a cell identity and / or a beam identity, and / or, a list of cell identities and / or a list of beam identities), a geographical area, etc.

[0345] ■Load situation is greater than and / or less than and / or equal to a threshold value, the event configuration including one or more of the following: event type, event, threshold value, time of meeting.

[0346] ■Predicted load situation is greater than and / or less than and / or equal to a threshold value, the event configuration including one or more of the following: event type, event, threshold value, time of meeting.

[0347] ■Predicted overload situation will occur.

[0348] ■Overload situation occurs.

[0349] ■a prediction that an overload situation will occur.

[0350] ■an overload situation occurs.

[0351] ■a load exhibits an upward and / or downward trend.

[0352] Optionally, the fourth node, upon receiving the fourth message of the handover related assistance information prediction request sent by the third node, sends the third node the fifth message containing the handover related assistance information prediction response to inform the third node whether the fourth node can make a prediction.

[0353] In some embodiments, the fifth message can be contained in one or more of the following:

[0354] a HANDOVER REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message or a S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message or a S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message or a S-NODE MODIFICATION CONFIRM message or a S-NODE CHANGE CONFIRM message or a RESOURCE STATUS RESPONSE message or a RESOURCE STATUS FAILURE message or a NG-RAN NODE CONFIGURATION UPDATE message or a NG-RAN NODE CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE message or a XN SETUP REQUEST message or a XN SETUP RESPONSE message or a DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE message or a DATA COLLECTION FAILURE message of the Xn;

[0355] or NG's NG setup request (NG SETUP REQUEST) message or NG setup response (NG SETUP RESPONSE) message or RAN configuration update (RAN CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or RAN configuration update acknowledgement (RAN CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or AMF configuration update (AMF CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or AMF configuration update acknowledgement (AMF CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or AMF status indication (AMF STATUS INDICATION) message or overload start (OVERLOAD START) message or overload stop (OVERLOAD STOP) message;

[0356] or F1's F1 setup request (F1 SETUP REQUEST) message or F1 setup response (F1 SETUP RESPONSE) message or gNB DU configuration update (GNB-DU CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or gNB DU configuration update acknowledgement (GNB-DU CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or gNB CU configuration update (GNB-CU CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or gNB CU configuration update acknowledgement (GNB-CU CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or gNB DU status indication (GNB-DU STATUS INDICATION) message or resource status response (RESOURCE STATUS RESPONSE) message or resource status failure (RESOURCE STATUS FAILURE) message;

[0357] or a gNB CU UP E1 setup request (GNB-CU-UP E1 SETUP REQUEST) message or a gNB CU UP E1 setup response (GNB-CU-UP E1 SETUP RESPONSE) message or a gNB CU CP E1 setup request (GNB-CU-CP E1 SETUP REQUEST) message or a gNB CU CP E1 setup response (GNB-CU-CP E1 SETUP RESPONSE) message or a gNB CU UP configuration update (GNB-CU-UP CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or a gNB CU UP configuration update acknowledge (GNB-CU-UP CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or a gNB CU CP configuration update (GNB-CU-CP CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or a gNB CU CP configuration update acknowledge (GNB-CU-CP CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or a gNB CU UP status indication (GNB-CU-UP STATUS INDICATION) message or a resource status response (RESOURCE STATUS RESPONSE) message or a resource status failure (RESOURCE STATUS FAILURE) message;

[0358] or an RRC reconfiguration complete (RRCReconfigurationComplete) message or a measurement report (MeasurementReport) message or a UE information response (UEInformationResponse) message;

[0359] or one other and / or newly defined RRC and / or Xn and / or X2 and / or F1 and / or E1 and / or NG message and / or RRC container and / or MAC CE, etc.

[0360] In some embodiments, the fifth message can comprise one or more of the following information and / or fields:

[0361] • a sending node identity: used to identify the node sending the message.

[0362] • a receiving node identity: used to identify the node receiving the message.

[0363] • a request identity: used to identify the request. The identity can be consistent with the request identity in the fourth message to match the response message with the request message.

[0364] • Measurement identity: used to identify this measurement request. For example, the identity can comprise a measurement identity assigned by the message sending node, and / or a measurement identity assigned by the message receiving node. For example, the identity can comprise a measurement identity assigned by the fourth node, and / or a measurement identity assigned by the third node. The identity can be consistent with the measurement identity in the fourth message to match the response message with the request message. The identity can be consistent with the measurement identity in the fourth message to match the response message with the request message.

[0365] • Collection identity: used to identify this data collection. For example, the identity can comprise a collection identity assigned by the message sending node, and / or a collection identity assigned by the message receiving node. For example, the identity can comprise a collection identity assigned by the fourth node, and / or a collection identity assigned by the third node. The identity can be consistent with the collection identity in the fourth message to match the response message with the request message. For example, the collection identity in the identity can be consistent with the collection identity in the fourth message to match the response message with the request message.

[0366] • Configuration identity: used to identify the configuration corresponding to this data collection response. The identity can uniquely determine a data collection configuration.

[0367] • Whether measurement result prediction is possible: used to indicate whether measurement result prediction is possible. • Whether prediction of handover related assistance information is possible: used to indicate whether prediction of handover related assistance information is possible.

[0368] • Whether trajectory information prediction is possible: used to indicate whether trajectory information prediction is possible. • Configuration that can be collected: can comprise one or more of:

[0369] • Type of prediction that can be made: can comprise one or more of: single-shot prediction, on-demand prediction, periodic prediction, event-triggered reporting.

[0370] • Prediction period that can be made: the time interval between two predictions corresponding to the prediction that can be made. In some embodiments, the time interval between two predictions in the case of periodic prediction.

[0371] • Trigger event corresponding to the prediction that can be made: can comprise one or more of the trigger events corresponding to the prediction in the fourth message.

[0372] • Reporting configuration corresponding to the reporting that can be made: can comprise one or more of:

[0373] • Reporting time corresponding to the reporting that can be made: the reporting can be made within the reporting time.

[0374] ■reporting corresponding reporting time: reporting cannot be performed within the reporting corresponding reporting time.

[0375] ■reporting corresponding reporting period: reporting corresponding reporting period can be performed. In some embodiments, in the case of periodic reporting, the time interval of two times of reporting.

[0376] ■reporting corresponding triggering event: one or more of the triggering events in the reporting configuration in the fourth message can be included.

[0377] • configuration that cannot be collected: one or more of the following can be included:

[0378] o type that cannot be predicted: one or more of the following can be included: single prediction, on-demand prediction, periodic prediction, event-triggered prediction.

[0379] o prediction period that cannot be predicted: the time interval of two times of prediction corresponding to the prediction that cannot be performed. In some embodiments, in the case of periodic prediction, the time interval of two times of prediction.

[0380] o prediction corresponding triggering event that cannot be predicted: one or more of the triggering events corresponding to the prediction in the fourth message can be included.

[0381] o reporting configuration corresponding to reporting that cannot be performed: one or more of the following can be included:

[0382] ■reporting corresponding reporting time that cannot be performed: reporting cannot be performed within the reporting corresponding reporting time.

[0383] ■reporting corresponding reporting type that cannot be performed: one or more of the following can be included: single reporting, on-demand reporting, periodic reporting, event-triggered reporting.

[0384] ■reporting corresponding reporting period that cannot be performed: the time interval of two times of reporting corresponding to reporting that cannot be performed. In some embodiments, in the case of periodic reporting, the time interval of two times of reporting.

[0385] ■reporting corresponding triggering event that cannot be performed: one or more of the triggering events in the reporting configuration in the fourth message can be included.

[0386] In some embodiments, the fourth node can send a sixth message containing the prediction result of the handover related assistance information to the third node according to its own situation and / or the fourth message containing the handover related assistance information prediction request received from the third node, so as to send the handover related assistance information predicted by the fourth node to the third node.

[0387] After receiving the handover related assistance information prediction result, the third node may, in some embodiments, for example, make a subsequent mobility decision based on the handover related assistance information prediction result. In another embodiment, for example, the third node may, based on the handover related assistance information prediction result, select a target node for (conditional) handover and / or (conditional) secondary node addition and / or (conditional) secondary node change, and / or make a time for the related handover and / or secondary node addition and / or secondary node change.

[0388] In some embodiments, the sixth message can be contained in one or more of the following:

[0389] Xn Handover Request message or Secondary Node Addition Request message or Secondary Node Modification Request message or Secondary Node Modification Required message or Secondary Node Change Required message or Handover Request Acknowledge message or Secondary Node Addition Request Acknowledge message or Secondary Node Modification Request Acknowledge message or Secondary Node Modification Confirm message or Secondary Node Change Confirm message or NG-RAN Node Configuration Update message or NG-RAN Node Configuration Update Acknowledge message or Xn Setup Request message or Xn Setup Response message or Resource Status Update message or Data Collection Update message;

[0390] or NG's UE CONTEXT RELEASE REQUEST message or UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST message or UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION RESPONSE message or INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST message or NG SETUP REQUEST message or NG SETUP RESPONSE message or RAN CONFIGURATION UPDATE message or RAN CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE message or AMF CONFIGURATION UPDATE message or AMF CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE message or AMF STATUS INDICATION message or OVERLOAD START message or OVERLOAD STOP message;

[0391] or F1's F1 SETUP REQUEST message or F1 SETUP RESPONSE message or GNB-DU CONFIGURATION UPDATE message or GNB-DU CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE message or GNB-CU CONFIGURATION UPDATE message or GNB-CU CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE message or GNB-DU STATUS INDICATION message or RESOURCE STATUS UPDATE message;

[0392] or a gNB CU UP E1 setup request (GNB-CU-UP E1 SETUP REQUEST) message or a gNB CU UP E1 setup response (GNB-CU-UP E1 SETUP RESPONSE) message or a gNB CU CP E1 setup request (GNB-CU-CP E1 SETUP REQUEST) message or a gNB CU CP E1 setup response (GNB-CU-CP E1 SETUP RESPONSE) message or a gNB CU UP configuration update (GNB-CU-UP CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or a gNB CU UP configuration update acknowledge (GNB-CU-UP CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or a gNB CU CP configuration update (GNB-CU-CP CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or a gNB CU CP configuration update acknowledge (GNB-CU-CP CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message or a gNB CU UP status indication (GNB-CU-UP STATUS INDICATION) message or a resource status update (RESOURCE STATUS UPDATE) message;

[0393] or an RRC reconfiguration (RRCReconfiguration) message or an RRC reconfiguration complete (RRCReconfigurationComplete) message or a measurement report (MeasurementReport) message or a UE information response (UEInformationResponse) message of RRC;

[0394] or one other and / or newly defined RRC message and / or Xn message and / or X2 message and / or F1 message and / or E1 message and / or NG message and / or RRC container and / or MAC CE, etc.

[0395] In some embodiments, the sixth message can comprise one or more of the following information and / or fields:

[0396] • a sending node identity: used to identify the node sending the message.

[0397] • a receiving node identity: used to identify the node receiving the message.

[0398] • a request identity: used to identify the request. The identity can be consistent with the request identity in the fourth message and / or the fifth message to match the result reporting message with the request message.

[0399] • Measurement identity: used to identify this measurement request. The identity can be consistent with the measurement identity in the fourth message and / or the fifth message, to match the result reporting message with the request message.

[0400] • Collection identity: used to identify this data collection. For example, the identity can include a collection identity assigned by the message sending node, and / or, a collection identity assigned by the message receiving node. For example, the identity can include a collection identity assigned by the fourth node, and / or, a collection identity assigned by the third node. The identity can be consistent with the collection identity in the first message, to match the result reporting message with the request message. For example, the identity assigned by the first node in the identity can be consistent with the identity assigned by the first node in the fourth message and / or the fifth message, and / or, the identity assigned by the fourth node in the identity can be consistent with the identity assigned by the fourth node in the fifth message, to match the result reporting message with the request message.

[0401] • Configuration identity: used to identify the configuration that this data collection result corresponds to. The identity can uniquely determine one data collection configuration.

[0402] • Predicted trajectory information: can include one or more of:

[0403] o User identity

[0404] o Visited cell identity

[0405] o Visited primary cell identity

[0406] o Visited secondary cell identity

[0407] o Visited primary cell identity and visited secondary cell identity: representing the visited primary cell and visited secondary cell of the user in the case of dual connectivity.

[0408] o Node where the visited cell is located: can be a node identity, or a node name.

[0409] o Node where the visited primary cell is located: can be a node identity, or a node name.

[0410] o Node where the visited secondary cell is located: can be a node identity, or a node name.

[0411] o Visiting time and / or staying time

[0412] o Coordinates

[0413] o Visited beam information: can be a beam identity.

[0414] • Predicted measurement result information: can include one or more of:

[0415] o User identity

[0416] o Node identity and / or cell identity corresponding to the user measurement result

[0417] o Measurement result

[0418] o Measurement time

[0419] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0420] The text and drawings are provided only as examples to assist in understanding the present disclosure. They should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure in any way. Although certain embodiments and examples have been provided, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications can be made to the embodiments and examples shown without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0421] Figure 3A A schematic diagram illustrating one aspect of a method of supporting data collection according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In particular, Figure 3A A procedure of single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection between two nodes is shown, for the second node to support AI / ML related functions and / or operations with the single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection results.

[0422] In an implementation, for example, the first node can be a gNB or a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU or a gNB CU-CP or a gNB CU-UP or an en-gNB or an eNB or an ng-eNB, and the second node can be a UE. In an implementation, for example, the first node can be a UE, and the second node can be a gNB or a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU or a gNB CU-CP or a gNB CU-UP or an en-gNB or an eNB or an ng-eNB. In another implementation, for example, the first node can be a gNB or a gNB-CU or a gNB CU-CP or an en-gNB or an eNB or an ng-eNB, and the second node can be a gNB or a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU or a gNB CU-CP or a gNB CU-UP or an en-gNB or an eNB or an ng-eNB. In yet another implementation, for example, the first node can be an AMF or an SMF or an MME, and the second node can be a gNB or a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU or a gNB CU-CP or an en-gNB or an eNB or an ng-eNB. In yet another implementation, for example, the first node can be a gNB or a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU or a gNB CU-CP or an en-gNB or an eNB or an ng-eNB, and the second node can be an AMF or an SMF or an MME. It can also be that, for example, the first node is a master node and the second node is a secondary node; for example, the first node is a secondary node and the second node is a master node; for example, the first node is a source node and the second node is a target node; for example, the first node is a target node and the second node is a source node.

[0423] Step 301A: The second node sends the result of the single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to the first node. The result of the single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the third message as described above.

[0424] Step 302A: The first node can perform analysis based on the result of the single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection. In some implementations, for example, upon receiving the result of the data collection, the first node can perform training of the AI / ML model based on the received result of the data collection. In some other implementations, for example, upon receiving the result of the data collection, the first node can perform evaluation of the output result of the AI / ML model and / or the accuracy of the AI / ML model. The evaluation of the output result of the AI / ML model can be evaluation of the accuracy of the output result of the AI / ML model. For example, when the result of the data collection deviates greatly from the output result of the model, it indicates that the output result of the AI / ML model is inaccurate and / or the accuracy of the AI / ML model is low. The node can trigger update and / or retraining of the AI / ML model.

[0425] Figure 3BA diagram illustrating one aspect of a method that supports data collection is shown in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, Figure 3B A procedure of single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection between two nodes is shown for the second node to support AI / ML related functions and / or operations with the single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection results.

[0426] In one implementation, for example, the first node can be a gNB or a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU or a gNB CU-CP or a gNB CU-UP or an en-gNB or an eNB or an ng-eNB, and the second node can be a UE. In one implementation, for example, the first node can be a UE, and the second node can be a gNB or a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU or a gNB CU-CP or a gNB CU-UP or an en-gNB or an eNB or an ng-eNB. In another implementation, for example, the first node can be a gNB or a gNB-CU or a gNB CU-CP or an en-gNB or an eNB or an ng-eNB, and the second node can be a gNB or a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU or a gNB CU-CP or a gNB CU-UP or an en-gNB or an eNB or an ng-eNB. In yet another implementation, for example, the first node can be an AMF or an SMF or an MME, and the second node can be a gNB or a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU or a gNB CU-CP or an en-gNB or an eNB or an ng-eNB. In yet another implementation, for example, the first node can be a gNB or a gNB-CU or a gNB CU-CP or an en-gNB or an eNB or an ng-eNB, and the second node can be an AMF or an SMF or an MME. It can also be, for example, the first node is a master node and the second node is a secondary node; for example, the first node is a secondary node and the second node is a master node; for example, the first node is a source node and the second node is a target node; for example, the first node is a target node and the second node is a source node.

[0427] Step 301B: The first node sends a request for single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to the second node to request the second node to collect and / or report the single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection results. The request for single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the first message described above.

[0428] Step 302B: Optionally, the second node sends a response for single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to the first node to inform the first node whether the second node can perform the requested collection and / or reporting. The response for single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the second message described above.

[0429] Step 303B: The second node sends the result of the single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to the first node. The result of the single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned third message.

[0430] Step 304B: The first node can perform analysis based on the result of the single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection. In some embodiments, for example, upon receiving the result of the data collection, the first node can perform training of the AI / ML model based on the received result of the data collection. In some other embodiments, for example, upon receiving the result of the data collection, the first node can perform evaluation on the output result of the AI / ML model and / or the accuracy of the AI / ML model. The evaluation on the output result of the AI / ML model can be evaluation on the accuracy of the output result of the AI / ML model. For example, when the result of the data collection deviates greatly from the output result of the model, it indicates that the output result of the AI / ML model is inaccurate and / or the accuracy of the AI / ML model is low. The node can trigger update and / or retraining of the AI / ML model.

[0431] In some embodiments, for example, step 302B can be omitted.

[0432] Figure 3C A diagram illustrating one aspect of a method that supports data collection is shown in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Specifically, Figure 3C The procedure of inter-node interaction multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection is shown for the node to support AI / ML related functions and / or operations with the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection.

[0433] Step 301C: gNB1 sends a request (e.g., can be referred to as a first request) of multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to gNB2 to request gNB2 to collect and / or report the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection. The request of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned first message. The message can be sent through a DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message. As described above, the first message can include the first collection configuration and / or the first reporting configuration of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection of the UE.

[0434] Step 302C: Optionally, gNB2 sends a response of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to gNB1 to inform gNB1 whether gNB2 can perform the requested collection and / or reporting. The response of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned second message. This message can be sent by a DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE message and / or a DATA COLLECTION FAILURE message.

[0435] Step 303C: gNB1 sends a handover request message to gNB2. This message carries the identification in step 301C and / or step 302C to request gNB2 to perform data collection for the UE (e.g., the UE targeted by the handover request). The identification can include one or more of the following: a request identification, a measurement identification, a collection identification, a configuration identification, node and / or cell information of initial configuration data collection, etc.

[0436] Step 304C: gNB2 sends a handover request acknowledge message to gNB1.

[0437] Step 305C: gNB1 sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE. In some embodiments, for example, after the UE receives the RRC reconfiguration message, the UE sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to gNB1.

[0438] Step 306C: The UE accesses gNB2.

[0439] Step 307C: gNB2 performs data collection.

[0440] The sending of the request of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection by gNB2 to gNB3 can be implemented by way 1-1 or way 1-2.

[0441] Way 1-1:

[0442] Step 308C.11a: gNB2 sends a request of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection (e.g., can be referred to as a third request) to gNB3 to request gNB3 to collect and / or report the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection results. The request of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned first message. For distinction in flow, this message can also be referred to as an eighth message. In an embodiment, this message can include the identification in the aforementioned first message, a reporting configuration part, and / or an indication of subsequent multi-hop data collection, etc. The identification can include one or more of the following: a request identification, a measurement identification, a collection identification, a configuration identification, node and / or cell information of initial configuration data collection, etc. This message can be sent by a DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message.

[0443] Step 308C.11b: Optionally, gNB3 sends a response (e.g., can be referred to as a tenth message) of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to gNB2 to inform gNB2 whether gNB3 can perform the requested collection and / or reporting. The response of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned second message. This message can be sent through a DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE message and / or a DATA COLLECTION FAILURE message.

[0444] Step 308.11c: gNB2 sends a request (e.g., can be referred to as a second request) of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to gNB3 to request gNB3 to collect and / or report the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection results for a certain UE or UEs. The request of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned first message. For the purpose of distinguishing the flow, this message can also be referred to as a seventh message. The seventh message can comprise a second collection configuration corresponding to the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection of the UE, and the second collection configuration can be determined based on the first collection configuration and the current data collection situation or data collection information of the UE at gNB2. In an implementation, this message can comprise the identification in the aforementioned first message, and / or other information than the information in step 308C.11a, etc. The identification can comprise one or more of the following: a request identification, a measurement identification, a collection identification, a configuration identification, a node and / or cell information of the initial configuration data collection, etc. In another implementation, if the information comprised in this step is inconsistent with the information in step 308C.11a, the data collection for the UE is based on the information in this message. This message can be sent through a DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message and / or a HANDOVER REQUEST message and / or a S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST message.

[0445] Method 1-2:

[0446] Step 308C.12: gNB2 sends a request (e.g., can be referred to as a second request) of multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to gNB3 to request gNB3 to collect and / or report the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection results for one or some UEs. The request of multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the first message mentioned above. For the sake of distinguishing in the flow, this message can also be referred to as a seventh message. The seventh message can comprise a second collection configuration corresponding to the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection of the UEs, and the second collection configuration can be determined based on the first collection configuration and the current data collection situation of the UEs. In addition, the seventh message can also comprise a second reporting configuration corresponding to the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection of the UEs. The message can be sent through a data collection request (DATA COLLECTION REQUEST) message and / or a handover request (HANDOVER REQUEST) message and / or a secondary node addition request (S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST) message.

[0447] Step 309C: gNB3 sends a message (e.g., can be referred to as a ninth message) including information about whether gNB3 can send the collected results directly to the node of initial configuration data collection and / or the corresponding receiving node of data collection reporting and / or the cell to gNB2. The message can be sent through a handover request response (HANDOVER REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE) message and / or a secondary node addition request response (S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE) message. The message can also be sent from gNB3 to gNB2 together with (or included in) the response of multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection in step 308C.11b mentioned above.

[0448] Step 310C: gNB2 sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE. In some embodiments, for example, after the UE receives the RRC reconfiguration message, the UE sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to gNB2.

[0449] Step 311C: the UE accesses gNB3.

[0450] Step 312C: gNB3 performs data collection.

[0451] The gNB3 sending the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to the gNB1 can be implemented by way 2-1 or way 2-2 or way 2-3. The result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection sent by the gNB3 to the gNB1 can be the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection collected by the gNB3, or the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection collected by the gNB2 and the gNB3. In some embodiments, for example, the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection sent by the gNB3 to the gNB1 only contains the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection collected by the gNB3, and the gNB2 needs to send the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection collected by the gNB2 to the gNB1, which occurs after step 307C, for example, can occur simultaneously with and / or after and / or before any step after step 307C in the figure.

[0452] Way 2-1:

[0453] Step 313C.21a: The gNB3 sends the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to the gNB2. The result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the third message described above. The message can be sent through a data collection update (DATACOLLECTION UPDATE) message and / or a new message.

[0454] Step 313C.21b: The gNB2 sends the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to the gNB1. The result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the third message described above. The message can be sent through a data collection update (DATACOLLECTION UPDATE) message and / or a new message. In some embodiments, for example, the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection combined by the data collected by the gNB2 and the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection received by the gNB3 in step 313C.21a.

[0455] This way can solve the problem that the final data collection node (for example, gNB3) has no communication interface with the node that initially configures data collection (gNB1 in the figure) and / or the corresponding receiving node of data collection reporting and / or the cell (for example, gNB1).

[0456] Way 2-2:

[0457] Step 313C.22: gNB3 sends the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to gNB1. The result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned third message. This message can be sent by a DATA COLLECTION UPDATE message and / or a new message. gNB3 can obtain the need to send the collection result to gNB1 by the information in step 308C.11a and / or step 308.11c and / or step 308C.12. In some embodiments, for example, if gNB3 is instructed in step 309 that gNB3 can send the collection result directly to the node that initially configures the data collection (gNB1 in the figure) and / or the corresponding receiving node and / or cell of the data collection reporting (for example, gNB1), this way 2-2 can be adopted.

[0458] This way can reduce the signaling of the transmission of the collection result.

[0459] Way 2-3:

[0460] Step 313C.23a: gNB3 sends the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to the AMF. The result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned third message. This message can be sent by a DATA COLLECTION UPDATE message and / or a new message.

[0461] Step 313C.23b: the AMF sends the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to gNB1. The result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned third message. This message can be sent by a DATA COLLECTION UPDATE message and / or a new message.

[0462] This way can solve the problem that the final data collection node (for example, gNB3) has no communication interface with the node that initially configures the data collection (gNB1 in the figure) and / or the corresponding receiving node and / or cell of the data collection reporting (for example, gNB1).

[0463] In some embodiments, for example, way 2-2 or way 2-3 requires gNB2 to send the data collection result to gNB3, and gNB3 combines the data collection result collected by itself with the data collection result received from gNB2 to form the data collection result sent by gNB3.

[0464] The gNB1 can analyze based on the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection. In some embodiments, for example, upon receiving the result of the data collection, the gNB1 can perform training of the AI / ML model based on the received result of the data collection. In some other embodiments, for example, upon receiving the result of the data collection, the gNB1 can perform evaluation of the output result of the AI / ML model and / or the accuracy of the AI / ML model. The evaluation of the output result of the AI / ML model can be evaluation of the accuracy of the output result of the AI / ML model. For example, when the result of the data collection deviates significantly from the output result of the model, it indicates that the output result of the AI / ML model is inaccurate and / or the accuracy of the AI / ML model is low. The node can trigger update and / or retraining of the AI / ML model.

[0465] Figure 3C The behavior of the intermediate hop node is exemplified by gNB2, the behavior of the intermediate hop node is exemplified by gNB3 and / or the behavior of the data collection completion node is exemplified.

[0466] Figure 3D A diagram illustrating one aspect of a method that supports data collection is shown in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Specifically, Figure 3D The procedure of the inter-node interaction dual connectivity data collection is shown for the node to support AI / ML related functions and / or operations with the result of the dual connectivity data collection.

[0467] Step 301D: The master node sends a request for dual connectivity data collection to the secondary node 1 to request the secondary node 1 to collect and / or report the result of the dual connectivity data collection. The request for dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned first message. The message can be sent through a data collection request (DATA COLLECTION REQUEST) message.

[0468] Step 302D: Optionally, the secondary node 1 sends a response for dual connectivity data collection to the master node to inform the master node whether the secondary node 1 can perform the requested collection and / or reporting. The response for dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned second message. The message can be sent through a data collection response (DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE) message and / or a data collection failure (DATA COLLECTION FAILURE) message.

[0469] Step 303D: The master node sends a request for dual connectivity data collection to the secondary node 1, to request the secondary node 1 to collect and / or report the dual connectivity data collection result for one or more UEs. For example, the secondary node 1 can be informed to collect data for the UE through this step. The request for dual connectivity data collection can be the first message described above. In an embodiment, the message can include the identification in the first message described above. The identification can include one or more of the following: request identification, measurement identification, collection identification, configuration identification, node and / or cell information for initial configuration data collection, etc. To inform the secondary node 1 to collect data for the UE according to the request in step 301D. The message can be sent through a secondary node addition request (S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST) message. The message can also be sent through a secondary node modification request (S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST) message.

[0470] Step 304D: The secondary node 1 sends a secondary node addition request response (S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE) message and / or a secondary node modification request response (S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE) message to the master node.

[0471] Step 305D: The master node sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE. In some embodiments, for example, after receiving the RRC reconfiguration message, the UE sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the master node.

[0472] Step 306D: The UE accesses the secondary node 1.

[0473] Step 307D: The secondary node 1 collects data.

[0474] Step 308D: The secondary node 1 sends the result of the dual connectivity data collection to the master node. The result of the dual connectivity data collection can be the third message described above. The message can be sent through a data collection update (DATA COLLECTION UPDATE) message.

[0475] Figure 3E A schematic diagram illustrating one aspect of a method of supporting data collection according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Specifically, Figure 3E The inter-node interaction procedure for dual connectivity data collection is shown, so that the nodes can support AI / ML related functions and / or operations with the result of dual connectivity data collection.

[0476] Step 301E: The master node sends a request for dual connectivity data collection to the secondary node 1, to request the secondary node 1 to collect and / or report the result of the dual connectivity data collection. The request for dual connectivity data collection can be the first message described above. The message can be sent through a secondary node addition request (S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST) message. The message can also be sent through a secondary node modification request (S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST) message.

[0477] Step 302E: Optionally, the secondary node 1 sends a response for dual connectivity data collection to the master node, to inform the master node whether the secondary node 1 can perform the requested collection and / or reporting. The response for dual connectivity data collection can be the second message described above. The message can be sent through a secondary node addition request response (S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE) message and / or a secondary node modification request response (S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE) message.

[0478] Step 303E: The master node sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE. In some embodiments, for example, after the UE receives the RRC reconfiguration message, the UE sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the master node.

[0479] Step 304E: The UE accesses the secondary node 1.

[0480] Step 305E: The secondary node 1 performs data collection.

[0481] Step 306E: The secondary node 1 sends the result of the dual connectivity data collection to the master node. The result of the dual connectivity data collection can be the third message described above. The message can be sent through a data collection update (DATA COLLECTION UPDATE) message and / or a new message.

[0482] The master node can perform analysis based on the result of the single hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection. In some embodiments, for example, after the master node receives the result of the data collection, the master node can perform training of the AI / ML model based on the received result of the data collection. In other embodiments, for example, after the master node receives the result of the data collection, the master node can evaluate the output result of the AI / ML model and / or the accuracy of the AI / ML model. The evaluation of the output result of the AI / ML model can be an evaluation of the accuracy of the output result of the AI / ML model. For example, when the result of the data collection deviates greatly from the output result of the model, it indicates that the output result of the AI / ML model is inaccurate and / or the accuracy of the AI / ML model is low. The node can trigger updating and / or retraining of the AI / ML model.

[0483] Figure 3F A diagram illustrating one aspect of a method that supports data collection is shown, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. Specifically, Figure 3F The procedure of inter-node interaction dual connectivity data collection is shown, for the node can support AI / ML related functions and / or operations with the dual connectivity data collection results.

[0484] Step 300F: Interaction reference among the master node, the secondary node 1, and the UE Figure 3D Or Figure 3E .

[0485] The interaction between the master node and the secondary node 2 can be conducted by way 1 or way 2.

[0486] Way 1:

[0487] Step 301F.1a: The master node sends a request for dual connectivity data collection to the secondary node 2, to request the secondary node 2 to collect and / or report the dual connectivity data collection results. The request for dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned first message. The message can be sent through a data collection request (DATA COLLECTION REQUEST) message.

[0488] Step 301F.1b: Optionally, the secondary node 2 sends a response for dual connectivity data collection to the master node, to inform the master node whether the secondary node 2 can conduct the requested collection and / or reporting. The response for dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned second message. The message can be sent through a data collection response (DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE) message and / or a data collection failure (DATA COLLECTION FAILURE) message.

[0489] Step 301F.1c: The master node sends a request for dual connectivity data collection to the secondary node 2, to request the secondary node 2 to collect and / or report the dual connectivity data collection results for a certain UE or some UEs. For example, the secondary node 2 can be informed through this step that data collection is needed for the UE. The request for dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned first message. In an implementation, the message can include the identification in the aforementioned first message. The identification can include one or more of the following: a request identification, a measurement identification, a collection identification, a configuration identification, a node and / or cell information for initial configuration data collection, etc. To inform the secondary node 2 to conduct data collection for the UE according to the request in step 301D. The message can be sent through a secondary node addition request (S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST) message. The message can also be sent through a secondary node modification request (S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST) message.

[0490] Step 301F.1d: The secondary node 2 sends a secondary node addition request acknowledge (S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE) message and / or a secondary node modification request acknowledge (S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE) message to the master node.

[0491] Method 2:

[0492] Step 301F.2a: The master node sends a request for dual connectivity data collection to the secondary node 2, to request the secondary node 2 to collect and / or report the result of dual connectivity data collection. The request for dual connectivity data collection can be the first message mentioned above. The message can be sent by a secondary node addition request (S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST) message. The message can also be sent by a secondary node modification request (S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST) message.

[0493] Step 301F.2b: Optionally, the secondary node 2 sends a response for dual connectivity data collection to the master node, to inform the master node whether the secondary node 2 can perform the requested collection and / or reporting. The response for dual connectivity data collection can be the second message mentioned above. The message can be sent by a secondary node addition request acknowledge (S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE) message and / or a secondary node modification request acknowledge (S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE) message.

[0494] Step 303F: The master node sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE. In some embodiments, for example, after receiving the RRC reconfiguration message, the UE sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the master node.

[0495] Step 304F: The UE accesses the secondary node 2.

[0496] Step 305F: The secondary node 2 performs data collection.

[0497] Step 306F: The secondary node 2 sends the result of dual connectivity data collection to the master node. The result of dual connectivity data collection can be the third message mentioned above. The message can be sent by a data collection update (DATA COLLECTION UPDATE) message or a new message.

[0498] The master node can analyze based on the results of the single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection. In some embodiments, for example, upon receiving the results of the data collection, the master node can perform training of the AI / ML model based on the received results of the data collection. In other embodiments, for example, upon receiving the results of the data collection, the master node can perform evaluation of the output results of the AI / ML model and / or the accuracy of the AI / ML model. The evaluation of the output results of the AI / ML model can be evaluation of the accuracy of the output results of the AI / ML model. For example, when the results of the data collection deviate significantly from the output results of the model, it indicates that the output results of the AI / ML model are inaccurate and / or the accuracy of the AI / ML model is low. The node can trigger update and / or retraining of the AI / ML model.

[0499] Figure 3G A schematic diagram illustrating one aspect of a method of supporting data collection according to an embodiment of the disclosure is shown. In particular, Figure 3G The procedure of inter-node interaction multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection is shown for the node to support AI / ML related functions and / or operations with the results of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection.

[0500] Step 300G: Interaction reference among master node 1, secondary node 1, and UE Figure 3D Or Figure 3E .

[0501] Step 301G: Master node 1 sends a request for multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to master node 2 to request master node 2 to collect and / or report the results of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection. The request for multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned first message. In an embodiment, the message can include the identification, reporting configuration part in the aforementioned first message, and / or indication of subsequent multi-hop data collection, etc. The identification can include one or more of the following: request identification, measurement identification, collection identification, configuration identification, node and / or cell information for initial configuration data collection, etc. The message can be sent through a data collection request (DATA COLLECTION REQUEST) message.

[0502] Step 302G: Optionally, master node 2 sends a response for multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to master node 1 to inform master node 1 whether master node 2 can perform the requested collection and / or reporting. The response for multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned second message. The message can be sent through a data collection response (DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE) message and / or a data collection failure (DATA COLLECTION FAILURE) message.

[0503] Step 303G: Master node 1 sends a multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection request to master node 2 to request master node 2 to collect and / or report multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection results for one or some UEs. The multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection request can be the first message described above. In an implementation, the message can include the identification in the first message described above, and / or other information in addition to the information in step 301G, etc. The identification can include one or more of the following: request identification, measurement identification, collection identification, configuration identification, node and / or cell information of initial configuration data collection, etc. In another implementation, if the information included in this step is inconsistent with the information in step 301G, the data collection for the UE is based on the information in this message. The message can be sent through a data collection request (DATA COLLECTION REQUEST) message and / or a handover request (HANDOVER REQUEST) message and / or a secondary node addition request (S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST) message.

[0504] The interaction between master node 2 and secondary node 2 in step 304G refers to steps 301D-304D in Figure 3D or steps 301E-302E in Figure 3E .

[0505] Step 305G: Master node 2 sends a message including information about whether master node 2 can send the collected results directly to the node of initial configuration data collection and / or the corresponding receiving node and / or cell of data collection report to master node 1. The message can be sent through a handover request response (HANDOVER REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE) message. The message can also be sent from master node 2 to master node 1 together with (or included in) the response of multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection in step 302G described above.

[0506] Step 306G: Master node 1 sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE. In some implementations, for example, after the UE receives the RRC reconfiguration message, the UE sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to master node 1.

[0507] Step 307G: The UE accesses master node 2 and secondary node 2.

[0508] Step 308G: Master node 2 and secondary node 2 perform data collection.

[0509] Step 309G: Secondary node 2 sends the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to master node 2. The result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned third message. This message can be sent by a DATA COLLECTION UPDATE message and / or a new message.

[0510] Step 310G: Master node 2 sends a request for multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to master node 3, to request master node 3 to collect and / or report the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection. The request for multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned first message. In an implementation, this message can include the identity, reporting configuration part in the aforementioned first message, and / or an indication of subsequent multi-hop data collection, etc. The identity can include one or more of the following: request identity, measurement identity, collection identity, configuration identity, node and / or cell information of initial configuration data collection, etc. This message can be sent by a DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message.

[0511] Step 311G: Optionally, master node 3 sends a response for multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to master node 2, to inform master node 2 whether master node 3 can perform the requested collection and / or reporting. The response for multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned second message. This message can be sent by a DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE message and / or a DATA COLLECTION FAILURE message.

[0512] Step 312G: Master node 2 sends a request for multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to master node 3, to request master node 3 to collect and / or report the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection for one or some UEs. The request for multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned first message. In an implementation, this message can include the identity in the aforementioned first message, and / or other information except the information in step 309G, etc. The identity can include one or more of the following: request identity, measurement identity, collection identity, configuration identity, node and / or cell information of initial configuration data collection, etc. In another implementation, if the information included in this step is inconsistent with the information in step 309G, the data collection for the UE is based on the information in this message. This message can be sent by a DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message and / or a HANDOVER REQUEST message and / or a S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST message.

[0513] The interaction between the master node 3 and the secondary node 3 in step 313G refers to Figure 3D steps 301D to 304D in FIG. 3B, or Figure 3E steps 301E to 302E in FIG. 3C.

[0514] Step 314G: The master node 3 sends a message including information about whether the master node 3 can send the collected results directly to the node that initiates the configuration data collection and / or the corresponding receiving node of the data collection reporting and / or the cell to the master node 2. The message can be sent through a HANDOVER REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message. The message can also be sent from the master node 3 to the master node 2 together with (or included in) the response of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection in step 311G described above.

[0515] Step 315G: The master node 2 sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE. In some embodiments, for example, after receiving the RRC reconfiguration message, the UE sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the master node 2.

[0516] Step 316G: The UE accesses the master node 3 and the secondary node 3.

[0517] Step 317G: The master node 3 and the secondary node 3 perform data collection.

[0518] Step 318G: The secondary node 3 sends the results of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to the master node 3. The results of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the third message described above. The message can be sent through a DATACOLLECTION UPDATE message and / or a new message.

[0519] Step 319G: The master node 3 sends the collected results of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to the master node 1. The specific manner can refer to the manner 2-1 or the manner 2-2 or the manner 2-3 in Figure 3C . Among them, the master node 1 can be analogous to the gNB1 in Figure 3C , the master node 2 can be analogous to the gNB2 in Figure 3C , and the master node 3 can be analogous to the gNB3 in Figure 3C .

[0520] The master node 1 can analyze based on the result of the single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection. In some embodiments, for example, upon receiving the result of the data collection, the master node 1 can perform training of the AI / ML model based on the received result of the data collection. In some other embodiments, for example, upon receiving the result of the data collection, the master node 1 can perform evaluation of the output result of the AI / ML model and / or the accuracy of the AI / ML model. The evaluation of the output result of the AI / ML model can be evaluation of the accuracy of the output result of the AI / ML model. For example, when the result of the data collection deviates significantly from the output result of the model, it indicates that the output result of the AI / ML model is inaccurate and / or the accuracy of the AI / ML model is low. The node can trigger update and / or retraining of the AI / ML model.

[0521] Figure 3G The behavior of the intermediate hop node is exemplified by the master node 2, and the behavior of the intermediate hop node and / or the behavior of the data collection completion node is exemplified by the master node 3.

[0522] Figure 3H A schematic diagram illustrating one aspect of a method of supporting data collection according to an embodiment of the disclosure is shown. In particular, Figure 3H The procedure of inter-node interaction multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection is shown, for the node to support AI / ML related functions and / or operations with the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection.

[0523] Step 300H: Interaction between the master node 1, the secondary node 1, and the UE Figure 3D Or Figure 3E .

[0524] Step 301H: The master node 1 sends a request for multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to the master node 2, to request the master node 2 to collect and / or report the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection. The request for multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the first message described above. The message can be sent through the (HANDOVER REQUEST) message.

[0525] Step 302H: Interaction between the master node 2 and the secondary node 2 Figure 3D Step 301D to step 304D in Figure 3E Step 301E to step 302E in

[0526] Step 303H: Optionally, the master node 2 sends a response of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to the master node 1 to inform the master node 1 whether the master node 2 can perform the requested collection and / or reporting. The response of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned second message. This message can be sent through a HANDOVER REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message.

[0527] Step 304H: The master node 1 sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE. In some embodiments, for example, upon receiving the RRC reconfiguration message, the UE sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the master node 1.

[0528] Step 305H: The UE accesses the master node 2 and the secondary node 2.

[0529] Step 306H: The master node 2 and the secondary node 2 perform data collection.

[0530] Step 307H: The secondary node 2 sends a result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to the master node 2. The result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned third message. This message can be sent through a DATA COLLECTION UPDATE message and / or a new message.

[0531] Step 308H: The master node 2 sends a request of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to the master node 3 to request the master node 2 to collect and / or report the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection. The request of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned first message. This message can be sent through a HANDOVER REQUEST message.

[0532] The interaction between the master node 3 and the secondary node 3 in step 309H refers to Figure 3D steps 301D to 304D in FIG. 3D, or Figure 3E steps 301E to 302E in FIG. 3E.

[0533] Step 310H: Optionally, the master node 3 sends a response of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to the master node 2 to inform the master node 2 whether the master node 3 can perform the requested collection and / or reporting. The response of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned second message. This message can be sent through a HANDOVER REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message.

[0534] Step 311H: The master node 2 sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE. In some embodiments, for example, upon receiving the RRC reconfiguration message, the UE sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the master node 2.

[0535] Step 312H: UE accesses the master node 3 and the secondary node 3.

[0536] Step 313H: The master node 3 and the secondary node 3 perform data collection.

[0537] Step 314H: The secondary node 3 sends the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to the master node 3. The result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the third message mentioned above. The message can be sent through a DATA COLLECTION UPDATE message and / or a new message.

[0538] Step 315H: The master node 3 sends the collected result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to the master node 1. The specific manner can refer to the manner 2-1 or the manner 2-2 or the manner 2-3 in Figure 3C . Among them, the master node 1 can be analogous to the gNB1 in Figure 3C ; the master node 2 can be analogous to the gNB2 in Figure 3C ; and the master node 3 can be analogous to the gNB3 in Figure 3C .

[0539] The master node 1 can perform analysis based on the result of the single-hop and / or multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection. In some embodiments, for example, after the master node 1 receives the result of the data collection, the master node 1 can perform training of the AI / ML model based on the received result of the data collection. In other embodiments, for example, after the master node 1 receives the result of the data collection, the master node 1 can evaluate the output result of the AI / ML model and / or the accuracy of the AI / ML model. The evaluation of the output result of the AI / ML model can be the evaluation of the accuracy of the output result of the AI / ML model. For example, when the result of the data collection deviates greatly from the output result of the model, it indicates that the output result of the AI / ML model is inaccurate and / or the accuracy of the AI / ML model is low. The node can trigger the update and / or retraining of the AI / ML model.

[0540] Figure 3H The behavior of the intermediate hop node is exemplified by the master node 2 and the behavior of the intermediate hop node and / or the behavior of the data collection completion node is exemplified by the master node 3 in

[0541] Figure 3I shows a schematic diagram illustrating one aspect of a method of supporting data collection according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, Figure 3I shows the process of inter-node interaction multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection, so that the node can support AI / ML related functions and / or operations by using the result of the multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection.

[0542] Step 301I: The secondary node 1 sends a request for multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to the master node, to request the master node to collect and / or report the result of multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection. The request for multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned first message. This message can be sent through a DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message.

[0543] Step 302I: Optionally, the master node sends a response for multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to the secondary node 1, to inform the master node whether the secondary node 1 can perform the requested collection and / or reporting. The response for multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned second message. This message can be sent through a DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE message and / or a DATA COLLECTION FAILURE message.

[0544] Step 303I: The interaction between the UE, the master node, the secondary node 1, other master nodes and / or secondary nodes can refer to steps 301F to 316F of Figure 3F , or steps 301G to 319G of Figure 3G , or steps 301H to 315H of Figure 3H . Wherein Figure 3I the master node in Figure 3G corresponds to the master node 1 in Figure 3H .

[0545] Step 304I: The master node sends the collected result of multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection to the secondary node 1. The result of multi-hop and / or dual connectivity data collection can be the aforementioned third message. This message can be sent through a DATA COLLECTION UPDATE message.

[0546] Figure 4A FIG. 13 shows a schematic diagram illustrating one aspect of a method of supporting data collection according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Specifically, Figure 4A FIG. 13 shows a procedure of predicting the result of the interaction between two nodes for switching related assistance information, so that the first node can make (subsequent) mobility related decisions based on the predicted result of the switching related assistance information, or can forward the predicted result of the switching related assistance information to other nodes for other nodes to make (subsequent) switching decisions.

[0547] After the first node receives the prediction result of the handover related assistance information, in some embodiments, for example, the first node can make a subsequent mobility decision based on the prediction result of the handover related assistance information. In another embodiment, for example, the first node can select a target node of (conditional) handover and / or (conditional) secondary node addition and / or (conditional) secondary node change and / or make a time of related handover and / or secondary node addition and / or secondary node change based on the prediction result of the handover related assistance information.

[0548] In an implementation, for example, the first node can be a gNB or a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU or a gNB CU-CP or a gNB CU-UP or an en-gNB or an eNB or an ng-eNB, and the second node can be a UE. In an implementation, for example, the first node can be a UE, and the second node can be a gNB or a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU or a gNB CU-CP or a gNB CU-UP or an en-gNB or an eNB or an ng-eNB. In another implementation, for example, the first node can be a gNB or a gNB-CU or a gNB CU-CP or an en-gNB or an eNB or an ng-eNB, and the second node can be a gNB or a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU or a gNB CU-CP or a gNB CU-UP or an en-gNB or an eNB or an ng-eNB. In yet another implementation, for example, the first node can be an AMF or an SMF or an MME, and the second node can be a gNB or a gNB-CU or a gNB CU-CP or an en-gNB or an eNB or an ng-eNB. In yet another implementation, for example, the first node can be a gNB or a gNB-CU or a gNB CU-CP or an en-gNB or an eNB or an ng-eNB, and the second node can be an AMF or an SMF or an MME. It can also be, for example, that the first node is a master node and the second node is a secondary node; for example, the first node is a secondary node and the second node is a master node; for example, the first node is a source node and the second node is a target node; for example, the first node is a target node and the second node is a source node.

[0549] Step 401A: The second node sends the prediction result of the handover related assistance information to the first node. The prediction result of the handover related assistance information can be the aforementioned sixth message.

[0550] Step 402A: The first node can make a (subsequent) mobility related decision based on the prediction result of the handover related assistance information, or can forward it to other nodes for other nodes to make a (subsequent) handover decision.

[0551] After the first node receives the prediction result of the handover related assistance information, in some embodiments, for example, the first node can make a (subsequent) mobility decision based on the prediction result of the handover related assistance information. In another embodiment, for example, the first node can select a target node for (conditional) handover and / or (conditional) secondary node addition and / or (conditional) secondary node change and / or make a time for the related handover and / or secondary node addition and / or secondary node change based on the prediction result of the handover related assistance information.

[0552] Figure 4B A schematic diagram illustrating one aspect of a method of supporting data collection according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In particular, Figure 4B A process of exchanging the prediction result of the handover related assistance information between two nodes is shown, so that the first node can make a (subsequent) mobility related decision based on the prediction result of the handover related assistance information, or can be forwarded to other nodes for other nodes to make a (subsequent) handover decision.

[0553] After the first node receives the prediction result of the handover related assistance information, in some embodiments, for example, the first node can make a (subsequent) mobility decision based on the prediction result of the handover related assistance information. In another embodiment, for example, the first node can select a target node for (conditional) handover and / or (conditional) secondary node addition and / or (conditional) secondary node change and / or make a time for the related handover and / or secondary node addition and / or secondary node change based on the prediction result of the handover related assistance information.

[0554] In an implementation form, the first node can be a gNB or a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU or a gNB CU-CP or a gNB CU-UP or an en-gNB or an eNB or an ng-eNB, and the second node can be a UE. In an implementation form, the first node can be a UE, and the second node can be a gNB or a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU or a gNB CU-CP or a gNB CU-UP or an en-gNB or an eNB or an ng-eNB. In another implementation form, the first node can be a gNB or a gNB-CU or a gNB CU-CP or an en-gNB or an eNB or an ng-eNB, and the second node can be a gNB or a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU or a gNB CU-CP or a gNB CU-UP or an en-gNB or an eNB or an ng-eNB. In yet another implementation form, the first node can be an AMF or an SMF or an MME, and the second node can be a gNB or a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU or a gNB CU-CP or an en-gNB or an eNB or an ng-eNB. In yet another implementation form, the first node can be a gNB or a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU or a gNB CU-CP or an en-gNB or an eNB or an ng-eNB, and the second node can be an AMF or an SMF or an MME. It can also be that the first node is a master node and the second node is a secondary node; or the first node is a secondary node and the second node is a master node; or the first node is a source node and the second node is a target node; or the first node is a target node and the second node is a source node.

[0555] Step 401B: The first node sends a request for prediction of handover related assistance information to the second node, to request the second node to predict and / or report a prediction result of the handover related assistance information. The request for prediction of handover related assistance information can be the fourth message as described above.

[0556] Step 402B: Optionally, the second node sends a response for prediction of handover related assistance information to the first node, to inform the first node whether the second node can perform prediction of handover related assistance information and / or report. The response for prediction of handover related assistance information can be the fifth message as described above.

[0557] Step 403B: The second node sends the prediction result of handover related assistance information to the first node. The prediction result of handover related assistance information can be the sixth message as described above.

[0558] Step 404B: The first node can make a (subsequent) mobility related decision based on the prediction result of handover related assistance information, or can forward to other nodes for other nodes to make a (subsequent) handover decision.

[0559] After receiving the handover related assistance information prediction result, in some embodiments, the first node can make a subsequent mobility decision based on the handover related assistance information prediction result. In another embodiment, for example, the first node can select a target node for (conditional) handover and / or (conditional) secondary node addition and / or (conditional) secondary node change and / or make a time for the related handover and / or secondary node addition and / or secondary node change based on the handover related assistance information prediction result.

[0560] In some embodiments, for example, step 402B can be omitted.

[0561] Figure 4C A schematic diagram illustrating one aspect of a method of supporting data collection according to an embodiment of the disclosure is shown. Specifically, Figure 4C A process of inter-node interaction of handover related assistance information prediction result is shown, for a node to make a (subsequent) mobility related decision based on the handover related assistance information prediction result.

[0562] After receiving the handover related assistance information prediction result, in some embodiments, the node can make a subsequent mobility decision based on the handover related assistance information prediction result. In another embodiment, for example, the node can select a target node for (conditional) handover and / or (conditional) secondary node addition and / or (conditional) secondary node change and / or make a time for the related handover and / or secondary node addition and / or secondary node change based on the handover related assistance information prediction result.

[0563] In one embodiment, for example, the fifth node can be a target primary node and / or a (candidate) target secondary node and / or other node.

[0564] Step 401C: Optionally, the fifth node sends a handover related assistance information prediction request to the primary node to request the primary node to make a prediction and / or report a handover related assistance information prediction result. The handover related assistance information prediction request can be the aforementioned fourth message. The message can be sent through a data collection request (DATA COLLECTION REQUEST) message. If the fifth node is a target primary node and / or other node, for example, the message in step 401C can be sent through a handover request acknowledge (HANDOVER REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE) message.

[0565] Step 402C: Optionally, the primary node sends a handover related assistance information prediction request to the secondary node to request the secondary node to make a prediction and / or report a handover related assistance information prediction result. The handover related assistance information prediction request can be the aforementioned fourth message. The message can be sent through a data collection request (DATA COLLECTION REQUEST) message.

[0566] Step 403C: Optionally, the secondary node sends a response of the prediction of the handover related assistance information to the master node to inform the master node whether the secondary node can make the prediction of the handover related assistance information and / or report. The response of the prediction of the handover related assistance information can be the fifth message. The message can be sent by a DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE message and / or a DATA COLLECTION FAILURE message. If the message indicates that the secondary node cannot make all the requested prediction of the handover related assistance information and / or report, steps 405C and 406C are not performed.

[0567] Step 404C: Optionally, the master node sends a response of the prediction of the handover related assistance information to the fifth node to inform the master node whether the master node can make the prediction of the handover related assistance information and / or report. The response of the prediction of the handover related assistance information can be the fifth message. The message can be sent by a DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE message and / or a DATA COLLECTION FAILURE message. If the message indicates that the secondary node cannot make all the requested prediction of the handover related assistance information and / or report, steps 405C and 406C are not performed.

[0568] Step 405C: The secondary node sends the prediction result of the handover related assistance information to the master node. The prediction result of the handover related assistance information can be the sixth message. The message can be sent by a DATA COLLECTION UPDATE message and / or a S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message and / or a S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUIRED message and / or a S-NODE CHANGE REQUIRED message and / or a S-NODE RELEASE REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message, etc.

[0569] Step 406C: The master node sends the prediction result of the handover related assistance information to the fifth node. The prediction result of the handover related assistance information can be the aforementioned sixth message. This message can be sent through a data collection update (DATA COLLECTION UPDATE) message and / or a secondary node addition request (S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST) message and / or a secondary node modification request (S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST) message and / or a secondary node modification confirmation (S-NODE MODIFICATION CONFIRM) message and / or a secondary node change confirmation (S-NODE CHANGE CONFIRM) message and / or a secondary node release request (S-NODE RELEASE REQUEST) message, etc.

[0570] Step 407C: The UE accesses the fifth node.

[0571] Step 408C: The fifth node can make (subsequent) mobility related decisions based on the prediction result of the handover related assistance information, or can forward it to other nodes for other nodes to make (subsequent) handover decisions.

[0572] After the fifth node receives the prediction result of the handover related assistance information, in some embodiments, for example, it can make subsequent mobility decisions based on the prediction result of the handover related assistance information. In another embodiment, for example, the fifth node can select target nodes for (conditional) handover and / or (conditional) secondary node addition and / or (conditional) secondary node change based on the prediction result of the handover related assistance information, and / or make related handover and / or secondary node addition and / or secondary node change time.

[0573] In some embodiments, for example, steps 401C and / or 402C and / or 403C and / or 404C can be omitted.

[0574] In some embodiments, for example, step 408C can occur before step 407C.

[0575] It should be understood that the various example aspects, methods, steps, flows, etc. described above in connection with the accompanying drawings can be implemented in any manner, without limitation, depending on the application scenario.

[0576] Next, Figure 5 A flowchart of a method 500 performed by a second node in a wireless communication system according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0577] As Figure 5As shown, the method 500 performed by the second node in the wireless communication system according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can include: in step S501, receiving a first message from a first node, the first message including a first collection configuration and a first reporting configuration of a multi-hop data collection of a user equipment (UE); and in step S502, sending a seventh message to a third node, the seventh message including a second collection configuration of the multi-hop data collection, wherein the second collection configuration is determined based on the first collection configuration and data collection information of the UE at the second node. In some embodiments, the first message further includes at least one of the following information: a node identity of an initial configuration node of the multi-hop data collection, a UE identity allocated by the initial configuration node for the UE, an identity indicating that the first collection configuration is a start configuration of the multi-hop data collection. In some embodiments, the seventh message further includes at least one of the following information: the node identity of the initial configuration node, the UE identity allocated by the initial configuration node for the UE, the identity indicating that the second collection configuration is a subsequent configuration of the multi-hop data collection.

[0578] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the first collection configuration includes at least one of the following: a first collection time corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a first maximum number of visited nodes corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a first maximum hop number corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a third maximum number of visited cells corresponding to the multi-hop data collection; wherein the second collection configuration includes at least one of the following: a second collection time corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a second maximum number of visited nodes corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a second maximum hop number corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a fourth maximum number of visited cells corresponding to the multi-hop data collection; and wherein the second collection time is determined based on the first collection time and a data collection time of the UE at the second node; the second maximum number is determined based on the first maximum number and a number of visited nodes of the UE at the second node; the second maximum hop number is determined based on the first maximum hop number and a number of visited hops of the UE at the second node; and the fourth maximum number is determined based on the third maximum number and a number of visited cells of the UE at the second node.

[0579] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE identity allocated by the initial configuration node for the UE is a UE Xn interface application protocol (UE XnAP) identity.

[0580] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes: receiving a handover request message from the first node, the handover request message including at least one of the following: a node identity of an initial configuration node of the multi-hop data collection, a UE identity allocated by the initial configuration node for the UE.

[0581] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the method further includes: sending, to the third node, an eighth message, the eighth message including a second reporting configuration of the multi-hop data collection.

[0582] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the seventh message further includes a second reporting configuration of the multi-hop data collection.

[0583] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the method further includes: receiving, from the third node, a ninth message, the ninth message including information about whether the third node is capable of directly sending a collection result of the multi-hop data collection to an initial configuration node of the multi-hop data collection.

[0584] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the method further includes: receiving, from the third node, a third message, the third message including a collection result of the multi-hop data collection of the third node; and sending, to the first node, the collection result.

[0585] Figure 6 A flow chart of a method 600 performed by a first node in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the disclosure is shown.

[0586] As shown in Figure 6 According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the method 600 performed by a first node in a wireless communication system can include: in step S601, sending, to a second node, a first message, the first message including a first collection configuration and a first reporting configuration of a multi-hop data collection of a user equipment (UE); and in step S602, receiving, from the second node, a second message, the second message including a first response to the first message. In some embodiments, a seventh message is sent by the second node to a third node, the seventh message including a second collection configuration of the multi-hop data collection. In some embodiments, the second collection configuration is determined based on the first collection configuration and data collection information of the UE at the second node. In some embodiments, the first message further includes at least one of the following information: a node identity of an initial configuration node of the multi-hop data collection, a UE identity allocated by the initial configuration node for the UE, an identity indicating that the first collection configuration is a start configuration of the multi-hop data collection. In some embodiments, the seventh message further includes at least one of the following information: the node identity of the initial configuration node, the UE identity allocated by the initial configuration node for the UE, an identity indicating that the second collection configuration is a subsequent configuration of the multi-hop data collection.

[0587] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the first collection configuration comprises at least one of: a first collection time corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a first maximum number of visited nodes corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a first maximum hop number corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a third maximum number of visited cells corresponding to the multi-hop data collection; wherein the second collection configuration comprises at least one of: a second collection time corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a second maximum number of visited nodes corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a second maximum hop number corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a fourth maximum number of visited cells corresponding to the multi-hop data collection; and wherein the second collection time is determined based on the first collection time and a data collection time of the UE at the second node; the second maximum number is determined based on the first maximum number and a number of visited nodes of the UE at the second node; the second maximum hop number is determined based on the first maximum hop number and a number of visited hops of the UE at the second node; and the fourth maximum number is determined based on the third maximum number and a number of visited cells of the UE at the second node.

[0588] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the UE identifier allocated by the initial configuration node for the UE is a UE Xn interface application protocol (UE XnAP) identifier.

[0589] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the method further comprises: sending, to the second node, a handover request message, the handover request message comprising at least one of: a node identifier of an initial configuration node of the multi-hop data collection, a UE identifier allocated by the initial configuration node for the UE.

[0590] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the seventh message further comprises a second reporting configuration of the multi-hop data collection.

[0591] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the method further comprises: receiving, from at least one of the second node, the third node and a core network node, a collection result of the multi-hop data collection of the third node.

[0592] Figure 7 A flow chart of a method 700 performed by a third node in a wireless communication system is shown according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0593] As Figure 7As shown, the method 700 performed by a third node in a wireless communication system according to embodiments of the present disclosure can include: in step S701, receiving, from a second node, a seventh message including a second collection configuration of a multi-hop data collection of a user equipment (UE), wherein the second collection configuration is determined based on a first collection configuration of the multi-hop data collection and data collection information of the UE at the second node, wherein the first collection configuration is received by the second node from a first node; and in step S702, sending, to the second node, a ninth message including information about whether the third node is capable of directly sending a collection result of the multi-hop data collection to an initial configuration node of the multi-hop data collection. In some embodiments, the seventh message further includes at least one of the following information: a node identity of the initial configuration node of the multi-hop data collection, a UE identity allocated by the initial configuration node for the UE, an identity indicating that the second collection configuration is a subsequent configuration of the multi-hop data collection.

[0594] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the first collection configuration includes at least one of: a first collection time corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a first maximum number of access nodes corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a first maximum hop number corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a third maximum number of access cells corresponding to the multi-hop data collection; wherein the second collection configuration includes at least one of: a second collection time corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a second maximum number of access nodes corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a second maximum hop number corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a fourth maximum number of access cells corresponding to the multi-hop data collection; and wherein the second collection time is determined based on the first collection time and a data collection time of the UE at the second node; the second maximum number is determined based on the first maximum number and a number of access nodes of the UE at the second node; the second maximum hop number is determined based on the first maximum hop number and a number of access hops of the UE at the second node; and the fourth maximum number is determined based on the third maximum number and a number of access cells of the UE at the second node.

[0595] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes: receiving, from the second node, an eighth message including a second reporting configuration of the multi-hop data collection.

[0596] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the seventh message further includes a second reporting configuration of the multi-hop data collection.

[0597] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes: sending, to at least one of the first node, the second node, and a core network node, a collection result of the multi-hop data collection of the third node.

[0598] Figure 8 A flowchart of a method 800 performed by a user equipment, UE, in a wireless communication system, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, is shown.

[0599] As Figure 8 shown, the method 800 performed by a user equipment, UE, in a wireless communication system, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, can include receiving, from a first node, a radio resource control, RRC, reconfiguration message in step S801, and sending, to the first node, an RRC reconfiguration complete message in step S802. In some embodiments, a first message is sent by the first node to a second node, the first message including a first collection configuration and a first reporting configuration of a multi-hop data collection of the UE. In some embodiments, a seventh message is sent by the second node to a third node, the seventh message including a second collection configuration of the multi-hop data collection. In some embodiments, the second collection configuration is determined based on the first collection configuration and data collection information of the UE at the second node. In some embodiments, the first message further includes at least one of the following information: a node identity of an initial configuration node of the multi-hop data collection, a UE identity allocated by the initial configuration node for the UE, an identity indicating that the first collection configuration is a start configuration of the multi-hop data collection. In some embodiments, the seventh message further includes at least one of the following information: the node identity of the initial configuration node, the UE identity allocated by the initial configuration node for the UE, an identity indicating that the second collection configuration is a subsequent configuration of the multi-hop data collection.

[0600] It should be understood that the methods 500, 600, 700, and 800, etc. according to embodiments of the present disclosure can also include any methods or steps described in connection with various examples, aspects, drawings, etc. of the present disclosure.

[0601] Next, Figure 9 A schematic diagram of a node 900 according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0602] As Figure 9 shown, the node 900 (or node device, e.g., the first node, the second node, and / or the third node, etc. as described above) according to embodiments of the present disclosure can include a transceiver 910 and a processor 920. The transceiver 910 can be configured to transmit and receive signals. The processor 920 can be coupled with the transceiver 910 and can be configured to (e.g., control the transceiver 910) perform the methods performed by the node (e.g., the first node, the second node, and / or the third node) according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0603] Figure 10A schematic diagram of a user equipment 1000 according to embodiments of the disclosure is shown.

[0604] As shown in FIG. 1, a user equipment 1000 according to embodiments of the disclosure can include a transceiver 1010 and a processor 1020. The transceiver 1010 can be configured to transmit and receive signals. The processor 1020 can be coupled with the transceiver 1010 and can be configured to (e.g., control the transceiver 1010) perform the method performed by the user equipment according to embodiments of the disclosure. In the disclosure, the processor can also be referred to as a controller. In the disclosure, a node can also be referred to as a node device. Figure 10 Embodiments of the disclosure also provide a computer readable medium having stored thereon computer readable instructions which, when executed by a processor, can be used to implement any method according to embodiments of the disclosure.

[0605] Various embodiments of the disclosure can be implemented as computer readable code on a computer readable recording medium, specifically embodied in a computer readable recording medium. The computer readable recording medium can be any data storage device that can store data which can be read by a computer system. Examples of the computer readable recording medium can include read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), compact disc-read only memory (CD-ROM), magnetic tapes, floppy disks, optical data storage devices, carrier waves (e.g., data transmission through the Internet), and the like. The computer readable recording medium can be distributed over network-coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion. Moreover, functional programs, codes, and code segments for accomplishing the various embodiments of the present disclosure can be easily construed by programmers skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains.

[0606]

[0607] ​It will be understood that embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented in the form of hardware, software or a combination of hardware and software. Software can be stored as program instructions or computer readable codes executable on a processor on a non-transitory computer readable medium. Examples of the non-transitory computer readable recording medium include magnetic storage media (e.g., ROM, floppy disks, hard disks, etc.), and optical recording media (e.g., CD-ROMs, digital video disks (DVDs), etc.). The non-transitory computer readable recording medium can also be distributed over network-coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion. The medium can be read by a computer, stored in a memory, and executed by a processor. Various embodiments can be implemented by a computer or a portable terminal including a controller and a memory, and the memory can be an example of a non-transitory computer readable recording medium suitable for storing a program(s) having instructions for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The present disclosure can be implemented by a program stored in a machine (or computer)-readable storage medium having a code for implementing the apparatus and method described in the claims. The program can be electronically carried on any medium, such as a communication signal transmitted via wired or wireless connection, and the present disclosure suitably includes its equivalents.

[0608] The above-described embodiments are merely illustrative of the present disclosure and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications to the present disclosure within the scope of the technical idea of the present disclosure, and such changes or modifications should be construed as falling within the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure should be construed on the basis of the claims.

Claims

1. A method performed by a second node in a wireless communication system, comprising: receiving a first message from a first node, where the first message includes a first collection configuration and a first reporting configuration for multi-hop data collection of a user equipment UE; as well as sending a seventh message to a third node, the seventh message including a second collection configuration for the multi-hop data collection, wherein the second collection configuration is determined based on the first collection configuration and data collection information of the UE at the second node; The first message further includes at least one of the following information: The node identifier of the initial configuration node for the multi-hop data collection, the UE identifier assigned by the initial configuration node to the UE, and an identifier indicating that the first collection configuration is the starting configuration for the multi-hop data collection, and The seventh message further includes at least one of the following information: The node identifier of the initial configuration node, the UE identifier allocated by the initial configuration node to the UE, and an identifier indicating that the second collection configuration is a subsequent configuration of the multi-hop data collection.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first collection configuration includes at least one of the following: a first collection time corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a first maximum number of access nodes corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a first maximum number of hops corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, and a third maximum number of access cells corresponding to the multi-hop data collection; The second collection configuration includes at least one of the following: a second collection time corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a second maximum number of access nodes corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a second maximum number of hops corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, and a fourth maximum number of access cells corresponding to the multi-hop data collection; and The second collection time is determined based on the first collection time and the data collection time of the UE at the second node; The second maximum number is determined based on the first maximum number and the number of access nodes of the UE at the second node; The second maximum hop number is determined based on the first maximum hop number and an access hop number of the UE at the second node; The fourth maximum number is determined based on the third maximum number and the number of access cells of the UE at the second node.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The UE identifier allocated by the initial configuration node to the UE is a UE Xn interface application protocol UE XnAP identifier.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A handover request message is received from the first node, where the handover request message includes at least one of the following: a node identifier of an initial configuration node for multi-hop data collection, and a UE identifier allocated to the UE by the initial configuration node.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: An eighth message is sent to the third node, where the eighth message includes the second reporting configuration of the multi-hop data collection.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein The seventh message also includes a second reporting configuration for the multi-hop data collection.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A ninth message is received from the third node, where the ninth message includes information about whether the third node can directly send a collection result of the multi-hop data collection to an initial configuration node of the multi-hop data collection.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving a third message from the third node, the third message including a collection result of the multi-hop data collection by the third node; as well as Send the collection result to the first node.

9. A method performed by a first node in a wireless communication system, comprising: Sending a first message to the second node, where the first message includes a first collection configuration and a first reporting configuration for multi-hop data collection of a user equipment UE; as well as receiving a second message from the second node, the second message including a first response to the first message, The seventh message is sent by the second node to the third node, the seventh message including the second collection configuration of the multi-hop data collection, wherein the second collection configuration is determined based on the first collection configuration and the data collection information of the UE at the second node. The first message further includes at least one of the following information: The node identifier of the initial configuration node for the multi-hop data collection, the UE identifier assigned by the initial configuration node to the UE, and an identifier indicating that the first collection configuration is the starting configuration for the multi-hop data collection, and The seventh message further includes at least one of the following information: The node identifier of the initial configuration node, the UE identifier allocated by the initial configuration node to the UE, and an identifier indicating that the second collection configuration is a subsequent configuration of the multi-hop data collection.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The first collection configuration includes at least one of the following: a first collection time corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a first maximum number of access nodes corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a first maximum number of hops corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, and a third maximum number of access cells corresponding to the multi-hop data collection; The second collection configuration includes at least one of the following: a second collection time corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a second maximum number of access nodes corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, a second maximum number of hops corresponding to the multi-hop data collection, and a fourth maximum number of access cells corresponding to the multi-hop data collection; and The second collection time is determined based on the first collection time and the data collection time of the UE at the second node; The second maximum number is determined based on the first maximum number and the number of access nodes of the UE at the second node; The second maximum hop number is determined based on the first maximum hop number and an access hop number of the UE at the second node; The fourth maximum number is determined based on the third maximum number and the number of access cells of the UE at the second node.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein The UE identifier allocated by the initial configuration node to the UE is a UE Xn interface application protocol UE XnAP identifier.

12. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: A handover request message is sent to the second node, where the handover request message includes at least one of the following: a node identifier of an initial configuration node for multi-hop data collection, and a UE identifier allocated to the UE by the initial configuration node.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The seventh message also includes a second reporting configuration for the multi-hop data collection.

14. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: A collection result of the multi-hop data collection of the third node is received from at least one of the second node, the third node, and a core network node.

15. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, comprising: receiving a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message from the first node; as well as Sending an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the first node, The first message is sent by the first node to the second node, and the first message includes a first collection configuration and a first reporting configuration for multi-hop data collection of the UE; and The seventh message is sent by the second node to the third node, the seventh message including the second collection configuration of the multi-hop data collection, wherein the second collection configuration is determined based on the first collection configuration and the data collection information of the UE at the second node. The first message further includes at least one of the following information: The node identifier of the initial configuration node for the multi-hop data collection, the UE identifier assigned by the initial configuration node to the UE, and an identifier indicating that the first collection configuration is the starting configuration for the multi-hop data collection, and The seventh message further includes at least one of the following information: The node identifier of the initial configuration node, the UE identifier allocated by the initial configuration node to the UE, and an identifier indicating that the second collection configuration is a subsequent configuration of the multi-hop data collection.

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