Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, relating to wireless communications

Abstract

The specification describes a terminal device comprising: means for determining whether to apply a measurement validity duration for verifying a measurement of a signal received from at least one cell of a telecommunication network, the measurement being performed by the terminal device in idle mode or inactive mode. In some examples, the terminal device further comprises: means for verifying the measurement without applying the measurement validity duration; and means for reporting the verified measurement to the telecommunication network. In some such examples, the means for verifying is configured to verify the measurement using at least one sensor of the terminal device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This manual generally relates to wireless communication. Background Technology

[0002] Terminal equipment (sometimes called "user equipment" (UE)) can communicate wirelessly with other terminal equipment and / or base stations. This communication can facilitate a variety of tasks. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In a first aspect, this specification describes a terminal device comprising: components for determining whether to apply a measurement validity duration for verifying a measurement of a signal received from at least one cell of a telecommunications network, the measurement being performed by the terminal device in an idle mode or an inactive mode. In some examples, the terminal device further comprises: components for verifying the measurement without applying a measurement validity duration; and components for reporting the verified measurement to the telecommunications network. In some such examples, the verification components are configured to verify the measurement using at least one sensor of the terminal device.

[0004] In some examples, the component used for determination is configured to determine that a measurement validity duration should not be applied in response to a specific value indicating that the measurement validity duration should not be applied. In some such examples, the specific value for the measurement validity duration includes at least one of the following: a maximum value for the measurement validity duration, an out-of-range value for the measurement validity duration, and / or an alternative value for the measurement validity duration.

[0005] In some examples, the terminal device may further include: a component for receiving a flag indicating whether a measurement validity duration should be used to verify the measurement, wherein the component for determining is configured to determine not to apply the measurement validity duration in response to the flag indicating that the received flag indicates the measurement validity duration should not be used to verify the measurement. Additionally or alternatively, the component for determining may be configured to determine not to apply the measurement validity duration in response to the terminal device being capable of performing an enhanced measurement. Additionally or alternatively, the terminal device may further include: a component for modifying the configuration of the measurement validity duration; and a component for verifying the measurement by applying the modified configuration for the measurement validity duration.

[0006] In a second aspect, this specification describes a network node comprising: components for determining that a terminal device is not configured with a measurement validity duration for verifying measurements of signals received from at least one cell of a telecommunications network, the measurements being performed by the terminal device in an idle or inactive mode. In some examples, the measurement validity duration is mandatory for the terminal device. In some examples, the components for determining this duration are configured to determine that the terminal device is not configured based on its type and / or capabilities. Additionally or alternatively, the network node may further comprise: components for receiving measurements from the terminal device, wherein the measurements have been verified according to the terminal device's internal validity criteria.

[0007] In a third aspect, this specification describes an apparatus (e.g., a terminal device) including at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least one operation, the operation including: determining whether to apply a measurement validity duration for verifying a measurement of a signal received from at least one cell of a telecommunications network, the measurement being performed by the terminal device in an idle mode or an inactive mode. In some examples, the operation further includes: verifying the measurement without applying a measurement validity duration; and reporting the verified measurement to the telecommunications network. In some such examples, at least one sensor of the terminal device is used to verify the measurement.

[0008] In some examples, the determination includes determining not to apply the measurement validity duration in response to the measurement validity duration having a specific value indicating that the measurement validity duration should not be applied. In some such examples, the specific value for the measurement validity duration includes at least one of the following: a maximum value for the measurement validity duration, an out-of-range value for the measurement validity duration, and / or an alternative value for the measurement validity duration.

[0009] In some examples, the operation may further include: receiving a flag indicating whether the measurement validity duration should be used to verify the measurement, wherein the determination includes: determining not to apply the measurement validity duration in response to the flag indicating that the received flag indicates the measurement validity duration should not be used to verify the measurement. Additionally or alternatively, the determination includes determining not to apply the measurement validity duration in response to the terminal device being capable of performing enhanced measurements. Additionally or alternatively, the operation may further include modifying the configuration of the measurement validity duration; and verifying the measurement by applying the modified configuration for the measurement validity duration.

[0010] In a fourth aspect, this specification describes an apparatus (e.g., a network node or base station) including at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following operations: determining that a terminal device is not configured with a measurement validity duration for verifying measurements of signals received from at least one cell of a telecommunications network, the measurements being performed by the terminal device in an idle or inactive mode. In some examples, this determination includes determining not to configure the terminal device based on the type and / or capabilities of the terminal device. Additionally or alternatively, the operation may also include components for receiving measurements from the terminal device, wherein the measurements have been verified according to the terminal device's internal validity criteria.

[0011] In a fifth aspect, this specification describes a method comprising: determining, by a terminal device, whether to apply a measurement validity duration for verifying a measurement of a signal received from at least one cell of a telecommunications network, the measurement being performed by the terminal device in an idle mode or an inactive mode. In some examples, the method further comprises: verifying the measurement without applying a measurement validity duration; and reporting the verified measurement to the telecommunications network. In some such examples, at least one sensor of the terminal device is used to verify the measurement.

[0012] In some examples, the determination includes determining not to apply the measurement validity duration in response to the measurement validity duration having a specific value indicating that the measurement validity duration should not be applied. In some such examples, the specific value for the measurement validity duration includes at least one of the following: a maximum value for the measurement validity duration, an out-of-range value for the measurement validity duration, and / or an alternative value for the measurement validity duration.

[0013] In some examples, the method may further include: receiving a flag indicating whether the measurement validity duration should be used to verify the measurement, wherein the determination includes determining not to apply the measurement validity duration in response to the flag indicating that the received flag indicates the measurement validity duration should not be used to verify the measurement. Additionally or alternatively, the determination includes determining not to apply the measurement validity duration in response to the terminal device being capable of performing enhanced measurements. Additionally or alternatively, the method may further include modifying the configuration of the measurement validity duration; and verifying the measurement by applying the modified configuration for the measurement validity duration.

[0014] In a sixth aspect, this specification describes a method comprising: determining not to configure a terminal device for a measurement validity duration for verifying measurements of signals received from at least one cell of a telecommunications network, the measurements being performed by the terminal device in an idle or inactive mode. In some examples, this determination includes determining not to configure the terminal device based on the type and / or capabilities of the terminal device. Additionally or alternatively, the method may further include: components for receiving measurement values ​​from the terminal device, wherein the measurements have been verified according to the terminal device's internal validity criteria.

[0015] In a seventh aspect, this specification describes a non-transitory computer-readable medium including program instructions stored thereon for performing at least any of the operations described above with reference to the fifth and sixth aspects. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To better understand this application, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings only by way of example, in which: Figure 1 This is an example illustrating communication between a terminal device and multiple base stations; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the operating modes of the terminal device; Figure 3A and 3B These are schematic diagrams illustrating various operations that can be performed based on the examples described in this article; Figure 4 This is an example message stream sequence; Figure 5 and Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the various operations that can be performed based on the examples described in this article; Figure 7 It can be configured as an execution reference. Figures 1 to 6 A schematic diagram illustrating example configurations of terminal devices for various operations described; Figure 8 It can be configured to execute references Figures 1 to 6 A schematic diagram illustrating example configurations of base stations for various operations described; and Figure 9 It is a diagram of a computer-readable medium on which computer-readable code can be stored. Detailed Implementation

[0017] In the specification and drawings, the same reference numerals always refer to the same elements.

[0018] In modern telecommunications networks, terminal equipment can perform measurements on signals received from one or more cells of the network. Figure 1In the example, terminal device 100 is depicted together with cells 110 and 120. For example only, terminal device 100 is depicted as a smartphone, and cells 110 and 120 are depicted as base stations.

[0019] The network can configure terminal device 100 to perform measurements on signals received from one or more cells of the network. For example, terminal device 100 can be configured to perform measurements on carrier signals received from one or more neighboring cells. Such measurements can be reported to the network to facilitate the execution of various network tasks, such as selecting a target cell for cell reselection or making handover decisions.

[0020] At any given time, a terminal device, such as terminal device 100, can operate in one of a variety of modes. For example, these operating modes (or "states") may include idle mode, inactive mode, and / or connected mode. See below for reference. Figure 2 These modes are described in more detail. Terminal devices operating in idle or inactive modes can perform measurements of signals received from one or more cells in the network (e.g., carrier measurements), such as measurements used in cell reselection procedures. Typically, these measurements are verified and reported to the network upon transition to connected mode. This process may be referred to as Early Measurement Reporting (EMR). EMR can facilitate carrier aggregation or dual connectivity establishment used to transition the terminal device from inactive mode to connected mode.

[0021] If the measurement results meet a given measurement accuracy requirement, such as measuring a certain number of samples under specific radio conditions, then the measurement performed by the terminal equipment can be considered valid. Additionally or alternatively, the measurement validity duration can be used to verify the measurement. In this case, when the measurement is performed using a time interval defined by the measurement validity duration, the measurement can be considered valid. For example, if the measurement validity duration is defined by… Given, if the measurement is the last one before the measurement is reported to the network. If the measurement is executed within [number] seconds, it can be considered valid. The duration of measurement validity (i.e., [time period]) This can be configured by the network (e.g., in an RRC message).

[0022] However, using measurement validity duration to validate measurements in this way depends on the point in time when the measurement is reported to the network (“reporting timing”). Therefore, using a single fixed value for measurement validity duration may not be suitable for all possible network conditions that the end device might encounter. In other words, using a global value for measurement validity duration to validate all measurements does not allow the validation process to adapt to different end device deployment scenarios. It should be understood that using a single fixed configuration for measurement validity duration may not be optimal for end device measurement reporting performance and may result in end device power savings and / or network performance degradation (e.g., by causing the end device to perform / validate too many or too few measurements).

[0023] Therefore, when terminal devices operate in idle or inactive modes, it may be beneficial to allow the network to configure the duration of measurement validity, especially to promote power consumption reduction. Specific implementations of the techniques described herein can allow the network to configure the duration of measurement validity for verifying measurements performed by the terminal device.

[0024] Various aspects of the technology described herein relate to receiving configuration information at a terminal device from at least one base station of a telecommunications network, the configuration information indicating a modified configuration of a measurement validity duration pre-configured at the terminal device, wherein the measurement validity duration is used to verify measurements of signals received from at least one cell of the telecommunications network, the measurements being performed by the terminal device in an idle mode or an inactive mode; and determining whether to follow the modified configuration of the measurement validity duration or the pre-configured measurement validity duration. Other aspects of the technology described herein relate to a network node transmitting configuration information to a terminal device, the configuration information indicating a modified configuration of a measurement validity duration pre-configured at the terminal device, wherein the measurement validity duration is used to verify measurements of signals received from at least one cell of the telecommunications network, the measurements being performed by the terminal device in an idle mode or an inactive mode.

[0025] See below for reference Figure 1 As described in more detail, various specific implementations of the techniques described herein can facilitate the configuration of measurement validity durations for validating end-device measurements (such as EMR measurements) performed in idle or inactive modes. As mentioned above, this can help improve network performance. When a measurement validity duration shorter than the default measurement validity duration is configured, power consumption at the end-device can be reduced. When a measurement validity duration longer than the default measurement validity duration is configured, a sufficient number of measurement opportunities can be obtained, thereby improving measurement-based decision-making.

[0026] Various implementation options exist for performing and validating measurements by the terminal device. The various aspects of the techniques described herein may be particularly advantageous when the terminal device considers non-3GPP sensing data (such as data from multiple additional sensors on the terminal device that are not visible to the 3GPP process) when performing and / or validating measurements. For example, such sensing data could be positioning data acquired from a global navigation satellite system or from motion sensors such as inertial sensors or proximity sensors detecting hand position / occlusion on a detection device. In this case, the network-side configuration of the measurement validity duration for the terminal device to use for measurement validation can avoid degradation in network performance and / or terminal device power consumption.

[0027] Other aspects of the technology described herein involve a terminal device determining whether to apply a measurement validity duration for verifying measurements of signals received from at least one cell of a telecommunications network, the measurements being performed by the terminal device in idle or inactive mode. This can further contribute to the aforementioned improvements in network performance and / or reductions in terminal device power consumption.

[0028] In some examples, the terms "terminal device" or "user equipment" can refer to any device a user uses to communicate. Although Figure 1 The terminal device is described as a mobile phone or "smartphone," but it should be understood that the terminal device can include a variety of other devices, including but not limited to laptops, smartwatches, tablets, and vehicle-based terminal devices, such as those installed in cars, buses, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), airplanes, trains, or ships. Alternatively, the mobile terminal device can be carried by the user or worn on the user's body.

[0029] In some examples, the term "measurement" may refer to a measurement performed by a terminal device on signals received from one or more cells in the network. For example, each measurement may include a measurement of a carrier signal (e.g., NR and / or E-UTRA carrier) received from a given cell. Based on such measurements, the terminal device and / or the network can determine the most suitable cell for handover and / or reselection. In some examples, a measurement may be considered of sufficient quality when a certain number of samples of the corresponding carrier signal are measured. In the context of EMR, measurements performed in idle or inactive modes are reported to the network after transitioning to connected mode (e.g., once the connection has become secure). When such measurements are reported to the network, they may be associated with a Physical Cell ID (PCI) indicating which cell they correspond to. See below for reference. Figure 1 The terminal device can verify the measurement before reporting the measurement to the network.

[0030] In some examples, the term "terminal device operating mode" can refer to one of several modes (or "states") in which a terminal device, such as terminal device 100, can operate at a given time. For example, as Figure 2 As shown, these operating modes, generally indicated by reference numeral 2, can include connected mode 201 (“RRC_CONNECTED”), inactive mode 202 (“RRC_INACTIVE”), and idle mode 203 (“RRC_IDLE”). This specific terminology concerning RRC operating modes conforms to the 3GPP specification. Other systems may use a different term, but generally, connected mode refers to a mode in which a communication connection has been established between the terminal device and the access node (e.g., the base station of the operating cell). This establishment may include establishing configuration, identification, and / or security key characteristics for the connection at both the terminal device and the access node. Idle mode refers to a mode in which such a connection does not exist (e.g., has been terminated). Inactive mode typically refers to a mode in which a connection does exist but is in a standby or power-saving state. Measurements performed on these standby or power-saving modes may depend on specification generations, and new power-saving states may be considered in the future. In response to receiving a message from the network (e.g., a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message), the terminal device can switch from one mode to another. Various examples of such switching are given below.

[0031] As will be understood, while the term 5G is used in this specification for operating modes, other naming conventions may be used for similar or equivalent modes of 6G and above. Various aspects of the technologies described herein can be applied to terminal devices employing such modes.

[0032] In connection mode 201, the terminal device is connected to a cell of the network (i.e., an RRC connection has been established). In this mode, in response to receiving a release message (e.g., an "RRCRelease" message), the terminal device can switch to idle mode. Similarly, in response to receiving a release message with a pause (e.g., an RRRCRelease message with a pause configuration), the terminal device can switch to inactive mode.

[0033] In inactive mode 202, the terminal device maintains a limited level of connectivity to the network cell to reduce network signaling load. Compared to idle mode, inactive mode can achieve reduced latency when transitioning to connected mode. In inactive mode, the terminal device can transition to idle mode in response to receiving a release message (e.g., a "RRCRelease" message). On the other hand, the terminal device can transition to connected mode in response to receiving a recovery message (e.g., a "RRCResume" message).

[0034] In idle mode 203, the terminal device is not connected to a specific cell of the network. Due to the mobility of the terminal device during idle mode, the terminal device can change the cell it camps on via cell reselection. In idle mode, in response to receiving an establishment message (e.g., an "RRCSetup" message), the terminal device can switch to connected mode.

[0035] It should be understood that other transitions are also possible when a terminal device switches from one cell to another, or when a cell reselection is performed. For example, in a handover scenario, the terminal device can directly switch from the connection mode of the first cell to the connection mode of the second cell. On the other hand, in a cell reselection scenario, the terminal device can switch from the idle or inactive mode of the first cell to the idle or inactive mode of the second cell. Other modes and / or transitions will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0036] The following description, by way of example only, details various methods and apparatuses in the context of cellular networks, such as Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) networks or 5G networks. However, it should be understood that these technologies can be applied to other types of communication networks (e.g., but not limited to, other types of cellular networks). Cellular networks may include one or more base stations, sometimes referred to as transmit-receive points (TRPs) or access points (e.g., but not limited to gNBs and / or eNBs). Figure 1 Only two base stations are depicted in the text, but radio access networks (RAN, NG-RAN) typically include thousands of such base stations. These base stations can work together to provide cellular network coverage to one or more end devices over a wide geographical area.

[0037] While by no means limited to such implementations, examples of the techniques described herein can be readily integrated into any new radio (NR) terminal equipment that performs measurements of signals received from one or more cells of a network, such as Early Measurement Report (EMR) measurements (e.g., as standardized in 3GPP Release 16). Furthermore, examples of the techniques described herein can conform to future enhancements to EMR behavior anticipated as specified in 3GPP Release 18.

[0038] In some implementations and, for example, depending on the characteristics of the cellular network, base stations and terminal devices within the network can be configured to communicate with each other, for example, using OFDM-based communication schemes such as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA), and / or Cyclic Prefix Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (CP-OFDMA)).

[0039] As mentioned above, Figure 1 Terminal device 100 and cells 110 and 120 are depicted. Figure 1In the example, when operating in idle or inactive mode, terminal device 100 performs measurements of signals received from cells 110 and 120. For example, these measurements can be used to switch the terminal device to connected mode (e.g., as part of a cell reselection process). Figure 1 The arrows in the diagram indicate signals that may include carrier signals. In such examples, each carrier signal may be identified as originating from a specific cell. As will be understood, signal measurements may include any one or a combination of signal strength measurements and signal quality measurements.

[0040] Measurements performed when the terminal device is operating in idle or inactive mode may include cell reselection measurements and / or Early Measurement Report (EMR) measurements.

[0041] Terminal device 100 receives configuration information from at least one base station of a telecommunications network (e.g., via cell 110 or cell 120). The configuration information indicates a measurement validity duration pre-configured at the terminal device (i.e., as described above). The configuration of the value is modified. In this example, the measurement validity duration is used by the terminal device 100 to verify the measurement of the signal received from at least one cell of the telecommunications network (e.g., cell 110 or cell 120), which is performed by the terminal device when operating in idle mode or inactive mode.

[0042] In some examples, configuration information may be included in an RRC message transmitted by at least one base station of the network (e.g., RRCRelease The configuration information is included in a System Information Block (SIB) message or Main Information Block (MIB) message received by the terminal device for reception by the terminal device. In other examples, the configuration information may be included in a Media Access Control (MAC) message (i.e., an in-band control message or a 6G control message) received by the terminal device from the network.

[0043] In some examples described in more detail below, multiple sets of configuration information can be received at the terminal device, each set indicating a corresponding configuration for the measurement validity duration. For example, such configurations can be received in any one or any combination of RRC, SIB, and MAC or other in-band messages. The configuration information received at the terminal device can indicate whether a given configuration for the measurement validity duration overrides other configurations, or vice versa. In this way, and by way of example only, the network can... RRCRelease Configure SIB message configuration to implicitly or explicitly override the measurement validity duration, or vice versa.

[0044] Upon receiving configuration information, terminal device 100 determines whether to follow a modified configuration for the measurement validity duration or a pre-configured measurement validity duration. In response to determining that the modified configuration follows the measurement validity duration, terminal device 100 can verify the measurement by applying the measurement validity duration according to the modified configuration indicated by the received configuration information. Conversely, in response to determining that the pre-configured measurement validity duration is followed, terminal device 100 can verify the measurement by applying the pre-configured measurement validity duration. After verifying the measurement using either the modified configuration or the existing configuration (i.e., the configuration indicated by the pre-configured value of the measurement validity duration), terminal device 100 can report the verified measurement to the telecommunications network.

[0045] As described above, the configurations of measurement validity durations at the terminal device can override each other. For example, a pre-configured measurement validity duration may include a first measurement validity duration received at the terminal device from at least one base station of a telecommunications network, and a modified configuration of the measurement validity duration indicated by configuration information received from the network may include a second measurement validity duration. In some examples, the configuration information received from the network and / or the modified configuration indicated by that information may indicate that the second measurement validity duration overrides the first measurement validity duration. In this case, the terminal device is configured to follow the modified configuration of the measurement validity duration by using the second measurement validity duration to verify the measurement. In other examples, the configuration information received from the network and / or the modified configuration indicated by that information may indicate that the first measurement validity duration overrides the second measurement validity duration. In this case, the terminal device is configured to follow the pre-configured measurement validity duration (i.e., using the existing configuration) by using the first measurement validity duration to verify the measurement.

[0046] In some examples, the first measurement validity duration is included in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) message received at the terminal device from at least one base station of the telecommunications network. Additionally or alternatively, the second measurement validity duration is included in the System Information Block (SIB) message received at the terminal device from at least one base station of the telecommunications network.

[0047] In other words, various aspects of the technology described herein allow for the configuration of measurement validity duration via multiple types of messages, such as RRC and SIB messages. In this way, adjustments to the configuration of the measurement validity duration at the terminal device can be dynamically introduced in response to changes in one or more cell conditions as the terminal device enters from an idle or inactive mode. As described below, the configuration received at the terminal device can be limited to certain terminal device operating modes. For example, the configuration received in a SIB message can be used to override the measurement validity duration configuration for verifying measurements performed in one of the idle or inactive modes, while the configuration received via RRC can be used to verify measurements performed in the other of the idle or inactive modes.

[0048] In other words, the configuration information can indicate that a pre-configured measurement validity duration should be applied to measurements performed by the terminal device in either idle or inactive mode, and also indicate that a modified configuration of the measurement validity duration should be applied to measurements performed by the terminal device in the other of idle or inactive mode. In this case, the terminal device is configured to verify measurements performed by the terminal device in either idle or inactive mode according to the pre-configured measurement validity duration, and to verify measurements performed by the terminal device in the other of idle or inactive mode according to the modified configuration of the measurement validity duration. In other words, independent... These values ​​are used to configure the terminal device, one for measurements performed in idle mode and another for measurements performed in inactive mode. One of the values ​​(e.g., for idle mode) can be configured via SIB signaling only, while the other (e.g., for inactive mode) can be configured via dedicated signaling.

[0049] Typically, both the pre-configured measurement validity duration and the measurement validity duration indicated in the configuration information can be valid, depending on the different operating conditions of the terminal device. Therefore, based on the current operating conditions, the terminal device can select either the pre-configured measurement validity duration received in the configuration information or the measurement validity duration itself. Under a first operating condition, the terminal device can select and apply the pre-configured measurement validity duration, and under a second operating condition that is different from or mutually exclusive with the first operating condition, the terminal device can select the measurement validity duration received in the configuration information.

[0050] In some examples, a measurement is determined to be valid when it is performed by the terminal device during a time interval corresponding to the duration of measurement validity at the end of the measurement reporting time. See below for reference. Figure 3A Please describe this situation in detail.

[0051] In other examples, the configuration information includes an evaluation reference time used in conjunction with the measurement validity duration when validating measurements. In this case, the terminal device is configured to determine measurement validity when the measurement is performed by the terminal device during a time interval corresponding to the measurement validity duration ending at the evaluation reference time. In other words, the evaluation reference time included in the configuration information can constitute a "hypothetical reporting timing" used instead of the "real" reporting timing (i.e., the point in time when the measurement results are reported to the network), and can be configured and / or determined and / or configured independently of the actual reporting timing. See below for reference. Figure 3B Please describe the assessment reference time in detail.

[0052] In some examples, the configuration information includes flags or fields in the configuration object that indicate whether the measurement validity duration should be used to validate measurements. In this case, the terminal device determines whether to follow the modified configuration of the measurement validity duration or the pre-configured measurement validity duration based on the flags included in the configuration information. In other words, the configuration of the measurement validity duration may include an RRC configurable flag that enables / disables validation using the measurement validity duration. When this flag indicates that the measurement validity duration is disabled, the validation of measurements is performed according to the terminal device's internal measurement validation criteria (i.e., measurements performed when the terminal device is in idle or inactive mode). In other words, the terminal device may be configured with this flag via a message from the network (e.g., an RRC release or RRC reconfiguration message). When this flag is set to true, the terminal device may report to the network measurements performed outside the time interval defined by the measurement validity duration, that is, measurements that would otherwise be considered as failing validation. However, the terminal device may need to meet other requirements, such as accuracy requirements, before reporting measurements to the network, even though the flag is enabled. When this flag is set to false, the terminal device utilizes the measurement validity duration when validating measurements, as already described. The default value for this flag can be set to false, indicating that the terminal device should apply a measurement validity duration to verify measurements performed during operation in idle or inactive modes.

[0053] In some examples, the flag can be associated with a new verification mechanism, in which case the flag disables the old verification mechanism (i.e., the measurement validity duration) to prevent unwanted UE behavior.

[0054] If the measurement validity duration is not configured or is otherwise configured to be disabled, it can be specified that verification, apart from the accuracy of the measurement, is left to the UE to implement. Otherwise, the terminal device is configured to use the measurement validity duration as described above.

[0055] To avoid RRCReconfiguration, the network can configure subsequent behavior for RRCConfiguration. For example, an end device can be configured to maintain the duration of measurement validity (e.g., as a configuration object). In other words, with a given... The rules / configurations associated with the values ​​can be stored for use in subsequent measurement and verification scenarios.

[0056] Based on various aspects of the techniques described herein, it may be advantageous to provide a means by which the measurement validity duration can be interpreted in different ways and disabled if necessary. As described above, the various aspects of the techniques described herein relate to a terminal device (e.g., terminal device 100) determining whether to apply a measurement validity duration for verifying measurements of signals received from at least one cell of a telecommunications network by the terminal device in idle or inactive mode.

[0057] In response to determining the duration of application measurement validity, the terminal device uses the measurement validity duration to verify the measurement in the manner described above. After verifying the measurement, the terminal device then reports the measurement to the network.

[0058] In response to determining that the measurement validity period should not be applied, the terminal device verifies the measurement without applying the measurement validity period and reports the verified measurement to the telecommunications network.

[0059] To verify a measurement without applying a measurement validity duration, the terminal device can utilize data from at least one of its sensors. For example, as described above, the terminal device can access non-3GPP sensors. Such sensors enable the assessment of whether proximity conditions (e.g., terminal device movement, hand movement, or physical obstacles obstructing signals) and / or mobility conditions have changed. If proximity conditions change, the terminal device can declare the measurement invalid. This is another example of verification based on the terminal device's internal verification criteria.

[0060] Another example of internal verification standards for terminal devices involves the terminal device measuring specific idle or inactive modes of signal levels. For example, according to these standards, signals above a certain strength can be determined to be valid.

[0061] In some examples, the terminal device may determine not to apply the measurement validity duration in response to the measurement validity duration having a specific value indicating that it should not be applied. In other words, The value can take "special values," which are interpreted by the terminal device as a flag indicating that the duration of measurement validity configuration is disabled. When When the value is not specified, it is applied normally (i.e., as described above with reference to the previous figure).

[0062] For example, a specific value (or special value) for the duration of measurement validity can be at least one of the following: the maximum value for the duration of measurement validity (e.g., = 0xFFF = 4095), out-of-range values ​​for measurement validity duration (e.g., values ​​not included in the RRC configuration) and / or alternative values ​​for measurement validity duration (e.g., RRC configuration alternative values).

[0063] When using a specific value for the duration of measurement validity, the terminal device is configured with a rule that allows the actual value of the measurement validity duration to be ignored when multiple specific values ​​are used. In this case, the terminal device will otherwise be subject to... The interval defined by the value (i.e., about) Figure 3B Measurements outside the described “window” (e.g., on a specific carrier) are considered valid and reported to the network. In some examples, internal end-device validity criteria may need to be met before measurements are reported to the network, such as requiring a certain number of samples for measurement.

[0064] In some examples, the terminal device receives a flag indicating whether the measurement validity duration should be used to verify the measurement. The flag is then used to determine whether the measurement validity duration should be applied. In other words, a flag enabling / disabling the measurement validity duration can be received at the terminal device.

[0065] Alternatively, the network may determine not to configure the terminal device with a measurement validity duration for verifying measurements of signals received from at least one cell of the telecommunications network by the terminal device in idle or inactive mode. For example, the network may determine not to configure the terminal device based on its type and / or capabilities. It should be understood that in this case, measurements received from the terminal device are not verified using the measurement validity duration, but rather according to the terminal device's internal validity criteria as described above.

[0066] In other words, the configuration for measuring the duration of validity can be disabled by the network. For example, this disabling could be based on end-device capabilities and / or chipset model identification. In some examples, the network could simply determine that the end-device was not initially configured with... Values ​​(e.g., using RRC signaling), rather than disabling the configuration.

[0067] When measurement validity duration is not configured or has been disabled, the verification of measurements performed in idle / inactive mode depends on the specific implementation of the end device (i.e., it is performed according to its internal verification criteria). However, even when measurement validity duration is not used, the end device may still require that measurement accuracy requirements be met to report measurements to the network. In other words, the SCell setup test must still pass. When using a flag to enable or disable measurement validity duration configuration, this flag can be based on end device capability signaling or on the end device type.

[0068] In some examples, the terminal device may determine the duration for which measurement validity is not applied in response to the terminal device's ability to perform enhanced measurements.

[0069] In this context, the differences between enhanced measurement and existing measurement solutions are as follows. When using existing measurement capabilities, the end device does not perform any additional measurements to validate the measurements; instead, it uses the measurement validity duration for validation. For enhanced measurement capabilities, no measurement validity duration is configured because it is assumed that the end device will always be able to validate existing measurements with new measurements when validation is required (i.e., measurements performed in idle or inactive modes).

[0070] For example, an end device may indicate support for both enhanced and existing measurements, but without utilizing the enhanced measurement process. Instead, the end device reports to the network that a measurement has been performed and validated using the measurement validity duration, even if the end device has not yet performed the measurement. The "measured" value indicated to the network in the report can be determined based on internal end device logic (e.g., using predictive logic or artificial intelligence / machine learning models to estimate the measurement).

[0071] As an example only, the measurement validity duration can be configured to ten seconds. In this example, the terminal device performed a measurement eleven seconds ago. From the perspective of existing measurement-based verification (e.g., as described above), the measurement would be invalid and therefore not reported to the network. However, a terminal device with enhanced capabilities can ignore the measurement validity duration, even if it has not yet performed any additional measurements for the purpose of verifying existing measurements, and can report the existing measurements as enhanced measurement results (e.g., measurements subject to the terminal device's internal validity criteria). In other words, the terminal device can intentionally ignore the measurement validity duration and declare that it supports enhanced measurements. However, the terminal device can consider the measurement performed eleven seconds ago to be valid without further verification. In this way, the result can be reported to the network earlier, for example, in an RRC recovery completion message.

[0072] In some examples, the terminal device includes components for modifying the configuration of the measurement validity duration; and components for verifying the measurement by applying the modified configuration of the measurement validity duration.

[0073] For example, an end device may be able to perform verification using measurement validity duration in a test build of its end device software (e.g., end device firmware), but this functionality may be disabled in production builds. In a test scenario, the measurement validity duration can be dynamically modified at the end device, allowing for the inspection of test cases. When inspecting a given condition, specific behavior may allow the end device to utilize a specific value of the measurement validity duration based on the end device test profile. This behavior can be disabled when not under test conditions. In some examples, this behavior may exist only in end device software versions dedicated to testing. For example, a compiler flag may be used to compile the end device software, ensuring that this part of the software is not compiled for anything other than the test release.

[0074] In some examples, the end device can observe non-3GPP sensors or use operator information to determine whether the end device is in a test environment and dynamically enable this parameter. As will be understood, such behavior may not be observed in release versions (e.g., when used in field deployments) because this behavior is not compiled in.

[0075] Figure 3A and Figure 3B An example is depicted in which the measurement validity duration is used to verify measurements performed when the terminal device is operating in idle or inactive mode.

[0076] It should be understood, for reference Figure 3A and Figure 3B The various operations and entities described can correspond to the operations and entities described with reference to the aforementioned diagram.

[0077] exist Figure 3A In the example, at time 301, the terminal device receives an initial configuration for the measurement validity duration. This initial configuration for the measurement validity duration can correspond to the pre-configured measurement validity duration described above. For example, this could be included in an RRC release message that signals the terminal device to transition from connected mode to idle / inactive mode.

[0078] At time 302, when operating in idle / inactive mode, the terminal device receives a new configuration corresponding to the duration of measurement validity for the candidate cell. This configuration may be received in an SIB message and can be used to verify measurements corresponding to signals received from the candidate cell (e.g., carrier signals).

[0079] Time points 303 and 304 can correspond to the points in time when the terminal device is triggered to perform verification of measurements executed in idle or inactive mode. For example, time 303 can correspond to receiving an RRC set or RRC restore message at the terminal device, while time 304 can correspond to receiving an RRC reconfiguration message at the terminal device. By way of example only, time 304 is also described as the actual reporting time when the terminal device transmits the verified results to the network.

[0080] exist Figure 3B In the example, the evaluation reference point for the measurement validity duration is configured separately from the reporting timing. That is, as described above, a "hypothetical reporting timing" is used. In this example, the configuration of the measurement validity duration received from the network instructs the terminal device whether it should use the hypothetical reference point to anchor the interval defined by the measurement validity duration or instead use the actual reporting timing.

[0081] For example, this configuration could indicate an evaluation reference point at time 306. In this case, when the measurement is performed over a length interval given by the duration of measurement validity and ends at evaluation reference point 306, the measurement is determined to be valid. Figure 3B This is provided by the verification window between 305 and 306.

[0082] In other examples, the evaluation reference point can be configured with an offset. For example, the same verification window between 305 and 306 can be achieved using an evaluation reference point at time 307 and an offset equal to the difference between times 307 and 306.

[0083] When verification is performed using an evaluation reference point, the terminal device stores the verification results until the next possible reporting opportunity (e.g., time 304), at which point the results are transmitted to the network.

[0084] In some examples, the evaluation reference point corresponds to at least one of the terminal device receiving a paging message and a UE information request message, or to at least one of the terminal device transmitting a Radio Resource Control (RRC) recovery complete message, an RRC setup complete message, and a UE information response message. As will be understood, the evaluation reference point may be before or after the actual reporting time.

[0085] In the "test case" embodiment described above, the configuration of the evaluation reference point can be used to verify the correct operation of the terminal device when verifying and reporting measurements.

[0086] As with the previous example, if the measurement also meets the measurement accuracy requirements at the time of the configured reporting timing (e.g., the number of samples under specific radio conditions), then only the measurement, whether real or hypothetical, can be reported.

[0087] Figure 4 It is a message flow sequence, typically indicated by reference numeral 4, based on some aspects of the described technology. Message flow sequence 4 illustrates that operations such as reference citations can be performed within it. Figures 1 to 3B Example implementations of various aspects of the described process. In this example, terminal device 100 is shown communicating with cells 110 and 120.

[0088] Generally speaking, Figure 4 Examples involve procedures for configuring measurement validity duration at a terminal device and how the terminal device should utilize measurement validity duration to validate measurements performed in idle or inactive operating modes.

[0089] It should be understood, for reference Figure 4 The various operations and entities described can correspond to the operations and entities described with reference to the aforementioned diagram.

[0090] It should also be understood that reference Figure 4 The various operations described can be performed by entities other than those explicitly described. For example, some or all of the operations attributable to a terminal device can be performed by another terminal device. Similarly, the various operations attributable to cells 110 and 120 can be performed by other network entities, such as core network (CN) entities, radio access nodes, or base stations (e.g., base stations in the serving cell of terminal device 100).

[0091] In Operation 401, the terminal device operates in connected mode.

[0092] In operation 402, the terminal device receives an RRC connection release message (or a release message with pause) from cell 120. In response to receiving this message, the terminal device switches to idle or inactive mode.

[0093] In operation 403, the terminal device operates in an idle or inactive mode. When operating in this mode, the terminal device can perform measurements of signals (e.g., carrier signals) received from cells in the network, as described above.

[0094] In some examples, the terminal device may store a time value associated with the time when the measured SSB was read. Additionally or alternatively, the terminal device may record the measured RSRP or RSRQ values.

[0095] In operation 404, the terminal device receives an SIB or MIB message from cell 110.

[0096] In operation 405, the terminal device determines whether to comply with the modified configuration for the duration of measurement validity. As explained above with reference to the previous figures, the modified configuration can be received in the RRC message of operation 402 or the SIB message of operation 404.

[0097] As explained above with reference to the preceding figures, if the network provides an SIB configuration for measuring validity duration and the terminal device has also been configured using RRC messages, the configuration from the SIB message can override the configuration from the RRC message. Alternatively, if a configuration defines only a single value for measuring validity duration, the configuration of dedicated values ​​indicating idle and / or inactive modes and / or evaluation reference points can override the single-value configuration.

[0098] In other examples, the latest received configuration can override any previous configuration for the measurement validity duration. Since different configurations for the measurement validity duration may be in effect at different times, information indicating the configuration used for a given measurement can be stored along with the measurement data. For example, the terminal device can maintain a window where the bottom edge represents the oldest measurement satisfying the conditions given by the configuration for the measurement validity duration, and the top edge represents the most recent sample satisfying the conditions.

[0099] In some examples, the configuration for the duration of measurement validity can indicate that measurements performed before receiving the new configuration should be discarded.

[0100] As will be understood, if the existing The value was replaced with a larger one. If the value is determined to be valid under the old configuration, then any measurement previously determined to be valid under the new configuration is also considered valid under the new configuration.

[0101] In some examples, when later When the value is less than an earlier value, the configuration at the terminal device (e.g., in the RRC release message) The value can be received in a later configuration. Value substitution. For example, if the RRC release message indicates a duration of 5 seconds and the SIB message indicates a duration of 60 seconds, the terminal device is not expected to "go back in time" (i.e., check the measurement previously determined to be invalid), but instead continues to verify the measurement with a duration of 5 seconds. Alternatively, a measurement previously verified using a 5-second duration can be considered invalid.

[0102] In operation 406, the terminal device uses the measurement validity duration to verify the measurement performed during operation in idle or inactive mode, based on the determination made in operation 405.

[0103] In operation 407, the terminal device re-establishes its connection to the network and reports the verification result to the network. For example, if the connection is restored, the terminal device can reconnect to cell 120. Alternatively, a new connection can be established with cell 110.

[0104] Figure 5 It is a flowchart depicting various operations that can be performed based on various examples. For example, Figure 5 The operations described herein can be performed by terminal devices or other suitable devices.

[0105] In operation S5.1, the terminal device receives configuration information from at least one base station of the telecommunications network, the configuration information indicating a modified configuration of a measurement validity duration pre-configured at the terminal device, wherein the measurement validity duration is used to verify the measurement of signals received from at least one cell of the telecommunications network by the terminal device in idle mode or inactive mode.

[0106] In operation S5.2, the terminal device determines whether to follow the modified configuration of the measurement validity duration or the pre-configured measurement validity duration.

[0107] In some examples, the method includes operation S5.3a, wherein in response to determining (in operation S5.2) a modified configuration that follows the measurement validity duration, the terminal device verifies the measurement by applying the measurement validity duration according to the modified configuration indicated by the received configuration information.

[0108] In some examples, the method includes operation S5.3b, wherein in response to determining (in operation S5.2) that a pre-configured measurement validity duration is followed, the terminal device verifies the measurement by applying the pre-configured measurement validity duration.

[0109] In some examples, the method includes operation S5.4, in which the terminal device reports the verified measurement to the telecommunications network.

[0110] These operations have been discussed in detail above with reference to the previous attached figures. For the sake of brevity, such a discussion will not be repeated here.

[0111] Of course, this should be understood. Figure 5 The various operations shown can correspond to the operations already described with reference to the foregoing figures. For example, operation S5.1 can correspond to... Figure 4 Operations 402 or 404; Operation S5.2 can correspond to Figure 4 Operation 405; Operations S5.3a and S5.3b can correspond to Figure 4 Operation 406; and operation S5.4 can correspond to Figure 4 Operation 407.

[0112] Figure 6 It is a flowchart depicting various operations that can be performed based on various examples. For example, Figure 6 The operations described herein can be performed by terminal devices or other suitable devices.

[0113] In operation S6.1, the terminal device determines whether to apply a measurement validity duration to verify the measurement of a signal received from at least one cell of the telecommunications network by the terminal device in idle mode or inactive mode.

[0114] In some examples, the method includes operation S6.2, in which the terminal device verifies the measurement without applying a measurement validity duration.

[0115] In some examples, the method includes operation S6.3, in which the terminal device reports the verified measurement to the telecommunications network.

[0116] These operations have been discussed in detail above with reference to the previous attached figures. For the sake of brevity, such a discussion will not be repeated here.

[0117] Of course, it should be understood that Figure 6 The various operations shown can correspond to the operations already described with reference to the foregoing figures. For example, operation S6.3 can correspond to... Figure 4 Operation 407.

[0118] Figure 7 It can be configured as an execution reference. Figures 1 to 6 A schematic diagram of an example configuration of the computing device 7 for the various operations described.

[0119] The computing device may include a control unit 700 configured to control the operation of other components forming part of the computing device 7, thereby enabling the execution of reference... Figures 1 to 6 Various operations are described. The computing device 700 may include a processing device 701 and a memory 702. Computer-readable code 702-2A may be stored in the memory 702 and, when executed by the processing device 701, causes the control device 700 to perform any of the operations described herein.

[0120] In addition, the computing device may also include a display 703, a user interface (UII) 704, a radio frequency interface 705 configured to interface with radio frequency signals transmitted and received via a radio frequency antenna array 705A, and a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) 706. In some examples, other satellite communication systems may be used instead of GNSS 706 or in addition to GNSS 706.

[0121] Figure 8 It can be configured as an execution reference. Figures 1 to 6 A schematic diagram of an example configuration of base station 8 describing various operations.

[0122] Base station 8, which may be referred to as eNB or access point (AP), includes a control device 800 configured to control the operation of other components forming part of base station 8, thereby enabling the transmission and reception of signals to and from UEs near its coverage area. For example, base station control device 800 is configured to transmit reference signals to UEs within its coverage area. Furthermore, in some examples, control device 800 may be configured to receive reference signal measurement data and / or location data from UEs within its coverage area. Control device 800 may also enable communication with other base stations and / or other network nodes. Control device 800 may be additionally configured to perform any other operations described herein with reference to base station 8.

[0123] Base station 8 includes a radio frequency antenna array 805 configured to receive and transmit radio frequency signals. Although Figure 8 Base station 8 in the diagram is shown as an array 805A with three antennas, but this is merely an example. The number of antennas can vary, for example, from one to hundreds.

[0124] Base station 8 also includes a radio frequency interface 805 and a control device 800. The radio frequency interface 805 is configured to interface with radio frequency signals received and transmitted by antenna 805A. The radio frequency interface 805 may also be referred to as a transmitter, receiver, and / or transceiver. Base station 8 may also include an interface 807, for example, which can communicate with other network elements such as other radio access network entities (such as other base stations) and / or core network entities.

[0125] The base station control device 800 can be configured to process signals from the radio frequency interface 805, control the radio frequency interface 805 to generate appropriate RF signals to transmit information to the UE via the wireless communication link, and also exchange information with other base stations 8 and core network entities via the interface 807.

[0126] The control device 800 may include a processing device 801 and a memory 802. Computer-readable code 802-2A may be stored in the memory 802, and when executed by the processing device 801, the computer-readable code 802-2A causes the control device 800 to perform any operation described herein and belonging to the base station 8.

[0127] Further details regarding the components and features of the aforementioned devices / entities / apparatus 7 and 8, as well as their alternatives, will now be described.

[0128] The aforementioned control devices 700 and 800 may include processing devices 701 and 801 communicatively coupled to memories 702 and 802. Memories 702 and 802 have computer-readable instructions 702-2A and 802-2A stored thereon. When executed by processing devices 701 and 801, the computer-readable instructions 702-2A and 802-2A cause control devices 700 and 800 to perform reference... Figures 1 to 6 The various operations described. In some cases, control devices 700 and 800 can be collectively referred to as "devices".

[0129] Processing devices 701 and 801 can have any suitable composition and can include one or more processors 701A and 801A of any suitable type or combination of suitable types. In practice, the term "processing device" should be understood to encompass computers with different architectures, such as single / multiprocessor architectures and sequencer / parallel architectures. For example, processing devices 701 and 801 can be programmable processors that interpret computer program instructions 702-2A and 802-2A and process data. Processing devices 701 and 801 can include multiple programmable processors. Alternatively, processing devices 701 and 801 can be programmable hardware, for example, with embedded firmware. Processing devices 701 and 801 can alternatively or additionally include one or more special-purpose circuits, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), signal processing devices, etc. In some cases, processing devices 701 and 801 can be referred to as computing devices or processing devices.

[0130] Processing devices 701 and 801 are coupled to and operable to read data from and write data to memories 702 and 802. Memory 702 and 802 may include a single memory cell or multiple memory cells on which computer-readable instructions (or code) 702-2A and 802-2A are stored. For example, memories 702 and 802 may include volatile memories 702-1 and 802-1 and non-volatile memories 702-2 and 802-2. In such an example, computer-readable instructions / program code 702-2A and 802-2A may be stored in non-volatile memories 702-2 and 802-2 and may be executed by processing devices 701 and 801 using volatile memories 702-1 and 802-1 for data or temporary storage of data and instructions. Examples of volatile memory include random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM). Examples of non-volatile memory include read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, optical storage, and magnetic storage. Memory 702, 802 may be referred to as one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media or one or more storage devices. Furthermore, the term "memory" may encompass not only memory including one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories, but also only one or more volatile memories or only one or more non-volatile memories. In the context of this document, "memory" or "computer-readable medium" can be any medium or component that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transmit instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer.

[0131] Computer-readable instructions / program code 702-2A and 802-2A can be pre-programmed into control devices 700 and 800. Alternatively, computer-readable instructions 702-2A and 802-2A can reach the control device via electromagnetic carrier signals, or can be copied from physical entities 9 (such as computer program products), memory devices, or recording media (such as optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or digital versatile optical disc (DVD)), examples of which are shown in [reference to document details]. Figure 9 As shown in the diagram. Computer-readable instructions 702-2A and 802-2A can provide logic and routines that enable physical devices / apparatus 7 and 8 to perform the functions described above. A combination of computer-readable instructions stored on memory (of any type described above) can be referred to as a computer program product. Generally, references to computer programs, instructions, code, etc., should be understood as expressing software (such as programmable content of hardware devices) for programmable processor firmware as instructions for the processor or as configuration or configuration settings for fixed-function devices, gate arrays, programmable logic devices, etc.

[0132] If necessary, the different functions discussed herein can be executed in different orders and / or simultaneously with each other. Furthermore, if necessary, one or more of the above functions can be optional or can be combined. Similarly, it should be understood that... Figure 7 and Figure 8 The flowchart is merely an example, and the various operations depicted therein can be omitted, reordered, and / or combined.

[0133] Although the methods and apparatus have been described in conjunction with E-UTRA networks, it should be understood that they are not limited to such networks and are applicable to various types of radio networks.

[0134] Although various aspects of the methods and apparatus described herein are set forth in the independent claims, other aspects may include other combinations of features from the described embodiments and / or dependent claims with features of the independent claims, and not just combinations expressly set forth in the claims.

[0135] It should also be noted that while various examples have been described above, these descriptions should not be considered limiting. Rather, several changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

[0136] Finally, the various additional aspects of this specification are described below.

[0137] In a first additional aspect, this specification describes a terminal device comprising: components for receiving configuration information at the terminal device from at least one base station of a telecommunications network, the configuration information indicating a modified configuration pre-configured at the terminal device for a measurement validity duration, wherein the measurement validity duration is used to verify measurements of signals received from at least one cell of the telecommunications network by the terminal device in an idle mode or an inactive mode; and components for determining whether to follow the modified configuration for the measurement validity duration or to follow a pre-configured measurement validity duration.

[0138] In some examples, the terminal device further includes: components for verifying the measurement by applying the measurement validity duration according to the modified configuration indicated by the received configuration information in response to determining that the measurement validity duration is followed; and components for reporting the verified measurement to the telecommunications network. Additionally or alternatively, the terminal device may also include: components for verifying the measurement by applying a pre-configured measurement validity duration in response to determining that the measurement validity duration is followed; and components for reporting the verified measurement to the telecommunications network.

[0139] In some examples, the pre-configured measurement validity duration includes a first measurement validity duration received at the terminal device from at least one base station of the telecommunications network, wherein a modified configuration for the measurement validity duration indicated by received configuration information includes a second measurement validity duration and indicates that the second measurement validity duration covers the first measurement validity duration, and wherein the determining component is configured to follow the modified configuration for the measurement validity duration for measurement verification by using the second measurement validity duration. In other examples, the pre-configured measurement validity duration includes a first measurement validity duration received at the terminal device from at least one base station of the telecommunications network, wherein a modified configuration for the measurement validity duration indicated by received configuration information includes a second measurement validity duration and indicates that the first measurement validity duration covers the second measurement validity duration, and wherein the determining component is configured to follow the pre-configured measurement validity duration by verifying the measurement using the first measurement validity duration. In some such examples, the first measurement validity duration is included in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message received at the terminal device from at least one base station of the telecommunications network, and / or the second measurement validity duration is included in a System Information Block (SIB) message received at the terminal device from at least one base station of the telecommunications network.

[0140] In some examples, a measurement is determined to be valid when it is performed by the terminal device during a time interval corresponding to the measurement validity duration ending at the measurement reporting time. In other examples, the configuration information includes an evaluation reference time, and the terminal device is configured to determine that a measurement is valid when it is performed by the terminal device during a time interval corresponding to the measurement validity duration ending at the evaluation reference time. In some such examples, the evaluation reference time corresponds to at least one of the terminal device receiving a paging message and a UE information request message, or corresponds to at least one of the terminal device transmitting a Radio Resource Control (RRC) recovery completion message, an RRC setup completion message, and a UE information response message.

[0141] In some examples, the configuration information includes flags indicating whether the measurement validity duration should be used to verify measurements, and components for determining whether to follow a modified configuration for the measurement validity duration or a pre-configured measurement validity duration are configured to perform the determination based on the flags included in the configuration information. Additionally or alternatively, the configuration information may indicate that a pre-configured measurement validity duration should be applied to measurements performed by the terminal device in either idle or inactive mode, and also indicate that a modified configuration for the measurement validity duration should be applied to measurements performed by the terminal device in the other of idle or inactive mode, wherein the components for determining are configured to determine whether to follow the pre-configured measurement validity duration to verify measurements performed by the terminal device in either idle or inactive mode, and wherein the components for determining are configured to determine whether to follow the modified configuration for the measurement validity duration to verify measurements performed by the terminal device in the other of idle or inactive mode. Alternatively or concurrently, configuration information may be received by the terminal device from at least one base station of the telecommunications network in at least one of the following: System Information Block (SIB) messages, Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages, and / or Media Access Control (MAC) messages.

[0142] In a second additional aspect, this specification describes a network node comprising: components for transmitting configuration information to a terminal device, the configuration information indicating a modified configuration pre-configured at the terminal device for a measurement validity duration, wherein the measurement validity duration is used to verify measurements of signals received by the terminal device from at least one cell of a telecommunications network in an idle or inactive mode. In some examples, the network node further includes components for receiving empirical measurements of signals received by the terminal device from at least one cell of a telecommunications network in an idle or inactive mode from the terminal device. Additionally or alternatively, the configuration information may be transmitted to the terminal device in at least one of the following: System Information Block (SIB) messages, Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages, and / or Media Access Control (MAC) messages.

[0143] In a third additional aspect, this specification describes an apparatus (e.g., a terminal device) including at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following operations: receiving configuration information at the terminal device from at least one base station of a telecommunications network, the configuration information indicating a modified configuration pre-configured at the terminal device for a measurement validity duration, wherein the measurement validity duration is used to verify measurements of signals received from at least one cell of the telecommunications network performed by the terminal device in an idle mode or an inactive mode; and determining whether to follow the modified configuration for the measurement validity duration or to follow the pre-configured measurement validity duration.

[0144] In some examples, the operation further includes: in response to determining a modified configuration that conforms to a measurement validity duration, verifying the measurement by applying the measurement validity duration according to the modified configuration indicated by the received configuration information; and reporting the verified measurement to the telecommunications network. Additionally or alternatively, the operation may also include: in response to determining that conforms to a pre-configured measurement validity duration, verifying the measurement by applying the pre-configured measurement validity duration; and reporting the verified measurement to the telecommunications network.

[0145] In some examples, the pre-configured measurement validity duration includes a first measurement validity duration received at the terminal device from at least one base station of the telecommunications network, wherein a modified configuration for the measurement validity duration indicated by received configuration information includes a second measurement validity duration and indicates that the second measurement validity duration covers the first measurement validity duration, and wherein the determining component is configured to follow the modified configuration for the measurement validity duration for measurement verification by using the second measurement validity duration. In other examples, the pre-configured measurement validity duration includes a first measurement validity duration received at the terminal device from at least one base station of the telecommunications network, wherein a modified configuration for the measurement validity duration indicated by received configuration information includes a second measurement validity duration and indicates that the first measurement validity duration covers the second measurement validity duration, and wherein the determining component is configured to follow the pre-configured measurement validity duration by verifying the measurement using the first measurement validity duration. In some such examples, the first measurement validity duration is included in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message received at the terminal device from at least one base station of the telecommunications network, and / or the second measurement validity duration is included in a System Information Block (SIB) message received at the terminal device from at least one base station of the telecommunications network.

[0146] In some examples, a measurement is determined to be valid when it is performed by the terminal device during a time interval corresponding to the measurement validity duration ending at the measurement reporting time. In other examples, the configuration information includes an evaluation reference time, and the terminal device is configured to determine that a measurement is valid when it is performed by the terminal device during a time interval corresponding to the measurement validity duration ending at the evaluation reference time. In some such examples, the evaluation reference time corresponds to at least one of the terminal device receiving a paging message and a UE information request message, or corresponds to at least one of the terminal device transmitting a Radio Resource Control (RRC) recovery completion message, an RRC setup completion message, and a UE information response message.

[0147] In some examples, the configuration information includes a flag indicating whether the measurement validity duration should be used to verify the measurement, and performs a determination based on the flag included in the configuration information to follow either a modified configuration for the measurement validity duration or a pre-configured measurement validity duration. Additionally or alternatively, the configuration information may indicate that a pre-configured measurement validity duration should be applied to measurements performed by the terminal device in one of idle mode and inactive mode, and also indicate that a modified configuration for the measurement validity duration should be applied to measurements performed by the terminal device in the other of idle mode and inactive mode, wherein the determining component is configured to determine that the measurement performed by the terminal device in one of idle mode and inactive mode should be verified according to the pre-configured measurement validity duration, and wherein the determining component is configured to determine that the measurement performed by the terminal device in the other of idle mode and inactive mode should be verified according to the modified configuration for the measurement validity duration. Additionally or alternatively, the configuration information may be received by the terminal device from at least one base station of a telecommunications network in at least one of the following: System Information Block (SIB) messages, Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages, and / or Media Access Control (MAC) messages.

[0148] In a fourth additional aspect, this specification describes an apparatus (e.g., a network node or base station) including at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following operations: transmitting configuration information from the network node to a terminal device, the configuration information indicating a modified configuration pre-configured at the terminal device for a measurement validity duration, wherein the measurement validity duration is used to verify measurements of signals received by the terminal device from at least one cell of a telecommunications network in an idle or inactive mode. In some examples, the operation further includes components for receiving verified measurements of signals received by the terminal device from at least one cell of a telecommunications network in an idle or inactive mode. Additionally or alternatively, the configuration information may be transmitted to the terminal device in at least one of the following: System Information Block (SIB) messages, Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages, and / or Media Access Control (MAC) messages.

[0149] In a fifth additional aspect, this specification describes a method comprising: receiving configuration information at a terminal device from at least one base station of a telecommunications network, the configuration information indicating a modified configuration pre-configured at the terminal device for a measurement validity duration, wherein the measurement validity duration is used to verify measurements of signals received by the terminal device from at least one cell of the telecommunications network in an idle mode or an inactive mode; and determining whether to follow the modified configuration for the measurement validity duration or to follow the pre-configured measurement validity duration.

[0150] In some examples, the method further includes: in response to determining that a modified configuration for the measurement validity duration is followed, verifying the measurement by applying the measurement validity duration according to the modified configuration indicated by the received configuration information; and reporting the verified measurement to the telecommunications network. Additionally or alternatively, the method may also include: in response to determining that a pre-configured measurement validity duration is followed, verifying the measurement by applying the pre-configured measurement validity duration; and reporting the verified measurement to the telecommunications network.

[0151] In some examples, the pre-configured measurement validity duration includes a first measurement validity duration received at the terminal device from at least one base station of the telecommunications network, wherein a modified configuration for the measurement validity duration indicated by received configuration information includes a second measurement validity duration and indicates that the second measurement validity duration covers the first measurement validity duration, and wherein the determining component is configured to follow the modified configuration for the measurement validity duration for measurement verification by using the second measurement validity duration. In other examples, the pre-configured measurement validity duration includes a first measurement validity duration received at the terminal device from at least one base station of the telecommunications network, wherein a modified configuration for the measurement validity duration indicated by received configuration information includes a second measurement validity duration and indicates that the first measurement validity duration covers the second measurement validity duration, and wherein the determining component is configured to follow the pre-configured measurement validity duration by verifying the measurement using the first measurement validity duration. In some such examples, the first measurement validity duration is included in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message received at the terminal device from at least one base station of the telecommunications network, and / or the second measurement validity duration is included in a System Information Block (SIB) message received at the terminal device from at least one base station of the telecommunications network.

[0152] In some examples, a measurement is determined to be valid when it is performed by the terminal device during a time interval corresponding to the measurement validity duration ending at the measurement reporting time. In other examples, the configuration information includes an evaluation reference time, and the terminal device is configured to determine that a measurement is valid when it is performed by the terminal device during a time interval corresponding to the measurement validity duration ending at the evaluation reference time. In some such examples, the evaluation reference time corresponds to at least one of the terminal device receiving a paging message and a UE information request message, or corresponds to at least one of the terminal device transmitting a Radio Resource Control (RRC) recovery completion message, an RRC setup completion message, and a UE information response message.

[0153] In some examples, the configuration information includes a flag indicating whether the measurement validity duration should be used to verify the measurement, and a determination is made based on the flag included in the configuration information as to whether to follow a modified configuration for the measurement validity duration or a pre-configured measurement validity duration. Additionally or alternatively, the configuration information may indicate that a pre-configured measurement validity duration should be applied to measurements performed by the terminal device in one of idle mode and inactive mode, and also indicate that a modified configuration for the measurement validity duration should be applied to measurements performed by the terminal device in the other of idle mode and inactive mode, wherein the determining component is configured to determine that the measurement performed by the terminal device in one of idle mode and inactive mode should be verified according to the pre-configured measurement validity duration, and wherein the determining component is configured to determine that the measurement performed by the terminal device in the other of idle mode and inactive mode should be verified according to the modified configuration for the measurement validity duration. Additionally or alternatively, the configuration information may be received by the terminal device from at least one base station of a telecommunications network in at least one of the following: System Information Block (SIB) messages, Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages, and / or Media Access Control (MAC) messages.

[0154] In a sixth additional aspect, this specification describes a method comprising: transmitting configuration information from a network node to a terminal device, the configuration information indicating a modified configuration pre-configured at the terminal device for a measurement validity duration, wherein the measurement validity duration is used to verify measurements of signals received by the terminal device from at least one cell of a telecommunications network in an idle or inactive mode. In some examples, the method further includes components for receiving verified measurements of signals received by the terminal device from at least one cell of a telecommunications network in an idle or inactive mode. Additionally or alternatively, the configuration information may be transmitted to the terminal device in at least one of the following: System Information Block (SIB) messages, Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages, and / or Media Access Control (MAC) messages.

[0155] In a seventh additional aspect, this specification describes a method comprising: sending configuration information to a terminal device or receiving configuration information at the terminal device, the configuration information indicating a modified configuration pre-configured at the terminal device for a measurement validity duration, wherein the measurement validity duration is used to verify measurements of signals received from at least one cell of a telecommunications network performed by the terminal device in an idle mode or an inactive mode.

[0156] In an eighth additional aspect, this specification describes a non-transitory computer-readable medium including program instructions stored thereon for performing at least any of the operations described above with reference to the fifth through seventh additional aspects.

Claims

1. A terminal device, comprising: A component for determining whether to apply a measurement validity duration for verifying a measurement of a signal received from at least one cell of the telecommunications network, the measurement being performed by the terminal device in idle or inactive mode.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising: Components for verifying the measurement without applying the measurement validity duration; as well as A component used to report the verified measurements to the telecommunications network.

3. The terminal device according to claim 2, The component used for verification is configured to verify the measurement using at least one sensor of the terminal device.

4. The terminal device according to any one of the preceding claims, The component used for determination is configured to determine not to apply the measurement validity duration in response to the measurement validity duration having a specific value indicating that the measurement validity duration should not be applied.

5. The terminal device according to claim 4, The specific value for the duration of measurement validity includes at least one of the following: a maximum value for the duration of measurement validity, an out-of-range value for the duration of measurement validity, and / or an alternative value for the duration of measurement validity.

6. The terminal device according to any one of the preceding claims further includes: A component for receiving a flag indicating whether the duration of the measurement validity should be used to verify the measurement. The component used for determination is configured to determine that the measurement validity duration should not be applied in response to the flag indicating that the received flag indicates that the measurement validity duration should not be used to verify the measurement.

7. The terminal device according to any one of the preceding claims, The component used for determination is configured to determine the duration for which the measurement validity is not applied in response to the terminal device being able to perform enhanced measurements.

8. The terminal device according to any one of the preceding claims further includes: Components for modifying the configuration of the duration of measurement validity; as well as A component for verifying the measurement by applying the modified configuration for the duration of the measurement validity.

9. A network node, comprising: Components for determining whether a terminal device is configured with a measurement validity duration for verifying measurements of signals received from at least one cell of a telecommunications network, the measurements being performed by the terminal device in idle or inactive mode.

10. The network node according to claim 9, The component used for determination is configured to determine whether to configure the terminal device based on the type and / or capabilities of the terminal device.

11. The network node according to claim 9 or claim 10, further comprising: Components for receiving measurements from the terminal device. The measurements have been verified according to the internal validity criteria of the terminal device.

12. A method comprising: The terminal device determines whether to apply a measurement validity duration to verify measurements of signals received from at least one cell of the telecommunications network, the measurements being performed by the terminal device in idle or inactive mode.

13. A method comprising: The network node determines that the terminal device will not be configured with a measurement validity duration for verifying measurements of signals received from at least one cell of the telecommunications network, the measurements being performed by the terminal device in idle or inactive mode.

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