QoE Measurement Report Size Request

Abstract

Apparatus, methods, and systems for QoE measurement reporting control are disclosed. A method (1400) includes receiving (1405) a first message from a communication network requesting a size of stored QoE measurement reports in an RRC buffer. The method (1400) includes determining (1410) by the communication device a size of the stored QoE measurement reports in response to the first message, and transmitting (1415) a second message to the communication network including the size of the stored QoE measurement reports in the RRC buffer. The method (1400) includes receiving (1420) a third message from the communication network including a configuration enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting, and transmitting (1425) at least one fourth message to the communication network including at least one QoE measurement report.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 247,170, entitled “QOE MEASUREMENT REPORTING CONTROL IN NR SYSTEMS,” filed on September 22, 2021 in favor of Hyung-Nam Choi and Joachim Lohr, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to Quality of Experience ("QoE") measurement reporting control, for example in 3rd Generation Partnership Project ("3GPP®") New Radio ("NR") systems. [Background technology]

[0003] Currently, in the 3GPP system, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network ("UTRAN", i.e., third generation ("3G") radio access technology ("RAT"), and Evolved UTRAN ("E-UTRAN", i.e., fourth generation ("4G") RAT), QoE Measurement Collection ("QMC") is specified for streaming services and Multimedia Telephony Service for IMS ("MTSI"). This feature enables operators to collect and utilize QoE measurement information of streaming and MTSI services to better understand user experience and optimize the UTRAN / E-UTRAN network for the related services. However, QMC is not currently supported in NR. A solution for efficient control of QoE measurement reporting in the NR radio access network ("RAN") is needed. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Disclosed are procedures relating to QoE measurement reporting control, which may be implemented by an apparatus, a system, a method, or a computer program product. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A method in a user equipment ("UE") includes receiving a first message from a communications network requesting a size of quality of experience ("QoE") measurement reports stored in a radio resource control ("RRC") buffer. The method includes determining, by the communications device, a size of the stored QoE measurement reports in response to the first message and transmitting, to the communications network, a second message including the size of the stored QoE measurement reports in the RRC buffer. The method includes receiving, from the communications network, a third message including a configuration enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting, and transmitting, to the communications network, at least one fourth message including the at least one QoE measurement report.

[0006] A method in a network device includes transmitting a first message to a communication device requesting a size of stored QoE measurement reports in an RRC buffer of the communication device and receiving a second message from the communication device including the size of the stored QoE measurement reports. The method includes determining a configuration enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting at the communication device using the second message and transmitting a third message to the communication device including the configuration enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting. The method includes receiving at least one fourth message from the communication device including at least one QoE measurement report.

[0007] A more particular description of the embodiments briefly described above will be made by reference to specific embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which it is noted that the embodiments have been described and explained with added specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, with the understanding that these drawings depict only some embodiments and are not to be considered limiting in scope as such. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a wireless communication system for QoE measurement report control. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a New Radio ("NR") protocol stack. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of an uplink ("UL") AS protocol layer configuration with NR QoE measurement reporting. [Figure 4] A diagram illustrating one embodiment for the Abstract Syntax Notation #1 ("ASN.1") structure of the RRCBufferStatusRequest message. [Diagram 5] A diagram illustrating one embodiment of an ASN.1 structure for an RRCBufferStatusResponse message. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of an ASN.1 structure for an RRC resume indication. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of storage of QoE reports in an RRC buffer. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 illustrates one embodiment of creating and transmitting multiple QoE reports in a MeasurementReportAppLayer message. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a first option for QoE report handling during a QoE pause. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a QoE measurement report with segmentation. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 illustrates a second optional embodiment for QoE report handling during QoE pause. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a user equipment device that may be used for QoE measurement reporting control. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a network device that may be used for QoE measurement reporting control. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a first method for QoE measurement reporting control. [Figure 15] 11 is a flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a second method for QoE measurement reporting control. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the embodiments may be embodied as a system, apparatus, method, or program product. Accordingly, the embodiments may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects.

[0010] For example, the disclosed embodiments may be implemented as hardware circuitry including custom very large scale integrated ("VLSI") circuits or gate arrays, off-the-shelf semiconductors such as logic chips, transistors, or other discrete components. The disclosed embodiments may also be implemented in programmable hardware devices such as field programmable gate arrays, programmable array logic, programmable logic devices, or the like. As another example, the disclosed embodiments may include one or more physical or logical blocks of executable code, which may be organized, for example, as objects, procedures, or functions.

[0011] Furthermore, embodiments may take the form of a program product embodied in one or more computer-readable storage devices storing machine-readable code, computer-readable code, and / or program code, hereinafter referred to as code. The storage devices may be tangible, non-transitory, and / or non-transmittable. The storage devices may not embody signals. In some embodiments, the storage devices employ only signals to access the code.

[0012] Any combination of one or more computer readable media may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable storage medium may be a storage device that stores the code. The storage device may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, holographic, micro-mechanical, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0013] More specific examples (non-exhaustive list) of storage devices would include an electrical connection having one or more electrical wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory ("RAM"), a read-only memory ("ROM"), an erasable programmable read-only memory ("EPROM" or flash memory), a portable compact disk read-only memory ("CD-ROM"), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this specification, a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0014] The code for carrying out the operations of the embodiments may be any number of lines of code and may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Python, Ruby, Java, Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and traditional procedural programming languages ​​such as the "C" programming language or the like, and / or machine code such as assembly language. The code may run entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network ("LAN"), wireless LAN ("WLAN"), or wide area network ("WAN"), or the connection may be to an external computer (e.g., through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider ("ISP").

[0015] Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics of the embodiments may be combined in any suitable manner. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided, such as examples of programming, software modules, user selections, network transactions, database queries, database structures, hardware modules, hardware circuits, hardware chips, etc., to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, one skilled in the art will understand that the embodiments may be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or using other methods, components, materials, etc. In other cases, well-known structures, materials, or operations have not been shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the embodiments.

[0016] References throughout this specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," or similar phrases mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described with respect to that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, all occurrences of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" and similar phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments" unless otherwise noted. "Including," "comprising," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to" unless otherwise noted. Enumerated listings of items do not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive unless otherwise noted. Additionally, the articles "a," "an," and "the" in the original English text refer to "one or more" unless otherwise noted.

[0017] As used herein, a list with the conjunction "and / or" includes any single item in the list or a combination of items in the list. For example, a list of A, B and / or C includes only A, only B, only C, a combination of B with A, a combination of B with C, a combination of A with C, or a combination of A, B and C. As used herein, a list using the phrase "one or more of" includes any single item in the list or a combination of items in the list. For example, one or more of A, B, and C includes only A, only B, only C, a combination of A with B, a combination of B with C, a combination of A with C, or a combination of A, B, and C. As used herein, "one of" includes only one of any single item in the list. For example, "one of A, B, and C" includes only A, only B, or only C, and excludes the combination of A, B, and C. As used herein, "a member selected from the group consisting of A, B, and C" includes only one of A, B, or C, and excludes the combination of A, B, and C. As used herein, "a member selected from the group consisting of A, B, and C and combinations thereof" includes only A, only B, only C, the combination of A and B, the combination of B and C, the combination of A and C, or the combination of A, B, and C.

[0018] Aspects of these embodiments are described below with reference to schematic flowchart illustrations and / or schematic block diagrams of methods, apparatus, systems, and program products according to the embodiments. It will be understood that each block of the schematic flowchart illustrations and / or schematic block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the schematic flowchart illustrations and / or schematic block diagrams, may be implemented by code that is provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to generate machine instructions that, when executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams.

[0019] The code may also be stored in a storage device that can direct a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored on the storage device produce an article of manufacture that includes instructions that implement the functions / acts specified in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams.

[0020] The code may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to cause the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device to perform a series of operational steps to generate a computer-implemented process such that the code executing on the computer or other programmable apparatus provides a process for implementing the functions / operations specified in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams.

[0021] The call flow diagrams, flowchart diagrams, and / or block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of apparatus, systems, methods and program products according to various embodiments. In this regard, each block in the flowchart diagrams or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which contains one or more executable instructions of code for implementing the specified logical function(s).

[0022] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may be performed out of the order shown. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on the functionality involved. Other steps and methods may be contemplated that are equivalent in function, logic, or effect to one or more blocks of the illustrated diagrams, or portions thereof.

[0023] Various arrow and line types may be employed in the call flow diagrams, flowchart diagrams, and / or block diagrams, but it is understood that these are not intended to limit the scope of the corresponding embodiments. Indeed, some arrows or other connectors may be used to indicate only the logical flow of the depicted embodiments. For example, arrows may indicate waiting or monitoring periods of unspecified duration between recited steps of the depicted embodiments. It should also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and / or flowchart diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart diagrams, may be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based computer system that performs the specified functions or operations or executes a combination of dedicated hardware and code.

[0024] Descriptions of elements in each figure may refer to the elements in subsequent figures. Like numbers refer to like elements in all figures, including alternative embodiments of like elements.

[0025] Generally, this disclosure describes systems, methods, and apparatus for QoE measurement reporting control mechanisms. In some embodiments, these methods may be performed using computer code embedded on a computer readable medium. In some embodiments, the apparatus or system may include a computer readable medium containing computer readable code that, when executed by a processor, causes the apparatus or system to perform at least a portion of the solutions described below.

[0026] QMC is not currently supported in NR, but will be specified in the context of the NR QoE work item in Rel-17. The objectives of this work item are to specify support for QMC in NR standalone mode, specify QoE measurement handling in RRC_INACTIVE state, specify support for QMC and reporting continuity in intra-system, intra-RAT mobility scenarios for signaling-based QoE, specify support for RAN visible QoE, specify support for per-slice QoE measurements, and specify the mechanisms required to support radio-related measurements and QoE measurement consistency.

[0027] In contrast to UTRAN and E-UTRAN, NR QoE is designed in a more generic and flexible manner to support various types of services such as streaming services, MTSI, virtual reality ("VR"), multicast broadcast services ("MBS"), and extended reality ("XR").

[0028] The handling of QoE measurement reports (hereinafter abbreviated as "QoE reports") is currently under discussion for the following reasons.

[0029] In NR QoE, the UE may be configured for multiple concurrent QoE measurements. The maximum number of concurrent QoE measurements has yet to be determined, but candidate values ​​are in the range of 8 to 64. As a result, the UE application layer may generate multiple QoE reports in an active QMC session, which then need to be transmitted to the network. Furthermore, depending on the configured service type and reporting interval, e.g., at the end of each QMC session or every 10 minutes for longer QMC sessions, the size of the QoE report is less than 8 kBytes in most cases and in rare cases may exceed 8 kBytes. However, for newer, more advanced service types such as VR, the size of the QoE report may be around 18 kBytes reporting every 10 minutes.

[0030] During RAN overload, a 5G / NR Node B ("gNB") may send a QoE Pause instruction to instruct the UE to temporarily stop sending QoE reports for the affected QoE measurement configurations until it receives a QoE Resume instruction from the gNB. During the QoE Pause phase, the UE application layer continues with QMC. That is, depending on how long the RAN overload situation may last in the network (minutes, hours, or more), the UE may create a large number of QoE reports that need to be transmitted to the network after the RAN overload is cleared.

[0031] Considering the above reasons, a solution for efficient control of QoE measurement reporting in the NR RAN is needed to address the following issues:

[0032] A) Handling of QoE reports in normal operation, i.e. whether to transmit QoE reports individually or whether to transmit multiple QoE reports in a single MeasurementReportAppLayer message.

[0033] B) Handling the stored QoE reports when the RAN overload is removed, i.e. how to transmit the stored QoE reports in the MeasurementReportAppLayer message.

[0034] C) How to perform UL segmentation of the MeasurementReportAppLayer message when multiple QoE reports need to be transmitted and the size of the concatenated QoE reports exceeds the maximum size of an RRC message, which is 9000 bytes.

[0035] To support QoE measurement reporting in NR RAN in an efficient manner, the following solutions are proposed: According to the first solution, an RRC message is introduced to request and transfer the size of the stored QoE report in the UE; According to the second solution, an indication of the QoE reporting policy is provided in the QoE Resume Indication; According to the third solution, rules are provided for creating and transmitting the QoE report in the MeasurementReportAppLayer message.

[0036] FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless communication system 100 for QoE measurement report control according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, the wireless communication system 100 includes at least one remote unit 105, a radio access network ("RAN") 120, and a mobile core network 140. The RAN 120 and the mobile core network 140 form a mobile communication network. The RAN 120 may be comprised of a base unit 121 with which the remote unit 105 communicates using a wireless communication link 123. Although a certain number of remote units 105, base units 121, wireless communication links 123, RAN 120, and mobile core network 140 are depicted in FIG. 1, one skilled in the art will recognize that any number of remote units 105, base units 121, wireless communication links 123, RAN 120, and mobile core network 140 may be included in the wireless communication system 100.

[0037] In one implementation, the RAN 120 complies with a 5G cellular system defined in the 3GPP specifications. For example, the RAN 120 may be a Next Generation Radio Access Network ("NG-RAN"), which implements a NR radio access technology ("RAT") and / or a Long Term Evolution ("LTE") RAT. In another example, the RAN 120 may include a non-3GPP RAT (e.g., Wi-Fi or an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers ("IEEE") 802.11 family compliant WLAN). In another implementation, the RAN 120 complies with an LTE system defined in the 3GPP specifications. However, more generally, the wireless communications system 100 may implement some other open or proprietary communications network, such as a WiMax ("WiMAX") or IEEE 802.16 family standard network, among other networks. This disclosure is not intended to be limited to any particular wireless communications system architecture or protocol implementation.

[0038] In one embodiment, the remote unit 105 may include a computing device such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant ("PDA"), a tablet computer, a smartphone, a smart television (e.g., a television connected to the Internet), a smart appliance (e.g., an appliance connected to the Internet), a set-top box, a gaming console, a security system (including security cameras), an in-vehicle computer, a network device (e.g., a router, a switch, a modem), or the like. In some embodiments, the remote unit 105 includes a wearable device such as a smart watch, a fitness band, an optical head mounted display, or the like. Additionally, the remote unit 105 may be referred to as a UE, a subscriber unit, a mobile, a mobile station, a user, a terminal, a mobile terminal, a fixed terminal, a subscriber station, a user terminal, a wireless transmit / receive unit ("WTRU"), a device, or by other terms used in the art. In various embodiments, the remote unit 105 includes a subscriber ID and / or identification module ("SIM") and mobile equipment ("ME") that provides mobile terminated functions (e.g., wireless transmission, handover, voice encoding and decoding, error detection and correction, signaling, and access to the SIM). In some embodiments, the remote unit 105 includes terminal equipment ("TE") and / or may be embedded in an appliance or device (e.g., a computing device as described above).

[0039] The remote units 105 may communicate directly with one or more base units 121 in the RAN 120 via UL and downlink ("DL") communication signals. Furthermore, the UL and DL communication signals may be carried over a wireless communication link 123. Furthermore, the UL communication signals may include one or more uplink channels, such as a physical uplink control channel ("PUCCH") and / or a physical uplink shared channel ("PUSCH"), while the DL communication signals may include one or more DL channels, such as a physical downlink control channel ("PDCCH") and / or a physical downlink shared channel ("PDSCH"). Here, the RAN 120 is an intermediate network that provides the remote units 105 with access to the mobile core network 140.

[0040] In various embodiments, the remote units 105 may communicate directly with each other (e.g., device-to-device communication) using sidelink communication (not shown in FIG. 1 ). Here, sidelink transmissions may occur on sidelink resources. The remote units 105 may be provided with different sidelink communication resources according to different allocation modes. As used herein, a “resource pool” refers to a set of resources allocated for sidelink operations. A resource pool consists of a set of resource blocks (i.e., physical resource blocks (“PRBs”)) spanning one or more time units (e.g., orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (“OFDM”) symbols, subframes, slots, subslots, etc.). In some embodiments, the set of resource blocks includes PRBs that are contiguous in the frequency domain. A PRB, as used herein, consists of 12 contiguous subcarriers in the frequency domain.

[0041] In some embodiments, the remote unit 105 communicates with the application server 151 via a network connection with the mobile core network 140. For example, an application 107 (e.g., a web browser, a media client, a telephone and / or a voice over Internet protocol ("VoIP") application) in the remote unit 105 may trigger the remote unit 105 to establish a protocol data unit ("PDU") session (or a packet data network ("PDN") connection) with the mobile core network 140 via the RAN 120. The PDU session represents a logical connection between the remote unit 105 and a user plane function ("UPF") 141. The mobile core network 140 then relays traffic between the remote unit 105 and the application server 151 in the packet data network 150 using the PDU session (or other data connection).

[0042] To establish a PDU session (or PDN connection), the remote unit 105 must register with the mobile core network 140 (also referred to as "attached to the mobile core network" in the context of fourth generation ("4G") systems). It should be noted that the remote unit 105 may establish one or more PDU sessions (or other data connections) with the mobile core network 140. As such, the remote unit 105 may have at least one PDU session for communicating with the packet data network 150. The remote unit 105 may establish additional PDU sessions for communicating with other data networks and / or other communication peers.

[0043] In the context of 5G systems ("5GS"), the term "PDU session" refers to a data connection that provides end-to-end ("E2E") user plane ("UP") connectivity between the remote unit 105 and a particular data network ("DN") through the UPF 141. A PDU session supports one or more Quality of Service ("QoS") flows. In some embodiments, there may be a one-to-one mapping between QoS flows and QoS profiles, such that all packets belonging to a particular QoS flow have the same 5G QoS Identifier ("5QI").

[0044] In the context of a 4G / LTE system, such as an Evolved Packet System ("EPS"), a PDN connection (also referred to as an EPS session) provides E2E UP connectivity between a remote unit and a PDN. The PDN connectivity procedure establishes an EPS bearer, i.e., a tunnel between the remote unit 105 and a PDN Gateway ("PGW", not shown in FIG. 1) in the mobile core network 140. In some embodiments, there may be a one-to-one mapping between EPS bearers and QoS profiles, such that all packets belonging to a particular EPS bearer have the same QoS Class Identifier ("QCI").

[0045] The base units 121 may be distributed over a geographic region. In some embodiments, the base units 121 may also be referred to as an access terminal, an access point, a base, a base station, a Node B ("NB"), an evolved Node B (abbreviated as eNodeB or "eNB" and also referred to as an evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network ("E-UTRAN") Node B), a 5G / NR Node B ("gNB"), a Home Node B, a relay node, a RAN node, or any other term used in the art. The base units 121 are generally part of a RAN, such as the RAN 120, which may include one or more controllers communicatively coupled to one or more corresponding base units 121. These and other elements of a radio access network are not illustrated, but are generally familiar to those skilled in the art. The base units 121 connect to a mobile core network 140 via the RAN 120.

[0046] The base unit 121 may serve multiple remote units 105 in a serving area, e.g., a cell or a cell sector, via wireless communication link 123. The base unit 121 may directly communicate with one or more of the remote units 105 via communication signals. In general, the base unit 121 transmits DL communication signals to serve the remote units 105 in the time, frequency, and / or spatial domains. Furthermore, the DL communication signals may be carried on the wireless communication link 123. The wireless communication link 123 may be any suitable carrier in a licensed or unlicensed radio spectrum. The wireless communication link 123 facilitates communication between one or more of the remote units 105 and / or one or more of the base units 121.

[0047] To facilitate QMC, the base unit 121 transmits a QoE measurement configuration 125 to the remote unit 105. The QoE measurement configuration 125 may indicate a service type and a reporting interval. It should be noted that the remote unit 105 may be configured with multiple concurrent QoE measurements. As a result, the remote unit 105 generates at least one QoE measurement report 127 according to the received configuration and transmits the QoE measurement report 127 to the base unit 121.

[0048] It should be noted that during NR operation in the unlicensed spectrum (referred to as "NR-U"), the base unit 121 and the remote unit 105 communicate over an unlicensed (i.e., shared) radio spectrum. Similarly, during LTE operation in the unlicensed spectrum (referred to as "LTE-U"), the base unit 121 and the remote unit 105 also communicate over an unlicensed (i.e., shared) radio spectrum.

[0049] In one embodiment, the mobile core network 140 is a 5G core network ("5GC") or evolved packet core ("EPC"), which may be coupled to a packet data network 150, such as the Internet and private data networks, among other data networks. The remote units 105 may have a subscription or other account with the mobile core network 140. In various embodiments, each mobile core network 140 belongs to a single mobile network operator ("MNO") and / or public land mobile network ("PLMN"). This disclosure is not intended to be limited to any particular wireless communications system architecture or protocol implementation.

[0050] The mobile core network 140 includes several network functions ("NFs"). As depicted, the mobile core network 140 includes at least one UPF 141. The mobile core network 140 also includes multiple control plane ("CP") functions, including, but not limited to, an access and mobility management function ("AMF") 143, a session management function ("SMF") 145, a policy control function ("PCF") 147, a unified data management function ("UDM"), and a user data repository ("UDR"), that serve the RAN 120. In some embodiments, the UDM is co-located with the UDR, depicted as a combined entity "UDM / UDR" 149. Although a particular number and type of network functions are depicted in FIG. 1, one skilled in the art will recognize that any number and type of network functions may be included in the mobile core network 140.

[0051] The UPF 141 is responsible for packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, QoS handling, and external PDU sessions for interconnecting data networks ("DNs") in the 5G architecture. The AMF 143 is responsible for termination of non-access stratum ("NAS") signaling, NAS encryption and integrity protection, registration management, connection management, mobility management, access authentication and authorization, and security context management. The SMF 145 is responsible for session management (i.e., session establishment, modification, release), remote unit (i.e., UE) Internet Protocol ("IP") address allocation and management, DL data notification, and traffic steering configuration of the UPF 141 for proper traffic routing.

[0052] The PCF 147 is responsible for the unified policy framework, providing policy rules to the CP function, and access subscription information for policy decisions in the UDR. The UDM is responsible for generating authentication and key agreement ("AKA") credentials, handling user identification, access authorization, and subscription management. The UDR is a repository of subscriber information and can be used to provide services to many network functions. For example, the UDR can store subscription data, policy related data, subscriber related data that is allowed to be exposed to third-party applications, and the like.

[0053] In various embodiments, the mobile core network 140 may also include a Network Repository Function ("NRF") (which provides registration and discovery of Network Function ("NF") services, enabling NFs to identify appropriate services from each other and communicate with each other via application programming interfaces ("APIs")), a Network Publishing Function ("NEF") (responsible for making network data and resources easily accessible to customers and network partners), an Authentication Server Function ("AUSF"), or other NFs defined for 5GC. When present, the AUSF may act as an authentication server and / or authentication proxy, thereby enabling the AMF 143 to authenticate the remote unit 105. In certain embodiments, the mobile core network 140 may include an authentication, authorization, and accounting ("AAA") server.

[0054] In various embodiments, the mobile core network 140 supports different types of mobile data connections and different types of network slices, with each mobile data connection utilizing a particular network slice. Here, a "network slice" refers to a portion of the mobile core network 140 optimized for a particular traffic type or communication service. For example, one or more network slices may be optimized for enhanced mobile broadband ("eMBB") services. As another example, one or more network slices may be optimized for ultra-reliable low-latency communication ("URLLC") services. In other examples, network slices may be optimized for machine type communication ("MTC") services, massive MTC ("mMTC") services, Internet of Things ("IoT") services. In yet other examples, network slices may be deployed for particular application services, vertical services, particular use cases, and the like.

[0055] A network slice instance may be identified by a single network slice selection assistance information ("S-NSSAI"), whereas a set of network slices that the remote unit 105 is authorized to use is identified by a network slice selection assistance information ("NSSAI"), where "NSSAI" refers to a vector value that includes one or more S-NSSAI values. In some embodiments, various network slices may include separate instances of network functions, such as the SMF 145 and the UPF 141. In some embodiments, different network slices may share some common network functions, such as the AMF 143. Different network slices are not shown in FIG. 1 for ease of illustration, although support for them is envisioned.

[0056] Operational Management ("OAM") 160 is responsible for the operation, administration, management, and maintenance of system 100. "Operation" encompasses automatic monitoring of the environment, detection and determination of faults, and alerting administrators. "Management" involves the collection of performance statistics, accounting data for billing purposes, capacity planning using usage data, and maintaining system reliability. Management may also involve maintenance of a service database used to determine periodic billing. "Maintenance" involves upgrades, modifications, new feature activation, backup and restore, and monitoring of media health. In some embodiments, OAM 160 may also be involved in provisioning, i.e., setting up user accounts, devices, and services.

[0057] Although FIG. 1 depicts components of a 5G RAN and a 5G Core network, the described embodiments for QoE measurement reporting control apply to other types of communication networks and RATs, including IEEE 802.11 variants, Global System for Mobile Communications ("GSM", i.e., 2G digital cellular network), General Packet Radio Service ("GPRS"), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System ("UMTS"), LTE variants, CDMA2000, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Sigfox, and the like.

[0058] Further, in LTE variants where the mobile core network 140 is the EPC, the depicted network functions may be replaced with appropriate EPC entities such as a mobility management entity ("MME"), a serving gateway ("SGW"), a PGW, a home subscriber server ("HSS"), and the like. For example, the AMF 143 may be mapped to the MME, the SMF 145 may be mapped to the control plane portion of the PGW and / or to the MME, the UPF 141 may be mapped to the SGW and user plane portion of the PGW, the UDM / UDR 149 may be mapped to the HSS, etc.

[0059] In the following description, the term "RAN node" is used for base station / base unit, but this can be replaced with any other radio access node, e.g., gNB, ng-eNB, eNB, base station ("BS"), base station unit, access point ("AP"), NR BS, 5G NB, transmission reception point ("TRP"), etc. In addition, the term "UE" is used for mobile station / remote unit, but this can be replaced with any other remote device, e.g., remote unit, MS, ME, etc. Furthermore, the operation is mainly described in the context of 5G NR. However, the solutions / methods described below are equally applicable to QoE measurement reporting control of other mobile communication systems.

[0060] FIG. 2 illustrates an NR protocol stack 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 illustrates a UE 205, a RAN node 210, and an AMF 215 in a 5G core network ("5GC"), which are representative of a set of remote units 105 that interact with a base unit 121 and a mobile core network 140. As depicted, the NR protocol stack 200 includes a user plane protocol stack 201 and a control plane protocol stack 203. The user plane protocol stack 201 includes a physical ("PHY") layer 220, a medium access control ("MAC") sublayer 225, a radio link control ("RLC") sublayer 230, a packet data convergence protocol ("PDCP") sublayer 235, and a service data adaptation protocol ("SDAP") sublayer 240. The control plane protocol stack 203 includes a PHY layer 220, a MAC sublayer 225, an RLC sublayer 230, and a PDCP sublayer 235. The control plane protocol stack 203 also includes a radio resource control (“RRC”) layer 245 and a non-access stratum (“NAS”) layer 250 .

[0061] The AS layer 255 (also referred to as the "AS protocol stack") for the user plane protocol stack 201 consists of at least the SDAP, PDCP, RLC, and MAC sublayers, and a physical layer. The AS layer 260 for the control plane protocol stack 203 consists of at least the RRC, PDCP, RLC, and MAC sublayers, and a physical layer. Layer 2 ("L2") is divided into the SDAP, PDCP, RLC, and MAC sublayers. Layer 3 ("L3") includes the RRC layer 245 and the NAS layer 250 for the control plane, including, for example, an IP layer and / or a PDU layer (not shown) for the user plane. L1 and L2 are referred to as "lower layers," while L3 and layers above (e.g., transport layer, application layer) are referred to as "higher layers" or "upper layers."

[0062] The PHY layer 220 provides transport channels to the MAC sublayer 225. The PHY layer 220 may perform a beam failure detection procedure using an energy detection threshold as described herein. In some embodiments, the PHY layer 220 may send an indication of a beam failure to a MAC entity in the MAC sublayer 225. The MAC sublayer 225 provides logical channels to the RLC sublayer 230. The RLC sublayer 230 provides RLC channels to the PDCP sublayer 235. The PDCP sublayer 235 provides radio bearers to the SDAP sublayer 240 and / or the RRC layer 245. The SDAP sublayer 240 provides QoS flows to the core network (e.g., 5GC). The RRC layer 245 provides functions for adding, modifying, and releasing carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity. The RRC layer 245 also manages the establishment, configuration, maintenance, and release of signaling radio bearers (“SRBs”) and data radio bearers (“DRBs”).

[0063] The NAS layer 250 is between the UE 205 and the AMF 215 in 5GC. NAS messages are passed transparently through the RAN. The NAS layer 250 is used to manage the establishment of communication sessions and to maintain continuous communication with the UE 205 as the UE 205 moves between different cells of the RAN. In contrast, the AS layers 255 and 260 are between the UE 205 and the RAN (i.e., the RAN node 210) and carry information over the wireless part of the network. Although not depicted in FIG. 2, the IP layer resides above the NAS layer 250, the transport layer resides above the IP layer, and the application layer resides above the transport layer.

[0064] The MAC sublayer 225 is the lowest sublayer in the L2 architecture of the NR protocol stack. Its connection with the underlying PHY layer 220 is through transport channels, and its connection with the overlying RLC sublayer 230 is through logical channels. Thus, the MAC sublayer 225 performs multiplexing and demultiplexing between logical and transport channels, i.e., on the transmitting side, the MAC sublayer 225 builds MAC PDUs (also called transport blocks ("TBs")) from MAC service data units ("SDUs") received through logical channels, and on the receiving side, the MAC sublayer 225 recovers MAC SDUs from MAC PDUs received through transport channels.

[0065] The MAC sublayer 225 provides data transfer services to the RLC sublayer 230 through logical channels, either control logical channels carrying control data (e.g., RRC signaling) or traffic logical channels carrying user plane data. On the other hand, data from the MAC sublayer 225 is exchanged with the PHY layer 220 through transport channels, classified as UL or DL. Data is multiplexed into the transport channels depending on how it is to be transmitted over the air.

[0066] The PHY layer 220 is responsible for the actual transmission of data and control information over the air interface, i.e., the PHY layer 220 carries all information from the MAC transport channel over the air interface on the transmitting side. Some of the important functions performed by the PHY layer 220 include coding and modulation, link adaptation (e.g., adaptive modulation and coding ("AMC")), power control, cell search and random access (for initial synchronization and handover purposes), and other measurements to the RRC layer 245 (intra- and inter-system) for 3GPP systems (i.e., NR and / or LTE systems). The PHY layer 220 performs transmissions based on transmission parameters such as modulation scheme, coding rate (i.e., modulation and coding scheme ("MCS")), number of physical resource blocks, etc.

[0067] During RAN overload, the RAN node 210 may send a QoE pause instruction instructing the UE 205 to temporarily stop sending QoE reports for the affected QoE measurement configurations until receiving a QoE resume instruction from the RAN node 210. In the QoE pause phase, the UE application layer continues the QMC. That is, depending on how long the RAN overload situation may last in the network (minutes, hours, or more), the UE 205 may create a large number of QoE reports that need to be transmitted to the network after the RAN overload is cleared. According to a first option for handling the QoE reports, the QoE reports are stored in the UE application layer during the QoE pause phase. According to a second option for handling the QoE reports, the QoE reports are stored in the UE AS layer during the QoE pause phase.

[0068] For UTRAN and E-UTRAN, QoE Measurement Collection ("QMC") is specified for streaming services and / or MTSI. The 3GPP specifications define two methods for how OAM can initiate QMC activation / deactivation: signaling-based initiation and management-based initiation.

[0069] The signaling-based procedure is a control plane procedure involving the Core Network ("CN"), which determines the eligible / involved UEs 205 to which the QMC activation / deactivation configuration should be sent. In case of signaling-based initiation, the OAM 160 initiates the QMC activation / deactivation, but it is the CN that actually activates / deactivates the QMC towards the RAN 120. The steps of the signaling-based procedure are as follows:

[0070] Step 0: The RAN 120 receives UE capability information from the UE AS layer (of the UE 205), among other things, whether it supports QMC.

[0071] Step 1: The OAM 160 is interested in receiving QoE measurements for some services from the UE 205 served in the PLMN and sends a "Configure QoE measurement" message containing the QoE measurement configuration to the CN. The QoE measurement configuration may include parameters such as the PLMN target, the session for application recording, the service type, the area scope (list of cells or list of tracking areas ("TAs")), the QoE reference (final destination of the QoE measurement report, e.g., the Trace Collection Entity ("TCE") or the Measurement Collection Entity ("MCE")), the QoE measurement metrics for the involved service type (including the start time and duration of the recording), or similar. For details, see 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 28.405. For example, the QoE metrics for streaming services include, among others, average throughput, initial playout delay, buffer level, playlist, device information. For details, see 3GPP TS 26.247.

[0072] Step 2: According to the received QoE measurement configuration from the OAM 160, the CN activates the QoE measurement configuration for the eligible UE 205 and forwards the QoE measurement configuration to the RAN 120 using the “Activate QoE measurement” message.

[0073] Step 3: The RAN 120 sends the QoE measurement configuration to the UE AS layer in a DL RRC message.

[0074] Step 4: The UE AS layer sends the received QoE measurement configuration to its Application Layer ("AL") using an AT (ATtention) command.

[0075] Step 5: The UE AL starts QoE measurement collection according to the received QoE measurement configuration.

[0076] Step 6: If the QoE measurement collection is completed, the UE AL uses an AT command to send the collected QoE measurement result to its AS layer in a QoE measurement report.

[0077] Step 7: The UE AS layer sends the QoE measurement report to the RAN 120 in a UL RRC message.

[0078] Step 8: The RAN 120 forwards the received QoE measurement report to the TCE / MCE.

[0079] The OAM 160 initiates QMC deactivation when it is no longer interested in receiving QoE measurements for certain services from the UE 205, e.g. because the QoE information for those services is sufficient. The steps of signaling-based QMC deactivation are as follows:

[0080] Step 1: The OAM 160 sends a “Configure Deactivation” message to the CN, which includes instructions for related services.

[0081] Step 2: According to the received "Configure Deactivation" message from the OAM 160, the CN sends a "Deactivate QoE measurement" message to the RAN 120 with an indication for which UEs 205 the related QoE measurement configurations should be deactivated.

[0082] Step 3: The RAN 120 sends a deactivation indication to the UE AS layer in a DL RRC message to release the related QoE measurement configuration.

[0083] Step 4: The UE AS layer sends the received deactivation indication to its AL using an AT command. The UE AL stops recording and reporting related QoE measurements.

[0084] In contrast, a management-based procedure is one that does not involve the CN (e.g., the CN is bypassed) and the OAM 160 directly activates / deactivates the QMC configuration towards the RAN. In case of management-based initiation, the RAN 120 determines the eligible UEs 205 to which the QMC activation / deactivation configuration should be sent. The steps of the signaling-based procedure are as follows:

[0085] Step 0: The RAN 120 receives UE capability information from the UE 205, among other things, whether it supports QMC.

[0086] Step 1: The OAM 160 is interested in receiving QoE for some services from a UE 205 served by a PLMN in a particular area, activates the QoE measurement configuration and forwards the QoE measurement configuration to the RAN using an “Activate QoE measurement” message.

[0087] Step 2: The RAN 120 determines the UEs 205 eligible for sending the QoE measurement configuration in the target area, and sends the QoE measurement configuration in a DL RRC message to the eligible UE AS layer.

[0088] Step 3: The UE AS layer sends the received QoE measurement configuration to its AL using an AT command.

[0089] Step 4: The UE AL starts QoE measurement collection according to the received QoE measurement configuration.

[0090] Step 5: If the QoE measurement collection is completed, the UE AL uses an AT command to send the collected QoE measurement result to the UE AS layer in a QoE measurement report.

[0091] Step 6: The UE AS layer sends the QoE measurement report to the RAN 120 in a UL RRC message.

[0092] Step 7: The RAN 120 forwards the received QoE measurement report to the TCE / MCE.

[0093] The OAM 160 initiates QMC deactivation when it is no longer interested in receiving QoE measurements for certain services from the UE, e.g. because the QoE information for those services is sufficient. The steps for management-based QMC deactivation are as follows:

[0094] Step 1: The OAM 160 sends a “Deactivate QoE measurement” message to the RAN 120 with an indication of which QoE measurement configurations should be deactivated.

[0095] Step 2: The RAN 120 sends a deactivation indication to the relevant UE AS layer in a DL RRC message, and releases the relevant QoE measurement configuration.

[0096] Step 3: The UE AS layer sends the received deactivation indication to its AL using an AT command. The UE AL stops recording and reporting related QoE measurements.

[0097] Regarding QoE measurement configuration and reporting at AS layer, in E-UTRAN (aka LTE) in Rel-15 for QoE measurement configuration and reporting, it is transparent to AS layer as described in 3GPP TS36.331. QoE measurement configuration from OAM is included in container "measConfigAppLayerContainer-r15" in DL RRCConnectionReconfiguration message. Maximum size of QoE measurement configuration may be 1000 bytes.

[0098] To forward the QoE measurement report, the UE 205 uses the signaling radio bearer ("SRB") SRB4 and the UL RRC MeasurementReportAppLayer message. The QoE measurement report is contained in the container "measReportAppLayerContainer-r15". The maximum size of the QoE measurement report may be 8000 bytes. Only event-triggered QoE reporting is supported, i.e. the UE AS layer forwards the QoE report to the E-UTRAN whenever it receives a QoE report from the UE application layer.

[0099] QoE measurement configuration and reporting is only supported in the RRC_CONNECTED state. RRC signaling only allows the LTE eNB to set up and release a single QoE measurement configuration for the UE 205 at a time, i.e., setting up and releasing multiple QoE measurement configurations is not supported. Furthermore, temporary pausing or resuming of QoE measurement configurations is also not supported.

[0100] With regard to measurement collection for connected mode mobility, a UE (e.g., UE 205) in RRC_CONNECTED state is configured by the network to measure and report neighboring cells, for example, to appropriately perform handover depending on the UE's mobility or network load (in source and candidate target cells, e.g., as reported over the Xn / X2 interface). An example message flow for measurement configuration and reporting for connected mode mobility is described below. The message flow involves the UE 205 and the RAN node 210.

[0101] In step 1, the UE 205 receives a measurement and reporting configuration (e.g., parameter measConfig) from the RAN node 210 via either an RRCReconfiguration or an RRCResume message. According to the NR Rel-16 specification 3GPP TS38.331, the measurement and reporting configuration contains, among other things, the following information: A) a measurement configuration that defines what to measure (i.e., RAT, and / or carrier frequency, and / or list of cells, etc.), and B) a reporting configuration that defines when and how the measurements shall be reported (e.g., periodic or event-triggered). In the case of periodic reporting, a defined reporting interval triggers the reporting. In the case of event-triggered reporting, a specific measurement result triggers the reporting.

[0102] In step 2, according to the measurement and reporting configuration received from the RAN node 210, the UE 205 measures neighboring cells and reports cells that meet measurement criteria, e.g., measurement objectives, thresholds, periodic or event-based triggers, cells to be measured, etc.

[0103] In step 3, the UE 205 reports the measurement results to the RAN node 210 via a MeasurementReport message.

[0104] In step 4, the RAN node 210 evaluates the measurements reported by the UE 205 and decides whether to perform a handover, for example depending on the mobility of the UE 205 or the network load.

[0105] Figure 3 shows one configuration of the UL AS protocol layer 300 with NR QoE measurement reporting. The UL AS protocol layer 300 may be one embodiment of the uplink aspects of the AS layer 255 and AS layer 260 in the UE 205 described above with reference to Figure 2. In the control plane, three SRBs are configured: SRB1 for RRC messages, SRB2 for NAS messages, and SRB4 for MeasurementReportAppLayer messages used to send application layer measurement reports for streaming and MTSI services. In the user plane, two DRBs are configured: DRB1 for carrying data for MTSI services, and DRB2 for carrying data for IP Multimedia Subsystem ("IMS") signaling.

[0106] In the MAC sublayer 225, the UE 205 creates MAC PDUs (e.g., in non-multiple-input multiple-output ("MIMO") case) to be transmitted on the PUSCH in the PHY layer 220. A MAC PDU refers to a transport block ("TB") and contains UL data from different logical channels. The UE 205 performs scheduling and prioritization of the UL data from different logical channels according to the configuration received from the network. See 3GPP TS38.331 and 3GPP TS38.321. The network controls the scheduling and prioritization of the UL data by the following main parameters: Priority in the range 1 to 16, i.e. value 1 is the highest priority and value 16 is the lowest priority. This parameter is set for each configured logical channel. prioritizedBitRate, which sets the prioritized bitrate ("PBR") in the value range {0kBps, 8kBps, 16kBps, 32kBps, 64kBps, 128kBps, 256kBps, 512kBps, 1024kBps, 2048kBps, 4096kBps, 8192kBps, 16384kBps, 32768kBps, 65536kBps, infinity}. For SRB, the PBR is set to infinity. The PBR corresponds to the guaranteed minimum bitrate. · bucketSizeDuration to set the bucket size duration ("BSD") within the value range {5ms, 10ms, 20ms, 50ms, 100ms, 150ms, 300ms, 500ms, 1000ms}.

[0107] The above parameters ensure that the UE 205 transmits UL data according to the quality of service ("QoS") and the assigned radio resources of each configured radio bearer. On the other hand, these parameters ensure that potential starvation of UL data from low priority radio bearers is avoided.

[0108] An exemplary configuration for MAC scheduling and priority handling is set forth in Table 1 below.

[0109] [Table 1]

[0110] The solutions described herein address supporting QoE measurement reporting in an NR RAN in an efficient way. According to a first solution, an RRC message is introduced to request and transfer the size of the stored QoE report in the UE 205. According to a second solution, an indication of the QoE reporting policy is provided in the QoE Resume Indication. According to a third solution, rules are provided for creating and transmitting the QoE report in the MeasurementReportAppLayer message.

[0111] According to a first solution embodiment, a new RRC message is introduced to request and transfer the size of the stored QoE report in the UE 205. Figures 4 and 5 show an embodiment of the ASN.1 structure of the new RRC message:

[0112] Figure 4 shows an example of an RRCBufferStatusRequest message with the parameter "nr-qoe-MeasReportReq-r17" for requesting the size of the stored QoE reports in the UE 205. With the parameter "measurementReportReqAll-r17" the network requests the size of all stored QoE reports. With the parameter "measurementReportReqList-r17" the network requests the size of the stored QoE reports for a list of configured QoE measurements given by "NR-QOE-ConfigIndex-r17".

[0113] FIG. 5 shows an example of an RRCBufferStatusResponse message including the parameter "nr-qoe-MeasReport-r17" for transferring the size of the QoE reports stored in the UE 205. The parameter "measurementReportAll-r17" causes the UE 205 to transfer the size of all stored QoE reports. An exemplary range of values ​​for this parameter is shown in FIG. 5. The value "kB8" means that the size of all stored QoE reports is less than or equal to 8 kBytes, the value "kB12" means that the size of all stored QoE reports is less than or equal to 12 kBytes, and the value "infinity" means that the size of all stored QoE reports is greater than 128 kBytes.

[0114] With the parameter "measurementReportList-r17" the UE 205 transfers the size of the stored QoE report for the list of configured QoE measurements given by "nr-qoe-ConfigIndex-r17". An exemplary range of values ​​for this parameter is shown in Fig. 5. Every value given by the parameter measurementReport-r17, except for the value "infinity", means that the size of the stored QoE report for the configured QoE measurement is less than or equal to the signaled value. The value "infinity" means that the size of the stored QoE report for the configured QoE measurement is greater than 128k Bytes.

[0115] Alternatively, the contents of the new RRC message may be carried in existing RRC messages, i.e. the contents of the RRRCBufferStatusRequest may be carried, for example, in a UEInformationRequest or RRCReconfiguration, and the contents of the RRRCBufferStatusResponse may be carried, for example, in a UEInformationResponse or UEAssistanceInformation.

[0116] According to a second solution embodiment, an indication of the QoE reporting policy is provided in the QoE resume indication.

[0117] 6 shows one embodiment of an ASN.1 structure for an RRC Resume Indication. When the RAN congestion is cleared, the network (i.e., the RAN node 210) sends a QoE Resume Indication to the UE 205 to resume sending QoE reports. The QoE Resume Indication includes one or more of the following parameters:

[0118] The parameter "nr-qoe-ConfigToResumeList-r17" indicates the list of configured QoE measurements for which QoE reporting shall be resumed. The absence of this parameter instructs the UE to resume QoE reporting for all configured QoE measurements.

[0119] The parameter "nr-qoe-ReportingPolicy-r17" indicates the policy to apply to the QoE reporting. The value "fifo" stands for "first in, first out", i.e. the UE shall process from the oldest QoE report first. The value "lifo" stands for "last in, first out", i.e. the UE shall process from the most recent QoE report first. If the parameter nr-qoe-ReportingPolicy-r17 is not present, it is up to the UE implementation how to process the QoE reports.

[0120] The parameter "nr-qoe-DiscardTimer-r17" indicates the maximum buffering time of the QoE report in the RRC buffer after transmitting the QoE report to the lower layer (i.e., L2) over SRB4. The value "ms10" corresponds to 10 ms, the value "ms20" corresponds to 20 ms, etc. In one implementation, the new timer applies commonly to all QoE reports, i.e. there are multiple instances of the timer, and each instance of the timer is associated to a QoE report. If a QoE report is sent to the lower layer per MeasurementReportAppLayer message, the nr-qoe-DiscardTimer-r17 is started for the associated QoE report.

[0121] When the nr-qoe-DiscardTimer-r17 for the QoE report expires or successful delivery of the QoE report is confirmed by the lower layers, the UE 205 shall discard the QoE report from the RRC buffer. If the timer for the QoE report expires, the RRC sublayer sends a notification to the lower layers (Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) or Radio Link Control (RLC)) to discard the corresponding PDCP or RLC packet from the transmission buffer.

[0122] In another implementation, the network may configure the parameter "nr-qoe-DiscardTimer-r17" specifically for QoE measurement configuration depending on the service type. For example, for a service type such as VR where large QoE reports are expected to be generated, the network may configure a larger timer value. Furthermore, if nr-qoe-DiscardTimer-r17 is present, the network does not configure the PDCP discard timer for SRB4. Similarly, if nr-qoe-DiscardTimer-r17 is not present, the network configures the PDCP discard timer for SRB4.

[0123] The QoE resume indication can be sent by the network either in a new RRC message or in an existing RRC message such as RRCReconfiguration.

[0124] 7 illustrates an example of storing QoE reports in an RRC buffer 700 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, the RRC buffer 700 is depicted as including six QoE reports (numbered #1 through #6). The first QoE report #1 corresponds to a first QoE measurement configuration (e.g., for streaming services), QoE report #2 and QoE report #5 correspond to a second QoE measurement configuration (e.g., for MTSI), QoE report #3 corresponds to a third QoE measurement configuration (e.g., for VR services), and QoE report #4 and QoE report #6 correspond to a fourth QoE measurement configuration (e.g., for MBS).

[0125] In addition, the first arriving QoE report (depicted as QoE report #1) is assumed to arrive at time "t1", the second arriving QoE report (depicted as QoE report #2) is assumed to arrive at time "t2", the third arriving QoE report (depicted as QoE report #3) is assumed to arrive at time "t3", the fourth arriving QoE report (depicted as QoE report #4) is assumed to arrive at time "t4", the fifth arriving QoE report (depicted as QoE report #5) is assumed to arrive at time "t5", and the sixth arriving QoE report (depicted as QoE report #6) is assumed to arrive at time "t6".

[0126] According to a third solution embodiment, rules are provided for creating and transmitting QoE reports in MeasurementReportAppLayer messages.

[0127] 8 illustrates an embodiment 800 of creating and transmitting multiple QoE reports in a MeasurementReportAppLayer message 805. According to a rule or set of rules, the QoE reports shall be transmitted in an event-triggered manner as follows:

[0128] In case of RAN congestion, according to the QoE resume indication received from the network (see also FIG. 6), the UE 205 creates and transmits the stored QoE reports as follows: All relevant QoE reports 810 are concatenated and encapsulated in a MeasurementReportAppLayer message 805. The UE 205 determines the resulting size of the MeasurementReportAppLayer message 805. If the size of the MeasurementReportAppLayer message 805 is larger than the maximum size of an RRC message of 9000 bytes, the UE 205 performs an RRC message segmentation 815. The UE 205 ensures that the size of each segment is less than or equal to the size limit of an RRC message. Each segment is then included in an existing ULDedicatedMessageSegment message and transmitted to lower layers. In the depicted embodiment, N QoE reports are encapsulated and then segmented into L ULDedicatedMessageSegment messages.

[0129] In normal operation mode (non-RAN congestion case), the UE 205 forwards the QoE report to the network whenever the UE AS layer receives a QoE report from the UE application layer. If the UE AS layer receives a single QoE report from the UE application layer at a time, this QoE report is carried in a single MeasurementReportAppLayer message 805. However, if the UE AS layer receives multiple QoE reports from the UE application layer simultaneously, these multiple QoE reports are sent according to the RAN congestion case, as described above.

[0130] Beneficially, the proposed solution may enable the UE 205 to transmit multiple QoE reports in a single MeasurementReportAppLayer message 805, which is more efficient compared to transmitting a single QoE report in a single message. The proposed solution allows the network to selectively control the transmission of stored QoE reports created and stored in RAN overload. Depending on how long the RAN overload situation may last, this is more efficient compared to allowing the transmission of all QoE reports. Some further embodiments of the proposed solution are described below.

[0131] 9 illustrates a procedure 900 for QoE report handling during QoE suspension, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The procedure 900 involves the UE 205, including a UE AS layer (depicted as "UE AS") 905 and a UE application layer (depicted as "UE AL") 910. In the procedure 900, QoE reports created and sent by the UE application layer 910 during QoE suspension are stored in the UE AS layer.

[0132] As a prerequisite, the UE 205 receives a QMC configuration from the RAN node 210 (not depicted in FIG. 9). As an example of this embodiment, it is assumed that the UE 205 in RRC_CONNECTED state is configured to collect QoE measurements for streaming (configuration #1), MTSI (configuration #2), VR (configuration #3), and MBS (configuration #4).

[0133] In step 1, the RAN node 210 determines that RAN congestion has occurred, for example due to high traffic load in a cell served by the RAN node 210 (see block 915).

[0134] In step 2, in order to avoid further increasing the traffic load in the cell, the RAN node 210, e.g., in response to detecting a RAN congestion condition, sends a QoE pause instruction to the UE 205 (and also to other UEs) to pause QoE reporting for all configured QoE measurements (see messaging 920). As shown, the QoE pause instruction is received at the UE AS layer 905.

[0135] In step 3, during the QoE pause phase, the UE application layer 910 - unaware of the RAN congestion - continues with QMC and sends a series of AT commands to the UE AS layer 905, each AT command message containing a QoE report (see Messaging 925). In the illustrated example, the UE application layer 910 forwards N QoE reports to the UE AS layer 905.

[0136] In step 4, the UE AS layer 905 stores each received QoE report, for example, in an RRC buffer (see block 930). As an example, it is assumed that the RAN congestion situation lasts for one hour, during which the UE AS layer 905 receives six QoE reports from the UE application layer 910 and stores them in the RRC buffer. With reference to FIG. 7, in this example, it is assumed that the sizes of the stored QoE reports are QoE report #1=2k bytes, QoE report #2=1k bytes, QoE report #3=18k bytes, QoE report #4=2k bytes, QoE report #5=1k bytes, and QoE report #6=2k bytes (total of 26k bytes).

[0137] Referring again to FIG. 9, in step 5, the RAN node 210 determines that the RAN congestion has been cleared (see block 935).

[0138] In step 6, to avoid RAN congestion due to the transfer of a potentially large number of stored QoE reports, the RAN node 210 sends an RRCBufferStatusRequest message to the UE 205 (i.e., the UE AS layer 905) (see messaging 940). Referring to Figure 4, the RAN node 210 may request the size of all stored QoE reports by setting the parameter "measurementReportReqAll-r17" in the RRCBufferStatusRequest message 400.

[0139] Referring again to Figure 9, in step 7, the UE AS layer 905 sends an RRCBufferStatusResponse message to the RAN node 210 indicating the size of all stored QoE reports (see messaging 945). Referring to Figure 5, the UE AS layer 905 may forward the size of all stored QoE reports to the RAN node 210 by setting the parameter "measurementReportAll-r17" to the enumeration value "kB32" (i.e., 32kBytes) in the RRCBufferStatusResponse message 500, as this is the smallest enumeration value that exceeds the actual RRC buffer size of 26kBytes.

[0140] Referring again to FIG. 9, in step 8, the RAN node 210 sends a QoE Resume Indication to the UE 205 (i.e., UE AS layer 905) requesting the UE 205 to resume QoE measurement reporting (see messaging 950). Referring to FIG. 6, the RAN node 210 may use the parameter "nr-qoe-ConfigToResumeList" to request the UE to resume QoE reporting for a subset of configured QoE measurement configurations, for example, QoE measurement configurations #1 (e.g., streaming service), #2 (e.g., MTSI), and #4 (e.g., MBS). As an example, it is assumed that the parameter "nr-qoe-ReportingPolicy-r17" is set to "fifo" (first in, first out) and the parameter "nr-qoe-DiscardTimer-r17" is set to 50 ms.

[0141] In step 9, according to the received QoE resume indication, the UE AS layer 905 processes the stored QoE reports (see block 955). According to the above example, the UE AS layer 905 creates a MeasurementReportAppLayer message including QoE reports #1, #2, #4, #5, and #6 (following the first-in-first-out order). However, since the resulting size of the MeasurementReportAppLayer message is smaller than the RRC message size limit of 9000 bytes, no segmentation of the MeasurementReportAppLayer message is required. It should be noted that according to FIG. 7, QoE report #3 corresponds to QoE measurement configuration #3, which is not listed in the parameter "nr-qoe-ConfigToResumeList".

[0142] In step 10, the UE AS layer 905 sends a MeasurementReportAppLayer message to the RAN node 210 (see messaging 960). When successful delivery of the QoE reports within the nr-qoe-DiscardTimer-r17 value is confirmed by the lower layers, the UE AS layer 905 discards QoE reports #1, #2, #4, #5, and #6 from the RRC buffer.

[0143] In an alternative embodiment of procedure 900, in step 8, the QoE resume indication (see messaging 950) sent by the RAN node 210 may request the UE 205 to resume QoE measurement reporting for QoE measurement configurations #3 (VR) and #4 (MBS). For example, the parameter "nr-qoe-ReportingPolicy-r17" is set to "lifo" (last in, first out) and the parameter "nr-qoe-DiscardTimer-r17" is set to 50 ms.

[0144] In alternative step 9, according to the received QoE resume indication, UE 205 processes the stored QoE reports, i.e., UE 205 creates a MeasurementReportAppLayer message including QoE reports #6, #4, and #3 (following the last-in-first-out order). Since the resulting size of the MeasurementReportAppLayer message is 22k bytes, which is larger than the RRC message size limit of 9000 bytes, the MeasurementReportAppLayer message needs to be split into three segments.

[0145] Step 10: As shown in Figure 10, the UE sends QoE reports #6, #4, and #3 to the gNB as segments in a ULDedicatedMessageSegment message. The UE discards QoE reports #6, #4, and #3 from the RRC buffer when successful delivery of the QoE reports within the nr-qoe-DiscardTimer-r17 value is confirmed by lower layers.

[0146] FIG. 10 illustrates an embodiment 1000 of a MeasurementReportAppLayer message 1005 segmented into multiple ULDedicatedMessageSegment messages 1015 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, the MeasurementReportAppLayer message 1005 includes QoE report #6 (2k bytes), QoE report #4 (2k bytes), and QoE report #3 (18k bytes), with a total size of 22k bytes. All related QoE reports 1010 are concatenated and encapsulated in the MeasurementReportAppLayer message 1005. Since the size of the MeasurementReportAppLayer message 1005 is larger than the maximum size of an RRC message of 9000 bytes, the UE 205 performs RRC message segmentation to segment the encapsulated QoE report into three ULDedicatedMessageSegment messages 1015. The UE 205 ensures that the size of each segment is less than or equal to the size limit of the RRC message.

[0147] 11 illustrates a further procedure 1100 for QoE report handling in QoE suspension, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The procedure 1100 involves the UE 205 - including a UE AS layer (denoted as "UE AS") 905 and a UE application layer (denoted as "UE AL") 910. In the procedure 1100, the QoE report is stored in the UE application layer 910.

[0148] In step 1, the RAN node 210 determines that RAN congestion has occurred (see block 1105).

[0149] In step 2, the RAN node 210 sends a QoE pause instruction to the UE AS layer 905, which forwards the QoE pause instruction to the UE application layer 910 (see messaging 1110 and 1115).

[0150] In step 3, the UE application layer 910 continues with the QMC but stores the QoE report in the UE application layer 910 (see block 1120).

[0151] In step 4, the RAN node 210 determines that the RAN congestion has been cleared (see block 1125).

[0152] In step 5, in order to avoid RAN congestion due to the transfer of a potentially large number of stored QoE reports, the RAN node 210 requests the size of all stored QoE reports from the UE 205 (i.e., the UE application layer 910), for example using an RRCBufferStatusRequest message (see messaging 1130).

[0153] In step 6, the UE AS layer 905 retrieves the sizes of all stored QoE reports from the UE application layer 910 (see messaging 1135).

[0154] In step 7, the UE AS layer 905 indicates the size of all stored QoE reports to the RAN node 210, for example in an RRCBufferStatusResponse message (see messaging 1140).

[0155] In step 8, the RAN node 210 sends a QoE resume indication to the UE AS layer 905, which forwards the QoE resume indication to the UE application layer 910 (see messaging 1145 and 1150).

[0156] In step 9, the UE application layer 910 decides to forward the stored QoE report (see block 1155).

[0157] In step 10, the UE application layer 910 sends a series of AT commands to the UE AS layer 905, with each AT command message including a QoE report (see Messaging 1160). In the illustrated example, the UE application layer 910 forwards N QoE reports.

[0158] In step 11, the UE AS layer 905 processes the received QoE report (see block 1165).

[0159] At step 12, the UE AS layer 905 sends a MeasurementReportAppLayer message to the RAN node 210 (see messaging 1170). An example structure and segmentation of the MeasurementReportAppLayer message is described above with reference to FIG.

[0160] A third embodiment of QoE reporting in normal operation mode is presented. In one example of this embodiment, the UE AS layer 905 receives six QoE reports from the UE application layer 910 at the following time instances: t1: QoE report #1: 2k bytes t2: QoE report #2: 1k bytes t3: QoE report #3: 18k bytes, QoE report #4: 2k bytes, QoE report #5: 1k bytes t4: QoE report #6: 2k bytes

[0161] QoE reports #1, #2, and #6 are each sent in a single MeasurementReportAppLayer message since their size is always less than the RRC message size limit of 9000 bytes.

[0162] For QoE reports #3, #4, and #5, the UE concatenates the QoE reports and encapsulates the concatenated QoE report in a MeasurementReportAppLayer message. Since the resulting size of the MeasurementReportAppLayer message is 21k Bytes, which is larger than the RRC message size limit of 9000 Bytes, the MeasurementReportAppLayer message is split into three segments. The UE sends QoE reports #3, #4, and #5 to the gNB as segments in a ULDedicatedMessageSegment message.

[0163] 12 illustrates a user equipment device 1200 that may be used for QoE measurement reporting control, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In various embodiments, the user equipment device 1200 is used to implement one or more of the solutions described above. The user equipment device 1200 may be an embodiment of a user endpoint, such as a remote unit 105 and / or a UE 205, as described above. Additionally, the user equipment device 1200 may comprise a processor 1205, a memory 1210, an input device 1215, an output device 1220, and a transceiver 1225.

[0164] In some embodiments, the input devices 1215 and the output devices 1220 are combined into a single device, such as a touch screen. In some embodiments, the user equipment device 1200 may not include the input devices 1215 and / or the output devices 1220. In various embodiments, the user equipment device 1200 may include one or more of the processor 1205, the memory 1210, and the transceiver 1225 and may not include the input devices 1215 and / or the output devices 1220.

[0165] As depicted, the transceiver 1225 includes at least one transmitter 1230 and at least one receiver 1235. In some embodiments, the transceiver 1225 communicates with one or more cells (or wireless coverage areas) supported by one or more base units 121. In various embodiments, the transceiver 1225 is operable on an unlicensed spectrum. Additionally, the transceiver 1225 may comprise multiple UE panels supporting one or more beams. In addition, the transceiver 1225 may support at least one network interface 1240 and / or application interface 1245. The application interface 1245 may support one or more APIs. The network interface 1240 may support 3GPP reference points such as Uu, N1, PC5, etc. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, other network interfaces 1240 may also be supported.

[0166] The processor 1205, in one embodiment, may include any known controller capable of executing computer-readable instructions and / or performing logical operations. For example, the processor 1205 may be a microcontroller, microprocessor, central processing unit ("CPU"), graphics processing unit ("GPU"), auxiliary processing unit, field programmable gate array ("FPGA"), or similar programmable controller. In some embodiments, the processor 1205 executes instructions stored in the memory 1210 to perform the methods and routines described herein. The processor 1205 is communicatively coupled to the memory 1210, the input device 1215, the output device 1220, and the transceiver 1225.

[0167] In various embodiments, the processor 1205 controls the user equipment device 1200 to implement the UE behaviors described above. In some embodiments, the processor 1205 may include an application processor (also referred to as a “main processor”) that manages application areas and operating system (“OS”) functions, and a baseband processor (also referred to as a “baseband radio processor”) that manages radio functions.

[0168] In various embodiments, via the transceiver 1225, the processor 1205 receives a first message from a network node requesting the size of stored QoE measurement reports in an RRC buffer (i.e., elements of the processor 1205, memory 1210, transceiver 1225, and / or network interface 1240). In some embodiments, the first message is received while the device is in a UE state in which QoE measurement reporting is not allowed. In some embodiments, the first message includes a request to transfer the sizes of all stored QoE measurement reports. In some embodiments, the first message includes a request to transfer the sizes of stored QoE measurement reports for a list of configured QoE measurements.

[0169] The processor 1205 determines a size of the stored QoE measurement report in response to the first message and directs the transceiver 1225 to transmit a second message to the network node, where the second message includes a size of the stored QoE measurement report in the RRC buffer. In some embodiments, the second message is transmitted while the device is in a UE state in which QoE measurement reporting is not allowed. In some embodiments, the second message includes a size of all stored QoE measurement reports. In some embodiments, the second message includes a size of the stored QoE measurement report for the list of configured QoE measurements.

[0170] The processor 1205 receives, via the transceiver 1225, a third message from the network node that includes a configuration enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting. In some embodiments, the third message is received while the device is in a UE state in which QoE measurement reporting is not allowed.

[0171] In some embodiments, the configuration enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting includes a start instruction for QoE measurement report processing, the start instruction including an instruction to start processing from the oldest QoE measurement report or an instruction to start processing from the most recent QoE measurement report. In some embodiments, the configuration enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting further includes an indication of a maximum buffering time of the stored QoE measurement report in an RRC buffer when the stored QoE measurement report is sent to a lower layer for transmission.

[0172] The processor 1205 directs the transceiver 1225 to transmit at least one fourth message to the network node, where each of the at least one fourth message includes at least one QoE measurement report. In some embodiments, the fourth message includes one or more complete QoE measurement reports. In some embodiments, the fourth message further includes one or more segments of the QoE measurement report.

[0173] Memory 1210, in one embodiment, is a computer-readable storage medium. In some embodiments, memory 1210 includes volatile computer storage media. For example, memory 1210 may include RAM, including dynamic RAM ("DRAM"), synchronous dynamic RAM ("SDRAM"), and / or static RAM ("SRAM"). In some embodiments, memory 1210 includes non-volatile computer storage media. For example, memory 1210 may include a hard disk drive, flash memory, or any other suitable non-volatile computer storage device. In some embodiments, memory 1210 includes both volatile and non-volatile computer storage media.

[0174] In some embodiments, memory 1210 stores data related to QoE measurement reporting control. For example, memory 1210 may store parameters, configurations, and the like, as described above. In some embodiments, memory 1210 also stores program code and related data, such as an operating system or other controller algorithms running on user equipment device 1200.

[0175] The input device 1215, in one embodiment, may include any known computer input device, including a touch panel, buttons, a keyboard, a stylus, a microphone, or the like. In some embodiments, the input device 1215 may be integrated with the output device 1220, for example, as a touch screen or similar touch-sensitive display. In some embodiments, the input device 1215 includes a touch screen such that text may be entered using a virtual keyboard displayed on the touch screen and / or by handwriting on the touch screen. In some embodiments, the input device 1215 includes two or more different devices, such as a keyboard and a touch panel.

[0176] The output device(s) 1220, in one embodiment, is designed to output visual, auditory, and / or tactile signals. In some embodiments, the output device(s) 1220 includes an electronically controllable display or display device capable of outputting visual data to a user. For example, the output device(s) 1220 may include, but are not limited to, a liquid crystal display ("LCD"), a light emitting diode ("LED") display, an organic LED ("OLED") display, a projector, or a similar display device capable of outputting images, text, or the like to a user. As another, non-limiting example, the output device(s) 1220 may include a wearable display that is separate from, but communicatively coupled to, the remainder of the user equipment device 1200, such as a smart watch, smart glasses, a head-up display, or the like. Additionally, the output device(s) 1220 may be a component of a smartphone, a personal digital assistant, a television, a table computer, a notebook (laptop) computer, a personal computer, a vehicle dashboard, or the like.

[0177] In some embodiments, the output device(s) 1220 include one or more speakers for generating sound. For example, the output device(s) 1220 may generate an audible alert or notification (e.g., a beep or chime). In some embodiments, the output device(s) 1220 include one or more haptic devices for generating vibration, movement, or other haptic feedback. In some embodiments, all or a portion of the output device(s) 1220 may be integrated with the input device(s) 1215. For example, the input device(s) 1215 and the output device(s) 1220 may form a touch screen or similar touch-sensitive display. In other embodiments, the output device(s) 1220 may be located near the input device(s) 1215.

[0178] The transceiver 1225 communicates with one or more network functions of a mobile communications network via one or more access networks. The transceiver 1225 operates under the control of the processor 1205 to transmit messages, data, and other signals and to receive messages, data, and other signals. For example, the processor 1205 may selectively activate the transceiver 1225 (or portions thereof) at particular times to transmit and receive messages.

[0179] The transceiver 1225 includes at least one transmitter 1230 and at least one receiver 1235. The one or more transmitters 1230 may be used to provide UL communication signals to the base unit 121, such as UL transmissions as described herein. Similarly, the one or more receivers 1235 may be used to receive DL communication signals from the base unit 121, as described herein. Although only one transmitter 1230 and one receiver 1235 are illustrated, the user equipment device 1200 may have any suitable number of transmitters 1230 and receivers 1235. Furthermore, the transmitters 1230 and receivers 1235 may be any suitable type of transmitter and receiver. In one embodiment, the transceiver 1225 includes a first transmitter / receiver pair used to communicate with a mobile communications network over a licensed radio spectrum and a second transmitter / receiver pair used to communicate with a mobile communications network over an unlicensed radio spectrum.

[0180] In some embodiments, a first transmitter / receiver pair used to communicate with a mobile communications network over a licensed radio spectrum and a second transmitter / receiver pair used to communicate with a mobile communications network over an unlicensed radio spectrum may be combined into a single transceiver unit, e.g., a single chip that performs functions for use in both the licensed and unlicensed radio spectrum. In some embodiments, the first transmitter / receiver pair and the second transmitter / receiver pair may share one or more hardware components. For example, some transceivers 1225, transmitters 1230, and receivers 1235 may be implemented as physically separate components that access shared hardware and / or software resources, such as, for example, a network interface 1240.

[0181] In various embodiments, one or more transmitters 1230 and / or one or more receivers 1235 may be implemented and / or integrated into a single hardware component, such as a multi-transceiver chip, a system-on-chip, an application specific integrated circuit ("ASIC"), or other type of hardware component. In some embodiments, one or more transmitters 1230 and / or one or more receivers 1235 may be implemented and / or integrated into a multi-chip module. In some embodiments, other components, such as a network interface 1240 or other hardware components / circuits, may be integrated into a single chip with any number of transmitters 1230 and / or receivers 1235. In such embodiments, the transmitters 1230 and receivers 1235 may be logically configured as a transceiver 1225 using one or more common control signals, or as modular transmitters 1230 and receivers 1235 implemented within the same hardware chip or multi-chip module.

[0182] 13 illustrates a network device 1300 that may be used for QoE measurement reporting control according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, the network device 1300 may be an implementation of a network endpoint, such as a base unit 121 and / or a RAN node 210, as described above. Additionally, the network device 1300 may include a processor 1305, a memory 1310, an input device 1315, an output device 1320, and a transceiver 1325.

[0183] In some embodiments, the input device(s) 1315 and the output device(s) 1320 are combined into a single device, such as a touch screen. In some embodiments, the network device 1300 may not include the input device(s) 1315 and / or the output device(s) 1320. In various embodiments, the network device 1300 may include one or more of the processor 1305, the memory 1310, and the transceiver 1325 and not include the input device(s) 1315 and / or the output device(s) 1320.

[0184] As depicted, the transceiver 1325 includes at least one transmitter 1330 and at least one receiver 1335, where the transceiver 1325 communicates with one or more remote units 105. In addition, the transceiver 1325 may support at least one network interface 1340 and / or an application interface 1345. The application interface 1345 may support one or more APIs. The network interface 1340 may support 3GPP reference points such as Uu, N1, N2, and N3. As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, other network interfaces 1340 may also be supported.

[0185] The processor 1305, in one embodiment, may include any known controller capable of executing computer-readable instructions and / or performing logical operations. For example, the processor 1305 may be a microcontroller, microprocessor, CPU, GPU, auxiliary processing unit, FPGA, or similar programmable controller. In some embodiments, the processor 1305 executes instructions stored in the memory 1310 to perform the methods and routines described herein. The processor 1305 is communicatively coupled to the memory 1310, the input device 1315, the output device 1320, and the transceiver 1325.

[0186] In various embodiments, the network device 1300 is a RAN node (e.g., gNB) that communicates with one or more UEs as described herein. In such embodiments, the processor 1305 controls the network device 1300 to perform the RAN operations described above. When operating as a RAN node, the processor 1305 may include an application processor (also referred to as a “main processor”) that manages application domains and operating system (“OS”) functions, and a baseband processor (also referred to as a “baseband radio processor”) that manages radio functions.

[0187] In various embodiments, via the transceiver 1325, the processor 1305 transmits to the communication device a first message requesting sizes of stored QoE measurement reports in an RRC buffer of the communication device. In some embodiments, the first message is received while the communication device is in a UE state in which QoE measurement reporting is not allowed. In some embodiments, the first message includes a request to transfer sizes of all stored QoE measurement reports. In some embodiments, the first message includes a request to transfer sizes of stored QoE measurement reports for a list of configured QoE measurements.

[0188] Via the transceiver 1325, the processor 1305 receives a second message from the communication device, where the second message includes sizes of stored QoE measurement reports. In some embodiments, the second message is transmitted while the communication device is in a UE state in which QoE measurement reporting is not allowed. In some embodiments, the second message includes sizes of all stored QoE measurement reports. In some embodiments, the second message includes sizes of stored QoE measurement reports for a list of configured QoE measurements.

[0189] The processor 1305 uses the second message to determine a configuration enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting at the communication device. In some embodiments, the configuration enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting includes a start instruction for QoE measurement report processing, the start instruction including an instruction to start processing from the oldest QoE measurement report or an instruction to start processing from the most recent QoE measurement report.

[0190] In some embodiments, the configuration enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting further includes an indication of a maximum buffering time of the stored QoE measurement report in the RRC buffer when the stored QoE measurement report is sent to a lower layer for transmission.

[0191] The processor 1305 directs the transmitter 1330 to transmit a third message to the communication device, the third message including a configuration for enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting. In some embodiments, the third message is received while the communication device is in a UE state in which QoE measurement reporting is not allowed. Via the transceiver 1325, the processor 1305 receives at least one fourth message from the communication device, each of the at least fourth messages including at least one QoE measurement report.

[0192] The memory 1310, in one embodiment, is a computer-readable storage medium. In some embodiments, the memory 1310 includes a volatile computer storage medium. For example, the memory 1310 may include RAM, including DRAM, SDRAM, and / or SRAM. In some embodiments, the memory 1310 includes a non-volatile computer storage medium. For example, the memory 1310 may include a hard disk drive, a flash memory, or any other suitable non-volatile computer storage device. In some embodiments, the memory 1310 includes both volatile and non-volatile computer storage media.

[0193] In some embodiments, the memory 1310 stores data related to QoE measurement reporting control. For example, the memory 1310 may store parameters, configurations, and the like, as described above. In some embodiments, the memory 1310 also stores program code and related data, such as an operating system or other controller algorithms running on the network device 1300.

[0194] The input device 1315, in one embodiment, may include any known computer input device, including a touch panel, buttons, a keyboard, a stylus, a microphone, or the like. In some embodiments, the input device 1315 may be integrated with the output device 1320, for example, as a touch screen or similar touch-sensitive display. In some embodiments, the input device 1315 includes a touch screen such that text may be entered using a virtual keyboard displayed on the touch screen and / or by handwriting on the touch screen. In some embodiments, the input device 1315 includes two or more different devices, such as a keyboard and a touch panel.

[0195] The output device 1320, in one embodiment, is designed to output visual, auditory, and / or tactile signals. In some embodiments, the output device 1320 includes an electronically controllable display or display device capable of outputting visual data to a user. For example, the output device 1320 may include, but is not limited to, an LCD display, an LED display, an OLED display, a projector, or a similar display device capable of outputting images, text, or the like to a user. As another non-limiting example, the output device 1320 may include a wearable display that is separate from, but communicatively coupled to, the rest of the network device 1300, such as a smart watch, smart glasses, a head-up display, or the like. Furthermore, the output device 1320 may be a component of a smartphone, a personal digital assistant, a television, a table computer, a notebook (laptop) computer, a personal computer, a vehicle dashboard, or the like.

[0196] In some embodiments, the output device(s) 1320 include one or more speakers for generating sound. For example, the output device(s) 1320 may generate an audible alert or notification (e.g., a beep or chime). In some embodiments, the output device(s) 1320 include one or more haptic devices for generating vibration, movement, or other haptic feedback. In some embodiments, all or a portion of the output device(s) 1320 may be integrated with the input device(s) 1315. For example, the input device(s) 1315 and the output device(s) 1320 may form a touch screen or similar touch-sensitive display. In other embodiments, the output device(s) 1320 may be located near the input device(s) 1315.

[0197] The transceiver 1325 includes at least one transmitter 1330 and at least one receiver 1335. The one or more transmitters 1330 may be used to communicate with a UE, as described herein. Similarly, the one or more receivers 1335 may be used to communicate with a network function in a PLMN and / or a RAN, as described herein. Although only one transmitter 1330 and one receiver 1335 are illustrated, the network device 1300 may have any suitable number of transmitters 1330 and receivers 1335. Furthermore, the transmitters 1330 and receivers 1335 may be any suitable type of transmitter and receiver.

[0198] 14 illustrates one embodiment of a method 1400 for QoE measurement reporting control in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. In various embodiments, the method 1400 is performed by a communications device, such as the remote unit 105, the UE 205, and / or the user equipment device 1200 described above. In some embodiments, the method 1400 is performed by a processor, such as a microcontroller, a microprocessor, a CPU, a GPU, an auxiliary processing unit, an FPGA, or the like.

[0199] The method 1400 includes receiving a first message 1405 from the communication network requesting a size of stored QoE measurement reports in an RRC buffer. The method 1400 includes determining 1410, by the communication device, a size of the stored QoE measurement reports in response to the first message. The method 1400 includes transmitting 1415, to the communication network, a second message including a size of the stored QoE measurement reports in the RRC buffer. The method 1400 includes receiving 1420, from the communication network, a third message including a configuration enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting. The method 1400 includes transmitting 1425, to the communication network, at least one fourth message including at least one QoE measurement report. The method 1400 ends.

[0200] 15 illustrates one embodiment of a method 1500 for QoE measurement reporting control, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. In various embodiments, the method 1500 is performed by a network device, such as the base unit 121, the RAN node 210, and / or the network equipment 1300, as described above. In some embodiments, the method 1500 is performed by a processor, such as a microcontroller, a microprocessor, a CPU, a GPU, an auxiliary processing unit, an FPGA, or the like.

[0201] The method 1500 includes transmitting 1505 a first message to the communication device requesting a size of a stored QoE measurement report in an RRC buffer of the communication device. The method 1500 includes receiving 1510 a second message from the communication device including a size of the stored QoE measurement report. The method 1500 includes determining 1515 a configuration enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting at the communication device using the second message. The method 1500 includes transmitting 1520 a third message to the communication device including a configuration enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting. The method 1500 includes receiving 1525 at least one fourth message from the communication device including at least one QoE measurement report. The method 1500 ends.

[0202] Disclosed herein is a first apparatus for QoE measurement reporting control according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The first apparatus may be implemented by a communication device, such as the remote unit 105, the UE 205, and / or the user equipment device 1200 described above. The first apparatus includes a transceiver and a processor coupled to an RRC buffer, and the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to: A) receive a first message from a communication network requesting a size of a stored QoE measurement report in an RRC buffer; B) determine a size of the stored QoE measurement report in response to the first message; C) transmit a second message to the communication network including the size of the stored QoE measurement report in the RRC buffer; D) receive a third message from the communication network including a configuration enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting; and E) transmit at least one fourth message to the communication network including at least one QoE measurement report.

[0203] In some embodiments, the first message and the third message are received while the first device is in a UE state in which QoE measurement reporting is not allowed, and the second message is transmitted while the first device is in a UE state in which QoE measurement reporting is not allowed.

[0204] In some embodiments, the first message includes a request to transfer sizes of all stored QoE measurement reports and the second message includes sizes of all stored QoE measurement reports.

[0205] In some embodiments, the first message includes a request to transfer sizes of stored QoE measurement reports for the list of configured QoE measurements, and the second message includes sizes of stored QoE measurement reports for the list of configured QoE measurements.

[0206] In some embodiments, the configuration for enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting includes a start instruction for QoE measurement report processing, the start instruction including an instruction to start processing from the oldest QoE measurement report or an instruction to start processing from the most recent QoE measurement report.

[0207] In some embodiments, the configuration enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting further includes an indication of a maximum buffering time of the stored QoE measurement report in the RRC buffer when the stored QoE measurement report is sent to a lower layer for transmission.

[0208] In some embodiments, the fourth message includes one or more complete QoE measurement reports. In some embodiments, the fourth message further includes one or more segments of the QoE measurement report.

[0209] Disclosed herein is a first method for QoE measurement reporting control according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The first method may be performed by a communication device, such as the remote unit 105, the UE 205, and / or the user equipment device 1200, described above. The first method includes receiving a first message from a communication network requesting a size of a stored QoE measurement report in an RRC buffer. The second method includes determining, by the communication device, a size of the stored QoE measurement report in response to the first message, and transmitting, to the communication network, a second message including the size of the stored QoE measurement report in the RRC buffer. The second method includes receiving, from the communication network, a third message including a configuration enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting, and transmitting, to the communication network, at least one fourth message including at least one QoE measurement report.

[0210] In some embodiments, the first message and the third message are received while the communications device is in a UE state in which QoE measurement reporting is not allowed, and the second message is transmitted while the communications device is in a UE state in which QoE measurement reporting is not allowed.

[0211] In some embodiments, the first message includes a request to transfer sizes of all stored QoE measurement reports and the second message includes sizes of all stored QoE measurement reports.

[0212] In some embodiments, the first message includes a request to transfer sizes of stored QoE measurement reports for the list of configured QoE measurements, and the second message includes sizes of stored QoE measurement reports for the list of configured QoE measurements.

[0213] In some embodiments, the configuration for enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting includes a start instruction for QoE measurement report processing, the start instruction including an instruction to start processing from the oldest QoE measurement report or an instruction to start processing from the most recent QoE measurement report.

[0214] In some embodiments, the configuration enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting further includes an indication of a maximum buffering time of the stored QoE measurement report in the RRC buffer when the stored QoE measurement report is sent to a lower layer for transmission.

[0215] In some embodiments, the fourth message includes one or more complete QoE measurement reports. In some embodiments, the fourth message further includes one or more segments of the QoE measurement report.

[0216] Disclosed herein is a second apparatus for QoE measurement reporting control according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The second apparatus may be implemented by a network device, such as the base unit 121, the RAN node 210, and / or the network apparatus 1300, as described above. The second apparatus comprises a processor coupled to a transceiver, the transceiver configured to communicate with a UE, and the processor configured to cause the apparatus to: A) transmit to the communication device a first message requesting a size of a stored QoE measurement report in an RRC buffer of the communication device; B) receive from the communication device a second message including the size of the stored QoE measurement report; D) use the second message to determine a configuration enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting at the communication device; D) transmit to the communication device a third message including a configuration enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting; and E) receive from the communication device at least one fourth message including at least one QoE measurement report.

[0217] In some embodiments, the first message and the third message are received while the communications device is in a UE state in which QoE measurement reporting is not allowed, and the second message is transmitted while the communications device is in a UE state in which QoE measurement reporting is not allowed.

[0218] In some embodiments, the first message includes a request to transfer sizes of all stored QoE measurement reports and the second message includes sizes of all stored QoE measurement reports.

[0219] In some embodiments, the first message includes a request to transfer sizes of stored QoE measurement reports for the list of configured QoE measurements, and the second message includes sizes of stored QoE measurement reports for the list of configured QoE measurements.

[0220] In some embodiments, the configuration for enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting includes a start instruction for QoE measurement report processing, the start instruction including an instruction to start processing from the oldest QoE measurement report or an instruction to start processing from the most recent QoE measurement report.

[0221] In some embodiments, the configuration enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting further includes an indication of a maximum buffering time of the stored QoE measurement report in the RRC buffer when the stored QoE measurement report is sent to a lower layer for transmission.

[0222] Disclosed herein is a second method for QoE measurement reporting control according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The second method may be performed by a network device, such as the base unit 121, the RAN node 210, and / or the network apparatus 1300, as described above. The second method includes transmitting a first message to the communication device requesting a size of a stored QoE measurement report in an RRC buffer of the communication device, and receiving a second message from the communication device including the size of the stored QoE measurement report. The second method includes using the second message to determine a configuration enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting at the communication device, and transmitting a third message to the communication device including the configuration enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting. The second method includes receiving at least one fourth message from the communication device including at least one QoE measurement report.

[0223] In some embodiments, the first message and the third message are received while the communications device is in a UE state in which QoE measurement reporting is not allowed, and the second message is transmitted while the communications device is in a UE state in which QoE measurement reporting is not allowed.

[0224] In some embodiments, the first message includes a request to transfer sizes of all stored QoE measurement reports and the second message includes sizes of all stored QoE measurement reports.

[0225] In some embodiments, the first message includes a request to transfer sizes of stored QoE measurement reports for the list of configured QoE measurements, and the second message includes sizes of stored QoE measurement reports for the list of configured QoE measurements.

[0226] In some embodiments, the configuration for enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting includes a start instruction for QoE measurement report processing, the start instruction including an instruction to start processing from the oldest QoE measurement report or an instruction to start processing from the most recent QoE measurement report.

[0227] In some embodiments, the configuration enabling resumption of QoE measurement reporting further includes an indication of a maximum buffering time of the stored QoE measurement report in the RRC buffer when the stored QoE measurement report is sent to a lower layer for transmission.

[0228] The embodiments may be embodied in other specific forms. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is therefore indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. [Explanation of symbols]

[0229] 100 Wireless communication system 105 Remote Unit 107 Applications 120 Radio Access Network ("RAN") 121 Base Unit 123 Wireless Communication Links 125 QoE measurement configuration 127 QoE Measurement Report 140 Mobile Core Network 141 User Plane Function ("UPF") 143 Access and Mobility Management Function ("AMF") 145 Session Management Facility ("SMF") 147 Policy Control Function ("PCF") 149 Combined entity "UDM / UDR" 151 Application Server 160 Maintenance Operations Management (“OAM”) 200 NR Protocol Stack 201 User Plane Protocol Stack 203 Control Plane Protocol Stack 205 UE 210 RAN nodes 215 AMF 220 Physical (“PHY”) Layer 225 Medium Access Control ("MAC") Sublayer 230 Radio Link Control ("RLC") Sublayer 235 Packet Data Convergence Protocol ("PDCP") Sublayer 240 Service Data Adaptation Protocol ("SDAP") Sublayer 245 Radio Resource Control ("RRC") Layer 250 Non-Access Stratum ("NAS") Layer 255 AS Layer 260 AS Layer 300 UL AS Protocol Layer 400 RRCBufferStatusRequest Message 500 RRCBufferStatusResponse Message 700 RRC Buffers 800 In one embodiment 805 MeasurementReportAppLayer Message 810 QoE Report 815 RRC Message Segmentation 900 Steps 905 UE AS layer (denoted as "UE AS") 910 UE Application Layer (denoted as "UE AL") 920 Messaging 925 Messaging 940 Messaging 945 Messaging 950 Messaging 960 Messaging 1000 One embodiment 1005 MeasurementReportAppLayer Message 1010 QoE Report 1015 ULDedicatedMessageSegment Message 1100 Procedure 1110 and 1115 Messaging 1130 Messaging 1140 Messaging 1160 Messaging 1170 Messaging 1200 User Equipment Device 1205 Processor 1210 Memory 1215 Input Devices 1220 output device 1225 Transceiver 1230 Transmitter 1235 Receiver 1240 Network Interface 1245 Application Interface 1300 Network Equipment 1305 Processor 1310 Memory 1315 Input Devices 1320 output device 1325 Transceiver 1330 Transmitter 1335 Receiver 1340 Network Interface 1345 Application Interface 1400 methods 1405 First Message 1500 ways

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), comprising: A processor; A memory coupled to the processor, the processor being configured to receiving a first message from a base station including a configuration enabling resuming quality of experience (QoE) measurement reporting; and a memory configured to cause the base station to transmit a second message including at least one QoE measurement report.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein the at least one QoE measurement report is stored in the memory of the UE, the memory of the UE comprising a buffer.

3. The UE of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to cause the UE to submit at least one QoE measurement report stored in the memory of the UE based on the configuration to a lower layer of the UE for transmission.

4. The UE of claim 2, wherein the configuration includes an indication of a maximum buffering time for the at least one QoE measurement report stored in the memory of the UE.

5. The UE of claim 1, wherein the second message includes one or more complete QoE measurement reports.

6. The UE of claim 1, wherein the second message includes one or more segments of a QoE measurement report.

7. A method for a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a first message from a base station, the first message including a configuration enabling resuming quality of experience (QoE) measurement reporting; and transmitting to the base station a second message including at least one QoE measurement report.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one QoE measurement report is stored in a memory of the UE, the memory of the UE comprising a buffer.

9. The method described in claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to cause the UE to submit at least one QoE measurement report stored in the memory of the UE based on the configuration to a lower layer of the UE for transmission.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the configuration includes an indication of a maximum buffering time for the at least one QoE measurement report stored in the memory of the UE.

11. The second message includes one or more complete QoE measurement reports, or The method of claim 7, wherein the second message includes one or more segments of a QoE measurement report.

12. A base station, A processor; A memory coupled to the processor, the processor being configured to Transmitting a first message to a user equipment (UE) including a configuration enabling resuming quality of experience (QoE) measurement reporting; and a memory configured to cause receiving at least one second message from the UE, the second message including at least one QoE measurement report.

13. The base station of claim 12, wherein the configuration includes an indication of a maximum buffering time of the at least one QoE measurement report.

14. A method for a base station, comprising: transmitting a first message to a user equipment (UE) including a configuration enabling resuming quality of experience (QoE) measurement reporting; and receiving at least one second message from the UE, the second message including at least one QoE measurement report.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the configuration includes an indication of a maximum buffering time for the at least one QoE measurement report.

Images