Control of quality of experience measurement

Abstract

To provide a solution for the control of QoE measurement in exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.SOLUTION: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method, a device, and a computer-readable storage medium. The method performed in a first device includes obtaining first periodicity information indicating a first periodicity. The first periodicity is used by a second device to perform quality of experience measurement. The method further includes determining a second periodicity used by an AS of the second device to report one or more measurement results of the QoE measurement. The method also includes transmitting second periodicity information indicating the second periodicity to the second device. In this manner, the first device can be involved in a QoE measurement configuration and maintenance procedure. More specifically, the first device can control an interval at which the QoE measurement results are reported.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to devices, methods, and computer-readable storage media for control of quality of experience (QoE) measurements. [Background technology]

[0002] QoE measurement results indicate a user's objective experience regarding the fulfillment of communication service(s) at the application (APP) layer. As a result, it is usually used as one of the important indicators for evaluating and assessing the quality of communication service(s). Furthermore, service providers or operators may obtain the quality of communication service(s) by collecting measurement results (sometimes called "QoE metrics") from users' terminal devices, and improve the quality of the corresponding communication service(s) according to the collected measurement results.

[0003] In wireless communications, a core network (CN) device or an operation, administration, and maintenance (OAM) device receives a QoE measurement configuration from an application server and further transmits the QoE measurement configuration to a terminal device via an access network device. After receiving the QoE measurement configuration, the APP layer of the terminal device performs QoE measurements and conveys the measurement results to the access layer / stratum of the terminal device. The measurement results are processed and transmitted to the access network device, which then forwards the measurement results to the CN / OAM device. During the above procedure, the access network device simply functions as a forwarding device between the terminal device and the CN / OAM device. However, in some scenarios (e.g., when the access network device is overloaded), it is necessary for the access network device to adjust or control the QoE measurements. Therefore, it is desirable for the access network device to be involved in the QoE measurement configuration and maintenance procedures. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Generally, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for the control of QoE measurements.

[0005] In a first aspect, a first device is provided, the first device comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code configured to cause, using the at least one processor, the first device to obtain first periodicity information indicating a first periodicity used by a second device to perform quality of experience measurements, determine a second periodicity used by an access stratum of the second device to report one or more measurement results of the quality of experience measurements, and transmit the second periodicity information indicating the second periodicity to the second device.

[0006] In a second aspect, a second device is provided, the second device comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code configured, using the at least one processor, to cause the second device to: receive from the first device second periodicity information indicating a second periodicity used by an access stratum of the second device to report one or more measurement results of quality of experience measurements, the second periodicity being configured based on the first periodicity used to perform the quality of experience measurements by the second device; collect, via the access stratum of the second device, one or more measurement results of the quality of experience measurements measured by an application layer of the second device; and report, via the access stratum of the second device, the one or more measurement results according to the second periodicity.

[0007] In a third aspect, a third device is provided, the third device comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code configured to cause, with the at least one processor, the third device to obtain a first periodicity used by the second device to perform quality of experience measurements, and to send a message including the first periodicity to the first device, the first periodicity being sent in a manner identifiable relative to an access stratum.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes, at a first device, obtaining first periodicity information indicating a first periodicity used by a second device to perform quality of experience measurements. The method further includes determining a second periodicity used by an access stratum of the second device to report one or more measurement results of the quality of experience measurements. The method also includes transmitting the second periodicity information indicating the second periodicity to the second device.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes receiving, at a second device, second periodicity information from a first device indicating a second periodicity used by an access stratum of the second device to report one or more measurement results of quality of experience measurements, the second periodicity being configured based on the first periodicity used by the second device to perform quality of experience measurements. The method further includes collecting, by the access stratum of the second device, one or more measurement results of the quality of experience measurements measured by an application layer of the second device. The method also includes reporting, by the access stratum of the second device, the one or more measurement results according to the second periodicity.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a method is provided, the method including: obtaining, at a third device, a first periodicity used by a second device to perform quality of experience measurements; and transmitting, to the first device, a message including the first periodicity, the first periodicity being transmitted in a manner identifiable relative to an access stratum.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a first device is provided. The first device comprises means for obtaining, at the first device, first periodicity information indicating a first periodicity used by a second device to perform quality of experience measurements. The first device further comprises means for determining a second periodicity used by an access stratum of the second device to report one or more measurement results of the quality of experience measurements. The first device also comprises means for transmitting, to the second device, the second periodicity information indicating the second periodicity.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, a second device is provided. The second device comprises means for receiving, at the second device and from the first device, second periodicity information indicating a second periodicity used by an access stratum of the second device to report one or more measurement results of quality of experience measurements, the second periodicity being configured based on a first periodicity used by the second device to perform quality of experience measurements. The second device further comprises means for collecting, via the access stratum of the second device, one or more measurement results of the quality of experience measurements measured by an application layer of the second device. The second device also comprises means for reporting, via the access stratum of the second device, the one or more measurement results according to the second periodicity.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, a third apparatus is provided, comprising: means for obtaining, at the third apparatus, a first periodicity used by a second apparatus to perform quality of experience measurements; and means for transmitting, to the first apparatus, a message including the first periodicity, wherein the first periodicity is transmitted in a manner identifiable relative to an access stratum.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0015] In an eleventh aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to the fifth aspect.

[0016] In a twelfth aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to the sixth aspect.

[0017] It should be understood that this Summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will be readily apparent from the following description.

[0018] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a conventional signaling flow of a QoE configuration and reporting procedure. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary communication network in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. [Figure 3] 1 is a signaling flow for control of QoE measurements according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 10 is another signaling flow for controlling QoE measurements according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] 1 is a flowchart of an exemplary method performed on a first device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart of an exemplary method performed on a second device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart of an exemplary method performed on a third device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for practicing exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer-readable medium according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers represent the same or similar elements.

[0021] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are provided for illustrative purposes only, to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and practicing the present disclosure, but are not intended to imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in a variety of ways other than those described below.

[0022] In the following description and claims, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs, unless defined otherwise.

[0023] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "embodiment," "exemplary embodiment," etc. indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but do not require that every embodiment include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is believed to be within the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic with respect to other embodiments, whether or not explicitly stated.

[0024] Although terms such as "first," "second," etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, it should be understood that these elements are not limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element could be referred to as a first element, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0025] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the terms "comprises," "comprising," "has," "having," "includes," and / or "including" specify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components, etc., but are understood not to exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0026] As used herein, "determining / determining" (and grammatical variations thereof) may include, among other things, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, measuring, investigating, examining (e.g., looking up in a table, database, or other data structure), ascertaining, and the like. "Determining" may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), obtaining, and the like. "Determining" may also include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, and the like.

[0027] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) Hardware-only circuit implementation (e.g., implementation using only analog and / or digital circuitry) (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (where applicable): (i) A combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry(s) and software / firmware. (ii) Any portion of the software-based hardware processor(s) (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(s) that work together to cause a device, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions. (c) Hardware circuit(s) and / or processor(s), e.g., microprocessor(s) or portions of microprocessor(s), that require software (e.g., firmware) for operation. However, software may not be present if it is not necessary for operation.

[0028] This definition of "circuit" applies to all uses of the term in this application, including any claims. As a further example, the term circuit, as used herein, encompasses an embodiment of a simple hardware circuit or processor(s), or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor, as well as its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuit also encompasses, for example, a baseband or processor integrated circuit in a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device, if applicable to certain claim elements.

[0029] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network conforming to any suitable communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), or Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT). Furthermore, communications between terminal devices and network devices within a communication network may be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocols, including, but not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocols now known or later developed. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, it is natural that there will be future communication technologies and systems in which the present disclosure may be embodied. The scope of the present disclosure should not be considered limited to only the aforementioned systems.

[0030] As used herein, the term "access network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which a terminal device accesses and receives services from the network. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, a network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), e.g., a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also called a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio header (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, a low-power node such as a femto or pico node, etc.

[0031] The term "terminal device" refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), mobile subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearables, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial processing and / or automated processing chain contexts), consumer electronic devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms “terminal device,” “communications device,” “terminal,” “user equipment,” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

[0032] The term "core network device" refers to any device or entity that provides an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), a user plane function (UPF), etc. By way of example and not limitation, a core network device may be a home subscriber server (HSS), a mobility management entity (MME), an AMF, an SMF, a UPF, etc. In other embodiments, a core network device may be any other suitable device or entity.

[0033] The term "OAM device" refers to any device or entity that provides functions such as operation, administration, and maintenance. By way of example and not limitation, an OAM device may be a network management system (NMS) or a network element management system (EMS). In other embodiments, the core network device may be any other suitable device or entity.

[0034] The term "identifiable in relation to an access stratum" refers to the ability of an access stratum of a device in a communication network to identify relevant data / information. As used herein, the terms "access layer," "access stratum," and "radio resource control (RRC) layer" are synonymous with each other.

[0035] The term "identifiable in relation to the APP layer" simply refers to the ability of the APP layer of a device in a communication network to identify the relevant data / information. The term "APP layer" may also be referred to as "application layer" or "upper layer" in this disclosure.

[0036] While the functions described herein may be performed in fixed and / or wireless network nodes in various exemplary embodiments, in other exemplary embodiments, the functions may be implemented in a user equipment device (e.g., a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a mobile IoT device, or a fixed IoT device). The user equipment device may be equipped with corresponding capabilities, for example, as described in connection with the fixed and / or wireless network node(s), as appropriate. The user equipment device may be user equipment and / or a control device, such as a chipset or processor, configured to control the user equipment when attached to the user equipment. Examples of such functions include a bootstrap server function and / or a home subscriber server, which may be implemented in the user equipment device by providing the user equipment device with software configured to cause the user equipment device to perform in terms of these functions / nodes.

[0037] As discussed above, it is desirable to improve the procedures for QoE measurement. In the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a work item (WI) for QoE measurement in New Radio (NR) was carried out. As a result of that work, several QoE solutions were proposed and specified from the perspective of RAN2. More specifically, the following QoE solutions were standardized for NR: Signaling-based procedure: The CN device initiates the activation of the configured QoE measurements by OAM and sends the QoE measurement configuration to the next generation radio access network (NG-RAN) node. The NG-RAN node further passes the QoE measurement configuration to the specific UE via RRC signaling. The UE's access stratum (AS) (e.g., RRC layer) sends the QoE measurement configuration to the UE's APP layer. In the management-based procedure, the OAM device sends a QoE measurement configuration to the NG-RAN node. The NG-RAN node determines multiple eligible UEs or a single specific UE that meets the criteria (e.g., area scope, application layer capabilities, service type, etc.). The NG-RAN node sends the QoE measurement configuration to the AS layer of the specific UE or each eligible UE. Upon receiving the QoE measurement configuration, the UE's AS sends the QoE measurement configuration to the UE's APP layer.

[0038] The QoE data collection procedure is the core of the QoE measurement procedure. Generally speaking, QoE data collection refers to the method of using over-the-air protocols for collecting QoE metrics developed for download and Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH). Some agreements have been reached on the QoE solution for LTE. For example, the QoE solution for LTE includes the following main parts: Both signaling-based and administratively initiated cases are permitted. · LTE QoE feature is activated by the trace function. APP layer measurement configurations received from the OAM or CN can be encapsulated in transparent containers, which are forwarded to the UE in downlink RRC messages. APP layer measurement results received from higher layers in the UE (e.g., the APP layer) can be encapsulated in transparent containers and sent to the network in uplink RRC messages.

[0039] Regarding QoE in NR, the QoE solution in LTE is used as the baseline, and details may be discussed in the WI phase. Furthermore, several principles for configuration and reporting of QoE measurements are also proposed. Specifically, management-based QoE configuration should not override signaling-based QoE configuration. Furthermore, QoE measurement results are reported via a separate signaling radio bearer (SRB) in NR (i.e., separate from the current SRB) because this reporting has a lower priority than other SRB transmissions. Finally, configuration and reporting of multiple simultaneous QoE measurements for a UE should be supported.

[0040] Referring now to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional signaling flow 100 of a QoE configuration and reporting procedure. As shown in FIG. 1, the CN / OAM sends a QoE measurement configuration to the gNB (105), where the QoE measurement configuration is in XML format. The gNB determines associated UEs and sends the QoE measurement configuration to the UE RRC via an application layer container (110). The QoE parameters included in the QoE measurement configuration are transparent to the RRC layers of the gNB and UE. The QoE parameters are sent to the UE APP layer (i.e., the UE APP entity) via the AppLayerConfiguration service type (115). The UE APP layer determines that QoE measurements are available (120) and then sends the measurement results to the UE RRC layer (i.e., the UE RRC entity) (125). The UE RRC layer sends the measurement results to the gNB via an AppLayerMeasReport container (130), and the gNB forwards the measurement results to the CN / OAM device (135).

[0041] In the above conventional procedure, the QoE measurement configuration is in XML format. Therefore, only the APP layer of the UE can understand the QoE parameters (e.g., the interval for reporting measurement results) included in the QoE measurement configuration. After obtaining the QoE parameters, the UE APP layer can report QoE data / metrics (i.e., measurement results) at the periodicity defined in the QoE measurement configuration.

[0042] As discussed above, the QoE parameters are transmitted transparently to the gNB and UE RRC layers, so neither the gNB nor the UE RRC layer can obtain the QoE parameters, and therefore neither the gNB nor the UE RRC layer knows the exact time to report the measurement results.

[0043] The actual communication environment is very complex. It is a common scenario for a gNB to be overloaded. According to conventional procedures, when a gNB is in an overload situation, the gNB may release an air interface connection (e.g., an RRC connection). As shown in FIG. 2, the gNB may send an RRC release message to the UE RRC layer (140). The action of releasing the RRC connection affects QoE measurements. For example, new QoE measurement configurations are stopped, and ongoing QoE measurement reports are released or suspended at the UE RRC layer.

[0044] However, the release of the RRC connection is not notified to the UE APP layer. Therefore, the pause of QoE measurement only affects the RRC layer. This causes a problem of configuration remaining in progress at the application level. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, after receiving the RRC release message, the UE APP layer determines that QoE measurement is available (145) and then transmits the measurement results to the UE RRC (150). However, because the RRC connection has been released by the UE RRC layer, the measurement results cannot be transmitted to the gNB (155). In the next step, the UE APP layer again determines that QoE measurement is available (160) and then transmits the measurement results to the UE RRC layer (165). The measurement results still cannot be transmitted to the gNB (170). The above transmission failure is repeated. In this case, the UE APP layer generates a flood of reports that cannot be transmitted to the gNB because there is no active RRC connection.

[0045] So far, no solution has been proposed on how to suspend / resume QoE measurement reporting in the context of various RRC states, which introduces additional complexity in dealing with unexpected QoE measurement results generated by the UE APP layer. Furthermore, as discussed above, QoE measurement results are important to the service provider or operator. Therefore, pausing or stopping QoE measurements is also not considered a desirable outcome.

[0046] This disclosure has noted that if the access network device can control or maintain the QoE measurements, and in particular if the reporting procedures can be configured, the QoE measurement procedures can be more flexible and rational.

[0047] According to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, a solution for controlling QoE measurements is provided. In this solution, a first device (e.g., an access network device) obtains first periodicity information indicating a first periodicity. The first periodicity is used by a second device (e.g., a terminal device) to perform QoE measurements. The first device then determines a second periodicity to be used by an AS (e.g., an RRC layer) of the second device to report one or more measurement results of the QoE measurements, and transmits the second periodicity information indicating the second periodicity to the second device. In this way, the first device can participate in QoE measurement configuration and maintenance procedures. Specifically, the first device can control the interval / cycle for reporting QoE measurement results. The present disclosure is particularly useful in a scenario where the first device is in an overload situation.

[0048] 2 illustrates an exemplary communication environment 200 in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented, in which a first device 210 may communicate with a second device 220 and a third device 230 via physical communication channels or links.

[0049] 2, the second device 220 is shown as a terminal device. The first device 210 is shown as an access network device that provides service to the second device 220. The service area of ​​the first device 210 is called a cell 240. The third device 230 is shown as a QoE measurement server. The third device 230 may be a CN device, an OAM device, or an application server.

[0050] 2, the third device 230 may obtain or configure parameters for QoE measurement. The third device 230 may then transmit the parameters to the first device 210. The first device 210 may forward the parameters to the second device 220. After receiving the parameters, the APP layer of the second device 220 performs QoE measurement and transmits the measurement results to the AS (e.g., the RRC layer) of the second device 220. The measurement results may be transmitted by the AS of the second device 220 to the first device 210 and then forwarded by the first device 210 to the third device 230 or other QoE collection server(s).

[0051] It should be understood that the number of first devices, second devices, and third devices is for illustrative purposes only, without implying any limitation, and communication environment 200 may include any suitable number of first devices, second devices, and third devices suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0052] The principles and implementations of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to Fig. 3, which shows an exemplary signaling diagram 300 of a method for controlling QoE measurement according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method may be implemented in any suitable device according to a particular implementation.

[0053] For illustrative purposes only, the signaling chart 300 is described as being implemented between a first device 210, a second device 220, and a third device 230, as shown in Figure 2. Furthermore, the second device 220 functions as a terminal device, the first device 210 functions as an access network device, and the third device 230 functions as a CN device, an OAM device, or an application server.

[0054] Additionally, although acts are presented below in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such acts be performed in the particular order or sequentially shown, or that all illustrated acts be performed, to achieve desirable results.

[0055] Furthermore, the third device 230 may obtain or configure parameters for QoE measurement, so that a service provider or operator in the network system may collect one or more measurement results from one or more user devices (e.g., terminal devices). More specifically, the third device 230 may configure a periodicity (referred to herein as a “first periodicity”), where the first periodicity may be a duration for collecting the measurement results or a cycle for reporting the measurement results.

[0056] Furthermore, the first periodicity may be expressed in any suitable manner. In some exemplary embodiments, the first periodicity may be expressed as a parameter @reportinginterval. @reportinginterval indicates the time(s) at which measurement reports should be sent. Furthermore, if @reportinginterval is not configured, the second device 220 should send a report including measurement results after the streaming session ends. If @reportinginterval is configured, the second device 220 should send a report including measurement results according to @reportinginterval. Furthermore, each report sent by the second device 220 includes only newly collected measurement results, because previous measurements have already been reported. According to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the first periodicity configured by the third device 230 may be hijacked by a second periodicity configured by the first device 210, as discussed below.

[0057] The third device 230 may send the parameters to the first device 210 via a configuration (e.g., a configuration message or a configuration information element) (305). In some exemplary embodiments, the configuration may be represented as an XML-formatted file / data or an application-based container. The first device 210 may then send an application layer container including the configuration to an access stratum AS (i.e., RRC layer or access stratum) of the second device 220 (320). At the second device 220, the parameters included in the application layer container are sent from the AS to the APP layer of the second device 220 (325). In this manner, the second device 220 may perform QoE measurements according to the configuration.

[0058] In some demonstrative embodiments, the first device 210 acquires (310) first periodicity information indicating the first periodicity. The first device 210 may acquire the first periodicity information by any appropriate method. As an exemplary embodiment, the first device 210 may decode the first periodicity information from the above-mentioned configuration transmitted by the third device 230. As discussed above, the configuration is identifiable in relation to the APP layer and is used to configure quality of experience measurements. Therefore, upon receiving the configuration, the first device 210 needs to decode the configuration. In this manner, the first device 210 may acquire the first periodicity without exchanging additional messages with other devices.

[0059] Alternatively, or in addition, the first device 210 may extract the first periodicity information from a message 305 transmitted by the third device 230, where the first periodicity information is transmitted in a manner identifiable in relation to the access stratum (i.e., the RRC layer or the access layer). For example, the third device 230 may transmit the first periodicity information via an information element (IE). The IE including the first periodicity information may be transmitted together with the configuration. Alternatively, the IE may be transmitted separately from the configuration. For example, the third device 230 transmits 305 the IE in response to a request from the first device 210. In this manner, the first device 210 may obtain the first periodicity without having to add additional capability to the first device 210 to decode the APP layer container.

[0060] Alternatively, or in addition, the first device 210 may extract the first periodicity information from the second device 220. More specifically, the second device 220 may transmit an RRC message including the first periodicity information. In some exemplary embodiments, once the second device 220 obtains the first periodicity, the second device 220 may transmit the RRC message. Alternatively, the second device 220 may transmit the RRC message in response to a request from the first device 210. In this manner, the first device 210 may obtain the first periodicity without having to add additional capability to the first device 210 to decode the APP layer container.

[0061] Alternatively, or in addition, the first device 210 may obtain the first periodicity information based on statistics of measurements reported from the second device 220. As an example, the second device 220 may derive an interval between measurements reported by the second device 220 and equate the interval with the first periodicity. In this manner, the first device 210 may obtain the first periodicity without exchanging additional messages with other devices.

[0062] It should be understood that the above examples for obtaining the first periodicity information are provided for illustrative purposes, without implying any limitation. In other exemplary embodiments, the first device 210 may obtain the first periodicity information by any suitable method.

[0063] After obtaining the first periodicity information, the first device 210 may determine a second periodicity (315). The second periodicity is used by the AS (e.g., the RRC layer) of the second device 220 to report measurement results of the QoE measurement. In some exemplary embodiments, the second periodicity is longer than the first periodicity. Furthermore, if the second periodicity is enabled (i.e., applied by the second device 220), the first periodicity is hijacked by the second periodicity when the second device 220 reports the measurement results. The first device 210 then transmits (320) second periodicity information indicating the second periodicity to the second device 220.

[0064] In some exemplary embodiments, if the first periodicity does not exist, the first device 210 configures its own parameters (i.e., second periodicity) for reporting QoE measurements and transmits the second periodicity to the second device 220 as an additional RAN-triggered parameter.

[0065] In some embodiments, the first device 210 may transmit the second periodicity information together with an application layer container including a configuration including parameters for QoE measurement, or may transmit the second periodicity information when the first device 210 determines that the first device 210 is in an overload situation.

[0066] Furthermore, the first device 210 may instruct the second device 220 whether to apply the second periodicity to the second device 220. In some exemplary embodiments, the second periodicity information may be used as an implicit indication to instruct the second device 220 to apply the second periodicity. Alternatively, the first device 210 may send the first request to the second device 220 as an explicit method. The first request is used to instruct the second device 220 to apply the second periodicity when reporting one or more measurement results. Furthermore, the first device 210 may send the first request when the first device 210 determines that the first device 210 is in an overload situation.

[0067] Furthermore, the second periodicity information may indicate the second periodicity through any suitable method. One example of the second periodicity information is a second periodicity value. Another example of the second periodicity information is an offset value indicating a time difference between the second periodicity and the first periodicity. A further example of the second periodicity information is a scale factor of the second periodicity relative to the first periodicity.

[0068] It should be understood that the above examples of second periodicity information are provided for illustrative purposes, without implying any limitation. In other exemplary embodiments, the first device 210 may indicate the second periodicity in any suitable manner.

[0069] In this way, the first device 210 may configure the periodicity used to report measurement results by the AS of the second device 220. Thus, even if the first device 210 is in an overload situation, the first device 210 does not necessarily have to immediately stop or pause ongoing QoE measurements.

[0070] Furthermore, the first device 210 may determine the second periodicity for each service. In other words, the second periodicity is specific to at least one service. In this case, the first device 210 also transmits an indication of at least one service to the second device 220 together with the second periodicity information.

[0071] In this way, different second periodicities can be configured for different services of the second device 220. In this way, the QoE of different services can be controlled more flexibly.

[0072] Alternatively, or in addition, the second periodicity may be a common periodicity shared among multiple services provided by the network. More specifically, different first periodicities may be configured for different services, and the first device 210 may determine a common second periodicity that is longer than the longest periodicity among the different first periodicities.

[0073] Additionally, the first device 210 may transmit two or more second periodicities in one message or multiple messages to the second device 220. The second device 220 may apply the two or more second periodicities according to any suitable predefined strategy.

[0074] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 210 transmits the second periodicity information via a system information block (SIB). Alternatively, the first device 210 transmits the second periodicity information via an RRC message. It should be appreciated that the second periodicity information can be transmitted to the second device 220 in a broadcast, multicast, or unicast manner.

[0075] In some demonstrative embodiments, the first device 210 may also indicate to the second device 220 to resume applying the first periodicity. Specifically, when the first device 210 determines that the first device 210 is in a non-overload situation, the first device 210 sends a second request to the second device 220. The second request is used to instruct the second device 220 to resume applying the first periodicity when reporting one or more measurement results.

[0076] Further, the first device 210 may transmit a load indication to the second device 220 indicating the load status of the first device 210, and the second device 220 may determine whether to apply the second periodicity or the first periodicity based on the load indication of the first device 210.

[0077] In this way, the first device 210 may dynamically adjust the periodicity with which it reports measurement reports.

[0078] In the particular example of FIG. 2 , the APP layer of the second device 220 performs QoE measurements, which may be expressed as QoE metrics. The measurement results are transmitted to the AS layer of the second device 220. More specifically, the APP layer transmits the measurement results to the AS of the second device 220 (330-1 and 330-2). The AS of the second device 220 collects (335) one or more measurement results and reports the one or more measurement results to the first device 210. Furthermore, the measurement results are transmitted in a manner identifiable in relation to the APP layer. For example, the measurement results are included in an application-based container.

[0079] If the second device 220 is configured with a second periodicity, the second device 220 may start a timer according to the second periodicity when reporting a measurement result. Within the timer, the second device 220 appends each measurement result to a measurement log. When the timer times out, the second device 220 reports the measurement log to the first device 210 (345).

[0080] In this way, the frequency / interval of reporting the measurement results is reduced, thereby saving resources of the air interface between the first device 210 and the second device 220.

[0081] Furthermore, the second device 220 may determine whether to apply the second periodicity or the first periodicity according to some predefined criteria.

[0082] In some demonstrative embodiments, the second device 220 first determines 340 whether a condition for applying the second periodicity is met, and then determines whether to apply the second periodicity. One example of the condition is receiving second periodicity information from the first device 210. Another example of the condition is receiving a first request from the first device 210 to apply the second periodicity. In this case, the first request serves as a trigger. That is, after receiving a configuration including the second periodicity information, the second device applies the second periodicity based on the configuration at the time the first request was received. Another example of the condition is determining that the first device 210 is in an overload situation. Specifically, the second device 220 may detect communication between the first device 210 and the second device 220 and cause the second device 220 to back off or release due to the detection of an overload condition of the first device 210. The second device 220 may detect the load status of the first device 210 by any appropriate method, for example, by detecting channel conditions, local buffer status, uplink / downlink transmission rates, connection release, etc. Alternatively, the second device 220 may receive a load indication from the first device 210 to obtain load information of the first device 210. Specifically, if the first device 210 is in an overload situation, the first device may send an overload indicator to the second device 220, initiate a procedure to release the RRC connection, reject new random access requests or connection requests, etc.

[0083] It should be understood that the above conditions for applying the second periodicity are provided for illustrative purposes, without implying any limitation, and the second device 220 may apply any suitable conditions for determining whether to apply the second periodicity.

[0084] Further, in some exemplary embodiments, the second device 220 first determines 340 whether a condition for resuming applying the first periodicity is met, and then determines whether to resume applying the first periodicity. One example of the condition is receiving a second request from the first device 210 to resume applying the first periodicity. A further example of the condition is determining that the first device 210 is in a non-overloaded situation. The second device 220 may detect the load status of the first device 210 by any appropriate method, for example, by detecting channel conditions, local buffer status, uplink / downlink transmission rates, connection release, etc. A further example of the condition is the second device 220 receiving a new configuration used to perform QoE measurements rather than receiving the configured second periodicity.

[0085] If the second device 220 determines (355) that the conditions for resuming application of the first periodicity are met, the AS of the second device 220 reports the measurement results according to the first periodicity. More specifically, the APP layer of the second device 220 transmits (350) the measurement results to the AS of the second device 220, and the AS of the second device 220 reports (360) the measurement results to the first device 210 according to the first periodicity, which may be implemented by using a timer corresponding to the first periodicity.

[0086] Furthermore, as discussed above, the second periodicity may be specific to at least one service. Therefore, the second device 220 may receive multiple second periodicities. In this case, the second device 220 performs QoE measurements for different services independently. Alternatively, the second device 220 may divide different services into multiple service groups according to multiple second periodicities and then perform QoE measurements for each service group. In one exemplary embodiment, the second device 220 receives the second periodicity specific to at least one service. The second device 220 then applies the second periodicity to at least one service and reports the measurement results of the at least one service according to the second periodicity.

[0087] In this way, the measurement results collected within the second periodicity can be sent as one report via an RRC message, improving the efficiency of reporting the measurements.

[0088] Alternatively, or in addition, the second periodicity may also be a common periodicity shared among multiple services by the second device 220. In one exemplary embodiment, the second device 220 receives the common second periodicity. The second device 220 then applies the second periodicity to the multiple services and reports measurement results of the multiple services according to the second periodicity.

[0089] It should be understood that the second device 220 may receive multiple second periodicities, and each of the multiple second periodicities may be either a service-specific second periodicity or a common second periodicity. The second device 220 may apply the multiple second periodicities according to any predefined strategy.

[0090] The measurement result is sent to a QoE collection server by the first device 210. The QoE collection server may be a CN device, an OAM device, or other application server in the communication network.

[0091] In this way, the first device 210 may be involved in the configuration and maintenance procedures of the QoE measurements. Specifically, the first device 210 may control the interval at which the QoE measurements are reported. The present disclosure is particularly useful in scenarios where the first device 210 is in an overload situation.

[0092] Furthermore, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, compared to conventional solutions, the control of QoE measurement when the first device 210 is in an overload situation is more flexible. During the QoE measurement procedure, the QoE reporting cycle can be adjusted to a longer cycle. In this way, the load on the first device 210 can be reduced without interrupting the QoE measurement. Furthermore, frequent transmission of pause / resume commands to the second device 220 can be avoided, further saving signaling resources on the air interface.

[0093] One specific example of control of QoE measurements Figure 4 shows an example signaling chart 400 of a method for controlling QoE measurements. For illustrative purposes only, the signaling chart 400 is described as being implemented between a first device 210, a second device 220, and a third device 230, as shown in Figure 2. Furthermore, the second device 220 functions as a terminal device, the first device 210 functions as an access network device, and the third device 230 functions as a CN device, an OAM device, or an application server.

[0094] The third device 230 determines parameters for QoE measurement and transmits the parameters to the first device 210 (405). One of the parameters is a first periodicity (e.g., @reportinginterval). For example, the third device 230 transmits a QoE measurement configuration including parameters related to QoE to the first device 210. Furthermore, the QoE measurement configuration is represented as data / information / file in XML format or an application-based container. Alternatively, or in addition, the first periodicity may also be transmitted in an identifiable manner in relation to the access stratum of the network entity.

[0095] The first device 210 decodes or extracts the first periodicity (e.g., @reportinginterval) from the received QoE measurement configuration (410). The first device 210 then determines one or more second periodicities based on the first periodicity. The first device 210 then sends an application container (e.g., AppLayerConfiguration) to the AS (e.g., RRC layer) of the second device 220 (415). The application container may include one or more second periodicities, such as a service-specific second periodicity (e.g., a reporting interval per service) and / or a common second periodicity (e.g., a logging duration per session or a reporting periodicity per session).

[0096] The AS of the second device 220 sends the QoE parameters to the APP layer (420), such as via an AppLayerConfiguration service type. The APP layer of the second device 220 determines (425) that QoE measurements are available and then sends (430) the measurement results to the AS of the second device 220. The AS of the second device 220 creates (435) a measurement log to record the received measurement results and starts (440) a timer according to the second periodicity. The measurement log may be stored in internal storage of the second device 220.

[0097] Next, the APP layer of the second device 220 again determines (445) that QoE measurements are available and then sends (450) the measurement results to the AS of the second device 220. Because the timer has not timed out, the AS of the second device 220 adds the measurement results to a measurement log (455). The application layer of the second device 220 continues to perform QoE measurements. As shown in FIG. 4 , the APP layer of the second device 220 determines (460) that QoE measurements are available and then sends (465) the measurement results to the AS of the second device 220. Because the timer has not yet timed out, the AS of the second device 220 adds the measurement results to a measurement log (470). The AS of the second device 220 then determines (470) whether the timer has timed out. If the second device 220 determines that the timer has timed out, the AS of the second device 220 reports (480) a measurement log including the one or more measurements to the first device 210.

[0098] In this way, the first device 210 may control the interval at which it reports the QoE measurements.

[0099] 5 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 500 implemented on the first device 210, in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For purposes of discussion, the method 500 will be described from the perspective of the first device 210 with respect to FIG. 2 and / or FIG. 4. It should be understood that the method 500 may include additional blocks not shown and / or omit some blocks shown, and that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0100] In block 510, the first device 210 obtains first periodicity information indicating a first periodicity to be used by the second device 220 to perform quality of experience measurements at the first device 210.

[0101] At block 520 , the first device 210 determines a second periodicity to be used for reporting one or more measurement results of the quality of experience measurement by the access stratum of the second device 220 .

[0102] At block 530, the first device 210 transmits second periodicity information to the second device 220 indicating the second periodicity.

[0103] In some demonstrative embodiments, the first device 210 obtaining the first periodicity information includes obtaining the first periodicity information by at least one of: decoding the first periodicity information from a configuration transmitted by the third device 230, the configuration being identifiable with respect to an application layer and used to configure quality of experience measurements; extracting the first periodicity information from a message transmitted by the third device 230, the first periodicity information being transmitted in a manner identifiable with respect to an access stratum; extracting the first periodicity information from a radio resource control message transmitted by the second device 220; or obtaining the first periodicity information based on statistics of one or more measurement results reported from the second device 220.

[0104] In some demonstrative embodiments, the first device 210 receives a configuration used to configure the quality of experience measurement from the third device 230. Additionally, the first device 210 transmits an application layer container including the configuration to the second device 220 along with the second periodicity information.

[0105] In some demonstrative embodiments, the first device 210 transmits the second periodicity information in accordance with a determination that the first device 210 is in an overload situation.

[0106] In some demonstrative embodiments, the first device 210 transmits a first request to the second device 220 to apply a second periodicity when reporting one or more measurement results in accordance with a determination that the first device 210 is in an overload situation.

[0107] In some demonstrative embodiments, the first device 210 transmits a second request to the second device 220 to resume applying the first periodicity when reporting one or more measurement results in accordance with a determination that the first device 210 is in a non-overload situation.

[0108] In some demonstrative embodiments, the first device 210 transmits an indication of at least one service of the second device 220, and the second periodicity is specific to the at least one service.

[0109] In some exemplary embodiments, the second periodicity is a common periodicity shared among multiple services by the second device 220.

[0110] In some exemplary embodiments, the indication of the second periodicity includes at least one of a value of the second periodicity, an offset value indicating a time difference between the second periodicity and the first periodicity, or a scale factor of the second periodicity relative to the first periodicity.

[0111] In some exemplary embodiments, the second periodicity information is transmitted via a system information block or a radio resource control message.

[0112] In some exemplary embodiments, the second periodicity is longer than the first periodicity.

[0113] In some demonstrative embodiments, the first periodicity is configured by a third device 230, which is a core network device or an operation, management and maintenance device.

[0114] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 210 is an access network device and the second device 220 is a terminal device that includes an access stratum and an application layer.

[0115] A first apparatus capable of performing the method 500 may comprise means for performing each operation of the method 500. These means may be implemented in any suitable manner. For example, these means may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The first apparatus may be implemented as the first device 210 or may be included in the first device 210.

[0116] In some demonstrative embodiments, the first device comprises means for obtaining, at the first device, first periodicity information indicating a first periodicity used by a second device to perform quality of experience measurements; means for determining a second periodicity used by an access stratum of the second device to report one or more measurement results of the quality of experience measurements; and means for transmitting the second periodicity information indicating the second periodicity to the second device.

[0117] In some exemplary embodiments, the means for obtaining the first periodicity information comprises means for obtaining the first periodicity information by at least one of: decoding the first periodicity information from a configuration transmitted by the third device, the configuration being identifiable with respect to an application layer and used to configure quality of experience measurements; extracting the first periodicity information from a message transmitted by the third device, the first periodicity information being transmitted in a manner identifiable with respect to an access stratum; extracting the first periodicity information from a radio resource control message transmitted by the second device; or obtaining the first periodicity information based on statistics of one or more measurement results reported from the second device.

[0118] In some demonstrative embodiments, the first device further comprises means for receiving, from the third device, a configuration used to configure the quality of experience measurement, and means for transmitting an application layer container including the configuration to the second device together with the second periodicity information.

[0119] In some demonstrative embodiments, the means for transmitting the second periodicity information comprises means for transmitting the second periodicity information in accordance with a determination that the first device is in an overload situation.

[0120] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device further comprises means for transmitting a first request to the second device to apply a second periodicity when reporting one or more measurement results according to a determination that the first device is in an overload situation.

[0121] In some demonstrative embodiments, the first device further comprises means for transmitting a second request to the second device to resume applying the first periodicity when reporting the one or more measurement results in accordance with a determination that the first device is in a non-overload situation.

[0122] In some demonstrative embodiments, the first device further comprises means for transmitting an indication of at least one service of the second device, wherein the second periodicity is specific to the at least one service.

[0123] In some exemplary embodiments, the second periodicity is a common periodicity shared among multiple services by the second device.

[0124] In some exemplary embodiments, the indication of the second periodicity includes at least one of a value of the second periodicity, an offset value indicating a time difference between the second periodicity and the first periodicity, or a scale factor of the second periodicity relative to the first periodicity.

[0125] In some exemplary embodiments, the second periodicity information is transmitted via a system information block or a radio resource control message.

[0126] In some exemplary embodiments, the second periodicity is longer than the first periodicity.

[0127] In some demonstrative embodiments, the first periodicity is configured by a third device, and the third device is a core network device or an operation, management and maintenance device.

[0128] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device is an access network device and the second device is a terminal device that includes an access stratum and an application layer.

[0129] 6 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 600 implemented on second device 220, in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For purposes of discussion, method 600 will be described from the perspective of second device 220 with respect to FIG. 2. It should be understood that method 600 may include additional blocks not shown and / or omit some blocks shown, and that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0130] In block 610, the second device 220 receives second periodicity information from the first device 210 indicating a second periodicity to be used by the access stratum of the second device 220 to report one or more measurement results of the quality of experience measurement at the second device 220, the second periodicity being configured based on the first periodicity to be used by the second device 220 to perform the quality of experience measurement.

[0131] In block 620, the second device 220 collects one or more measurement results of quality of experience measurements measured by an application layer of the second device 220 according to the access stratum of the second device 220.

[0132] At block 630, the second device 220 reports one or more measurements according to the second device's 220 access stratum and according to the second periodicity.

[0133] In some demonstrative embodiments, the second device 220 obtains the first periodicity and transmits a message to the first device 210 including first periodicity information indicating the first periodicity.

[0134] In some demonstrative embodiments, the second device 220 receives from the first device 210 an application layer container used to configure parameters for the quality of experience measurement along with the second periodicity information.

[0135] In some exemplary embodiments, the second device 220 reports one or more measurement results according to the second periodicity via the access stratum of the second device 220 pursuant to a determination that the conditions for applying the second periodicity are met.

[0136] In some demonstrative embodiments, the second device 220 determines that the conditions for applying the second periodicity are met in response to at least one of receiving second periodicity information from the first device 210, receiving a first request from the first device 210 to apply the second periodicity when reporting one or more measurement results, or determining that the first device 210 is in an overload situation.

[0137] In some demonstrative embodiments, the second device 220 reports one or more measurement results according to the first periodicity via the access stratum of the second device 220 pursuant to a determination that the conditions for resuming application of the first periodicity are met.

[0138] In some demonstrative embodiments, the second device 220 determines that a condition for resuming application of the first periodicity is met in response to at least one of receiving a second request from the first device 210 to resume applying the first periodicity when reporting one or more measurement results or determining that the first device 210 is in a non-overload situation.

[0139] In some exemplary embodiments, the second device 220 starts a timer according to the second periodicity, appends each of the one or more measurement results to a measurement log, and reports the measurement log to the first device 210 according to a determination that the timer has timed out.

[0140] In some demonstrative embodiments, the second device 220 receives an indication of at least one service of the second device 220 from the first device 210, the second periodicity being specific to the at least one service, and the access stratum of the second device 220 reports one or more measurements of the at least one service according to the second periodicity.

[0141] In some demonstrative embodiments, the second periodicity is a common periodicity shared among multiple services by the second device 220. The second device 220 applies the second periodicity to the multiple services and reports one or more measurement results of the multiple services according to the second periodicity via the access stratum of the second device 220.

[0142] In some exemplary embodiments, the second periodicity information includes at least one of a value of the second periodicity, an offset value indicating a time difference between the second periodicity and the first periodicity, or a scale factor of the second periodicity relative to the first periodicity.

[0143] In some exemplary embodiments, the second periodicity information is received via a system information block or a radio resource control message.

[0144] In some exemplary embodiments, the second periodicity is longer than the first periodicity.

[0145] In some demonstrative embodiments, the first periodicity is configured by a third device 230, which is a core network device or an operation, management and maintenance device.

[0146] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 210 is an access network device and the second device 220 is a terminal device that includes an access stratum and an application layer.

[0147] A second apparatus capable of performing method 600 may comprise means for performing each operation of method 600. These means may be implemented in any suitable manner. For example, these means may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The second apparatus may be implemented as or included in second device 220.

[0148] In some demonstrative embodiments, the second device comprises: means for receiving from the first device second periodicity information indicating a second periodicity used by an access stratum of the second device to report one or more measurement results of the quality of experience measurements at the second device, the second periodicity being configured based on a first periodicity used by the second device to perform the quality of experience measurements; means for collecting, by the access stratum of the second device, one or more measurement results of the quality of experience measurements measured by an application layer of the second device; and means for reporting, by the access stratum of the second device, the one or more measurement results in accordance with the second periodicity.

[0149] In some demonstrative embodiments, the second device further comprises means for obtaining the first periodicity and means for transmitting a message to the first device including first periodicity information indicating the first periodicity.

[0150] In some demonstrative embodiments, the second device further comprises means for receiving from the first device an application layer container used to configure parameters for the quality of experience measurement together with the second periodicity information.

[0151] In some demonstrative embodiments, the means for reporting the one or more measurement results according to the second periodicity comprises means for reporting the one or more measurement results according to the second periodicity by an access stratum of the second device pursuant to a determination that the conditions for applying the second periodicity are met.

[0152] In some demonstrative embodiments, the second device further comprises means for determining that a condition for applying the second periodicity is met in response to at least one of receiving second periodicity information from the first device, receiving a first request from the first device to apply the second periodicity when reporting one or more measurement results, or determining that the first device is in an overload situation.

[0153] In some demonstrative embodiments, the second device further comprises means for reporting, in accordance with a determination that a condition for resuming application of the first periodicity is met, one or more measurement results according to the first periodicity by an access stratum of the second device.

[0154] In some demonstrative embodiments, the second device further comprises means for determining that a condition for resuming applying the first periodicity is met in response to at least one of receiving a second request from the first device to resume applying the first periodicity when reporting one or more measurement results or determining that the first device is in a non-overload situation.

[0155] In some exemplary embodiments, the means for reporting the one or more measurement results according to the second periodicity comprises means for starting a timer according to the second periodicity, means for appending each of the one or more measurement results to a measurement log, and means for reporting the measurement log to the first device according to a determination that the timer has timed out.

[0156] In some demonstrative embodiments, the second device further comprises means for receiving from the first device an indication of at least one service of the second device, the second periodicity being specific to the at least one service, and means for reporting, via an access stratum of the second device, one or more measurement results of the at least one service according to the second periodicity.

[0157] In some exemplary embodiments, the second periodicity is a common periodicity shared among the multiple services by the second device, the second device further comprising: means for applying the second periodicity to the multiple services and means for reporting, by an access stratum of the second device, one or more measurements of the multiple services according to the second periodicity.

[0158] In some exemplary embodiments, the second periodicity information includes at least one of a value of the second periodicity, an offset value indicating a time difference between the second periodicity and the first periodicity, or a scale factor of the second periodicity relative to the first periodicity.

[0159] In some exemplary embodiments, the second periodicity information is received via a system information block or a radio resource control message.

[0160] In some exemplary embodiments, the second periodicity is longer than the first periodicity.

[0161] In some exemplary embodiments, the first periodicity is configured by a third device, and the third device is a core network device or an operation, management and maintenance device.

[0162] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device is an access network device and the second device is a terminal device that includes an access stratum and an application layer.

[0163] 7 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 700 implemented on third device 230, in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For purposes of discussion, method 700 will be described from the perspective of third device 230 with respect to FIG. 2. It should be understood that method 700 may include additional blocks not shown and / or omit some blocks shown, and that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0164] At block 710, the third device 230 obtains a first periodicity to be used by the second device 220 to perform quality of experience measurements at the third device 230.

[0165] At block 720, the third device 230 transmits a message to the first device 210 that includes the first periodicity, the first periodicity being transmitted in a manner identifiable relative to the access stratum.

[0166] In some exemplary embodiments, the third device 230 is a core network device or an operation, management and maintenance device, the first device 210 is an access network device, and the second device 220 is a terminal device including an access stratum and an application layer.

[0167] A third apparatus capable of performing method 700 may comprise means for performing each operation of method 700. These means may be implemented in any suitable manner. For example, these means may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The third apparatus may be implemented as or included in third device 230.

[0168] In some demonstrative embodiments, the third device comprises means for obtaining, at the third device, a first periodicity used by the second device to perform quality of experience measurements; and means for transmitting a message including the first periodicity to the first device, wherein the first periodicity is transmitted in a manner identifiable in relation to an access stratum.

[0169] In some exemplary embodiments, the third device is a core network device or an operation, management and maintenance device, the first device is an access network device, and the second device is a terminal device including an access stratum and an application layer.

[0170] 8 is a simplified block diagram of a device 800 suitable for practicing embodiments of the present disclosure. Device 800 may be provided to implement communications devices such as first device 210, second device 220, and third device 230, as shown in FIG. 2. As shown, device 800 includes one or more processors 810, one or more memories 820 coupled to processor 810, and one or more communications modules 840 (e.g., transmitters and / or receivers) coupled to processor 810.

[0171] The communication module 840 is for two-way communication. The communication module 840 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements.

[0172] Processor 810 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network, and may include, by way of non-limiting example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 800 may have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips time-slaved to a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0173] The memory 820 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 824, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, compact disks (CDs), digital video disks (DVDs), and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 822 and other volatile memory that does not persist while power is off.

[0174] The computer program 830 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 810. The program 830 may be stored in the ROM 820. The processor 810 may load the program 830 into the RAM 820 to perform any suitable operations and processes.

[0175] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by a program 830 such that the device 800 can execute any of the processes of the present disclosure discussed with reference to Figures 3 to 7. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0176] In some embodiments, the program 830 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium that may be included in the device 800 (e.g., memory 820) or in other storage device accessible by the device 800. The device 800 may load the program 830 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 822 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile storage, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Figure 9 shows an example of a computer-readable medium 900 in the form of a CD or DVD. The computer-readable medium has the program 830 stored thereon.

[0177] In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. While various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representations, it should be understood that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented, by way of non-limiting example, in hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing device, or some combination thereof.

[0178] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, that execute on a target real or virtual processor device to perform the methods 500-700 described above with reference to FIGS. 5-7. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split among program modules as desired in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions of the program modules may be executed in a local device or in a distributed device. In a distributed device, the program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0179] Program code for carrying out the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus such that, when executed by the processor or controller, the functions / acts specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams are performed. The program code may run entirely on the machine, partly on the machine as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0180] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program code or associated data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0181] The computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium may include an electrical connection having one or more 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), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0182] Furthermore, although operations are shown in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown, or sequentially, or that all of the operations shown be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain situations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although details of several specific implementations are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be unique to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

[0183] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure, as defined by the appended claims, is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. at least one processor; at least one memory containing computer program code; a first device comprising: The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the first device, using the at least one processor, to: obtaining first periodicity information indicating a first periodicity used by a second device to perform quality of experience measurements; determining a second periodicity to be used by an access stratum of the second device for reporting one or more measurement results of the quality of experience measurements; transmitting second periodicity information to the second device, the second periodicity information indicating the second periodicity; The first device is configured to cause

2. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the first device, using the at least one processor, to: decoding the first periodicity information from a configuration transmitted by a third device, the configuration being identifiable in relation to an application layer and used to configure the quality of experience measurements; extracting the first periodicity information from a message transmitted by the third device, the first periodicity information being transmitted in a manner identifiable relative to the access stratum; extracting the first periodicity information from a radio resource control message transmitted by the second device; or obtaining the first periodicity information based on statistics of the one or more measurements reported by the second device; The first device of claim 1 , configured to cause the first periodicity information to be obtained by at least one of:

3. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the first device, using the at least one processor, to: receiving a configuration from the third device used to configure the quality of experience measurements; sending an application layer container including the configuration along with the second periodicity information to the second device; The first device of claim 1 , further configured to:

4. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the first device, using the at least one processor, to: transmitting the second periodicity information in accordance with a determination that the first device is in an overload situation. The first device of claim 1 , configured to cause the second periodicity information to be transmitted by

5. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the first device, using the at least one processor, to: sending a first request to the second device to apply the second periodicity when reporting the one or more measurements according to a determination that the first device is in an overload situation; The first device of claim 1 , further configured to:

6. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the first device, using the at least one processor, to: sending a second request to the second device to resume applying the first periodicity according to determining that the first device is in a non-overload condition; The first device of claim 1 , further configured to:

7. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the first device, using the at least one processor, to: transmitting an indication of at least one service of the second device, the second periodicity being specific to the at least one service. The first device of claim 1 , further configured to:

8. The first device of claim 1 , wherein the second periodicity is a common periodicity shared among multiple services by the second device.

9. The indication of the second periodicity may be: the second periodicity value, an offset value indicating a time difference between the second periodicity and the first periodicity; or a scale factor of the second periodicity relative to the first periodicity; The first device of claim 1 , comprising at least one of:

10. The first device of claim 1 , wherein the second periodicity information is transmitted via a system information block or a radio resource control message.

11. The first device of claim 1 , wherein the second periodicity is longer than the first periodicity.

12. the first periodicity is configured by a third device; The first device according to claim 1 , wherein the third device is a core network device or an operation, management and maintenance device.

13. The first device of claim 1 , wherein the first device is an access network device and the second device is a terminal device including the access stratum and application layer.

14. at least one processor; at least one memory containing computer program code; a second device comprising: The at least one memory and the computer program code are used by the at least one processor to receiving, from a first device, second periodicity information indicating a second periodicity used by an access stratum of the second device to report one or more measurement results of quality of experience measurements, the second periodicity being configured based on a first periodicity used by the second device to perform the quality of experience measurements; collecting, by the access stratum of the second device, the one or more quality of experience measurements measured by an application layer of the second device; reporting, by the access stratum of the second device, the one or more measurements according to the second periodicity; The second device is configured to cause

15. The at least one memory and the computer program code are used by the at least one processor to obtaining the first periodicity; sending a message to the first device including first periodicity information indicating the first periodicity; The second device of claim 14 further configured to:

16. The at least one memory and the computer program code are used by the at least one processor to receiving from the first device an application layer container used to configure parameters for the quality of experience measurement together with the second periodicity information; The second device of claim 14 further configured to:

17. The at least one memory and the computer program code are used by the at least one processor to reporting, by the access stratum of the second device, the one or more measurements according to the second periodicity in accordance with a determination that the condition for applying the second periodicity is met. The second device of claim 14 , configured to cause the one or more measurements to be reported according to the second periodicity by

18. The at least one memory and the computer program code are used by the at least one processor to receiving the second periodicity information from the first device; receiving a first request from the first device to apply the second periodicity when reporting the one or more measurements; or determining that the first device is in an overload situation; determining that the condition for applying the second periodicity is met in response to at least one of The second device of claim 17 further configured to:

19. The at least one memory and the computer program code are used by the at least one processor to reporting, by the access stratum of the second device, the one or more measurements according to the first periodicity in accordance with a determination that a condition for resuming application of the first periodicity is met. The second device of claim 14 further configured to:

20. The at least one memory and the computer program code are used by the at least one processor to receiving a second request from the first device to resume applying the first periodicity when reporting the one or more measurements; or determining that the first device is in a non-overload condition; determining that the condition for resuming application of the first periodicity is met in response to at least one of 20. The second device of claim 19, further configured to:

21. The at least one memory and the computer program code are used by the at least one processor to starting a timer according to the second periodicity; adding each of the one or more measurements to a measurement log; reporting the measurement log to the first device in response to a determination that the timer has timed out; The second device of claim 14 , configured to cause the one or more measurements to be reported according to the second periodicity by

22. The at least one memory and the computer program code are used by the at least one processor to receiving, from the first device, an indication of at least one service of the second device, wherein the second periodicity is specific to the at least one service; reporting, by the access stratum of the second device, the one or more measurements according to the second periodicity; The second device of claim 14 further configured to:

23. the second periodicity is a common periodicity shared among multiple services by the second device; The at least one memory and the computer program code are used by the at least one processor to applying the second periodicity to a plurality of services; reporting, by the access stratum of the second device, the one or more measurements of the plurality of services according to the second periodicity; The second device of claim 14 , configured to cause the one or more measurements to be reported according to the second periodicity by

24. The second periodicity information is the second periodicity value, an offset value indicating a time difference between the second periodicity and the first periodicity; or a scale factor of the second periodicity relative to the first periodicity; The second device of claim 14, comprising at least one of:

25. The second device of claim 14 , wherein the second periodicity information is received via a system information block or a radio resource control message.

26. The second device of claim 14 , wherein the second periodicity is longer than the first periodicity.

27. the first periodicity is configured by a third device; The second device according to claim 14 , wherein the third device is a core network device or an operation, management and maintenance device.

28. The second device of claim 14 , wherein the first device is an access network device and the second device is a terminal device that includes the access stratum and application layer.

29. at least one processor; at least one memory containing computer program code; a third device comprising: The at least one memory and the computer program code are used by the at least one processor to transmit to the third device: Obtaining a first periodicity used by a second device to perform quality of experience measurements; transmitting first periodicity information to a first device indicating the first periodicity, the first periodicity information being transmitted in a manner identifiable relative to an access stratum; The third device is configured to cause the

30. The third device of claim 29, wherein the third device is a core network device or an operation, management and maintenance device, the first device is an access network device, and the second device is a terminal device including the access stratum and application layer.

31. 1. A method comprising: obtaining, at a first device, first periodicity information indicating a first periodicity used by a second device to perform quality of experience measurements; determining a second periodicity to be used by an access stratum of the second device for reporting one or more measurement results of the quality of experience measurements; transmitting second periodicity information to the second device, the second periodicity information indicating the second periodicity; The method comprising:

32. Obtaining the first periodicity information includes: decoding the first periodicity information from a configuration transmitted by a third device, the configuration being identifiable in relation to an application layer and used to configure the quality of experience measurements; extracting the first periodicity information from a message transmitted by the third device, the first periodicity information being transmitted in a manner identifiable relative to the access stratum; extracting the first periodicity information from a radio resource control message transmitted by the second device; or obtaining the first periodicity information based on statistics of the one or more measurements reported by the second device; 32. The method of claim 31 , comprising obtaining the first periodicity information by at least one of:

33. receiving a configuration from the third device used to configure the quality of experience measurements; sending an application layer container including the configuration along with the second periodicity information to the second device; 32. The method of claim 31 , further comprising:

34. Transmitting the second periodicity information includes: transmitting the second periodicity information in accordance with a determination that the first device is in an overload situation.

32. The method of claim 31 , comprising:

35. sending a first request to the second device to apply the second periodicity when reporting the one or more measurements according to a determination that the first device is in an overload situation; 32. The method of claim 31 , further comprising:

36. sending a second request to the second device to resume applying the first periodicity when reporting the one or more measurements in accordance with determining that the first device is in a non-overload condition.

32. The method of claim 31 , further comprising:

37. transmitting an indication of at least one service of the second device, the second periodicity being specific to the at least one service.

32. The method of claim 31 , further comprising:

38. 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the second periodicity is a common periodicity shared among multiple services by the second device.

39. The indication of the second periodicity may be: the second periodicity value, an offset value indicating a time difference between the second periodicity and the first periodicity; or a scale factor of the second periodicity relative to the first periodicity; 32. The method of claim 31 , comprising at least one of:

40. 32. The method of claim 31 , wherein the second periodicity information is transmitted via a system information block or a radio resource control message.

41. 32. The method of claim 31 , wherein the second periodicity is longer than the first periodicity.

42. the first periodicity is configured by a third device; The method of claim 31 , wherein the third device is a core network device or an operation, management and maintenance device.

43. 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the first device is an access network device and the second device is a terminal device that includes the access stratum and application layer.

44. 1. A method comprising: receiving, at a second device, second periodicity information from a first device indicating a second periodicity used by an access stratum of the second device to report one or more measurement results of quality of experience measurements, the second periodicity being configured based on a first periodicity used by the second device to perform the quality of experience measurements; collecting, by the access stratum of the second device, the one or more quality of experience measurements measured by an application layer of the second device; reporting, by the access stratum of the second device, the one or more measurements according to the second periodicity; The method comprising:

45. obtaining the first periodicity; sending a message to the first device including first periodicity information indicating the first periodicity; 45. The method of claim 44, further comprising:

46. receiving from the first device an application layer container used to configure parameters for the quality of experience measurement together with the second periodicity information; 45. The method of claim 44, further comprising:

47. Reporting the one or more measurements according to the second periodicity includes: reporting, by the access stratum of the second device, the one or more measurements according to the second periodicity in accordance with a determination that the condition for applying the second periodicity is met.

45. The method of claim 44, comprising:

48. receiving the second periodicity information from the first device; receiving a first request from the first device to apply the second periodicity when reporting the one or more measurements; or determining that the first device is in an overload situation; determining that the condition for applying the second periodicity is met in response to at least one of 48. The method of claim 47, further comprising:

49. reporting, by the access stratum of the second device, the one or more measurements according to the first periodicity in accordance with a determination that a condition for resuming application of the first periodicity is met.

45. The method of claim 44, further comprising:

50. receiving a second request from the first device to resume applying the first periodicity when reporting the one or more measurements; or determining that the first device is in a non-overload condition; determining that the condition for resuming application of the first periodicity is met in response to at least one of 50. The method of claim 49, further comprising:

51. Reporting the one or more measurements according to the second periodicity includes: starting a timer according to the second periodicity; adding each of the one or more measurements to a measurement log; reporting the measurement log to the first device in response to a determination that the timer has timed out; 45. The method of claim 44, comprising:

52. receiving, from the first device, an indication of at least one service of the second device, wherein the second periodicity is specific to the at least one service; reporting, by the access stratum of the second device, the one or more measurements of at least one service according to the second periodicity; 45. The method of claim 44, further comprising:

53. the second periodicity is a common periodicity shared among multiple services by the second device; Reporting the one or more measurements according to the second periodicity includes: applying the second periodicity to a plurality of services; reporting, by the access stratum of the second device, the one or more measurements of the plurality of services according to the second periodicity; 45. The method of claim 44, comprising:

54. The second periodicity information is the second periodicity value, an offset value indicating a time difference between the second periodicity and the first periodicity; or a scale factor of the second periodicity relative to the first periodicity; 45. The method of claim 44, comprising at least one of:

55. 45. The method of claim 44, wherein the second periodicity information is received via a system information block or a radio resource control message.

56. 45. The method of claim 44, wherein the second periodicity is longer than the first periodicity.

57. 45. The method of claim 44, wherein the first periodicity is configured by a third device, the third device being a core network device or an operation, management and maintenance device.

58. 45. The method of claim 44, wherein the first device is an access network device and the second device is a terminal device that includes the access stratum and application layer.

59. 1. A method and device comprising: obtaining, at a third device, a first periodicity used by the second device to perform quality of experience measurements; transmitting, by the third device, a message including the first periodicity to the first device, the first periodicity being transmitted in a manner identifiable relative to an access stratum; The method and device.

60. 60. The method of claim 59, wherein the third device is a core network device or an operation, management and maintenance device, the first device is an access network device, and the second device is a terminal device including the access stratum and application layer.

61. means, in the first device, for obtaining first periodicity information indicating a first periodicity used by the second device to perform quality of experience measurements; means for determining a second periodicity to be used by an access stratum of the second device for reporting one or more of the quality of experience measurements; means for transmitting second periodicity information to the second device, the second periodicity information indicating the second periodicity; The first device comprising:

62. means for receiving, in a second device and from a first device, second periodicity information indicating a second periodicity used by an access stratum of the second device to report one or more measurement results of quality of experience measurements, the second periodicity being configured based on a first periodicity used by the second device to perform the quality of experience measurements; means for collecting, by the access stratum of the second device, the one or more quality of experience measurements measured by an application layer of the second device; means for reporting the one or more measurements according to the second periodicity by the access stratum of the second device; The second device.

63. means, in the third device, for obtaining a first periodicity used by the second device to perform quality of experience measurements; means for transmitting a message including the first periodicity to a first device, the first periodicity being transmitted in a manner identifiable relative to an access stratum; The third device.

64. 1. A computer-readable medium containing a computer program, the computer program, when executed by a processor of a first device, causing the first device to: obtaining first periodicity information indicating a first periodicity used by a second device to perform quality of experience measurements; determining a second periodicity to be used by an access stratum of the second device for reporting one or more measurement results of the quality of experience measurements; transmitting second periodicity information to the second device, the second periodicity information indicating the second periodicity; The computer-readable medium causes the computer to perform the above steps.

65. 1. A computer-readable medium containing a computer program, the computer program, when executed by a processor of a second device, causing the second device to: receiving, from a first device, second periodicity information indicating a second periodicity used by an access stratum of the second device to report one or more measurement results of quality of experience measurements, the second periodicity being configured based on a first periodicity used by the second device to perform the quality of experience measurements; collecting, by the access stratum of the second device, the one or more quality of experience measurements measured by an application layer of the second device; reporting, by the access stratum of the second device, the one or more measurements according to the second periodicity; The computer-readable medium causes the computer to perform the above steps.

66. 1. A computer-readable medium containing a computer program, the computer program, when executed by a processor of a third device, causing the third device to: Obtaining a first periodicity used by a second device to perform quality of experience measurements; transmitting first periodicity information to a first device indicating the first periodicity, the first periodicity information being transmitted in a manner identifiable relative to an access stratum; The computer-readable medium causes the computer to perform the above steps.

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