Terminal device, network device, terminal device communication method, and network device communication method

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a communication method, an apparatus, and a computer-readable medium. A terminal device receives a set of measurement configurations, determines air state information of the terminal device, including at least one of an altitude range, a moving state, or a battery state, and performs radio measurements based on at least a subset of the set of measurement configurations associated with the air state information. In this way, more accurate measurement configurations can be provided.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to a communication method, apparatus, and computer storage medium for wireless measurements. [Background technology]

[0002] Airborne User Equipment (UE), such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), is currently receiving a lot of attention. Uplink (UL) interference caused by airborne UEs can degrade the throughput performance of terrestrial UEs. Increasing resource utilization levels further increase interference in the network, which degrades the uplink throughput performance of both airborne and terrestrial UEs. In downlink (DL), the proportion of airborne UEs that experience cell edge-like radio conditions is much higher than that of terrestrial UEs. In this case, extensions to the radio measurements of airborne UEs are required. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] Generally, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, apparatus, and computer storage medium. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] In a first aspect, a method of communication is provided, the method including: receiving, at a terminal device, a set of measurement configurations, determining air state information of the terminal device including at least one of an altitude range, a movement state, or a battery state, and performing radio measurements based on a subset of the set of measurement configurations associated with the air state information.

[0005] In a second aspect, a method of communication is provided, the method including: transmitting, in a network device, a set of measurement configurations, a subset of measurement configurations from the set of measurement configurations being associated with air condition information of a terminal device, the air condition information including at least one of an altitude range, a movement condition, or a battery condition; and receiving results of radio measurements performed based on the subset of measurement configurations.

[0006] In a third aspect, there is provided an apparatus for communications, said apparatus comprising a processor configured to perform a method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, there is provided an apparatus for communications, said apparatus comprising a processor configured to perform a method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, a computer readable medium is provided having instructions stored thereon that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, a computer readable medium is provided having instructions stored thereon that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0010] Other features of the present disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of several exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in the accompanying drawings.

[0012] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of several embodiments of the present disclosure in the accompanying drawings.

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary communication environment in which some embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0014] [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a process for communication according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] [Figure 3A] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary set of measurement setups, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] [Figure 3B] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating another exemplary set of measurement setups, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] [Figure 3C] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating yet another exemplary set of measurement setups, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of blacklisted and whitelisted cells, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] [Diagram 5] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of uptilt and downtilt beam scanning within a measurement window according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG.

[0020] [Figure 6] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary communication method implemented in a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] [Figure 7]FIG. 2 illustrates an example communication method implemented in a network device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] In the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers represent the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] 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 implementing the present disclosure, and do not imply any limitations on the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways different from those described below.

[0025] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, 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 pertains.

[0026] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an exemplary embodiment," and the like indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but each embodiment does not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Moreover, 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 in connection with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0027] It should be understood that although the terms "first" and "second" etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element may be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element may be termed 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.

[0028] The terms used herein are used only for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "said" include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should be further understood that, as used herein, the terms "including," "including," "having," "comprising," "having," and / or "having" specify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0029] In some instances, values, procedures, or devices are referred to as "best," "lowest," "highest," "minimum," "maximum," etc. It should be understood that such descriptions are intended to illustrate that selections can be made from among many functional alternatives used, and that such selections are not necessarily better, smaller, higher, or otherwise more preferred than other selections.

[0030] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network conforming to any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network may be realized 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), 5.5G, 5G-Advanced networks, or sixth generation (6G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocols now known or developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communication, there will naturally be future types of communication technologies and systems in which the present disclosure can be embodied, which should not be considered as limiting the scope of the present disclosure only to the aforementioned systems.

[0031] As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to any device having wireless or wired communication capabilities. Examples of terminal devices include UE, personal computers, desktops, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, tablets, wearable devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC) devices, Internet of Everything (IoE) devices, Machine Type Communication (MTC) devices, vehicle-mounted devices for V2X communications where X means pedestrian, vehicle, or infrastructure / network, devices for Integrated Access and Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB), satellite- or airborne vehicles in a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) including High Altitude Platforms (HAPs) including satellites and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs), Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), Virtual Reality (VR), and other technologies. These include, but are not limited to, extended reality (XR) devices that include different types of reality, such as extended reality (XR: eXtended Reality) devices, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) that are aircraft without a human pilot and are commonly referred to as drones, devices on high speed trains (HST: High Speed ​​Trains), image acquisition devices such as digital cameras, sensor game devices, music storage and playback devices, or Internet appliances that enable wireless or wired Internet access and browsing, etc.The "Terminal Equipment" may further have "Multicast / Broadcast" capabilities to support public safety and mission critical V2X applications, transparent IPv4 / IPv6 multicast distribution, IPTV, Smart TV, wireless services, over-the-air software distribution, group communication and IoT applications. It may also incorporate one or more Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), known as multi-SIMs. The term "Terminal Equipment" may be used interchangeably with UE, mobile station, subscriber station, mobile terminal, user terminal, or wireless device.

[0032] The term "network device" as used herein means a device capable of providing or hosting a cell or coverage in which a terminal device can communicate. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to, satellites, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) platforms, Node Bs (Node B or NB), evolved Node Bs (eNode B or eNB), next generation Node Bs (gNB), Transmit and Receive Points (TRPs), Remote Radio Units (RRUs), Radio Heads (RHs), Remote Radio Heads (RRHs), IAB nodes, femto nodes, pico nodes, and low power nodes such as Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RISs).

[0033] The terminal device or network device may have the capability of artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning. Generally, it includes a model trained from a large amount of data collected for a specific function and can be used to predict some information.

[0034] The terminal device or network device may operate on several frequency ranges, such as FR1 (410 MHz-7125 MHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz-71 GHz), frequency bands greater than 100 GHz, and Tera Hertz (THz). It can also operate on licensed / unlicensed / shared spectrum. The terminal device may have two or more connections with the network device under Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) application scenarios. The terminal device or network device can operate in full duplex, flexible duplex, and cross division duplex modes.

[0035] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in test equipment, such as, for example, a signal generator, a signal analyzer, a spectrum analyzer, a network analyzer, a test terminal equipment, a test network equipment, a channel emulator, and the like.

[0036] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be performed in accordance with any generation of communication protocols now known or developed in the future, 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, 5.5G, 5G-Advanced networks, or sixth generation (6G) networks.

[0037] Generally, the radio characteristics of an airborne UE may be affected by the altitude of the airborne UE. When the altitude of the airborne UE is lower than that of the network device serving the airborne UE, the radio characteristics of the airborne UE are more similar to that of a ground UE (i.e., a terrestrial UE), such as multipath transmission and limited adjacent interference. When the altitude of the airborne UE is higher than that of the network device, the radio characteristics of the airborne UE are different from that of a terrestrial UE, such as line-of-sight transmission and strong adjacent interference. In this case, the network device should track the altitude change of the drone to adjust the communication mode. The airborne UE can see more cells with similar signal strength and more distant cells than the terrestrial UE.

[0038] As mentioned above, the interference caused by airborne UEs reduces the throughput performance of terrestrial UEs. Higher resource utilization levels further increase interference in the network, thereby reducing the uplink throughput performance of both airborne and terrestrial UEs. In DL, the percentage of airborne UEs that experience cell-edge radio conditions (i.e., poor Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (SINR)) is much higher compared to terrestrial UEs. This is because airborne UEs experience DL interference from a larger number of cells than a typical terrestrial UE due to higher line-of-sight propagation probability. In DL, there is a higher probability of a larger number of neighboring cells causing high levels of DL interference for airborne UEs than for terrestrial UEs.

[0039] When the antenna of the network device is tilted downward, an airborne UE whose height is higher than the boresight of the antenna is likely to be served by the side lobe of the antenna. Due to the presence of possible nulls in the side lobe, the airborne UE may see a stronger signal from a far away network device than from the geographically closest network device. Thus, the airborne UE may be served by a far away base station instead of the closest base station. In some scenarios where reciprocity does not hold due to, for example, different side lobe orientations in UL and DL, or different channel characteristics in Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) deployment, the DL path loss and UL path loss of the airborne UE may be different.

[0040] The measurement report may not include measurement results (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP)) for all cells significantly interfered with by the airborne UE due to limitations on the number of cells reported. When ranking the measurement results by RSRP at the airborne UE without considering the transmission power of the network device serving the airborne UE, the airborne UE may report the results corresponding to the cell with the highest RSRP. The RSRP and Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) characteristics of an airborne airborne UE are different from the RSRP and Received Signal Strength Indicator characteristics associated with a terrestrial UE.

[0041] The inventors have found that if the network device aims to perform geofencing in a certain altitude range, measurement settings are not required for disallowed cells. Furthermore, if the uptilt beam and the downtilt beam scan in different time domains, the airborne UE may not need to use the entire measurement window. In addition, for the airborne UE, the measurement reports should be reduced to improve the UL interference caused by the airborne UE.

[0042] In view of the above, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an improved communication solution for radio measurements to overcome the above and other potential problems. In this solution, a terminal device determines air state information of the terminal device, including at least one of an altitude range, a moving state, or a battery state. Then, the terminal device performs radio measurements based on a subset of measurement settings associated with the air state information from a set of measurement settings that have been set. In other words, the terminal device may have different air state information in different conditions, and the different air state information may be associated with different measurement settings. A terminal device having a specific air state information may perform radio measurements only based on one or more measurement settings associated with the specific air state information.

[0043] In this way, it is possible to provide a more accurate measurement configuration. The measurement configuration may be specific to a specific air-state UE. The allowed cell set may be specific to a specific air-state. A specific Synchronization Signal / Physical Broadcast CHannel (SS / PBCH) block measurement timing configuration (SMTC) for a specific air-state UE may be configured to set up SS / PBCH block measurements for uptilt beams only, thus improving power efficiency. A specific air-state UE may be configured to set up SS / PBCH block measurements for uptilt beams only, thus improving power efficiency. A reporting configuration may be specific to a specific air-state UE. For air-state UEs, the reporting amount may also be reduced by appropriate reporting configuration.

[0044] The principles and exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Communication Network Example

[0045] 1 illustrates an exemplary communication environment 100 in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. Network environment 100 includes terminal device 110 and network device 120 serving terminal device 110. Network device 120 may provide one or more serving cells to terminal device 110 or any other terminal device not shown. In the example of FIG. 1, network device 120 provides serving cell 121 at an altitude above network device 120.

[0046] For convenience, the following description assumes that the terminal device 110 is in the serving cell 121 of the network device 120. In the example of Figure 1, the terminal device 110 is shown as an airborne terminal device. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable to ground terminal devices.

[0047] When the terminal device 110 is within the serving cell 121 of the network device 120, the terminal device 110 may communicate with the network device 120 via a service link or a radio link, etc. Communication in the direction from the terminal device 110 to the network device 120 is referred to as UL communication, and communication in the direction from the network device 120 to the terminal device 110 is referred to as DL communication.

[0048] Communications in the communication environment 100 may conform to any suitable standard, including, but not limited to, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and the like. Furthermore, communications may be performed according to any generation of communications protocols now known or developed in the future. Examples of communications protocols include, but are not limited to, first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G), 5.5G, 5G-Advanced networks, or sixth generation (6G) communications protocols.

[0049] It should be understood that the number of and connections between network devices, terminal devices, and serving cells are used for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitations. Communications environment 100 may include any suitable access network devices, terminal devices, and serving cells suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0050] In some scenarios, the terminal device 110 may receive a measurement configuration from the network device 120 and perform radio measurements based on the measurement configuration. Then, the terminal device 110 may report results of the radio measurements to the network device 120.

[0051] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an improved communication solution for wireless measurements, which will now be described in detail with reference to Figures 2-5. Wireless measurement implementation example

[0052] 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a process 200 for communication according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For purposes of explanation, the process 200 will be described with reference to FIG 1. The process 200 may involve a terminal device 110 and a network device 120 as shown in FIG 1.

[0053] As shown in Fig. 2, the network device 120 transmits a set of measurement configurations to the terminal device 110 (201). For example, the network device 120 may transmit the set of measurement configurations in an RRC connection reconfiguration message. It should be understood that this is only an example, and the set of measurement configurations may be transmitted in any other suitable manner. Furthermore, the set of measurement configurations may refer to one or more measurement configurations.

[0054] In some embodiments, each measurement configuration in the set of measurement configurations may include a measurement identity (ID). The measurement ID is associated with a measurement object and a reporting configuration. In other words, a measurement configuration may include a measurement ID, a measurement object associated with the measurement ID, and a reporting configuration associated with the measurement ID. It should be understood that for measurement reporting, each measurement identity is a list of measurement identities that links one measurement object with one reporting configuration. By configuring multiple measurement identities, it is possible to link two or more measurement objects to the same reporting configuration and to link two or more reporting configurations to the same measurement object.

[0055] In some embodiments, a measurement configuration from the set of measurement configurations may be associated with a particular air condition information of the terminal device. In some embodiments, the air condition information may include an altitude range. For example, a measurement object and reporting configuration associated with a measurement ID with a particular altitude range may be available only for UEs that are within the particular altitude range. As another example, a measurement object and reporting configuration associated with a measurement ID without an altitude range may be available for all altitudes.

[0056] In some embodiments, the altitude range may be divided into N levels by N-1 threshold altitudes, and the threshold altitudes may be predefined or set by the network device 120. For example, the altitude range may include a high position, a medium position, or a low position. If the position of the terminal device 110 is above a first threshold altitude, the altitude range may be estimated as a high position. If the position of the terminal device 110 is below the first threshold altitude and above a second threshold altitude that is lower than the first threshold altitude, the altitude range may be estimated as a medium position. If the position of the terminal device 110 is below the second threshold altitude, the altitude range may be estimated as a low position.

[0057] In some embodiments, the airborne state information may include a moving state. For example, the moving state may be estimated by the number of cells that have undergone cell changes within a certain period (also referred to herein as a first period for convenience). As another example, the moving state may be estimated by the number of cell changes within a certain period (also referred to herein as a second period for convenience). The cell changes may include at least one of handover, cell selection, or cell reselection. As yet another example, the moving state may be estimated by the speed of the terminal device. For example, the speed may include at least one of vertical speed or horizontal speed. It should be understood that the moving state may be estimated by any combination of the above factors and any other suitable factors.

[0058] In some embodiments, the mobility state may be divided into N levels by N-1 threshold numbers, which may be predefined or set by the network device 120. For example, the mobility state may include high mobility, medium mobility, or low mobility. If the number of cell reselections in a period exceeds a first threshold number, the mobility may be estimated as high mobility. If the number of cell reselections in the period falls below the first threshold number and exceeds a second threshold number that is smaller than the first threshold number, the mobility may be estimated as medium mobility. If the number of cell reselections in the period falls below the second threshold number, the mobility may be estimated as low mobility.

[0059] In some embodiments, the airborne state information may include a battery state. In some embodiments, the battery state may be divided into N levels by N-1 threshold powers, and the threshold powers may be predefined or set by the network device 120. For example, the battery state may include high battery power, medium battery power, or low battery power. If the battery power of the terminal device 110 exceeds a first threshold power, the battery state may be estimated as high battery power. If the battery power of the terminal device 110 falls below the first threshold power and exceeds a second threshold power lower than the first threshold power, the power state may be estimated as medium battery power. If the battery power of the terminal device 110 falls below the second threshold power, the power state may be estimated as low battery power. It should be understood that the airborne state information may include any combination of the above information and any other suitable information.

[0060] In some embodiments, the air state information of the terminal device may be associated with one or more measurement IDs. FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram 300A illustrating an example set of measurement configurations according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3A, the set of measurement configurations may include a set of measurement IDs 310, a set of measurement objects 311, and a set of reporting configurations 312. Air state information 313 is associated with at least some of the set of measurement IDs 310. In this example, Aerial state information_1 is associated with Measurement ID_1, which is associated with Measurement Object_1 and ReportConfig_1. Aerial state information_2 is associated with Measurement ID_2 and Measurement ID_3, which is associated with Measurement Object_2 and ReportConfig_2, and which is associated with Measurement Object_3 and ReportConfig_3. Measurement ID_4 is associated with Measurement Object_2 and ReportConfig_3, but is not associated with the air state information.

[0061] In some embodiments, the air state information of the terminal device may be associated with one or more measurement objects. In some embodiments, the air state information may be associated with one or more measurement object IDs included in the one or more measurement objects. In other words, the air state information may be associated with one or more measurement objects identified or represented by the measurement object IDs.

[0062] FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram 300B illustrating another exemplary set of measurement configurations according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3B, the set of measurement configurations may include a set of measurement IDs 320, a set of measurement objects 321, and a set of report configurations 322. Measurement ID_1 is associated with Measurement Object_1 and ReportConfig_1, Measurement ID_2 is associated with Measurement Object_2 and ReportConfig_2, Measurement ID_3 is associated with Measurement Object_3 and ReportConfig_3, and Measurement ID_4 is associated with Measurement Object_2 and ReportConfig_3. Aerial state information 323 is associated with at least some of the set of measurement objects 321. In this example, Aerial state information_1 is associated with the measurement object ID of Measurement Object_1, and Aerial state information_2 is associated with the measurement object ID of Measurement Object_2 and the measurement object ID of Measurement Object_3.

[0063] Although not shown in FIG. 3B, different air state information may be associated with different values ​​of configuration parameters in the measurement object. In some embodiments, the air state information may be associated with a black cell list or a white cell list included in the measurement object. In some embodiments, the air state information may be associated with one or more SMTCs included in the measurement object. In some embodiments, the air state information may be associated with one or more synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) included in the measurement object.

[0064] In some embodiments, the aerial state information of the terminal device may be associated with one or more reporting configurations. For example, the aerial state information may be associated with configuration parameters in the reporting configuration. FIG. 3C is a schematic diagram 300C illustrating yet another example set of measurement configurations according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3C, the set of measurement configurations may include a set of measurement IDs 330, a set of measurement objects 331, and a set of reporting configurations 332. Measurement ID_1 is associated with Measurement Object_1 and ReportConfig_1, Measurement ID_2 is associated with Measurement Object_2 and ReportConfig_2, Measurement ID_3 is associated with Measurement Object_3 and ReportConfig_3, and Measurement ID_4 is associated with Measurement Object_2 and ReportConfig_3. The aerial state information 333 is associated with different values ​​of configuration parameters in the reporting configuration. In this example, Aerial state information_1 and Aerial state information_2 are associated with different values ​​of configuration parameters in ReportConfig_1.

[0065] In some embodiments, a configuration parameter in the reporting configuration may indicate whether beam measurements have been reported. In some embodiments, the configuration parameter may indicate the number of detected cells required to satisfy the event that triggers a measurement report. In some embodiments, the configuration parameter may indicate whether only cells included in a white cell list are applicable for reporting. In some embodiments, the configuration parameter may indicate a timer used to limit subsequent reports.

[0066] In some alternative embodiments, the measurement configurations of the set of measurement configurations may not be associated with the air state information of the terminal device, in which case the measurement configurations may be used regardless of the air state information of the terminal device.

[0067] 2, the terminal device 110 determines (202) air state information for the terminal device 110. The air state information includes at least one of an altitude range, a movement state, or a battery state.

[0068] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may transmit an instruction indicating the determination of the air state information of the terminal device 110 (201'). When this instruction is received, the terminal device 110 may determine the air state information of the terminal device 110. In some embodiments, if the instruction indicating the determination of the air state information is not received, the terminal device 110 may perform radio measurements based on the set of measurement configurations (e.g., the set of measurement configurations 320 of FIG. 3) without considering the air state information. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine the air state information of the terminal device 110 without this instruction.

[0069] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may transmit (210) to the terminal device 110 a configuration indicating at least one criterion for determining the air state information. For example, different air states or air state information may be separated by thresholds in a list set as follows: aerialStateCriterion CHOICE { altitudeRange Altitude-ThresholdsList mobilityState Mobility-ThresholdsList batteryStatus Battery-ThresholdsList } altitude-ThresholdsList ::= SEQUENCE (SIZE(1.. maxNrofAlitude-Ranges)) OF Altitude-Range mobility-ThresholdsList ::= SEQUENCE (SIZE(1.. maxNrofMobility-Ranges)) OF Mobility-Range battery-ThresholdsList ::= SEQUENCE (SIZE(1.. maxNrofBattery-Ranges)) OF Battery-Range.

[0070] Once the configuration is received, the terminal device 110 may determine (211) air state information of the terminal device 110 based on the at least one criterion. For example, the air state or air state information associated with two or more criteria may be as follows: Airborne condition 1: Altitude below H and horizontal speed below V Airborne condition 2: Altitude below H and horizontal speed above V Airborne condition 3: Altitude above H and horizontal speed below V Airborne condition 4: Altitude above H and horizontal speed above V.

[0071] It should be understood that any suitable criteria can be used to determine the air state information. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine the movement state of the terminal device 110 based on at least one of the number of cells that have undergone cell changes during a first period of time, the number of cell changes during a second period of time, or the speed of the terminal device 110.

[0072] When the air state information is determined, the terminal device 110 performs radio measurements based on at least a subset of the measurement configurations associated with the air state information from the set of measurement configurations (203). In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may perform radio measurements based on a subset of the measurement configurations associated with the air state information from the set of measurement configurations. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may perform radio measurements based on a subset of the measurement configurations associated with the determined air state information from the set of measurement configurations and based on another subset of the measurement configurations not associated with any air state information from the set of measurement configurations. In the context of the present disclosure, a subset of measurement configurations refers to one or more measurement configurations. For illustration, some exemplary embodiments of performance of radio measurements are described below in relation to embodiments 1 to 6. EMBODIMENT 1

[0073] In this embodiment, the air condition information is associated with a set of measurement IDs, which may refer to one or more measurement IDs. For convenience, this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3A.

[0074] 2, the terminal device 110 may determine (220) a set of measurement IDs associated with the determined air state information from the set of measurement settings. For each measurement ID in the set of measurement IDs, the terminal device 110 may determine a measurement target and a reporting setting associated with the measurement ID. Thus, the terminal device 110 may determine (221) a set of measurement targets and a set of reporting settings associated with the set of measurement IDs.

[0075] For example, assume that the aerial state information is Aerial state information_2 as shown in Fig. 3A. The terminal device 110 may determine Measurement ID_2 and Measurement ID_3 associated with Aerial state information_2. Then, the terminal device 110 may determine Measurement Object_2 and ReportConfig_2 associated with Measurement ID_2, and Measurement Object_3 and ReportConfig_3 associated with Measurement ID_3.

[0076] The terminal device 110 may perform radio measurements based on the set of measurement objects (e.g., Measurement Object_2 and Measurement Object_3) (222), and report results of the radio measurements to the network device 120 based on the set of report configurations (e.g., ReportConfig_2 and ReportConfig_3) (223). In this way, more flexible measurement configurations can be provided. The measurement configurations may be specific to a UE in a particular airborne state. EMBODIMENT 2

[0077] In this embodiment, the air condition information is associated with a set of black cell lists or white cell lists included in the measurement object, which refers to one or more black cell lists or white cell lists. For convenience, this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 2, 3B and 4.

[0078] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram 400 illustrating an example of blacklisted cells and whitelisted cells according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, different altitudes are associated with different black cell lists or white cell lists. As shown in FIG. 4, at altitude A, the black cell list may include cell 1 and cell 4 as restricted areas. At altitude B, the black cell list may be null. It should be understood that this is only an example, and the black cell list or white cell list may also be associated with the speed or battery status of the terminal device. Of course, the black cell list or white cell list may also be associated with a combination of two or more of the speed, battery status, and altitude of the terminal device.

[0079] Returning to Figure 2, the terminal device 110 may determine a set of measurement IDs from the set of measurement configurations (230). For each measurement ID in the set of measurement IDs, the terminal device 110 may determine a measurement target and a reporting configuration associated with the measurement ID. Thus, the terminal device 110 may determine a set of measurement targets and a set of reporting configurations associated with the set of measurement IDs (231).

[0080] For example, for a set of measurement configurations as shown in Fig. 3B, the terminal device 110 may determine Measurement ID_1, Measurement ID_2, Measurement ID_3, and Measurement ID_4. Then, the terminal device 110 may determine Measurement Object_1 and ReportConfig_1 associated with Measurement ID_1, Measurement Object_2 and ReportConfig_2 associated with Measurement ID_2, Measurement Object_3 and ReportConfig_3 associated with Measurement ID_3, and Measurement Object_2 and ReportConfig_3 associated with Measurement ID_4.

[0081] The terminal device 110 may perform radio measurement based on the set of measurement objects (e.g., Measurement Object_1, Measurement Object_2, and Measurement Object_3) (232). For a measurement object having a set of black cell lists or white cell lists associated with the air state information, the terminal device 110 may determine a subset of the black cell lists or white cell lists associated with the determined air state information from the set of black cell lists or white cell lists included in the measurement objects. As shown in FIG. 4, assume that the air state information is at altitude A. The terminal device 110 may determine a black cell list including cell 1 and cell 4, or a white cell list including cell 2 and cell 3. Then, the terminal device 110 may perform radio measurement based on the subset of the black cell lists or white cell lists.

[0082] Thus, the terminal device 110 may report 233 the results of the radio measurements to the network device 120 based on the set of reporting configurations (eg, ReportConfig_1, ReportConfig_2, and ReportConfig_3).

[0083] In this way it is also possible to provide a more flexible measurement configuration: the allowed cell set may be specific to a certain air state, and geo-fencing for UEs in different air states can be realized, since only allowed cells can trigger event evaluation or measurement reporting. EMBODIMENT 3

[0084] In this embodiment, the air condition information is associated with a set of SMTCs included in the measurement object, where the set of SMTCs refers to one or more SMTCs. For convenience, this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 3B and 5.

[0085] 5 is a schematic diagram 500 illustrating an example of uptilt beam scanning and downtilt beam scanning in a measurement window according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, in a measurement window 510, the network device 120 may perform only downtilt beam scanning in a period 511 and may perform only uptilt beam scanning in a period 512. In this case, the terminal device 110 does not need to use the entire measurement window for radio measurement.

[0086] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine a set of measurement IDs from the set of measurement configurations. For each measurement ID in the set of measurement IDs, the terminal device 110 may determine a measurement target and a reporting configuration associated with the measurement ID. Thus, the terminal device 110 may determine a set of measurement targets and a set of reporting configurations associated with the set of measurement IDs.

[0087] For example, for a set of measurement configurations as shown in Fig. 3B, the terminal device 110 may determine Measurement ID_1, Measurement ID_2, Measurement ID_3, and Measurement ID_4. Then, the terminal device 110 may determine Measurement Object_1 and ReportConfig_1 associated with Measurement ID_1, Measurement Object_2 and ReportConfig_2 associated with Measurement ID_2, Measurement Object_3 and ReportConfig_3 associated with Measurement ID_3, and Measurement Object_2 and ReportConfig_3 associated with Measurement ID_4.

[0088] The terminal device 110 may perform radio measurements based on the set of measurement objects (e.g., Measurement Object_1, Measurement Object_2, and Measurement Object_3). For each measurement object, the terminal device 110 may determine a subset of SMTCs associated with the air state information from the set of SMTCs included in the measurement object.

[0089] In some embodiments, N different SMTC configuration sets may correspond to N altitude ranges. For example, the measurement target may be configured as follows: In this case, a terminal device that is within a certain altitude range may use a corresponding subset of SMTCs in smtcPerAltitudeRange. MeasObjectNR ::= SEQUENCE { ssbFrequency ARFCN-ValueNR ssbSubcarrierSpacing SubcarrierSpacing smtc1 SSB-MTC smtc2 SSB-MTC2 smtcPerAltitudeRange SEQUENCE (SIZE (1..maxNrofAlitudeRanges)) OF SSB-MTC alitude-ThresholdsList ::= SEQUENCE (SIZE(1.. maxNrofAlitudeRanges)) OF Alitude-Range.

[0090] In some embodiments, a specific SMTC configuration may be configured for an airborne UE or a UE in an airborne state. For example, the measurement objects may be configured as follows: In this case, for example, a terminal device in an airborne mode 1 may use a corresponding subset of SMTC indicated by smtc-AerialMode1, and a UE in an airborne mode 2 may use a corresponding subset of SMTC indicated by smtc-AerialMode2. MeasObjectNR ::= SEQUENCE { ssbFrequency ARFCN-ValueNR ssbSubcarrierSpacing SubcarrierSpacing smtc1 SSB-MTC smtc2 SSB-MTC2 smtc-AerialMode1 SSB-MTC smtc-AerialMode2 SSB-MTC.

[0091] In some embodiments, SMTC configurations with N different offsets may correspond to N altitude ranges. For example, a measurement target may include the following configurations: In this case, a terminal device that is within a certain altitude range may calculate the start of the SMTC window using the corresponding offset indicated in offsetPerAltitudeRange. SSB-MTC-AERIAL ::= SEQUENCE { periodicity ENUMERATED {sf10, sf20, sf40, sf80, sf160, spare3, spare2, spare1} duration ENUMERATED { sf1, sf2, sf3, sf4, sf5} offsetPerAltitudeRange SEQUENCE (SIZE (1..maxNrofAltitude-Ranges)) OF offset } offset INTEGER (0..N).

[0092] In some embodiments, a different offset for a particular altitude range may be calculated based on the offset setting in "periodicityAndOffset". For example, the measurement target may include the following settings: In this case, a terminal device in a particular altitude range may use the corresponding offset to calculate the start of the SMTC window. For example, for a terminal device in aerial mode 1, if periodicityAndOffset is sf20 and 5 and offset-AerialMode1 is 10, the start of the SMTC window is 5 subframes + 10 subframes = 15 subframes. SSB-MTC ::= SEQUENCE { periodicityAndOffset CHOICE { sf5 INTEGER (0..4), sf10 INTEGER (0..9), sf20 INTEGER (0..19), sf40 INTEGER (0..39), sf80 INTEGER (0..79), sf160 INTEGER (0..159) }, duration ENUMERATED { sf1, sf2, sf3, sf4, sf5} offset-AerialMode1 INTEGER (0..N) offset-AerialMode2 INTEGER (0..N) }

[0093] In this case, the time interval for the uptilt beam may be indicated in the SMTC setting or calculated by Equation 1 below. Duration_AerialMode = duration - offsetAerialMode (1) Here, Duration_AerialMode represents the time interval for the uptilt beam, duration represents the configured duration for the radio measurement, and offsetAerialMode represents the configured offset, e.g. indicated by offset-AerialMode1 for a terminal device in aerial mode 1.

[0094] Thus, the terminal device 110 may report results of radio measurements to the network device 120 based on the set of reporting configurations (eg, ReportConfig_1, ReportConfig_2, and ReportConfig_3).

[0095] In this way, it is also possible to provide a more flexible measurement configuration. Furthermore, SS / PBCH block measurements may be set up on uptilt beams by configuring a specific SMTC for airborne UEs. EMBODIMENT 4

[0096] In this embodiment, the air state information is associated with a set of SSBs included in the measurement target (e.g., SSB-ToMeasure). The set of SSBs refers to one or more SSBs measured within the SMTC measurement time interval. For convenience, this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3B.

[0097] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine a set of measurement IDs from the set of measurement configurations. For each measurement ID in the set of measurement IDs, the terminal device 110 may determine a measurement target and a reporting configuration associated with the measurement ID. Thus, the terminal device 110 may determine a set of measurement targets and a set of reporting configurations associated with the set of measurement IDs.

[0098] For example, for a set of measurement configurations as shown in Fig. 3B, the terminal device 110 may determine Measurement ID_1, Measurement ID_2, Measurement ID_3, and Measurement ID_4. Then, the terminal device 110 may determine Measurement Object_1 and ReportConfig_1 associated with Measurement ID_1, Measurement Object_2 and ReportConfig_2 associated with Measurement ID_2, Measurement Object_3 and ReportConfig_3 associated with Measurement ID_3, and Measurement Object_2 and ReportConfig_3 associated with Measurement ID_4.

[0099] The terminal device 110 may perform radio measurements based on the set of measurement objects (e.g., Measurement Object_1, Measurement Object_2, and Measurement Object_3). For each measurement object, the terminal device 110 may determine a subset of SSBs associated with the air state information from the set of SSBs included in the measurement object.

[0100] In some embodiments, a specific SSB-ToMeasure configuration may be configured for an airborne UE or a UE in an airborne state. For example, the measurement object may include the following configuration: In this case, for example, a terminal device in airborne mode 1 may use a corresponding subset of SSB-ToMeasure indicated by ssb-ToMeasure-AerialMode1, and a terminal device in airborne mode 2 may use a corresponding subset of SSB-ToMeasure indicated by ssb-ToMeasure-AerialMode2. SSB-ConfigMobility::= SEQUENCE { ssb-ToMeasure SetupRelease { SSB-ToMeasure} ssb-ToMeasure-AerialMode1 SetupRelease { SSB-ToMeasure} ssb-ToMeasure-AerialMode2 SetupRelease { SSB-ToMeasure} … }

[0101] Thus, the terminal device 110 may report results of radio measurements to the network device 120 based on the set of reporting configurations (eg, ReportConfig_1, ReportConfig_2, and ReportConfig_3).

[0102] In this way, it is also possible to provide a more flexible measurement configuration. Furthermore, SS / PBCH block measurements may be set up by configuring an uptilt beam for the airborne UE. EMBODIMENT 5

[0103] In this embodiment, the air condition information is associated with a set of configuration parameters included in the reporting configuration, which may refer to one or more configuration parameters. For convenience, this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3C.

[0104] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine a set of measurement IDs from the set of measurement configurations. For each measurement ID in the set of measurement IDs, the terminal device 110 may determine a measurement target and a reporting configuration associated with the measurement ID. Thus, the terminal device 110 may determine a set of measurement targets and a set of reporting configurations associated with the set of measurement IDs.

[0105] For example, for a set of measurement configurations as shown in Fig. 3C, the terminal device 110 may determine Measurement ID_1, Measurement ID_2, Measurement ID_3, and Measurement ID_4. Then, the terminal device 110 may determine Measurement Object_1 and ReportConfig_1 associated with Measurement ID_1, Measurement Object_2 and ReportConfig_2 associated with Measurement ID_2, Measurement Object_3 and ReportConfig_3 associated with Measurement ID_3, and Measurement Object_2 and ReportConfig_3 associated with Measurement ID_4.

[0106] The terminal device 110 may perform radio measurements based on the set of measurement objects (eg, Measurement Object_1, Measurement Object_2, and Measurement Object_3).

[0107] The terminal device 110 may then determine a subset of configuration parameters associated with the determined air state information from the set of configuration parameters. The subset of configuration parameters refers to one or more configuration parameters. In some embodiments, the set of configuration parameters may include a configuration parameter indicating whether beam measurements are reported (e.g., includeBeamMeasurements included in PeriodicalReportConfig). In some embodiments, the set of configuration parameters may include a configuration parameter indicating the number of detected cells required to satisfy the event for which a measurement report is triggered (e.g., numberOfTriggeringCells included in EventTriggerConfig). In some embodiments, the set of configuration parameters may include a configuration parameter indicating whether only cells included in a white cell list are applicable for reporting (e.g., useWhiteCellList included in EventTriggerConfig). In some embodiments, the set of configuration parameters may include a configuration parameter indicating a timer for limiting subsequent reports (e.g., a prohibit timer for limiting subsequent reports included in EventTriggerConfig).

[0108] The terminal device 110 may then report radio measurements based on the subset of measurement parameters to the network device 120. In this way, it is also possible to provide a more flexible measurement configuration, which may further be specific to the UE in a particular airborne state. EMBODIMENT 6

[0109] In this embodiment, the air state information is associated with a set of measurement object IDs included in each measurement object. The set of measurement object IDs refers to one or more measurement object IDs. For example, the measurement object may be set as follows: MeasObjectToAddMod ::= SEQUENCE { measObjectId MeasObjectId, measObject CHOICE { measObjectNR MeasObjectNR, ..., measObjectEUTRA MeasObjectEUTRA, measObjectUTRA-FDD-r16 MeasObjectUTRA-FDD-r16, measObjectNR-SL-r16 MeasObjectNR-SL-r16, measObjectCLI-r16 MeasObjectCLI-r16 } }

[0110] For convenience, the following description will be given with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3B. As shown in Fig. 2, the terminal device 110 determines a set of measurement objects from the set of measurement configurations, including a measurement object having a measurement object identity associated with the aerial state information. With reference to Fig. 3B, it is assumed that the aerial state information is Aerial state information 2. The terminal device 110 may determine Measurement Object_2 and Measurement Object_3 associated with Aerial state information 2.

[0111] Then, the terminal device 110 may determine a set of measurement IDs associated with the set of measurement objects (241). Still referring to Fig. 3B, the terminal device 110 may determine Measurement ID_2 and Measurement ID_4 associated with Measurement Object_2, and Measurement ID_3 associated with Measurement Object_3. That is, the terminal device 110 may determine Measurement ID_2, Measurement ID_3, and Measurement ID_4 as the set of measurement IDs.

[0112] The terminal device 110 may determine a set of reporting configurations associated with the set of measurement IDs (242). With continued reference to FIG. 3B , the terminal device 110 may determine ReportConfig_2 associated with Measurement ID_2 and ReportConfig_3 associated with Measurement ID_3 and Measurement ID_4. That is, the terminal device 110 may determine ReportConfig_2 and ReportConfig_3 as the set of reporting configurations.

[0113] The terminal device 110 may then perform radio measurements based on the set of measurement objects (e.g., Measurement Object_2 and Measurement Object_3) (243) and report results of the radio measurements based on the set of reporting configurations (e.g., ReportConfig_2 and ReportConfig_3) (244).

[0114] In this way it is also possible to provide a more flexible measurement configuration, which may furthermore be specific to the UE in a particular airborne state.

[0115] Up to this point, the performance of the radio measurements has been described. It should be understood that the above-mentioned embodiments 1 to 6 may be implemented separately or in any suitable combination. Example of the method

[0116] Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide communication methods implemented in a terminal device and a network device, which are described below with reference to Figures 6 to 7.

[0117] 6 illustrates an example communication method 600 implemented in a terminal device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the method 600 may be performed in a terminal device 110 as shown in FIG. For purposes of explanation, the method 600 will be described below with reference to FIG. 1. It should be understood that the method 600 may include additional blocks not shown and / or omit some blocks that are shown, and that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0118] At block 610, terminal device 110 receives a set of measurement configurations. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may receive the set of measurement configurations from network device 120. Of course, terminal device 110 may also receive the set of measurement configurations from any other suitable device.

[0119] In block 620, the terminal device 110 determines the air state information of the terminal device 110. The air state information includes at least one of an altitude range, a movement state, or a battery state. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive an indication indicating the determination of the air state information and determine the air state information based on the receipt of the indication. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive the indication from the network device 120. Of course, the terminal device 110 may also receive the setting from any other suitable device.

[0120] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine the mobility state based on at least one of the number of cells in which a cell change occurred during a first time period, the number of cell changes during a second time period, or a speed of the terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive a configuration indicating at least one criterion for determining the airborne state information and determine the airborne state information based on the at least one criterion.

[0121] In block 630, the terminal device 110 performs radio measurements based on at least a subset of the measurement configurations of the set of measurement configurations associated with the air condition information. In some embodiments, a measurement configuration of the set of measurement configurations may include a measurement identity, a measurement target associated with the measurement identity, and a reporting configuration associated with the measurement identity.

[0122] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 determines a set of measurement identities associated with the air condition information, determines a set of measurement objects and a set of reporting settings associated with the set of measurement identities, performs the radio measurements based on the set of measurement objects, and reports results of the radio measurements based on the set of reporting settings. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may report results of the radio measurements to the network device 120. Of course, the terminal device 110 may also report results of the radio measurements to any other suitable device.

[0123] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may determine a set of measurement identities from the set of measurement configurations, determine a set of measurement objects and a set of reporting configurations associated with the set of measurement identities, perform the radio measurements based on the set of measurement objects, and report results of the radio measurements based on the set of reporting configurations. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may report results of the radio measurements to network device 120. Of course, terminal device 110 may also report results of the radio measurements to any other suitable device.

[0124] In some embodiments, the measurement objects of the set of measurement objects include a set of black cell lists or white cell lists. In these embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine a subset of the black cell lists or white cell lists associated with the air condition information from the set of black cell lists or white cell lists, and perform the radio measurement based on the subset of the black cell lists or white cell lists.

[0125] In some embodiments, the measurement objects of the set of measurement objects include a set of SMTCs. In these embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine a subset of SMTCs from the set of SMTCs associated with the air condition information and perform the radio measurement based on the subset of SMTCs.

[0126] In some embodiments, the measurement objects of the set of measurement objects include a set of SSBs. In these embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine a subset of SSBs from the set of SSBs associated with the air state information and perform the radio measurements based on the subset of SSBs.

[0127] In some embodiments, the reporting configuration of the set of reporting configurations includes a set of configuration parameters indicating one of: whether beam measurements are reported, the number of detected cells required to satisfy an event that triggers a measurement report, whether only cells included in a white cell list are applicable for reporting, or a timer used to limit subsequent reports. In these embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine from the set of configuration parameters a subset of configuration parameters associated with the air condition information and report the results of the radio measurements based on the subset of configuration parameters.

[0128] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine a set of measurement objects from the set of measurement configurations, the set of measurement objects including a measurement object identity associated with the air condition information, determine a set of measurement identities associated with the set of measurement objects, determine a set of reporting configurations associated with the set of measurement identities, perform the radio measurement based on the set of measurement objects, and report a result of the radio measurement based on the set of reporting configurations. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may report a result of the radio measurement to the network device 120. Of course, the terminal device 110 may also report a result of the radio measurement to any other suitable device.

[0129] The method of FIG. 6 can realize more flexible and effective radio measurements, and can improve the UL interference caused by airborne UEs.

[0130] 7 illustrates an example communication method 700 implemented in a network device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, method 700 may be performed in network device 120 as shown in FIG. 1. For purposes of explanation, method 700 will be described below with reference to FIG. 1. It should be understood that method 700 may include additional blocks not shown and / or omit some blocks that are shown, and that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0131] At block 710, network device 120 may transmit a set of measurement configurations. A subset of the measurement configurations in the set of measurement configurations is associated with air state information of the terminal device. The air state information includes at least one of an altitude range, a movement state, or a battery state. In some embodiments, network device 120 may transmit the set of measurement configurations to terminal device 110. It should be understood that network device 120 may transmit the set of measurement configurations to any other suitable device.

[0132] At block 710, the network device 120 may receive results of the radio measurements performed based on the subset of measurement configurations. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may receive the results of the radio measurements from a terminal device. It should be understood that the network device 120 may transmit the results of the radio measurements to any other suitable device.

[0133] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may transmit a configuration indicating at least one criterion for determining the air condition information.

[0134] In some embodiments, a measurement configuration of the set of measurement configurations includes a measurement identity, a measurement object associated with the measurement identity, and a reporting configuration associated with the measurement identity. In some embodiments, a measurement identity is associated with air state information. In some embodiments, the measurement object includes at least one of a black cell list or a white cell list associated with the air state information, an SMTC associated with the air state information, an SSB associated with the air state information, or a measurement object ID associated with the air state information. In some embodiments, the reporting configuration includes a configuration parameter associated with the air state information, the configuration parameter indicating one of whether a beam measurement has been reported, a number of detected cells required to satisfy an event for which a measurement report is triggered, whether only cells included in a white cell list are applicable for reporting, or a timer used to limit subsequent reporting.

[0135] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may transmit an indication indicating the determination of the air state information.

[0136] The method 700 may provide more flexible measurement configurations and may result in more effective radio measurement results. Examples of equipment and devices

[0137] 8 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 800 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus 800 may be considered as another exemplary implementation of the terminal device 110 or the network device 120 shown in FIG. 1. Thus, the apparatus 800 may be implemented in the terminal device 110 or the network device 120, or as at least a part thereof.

[0138] As shown, the apparatus 800 comprises a processor 810, a memory 820 coupled to the processor 810, a suitable transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) 840 coupled to the processor 810, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 840. The memory 810 stores at least a portion of a program 830. The TX / RX 840 is used for bidirectional communication. The TX / RX 840 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, although the access nodes referred to herein may in practice have multiple antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface required for communication with other network elements, such as an X2 / Xn interface for bidirectional communication between eNBs / gNBs, an S1 / NG interface for communication between a Mobility Management Entity (MME) / Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) / SGW / UPF and an eNB / gNB, an Un interface for communication between an eNB / gNB and a relay node (RN), or a Uu interface for communication between an eNB / gNB and a terminal device.

[0139] The program 830 is assumed to include program instructions that, when executed by an associated processor 810, enable the device 800 to operate according to embodiments of the present disclosure, as described herein with reference to Figures 1-7. The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 810 of the device 800, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 810 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the combination of the processor 810 and the memory 820 may form a processing means 850 suitable for implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0140] The memory 820 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as, by way of non-limiting example, non-transitory computer-readable storage media, semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed and removable memories. Although only one memory 820 is shown in the device 800, there may be several physically different memory modules in the device 800. The 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. The device 800 may have multiple processors, for example application specific integrated circuit chips time-slaved to a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0141] In some embodiments, a terminal device comprises circuitry configured to receive a set of measurement configurations, determine air state information of the terminal device including at least one of an altitude range, a movement state, or a battery state, and perform radio measurements based at least on a subset of the set of measurement configurations associated with the air state information.

[0142] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to determine the mobility state based on at least one of a number of cells to which a cell change occurred during a first period of time, a number of the cell changes during a second period of time, or a speed of the terminal device.

[0143] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to determine the air state information by receiving a setting indicating at least one criterion for determining the air state information, and determining the air state information based on the at least one criterion.

[0144] In some embodiments, a measurement configuration in the set of measurement configurations includes a measurement identity, a measurement object associated with the measurement identity, and a reporting configuration associated with the measurement identity.

[0145] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to perform the radio measurements by determining a set of measurement identities associated with the air condition information, determining a set of measurement objects and a set of reporting settings associated with the set of measurement identities, performing the radio measurements based on the set of measurement objects, and reporting results of the radio measurements based on the set of reporting settings.

[0146] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to perform the radio measurements by determining a set of measurement identities from the set of measurement configurations, determining a set of measurement objects and a set of reporting configurations associated with the set of measurement identities, performing the radio measurements based on the set of measurement objects, and reporting results of the radio measurements based on the set of reporting configurations.

[0147] In some embodiments, the measurement objects of the set of measurement objects include a set of black or white cell lists. In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to perform the radio measurements by determining, from the set of black or white cell lists, a subset of black or white cell lists associated with the air condition information, and performing the radio measurements based on the subset of black or white cell lists.

[0148] In some embodiments, the measurement objects in the set of measurement objects include a set of SMTCs. In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to perform the radio measurements by determining a subset of SMTCs from the set of SMTCs associated with the air condition information, and performing the radio measurements based on the subset of SMTCs.

[0149] In some embodiments, the measurement objects of the set of measurement objects include a set of SSBs. In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to perform the radio measurements by determining a subset of SSBs from the set of SSBs associated with the air state information and performing the radio measurements based on the subset of SSBs.

[0150] In some embodiments, a reporting configuration in the set of reporting configurations includes a set of configuration parameters, in some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to report a result of the radio measurement by determining a subset of configuration parameters associated with the air condition information from the set of configuration parameters, and reporting a result of the radio measurement based on the subset of configuration parameters, the set of configuration parameters indicating one of: whether a beam measurement has been reported, a number of detected cells required to satisfy an event for which a measurement report is triggered, whether only cells included in a white cell list are applicable for reporting, or a timer used to limit subsequent reporting.

[0151] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to perform the radio measurements by: determining a set of measurement objects from the set of measurement configurations, the set including measurement objects including measurement object identities associated with the air condition information; determining a set of measurement identities associated with the set of measurement objects; determining a set of reporting configurations associated with the set of measurement identities; performing the radio measurements based on the set of measurement objects; and reporting results of the radio measurements based on the set of reporting configurations.

[0152] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to determine the air state information by receiving an indication indicating determining the air state information and determining the air state information based on receiving the indication.

[0153] In some embodiments, the network device comprises circuitry configured to transmit a set of measurement configurations, a subset of the measurement configurations from the set of measurement configurations being associated with air state information of the terminal device, the air state information including at least one of an altitude range, a movement state, or a battery state, and to receive results of radio measurements performed based on the subset of measurement configurations.

[0154] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be further configured to transmit a setting indicative of at least one criterion for determining the air condition information.

[0155] In some embodiments, a measurement configuration in the set of measurement configurations includes a measurement identity, a measurement object associated with the measurement identity, and a reporting configuration associated with the measurement identity.

[0156] In some embodiments, a measurement identity is associated with the air state information. In some embodiments, the measurement object includes at least one of a black cell list or a white cell list associated with the air state information, an SMTC associated with the air state information, an SSB associated with the air state information, or a measurement object identity associated with the air state information.

[0157] In some embodiments, the reporting configuration includes configuration parameters associated with the air condition information, the configuration parameters indicating one of: whether beam measurements have been reported, the number of detected cells required to satisfy an event that triggers a measurement report, whether only cells included in a white cell list are applicable for reporting, or a timer used to limit subsequent reporting.

[0158] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be further configured to transmit an indication indicative of the determination of the air condition information.

[0159] The term "circuitry" as used herein may refer to a hardware circuit and / or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. For example, a circuit may be a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware. As yet another example, a circuit may be any portion of a hardware processor having software, including a digital signal processor, software, and one or more memories, that cooperate to cause a device, such as a terminal device or a network device, to perform various functions. In yet another example, a circuit may be a hardware circuit and / or a processor, such as a microprocessor or a portion thereof, that requires software / firmware for operation, but the software may not be present if not required for operation. As used herein, the term "circuitry" also includes an implementation of only a hardware circuit or one or more processors, or a portion of a hardware circuit or one or more processors and its (or their) associated software and / or firmware.

[0160] Overall, 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. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described using block diagrams, flow charts, or some other pictorial representations, it should be understood that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented, by way of non-limiting examples, in hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing device, or any combination thereof.

[0161] 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 instructions included in a program module, that execute in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the process or method described above with reference to Figures 1-7. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as appropriate. The machine-executable instructions of the program modules may be executed in local or distributed devices. In a distributed device, the program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0162] Program codes 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 device, and when executed by the processor or controller, the program code causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may run entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a separate software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0163] The above program code may be implemented on a machine-readable medium, which may be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program used by or associated with an instruction execution system, device, or apparatus. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device, or apparatus, or any suitable combination of the aforementioned media. More specific examples of the machine-readable storage medium may include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer disk, 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 disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the aforementioned.

[0164] It should be noted that although operations have been described in a particular order, it should not be understood that such operations need to be performed in the particular order shown, or in any sequential order, or that all of the operations described must be performed in order to achieve desired results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although some specific implementation details 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 specific to certain embodiments. Some features described in the context of individual embodiments may be realized in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

[0165] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the present disclosure, as defined in 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. 1. A method of communication comprising: Receiving, at a terminal device, a set of measurement configurations; determining air state information of the terminal device, the air state information including at least one of an altitude range, a movement state, or a battery state; performing radio measurements based on at least a subset of the set of measurement configurations associated with the air condition information; The method includes:

2. Determining the air state information includes determining the movement state by: A number of cells that have undergone a cell change during a first period of time; the number of cell changes during a second period of time; or the speed of the terminal device, determining based on at least one of The method of claim 1.

3. Determining the air state information comprises: receiving a setting indicative of at least one criterion for determining the air condition information; determining the air state information based on the at least one criterion; and 2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

4. A measurement configuration of the set of measurement configurations includes a measurement identity, a measurement object associated with the measurement identity, and a reporting configuration associated with the measurement identity. The method of claim 1.

5. The performing determining a set of measurement identities associated with said air condition information; determining a set of measurement objects and a set of reporting settings associated with the set of measurement identities; performing said radio measurements based on said set of measurement objects; reporting results of the radio measurements based on the set of reporting configurations; and 5. The method of claim 4, comprising:

6. The performing determining a set of measurement identities from the set of measurement configurations; and determining a set of measurement objects and a set of reporting settings associated with the set of measurement identities; performing said radio measurements based on said set of measurement objects; reporting results of the radio measurements based on the set of reporting configurations; and 5. The method of claim 4, comprising:

7. The measurement objects in the set of measurement objects include a set of black cell lists or white cell lists, and performing the wireless measurements includes: determining, from the set of black or white cell lists, a subset of black or white cell lists associated with the air condition information; performing said radio measurements based on a subset of said black cell list or white cell list; 7. The method of claim 6, comprising:

8. The measurement objects of the set of measurement objects include a set of synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) block measurement timing configurations (SMTC), and performing the radio measurements includes: determining, from the set of SMTCs, a subset of SMTCs associated with the air state information; performing the radio measurements based on a subset of the SMTC; 7. The method of claim 6, comprising:

9. The set of measurement objects includes a set of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), and performing the radio measurements includes: determining a subset of SSBs from the set of SSBs associated with the air state information; performing said radio measurements based on said subset of SSBs; 7. The method of claim 6, comprising:

10. A reporting configuration of the set of reporting configurations includes a set of configuration parameters, and reporting results of the radio measurements includes: determining a subset of configuration parameters from the set of configuration parameters associated with the air condition information; and reporting results of the radio measurements based on the subset of configuration parameters; The set of configuration parameters may include: Whether beam measurements were reported, the number of detected cells required to satisfy the event that triggers a measurement report; Whether only cells included in the white cell list are applicable to the report, or a timer used to limit subsequent reports; The method of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

11. The performing determining a set of measurement objects from the set of measurement configurations, the measurement objects in the set of measurement objects including measurement object identities associated with the air condition information; determining a set of measurement identities associated with the set of measurement objects; determining a set of reporting settings associated with the set of measurement identities; performing said radio measurements based on said set of measurement objects; reporting results of the radio measurements based on the set of reporting configurations; and 5. The method of claim 4, comprising:

12. The determining step comprises: receiving an indication indicative of said air state information determination; determining the air state information based on receiving the indication; and 2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

13. 1. A method of communication comprising: transmitting, in a network device, a set of measurement configurations, a subset of the set of measurement configurations being associated with air state information of a terminal device, the air state information including at least one of an altitude range, a movement state, or a battery state; receiving results of radio measurements performed based on the subset of measurement configurations; The method includes:

14. transmitting a setting indicative of at least one criterion for determining said air state information; The method of claim 13 further comprising:

15. A measurement configuration of the set of measurement configurations includes a measurement identity, a measurement object associated with the measurement identity, and a reporting configuration associated with the measurement identity. The method of claim 13.

16. The measurement identity is associated with the air condition information. The method of claim 15.

17. The measurement object is a black cell list or a white cell list associated with the air condition information; A synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) block measurement timing configuration (SMTC) associated with the air state information; A synchronization signal block (SSB) associated with the air state information; or a measurement target identity associated with said air condition information; 16. The method of claim 15, comprising at least one of:

18. The reporting configuration includes configuration parameters associated with the air condition information, the configuration parameters comprising: Whether beam measurements were reported, the number of detected cells required to satisfy the event that triggers a measurement report; Whether only cells included in the white cell list are applicable to the report, or a timer used to limit subsequent reports; 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of:

19. transmitting an indication of said air state information determination. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

20. A processor configured to carry out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12. Terminal device.

21. A processor configured to carry out the method according to any one of claims 13 to 19. Network device.

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