Method and user device

Abstract

The presently disclosed embodiments relate to a communication method, an apparatus, and a computer-readable medium. A terminal device receives, in a connected state, configurations related to application layer measurements. The configurations include at least one of a set of measurement settings, a set of timer values, or a set of validity ranges. When the terminal device enters an idle state or an inactive state, the terminal device performs application layer measurements based on the configurations. In this way, it is possible to support application layer measurements in the idle state and the inactive state.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to communication methods, apparatus, and computer storage media for application layer measurements in idle and inactive states. [Background technology]

[0002] The application layer measurement collection function enables the collection of application layer measurements from terminal devices. Traditionally, application layer measurement collection is only supported in the connected state. Currently, New Radio (NR) technology supports multicast and broadcast services (MBS) in the idle and inactive states. Because MBS is an important service, there is also a need to enhance application layer measurements in the idle and inactive states to better support MBS in the idle and inactive states. However, the mechanism for application layer measurements in the idle and inactive states is still unclear and needs further study. 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 for application layer measurements in idle and inactive states. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] In a first aspect, a method of communications is provided, the method including: receiving, in a terminal device in a connected state, configuration related to application layer measurements, the configuration including at least one of a set of measurement settings, a set of timer values, or a set of validity areas; and, upon determining that the terminal device has entered an idle state or an inactive state, performing the application layer measurements based on the configuration.

[0005] In a second aspect, a method of communication is provided, the method including transmitting, at a network device, configuration for application layer measurements, the configuration including at least one of a set of measurement configurations, a set of timer values, or a set of validity ranges.

[0006] In a third aspect, there is provided a communications apparatus, the apparatus comprising a processor configured to cause the apparatus to perform a method according to any one of the first and second aspects of the present disclosure.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method according to any one of the first and second aspects of the present disclosure.

[0008] Other features of the present disclosure will be readily apparent from the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] 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.

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary communication network in which some embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0011] [Figure 2]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication process for application layer measurements, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] [Figure 3] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary communication method implemented in a terminal device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0013] [Figure 4] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary communication method implemented in a network device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0014] [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] In the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers represent the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some 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, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways different from those described below.

[0017] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, 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.

[0018] As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to any device with wireless or wired communication capabilities. Examples of terminal devices include user equipment (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 stands for pedestrian, vehicle, or infrastructure / network, devices for Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB), satellite- or airborne vehicles in Non-terrestrial networks (NTN) including High Altitude Platforms (HAPs) encompassing satellites and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), virtual reality (VR), and other technologies. This includes, but is not limited to, extended reality (XR) devices that include different types of reality, such as extended reality (XR), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are aircraft without a human pilot and are commonly referred to as drones, devices on high speed trains (HST), or image capture devices such as digital cameras, sensors, gaming devices, music storage and playback devices, or internet devices that enable wireless or wired internet access, browsing, etc.A "terminal device" may also have multicast / broadcast capabilities to support public safety, mission-critical, V2X applications, transparent IPv4 / IPv6 multicast distribution, IPTV, smart TV, wireless services, wireless 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 device" may be used interchangeably with UE, mobile station, subscriber station, mobile terminal, user terminal, or wireless device.

[0019] The term "network device" refers to a device that can provide or host a cell or coverage area within which terminal devices can communicate. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to, a Node B (Node B or NB), an evolved Node B (eNode B or eNB), a next generation Node B (gNB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), an IAB node, a low-power node such as a femto node or a pico node, a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), etc.

[0020] The terminal device or network device may have artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning capabilities, which generally include a model trained from a large amount of data collected for a specific function and can be used to predict some information.

[0021] The terminal device or network device may operate on several frequency ranges, such as FR1 (410 MHz to 7125 MHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz to 71 GHz), frequency bands greater than 100 GHz, and Terahertz (THz). It can also operate on licensed, unlicensed, and shared spectrum. The terminal device may have two or more connections with the network device under a Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) application scenario. The terminal device or network device can operate in full duplex, flexible duplex, and cross-division duplex modes.

[0022] 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 device, a test network device, a channel emulator, and the like.

[0023] In some embodiments, a terminal device may be connected to a first network device and a second network device. One of the first network device and the second network device may be a master node and the other may be a secondary node. The first network device and the second network device may use different radio access technologies (RATs). In some embodiments, the first network device may be a first RAT device, and the second network device may be a second RAT device. In some embodiments, the first RAT device is an eNB, and the second RAT device is a gNB. Information related to the different RATs may be transmitted to the terminal device from at least one of the first network device or the second network device. In some embodiments, the first information may be transmitted from the first network device to the terminal device, and the second information may be transmitted from the second network device directly or via the first network device to the terminal device. In some embodiments, information related to the terminal device configuration configured by the second network device may be transmitted from the second network device via the first network device. The information regarding the reconfiguration of the terminal device configured by the second network device may be transmitted to the terminal device directly from the second network device or via the first network device.

[0024] As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "said" include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term "comprises" and variations thereof should be understood as open-ended terms meaning "including, but not limited to." The term "based on" should be understood as "based at least in part on." The terms "one embodiment" and "embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment." The term "another embodiment" should be understood as "at least one other embodiment." Terms such as "first," "second," etc. may refer to different or the same object. The following may include other explicit and implicit definitions.

[0025] 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 choices may be made from among many functional alternatives used, and that such choices are not necessarily better, smaller, higher, or otherwise more preferred than other choices.

[0026] In the context of this application, the term "application layer measurements" may be used interchangeably with "quality of experience (QoE) measurements". The term "idle and inactive application layer measurements" may be used interchangeably with "logged QoE measurements" or "logged application layer measurements". The term "logged minimization of drive test (MDT) measurements" may be used interchangeably with "logged measurements". The term "connected MDT measurements" may be used interchangeably with "instant MDT measurements". The term "idle and inactive MDT measurements" may be used interchangeably with "logged MDT measurements".

[0027] In the context of this application, the term "higher layer" may refer to an application layer or any other layer having similar functionality to the application layer in this application, and the term "lower layer" may refer to a radio resource control (RRC) layer or any other layer having similar functionality to the RRC layer in this application.

[0028] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a solution for application layer measurements in idle and inactive states, in which a network device sends configurations related to application layer measurements to a terminal device in a connected state, the configurations including at least one of a set of measurement settings, a set of timer values, or a set of validity ranges. When entering the idle or inactive state, the terminal device performs application layer measurements based on the configurations.

[0029] In this way, it is possible to better support application layer measurements in idle and inactive states.

[0030] The principles and embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example of a communication network

[0031] 1 is a schematic diagram of an example communication network 100 in which some embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. As shown in FIG. 1, communication network 100 may include terminal device 110 and network device 120. Network device 120 may provide a cell 121 to serve one or more terminal devices. In this example, terminal device 110 is located within cell 121 and is served by network device 120.

[0032] It should be understood that the number of devices and cells in Figure 1 is given for illustrative purposes and does not imply any limitations on the present disclosure. Communications network 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and / or terminal devices and / or cells suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0033] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 and network device 120 may communicate with each other over an air interface (e.g., a Uu interface) via channels such as wireless communication channels. The wireless communication channels may include a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical random-access channel (PRACH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH). Of course, any other suitable channels are also possible.

[0034] Communications in communication network 100 may conform to any suitable standard, including, but not limited to, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), New Radio (NR), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), Machine Type Communication (MTC), etc. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be performed in accordance with any generation of communication protocols now known or developed in the future. Examples of communication 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) communication protocols, 5.5G, 5G-Advanced networks, or sixth generation (6G) networks.

[0035] In some embodiments, network device 120 may provide a service, such as an MBS, to terminal device 110. Terminal device 110 may perform application layer measurements on the service and report results of the application layer measurements to network device 120.

[0036] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may perform signaling-based application layer measurements. In this case, an operation administration and maintenance (OAM) function (not shown) may initiate activation of application layer measurements for a specific terminal device via a core network (CN) (not shown), and network device 120 may receive one or more application layer measurement configurations using terminal device-associated signaling. The application layer measurement configuration for signaling-based activation may include an application layer measurement configuration list and corresponding information for application layer measurement collection, such as an application layer measurement reference, a service type, a measurement collection entity (MCE) Internet Protocol (IP) address, a slice scope, a region scope, minimization of drive tests (MDT) alignment information, and an indication of available radio access network (RAN) visible QoE metrics.

[0037] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may perform management-based application layer measurements. In this case, the OAM function may directly send one or more application layer measurement configurations to the network device 120. The application layer measurement configuration for management-based activation may include an application layer measurement configuration list and corresponding information for application layer measurement collection. Each application layer measurement configuration is encapsulated in a transparent container and sent to the terminal device 110. The network device 120 may select a terminal device that meets the required application layer measurement capabilities, area scope, and slice scope.

[0038] In some embodiments, radio-related measurements may be collected via instantaneous MDT for all supported service types for QoE analysis. The MCE / trace collection entity (TCE) performs correlation of instantaneous MDT results with application layer measurements collected in the same terminal device. Alignment between signaling-based application layer measurements and signaling-based MDT measurements may be supported. In this case, the signaling-based application layer measurement configuration sent to the network device 120 may include the NG-RAN trace identity (ID) of the signaling-based MDT measurements. Alignment between management-based application layer measurements and management-based MDT measurements may be supported.

[0039] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 configured with application layer measurements may send an instruction to the network device 120 to notify the start or stop of a session for the configured application layer measurements. The network device 120 may activate MDT measurements aligned with the application layer measurements performed by the terminal device 110 upon / after receiving a session start instruction from the terminal device 110. The network device 120 may activate MDT measurements upon / after receiving an MDT activation message from the OAM. The network device 120 may deactivate aligned MDT measurements according to an OAM command, which may be triggered, for example, by a session stop instruction. The network device 120 may incorporate timestamp information into application layer measurement reports to enable correlation of corresponding MDT measurement results with application layer measurements at the MCE / TCE. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may incorporate an MDT session identifier (trace reference and trace record session reference) into the corresponding application layer measurement report.

[0040] As mentioned above, the mechanism for application layer measurements in idle and inactive states is still unclear. For example, it is unclear how to perform application layer measurements in idle and inactive states. It is also unclear how to avoid overriding the configuration of signaling-based logged application layer measurements. Furthermore, it is unclear how to align logged application layer measurements with logged MDT measurements.

[0041] To overcome these and other potential challenges, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an application layer measurement solution in idle and inactive states, which is described in more detail with reference to FIG. Application layer measurement implementation example

[0042] 2 is a schematic diagram of a communication process 200 for application layer measurements 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 the terminal device 110 and the network device 120 as shown in FIG. 1. setting

[0043] 2, network device 120 transmits 210 configuration related to application layer measurements to terminal device 110. In some embodiments, this configuration may be carried within an RRC message. For example, this RRC message may include an RRC reconfiguration message, an RRC release message, a logged measurement configuration message, or a message dedicated to transmitting this configuration.

[0044] In some embodiments, the configuration may include a set of measurement configurations. In some embodiments, the configuration may include one measurement configuration. In some embodiments, the configuration may include multiple measurement configurations.

[0045] In some embodiments, a measurement configuration in the set of measurement configurations may include an ID of the measurement configuration. In some embodiments, a measurement configuration may include a container of application layer measurements for a higher layer (e.g., an application layer). In some embodiments, a measurement configuration may include a service type indicating a subset of services (e.g., broadcast services) in a connected state.

[0046] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may include a measurement configuration for RAN visible application layer measurements. In some embodiments, the measurement configuration for RAN visible application layer measurements may include at least one of a reporting periodicity, a maximum number of buffer level entries that can be reported for the RAN visible application layer measurements, or an indication of whether the terminal device 110 should report an initial playout delay for the RAN visible application layer measurements. It should be understood that the measurement configuration for RAN visible application layer measurements may include a combination of the above and other suitable information.

[0047] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may include an indication of whether terminal device 110 should send notifications upon the start and stop of sessions at the application layer.

[0048] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may include an indication of whether the measurement configuration is logged or used for terminal device 110 in an idle or inactive state, i.e., whether the measurement configuration is not released or stored when entering an idle or inactive state.

[0049] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may include an indication of whether the measurement configuration is to be used for signaling-based application layer measurements or management-based application layer measurements.

[0050] It should be understood that the measurement settings in the set of measurement settings may include any combination of the above and other suitable information.

[0051] In some embodiments, the configuration for the application layer measurements may include a set of timer values. In some embodiments, the configuration may include one timer value. In some embodiments, the set of timer values ​​may include timer values ​​for a measurement configuration used for signaling-based application layer measurements. In some embodiments, the set of timer values ​​may include timer values ​​for a measurement configuration used for management-based application layer measurements. In some embodiments, the set of timer values ​​may include timer values ​​for a measurement configuration used for RAN-visible application layer measurements. In some embodiments, the set of timer values ​​may include timer values ​​for the set of measurement configurations. In some embodiments, the set of timer values ​​may include timer values ​​for a configuration in the set of measurement configurations. It should be understood that the set of timer values ​​may include any combination of the above and other suitable information.

[0052] In some embodiments, the configuration for the application layer measurements may include a set of validity regions. In some embodiments, the configuration may include one validity region. In some embodiments, the set of validity regions may include a validity region for a measurement configuration used for signaling-based application layer measurements. In some embodiments, the set of validity regions may include a validity region for a measurement configuration used for management-based application layer measurements. In some embodiments, the set of validity regions may include a validity region for a measurement configuration used for RAN-visible application layer measurements. In some embodiments, the set of validity regions may include a validity region for the set of measurement configurations. In some embodiments, the set of validity regions may include a validity region for a configuration in the set of measurement configurations. It should be understood that the set of validity regions may include any combination of the above and other suitable information.

[0053] In some embodiments, each validity area may include a set of cell identities. In some embodiments, a validity area may include a set of tracking area codes. In some embodiments, a validity area may include a set of tracking area identities. In some embodiments, a validity area may include a set of RAN notification areas. In some embodiments, a validity area may include a set of frequencies. It should be understood that the validity area may include any combination of the above and other suitable information.

[0054] It should also be understood that the configuration for the application layer measurements may include any other suitable information or combination of information. UE behavior upon receiving configuration

[0055] The terminal device 110 receives the configuration related to the application layer measurement in a connected state. Referring to FIG. 2, upon receiving the configuration, a lower layer (e.g., an RRC layer) of the terminal device 110 may perform a management operation associated with the application layer measurement (220). Some exemplary embodiments are described below in relation to embodiments 1 to 3. Embodiment 1

[0056] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may notify a higher layer from a lower layer to release at least a portion of another configuration related to another application layer measurement. In the context of the present disclosure, the another configuration may refer to any previous or stored application layer measurement configuration, and the another application layer may refer to any application layer measurement based on the another configuration.

[0057] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may notify a higher layer from a lower layer to release all previous or stored application layer measurement configurations. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may forward the ID of the received configuration for application layer measurements to the higher layer and notify the higher layer to release previous or stored configurations with the same ID. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may notify the higher layer to release the managed-based application layer measurement configuration by providing the ID of the managed-based application layer measurement configuration to the higher layer.

[0058] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may discard at least some of the reports related to the other application layer measurements. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may discard all reports of application layer measurements based on all previous or stored configurations. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may discard reports of application layer measurements based on previous or stored configurations that have the same ID as the ID of the received configuration. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may notify a higher layer from a lower layer to discard reports of application layer measurements for management-based application layer measurement configurations.

[0059] In some embodiments in which the received configuration includes configuration (for convenience, also referred to herein as first configuration) for application layer measurements in idle and inactive states (i.e., logged application layer measurements), the terminal device 110 may forward the first configuration for logged application layer measurements from a lower layer to a higher layer.

[0060] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may start or restart a timer. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may set the timer to have the same value as the value provided in the received configuration. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may start or restart a timer when terminal device 110 enters an idle or inactive state.

[0061] In some embodiments, upon receiving a configuration for application layer measurements, lower layers of terminal device 110 may indicate to higher layers to pause, deactivate, or stop application layer measurements. In some embodiments, upon entering an idle or inactive state, terminal device 110 may indicate to higher layers to resume, activate, or start application layer measurements.

[0062] It should be understood that terminal device 110 may perform any combination of the above management operations and any other suitable management operations. Embodiment 2

[0063] In this embodiment, the received configuration may include a first configuration regarding application layer measurements to be logged.

[0064] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may discard at least a portion of a previous or stored configuration for logged application layer measurements (also referred to herein as a second configuration for convenience). In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may discard all previous or stored configurations for logged application layer measurements. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may discard previous or stored configurations for logged application layer measurements that have the same ID as the ID of the first configuration. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may discard previous or stored configurations for management-based logged application layer measurements.

[0065] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may discard at least some reports of application layer measurements based on the second configuration (i.e., logged application layer measurements). In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may discard all reports of logged application layer measurements. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may discard reports of logged application layer measurements for a configuration that has the same ID as the ID of the first configuration. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may discard reports of management-based logged application layer measurements.

[0066] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may store the parameters included in the first configuration. For example, the terminal device 110 may store the parameters in variables of the terminal device 110. Of course, any other suitable method is also possible.

[0067] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may start or restart the timer. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may set the timer to have the same value as the value provided in the first configuration. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may start or restart the timer when terminal device 110 enters an idle or inactive state.

[0068] In some embodiments, upon entering the idle or inactive state, the lower layers of terminal device 110 may forward the first configuration to the upper layers. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may discard previous or stored configurations for logged application layer measurements.

[0069] It should be understood that terminal device 110 may perform any combination of the above management operations and any other suitable management operations. Embodiment 3

[0070] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may notify a higher layer from a lower layer to release at least a portion of another configuration related to another application layer measurement. In the context of the present disclosure, the another configuration may refer to any previous or stored application layer measurement configuration, and the another application layer may refer to any application layer measurement based on the another configuration.

[0071] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may notify a higher layer from a lower layer to release all previous or stored application layer measurement configurations. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may forward the ID of the received configuration for application layer measurements to the higher layer and notify the higher layer to release previous or stored configurations with the same ID. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may notify the higher layer to release the managed-based application layer measurement configuration by providing the ID of the managed-based application layer measurement configuration to the higher layer.

[0072] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may discard at least some of the reports related to the other application layer measurements. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may discard all reports of application layer measurements based on all previous or stored configurations. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may discard reports of application layer measurements based on previous or stored configurations that have the same ID as the ID of the received configuration. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may notify a higher layer from a lower layer to discard reports of application layer measurements for management-based application layer measurement configurations.

[0073] In some embodiments in which the received configuration includes a first configuration for application layer measurements to be logged, the terminal device 110 may forward the first configuration for application layer measurements to be logged from a lower layer to a higher layer.

[0074] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may start or restart a timer. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may set the timer to have the same value as the value provided in the received configuration. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may start or restart a timer when terminal device 110 enters an idle or inactive state.

[0075] In some embodiments, if a measurement setting from the set of measurement settings is indicated as not applying to the idle or inactive state, the terminal device may release this measurement setting upon entering the idle state. In some embodiments, if a measurement setting from the set of measurement settings is indicated as not applying to the idle or inactive state, the terminal device may store this measurement setting upon entering the inactive state. In some embodiments, if a measurement setting from the set of measurement settings is indicated as applying to the idle or inactive state, the terminal device performs application layer measurements using this measurement setting upon entering the idle or inactive state.

[0076] For example, when terminal device 110 enters an idle or inactive state, terminal device 110 may determine whether network device 120 indicated that the received configuration applies to the idle or inactive state. If network device 120 indicates that the received configuration does not apply to the idle or inactive state, the terminal device may release the measurement configuration upon entering the idle state and may store the measurement configuration in the UE access stratus (AS) context upon entering the inactive state. If network device 120 indicates that the received configuration applies to the idle or inactive state, the terminal device may continue to use the measurement configuration in the idle or inactive state.

[0077] It should be understood that terminal device 110 may perform any combination of the above management operations and any other suitable management operations.

[0078]

[0033] Embodiments 1 to 3 may be used separately or in any suitable combination. In some cases, the application layer of the UE may not know the RRC state of the UE, but broadcast services may occur in all UE states. According to this solution, when the UE is in a connected state, the application layer may not need to perform application layer measurements to be logged. UE behavior when timer expires

[0079] Referring to FIG. 2 , if the timer expires, the lower layers of the terminal device 110 may perform another management operation (also referred to herein as a first operation for convenience) associated with application layer measurements (230). In some embodiments, the timer may be a timer for the measurement configuration used for all application layer measurements. In some embodiments, the timer may be a timer for the measurement configuration used for signaling-based application layer measurements. In some embodiments, the timer may be a timer for the measurement configuration used for management-based application layer measurements. In some embodiments, the timer may be a timer for the measurement configuration used for RAN-visible application layer measurements. In some embodiments, the timer may be a timer for a set of measurement configurations. In some embodiments, the timer may be a timer for a measurement configuration of the set of measurement configurations.

[0080] In some embodiments, when a timer for a measurement configuration expires, terminal device 110 may discard the measurement configuration. In some embodiments, when a timer for a measurement configuration expires, terminal device 110 may discard the RAN-visible application layer measurement configuration within the measurement configuration.

[0081] In some embodiments, when a timer for a measurement configuration expires, the terminal device 110 may notify upper layers to release the measurement configuration or suspend application layer measurements based on the measurement configuration. In some embodiments, when a timer for a measurement configuration expires, the terminal device 110 may notify upper layers to release the RAN-visible application layer measurement configuration in the measurement configuration or suspend RAN-visible application layer measurements based on the RAN-visible application layer measurement configuration.

[0082] In some embodiments in which a timer for a measurement configuration expires, the terminal device 110 may discard reports of application layer measurements based on the measurement configuration a certain period of time (also referred to herein as a first period for convenience) after the timer expires. For example, the first period of time may be 48 hours or any suitable value. In some embodiments in which a timer for a measurement configuration expires, the terminal device 110 may discard reports of RAN-visible application layer measurements based on the measurement configuration a certain period of time (also referred to herein as a second period for convenience) after the timer expires. For example, the second period of time may be 48 hours or any suitable value.

[0083] This way, the UE may remain in idle or inactive state for a very long time and does not need to perform application layer measurements all the time.By using a timer, it is possible to support a maximum validity time for application layer measurements. UE behavior when moving outside the effective area

[0084] Continuing with reference to FIG. 2 , when terminal device 110 moves from a cell belonging to a coverage area (also referred to herein as a first cell for convenience) to a cell not belonging to the coverage area (also referred to herein as a second cell for convenience), lower layers of terminal device 110 may perform another management operation associated with application layer measurements (240). In some embodiments, the coverage area may be the coverage area for a measurement configuration used for all application layer measurements. In some embodiments, the coverage area may be the coverage area for a measurement configuration used for signaling-based application layer measurements. In some embodiments, the coverage area may be the coverage area for a measurement configuration used for management-based application layer measurements. In some embodiments, the coverage area may be the coverage area for a measurement configuration used for RAN-visible application layer measurements. In some embodiments, the coverage area may be the coverage area for a set of measurement configurations. In some embodiments, the coverage area may be the coverage area for a configuration of a set of measurement configurations.

[0085] In some embodiments where terminal device 110 moves from a first cell to a second cell, lower layers of terminal device 110 may notify upper layers of terminal device 110 to release a measurement configuration associated with the coverage area or to suspend / deactivate / stop application layer measurements based on this measurement configuration. In some embodiments where terminal device 110 moves from a first cell to a second cell, terminal device 110 may notify upper layers of terminal device 110 to release a RAN-visible application layer measurement configuration in the measurement configuration associated with the coverage area or to suspend / deactivate / stop RAN-visible application layer measurements based on this RAN-visible application layer measurement configuration.

[0086] In some embodiments where the terminal device 110 moves from a first cell to a second cell, the terminal device 110 may discard the measurement configuration associated with the coverage area. In some embodiments where the terminal device 110 moves from a first cell to a second cell, the terminal device 110 may discard the RAN-visible application layer measurement configuration in the measurement configuration associated with the coverage area.

[0087] In some cases, application layer measurement reporting may not be required for some networks. With this solution, if the UE is outside the coverage area where the network may want application layer measurement reporting, there is no need to perform application layer measurements. UE behavior when returning to the active area

[0088] Continuing to refer to FIG. 2, when the terminal device 110 moves from a second cell that does not belong to the coverage area to a first cell that does belong to the coverage area, the lower layers of the terminal device 110 may perform another management operation associated with application layer measurements (250).

[0089] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may notify higher layers to resume, activate, or start application layer measurements based on a measurement configuration associated with the validity area. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may notify higher layers to resume, activate, or start RAN-visible application layer measurements based on a measurement configuration associated with the validity area. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may forward a stored measurement configuration associated with the validity area to higher layers. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may forward a RAN-visible application layer measurement configuration in a stored measurement configuration associated with the validity area to higher layers.

[0090] Thus, application layer measurements need only be performed if the UE is within a coverage area where the network may want application layer measurement reports. Application Layer Measurement Reporting

[0091] 2 , the terminal device 110 determines whether to enter an idle state or an inactive state (260). If the terminal device 110 enters the idle state or the inactive state, the terminal device 110 performs application layer measurements based on the configuration (270). The application layer measurements may be performed in any suitable manner, and the present application is not limited in this respect. Then, a lower layer (e.g., an RRC layer) of the terminal device 110 transmits an application layer measurement report (i.e., a result of the application layer measurement) to the network device 120 (280). Some exemplary embodiments are described below in relation to embodiments 4 to 5. Embodiment 4

[0092] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may store the application layer measurement reports. For example, the terminal device 110 may store the application layer measurement reports in variables of the terminal device 110. It should be understood that any other suitable method is also possible. In some embodiments, when the memory reserved for the application layer measurements becomes full, the terminal device 110 may stop a timer associated with the application layer measurements and perform an operation similar to the operation performed upon expiration of the timer (i.e., the first operation as described above).

[0093] When a logged application layer measurement report is stored, the terminal device 110 may include a list of identities or a bitmap in the application layer measurement report. The list of identities or the bitmap may indicate that at least one measurement configuration has available measurement results. For example, the terminal device 110 may include the list of identities or the bitmap in an RRCSetupComplete, RRCResumeComplete, RRCReconfigurationComplete, or RRCRestablishmentComplete message. It should be understood that any other suitable method is also possible.

[0094] In some embodiments, network device 120 may transmit a list of identities or a bitmap indicating that measurement results associated with at least one measurement configuration are to be reported. Upon receiving the list of identities or the bitmap, terminal device 110 may report the measurement results associated with the at least one measurement configuration. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may report the measurement results in a UEInformationResponse message. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may discard stored reports (e.g., stored measurement results).

[0095] Thus, logged application layer measurements may be stored and reported when the UE enters a connected state. Embodiment 5

[0096] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may initiate an RRC establishment procedure or an RRC restart procedure for transmitting an application layer measurement report. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may set the establishment cause or restart cause as "mo-signaling." In some embodiments, the RRC layer of terminal device 110 may set the establishment cause or restart cause to a new value, such as a value indicating a QoE report or radio access layer signaling. In some embodiments, the RRC layer of terminal device 110 may need to provide parameters for unified access control for the RRC establishment or RRC restart procedure. In some embodiments, the parameters for unified access control may include an access category and an access identity.

[0097] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may transmit the application layer measurement report in an RRC message. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may configure the content of the RRC message based on the logged application layer measurement report received from a higher layer. In some embodiments, the RRC message may be a MeasurementReportAppLayer message or any other suitable message and may submit the RRC message to a lower layer for transmission.

[0098] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may transmit the application layer measurement report via a small data transmission (SDT). In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may transmit an RRC message carrying the application layer measurement report via a signaling radio bearer (SRB). In some embodiments, the SRB may include an SRB2. In some embodiments, network device 120 may configure an SRB1 for the SDT. In some embodiments, network device 120 may configure an SRB4 for the SDT. In some embodiments, network device 120 may configure a dedicated SRB for the SDT.

[0099] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may send an indication of the availability of the application layer measurement report in an RRC message to network device 120. Network device 120 may send a request to terminal device 110 to obtain the application layer measurement report. Upon receiving the request, terminal device 110 may send the application layer measurement report to network device 120.

[0100] For example, when configuring the content of an RRCResumeComplete or RRCSetupComplete message, the terminal device 110 may add an availability indication if there are logged application layer measurement reports to be reported. The network device 120 may request logged application layer measurement reports by sending a UEInformationRequest message with a request indication. The terminal device 110 may then provide the logged application layer measurement reports in a UEInformationResponse message and discard the stored reports.

[0101] In this way, logged application layer measurements can be reported immediately to the network in order for the network to improve quality of service. Contents of the report

[0102] In some embodiments, the report may include an ID of a measurement configuration for the application layer measurements. In some embodiments, the report may include a container of application layer measurements for higher layers. In some embodiments, the report may include an indication of whether a session was started or stopped.

[0103] In some embodiments, the report may include measurement results of RAN-visible application layer measurements. In some embodiments, the measurement results of RAN-visible application layer measurements may include at least one of application layer buffer levels, initial playout delay, protocol data unit (PDU) session ID lists, or MBS session information. For example, the MBS session information may include a temporary mobile group identity (TMGI) list or any other suitable information.

[0104] In some embodiments, the report may include information of a timestamp of the report. In some embodiments, the report may include information of a region in which the report was received by a lower layer of the terminal device 110 from a higher layer. In some embodiments, the region information may include at least one of a cell ID, a tracking region ID, a tracking region code, a RAN notification region ID, or a frequency. It should be understood that any other suitable information is also possible.

[0105] Thus, when the network receives a logged application layer measurement report from a terminal device, the network may forward information in the logged application layer measurement report to another network device based on the area information received from the terminal device. The information in the logged application layer measurement report may include at least RAN-visible application layer measurement results. UE behavior when entering connected state

[0106] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may change from an idle or inactive state to a connected state, and in such embodiments, lower layers of terminal device 110 may release received configurations related to application layer measurements or notify upper layers to pause, deactivate, or stop application layer measurements.

[0107] Thus, the terminal device may stop application layer measurements when the terminal device enters a connected state. Signaling-based logged application layer measurement override protection

[0108] Signaling-based logged application layer measurements are more important than management-based logged application layer measurements. However, signaling-based logged application layer measurement configurations can be overridden by management-based logged application layer measurement configurations. Unwanted overrides can occur in two cases: 1) signaling-based logged application layer measurements are configured but no results are available, e.g., none are currently stored or all previously stored results have been recalled; 2) signaling-based logged application layer measurement configurations are stopped (i.e., timer expired), but the terminal still has unrecalled results that can be discarded upon receipt of a new configuration.

[0109] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide solutions that overcome the above problems, which are described below in connection with embodiments 6 to 7. Embodiment 6

[0110] In this embodiment, a measurement configuration in the set of measurement configurations may include an indication of whether this measurement configuration is used for signaling-based application layer measurements.

[0111] In some embodiments, if the timer is running, the terminal device 110 may send an RRC message to the network device 120 including an indication that signaling-based application layer measurements are available. If the timer is not running and measurement results of the application layer measurements are being reported, the terminal device 110 may send an RRC message to the network device 120 including an indication that signaling-based application layer measurements are not available. In some embodiments, the RRC message may be an RRCSetupComplete, RRCResumeComplete, RRCResumeComplete1, RRCReestablishmentComplete, or RRCReconfigurationComplete message. It should be understood that any other suitable RRC message is also possible.

[0112] In this way, signaling-based logged application layer measurement configurations may not be overridden when the terminal device enters a connected state. Embodiment 7

[0113] In this embodiment, a measurement configuration in the set of measurement configurations may include an indication of whether this measurement configuration is used for signaling-based application layer measurements.

[0114] In some embodiments, when the timer is running, terminal device 110 may transmit to network device 120 an RRC message including information on measurement configurations associated with available signaling-based application layer measurements. In some embodiments, the information on measurement configurations associated with available signaling-based application layer measurements may be a list ID of measurement configurations associated with available signaling-based application layer measurements or a bitmap indicating the availability of the signaling-based application layer measurement configurations. When the timer is not running and measurement results of application layer measurements are to be reported, terminal device 110 may transmit to network device 120 an RRC message including information on measurement configurations associated with unavailable signaling-based application layer measurements. In some embodiments, the information on measurement configurations associated with unavailable signaling-based application layer measurements may be a list ID of measurement configurations associated with unavailable signaling-based application layer measurements or a bitmap indicating the unavailability of the signaling-based application layer measurement configurations. In some embodiments, the RRC message may be an RRCSetupComplete, RRCResumeComplete, RRCResumeComplete1, RRCReestablishmentComplete, or RRCReconfigurationComplete message. It should be understood that any other suitable RRC message is also possible.

[0115] In some embodiments, upon receiving a configuration for application layer measurements, the terminal device 110 may release a measurement configuration having the same ID as the measurement configuration in the received configuration. Alternatively, the terminal device may release a managed-based application layer measurement.

[0116] In this way, it is possible that signaling-based logged application layer measurement configurations are not overridden when the terminal device enters a connected state. Alignment of logged MDT with logged application layer measurements

[0117] When an application layer session starts or stops, the logs for the MDT may not have started or stopped. To help the network have combined radio-related and application layer measurement results, it is desirable to align them at the start or stop time. Currently, it is unclear how to support alignment for idle or inactive UEs.

[0118] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide solutions to support alignment for idle or inactive UEs, including alignment between signaling-based logged application layer measurements and signaling-based logged MDT measurements, and alignment between management-based logged application layer measurements and management-based logged MDT measurements.

[0119] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may send an indication to the terminal device 110 indicating whether alignment of logged MDT measurements with application layer measurements is supported. For example, the need for alignment may be configured as a new reporting type for logged MDT measurements.

[0120] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may transmit to the terminal device 110 information about a measurement configuration that triggers the start or stop of MDT measurements, where the start or stop of a session is logged. For example, the information about the measurement configuration may include an ID of the measurement configuration or any other suitable information.

[0121] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may send to the terminal device 110 a trace reference of the logged MDT measurements with the alignment applied.

[0122] In some embodiments, when a session starts, terminal device 110 may start performing the logged MDT measurements within a time interval. For example, when the RRC layer of terminal device 110 receives session start information from an upper layer of terminal device 110, the RRC layer may start performing MDT logging at regular time intervals.

[0123] In some embodiments, if a session is stopped, terminal device 110 may stop performing logged MDT measurements. For example, when the RRC layer of terminal device 110 receives session stop information from an upper layer of terminal device 110, the RRC layer may stop performing MDT logging.

[0124] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may include timestamp information in logged application layer measurement reports, thereby enabling correlation of corresponding measurement results of MDT and application layer measurements.

[0125] Thus, it is possible to support starting or stopping application layer and radio measurements in idle or inactive states under network control.

[0126] It is now possible to provide a mechanism for application layer measurements in idle and inactive states. It should be understood that the above embodiments may be used separately or in any suitable combination. Example of the method

[0127] 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 3 and 4.

[0128] 3 illustrates an exemplary communication method 300 implemented in a terminal device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, method 300 may be performed in terminal device 110 as shown in FIG. 1. For purposes of explanation, method 300 will be described below with reference to FIG. 1. It should be understood that method 300 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.

[0129] In block 310, the terminal device 110 receives, in a connected state, configuration related to application layer measurements, the configuration including at least one of a set of measurement settings, a set of timer values, or a set of validity ranges.

[0130] At block 320, terminal 110 determines that terminal 110 has entered an idle or inactive state. If terminal 110 has entered an idle or inactive state, method 300 proceeds to block 330.

[0131] In block 330, the terminal device 110 performs application layer measurements based on this configuration.

[0132] In some embodiments, a measurement configuration in the set of measurement configurations may include at least one of: an identity of the measurement configuration; a container of the application layer measurements for the application layer; a service type indicating a subset of services in the connection state; a measurement configuration for radio access network visible application layer measurements; an indication indicating whether the terminal device sends notifications when sessions at the application layer start and stop; an indication indicating whether the measurement configuration is to be used for the terminal device in the idle or inactive state; or an indication indicating whether the measurement configuration is to be used for signaling-based application layer measurements or management-based application layer measurements.

[0133] In some embodiments, the set of timer values ​​may include at least one of timer values ​​for measurement configurations used for signaling-based application layer measurements, timer values ​​for measurement configurations used for management-based application layer measurements, timer values ​​for measurement configurations used for radio access network visible application layer measurements, timer values ​​for the set of measurement configurations, or timer values ​​for configurations of the set of measurement configurations.

[0134] In some embodiments, the set of validity areas may include at least one of a validity area for measurement configurations used for signaling-based application layer measurements, a validity area for measurement configurations used for management-based application layer measurements, a validity area for measurement configurations used for radio access network visible application layer measurements, a validity area for the set of measurement configurations, or a validity area for a configuration of the set of measurement configurations.

[0135] In some embodiments, the set of validity areas may include at least one of a set of cell identities, a set of tracking area codes, a set of tracking area identities, a set of radio access network notification areas, or a set of frequencies.

[0136] In some embodiments, when the configuration for the application layer measurement is received, the terminal device 110 may perform at least one of the following: notifying an upper layer of the terminal device to release at least a portion of another configuration for another application layer measurement; discarding at least a portion of reports for the other application layer measurement; forwarding a first configuration for application layer measurements in an idle state and an inactive state to the upper layer; starting or restarting a timer; starting or restarting a timer upon entering the idle state or inactive state; indicating to the upper layer to pause, deactivate, or stop the application layer measurement; or indicating to the upper layer to resume, activate, or start the application layer measurement upon entering the idle state or inactive state.

[0137] In some embodiments, the configuration for the application layer measurements includes a first configuration for application layer measurements in an idle state and an inactive state. In these embodiments, when the first configuration is received, terminal device 110 may perform at least one of: discarding at least a portion of a second configuration for application layer measurements in an idle state and an inactive state; discarding at least a portion of reports for application layer measurements based on the second configuration; storing parameters included in the first configuration; starting or restarting a timer; starting or restarting a timer upon entering the idle state or an inactive state; or forwarding the first configuration to the upper layer upon entering the idle state or an inactive state.

[0138] In some embodiments, when the configuration for the application layer measurement is received, the terminal device 110 may perform at least one of the following: notifying an upper layer of the terminal device to release at least a portion of another configuration for another application layer measurement; discarding at least a portion of a report for the other application layer measurement; forwarding the configuration for the application layer measurement to the upper layer; starting or restarting a timer; starting or restarting a timer upon entering the idle state or inactive state; or, in accordance with a determination that a measurement configuration from the set of measurement configurations is indicated as not applying to the idle state or inactive state, releasing the measurement configuration upon entering the idle state or storing the measurement configuration upon entering the inactive state.

[0139] In some embodiments, if the timer expires, terminal device 110 may perform a first operation. In some embodiments, if the memory reserved for the application layer measurements is full, terminal device 110 may stop the timer and perform the first operation. The first operation may include at least one of discarding the configuration for the application layer measurements, discarding a measurement configuration for radio access network visible application layer measurements in the configuration for application layer measurements, releasing the configuration for the application layer measurements or notifying the upper layer to suspend the application layer measurements, releasing the measurement configuration for the radio access network visible application layer measurements or notifying the upper layer to suspend the radio access network visible application layer measurements, discarding the report of the application layer measurements after a first period after the timer expires, or discarding the report of the radio access network visible application layer measurements after a second period after the timer expires.

[0140] In some embodiments, when the terminal device 110 moves from a first cell belonging to its coverage area to a second cell not belonging to the coverage area, the terminal device 110 may perform at least one of the following: release the configuration for the application layer measurements or notify an upper layer of the terminal device to suspend the application layer measurements; release a measurement configuration for radio access network visible application layer measurements in the configuration for the application layer measurements or notify an upper layer of the terminal device to suspend the radio access network visible application layer measurements; discard the configuration for the application layer measurements; or discard the measurement configuration for the radio access network visible application layer measurements.

[0141] In some embodiments, when the terminal device 110 moves from a second cell that does not belong to its coverage area to a first cell that belongs to its coverage area, the terminal device 110 may perform at least one of the following: notifying an upper layer of the terminal device to resume, activate, or start the application layer measurements; notifying the upper layer to resume, activate, or start radio access network visible application layer measurements; transferring the configuration for the application layer measurements to the upper layer; or transferring measurement configurations for radio access network visible application layer measurements in the configuration for the application layer measurements to the upper layer.

[0142] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may store the application layer measurement report. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may transmit the application layer measurement report, where the report includes a list of identities or a bitmap indicating that at least one measurement configuration has available measurement results. In some embodiments, based on receiving a list of identities or a bitmap indicating that measurement results associated with at least one measurement configuration are to be reported, terminal device 110 may report the measurement results associated with the at least one measurement configuration.

[0143] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may initiate a radio resource control setup procedure or a radio resource control resumption procedure for transmitting the application layer measurement report. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may transmit the application layer measurement report in a radio resource control message.

[0144] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may transmit the application layer measurement report via a small data transmission. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may transmit a radio resource control message carrying the application layer measurement report via a signaling radio bearer, the signaling radio bearer including at least one of signaling radio bearer 2, signaling radio bearer 1 configured for the small data transmission, signaling radio bearer 4 configured for the small data transmission, or a signaling radio bearer dedicated for the small data transmission.

[0145] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit an indication of the availability of the application layer measurement report in the radio resource control message, receive a request to obtain the application layer measurement report, and transmit the application layer measurement report.

[0146] In some embodiments, the report may include at least one of the following: an identity of a measurement configuration for the application layer measurement; a container for the application layer measurement for an upper layer; an indication of whether a session has been started or stopped; measurement results of the radio access network visible application layer measurement; information on a timestamp of the report; or information on the area in which the report was received from an upper layer by a lower layer of the terminal device.

[0147] In some embodiments, the measurement results of the radio access network visible application layer measurements may include at least one of an application layer buffer level, an initial playout delay, a list of protocol data unit session identities, or information of multicast broadcast service sessions.

[0148] In some embodiments, the area information may include at least one of a cell identity, a tracking area identity, a tracking area code, a radio access network notification area identity, or a frequency.

[0149] In some embodiments, when the terminal device 110 changes from an idle or inactive state to a connected state, the terminal device 110 may notify the upper layer of the terminal device to release the configuration related to the application layer measurements or to suspend the application layer measurements.

[0150] In some embodiments, a measurement configuration in the set of measurement configurations includes an indication of whether the measurement configuration is used for signaling-based application layer measurements. In these embodiments, if the timer is running, terminal device 110 may transmit a radio resource control message including an indication indicating that signaling-based application layer measurements are available. In some embodiments, if the timer is not running and measurement results for application layer measurements are being reported, terminal device 110 may transmit a radio resource control message including an indication indicating that signaling-based application layer measurements are not available.

[0151] Alternatively, if the timer is running, terminal device 110 may transmit a radio resource control message including information of a measurement configuration associated with an available signaling-based application layer measurement. If the timer is not running and measurement results of the application layer measurement are reported, terminal device 110 may transmit a radio resource control message including information of a measurement configuration associated with an unavailable signaling-based application layer measurement. In some embodiments, based on receiving a configuration for an application layer measurement, terminal device 110 may release a measurement configuration having the same identity as the measurement configuration in the configuration, or release a management-based application layer measurement.

[0152] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive an indication indicating whether alignment between logged drive test minimization measurements and the application layer measurements is supported. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive measurement configuration information in which the start or stop of a session triggers the start or stop of logged drive test minimization measurements. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive a trace reference of the logged drive test minimization measurements to which alignment has been applied.

[0153] In some embodiments, when a session starts, the terminal device 110 may start performing the minimized measurements of the logged drive test within a time interval. In some embodiments, when a session stops, the terminal device 110 may stop performing the minimized measurements of the logged drive test.

[0154] 4 illustrates an exemplary communication method 400 implemented in a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, method 400 may be performed in network device 120 as shown in FIG. 1. For purposes of explanation, method 400 will be described below with reference to FIG. 1. It should be understood that method 400 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.

[0155] At block 410, the network device 120 transmits configuration for application layer measurements, the configuration including at least one of a set of measurement settings, a set of timer values, or a set of validity ranges.

[0156] In some embodiments, a measurement configuration in the set of measurement configurations may include at least one of: an identity of the measurement configuration; a container of the application layer measurements for the application layer; a service type indicating a subset of services in the connection state; a measurement configuration for radio access network visible application layer measurements; an indication indicating whether the terminal device sends notifications when sessions at the application layer start and stop; an indication indicating whether the measurement configuration is to be used for terminal devices in an idle or inactive state; or an indication indicating whether the measurement configuration is to be used for signaling-based application layer measurements or management-based application layer measurements.

[0157] In some embodiments, the set of timer values ​​may include at least one of timer values ​​for measurement configurations used for signaling-based application layer measurements, timer values ​​for measurement configurations used for management-based application layer measurements, timer values ​​for measurement configurations used for radio access network visible application layer measurements, timer values ​​for the set of measurement configurations, or timer values ​​for configurations of the set of measurement configurations.

[0158] In some embodiments, the set of validity areas may include at least one of a validity area for measurement configurations used for signaling-based application layer measurements, a validity area for measurement configurations used for management-based application layer measurements, a validity area for measurement configurations used for radio access network visible application layer measurements, a validity area for the set of measurement configurations, or a validity area for a configuration of the set of measurement configurations.

[0159] In some embodiments, the set of validity areas may include at least one of a set of cell identities, a set of tracking area codes, a set of tracking area identities, a set of radio access network notification areas, or a set of frequencies.

[0160] In some embodiments, network device 120 may receive a report of the application layer measurements, the report including a list or bitmap of identities indicating that at least one measurement configuration has measurements available. In some embodiments, network device 120 may transmit a list or bitmap of identities indicating that measurements associated with at least one measurement configuration are to be reported.

[0161] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may perform a radio resource control installation procedure or a radio resource control resumption procedure to receive the application layer measurement report. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may receive the application layer measurement report in a radio resource control message. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may receive the application layer measurement report via a small data transmission.

[0162] In some embodiments, network device 120 may configure signaling radio bearer 1 for the small data transmission. In some embodiments, network device 120 may configure signaling radio bearer 4 for the small data transmission. In some embodiments, network device 120 may configure a dedicated signaling radio bearer for the small data transmission. In some embodiments, network device 120 may receive a radio resource control message carrying the application layer measurement report via a signaling radio bearer, wherein the signaling radio bearer includes at least one of signaling radio bearer 2, signaling radio bearer 1 configured for the small data transmission, signaling radio bearer 4 configured for the small data transmission, or a signaling radio bearer dedicated for the small data transmission.

[0163] In some embodiments, network device 120 may receive an indication of the availability of the application layer measurement reports in the radio resource control message, and may send a request to obtain the application layer measurement reports and receive the application layer measurement reports.

[0164] In some embodiments, the report may include at least one of the following: an identity of a measurement configuration for the application layer measurement; a container for the application layer measurement for an upper layer; an indication of whether a session has been started or stopped; measurement results of the radio access network visible application layer measurement; information on a timestamp of the report; or information on the area in which the report was received from an upper layer by a lower layer of the terminal device.

[0165] In some embodiments, the information in the report timestamp may include at least one of an application layer buffer level, an initial playout delay, a list of protocol data unit session identities, or multicast broadcast service session information.

[0166] In some embodiments, the area information may include at least one of a cell identity, a tracking area identity, a tracking area code, a radio access network notification area identity, or a frequency.

[0167] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may receive a radio resource control message that includes an indication that signaling-based application layer measurements are available. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may receive a radio resource control message that includes an indication that signaling-based application layer measurements are unavailable.

[0168] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may receive a radio resource control message that includes information about measurement configurations associated with available signaling-based application layer measurements. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may receive a radio resource control message that includes information about measurement configurations associated with unavailable signaling-based application layer measurements.

[0169] In some embodiments, network device 120 may transmit an indication of whether alignment between logged drive test minimization measurements and the application layer measurements is supported. In some embodiments, network device 120 may transmit measurement configuration information where the start or stop of a session triggers the start or stop of logged drive test minimization measurements. In some embodiments, network device 120 may transmit a trace reference of the logged drive test minimization measurements with alignment applied.

[0170] It should be noted that the operation of methods 300 and 400 is similar to that described in connection with FIG. 2, and therefore other details will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity. Device and equipment implementation examples

[0171] Figure 5 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 500 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Apparatus 500 may be considered another exemplary implementation of terminal device 110 or network device 120 shown in Figure 1. Thus, apparatus 500 may be implemented in, or as at least a part of, terminal device 110 or network device 120.

[0172] As shown, the apparatus 500 comprises a processor 510, a memory 520 coupled to the processor 510, a suitable transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) 540 coupled to the processor 510, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 540. The memory 510 stores at least a portion of a program 530. The TX / RX 540 is used for bidirectional communication. The TX / RX 540 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.

[0173] The program 530 is assumed to include program instructions that, when executed by the associated processor 510, enable the device 500 to operate according to embodiments of the present disclosure, as described herein with reference to Figures 1-4. The embodiments herein may be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 510 of the device 500, by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 510 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the combination of the processor 510 and the memory 520 may form a processing means 550 suitable for implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0174] The memory 520 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, including, 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 memory, and removable memory. While only one memory 520 is shown in the device 500, there may be several physically distinct memory modules within the device 500. The processor 510 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 500 may have multiple processors, for example, application-specific integrated circuit chips time-slaved to a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0175] In some embodiments, a terminal device comprises circuitry configured to receive, in a connected state, configuration for application layer measurements, including at least one of a set of measurement settings, a set of timer values, or a set of validity ranges, and to perform the application layer measurements based on the configuration upon determining that the terminal device has entered an idle state or an inactive state.

[0176] In some embodiments, the network device comprises circuitry configured to transmit configuration for application layer measurements, the configuration including at least one of a set of measurement configurations, a set of timer values, or a set of validity ranges.

[0177] As used herein, the term "circuitry" 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 with 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 portion thereof, that requires software / firmware for operation, although software may not be present if not necessary for operation. As used herein, the term "circuitry" also includes an implementation of a hardware circuit or one or more processors only, or a hardware circuit or portion of one or more processors and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware.

[0178] In summary, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide the following solutions:

[0179] In one solution, a communication method includes receiving, in a terminal device in a connected state, configuration for application layer measurements, including at least one of a set of measurement settings, a set of timer values, or a set of validity ranges, and performing the application layer measurements based on the configuration following a determination that the terminal device has entered an idle state or an inactive state.

[0180] In some embodiments, a measurement configuration in the set of measurement configurations includes at least one of: an identity of the measurement configuration; a container of the application layer measurements for the application layer; a service type indicating a subset of services in the connection state; a measurement configuration for radio access network visible application layer measurements; an indication indicating whether the terminal device sends notifications when sessions at the application layer start and stop; an indication indicating whether the measurement configuration is to be used for the terminal device in the idle or inactive state; or an indication indicating whether the measurement configuration is to be used for signaling-based application layer measurements or management-based application layer measurements.

[0181] In some embodiments, the set of timer values ​​includes at least one of: timer values ​​for measurement configurations used for signaling-based application layer measurements; timer values ​​for measurement configurations used for management-based application layer measurements; timer values ​​for measurement configurations used for radio access network visible application layer measurements; timer values ​​for the set of measurement configurations; or timer values ​​for configurations in the set of measurement configurations.

[0182] In some embodiments, the set of validity areas includes at least one of a validity area for measurement configurations used for signaling-based application layer measurements, a validity area for measurement configurations used for management-based application layer measurements, a validity area for measurement configurations used for radio access network visible application layer measurements, a validity area for the set of measurement configurations, or a validity area for a configuration of the set of measurement configurations.

[0183] In some embodiments, the set of validity areas includes at least one of a set of cell identities, a set of tracking area codes, a set of tracking area identities, a set of radio access network notification areas, or a set of frequencies.

[0184] In some embodiments, the method further includes performing at least one of the following: informing a higher layer of the terminal device to release at least a portion of another configuration related to another application layer measurement according to a determination that the configuration related to the application layer measurement has been received; discarding at least a portion of reports related to the other application layer measurement; forwarding a first configuration related to application layer measurements in an idle state and an inactive state to the higher layer; starting or restarting a timer; starting or restarting a timer upon entering the idle state or the inactive state; indicating to the higher layer to pause, deactivate or stop the application layer measurement; or indicating to the higher layer to resume, activate or start the application layer measurement upon entering the idle state or the inactive state.

[0185] In some embodiments, the configuration for the application layer measurements includes a first configuration for application layer measurements in an idle state and an inactive state, and the method further includes, in accordance with a determination that the first configuration has been received, performing at least one of: discarding at least a portion of a second configuration for application layer measurements in an idle state and an inactive state; discarding at least a portion of reports for application layer measurements based on the second configuration; storing parameters included in the first configuration; starting or restarting a timer; starting or restarting a timer upon entering the idle state or an inactive state; or forwarding the first configuration to the upper layer upon entering the idle state or an inactive state.

[0186] In some embodiments, the method further includes performing at least one of the following: informing an upper layer of the terminal device to release at least a portion of another configuration related to another application layer measurement in accordance with a determination that the configuration related to the application layer measurement has been received; discarding at least a portion of a report related to the other application layer measurement; forwarding the configuration related to the application layer measurement to the upper layer; starting or restarting a timer; starting or restarting a timer upon entering the idle state or inactive state; or releasing the measurement configuration upon entering the idle state or storing the measurement configuration upon entering the inactive state in accordance with a determination that a measurement configuration of the set of measurement configurations is indicated as not applying to the idle state or inactive state.

[0187] In some embodiments, the method further includes performing a first operation in accordance with a determination that the timer has expired, or stopping the timer and performing the first operation in accordance with a determination that a memory reserved for the application layer measurements has become full, wherein the first operation includes at least one of: discarding the configuration for the application layer measurements; discarding measurement configuration of radio access network visible application layer measurements in the configuration for application layer measurements; releasing the configuration for the application layer measurements or notifying the upper layer to suspend the application layer measurements; releasing the measurement configuration of the radio access network visible application layer measurements or notifying the upper layer to suspend the radio access network visible application layer measurements; discarding reports of the application layer measurements after a first period after expiration of the timer; or discarding reports of the radio access network visible application layer measurements after a second period after expiration of the timer.

[0188] In some embodiments, the method further includes, according to a determination that the terminal device has moved from a first cell belonging to an effectiveness area of ​​the set of effectiveness areas to a second cell not belonging to the effectiveness area, performing at least one of: releasing the configuration for the application layer measurements or notifying an upper layer of the terminal device to suspend the application layer measurements; releasing a measurement configuration for radio access network visible application layer measurements in the configuration for the application layer measurements or notifying an upper layer of the terminal device to suspend the radio access network visible application layer measurements; discarding the configuration for the application layer measurements or discarding the measurement configuration of the radio access network visible application layer measurements.

[0189] In some embodiments, the method further includes, according to a determination that the terminal device has moved from a second cell that does not belong to an effectiveness area of ​​the set of effectiveness areas to a first cell that belongs to the effectiveness area, performing at least one of: notifying an upper layer of the terminal device to resume, activate, or start the application layer measurements; notifying the upper layer to resume, activate, or start radio access network visible application layer measurements; transferring the configuration for the application layer measurements to the upper layer; or transferring measurement configurations of radio access network visible application layer measurements in the configuration for the application layer measurements to the upper layer.

[0190] In some embodiments, the method further includes at least one of storing the application layer measurement report, transmitting the application layer measurement report, the report including a list of identities or a bitmap indicating that at least one measurement setting has available measurement results, or reporting the measurement results associated with the at least one measurement setting based on receiving a list of identities or a bitmap indicating that measurement results associated with the at least one measurement setting are to be reported.

[0191] In some embodiments, the method further includes at least one of initiating a radio resource control installation procedure or a radio resource control resumption procedure for sending the application layer measurement report, or sending the application layer measurement report in a radio resource control message.

[0192] In some embodiments, transmitting the application layer measurement report comprises transmitting the application layer measurement report via a small data transmission. In some embodiments, transmitting the application layer measurement report via a small data transmission comprises transmitting a radio resource control message carrying the application layer measurement report via a signaling radio bearer, the signaling radio bearer comprising at least one of signaling radio bearer 2, signaling radio bearer 1 configured for the small data transmission, signaling radio bearer 4 configured for the small data transmission, or a signaling radio bearer dedicated for the small data transmission.

[0193] In some embodiments, transmitting the application layer measurement report includes transmitting an indication in the radio resource control message indicating availability of the application layer measurement report, receiving a request to obtain the application layer measurement report, and transmitting the application layer measurement report.

[0194] In some embodiments, the report includes at least one of the following: an identity of a measurement configuration for the application layer measurement; a container for the application layer measurement for an upper layer; an indication of whether a session has been started or stopped; a measurement result of the radio access network visible application layer measurement; information on a timestamp of the report; or information on the area in which the report was received from an upper layer by a lower layer of the terminal device.

[0195] In some embodiments, the measurement results of the radio access network visible application layer measurements include at least one of an application layer buffer level, an initial playout delay, a list of protocol data unit session identities, or information of multicast broadcast service sessions.

[0196] In some embodiments, the area information includes at least one of a cell identity, a tracking area identity, a tracking area code, a radio access network notification area identity, or a frequency.

[0197] In some embodiments, the method further includes, in accordance with a determination that the terminal device has changed from the idle state or the inactive state to the connected state, notifying an upper layer of the terminal device to release settings related to the application layer measurements or to suspend the application layer measurements.

[0198] In some embodiments, a measurement configuration in the set of measurement configurations includes an indication of whether the measurement configuration is used for signaling-based application layer measurements. In these embodiments, the method further includes, in accordance with a determination that the timer is running, transmitting a radio resource control message including an indication indicating that the signaling-based application layer measurements are available, or, in accordance with a determination that the timer is not running and measurement results of the application layer measurements are reported, transmitting a radio resource control message including an indication indicating that the signaling-based application layer measurements are not available.

[0199] In some embodiments, a measurement configuration in the set of measurement configurations includes an indication of whether the measurement configuration is used for signaling-based application layer measurements. In these embodiments, the method further includes, in accordance with a determination that the timer is running, transmitting a radio resource control message including information of a measurement configuration associated with an available signaling-based application layer measurement, in accordance with a determination that the timer is not running and measurement results of the application layer measurement are reported, transmitting a radio resource control message including information of a measurement configuration associated with an unavailable signaling-based application layer measurement, or, based on receiving the configuration for the application layer measurement, releasing a measurement configuration having the same identity as a measurement configuration in the set or releasing a management-based application layer measurement.

[0200] In some embodiments, the method further includes at least one of receiving an indication indicating whether alignment between logged drive test minimized measurements and the application layer measurements is supported, receiving measurement configuration information where starting or stopping a session triggers starting or stopping of logged drive test minimized measurements, or receiving a trace reference of the logged drive test minimized measurements to which the alignment has been applied.

[0201] In some embodiments, the method further includes starting execution of minimized measurements of the logged drive test within a time interval in accordance with a determination that a session has started, or stopping execution of minimized measurements of the logged drive test in accordance with a determination that a session has stopped.

[0202] In another solution, a method of communication includes transmitting, in a network device, configuration related to application layer measurements, including at least one of a set of measurement configurations, a set of timer values, or a set of validity ranges.

[0203] In some embodiments, a measurement configuration in the set of measurement configurations includes at least one of the following: an identity of the measurement configuration; a container of the application layer measurements for the application layer; a service type indicating a subset of services in the connection state; a measurement configuration for radio access network visible application layer measurements; an indication indicating whether the terminal device sends notifications when sessions at the application layer start and stop; an indication indicating whether the measurement configuration is to be used for terminal devices in an idle or inactive state; or an indication indicating whether the measurement configuration is to be used for signaling-based application layer measurements or management-based application layer measurements.

[0204] In some embodiments, the set of timer values ​​includes at least one of: timer values ​​for measurement configurations used for signaling-based application layer measurements; timer values ​​for measurement configurations used for management-based application layer measurements; timer values ​​for measurement configurations used for radio access network visible application layer measurements; timer values ​​for the set of measurement configurations; or timer values ​​for configurations in the set of measurement configurations.

[0205] In some embodiments, the set of validity areas includes at least one of a validity area for measurement configurations used for signaling-based application layer measurements, a validity area for measurement configurations used for management-based application layer measurements, a validity area for measurement configurations used for radio access network visible application layer measurements, a validity area for the set of measurement configurations, or a validity area for a configuration of the set of measurement configurations.

[0206] In some embodiments, the set of validity areas includes at least one of a set of cell identities, a set of tracking area codes, a set of tracking area identities, a set of radio access network notification areas, or a set of frequencies.

[0207] In some embodiments, the method further includes at least one of receiving a report of the application layer measurements, the report including a list or bitmap of identities indicating that at least one measurement configuration has measurement results available, or sending a list or bitmap of identities indicating that measurement results associated with at least one measurement configuration are to be reported.

[0208] In some embodiments, the method further includes at least one of performing a radio resource control installation procedure or a radio resource control resumption procedure for receiving the application layer measurement report, or receiving the application layer measurement report in a radio resource control message.

[0209] In some embodiments, receiving the application layer measurement reports includes receiving the application layer measurement reports via small data transmission.

[0210] In some embodiments, receiving the application layer measurement report via the small data transmission includes receiving a radio resource control message carrying the application layer measurement report via a signaling radio bearer, the signaling radio bearer including at least one of signaling radio bearer 2, signaling radio bearer 1 configured for the small data transmission, signaling radio bearer 4 configured for the small data transmission, or a signaling radio bearer dedicated for the small data transmission.

[0211] In some embodiments, the method further includes at least one of: configuring a signaling radio bearer 1 for the small data transmission; configuring a signaling radio bearer 4 for the small data transmission; or configuring a dedicated signaling radio bearer for the small data transmission.

[0212] In some embodiments, receiving the application layer measurement report includes receiving an indication in the radio resource control message indicating availability of the application layer measurement report, sending a request to obtain the application layer measurement report, and receiving the application layer measurement report.

[0213] In some embodiments, the report includes at least one of the following: an identity of a measurement configuration for the application layer measurement; a container for the application layer measurement for an upper layer; an indication of whether a session has been started or stopped; a measurement result of the radio access network visible application layer measurement; information on a timestamp of the report; or information on the area in which the report was received from an upper layer by a lower layer of the terminal device.

[0214] In some embodiments, the information in the report timestamp includes at least one of an application layer buffer level, an initial playout delay, a list of protocol data unit session identities, or multicast broadcast service session information.

[0215] In some embodiments, the area information includes at least one of a cell identity, a tracking area identity, a tracking area code, a radio access network notification area identity, or a frequency.

[0216] In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving a radio resource control message including an indication that the signaling-based application layer measurements are available, or receiving a radio resource control message including an indication that the signaling-based application layer measurements are not available.

[0217] In some embodiments, the method further comprises receiving a radio resource control message comprising information of a measurement configuration associated with an available signaling-based application layer measurement, or receiving a radio resource control message comprising information of a measurement configuration associated with an unavailable signaling-based application layer measurement.

[0218] The method further includes at least one of sending an indication indicating whether alignment between logged drive test minimization measurements and the application layer measurements is supported, sending information of a measurement configuration in which starting or stopping a session triggers starting or stopping of logged drive test minimization measurements, or sending a trace reference of the logged drive test minimization measurements to which the alignment has been applied.

[0219] In another solution, a communication device comprises a processor configured to cause said device to perform any one of the methods.

[0220] 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 executable by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described using block diagrams, flowcharts, or 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 example, in hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing device, or any combination thereof.

[0221] 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 program modules, that execute within a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the processes or methods described above with reference to FIGS. 1-4. 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 desired. The machine-executable instructions of the program modules may be executed within local or distributed devices. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0222] 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 device, and when executed by the processor or controller, cause the program code to implement the functions / acts specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams. 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.

[0223] The above-described program code may be embodied 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, apparatus, or device. 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, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the aforementioned media. More specific examples of a 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 above.

[0224] It should be noted that, although operations have been described in a particular order, it should not be understood that performing such operations in the particular order or sequence shown, or performing all of the operations described, is required to achieve desirable results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while several 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 particular embodiments. Some features that are described in the context of individual 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.

[0225] 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. A method of communication comprising: receiving, in a terminal device in a connected state, configuration related to application layer measurements, the configuration including at least one of a set of measurement configurations, a set of timer values, or a set of validity ranges; performing the application layer measurements based on the configuration in accordance with determining that the terminal device has entered an idle or inactive state; A method comprising:

2. The measurement configuration of the set of measurement configurations comprises: the identity of said measurement configuration; a container of said application layer measurements for an application layer; a service type indicating a subset of services in the connection state; Measurement configuration for radio access network visible application layer measurements, an indication of whether the terminal device should send notifications when a session is started and stopped at the application layer; an indication whether the measurement configuration is to be used for the terminal device in the idle or inactive state; or an indication of whether the measurement configuration is used for signaling-based application layer measurements or management-based application layer measurements; Contains at least one of The method of claim 1.

3. The set of timer values ​​is: timer values ​​for measurement configurations used for signaling-based application layer measurements; timer values ​​for measurement configurations used for management-based application layer measurements; the value of the timer for the measurement configuration used for radio access network visible application layer measurements; the value of a timer for said set of measurement configurations; or a timer value for a setting in the set of measurement settings; Contains at least one of The method of claim 1.

4. The set of effective areas is: Validity domain for measurement configurations used for signaling-based application layer measurements; Validity domain for measurement configurations used for management-based application layer measurements; a validity area for the measurement configuration used for radio access network visible application layer measurements; a validity region for said set of measurement settings, or a validity region for a setting in the set of measurement settings; Contains at least one of The method of claim 1.

5. The set of effective areas is: a set of cell identities, a set of tracking area codes; a set of tracking area identities; a set of radio access network notification areas, or A set of frequencies, Contains at least one of The method of claim 1.

6. In response to a determination that the configuration for the application layer measurements has been received, notifying an upper layer of the terminal device to release at least a part of another configuration related to another application layer measurement; discarding at least some of the reports relating to the other application layer measurements; forwarding a first configuration for application layer measurements in idle and inactive states to the upper layer; Starting or restarting a timer; starting or restarting a timer upon entering said idle or inactive state; indicating to the higher layer to pause, deactivate or stop the application layer measurements; or Upon entering said idle or inactive state, indicating to said upper layers to resume or activate or start said application layer measurements; [0033] Further comprising: The method of claim 1.

7. The configuration related to the application layer measurements includes a first configuration related to application layer measurements in an idle state and an inactive state, and the method further comprises: pursuant to determining that the first configuration has been received, discarding at least a portion of the second configuration related to application layer measurements in an idle state and an inactive state; discarding at least some of the reports relating to application layer measurements based on the second configuration; storing the parameters included in said first configuration; Starting or restarting a timer; starting or restarting a timer upon entering said idle or inactive state; or forwarding the first configuration to the upper layer upon entering an idle or inactive state; [0033] Further comprising: The method of claim 1.

8. In response to a determination that the configuration for the application layer measurements has been received, notifying an upper layer of the terminal device to release at least a part of another configuration related to another application layer measurement; discarding at least some of the reports relating to the other application layer measurements; forwarding the configuration regarding the application layer measurements to the upper layer; Starting or restarting a timer; starting or restarting a timer upon entering said idle or inactive state; or releasing the measurement configuration upon entering the idle state or storing the measurement configuration upon entering the inactive state in accordance with a determination that a measurement configuration of the set of measurement configurations has been indicated as not applying to the idle state or the inactive state; [0033] Further comprising: The method of claim 1.

9. performing a first operation in accordance with determining that the timer has expired; or and, in response to determining that the memory reserved for the application layer measurements is full, stopping the timer and performing the first operation, the first operation comprising: discarding the configuration regarding the application layer measurements; discarding a measurement configuration of radio access network visible application layer measurements in the configuration for the application layer measurements; releasing the configuration for the application layer measurements or informing the upper layer to suspend the application layer measurements; releasing the measurement configuration of the radio access network visible application layer measurements or informing the upper layer to suspend the radio access network visible application layer measurements; discarding the application layer measurement reports a first period after the timer expires; or discarding the radio access network visible application layer measurement reports a second time period after the timer expires; Contains at least one of The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8.

10. upon determining that the terminal device has moved from a first cell belonging to a coverage area of ​​the set of coverage areas to a second cell not belonging to the coverage area, notifying an upper layer of the terminal device to release the configuration for the application layer measurements or to suspend the application layer measurements; releasing a measurement configuration of radio access network visible application layer measurements in the configuration related to the application layer measurements or informing an upper layer of the terminal device to suspend the radio access network visible application layer measurements; discarding said configuration regarding said application layer measurements; or discarding the measurement configuration of the radio access network visible application layer measurements; [0033] Further comprising: The method of claim 1.

11. Upon determining that the terminal device has moved from a second cell that does not belong to a coverage area of ​​the set of coverage areas to a first cell that belongs to the coverage area, notifying upper layers of the terminal device to resume, activate or start the application layer measurements; notifying said higher layers to resume or activate or start radio access network visible application layer measurements; forwarding said configuration regarding said application layer measurements to said upper layer; or forwarding a measurement configuration of the radio access network visible application layer measurements in the configuration for the application layer measurements to the upper layer; [0033] Further comprising: The method of claim 1.

12. storing a report of said application layer measurements; sending a report of said application layer measurements, said report including a list or bitmap of identities indicating that at least one measurement configuration has measurement results available; or reporting measurement results associated with at least one measurement configuration based on receiving a list or bitmap of identities indicating that the measurement results associated with the at least one measurement configuration are to be reported; Further comprising at least one of The method of claim 1.

13. initiating a radio resource control installation procedure or a radio resource control resumption procedure for sending the application layer measurement report; or transmitting the application layer measurement report in a radio resource control message; Further comprising at least one of The method of claim 1.

14. The report states: an identity of a measurement configuration of said application layer measurements; a container of said application layer measurements for higher layers; an indication of whether the session is started or stopped; Measurement results of wireless access network visible application layer measurements, timestamp information for said report; or information about the area in which the report was received by the lower layer of the terminal device from the upper layer; Contains at least one of The method according to any one of claims 12 to 13.

15. Informing upper layers of the terminal device to release the configuration related to the application layer measurements or to suspend the application layer measurements according to a determination that the terminal device has changed from the idle state or the inactive state to the connected state; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

16. A measurement configuration in the set of measurement configurations includes an indication of whether the measurement configuration is used for signaling-based application layer measurements, and the method further comprises: transmitting a radio resource control message including an indication that the signaling-based application layer measurement is available in accordance with determining that the timer is running; or and transmitting a radio resource control message including an indication that the signaling-based application layer measurement is unavailable in response to determining that the timer is not running and measurement results of the application layer measurement are reported. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8.

17. A measurement configuration in the set of measurement configurations includes an indication of whether the measurement configuration is used for signaling-based application layer measurements, and the method further comprises: transmitting a radio resource control message including information of a measurement configuration associated with available signaling-based application layer measurements in accordance with determining that the timer is running; transmitting a radio resource control message including information of a measurement configuration associated with an unavailable signaling-based application layer measurement in accordance with a determination that the timer is not running and measurement results of the application layer measurement are reported; or and releasing a measurement configuration having the same identity as a measurement configuration in the configuration or releasing a management-based application layer measurement based on receiving the configuration for the application layer measurement. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8.

18. receiving an indication indicating whether alignment between logged drive test minimization measurements and the application layer measurements is supported; receiving information about a measurement configuration that triggers the start or stop of a drive test minimization measurement, where the start or stop of the session is logged; or receiving a trace reference of the logged drive test minimization measurement to which the alignment was applied; Further comprising at least one of The method of claim 1.

19. A method of communication comprising: transmitting, in the network device, configurations related to application layer measurements, the configurations including at least one of a set of measurement configurations, a set of timer values, or a set of validity ranges; Contains method.

20. A processor configured to cause a communication device to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 18 or 19. Communication equipment.

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