Method and apparatus for supporting quality of experience (QoE) measurement collection

Abstract

[0003] Embodiments of the present application relate to a method and apparatus for supporting Quality of Experience (QoE) measurement collection. For example, an exemplary method implemented by a UE may include receiving QoE measurement configuration information for a QoE measurement, where the QoE measurement is configured by a master node (MN) and a reporting leg for a QoE measurement report of the QoE measurement is configured to be a secondary cell group (SCG), or where the QoE measurement is configured by a secondary node (SN) and a reporting leg for a QoE measurement report of the QoE measurement is configured to be a master cell group (MCG) or an SCG; and determining an action for the QoE measurement in response to determining that the SCG is unavailable.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments of the present application relate generally to wireless communication technologies, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for supporting quality of experience (QoE) measurement collection. [Background technology]

[0002] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcasts, and so on. Wireless communication systems may employ multiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of wireless communication systems may include fourth-generation (4G) systems, such as long-term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth-generation (5G) systems, sometimes referred to as new radio (NR) systems. However, wireless communication systems still need to evolve in pursuit of better service quality, better service experience, lower costs, and so on.

[0003] The 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) Release (Rel) 17 specifies the basic mechanisms for NR QoE. Because NR dual connectivity (DC) is a key commercial development scenario for 5G networks, it is important to support NR-DC in the NR QoE framework. Therefore, in Rel-18, QoE will support QoE measurement configuration and measurement reporting for NR-DC scenarios, as agreed in RP-213594 as follows: Specifies the QoE configuration and measurement reporting for MN / SN for NR-DC architecture, and specifies QoE measurement reporting for other DC legs to maintain reporting continuity.

[0004] In light of the above, the industry desires techniques to improve QoE measurement collection, and in particular to improve techniques to support QoE measurement collection for NR-DC scenarios. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] An objective of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a technical solution that supports QoE measurement collection, for example, a method and apparatus for processing SCG-related QoE measurements when the SCG is unavailable. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] Some embodiments of the present application provide a UE including a transceiver and a processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: receive QoE measurement configuration information related to a QoE measurement, wherein the QoE measurement is configured by a master node (MN) and a reporting leg for a QoE measurement report of the QoE measurement is configured to be a secondary cell group (SCG), or the QoE measurement is configured by a secondary node (SN) and a reporting leg for a QoE measurement report of the QoE measurement is configured to be a master cell group (MCG) or an SCG; and, in response to determining that the SCG is unavailable, determine an action with respect to the QoE measurement.

[0007] In some embodiments of the present application, the processor is configured to, in response to an SCG failure occurrence, determine that the SCG is unavailable and switch the reporting leg from the SCG to a predefined or configured MCG, where the configured MCG is configured in the QoE measurement configuration information or other configuration information related to QoE measurement.

[0008] According to some embodiments of the present application, in response to an SCG failure occurring while a QoE measurement report for the QoE measurement is available, the processor is configured to send information to the MN indicating that a QoE measurement report for the QoE measurement is available when the SCG failure occurs, and to receive other configuration information related to the QoE measurement from the MN.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present application, in response to an SCG failure occurring while a QoE measurement report for a QoE measurement is available, the processor is configured to: determine whether a signaling radio bearer (SRB) 4 is configured for reporting the QoE measurement report; and if the SRB 4 is configured, switch the reporting leg from the SCG to the MCG, where the MCG is predefined or configured in the QoE measurement configuration information; or if the SRB 4 is not configured, when an SCG failure occurs, send information to the MN indicating that a QoE measurement report is available; and receive other configuration information related to the QoE measurement from the MN.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present application, the processor is configured to, in response to an SCG failure occurrence, determine that the SCG is unavailable, suspend reporting of QoE measurement reports until receiving information from the MN indicating another reporting leg, and buffer QoE measurement reports if QoE measurement reports are available in the radio resource control (RRC) layer.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present application, when the QoE measurements are configured by the SN, the processor is configured to, in response to an SCG failure occurrence, determine that the SCG is unavailable, release the QoE measurements, and discard the QoE measurement reports if the QoE measurement reports are available in the RRC layer.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present application, when the QoE measurement is configured by the SN, the processor is configured to determine that the SCG is unavailable, suspend the QoE measurement, and discontinue reporting the QoE measurement report in response to an SCG failure occurring.

[0013] According to some embodiments of the present application, the processor is configured to receive information indicating another reporting leg for reporting the QoE measurement report, resume QoE measurement, and resume reporting of the QoE measurement report via the another reporting leg.

[0014] According to some embodiments of the present application, the processor is configured to determine that an SCG failure occurs in response to at least one of a radio link failure to the SCG, a beam failure of a primary secondary cell (PSCell) while the SCG is deactivated, a reconfiguration involving a synchronization failure of the SCG, an SCG configuration failure, or an integrity check failure indication from an SCG lower layer regarding the SRB3.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present application, when the QoE measurement is configured by the SN, the processor is configured to determine that the SCG is unavailable in response to the release of the SCG, and to determine whether the QoE measurement will be maintained or released based on an instruction from the MN, and if the instruction indicates that the QoE measurement will be maintained, to continue the QoE measurement by treating the QoE measurement as a QoE measurement configured by the MN after the SCG is released and the reporting leg is changed, or to release the QoE measurement and discard the QoE measurement report if the instruction indicates that the QoE measurement will be released.

[0016] According to some embodiments of the present application, if the instruction indicates that the QoE measurements are to be maintained, the processor is configured to receive another instruction indicating that the reporting leg is to be changed, and to change the reporting leg in accordance with the another instruction.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present application, the QoE measurements are configured by the SN, and the processor is configured to, in response to deactivation of the SCG, determine that the SCG is unavailable and switch the reporting leg from the SCG to a predefined or configured MCG, where the configured MCG is configured in the QoE measurement configuration information or other configuration information.

[0018] According to some embodiments of the present application, if the configured MCG is configured within the other configuration information, the processor is configured to, in response to SCG deactivation while a QoE measurement report relating to the QoE measurement is available, send information to the MN indicating that a QoE measurement report is available when the SCG is deactivated, and receive the other configuration information from the MN.

[0019] According to some embodiments of the present application, in response to deactivation of the SCG while a QoE measurement report relating to QoE measurement is available, the processor is configured to: determine whether an SRB4 is configured for reporting the QoE measurement report; and if the SRB4 is configured, switch the reporting leg from the SCG to the MCG, where the MCG is predefined or configured in the QoE measurement configuration information; or if the SRB4 is not configured, when the SCG is deactivated, send information to the MN indicating that a QoE measurement report is available, and receive other configuration information from the MN indicating the MCG.

[0020] According to some embodiments of the present application, the processor is configured to switch the reporting leg to the SCG in response to activation of the SCG.

[0021] In some embodiments of the present application, the QoE measurements are configured by the SN, and the processor is configured, in response to deactivation of the SCG, to determine that the SCG is unavailable and suspend reporting of QoE measurement reports until the SCG is activated, and to buffer the QoE measurement reports if the QoE measurement reports are available in the RRC layer.

[0022] In some embodiments of the present application, the QoE measurements are configured by the SN, and the processor is configured, in response to deactivation of the SCG, to determine that the SCG is unavailable, release the QoE measurements, and, if the QoE measurement reports are available in the RRC layer, discard the QoE measurement reports.

[0023] According to some embodiments of the present application, the processor is configured to send information from an access stratum (AS) layer to a layer above the AS layer indicating that the QoE measurements should be released, and to cause the AS layer to discard any stored segments of the segmented RRC message associated with the SCG.

[0024] According to some embodiments of the present application, the QoE measurement is configured by the SN, and the processor is configured to determine that the SCG is unavailable and suspend the QoE measurement in response to deactivation of the SCG.

[0025] According to some embodiments of the present application, the processor is configured to receive an SCG failure indication from the AS layer by a layer above the AS layer, and to suspend QoE measurements by the layer above the AS layer.

[0026] According to some embodiments of the present application, the processor is configured to receive an SCG deactivation instruction from the AS layer by a layer above the AS layer, and to suspend QoE measurement by the layer above the AS layer.

[0027] In some scenarios, the processor is configured to receive information from the AS layer by a layer above the AS layer indicating that the QoE measurements are configured by the SN.

[0028] According to some embodiments of the present application, the processor is configured to receive, from the AS layer, information indicating that a layer above the AS layer requests that the QoE measurement be suspended, and an RRC identifier identifying the QoE measurement, and to suspend the QoE measurement by the layer above the AS layer.

[0029] According to some embodiments of the present application, the processor is configured to suspend reporting of QoE measurement reports via the SCG in response to a pause instruction from the MN, and to resume reporting of QoE measurement reports via the SCG in response to a resume instruction from the MN.

[0030] In some scenarios, the processor is configured to indicate, by the AS layer to a layer above the AS layer, to resume QoE measurements, and to resume reporting of QoE measurement reports.

[0031] Some other embodiments of the present application provide a radio access network (RAN) node, e.g., MN, including a transceiver and a processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to receive first QoE measurement configuration information from the SN regarding QoE measurements configured by a source SN for a UE, transmit the first QoE measurement configuration information to a target SN, and receive delta configuration information of the first QoE measurement configuration information from the target SN.

[0032] In some embodiments of the present application, the first QoE measurement configuration information is received from the SN in an SN modification request configuration response message or an SN change request message.

[0033] In some embodiments of the present application, the processor is configured to send the second QoE measurement configuration information configured by the RAN node to the target SN.

[0034] In some embodiments of the present application, the processor is configured to transmit delta configuration information to the UE.

[0035] Some further embodiments of the present application also provide a RAN node, e.g., a target SN, including a transceiver and a processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to receive first Qof measurement configuration information from the MN regarding a QoE measurement configured by the SN, generate delta configuration information of the first QoE measurement configuration information, and transmit the delta configuration information of the first QoE measurement configuration information to the MN.

[0036] In some embodiments of the present application, the processor is configured to receive, from the MN, second QoE measurement configuration information configured by the MN.

[0037] In view of the above, the embodiments of the present application provide a technical solution that supports QoE measurement collection that can process SCG-related QoE measurements when an SCG event occurs in an NR-DC scenario, and improves the reporting continuity of QoE measurements. Therefore, the embodiments of the present application may facilitate and improve the implementation of NR.

[0038] To explain the manner in which the advantages and features of the present application may be obtained, the description of the present application will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. These drawings depict only exemplary embodiments of the present application and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0039] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a wireless communication system in accordance with some embodiments of the present application. [Figure 2] 1 is a flow diagram of an example procedure for supporting QoE measurement collection in the event of an SCG failure, according to some embodiments of the present application. [Figure 3] 1 is a flow diagram of an example procedure for supporting QoE measurement collection when an SCG is released, according to some embodiments of the present application. [Figure 4]1 is a flow diagram of an example procedure for supporting QoE measurement collection in the case of SCG changes, according to some embodiments of the present application. [Figure 5] 1 is a block diagram of an apparatus supporting QoE measurement collection according to some embodiments of the present application. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an apparatus supporting QoE measurement reporting according to some other embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0040] The detailed description of the accompanying drawings is intended as an illustration of a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present application may be practiced. It is to be understood that the same or similar functions may be accomplished by different embodiments that are intended to be included within the spirit and scope of the present application.

[0041] Reference will now be made in detail to several embodiments of the present application, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. To facilitate understanding, the embodiments are provided under specific network architectures and new service scenarios, such as 3GPP® 5G and 3GPP® LTE. With the development of network architectures and new service scenarios, it is contemplated that all embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems. Moreover, the terminology listed in the present application may be changed, which should not affect the principles of the present application.

[0042] In an NR-DC scenario, a UE equipped with multiple transceivers may be configured to utilize resources provided by two different nodes connected via a non-ideal backhaul. One node may provide NR access, and the other node may provide either evolved universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) universal terrestrial radio access (UTRA) (E-UTRA) or NR access. One node may act as a MN, and the other node may act as a SN. The MN and SN are connected via a network interface, e.g., an Xn interface, as specified in 3GPP specifications, and at least the MN is connected to a core network (CN).

[0043] For example, FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system 100 in accordance with some embodiments of the present application.

[0044] As shown in Figure 1, the wireless communication system 100 may be a dual connectivity system 100 that includes at least one UE 101, at least one MN 102, and at least one SN 103. Specifically, the dual connectivity system 100 of Figure 1 includes, for illustrative purposes, one shown UE 101, one shown MN 102, and one shown SN 103. Although a particular number of UEs 101, MNs 102, and SNs 103 are shown in Figure 1, it is contemplated that any number of UEs 101, MNs 102, and SNs 103 may be included within the wireless communication system 100.

[0045] 1 , the UE 101 may be connected to the MN 102 and the SN 103 via an interface, for example, a Uu interface as specified in the 3GPP (registered trademark) specifications. The MN 102 and the SN 103 may be connected to each other via a network interface, for example, an Xn interface as specified in the 3GPP (registered trademark) specifications. The MN 102 may be connected to a core network via a network interface (not shown in FIG. 1 ), for example, an NG interface as specified in the 3GPP (registered trademark) specifications. The UE 101 may be configured to perform data transmission by utilizing resources provided by the MN 102 and the SN 103.

[0046] In some embodiments of the present application, the UE 101 may include a computing device such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a smart television (e.g., a television connected to the Internet), a set-top box, a game console, a security system (including a security camera), an in-vehicle computer, a network device (e.g., a router, a switch, and a modem), etc. In some other embodiments of the present application, the UE 101 may include a portable wireless communication device, a smartphone, a cellular telephone, a flip phone, a device with a subscriber identity module, a personal computer, selective call receiving circuitry, or any other device capable of sending and receiving communication signals over a wireless network. In some other embodiments of the present application, the UE 101 may include a wearable device such as a smart watch, a fitness band, an optical head-mounted display, etc. Moreover, the UE 101 may be referred to as a subscriber unit, a mobile, a mobile station, a user, a terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a fixed terminal, a subscriber station, a user terminal, or a device, or may be described using other terminology used in the art.

[0047] The MN 102 refers to a RAN node that provides a control plane connection to a core network. In some embodiments of the present application, in an E-UTRA-NR DC (EN-DC) scenario, the MN 102 may be an eNB. In another embodiment of the present application, in a next generation E-UTRA-NR DC (NGEN-DC) scenario, the MN 102 may be a next generation (ng) eNB. In yet another embodiment of the present application, in an NR-DC scenario or an NR-E-UTRA DC (NE-DC) scenario, the MN 102 may be a gNB. The MN 102 may also be referred to as a Master NG-RAN (M-NG-RAN) node in some embodiments of the present application.

[0048] The MN leg may be referred to as an MCG. The MCG may refer to a group of serving cells associated with the MN 102, including a primary cell (PCell) and optionally one or more secondary cells (SCells). The PCell may provide a control plane connection to the UE 101.

[0049] The SN 103 may refer to a radio access network node that does not have a control plane connection to the core network but provides additional resources to the UE 101. In some embodiments of the present application, in an EN-DC scenario, the SN 103 may be an en-gNB. In some other embodiments of the present application, in an NE-DC scenario, the SN 103 may be an ng-eNB. In yet other embodiments of the present application, in an NR-DC scenario or an NGEN-DC scenario, the SN 103 may be a gNB. The SN 103 may also be referred to as a Secondary NG-RAN (S-NG-RAN) node in some embodiments of the present application.

[0050] The SN leg may be referred to as an SCG. The SCG may refer to a group of serving cells associated with an SN, and includes a PSCell and optionally one or more SCells. The PCell of the MCG and the PSCell of the SCG may also be referred to as special cells (SpCells).

[0051] Additionally, with regard to QoE Measurement Collection (QMC, also referred to as "QoE Measurement") activation and reporting, TS38.300 specifies: "Features, including UE-related QoE configurations, are activated in the NG-RAN either by direct configuration from the OAM system (management-based activation) or by signaling from the OAM via the core network (signaling-based activation). One or more QoE measurement collection jobs may be activated in the UE per service type, and each QoE measurement configuration is uniquely identified by a QoE criterion." For signaling-based QoE measurement, the OAM initiates QoE measurement activation for a specific UE via the core network, and the NG-RAN node receives one or more QoE measurement configurations via UE-related signaling. The QoE measurement configuration for signaling-based activation includes an application layer measurement configuration list and corresponding information about QoE measurement collection, such as QoE criteria, service type, MCE IP address, slice range, area range, MDT alignment information, and an indication of available RAN-visible QoE metrics. Each application layer measurement configuration is encapsulated in a transparent container. The NG-RAN node forwards the corresponding QoE measurement configuration to the UE in a downlink RRC message containing AppLayerMeasConfig, as specified in TS38.331

[12] . For management-based QoE measurement activation, the OAM sends one or more QoE measurement configurations to the NG-RAN node. The QoE measurement configuration for management-based activation also includes an application layer measurement configuration list and corresponding information about QoE measurement collection. Each application layer measurement configuration is encapsulated in a transparent container. The NG-RAN node selects UEs that meet the required QoE measurement capabilities, area range, and slice range. The UE reports the QoE measurement results to the NG-RAN node in an uplink RRC message as specified in TS38.331

[12] . The NG-RAN node sends the QoE report and the corresponding QoE criterion ID to the MCE. QoE measurement collection is handled by application layer measurement configuration and management reporting, which are only supported in the RRC_CONNECTED state. Application layer measurement configurations received by the gNB from OAM or CN are encapsulated in a transparent container that is forwarded to the UE as an application layer configuration in an RRCReconfiguration message (multiple configurations can exist in the same message). Application layer measurement reports received from higher layers in the UE are encapsulated in a transparent container and sent to the network in a MeasurementReportAppLayer message, as specified in TS 38.331

[12] . The UE can send multiple application layer measurement reports to the gNB in ​​one MeasurementReportAppLayer message. To enable the transmission of application layer measurement reports that exceed the maximum PDCP SDU size, maximum segmentation of the MeasurementReportAppLayer message can be enabled by the gNB. The measConfigAppLayerId signaled in RRC signaling is used to identify application layer measurement configurations and reporting between the gNB and the UE. The RRC identifier is mapped to a QoE metric within the gNB. The application layer measurement reports are forwarded to the OAM together with the QoE criteria. The gNB may release one or more application layer measurement configurations from the UE at any time within one RRCReconfiguration message. The UE may additionally be configured by the gNB to report when a QoE measurement session starts or ends for certain application layer measurement configurations.

[0052] Therefore, QoE measurement collection in the NG-RAN can be activated in two ways: management-based activation and signaling-based activation. In the case of management-based activation, the RAN node, e.g., gNB, receives a direct configuration from the OAM (or OAM system). In the case of signaling-based activation, the RAN node receives signaling containing UE-related QoE configurations from the OAM via the CN. QoE measurements are sometimes referred to as application layer measurements. In Rel-17, application layer measurement configurations (e.g., QoE measurement configurations) received by the gNB from the OAM or CN are encapsulated in a transparent container that is forwarded to the UE as application layer configurations in an RRCReconfiguration message. There can be multiple application layer measurement configurations in the same message, each corresponding to an application layer measurement or a QoE measurement. Application layer measurement reports received from the UE's application layer are encapsulated in a transparent container and sent to the network in an RRC message, e.g., a MeasurementReportAppLayer message. To enable transmission of application layer measurement reports that exceed the maximum packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) SDU size, segmentation of the MeasurementReportAppLayer message may be enabled by the gNB.

[0053] In an NR-DC scenario, both the MN leg (or MCG) and the SN leg (or SCG) can be used for QoE measurement collection. Either the MN or the SN can configure (or send or provide, etc.) QoE measurements to the UE according to management-based activation or signaling-based activation, and the reporting leg for QoE measurement reporting can be configured as the MCG and / or SCG.

[0054] According to RP-213594, support for QoE measurement configuration and measurement reporting on MN / SN for NR-DC scenarios will be resolved in Rel-18, and therefore a number of issues need to be resolved, such as how to handle SCG-related QoE measurements to at least maintain reporting continuity when an SCG event (e.g., SCG failure, SCG change, SCG release, or SCG deactivation) occurs, including but not limited to how to handle available QoE measurement reports and ongoing QoE measurements by the UE when an SCG failure occurs (issue 1), how to handle QoE measurements configured by the SN when the SCG is deactivated (issue 2), how to handle QoE measurements configured by the SN when the SCG is released (issue 3), and how to support QoE measurements during SCG change procedures (issue 4).

[0055] With regard to "SCG-related QoE measurement", it refers to a QoE measurement configured by the SN or a QoE measurement whose report (or measurement result) is configured to be reported via the SCG. For example, in some cases, an SCG-related QoE measurement is a QoE measurement configured by the MN (from the UE's perspective, received from or provided by the MN), but the QoE measurement report of the QoE measurement is configured to be SCG (or SN leg), which means that the UE sends the QoE measurement report to the network by the SCG, for example, by a split SRB (e.g., SRB4) terminated by the MN or an SRB (e.g., SRB3) terminated by the SN. In some other cases, the SCG related QoE measurement is a QoE measurement configured by the SN (received from or provided by the SN from the UE's perspective), and the QoE measurement report of the QoE measurement is configured as MCG (or MN leg) and / or SCG (or SN leg), which means that the UE sends the QoE measurement report to the network either by the MCG or the SCG, for example by a split SRB terminated by the SN or an SRB terminated by the SN.

[0056] In order to at least solve the above problems for QoE measurement collection, the embodiments of the present application provide technical solutions supporting QoE measurement collection, for example, methods and apparatuses supporting QoE measurement collection while considering SCG event occurrences.

[0057] For example, some embodiments of the present application provide a method for supporting QoE measurement collection, which may be performed by a UE or the like. The exemplary method may include receiving QoE measurement configuration information related to SCG-related QoE measurements, and determining an action for the SCG-related QoE measurements in response to determining that the SCG is unavailable. Exemplary cases in which the SCG is determined to be unavailable may be due to an SCG failure occurrence, an SCG release, or an SCG deactivation, etc. For example, the UE may determine that the SCG is unavailable in response to an SCG failure occurrence, or determine that the SCG is unavailable in response to an SCG release, or determine that the SCG is unavailable in response to an SCG deactivation.

[0058] Some other embodiments of the present application provide another method for supporting QoE measurement collection that may be implemented in a RAN node, such as an MN, during an SN (or SCG) change procedure. An example method may include receiving first QoE measurement configuration information from an SN regarding QoE measurements configured by a source SN for a UE, transmitting the first QoE measurement configuration information to a target SN, and receiving delta configuration information of the first QoE measurement configuration information from the target SN.

[0059] Some further embodiments of the present application provide another method for supporting QoE measurement collection, which may also be implemented in a RAN node, e.g., a target MN, during an SN (or SCG) change procedure. An example method may include receiving first QoE measurement configuration information from the MN, related to QoE measurements configured by the source SN, generating delta configuration information of the first QoE measurement configuration information, and transmitting the delta configuration information of the first QoE measurement configuration information to the MN.

[0060] Some detailed embodiments of the present application are presented below in light of some exemplary NR-DC scenarios. Although MNs and SNs (e.g., source SNs and / or target SNs) in NR-DC are illustrated in the exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the illustrated technical solutions may also be applied to similar RAN nodes and / or similar scenarios, and should not be limited to specific devices and scenarios.

[0061] Firstly, several embodiments of the present invention are presented below in the case of SCG failure, which mainly consider issue 1, i.e., how to handle the QoE measurement reports and ongoing QoE measurements available by the UE when an SCG failure occurs.

[0062] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of an exemplary procedure for supporting QoE measurement collection in the event of an SCG failure, according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0063] 2, in an NR-DC scenario, a RAN node, e.g., an MN or an SN, may transmit QoE measurement configuration information (or QoE configuration information) to a remote side, e.g., a UE, in step 201. The QoE measurement configuration information transmitted to the UE may be referred to as MN-UE QoE measurement configuration information, MN QoE measurement configuration information, etc., in the case of a RAN node serving as an MN. The QoE measurement configuration information transmitted to the UE may be referred to as SN-UE QoE measurement configuration information, SN QoE measurement configuration information, etc., in the case of a RAN node serving as an SN.

[0064] The QoE measurement configuration information may indicate one or more QoE measurements, which may be SCG-related QoE measurements and / or non-SCG-related QoE measurements. In this specification, only SCG-related QoE measurements are discussed. In addition, for simplicity, a single SCG-related QoE measurement is indicated in the QoE measurement configuration information. However, even if there are multiple SCG-related QoE measurements indicated in the QoE measurement configuration information, it will be clear to those skilled in the art how to apply the disclosed and taught technical solutions to other SCG-related QoE measurements.

[0065] For example, the RAN node may be a MN. The MN may receive QoE measurement activation information, which is either a direct configuration from the OAM (e.g., in the case of management-based QoE measurement) or signaling from the OAM via the CN containing a UE-related QoE configuration (e.g., in the case of signaling-based QoE measurement). In the case of management-based QoE measurement, after receiving the QoE measurement, the MN will select a UE that satisfies the requested QoE measurement and allocate (or assign or configure, etc.) to the QoE measurement an RRC identifier, e.g., measConfigAppLayerId, used to identify the QoE configuration for the QoE measurement between the MN and the UE, e.g., an application layer measurement configuration (also referred to as RRC QoE configuration) for the QoE measurement between the MN and the UE. Exemplary MN QoE configuration information for the QoE measurement includes the RRC identifier and an application layer measurement container for the QoE measurement. In step 201, the MN will send MN QoE configuration information to the selected UE, for example, by RRC signaling (eg, AppLayerMeasConfig in an RRCReconfiguration message), for example, by SRB1 or SRB4.

[0066] Similarly, the RAN node may be an SN. The SN may receive information indicating at least one QoE measurement. For example, the SN may receive QoE measurement activation information from the MN (in the case of signaling-based QoE measurement) or QoE measurement configuration information from the OAM (in the case of management-based QoE measurement). In the case of management-based QoE measurement, the SN may receive the QoE measurement configuration from the OAM as shown above with respect to the MN, and the received QoE measurement configuration may be different from or the same as that for the MN. In the case of signaling-based QoE measurement, the MN will receive QoE measurement activation signaling from the OAM via the CN and then request the SN to provide the QoE measurement configuration to the UE by sending QoE measurement activation information, for example, in an S-node addition request message or an S-node modification request message. Similarly, for management-based QoE measurement, the SN will independently allocate an RRC identifier for identifying the QoE measurement, and at the same time, select a UE that satisfies the required QoE measurement after receiving the QoE measurement. In step 201, the SN will send QoE measurement configuration information for the QoE measurement to the selected UE, for example, by RRC signaling, for example, by SRB3.

[0067] A RAN node, e.g., an MN or an SN, may also determine at least one reporting leg, e.g., an MCG and / or SCG to be used for reporting measurement results of a QoE measurement (e.g., a QoE measurement report or a QoE measurement reporting, etc.). Considering only discussing SCG-related QoE measurements, if the RAN node is an MN, the MN may determine an SCG to be used for reporting a QoE measurement report of a QoE measurement configured by the MN. If the RAN node is an SN, the SN may determine an MCG and / or SCG to be used for reporting a QoE measurement report of a QoE measurement configured by the SN.

[0068] In some embodiments of the present application, the RAN node may also determine at least one SRB type to be used for reporting a QoE measurement report for the QoE measurement. The SRB type may be indicated to the UE separately from information indicating the determined reporting leg to be used for the QoE measurement report in the same or different signaling. Considering that only SCG-related QoE measurements are discussed, either an MN-terminated split SRB (e.g., an MN-terminated split SRB4) or an SN-terminated SRB (e.g., an SN-terminated split SRB4) will be configured to report measurement results of the MN-configured QoE measurements, and either an SN-terminated split SRB or an SN-terminated SRB (e.g., an SRB3) will be configured to report measurement results of the SN-configured QoE measurements. In the case of signaling-based QoE measurements, the MN may also send a requested SRB type, e.g., an SRB3 for the requested QoE measurement, to the SN.

[0069] At the UE side, QoE measurement configuration information indicating at least a QoE measurement and a reporting leg to be used for reporting the measurement result or a QoE measurement report of the QoE measurement will be received accordingly. The UE will perform QoE measurement collection based on the QoE measurement configuration information. Then, the UE will send the QoE measurement report to the RAN node via the configured reporting leg.

[0070] However, in step 203, an SCG failure may occur and be detected, causing the configured SCG to become unavailable (or fail). Some example SCG failures may be a radio link failure for the SCG, a beam failure of a PSCell while the SCG is deactivated, a reconfiguration involving an SCG synchronization failure, an SCG configuration failure, or an integrity check failure indication from an SCG lower layer for SRB3. Therefore, the UE needs to determine an action for SCG-related QoE measurements in response to the SCG failure. In addition, measurement results, e.g., QoE measurement reports of SCG-related QoE measurements, may be available in the RRC layer of the UE in some cases. For example, an application layer measurement report container has been received from a layer higher than the RRC layer when the SCG failure occurs. The UE also needs to determine how to process available QoE measurement reports of QoE measurements. Several example embodiments of the present application are presented below regarding UE behaviors for processing SCG-related QoE measurements and available QoE measurement reports in response to an SCG failure occurrence in step 207.

[0071] In some embodiments of the present application, for SCG-related QoE measurements, the UE will switch the reporting leg from SCG to MCG in response to an SCG failure.

[0072] For example, the UE may automatically switch the reporting leg from an SCG to a predefined MCG, for example, the predefined MCG is an MCG serving the UE.

[0073] In another example, the UE will switch the reporting leg from the SCG to the configured MCG, which may be configured in the QoE measurement configuration information for the QoE measurement or in other configuration information for the QoE measurement.

[0074] Specifically, according to some embodiments of the present application, if QoE measurement is configured by the MN, the MN will indicate whether the UE needs to switch to the MCG when the SCG is unavailable. If the MN QoE measurement configuration information regarding QoE measurement indicates that the UE needs to switch to the MCG when the SCG is unavailable, the UE will switch to the MCG in response to an SCG failure occurrence.

[0075] According to some other embodiments of the present application, in response to an SCG failure occurrence, the UE may send information to the MN indicating that a QoE measurement report (or a QoE measurement result) of the QoE measurement is available when the SCG failure occurs. For example, the UE may send a "QoE Measurement Result Available" indication or the like to the MN in an SCGFailureInformation message to indicate that a QoE measurement result is available when the SCG failure occurs. After receiving the indication information reported by the UE, the MN will (re)configure the reporting leg for reporting the QoE measurement report of the QoE measurement to be the MCG, and send configuration information indicating the MCG for the QoE measurement to the UE.

[0076] In some scenarios, when switching the reporting leg, the UE will further consider whether an SRB4 is configured for transmitting a QoE measurement report of the QoE measurement. If an SRB4 is configured, the UE will switch the reporting leg from an SCG to an MCG, where the MCG is predefined or configured in the QoE measurement configuration information as shown above. If an SRB4 is not configured, the UE will send information indicating that a QoE measurement report is available to the MN when an SCG failure occurs, and as a result, the MN will (re)configure the reporting leg for reporting the QoE measurement report of the QoE measurement to be the MCG.

[0077] In some other embodiments of the present application, in the case of SCG-related QoE measurements, in response to an SCG failure occurrence, the UE will suspend reporting of QoE measurement reports for SCG-related QoE measurements and, if QoE measurement reports are available in the RRC layer, buffer the QoE measurement reports until it receives information from the MN indicating another reporting leg, e.g., an MCG or another SCG.

[0078] For example, when an SCG failure occurs, the UE may initiate an SCG failure information procedure. The UE will suspend the transmission of QoE measurement reports via the unavailable SCG. When an SCG failure occurs, the UE may also send information or an indication to the MN, such as a "QoE Measurement Result Available" indication indicating that a QoE measurement report of the QoE measurement is available. After receiving the indication information reported by the UE, the MN will (re)configure the reporting leg and send the (re)configured reporting leg to the UE. If the MN decides to switch the reporting leg to an MCG, the MN will (re)configure the MCG as the reporting leg and send the (re)configured MCG to the UE, and then the UE will send the buffered or stored QoE measurement report to the MN via the MCG. If the MN decides to switch the reporting leg to another SCG (e.g., by an SN change procedure), the MN will (re)configure a new SCG as the reporting leg and send the new SCG to the UE, which will then send the buffered or stored QoE measurement reports via the new SCG.

[0079] In some other embodiments of the present application, in the case of SCG related QoE measurements configured by the SN, upon an SCG failure occurrence, the UE will release the QoE measurements and discard the QoE measurement reports if they are available in the RRC layer.

[0080] For example, if an SCG failure occurs and is detected, the AS layer (e.g., RRC layer) of the UE will inform a layer above the AS layer (e.g., application layer) about the release of QoE measurements configured by the SN, and the AS layer will discard any application layer measurement reports related to the unavailable SCG that have not been submitted to lower layers for transmission, e.g., discard any stored segments of segmented RRC messages related to the SCG.

[0081] In some further embodiments of the present application, for SCG-related QoE measurements configured by the SN, in response to an SCG failure occurrence, the UE will suspend the QoE measurements. The UE may also suspend reporting of the QoE measurement report. After receiving information indicating another reporting leg (new reporting leg), for example, an MCG or another SCG, for reporting the QoE measurement report, the UE will resume the QoE measurements and resume reporting of the QoE measurement report via the new reporting leg.

[0082] For example, when an SCG failure occurs and is detected, the AS layer (e.g., RRC layer) of the UE will send information or an indication, e.g., an SCG failure indication, to a layer above the AS layer, e.g., the application layer, to notify the SCG failure. When the application layer receives the SCG failure indication, the application layer will suspend the SCG-related QoE measurements configured by the SN. In some scenarios, a layer above the AS layer, e.g., the application layer, will know whether SCG-related QoE measurements are configured by the SN by an explicit indication from the AS layer.

[0083] In another example, when an SCG failure occurs and is detected, the AS layer (e.g., RRC layer) of the UE will send information or an instruction (e.g., a pause instruction) indicating that QoE measurements are requested to be paused to a layer higher than the AS layer, e.g., an application layer. The information indicating that QoE measurements are requested to be paused may include an RRC identifier for identifying the QoE measurements requested to be paused. For example, the RRC identifier is measConfigAppLayerId carried in RRC signaling used to identify application layer measurement configuration and reporting between the RAN node and the UE. When the application layer receives the pause instruction and the RRC identifier, the application layer will pause the QoE measurements identified by the RRC identifier.

[0084] On the network side, a RAN node, e.g., an MN or an SN, may (re)configure a new reporting leg for SCG-related QoE measurements, e.g., configure a new SCG for QoE measurements, e.g., by an SN change procedure, such that the AS layer will inform the application layer to resume QoE measurements and to resume reporting QoE measurement reports via the new reporting leg.

[0085] In some scenarios, when NR-DC is configured, an SCG activation / deactivation mechanism for QoE measurements configured by the SN will be supported to enable reasonable UE battery consumption while having fast SCG usage. While the SCG is deactivated, there is no transmission via the SCG, i.e., the deactivated SCG is unavailable. Therefore, problem 2, e.g., how to handle available QoE measurement reports and ongoing QoE measurements by the UE in the case of SCG deactivation, needs to be solved. Similar embodiments to those for problem 1, e.g., switching reporting legs, pausing reporting of QoE measurement reports, or releasing QoE measurements, may be applied to solve problem 2, except that the SCG is unavailable due to a different SCG event.

[0086] Briefly, in some embodiments of the present application, the UE may switch the reporting leg from the deactivated SCG to the MCG during SCG deactivation. After the SCG is activated, the UE will switch the reporting leg to the activated SCG.

[0087] For example, in the case of QoE measurement configured by the SN, the UE will determine that the SCG is unavailable in response to deactivation of the SCG, and then switch the reporting leg from the deactivated SCG to a predefined MCG or a configured MCG. The configured MCG is indicated in the QoE measurement configuration information or other configuration information. If the configured MCG is configured in the other configuration information, the UE will send information indicating that the QoE measurement report is available to the MN when the SCG is deactivated in response to SCG deactivation while the QoE measurement report for the QoE measurement is available, so as to receive the other configuration information from the MN.

[0088] In another example, in response to deactivation of the SCG while a QoE measurement report for QoE measurement is available, the UE will determine whether an SRB4 for reporting the QoE measurement report is configured. If the SRB4 is configured, the UE will switch the reporting leg from the SCG to the MCG, where the MCG is predefined or configured in the QoE measurement configuration information. If the SRB4 is not configured, the UE will send information indicating that a QoE measurement report is available to the MN when the SCG is deactivated, so as to receive other configuration information indicating the MCG from the MN.

[0089] In some other embodiments of the present application, in response to deactivation of the SCG while QoE measurement reports for QoE measurements are available, the UE may suspend reporting of the QoE measurement reports and buffer the available QoE measurement reports within the RRC layer until the SCG is activated.

[0090] In some further embodiments of the present application, in response to deactivation of the SCG while a QoE measurement report for the QoE measurement is available, the UE may release the QoE measurement and discard the QoE measurement report available in the RRC layer.

[0091] In some further embodiments of the present application, before or at the time of sending the SCG deactivation command to the UE, the NW (e.g., the MN or the SN) will send information or an instruction (e.g., a pause instruction) to the UE indicating that QoE measurement reporting is requested to be suspended. Accordingly, the UE will pause QoE measurements and discontinue reporting of QoE measurement reports via the deactivated SCG. For example, the AS layer of the UE may send information or an instruction (e.g., an SCG deactivation instruction) indicating that the SCG is to be deactivated to a layer higher than the AS layer, e.g., an application layer, and the application layer will pause the QoE measurements that were requested to be suspended. After the SCG is activated, the NW will send information or an instruction (e.g., a resume instruction) to the UE indicating that QoE measurement reporting is requested to be resumed. Then, the UE will resume QoE measurements and resume reporting of QoE measurement reports of QoE measurements via the activated SCG. For example, the AS layer of the UE may indicate to a layer above the AS layer, for example, an application layer, to resume QoE measurements and reporting of QoE measurement reports.

[0092] For further details regarding embodiments of the SCG deactivation case, please refer to the details regarding the SCG failure occurrence case, which will not be repeated here.

[0093] Regarding SCG release, it is usually achieved by the SN release procedure. In the case of SCG release, SCG-related configurations are released. However, available QoE measurements for the SCG, for example, QoE measurements configured by the SN, may still be useful to the network. Therefore, it would be useful to maintain the SCG-related QoE measurements configured by the SN and enable the UE to report available QoE measurement reports to the MN after the SCG is released.

[0094] Some embodiments of the present application for the case of SCG release are given below, which mainly consider issue 3, e.g., how to handle available QoE measurement reports and ongoing QoE measurements by the UE when the SCG is released.

[0095] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an example procedure for supporting QoE measurement collection when an SCG is released, according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0096] 3, similar to step 201, in an NR-DC scenario, a RAN node, e.g., an MN or an SN, may transmit QoE measurement configuration information to a remote side, e.g., a UE, in step 301. For example, the MN may transmit QoE measurement configuration information to the UE in step 301a, and / or the SN may transmit QoE measurement configuration information to the UE in step 301b. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that at least the SN QoE measurement configuration information related to QoE measurements configured by the SN will be transmitted to the UE in step 301b.

[0097] At the UE side, QoE measurement configuration information will be received accordingly, which at least indicates a QoE measurement and a reporting leg to be used for reporting the measurement result or a QoE measurement report of the QoE measurement. The UE will perform QoE measurement collection based on the QoE measurement configuration information. Then, the UE will send the QoE measurement report to the RAN node via the configured reporting leg.

[0098] However, an SCG release procedure may also be performed in step 303. For example, in step 303a, the SN may send an SN release request to the MN, for example, by an SN Release Request message. In step 303b, the MN may send a response message, for example, by an SN Release Confirmation message, to confirm the request. The MN may indicate the SN release (or SCG release) to the UE, for example, by an RRC Reconfiguration message, in step 305a, and the UE may respond to the MN with an RRC Reconfiguration Complete message in step 305b. Exemplary UE behavior for SN-configured QoE measurements and available QoE measurement report processing in step 307 for SN-configured QoE measurements in response to the release of the SCG is shown below.

[0099] In some embodiments of the present application, in the case of QoE measurements configured by an SN for a released SCG, the UE will decide whether the QoE measurements will be maintained or released based on an instruction from the MN. For example, when an SN or SCG sends information or an instruction indicating to the UE to be released, the MN may also indicate whether the QoE measurements for the released SN or SCG will be maintained or released.

[0100] If the MN indicates that the QoE measurements will be maintained, the UE will continue the QoE measurements by processing the QoE measurements as QoE measurements configured by the MN after the SCG is released and the reporting leg is changed, for example, to a predefined reporting leg. In some scenarios, the MN may also explicitly indicate that the reporting leg is changed, for example, by an additional instruction different from the instruction indicating whether the QoE measurements will be maintained or released. For example, the additional instruction may indicate that the reporting leg configured for the QoE measurements will be changed from the SCG to the MCG. The UE will change the reporting leg according to the additional instruction. If the MN indicates that the QoE measurements will be released, the UE will release the QoE measurements and discard the QoE measurement reports of the QoE measurements available in the RRC layer.

[0101] In some scenarios, the UE may not receive any indication that the QoE measurements will be maintained or not, in which case the UE will release the QoE measurements and discard any QoE measurement reports available for QoE measurements in the RRC layer.

[0102] As mentioned above, in some scenarios, the SCG may be changed, which is achieved by the SN change procedure. Some embodiments of the present application for the SN change case, which mainly consider issue 4, e.g., how to support QoE measurement collection during the SN change procedure, are described below.

[0103] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example procedure for supporting QoE measurement collection in case of SCG changes, according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0104] There are two types of SN change procedures. One is an MN-initiated SN change procedure (or MN-initiated SN change), and the other is an SN change procedure initiated by an SN (e.g., SN-initiated SN change). For example, in the case of an MN-initiated SN change, the MN may trigger an MN-initiated SN modification procedure to the source SN to retrieve source SCG-related QoE measurement configuration information. The source SN will provide the source SCG-related QoE measurement configuration information in an SN Modification Request Configuration Response message. In the case of an SN-initiated SN change procedure, the source SN will provide the source SCG-related QoE measurement configuration information in an SN Change Request message. In FIG. 4, only an embodiment considering the SN-initiated SN change procedure is shown. However, it will be clear to those skilled in the art how to apply the technical solutions disclosed under the present disclosure and the teachings provided herein to an MN-initiated SN change procedure.

[0105] Referring to FIG. 4, similar to step 201, a RAN node in an NR-DC scenario, e.g., an MN or SN (hereinafter, source SN, or S-SN), may transmit QoE measurement configuration information to a remote side, e.g., a UE, in step 401. However, it is assumed that both the MN and the source SN can configure QoE measurement independently. For example, the MN can configure QoE measurement via SRB1, and the source SN can configure QoE measurement via SRB3. If QoE measurement is configured by the MN, the MN may transmit MN QoE measurement configuration information to the UE in step 401a. If QoE measurement is configured by the source SN, the source SN may transmit SN QoE measurement configuration information to the UE in step 401b. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, at least SN QoE measurement configuration information (hereinafter, source SCG-related QoE measurement configuration information or source SCG-related QoE measurement configuration information) related to QoE measurement will be transmitted by the source SN to the UE in step 401b.

[0106] In response to triggering or initiating the SN change, the source SN will provide source SCG-related QoE measurement configuration information to the MN, e.g., in an SN Change Request message, in step 403. The source SCG-related QoE measurement configuration information may include an RRC QoE configuration, e.g., an AppLayerMeasConfig, configured by the source SN for the UE.

[0107] In a more particular embodiment of the present application, the source SCG-related QoE measurement configuration information is provided by a scg-CellGroupConfig IE in a CG-Config information element (IE), which is an IE in an inter-node RRC message. An exemplary scg-CellGroupConfig IE is shown below:

[0108] [Table 1]

[0109] In step 405, the MN will provide source SCG-related QoE measurement configuration information to the target SN (i.e., T-SN). For example, the MN will include the source SCG-related QoE measurement configuration information in an SN addition request message. In some cases, the MN may also provide the MN QoE measurement configuration information to the target SN in step 405.

[0110] In a more particular embodiment of the present application, the MN may include source SCG related QoE measurement configuration information in a sourceConfigSCG IE in a CG-ConfigInfo IE, which is an IE in an inter-node RRC message. An exemplary sourceConfigSCG IE is shown below. The MN may also include the MN QoE measurement configuration information in a separate IE, for example, appLayeMeasConfig-MN in the CG-ConfigInfo IE.

[0111] [Table 2]

[0112] The target SN will generate delta configuration information for QoE measurement using the source SCG-related QoE measurement configuration information. Then, the target SN will send the generated delta configuration information to the UE via the MN in step 407. For example, in step 407a, the target SN will send the generated delta configuration information to the MN, for example, in an SN Addition Request Acknowledgement message. The delta configuration information may be provided by an scg-CellGroupConfig IE in a CG-Config IE. In step 407b, the MN will forward the delta configuration information to the UE, for example, by an MN RRC reconfiguration message including a target SN RRC reconfiguration message. The UE will apply the new QoE measurement configuration information for QoE measurement configured by the source SN based on the delta configuration.

[0113] In addition, although some configurations and / or parameters, such as "SN change request," are known in legacy specifications or newly proposed in specifications, those skilled in the art will recognize that these may evolve into other terms as 3GPP evolves. Therefore, the names of such configurations and / or parameters should not be used to unduly limit the scope of this application, but should be interpreted reasonably in conjunction with their technical meaning.

[0114] Besides the method, the embodiments of the present application also propose an apparatus for supporting QoE measurement collection. For example, Figure 5 is a block diagram of an apparatus for supporting QoE measurement collection according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0115] 5, the apparatus 500 may include at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 501, at least one receiving circuit 502, at least one transmitting circuit 504, and at least one processor 506 coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium 501, the receiving circuit 502, and the transmitting circuit 504. The apparatus 500 may be a RAN node (e.g., MN or SN) or a terminal device (e.g., UE) configured to perform methods such as those shown above.

[0116] In this figure, elements such as at least one processor 506, transmit circuitry 504, and receive circuitry 502 are described in the singular, although the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. In some embodiments of the present application, the receive circuitry 502 and the transmit circuitry 504 may be combined into a single device, such as a transceiver. The processor 506 may be a central processing unit (CPU), digital signaling processing (DSP), microprocessor, etc. In some embodiments of the present application, the device 500 may further include an input device, a memory, and / or other components.

[0117] In some embodiments of the present application, the non-transitory computer-readable medium 501 may have stored thereon computer-executable instructions that cause the processor 506 to implement a method for a RAN node, e.g., an MN or an SN, as described above. For example, the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the processor 506 to interact with the receive circuitry 502 and the transmit circuitry 504 to perform the steps for the RAN node, as indicated above.

[0118] In some embodiments of the present application, the non-transitory computer-readable medium 501 may have stored thereon computer-executable instructions that cause a processor to implement a method for a terminal device, as described above. For example, the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the processor 506 to interact with the receiving circuitry 502 and the transmitting circuitry 504 to perform steps for a UE, as indicated above.

[0119] FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of an apparatus 600 supporting QoE measurement collection according to some other embodiments of the present application.

[0120] 6, an apparatus 600, e.g., a UE or a RAN node, may include at least one processor 602 and at least one transceiver 604. The transceiver 604 may include at least one separate receiving circuit 606 and transmitting circuit 608, or at least one integrated receiving circuit 606 and transmitting circuit 608. The at least one processor 602 may be a CPU, a DSP, a microprocessor, etc.

[0121] According to some embodiments of the present application, when the apparatus 600 is a UE, the processor may be configured to receive QoE measurement configuration information regarding QoE measurement, wherein the QoE measurement is configured by the MN and a reporting leg for a QoE measurement report of the QoE measurement is configured to be an SCG, or the QoE measurement is configured by the SN and a reporting leg for a QoE measurement report of the QoE measurement is configured to be an MCG or an SCG, and, in response to determining that the SCG is unavailable, determine an action for the QoE measurement.

[0122] According to some embodiments of the present application, when the apparatus 600 is a RAN node, e.g., an MN, a processor is coupled to the transceiver, and the processor is configured to receive, from the SN, first QoE measurement configuration information related to QoE measurements configured by a source SN for a UE, transmit the first QoE measurement configuration information to a target SN, and receive delta configuration information of the first QoE measurement configuration information from the target SN.

[0123] According to some other embodiments of the present application, when the apparatus 600 is a RAN node, e.g., a target, a processor is coupled to the transceiver, and the processor is configured to receive first QoE measurement configuration information from the MN regarding QoE measurement configured by the SN, generate delta configuration information of the first QoE measurement configuration information, and send the delta configuration information of the first QoE measurement configuration information to the MN.

[0124] Methods according to embodiments of the present application may be implemented on a programmed processor. However, the controllers, flow charts, and modules may also be implemented on hardware electronic or hardware logic circuits, such as a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuit elements, integrated circuits, discrete element circuits, programmable logic devices, etc. In general, any device capable of implementing the flow charts shown in the figures may be used to implement the processor functions of the present application. For example, an embodiment of the present application provides an apparatus including a processor and a memory. The computer-programmable instructions are configured to implement a method stored in the memory, and the processor is configured to execute the computer-programmable instructions to implement the method. The method may be a method as described above or another method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0125] An alternative embodiment preferably implements a method according to an embodiment of the present application in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-programmable instructions. These instructions are preferably executed by a computer-executable component integrated with the network security system. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be stored on any suitable computer-readable medium, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), optical storage device (compact disc (CD) or digital video disc (DVD)), hard disk drive, floppy drive, or any suitable device. The computer-executable component is preferably a processor, although the instructions may alternatively or additionally be executed by any suitable dedicated hardware device. For example, an embodiment of the present application provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein computer-programmable instructions. The computer programmable instructions are configured to implement a method as described above or other method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0126] While the present application has been described using specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations may become apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, various components of these embodiments may be interchanged, added, or substituted in other embodiments. Also, not all elements of each drawing are necessarily required for the operation of the disclosed embodiments. For example, one skilled in the art of the disclosed embodiments will be enabled to practice and use the teachings of the present application by simply employing the elements of the independent claims. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present application described herein are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. [Explanation of symbols]

[0127] 100 Wireless Communication System 101UE 102 MN 103SN 500 devices 501 Non-transitory computer-readable medium 502 receiving circuit 504 Transmitting circuit 506 processor 600 equipment 602 processor 604 Transceiver 606 Receiving circuit 608 Transmitting Circuit

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), A transceiver; a processor coupled to the transceiver; wherein the processor: Receiving QoE measurement configuration information regarding a Quality of Experience (QoE) measurement, wherein the QoE measurement is configured by a master node (MN) and a reporting leg for a QoE measurement report of the QoE measurement is configured to be a secondary cell group (SCG), or the QoE measurement is configured by a secondary node (SN) and the reporting leg for the QoE measurement report of the QoE measurement is configured to be a master cell group (MCG) or an SCG; determining an action to take with respect to the QoE measurement in response to determining that the SCG is unavailable; and A user equipment (UE) configured to perform the following:

2. the processor: determining, in response to an SCG failure, that the SCG is unavailable; Switching the reporting leg from the SCG to a predefined or configured MCG, where the configured MCG is configured in the QoE measurement configuration information or other configuration information related to the QoE measurement; The UE of claim 1 , configured to:

3. In response to an SCG failure occurring while the QoE measurement report is available for the QoE measurement, the processor: When an SCG failure occurs, sending information to the MN indicating that the QoE measurement report of the QoE measurement is available; receiving the other configuration information regarding the QoE measurement from the MN; The UE of claim 2 configured to:

4. In response to an SCG failure occurring while the QoE measurement report is available for the QoE measurement, the processor: determining whether a signaling radio bearer (SRB) 4 for reporting the QoE measurement report is configured; If SRB4 is configured Switching the reporting leg from the SCG to the MCG, where the MCG is predefined or configured in the QoE measurement configuration information; or If SRB4 is not configured, When an SCG failure occurs, sending information to the MN indicating that the QoE measurement report is available; receiving the other configuration information regarding the QoE measurement from the MN; The UE of claim 2 , configured to:

5. the processor: determining that the SCG is unavailable in response to an SCG failure; until receiving information from the MN indicating another reporting leg. Suspending the reporting of the QoE measurement report; Buffering the QoE measurement report if the QoE measurement report is available in a radio resource control (RRC) layer. The UE of claim 1 configured to:

6. If the QoE measurement is configured by the SN, the processor: determining that the SCG is unavailable in response to an SCG failure; Releasing the QoE measurement; If the QoE measurement report is available in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, discard the QoE measurement report. The UE of claim 1 configured to:

7. If the QoE measurement is configured by the SN, the processor: determining that the SCG is unavailable in response to an SCG failure; Pausing the QoE measurement; Suspend the QoE measurement report. The UE of claim 1 configured to:

8. If the QoE measurement is configured by the SN, the processor: determining, in response to the release of the SCG, that the SCG is unavailable; determining whether the QoE measurement will be maintained or released based on an instruction from the MN; If the indication indicates that the QoE measurements should be maintained, continue the QoE measurements by treating the QoE measurements as QoE measurements configured by the MN after the SCG is released and the reporting leg is changed; or If the indication indicates that the QoE measurement is to be released, release the QoE measurement and discard the QoE measurement report. The UE of claim 1 configured to:

9. the processor: sending information from an access stratum (AS) layer to a layer above the AS layer indicating that the QoE measurement should be released; discarding, by the AS layer, any stored segments of the segmented RRC message associated with the SCG; The UE of claim 6 configured to:

10. the processor: receiving an SCG failure indication from an access stratum (AS) layer by a layer above the AS layer; The QoE measurement is suspended by a layer higher than the AS layer. The UE of claim 7 configured to:

11. the processor: receiving, from an access stratum (AS) layer, information indicating that a layer higher than the AS layer requests that the QoE measurement be suspended, and a radio resource control (RRC) identifier identifying the QoE measurement; The QoE measurement is suspended by a layer higher than the AS layer. The UE of claim 7 configured to:

12. A Radio Access Network (RAN) node, comprising: A transceiver; a processor coupled to the transceiver; wherein the processor: receiving first quality of experience (QoE) measurement configuration information from a source secondary node (SN) regarding QoE measurements configured by the SN for a user equipment (UE); Sending the first QoE measurement configuration information to a target SN; receiving delta configuration information of the first QoE measurement configuration information from the target SN; A radio access network (RAN) node configured to:

13. The first QoE measurement configuration information is received from the SN in an SN modification request configuration response message or an SN change request message.

13. The RAN node of claim 12.

14. 13. The RAN node of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to transmit second QoE measurement configuration information configured by the RAN node to the target SN.

15. A Radio Access Network (RAN) node, comprising: A transceiver; a processor coupled to the transceiver; wherein the processor: Receive first quality of experience (QoE) measurement configuration information from a master node (MN) regarding quality of experience (QoE) measurements configured by a source secondary node (SN); generating delta configuration information of the first QoE measurement configuration information; Sending the delta configuration information of the first QoE measurement configuration information to the MN. A radio access network (RAN) node configured to:

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