Terminal device, network device, and method

Abstract

The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method, an apparatus, and a computer-readable medium. A network device, which is a secondary node or a master node, sends a configuration to a terminal device for storing information about a change in a primary cell of the secondary node. Based on the configuration, the terminal device stores information about a change in a primary cell of the secondary node. In this way, a very flexible reporting of a change in a primary cell of a secondary node can be achieved.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to a communication method, apparatus, and computer storage medium for reporting a successful change of a primary cell (PSCell) of a secondary node (SN). [Background technology]

[0002] 3GPP Release 17 requires enhanced data collection for self-organizing network (SON) and minimization drive test (MDT) in New Radio (NR), where SON functionality includes handover success reporting and user equipment (UE) history information in EUTRA-NR dual connection (EN-DC).

[0003] In the past, many features introduced in 3GPP to enhance the performance of the master node (MN) are also being introduced in the SN, such as conditional handover (CHO) / conditional PSCell change (CPC), mobility history information (MHI) / MHI for secondary cell groups (SCG), etc. Applying MN functionality to the SN brings the same benefits to SN-related performance. In such cases, the introduction of handover success reporting to the SN should be considered. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Overall, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, apparatus, and computer storage medium for reporting a successful PSCell modification. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, the method including: receiving, in a terminal device, from a network device that is a secondary node or a master node, a configuration for storing information regarding a change of a primary cell of the secondary node; and storing, based on the configuration, information regarding a change of a primary cell of the secondary node.

[0006] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, the method including, in a network device that is a secondary node or a master node, transmitting to a terminal device a configuration for storing information regarding a change of a primary cell of the secondary node.

[0007] In a third aspect, a terminal device is provided, the terminal device comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the terminal device to perform a method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, there is provided a network device comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the network device to perform the method of the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0009] In a fifth 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 the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause said at least one processor to perform a method according to the third aspect of the present disclosure.

[0011] Other features of the present disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

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

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

[0014] [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a process for reporting a successful PSCell change according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating another process for reporting a successful PSCell change according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating yet another process for reporting a successful PSCell change, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating yet another process for reporting a successful PSCell change, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] [Figure 6] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary communication method implemented in a terminal device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0019] [Figure 7] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary communication method implemented in a network device, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] In the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers represent the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] 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.

[0023] 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.

[0024] As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to any device capable of wireless or wired communication. Examples of terminal devices include, but are not limited to, UEs, personal computers, desktop computers, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, tablets, wearable devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, any Internet of Things (IoE) device, machine-type communication (MTC) devices, and in-vehicle devices for V2X communications. The "X" in V2X can represent pedestrians, vehicles, or infrastructure / networks, or image capture devices such as digital cameras, gaming devices, music storage and playback devices, or Internet appliances that enable wireless or wired Internet access and browsing. The term "terminal device" can be used interchangeably with UE, mobile station, subscriber station, mobile terminal, user terminal, or wireless device. The term "network device" refers to a device capable of providing or hosting a cell or coverage area through which terminal devices can communicate. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to, low power nodes such as a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a next generation Node B (gNB), a transmit / receive point (TRP), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a femto node, and a pico node.

[0025] In one embodiment, a terminal device can connect 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 a secondary node. The first network device and the second network device may use different radio access technologies (RATs). In one embodiment, the first network device may be a first RAT device, and the second network device may be a second RAT device. In one embodiment, 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 one embodiment, 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 one embodiment, 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.

[0026] 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, 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. can refer to different or the same object. The following may include other explicit and implicit definitions.

[0027] In some instances, values, procedures, or devices are referred to as "best," "lowest," "highest," "minimum," "maximum," etc. It will 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.

[0028] As mentioned above, Release 17 requires enhanced data collection for SON and MDT in NR. SON functions include coverage and capacity optimization (CCO), inter-system inter-radio access technology (RAT) energy saving, two-step random access channel (RACH) optimization, mobile-enhanced optimization, physical cell identifier (PCI) selection, energy efficiency (operation administration and maintenance (OAM) requirements), handover success reporting, and UE history information in the EN-DC. At the same time, some of the features introduced to enhance MN performance are also expected to be introduced to the SN, improving SN performance.

[0029] In view of the above, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a solution for reporting a successful PSCell change. In this solution, a setting related to storing information about the PSCell change is indicated to a terminal device for storing information about the PSCell change. In this way, it is possible to easily report a successful PSCell change. Hereinafter, the principles and embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example of a communication network

[0030] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary communication scenario 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. As shown in FIG. 1, communication scenario 100 may involve terminal device 110 and SN 121 and MN 122, which are network devices serving terminal device 110. Terminal device 110 can establish dual connections (i.e., simultaneous connections) with SN 121 and MN 122. For convenience, in the context of this specification, SN 121 and MN 122 will also be collectively referred to hereinafter as network device 120.

[0031] The SN 121 may communicate with the terminal device 110 via a channel such as a wireless communication channel. Similarly, the MN 122 may also communicate with the terminal device 110 via a channel such as a wireless communication channel. The SN 121 may communicate with the MN 122 via a control plane interface such as Xn-C. The MN 122 may communicate with a core network (not shown), such as an access management function (AMF), via a control plane interface such as NG-C. The SN 121 may also communicate with the MN 122 via a user plane interface such as Xn-U, and with a core network, such as a user port function (UPF), via a user plane interface such as NG-U.

[0032] 1 is given for illustrative purposes and does not imply any limitations on the present disclosure. Communication scenario 100 may involve any suitable number of network devices and / or terminal devices suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0033] Communications in communication scenario 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), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), Machine Type Communications (MTC), etc. Furthermore, communications may be performed in accordance with any currently known or future-developed generation of communications protocols. Examples of communications protocols include, but are not limited to, first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communications protocols, sixth generation (6G) or later communications protocols.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 1 , the SN 121 may provide cells 131, 132, and 133 to the terminal device 110. Accordingly, the cells 131, 132, and 133 form an SCG for the terminal device 110. The MN 122 may provide cells 141, 142, and 143 to the terminal device 110. In this case, the cells 141, 142, and 143 form a master cell group (MCG) for the terminal device 110. Note that the number of cells in the SCG and the number of cells in the MCG are not limited to three, and more or fewer cells may be configured for the terminal device 110. For convenience, it is assumed that the cells 131, 132, and 133 in the SCG and the cells 141, 142, and 143 in the MCG are configured for the terminal device 110. The cell 131 is a primary cell (also referred to as a PSCell) of the SCG, and the cell 141 is a primary cell (also referred to as a PCell) of the MCG.

[0035] In some scenarios, the PSCell may be changed from cell 131 to another cell. In some embodiments, the other cell may be a cell within the current SN, such as cell 132 or 133. Of course, any other suitable cell in another network device is also possible. In this case, the SN may be changed from a source SN to a target SN, which may be the same as or different from the source SN. For convenience, cell 132 will be described below as an example of another unit. In this case, both the source SN and the target SN are SN 121.

[0036] The inventors have noted that reporting failure events observed during successful PScell ​​changes can enhance the mobility robustness optimization (MRO) function in NR to provide more robust mobility. Upon receiving the report, the receiving node can analyze whether it needs to adjust its mobility configuration. In this way, network performance can be optimized. In this context, reporting successful PSCell changes also needs to be considered. Implementation example reporting successful PSCELL changes

[0037] According to an embodiment of the present application, information about a PSCell change may be stored based on a setting for storing the information and reported to the network side (e.g., network device 120) as needed. In this way, it is possible to easily report a successful PSCell change and improve network performance. This will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 2.

[0038] 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a process 200 for reporting a successful PSCell change according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes, the process 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The process 200 may involve a terminal device 110 and a network device 120 as shown in FIG. 1. The network device 120 may be a secondary node 121 or a master node 122 serving the terminal device 110.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 2, the network device 120 may transmit 210 to the terminal device 110 a configuration regarding storage of information related to a change of the primary cell of the SN 121 (also referred to herein as a PSCell change). In some embodiments, the configuration may indicate whether storage of information related to a PSCell change is supported. That is, the network device can configure whether a successful PSCell change report (SPCR) is supported. In some embodiments, the configuration may include one or more conditions for triggering storage of the information. In other words, the network device can configure the conditions for triggering an SPCR. Note that the conditions may be set in any suitable manner, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Thus, support for SPCR is under the control of the network.

[0040] In some embodiments, the MN 122 and the SN 121 may configure the PSCell Change Success Report (which may also be referred to herein as SPCR configuration) separately. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may be the MN 122. In these embodiments, the MN 122 may transmit the configuration within a radio resource control (RRC) message. Alternatively, the MN 122 may transmit the configuration within system information. Of course, other suitable means are possible. In some embodiments, the MN 122 may transmit the configuration when a PSCell change is initiated by the MN 122.

[0041] For example, the MN 122 may transmit the SPCR configuration to the SN 121, and the SN 121 may include the SPCR configuration in an SN RRC Reconfiguration message and transmit the SN RRC Reconfiguration message to the MN 122. The MN 122 may transmit an RRC Reconfiguration message including the SN RRC Reconfiguration message with the SPCR configuration. As another example, the MN may transmit an MN RRC Reconfiguration message with the SPCR configuration to the terminal device 110.

[0042] In some embodiments, network device 120 may be SN 121. In these embodiments, SN 121 may transmit the configuration within an RRC message. Of course, other suitable means are possible. In some embodiments, SN 121 may transmit the configuration when a PSCell change is initiated by SN 121. For example, SN 121 may transmit an SN RRCReconfiguration message with the SPCR configuration to MN 122, and MN 122 may transmit an MN RRCReconfiguration message with the SN RRCReconfiguration message to terminal device 110. As another example, if SRB3 is configured for terminal device 110, SN 121 may transmit an SN RRCReconfiguration message with the SPCR configuration directly to terminal device 110.

[0043] Upon receiving the configuration for storing information related to a PSCell change, the terminal device 110 may store the information (also referred to herein as SPCR information) based on the configuration (220). In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may be configured to have an SPCR configuration for an MN-initiated PSCell change or an SPCR for an SN-initiated PSCell change. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine whether a condition for triggering the storage of information is met. If it determines that the condition is met, the terminal device 110 may store or collect content corresponding to the condition as the information. In this way, signaling overhead and UE storage resources can be reduced.

[0044] In some embodiments, the condition may include a radio link problem of the source PSCell (also referred to herein as the first cell) of the PSCell change. For example, the radio link problem may include at least one of the following events: T310 / T312 is running, a radio link control (RLC) retransmission is in progress, a beam failure is detected, or a continuous listen before talk (LBT) failure is detected. In this case, the terminal device 110 may collect the corresponding content of the information.

[0045] In some embodiments, when a radio link problem condition is met, the terminal device 110 may store radio link problem-related parameters of the source PSCell. For example, T310 / T312 values, RLC retransmission times, beam failure-related information, persistent LBT failure-related information, etc. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may store measurement results of the source PSCell, the target PSCell (also referred to herein as a second cell), and neighbor cells when the condition is met. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may store the identity (ID) of the source PSCell and the ID of the target PSCell. In some embodiments, the terminal may store the identity (ID) of the PCell (the MN's primary cell) when a PSCell change is initiated. In some embodiments, the PCell ID is reported only in the case of a PSCell change initiated by the MN. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may store an identifier of the terminal device 110 in the source PSCell and the PCell. For example, this identifier may be a Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI), etc. In some embodiments, the identifier of the terminal device 110 in the PCell is reported only in the case of a MN-initiated PSCell change.

[0046] In some embodiments, when CPC is performed, the conditions may include whether multiple candidate cells are configured for the target PSCell. In some embodiments, if multiple candidate cells are configured, the terminal device 110 may store at least one of IDs of the multiple candidate cells, measurement results of the multiple candidate cells, or execution conditions of the multiple candidate cells.

[0047] In some embodiments, when a CPC is performed, the conditions may include whether multiple execution conditions are set for the target PSCell. In some embodiments, if multiple execution conditions are set, the terminal device 110 may store the execution conditions that are met. For example, measId, event ID, trigger threshold, trigger offset, hysteresis value, timToTrigger value, etc. These are merely examples, and it should be understood that any other content suitable for this information is also possible.

[0048] In some embodiments, the condition may be predefined. In some alternative embodiments, the condition may be dynamically indicated. For example, the condition may be indicated in a configuration for storing information. In this case, terminal device 110 may obtain the condition from this configuration. In some embodiments, the indicated condition may be part of a predefined condition.

[0049] In some embodiments, the SPCR information may be stored in an information element (IE) such as a UE variable. In some embodiments, SPCR information corresponding to multiple PSCell change events may be stored. In some embodiments, the SPCR information may be stored separately for PSCell changes initiated by the MN and PSCell changes initiated by the SN.

[0050] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may store SPCR information separately for MN-initiated and SN-initiated PSCell changes. In some embodiments, if the PSCell change is initiated by SN 121, terminal device 110 may store the information in a first IE of terminal device 110, and if the PSCell change is initiated by MN 122, terminal device 110 may store the information in a second IE of terminal device 110. For example, information associated with an SN-initiated PScell ​​change and information associated with an MN-initiated PScell ​​change may be stored in different UE variables.

[0051] In some alternative embodiments, the terminal device 110 may add an explicit indication of whether the SPCR information is for a MN-initiated or SN-initiated PScell ​​change. In some embodiments, if the PSCell change is initiated by the SN 121, the terminal device 110 may store the information in association with a first indication indicating that the information is associated with a PSCell change initiated by the SN 121. If the PSCell change is initiated by the MN 122, the terminal device 110 may store the information in association with a second indication indicating that the information is associated with a PSCell change initiated by the MN 122.

[0052] After storing the information, the terminal device 110 may transmit the information to the network device 120 (230). That is, the SPCR information is reported to the network side. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit information availability to the network device 120. Upon receiving the availability, the network device 120 may transmit a request to the terminal device 110 to obtain the information. In response to receiving the request, the terminal device 110 may transmit the requested information to the network device 120. This information may be associated with an SN-initiated change, an MN-initiated change, or both. This will be described in more detail below in connection with embodiments 1 to 3. Embodiment 1

[0053] In this embodiment, the terminal device 110 notifies the MN 122 of the availability of SPCR information, and upon receiving a request for SPCR information from the MN 122, transmits the SPCR information to the MN 122. This will be described with reference to FIG.

[0054] 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating another process 300 for reporting a successful PSCell change according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes, the process 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The process 300 may involve the terminal device 110, the MN 122, and the SN 121 as shown in FIG. 1.

[0055] 3, the terminal device 110 may transmit (310) the availability of SPCR information to the MN 122. In some embodiments, if the terminal device 110 already stores the SPCR information, the terminal device 110 may add the availability of SPCR information (also referred to herein as SPCR availability) to an MN RRC message, such as an RRCReconfigurationComplete message. This may apply to, but is not limited to, any of the following cases: an MN-initiated intra-SN or inter-SN PSCell change, an SN-initiated intra-SN PSCell change involving the MN, an SN-initiated inter-SN PSCell change, or an SN-initiated intra-SN PSCell change not involving the MN and using SRB3.

[0056] In some alternative embodiments, if the SPCR information is associated with an MN-initiated PScell ​​change, the terminal device 110 may transmit the availability of the SPCR information to the MN 122. For example, if the terminal device 110 already stores the SPCR information associated with the MN-initiated PScell ​​change, the terminal device 110 may add the availability of the SPCR information to an MN RRC message, such as an MN RRCReconfigurationComplete message. Of course, any other suitable message is also possible.

[0057] In some alternative embodiments, if the SPCR information is associated with an MN-initiated PScell ​​change, the terminal device 110 may transmit the availability of SPCR information associated with an MN-initiated PScell ​​change to the MN 122. If the SPCR information is associated with an SN-initiated PScell ​​change, the terminal device 110 may transmit the availability of SPCR information associated with an SN-initiated PScell ​​change to the MN 122. In this way, the terminal device 110 can indicate to the MN 122 the availability of SPCRs for an MN-initiated PScell ​​change and an SN-initiated PScell ​​change separately.

[0058] In some embodiments, upon receiving the availability of SPCR information associated with the SN-initiated PScell ​​change, MN 122 may forward (320) the availability of SPCR information associated with the SN-initiated PScell ​​change to the target SN (SN 121 in this example). Thus, SN 121 may begin fetching the SPCR information associated with the SN-initiated PScell ​​change from terminal device 110.

[0059] Upon receiving the availability of the SPCR information, the MN 122 may send a request for the SPCR information to the terminal device 110 (330). For example, the MN 122 may send the request via a UEInformationRequest message. Of course, any other suitable message is also possible.

[0060] In some embodiments, the MN 122 may send a request for a first portion of information associated with an SN-initiated PScell ​​change. In some alternative embodiments, the MN 122 may send a request for a second portion of information associated with an MN-initiated PScell ​​change. Thus, the MN 122 can separately request SPCR information associated with an MN-initiated PScell ​​change or an SN-initiated PScell ​​change.

[0061] In some alternative embodiments, the MN 122 may only send a request for SPCR information associated with the MN-initiated PScell ​​change and forward the availability of the SPCR information associated with the SN-initiated PScell ​​change to the SN 121, causing the SN 121 to initiate fetching of the SPCR information associated with the SN-initiated PScell ​​change. The fetching of the SPCR information associated with the SN-initiated PScell ​​change by the SN 121 may be performed as described in embodiment 2 or 3 below.

[0062] Upon receiving the request, terminal device 110 may transmit (340) the SPCR information to MN 122. For example, terminal device 110 may report the SPCR information via a UEInformationResponse message. Of course, any other suitable message is also possible.

[0063] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may report SPCR information associated with both MN-initiated and SN-initiated PScell ​​changes to MN 122. In some embodiments, MN 122 may forward (350) SPCP information associated with SN-initiated PScell ​​changes to the source SN (SN 121 in this example).

[0064] In some alternative embodiments, the terminal device 110 may report to the MN 122 only the SPCR information associated with the MN-initiated PScell ​​change.

[0065] In some alternative embodiments, in response to receiving a request from the MN 122 for a first portion of information associated with the SN-initiated PScell ​​change, the terminal device 110 may transmit the first portion of the information (i.e., SPCR information associated with the SN-initiated PScell ​​change) to the MN 122. In some alternative embodiments, in response to receiving a request from the MN 122 for a second portion of information associated with the MN-initiated PScell ​​change, the terminal device 110 may transmit the second portion of the information (i.e., SPCR information associated with the SN-initiated PScell ​​change) to the MN 122. In this way, the terminal device 110 can report SPCR information associated with the MN-initiated PScell ​​change or the SN-initiated PScell ​​change in response to a request from the MN 122. Embodiment 2

[0066] In this embodiment, the terminal device 110 notifies the target SN (in this example, SN 121) of the availability of SPCR information via SRB3, and upon receiving a request for SPCR information from SN 121, transmits the SPCR information to the target SN via SRB3. In some embodiments where the target SN and source SN are different network devices, the target SN may forward the SPCR associated with an SN-initiated PScell ​​change to the source SN via SRB3. This will be described with reference to Figure 4.

[0067] 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating another process 400 for reporting a successful PSCell change according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes, the process 400 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The process 400 may involve the terminal device 110, the MN 122, and the SN 121 as shown in FIG. 1.

[0068] 4, the terminal device 110 may transmit (410) the availability of the SPCR information to the SN 121. For example, the terminal device 110 may transmit the availability of the SPCR information via an SRB3 in an SN RRC message, such as an RRCReconfigurationComplete message. It should be understood that any other suitable message is also possible.

[0069] In some embodiments, if the terminal device 110 already stores the SPCR information, the terminal device 110 may add the availability of the SPCR information to an SN RRC message, such as an RRCReconfigurationComplete message, when an SN-initiated PSCell change does not involve the MN and SRB3 is used.

[0070] In some alternative embodiments, if the SPCR information is associated with an SN-initiated change, the terminal device 110 may transmit the availability of the SPCR information to the SN 121. For example, if the terminal device 110 already stores the SPCR information associated with the SN-initiated PScell ​​change, the terminal device 110 may add the availability of the SPCR information to an SN RRC message, such as an SN RRCReconfigurationComplete message. Of course, any other suitable message is also possible.

[0071] In some alternative embodiments, if the SPCR information is associated with a change initiated by an MN, the terminal device 110 may transmit the availability of the SPCR information associated with the PScell ​​change initiated by an MN to the SN 121. If the SPCR information is associated with a PSCell change initiated by an SN, the terminal device 110 may transmit the availability of the SPCR information associated with the PScell ​​change initiated by an SN to the SN 121. In this way, the terminal device 110 can indicate to the SN 121 separately the availability of the SPCR information associated with the PScell ​​change initiated by an MN and the availability of the SPCR information associated with the PScell ​​change initiated by an SN.

[0072] In some embodiments, upon receiving the availability of SPCR information associated with the MN-initiated PScell ​​change, the SN 121 may forward (420) the availability of SPCR information associated with the MN-initiated PScell ​​change to the MN 122. Thus, the MN 122 may begin fetching the SPCR information associated with the MN-initiated PScell ​​change from the terminal device 110, as described in embodiment 1.

[0073] Upon receiving the availability of the SPCR information, the SN 121 may send 430 a request for the SPCR information to the terminal device 110. For example, the SN 121 may send the request using SRB3 via a UEInformationRequest message; of course, any other suitable message is also possible.

[0074] In some embodiments, the SN 121 may send a request for a first portion of information associated with the SN-initiated change. In some alternative embodiments, the SN 121 may send a request for a second portion of information associated with the MN-initiated change. Thus, the SN 121 may separately request SPCR information associated with the MN-initiated PScell ​​change, or SPCR information associated with the SN-initiated PScell ​​change, or both.

[0075] In some alternative embodiments, the SN 121 may only send a request for the SPCR information associated with the SN-initiated PScell ​​change and forward the availability of the SPCR information associated with the MN-initiated PScell ​​change to the MN 122, causing the MN 122 to initiate fetching of the SPCR information associated with the MN-initiated PScell ​​change.

[0076] Upon receiving the request, terminal device 110 may send (440) the SPCR information to SN 121. For example, terminal device 110 may report the SPCR information using SRB3 via a UEInformationResponse message. Of course, any other suitable message is also possible.

[0077] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may report both the SPCR information associated with the MN-initiated PScell ​​change and the SPCR information associated with the SN-initiated PScell ​​change to the SN 121. In some embodiments, the SN 121 may forward (450) the SPCR information associated with the MN-initiated PScell ​​change to the MN 122.

[0078] In some alternative embodiments, if the information is associated with an SN-initiated change, the terminal device 110 may transmit this information via SRB3 to the SN 121. In other words, the terminal device 110 may report to the SN 121 only SPCR information associated with an SN-initiated PScell ​​change.

[0079] In some alternative embodiments, in response to receiving a request from SN 121 for a first portion of information associated with an SN-initiated change, terminal device 110 may transmit the first portion of information (i.e., SPCR information associated with the SN-initiated PScell ​​change) to SN 121. In some alternative embodiments, in response to receiving a request from SN 121 for a second portion of information associated with an MN-initiated change, terminal device 110 may transmit the second portion of information (i.e., SPCR information associated with the MN-initiated PScell ​​change) to SN 121. In this way, terminal device 110 may report SPCR information associated with an MN-initiated and / or SN-initiated PScell ​​change in response to a request from SN 121. Embodiment 3

[0080] In this embodiment, the terminal device 110 notifies the target SN (in this example, SN 121) of the availability of SPCR information via SRB1 (i.e., via MN 122), and upon receiving a request for SPCR information from SN 121 via SRB1, transmits the SPCR information to the target SN. In some embodiments where the target SN and source SN are different network devices, the target SN may forward the SPCR associated with the SN-initiated PScell ​​change to the source SN via SRB1 via MN 122. This will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

[0081] 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating another process 500 for reporting a successful PSCell change according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes, the process 500 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The process 500 may involve the terminal device 110, the MN 122, and the SN 121 as shown in FIG. 1.

[0082] 5, terminal device 110 may transmit the availability of SPCR information to MN 122 (510), and MN 122 may forward the availability of SPCR information to SN 121 (520). For example, terminal device 110 may report the availability of SPCR information in an SN RRC message included in an uplink (UL) MN RRC message.

[0083] In some embodiments, if the terminal device 110 already stores the SPCR information, for example, in an SN-initiated PScell ​​change where the MN is not involved and SRB3 is not configured, the terminal device 110 may add the availability of the SPCR information to an SN RRC message (e.g., an SN RRCReconfigurationComplete message) included in an MN RRC message (e.g., an RRCReconfigurationComplete or ULInformationTransferMRDC message). Note that the messages listed above are merely examples, and any other suitable message is also possible.

[0084] In some alternative embodiments, if the SPCR information is associated with an SN-initiated change, terminal device 110 may transmit the availability of the SPCR information to SN 121. For example, if terminal device 110 already stores SPCR information associated with an SN-initiated PScell ​​change, terminal device 110 may report the availability of the SPCR information.

[0085] In some alternative embodiments, if the SPCR information is associated with an MN-initiated change, the terminal device 110 may transmit to the SN 121 the availability of the SPCR information associated with the MN-initiated change (also referred to as the first part of the SPCR information). If the SPCR information is associated with an SN-initiated change, the terminal device 110 may transmit to the SN 121 the availability of the SPCR information associated with the SN-initiated change (also referred to as the second part of the SPCR information). In this way, the terminal device 110 can separately report to the SN 121 the availability of the SPCR information associated with an MN-initiated PScell ​​change and the availability of the SPCR information associated with an SN-initiated PScell ​​change.

[0086] In some embodiments, upon receiving the availability of SPCR information, if SRB3 is configured, SN 121 may initiate fetching of SPCR information associated with terminal device 110 as described in embodiment 2.

[0087] In some embodiments, upon receiving the availability of the SPCR information, the SN 121 may forward (530) the availability of the SPCR information to the MN 122. The MN 122 may then begin fetching the SPCR information associated with the terminal device 110, as described in the first embodiment.

[0088] In some embodiments, upon receiving the availability of SPCR information associated with the MN-initiated PScell ​​change, the SN 121 may forward (530) the availability of SPCR information associated with the MN-initiated PScell ​​change to the MN 122. Thus, the MN 122 may begin fetching the SPCR information associated with the MN-initiated PScell ​​change from the terminal device 110, as described in embodiment 1.

[0089] Upon receiving the availability of the SPCR information, the SN 121 may send a request for the SPCR information to the MN 122 (540), which may forward the request to the terminal device 110 (550). For example, the SN 121 may send the request via an SN UEInformationRequest message; of course, any other suitable message is also possible.

[0090] In some embodiments, the SN 121 may send a request for a first portion of information associated with the MN-initiated change. In some alternative embodiments, the SN 121 may send a request for a second portion of information associated with the SN-initiated change. Thus, the SN 121 may separately request SPCR information associated with the MN-initiated PScell ​​change, or SPCR information associated with the SN-initiated PScell ​​change, or both.

[0091] In some alternative embodiments, the SN 121 may only send a request for the SPCR information associated with the SN-initiated PScell ​​change and forward the availability of the SPCR information associated with the MN-initiated PScell ​​change to the MN 122, causing the MN 122 to initiate fetching of the SPCR information associated with the MN-initiated PScell ​​change.

[0092] Upon receiving the request, the terminal device 110 may transmit (560) the SPCR information to the MN 122, which may then forward (570) the SPCR information to the SN 121. For example, the terminal device 110 may report the SPCR information via an SN UEInformationResponse message included in an MN RRC message, such as a ULInformationTransferMRDC message. Of course, any other suitable message is also possible.

[0093] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may report SPCR information associated with MN-initiated and SN-initiated PScell ​​changes to SN 121 via MN 122. In some embodiments, SN 121 may forward MN-initiated SPCP information to MN 122 (580).

[0094] In some alternative embodiments, if the information is associated with an SN-initiated change, the terminal device 110 may transmit this information to the SN 121 via the MN 122. In other words, the terminal device 110 may report to the SN 121 via the MN 122 only SPCR information associated with an SN-initiated PScell ​​change.

[0095] In some alternative embodiments, in response to receiving a request from SN 121 via MN 122 for a first portion of information associated with the SN-initiated change, terminal device 110 may transmit the first portion of information (i.e., SPCR information associated with the SN-initiated PScell ​​change) to SN 121 via MN 122. In some alternative embodiments, in response to receiving a request from SN 121 via MN 122 for a second portion of information associated with the MN-initiated change, terminal device 110 may transmit the second portion of information (i.e., SPCR information associated with the MN-initiated PScell ​​change) to SN 121 via MN 122. In this way, terminal device 110 can report SPCR information associated with the MN-initiated and / or SN-initiated PScell ​​change in response to a request from SN 121. Thus, a very flexible SPCR reporting mechanism is provided.

[0096] In some scenarios, the MN 122 may change from a current network device to another network device. For example, an RRC connection for the terminal device 110 may be established or re-established with the other network device, or the UE may be handed over to the other network device. In this case, the other network device and the current network device are the same network device. As another example, the MN 122 may be handed over from a current network device to the other network device. In this case, the other network device and the current network device are different network devices.

[0097] In some embodiments, upon establishment, re-establishment, or handover of the MN 122, the terminal device 110 may transmit the availability of SPCR information to the other network device. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may separately indicate the availability of SPCR information associated with an MN-initiated PScell ​​change and the availability of SPCR information associated with an SN-initiated PScell ​​change. For example, the terminal device 110 may indicate the availability of SPCR information to the other network device in at least one of an RRCSetupComplete message, an RRCResumeComplete message, an RRCRestablishmentComplete message, or an RRCReconfigurationComplete message.

[0098] In some embodiments, upon receiving the availability of the SPCR information, the other network device may send a request to obtain the SPCR information to the terminal device 110, for example, via a UEInformationRequest message. The terminal device 110 may then send the requested SPCR information to the other network device, for example, via a UEInformationResponse message. Note that the mentioned messages are merely examples, and any other suitable messages are possible.

[0099] In some embodiments, the other network device may forward SPCR information associated with the MN-initiated PScell ​​change to the MN 122 in a successful PSCell change procedure. In some embodiments where an interface exists between the other network device and the source PSCell, the other network device may forward the SPCR information associated with the SN-initiated PScell ​​change to the SN 121. In some embodiments where an interface does not exist between the other network device and the source PSCell, the other network device may forward the SPCR information associated with the SN-initiated PScell ​​change to the MN 122 in a successful PSCell change procedure, causing the MN 122 to forward the SPCR information associated with the SN-initiated PScell ​​change to the SN 121.

[0100] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may discard the stored SPCR information once the SPCR information is transmitted. For example, when terminal device 110 reports the SPCR information to network device 120, the UE variable that stores the SPCR information may be discarded.

[0101] In some embodiments, if the PSCell change fails, the terminal device 110 may release the stored information. For example, if the PSCell change procedure ultimately fails, for example, if T304 of an SCG expires, the terminal device 110 may accordingly release the SPCR information stored for the corresponding procedure.

[0102] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may discard stored information after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the information was stored. For example, the stored SPCR information may be discarded 48 hours after it was saved. Of course, the predetermined period of time may be any suitable value and is not limited to this example.

[0103] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may discard the stored information upon receiving an indication from the network side indicating that the information has been discarded. For example, upon receiving the availability of SPCR information, the node may instruct the terminal device 110 to discard the stored SPCR information. In some embodiments, the node may be any of the MN 122, the SN 121, and another network device. In this way, management of the storage of SPCR information can be optimized.

[0104] The processes in Figures 2 to 5 enhance the MRO function in NR to provide more robust mobility by reporting information related to failure events observed during a successful PSCell change. A terminal device may be configured with a trigger condition for compiling a PSCell change success report, so that the report is triggered only when the condition is met. This limits the UE reporting to relevant situations, such as potential problems detected by RLM or BFD detected during a PSCell change event. The network device can request a PSCell change success report as needed. Upon receiving a PSCell change success report, the network device can analyze whether the PSCell change configuration requires adjustment. The PSCell change success report function is applicable to the (NG)EN-DC, NE-DC, and NR-DC. Example of the method

[0105] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide communication methods implemented in a terminal device and a network device, which are described below with reference to Figures 6 and 7.

[0106] 6 illustrates an exemplary communication method 600 implemented in a terminal device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, method 600 may be performed in terminal device 110, such as that shown in FIG. 1. For purposes of explanation, method 600 will be described below with reference to FIG. 1. It should be understood that method 600 may include additional blocks not shown and / or omit some blocks that are shown, and that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0107] In block 610, the terminal device 110 receives from the network device 120 configuration for storing information related to a change of primary cell (i.e., a PSCell change) of the SN 121. In other words, the network device 120 can configure the SPCR. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may be the SN 121. In some alternative embodiments, the network device 120 may be the MN 122. With this configuration, support for the SPCR associated with MN-initiated and SN-initiated PSCell changes is under network control.

[0108] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may receive the configuration in an RRC message from SN 121. In some alternative embodiments, terminal device 110 may receive the configuration in an RRC message from MN 122. In some alternative embodiments, terminal device 110 may receive the configuration in system information from MN 122.

[0109] In some embodiments, the configuration may indicate whether SPCR is supported. In some embodiments, the configuration may further include conditions for triggering the storage of information. Of course, any other suitable information may be included in the configuration, as desired.

[0110] In block 620, based on the configuration, terminal device 110 stores information regarding a change in the primary cell of SN 121. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may determine whether a condition for triggering the storage of information is met, and if the condition is met, store content corresponding to the condition as the information.

[0111] In some embodiments, the conditions may be predefined. In these embodiments, the terminal device 110 may collect and store predefined content related to the PSCell change as information. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may obtain the conditions from a configuration. In these embodiments, the terminal device 110 may collect and store content corresponding to the indicated conditions as information. In some embodiments, the indicated conditions may be part of the predefined conditions. In this way, signaling overhead and UE storage resources can be reduced.

[0112] In some embodiments, the condition may include a radio link problem of the first cell when the primary cell of SN 121 is changed from the first cell (i.e., source PSCell) to the second cell (i.e., target PSCell). In these embodiments, the content of the stored information may include at least one of a radio link problem rating parameter of the first cell, measurement results of the first cell, the second cell, and neighboring cells when the condition is met, an identity of the first cell and an identity of the second cell, an identity of the primary cell of MN 122, or identifiers of terminal devices in the first cell and the primary cell of MN 122.

[0113] In some embodiments, for example in the case of CPC, the condition may include whether multiple candidate cells are configured for the second cell. In these embodiments, the content of the stored information may include at least one of the identities of the multiple candidate cells, measurement results of the multiple candidate cells, or execution conditions of the multiple candidate cells.

[0114] In some alternative embodiments, for example in the case of a CPC, the conditions may include whether multiple execution conditions are set for the second cell, and in these embodiments, the content of the stored information may include the content of the execution conditions that are satisfied.

[0115] In some embodiments, if the change is initiated by the SN 121, the terminal device 110 may store the information in a first IE of the terminal device 110, and if the change is initiated by the MN 122, the terminal device 110 may store the information in a second IE of the terminal device 110. For example, the first IE and the second IE may be different UE variables. Of course, any other suitable method is also possible.

[0116] In some embodiments, if the change is initiated by the SN 121, the terminal device 110 may store the information in association with a first indication indicating that the information is associated with a change initiated by the SN 121. If the change is initiated by the MN 122, the terminal device 110 may store the information in association with a second indication indicating that the information is associated with a change initiated by the MN 122. In this way, the stored SPCR information can be marked as MN-initiated or SN-initiated, allowing the terminal device 110 and the network side to distinguish between SPCR information associated with a PSCell change initiated by the MN and SPCR information associated with a PSCell change initiated by the SN.

[0117] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may transmit the stored information to network device 120. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may transmit to network device 120 the availability of information associated with at least one of a change initiated by SN 121 or a change initiated by MN 122. Upon receiving a request to obtain the information from network device 120, terminal device 110 may transmit the information to network device 120. Of course, any other suitable manner of transmitting the stored information is also possible.

[0118] In some embodiments, if the information is associated with a change initiated by SN 121, terminal device 110 may transmit the availability of the information to SN 121. In some embodiments, if the information is associated with a change initiated by MN 122, terminal device 110 may transmit the availability of the information to MN 122. In some embodiments, if the information is associated with a change initiated by MN 122, terminal device 110 may transmit to MN 122 or SN 121 the availability of the information associated with the change initiated by MN 122. In some embodiments, if the information is associated with a change initiated by SN 121, terminal device 110 may transmit to MN 122 or SN 121 the availability of the information associated with the change initiated by SN 121.

[0119] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may receive a request from MN 122 or SN 121 for a first portion of information associated with a change initiated by SN 121. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may receive a request from MN 122 or SN 121 for a second portion of information associated with a change initiated by MN 122.

[0120] In some embodiments, if the information is associated with a change initiated by MN 122, terminal device 110 may transmit the information to MN 122. In some embodiments, if the information is associated with a change initiated by SN 121, terminal device 110 may transmit the information to SN 121. In some embodiments, in response to receiving a request for a first portion of information associated with a change initiated by SN 121, terminal device 110 may transmit the first portion of the information to MN 122 or SN 121 that sent the request. In some embodiments, in response to receiving a request for a second portion of information associated with a change initiated by MN 122, terminal device 110 may transmit the second portion of the information to MN 122 or SN 121 that sent the request.

[0121] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may transmit to SN 121 via MN 122 the availability of information associated with at least one of a change initiated by SN 121 or a change initiated by MN 122. In these embodiments, terminal device 110 may receive, via MN 122, a request to obtain information from SN 121 and transmit the information to SN 121 via MN 122.

[0122] In some embodiments, if the information is associated with a change initiated by SN 121, terminal device 110 may transmit the availability of the information to SN 121 via MN 122. In some embodiments, if the information is associated with a change initiated by MN 122, terminal device 110 may transmit the availability of a first piece of information associated with the change initiated by MN 122 to SN 121. In some embodiments, if the information is associated with a change initiated by SN 121, terminal device 110 may transmit the availability of a second piece of information associated with the change initiated by SN 121 to SN 121 via MN 122.

[0123] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may receive a request from SN 121 via MN 122 for a first portion of information associated with a change initiated by SN 121. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may receive a request from SN 121 via MN 122 for a second portion of information associated with a change initiated by MN 122.

[0124] In some embodiments, if the information is associated with a change initiated by SN 121, terminal device 110 may transmit the information to SN 121 via MN 122. In some embodiments, in response to receiving a request for a first portion of the information from SN 121 via MN 122, terminal device 110 may transmit the first portion of the information to SN 121 via MN 122. In some embodiments, in response to receiving a request for a second portion of the information from SN 121 via MN 122, terminal device 110 may transmit the second portion of the information to SN 121 via MN 122.

[0125] In some embodiments, when the MN 122 changes from the network device 120 to another network device (i.e., a target PCell), the terminal device 110 may transmit the stored information on availability to the other network device. In other words, upon establishment, re-establishment, or handover of the MN 122, the terminal device 110 may transmit the stored information on availability to the target PCell. During establishment or re-establishment, the target PCell may be the source PCell. In some embodiments, the stored information may be associated with a PSCell change initiated by the source PCell or the source PSCell.

[0126] In some embodiments, upon receiving a request from the other network device to retrieve the stored information, the terminal device 110 may transmit the requested information to the other network device. In some embodiments, the other network device may forward the requested information to the source PCell or the source PSCell. In some embodiments, the other network device may forward the SPCR information associated with the SN-initiated PScell ​​change to the source PCell, just as the source PCell forwards the SPCR information associated with the SN-initiated PScell ​​change to the source PSCell. In some embodiments, if an interface exists between them, the other network device may forward the SPCR information associated with the SN-initiated PScell ​​change to the source PSCell. In this way, a very flexible SPCR reporting mechanism is provided.

[0127] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may discard the stored information once the information is transmitted. In some embodiments, if the PSCell change fails, the terminal device 110 may release the stored information. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may discard the stored information once a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the information was stored. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may discard the stored information upon receiving an indication from the node indicating that the information has been discarded. In this way, management of the storage of SPCR information can be optimized.

[0128] 7 illustrates an exemplary communication method 700 implemented in a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, method 700 may be implemented in network device 120 as shown in FIG. 1. Network device 120 may be MN 122 or SN 121. For purposes of explanation, method 700 will be described below with reference to FIG. 1. It should be understood that method 700 may include additional blocks not shown and / or omit some blocks shown, and that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0129] 7, in block 710, network device 120 transmits to terminal device 110 a configuration for storing information regarding a change in primary cell of SN 121. In some embodiments, network device 120 may be MN 122. In some alternative embodiments, network device 120 may be SN 121.

[0130] In some embodiments where network device 120 is MN 122, MN 122 may send the configuration to terminal device 110 in an RRC message. Alternatively, MN 122 may send the configuration to terminal device 110 in system information. In some embodiments where network device 120 is SN 121, SN 121 may send the configuration to terminal device 110 in an RRC message.

[0131] In some embodiments, the setting may include a condition for triggering storage of information. In some embodiments, the condition may include a radio link problem of the first cell when a primary cell of the secondary node is changed from the first cell to the second cell, and the content of the information corresponding to the condition may include at least one of a radio link problem rating parameter of the first cell, measurement results of the first cell, the second cell, and the neighboring cell when the condition is met, an identity of the first cell and an identity of the second cell, an identity of the primary cell of the master node, or identifiers of terminal devices in the first cell and the primary cell of the master node.

[0132] In some embodiments, the condition may include whether multiple candidate cells are configured for the second cell when the primary cell of the secondary node is changed from the first cell to the second cell, and the content of the information corresponding to the condition may include at least one of identities of the multiple candidate cells, measurement results of the multiple candidate cells, or execution conditions of the multiple candidate cells.

[0133] In some embodiments, the condition may include whether multiple execution conditions are set for the second cell when the primary cell of the secondary node is changed from the first cell to the second cell, and the content of the information corresponding to the condition may include the content of the execution conditions that are satisfied.

[0134] In some embodiments, network device 120 may receive information from terminal device 110 regarding a change of primary cell of SN 121. In some embodiments, network device 120 may receive from terminal device 110 the availability of information associated with at least one of a change initiated by SN 121 or a change initiated by MN 122. In these embodiments, network device 120 may send a request to terminal device 110 to obtain the information and receive the requested information from terminal device 110.

[0135] In some embodiments where network device 120 is MN 122, MN 122 may receive the availability of information transmitted by terminal device 110 pursuant to a determination that a change is initiated by MN 122. In some embodiments where network device 120 is SN 121, SN 121 may receive the availability of information transmitted by terminal device 110 pursuant to a determination that a change is initiated by SN 121. In some embodiments where network device 120 is SN 121, SN 121 may receive the availability of information transmitted by terminal device 110 pursuant to a determination that a change is initiated by SN 121. In some embodiments, SN 121 or MN 122 may receive the availability of information associated with a change initiated by MN 122. In some embodiments, SN 121 or MN 122 may receive the availability of information associated with a change initiated by SN 121.

[0136] In some embodiments, SN 121 or MN 122 may send to terminal device 110 a request for a first portion of information associated with a change initiated by SN 121. In some embodiments, SN 121 or MN 122 may send to terminal device 110 a request for a second portion of information associated with a change initiated by MN 122.

[0137] In some embodiments where network device 120 is MN 122, MN 122 may receive information associated with a change initiated by MN 122. In some embodiments where network device 120 is SN 121, SN 121 may receive information associated with a change initiated by SN 121. In some embodiments, SN 121 may receive a first portion of information sent by terminal device 110 in response to a request from SN 121 for a first portion of information, the first portion associated with a change initiated by SN 121. In some embodiments, MN 122 may receive a first portion of information sent by terminal device 110 in response to a request from MN 122 for a first portion of information, the first portion associated with a change initiated by SN 121.

[0138] In some embodiments, the SN 121 may receive the second portion of the information sent by terminal device 110 in response to a request from the SN 121 for the second portion of the information, the second portion associated with a change initiated by the MN 122. In some embodiments, the MN 122 may receive the second portion of the information sent by terminal device 110 in response to a request from the MN 122 for the second portion of the information, the second portion associated with a change initiated by the MN 122.

[0139] In some embodiments where network device 120 is MN 122, in response to receiving from terminal device 110 the availability of a first portion of information, said first portion being associated with a change initiated by SN 121, MN 122 may forward the availability of the first portion of information to SN 121. In some embodiments where network device 120 is MN 122, in response to receiving the first portion of information from terminal device 110, MN 122 may forward the first portion of information to SN 121.

[0140] In some embodiments where network device 120 is SN 121, in response to receiving from terminal device 110 the availability of a second portion of information, said second portion being associated with a change initiated by MN 122, SN 121 may forward the availability of the second portion of information to MN 122. In some embodiments where network device 120 is SN 121, in response to receiving from terminal device 110 the second portion of information, SN 121 may forward the second portion of information to MN 122.

[0141] In some embodiments where network device 120 is SN 121, SN 121 may receive from terminal device 110 via MN 122 the availability of information associated with at least one of a change initiated by SN 121 or a change initiated by MN 122. In these embodiments, SN 121 may send a request to terminal device 110 via MN 122 to obtain the information, and receive the information from terminal device 110 via MN 122.

[0142] In some embodiments where network device 120 is MN 122, MN 122 may receive information associated with at least one of the SN 121-initiated change or the MN 122-initiated change from terminal device 110 via another network device that is the network device at the time of re-establishment or handover of MN 122.

[0143] In this way, the network device can obtain the desired SPCR information and use the SPCR information to analyze whether its PSCell change settings need adjustment. Device implementation example

[0144] Figure 8 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 800 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Apparatus 800 may be considered as another exemplary implementation of terminal device 110 or network device 120 shown in Figure 1. Thus, apparatus 800 may be implemented in, or as at least a part of, terminal device 110 or network device 120.

[0145] As shown, the apparatus 800 comprises a processor 810, a memory 820 coupled to the processor 810, a suitable transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) 840 coupled to the processor 810, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 840. The memory 810 stores at least a portion of a program 830. The TX / RX 840 is used for bidirectional communication. The TX / RX 840 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, although the access nodes referred to herein may in practice have multiple antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface required for communication with other network elements, such as an X2 / Xn interface for bidirectional communication between eNBs / gNBs, an S1 / NG interface for communication between a Mobility Management Entity (MME) / Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) / SGW / UPF and an eNB / gNB, an Un interface for communication between an eNB / gNB and a relay node (RN), or a Uu interface for communication between an eNB / gNB and a terminal device.

[0146] It is assumed that the program 830 includes program instructions, as described herein with reference to Figures 1-7, that, when executed by an associated processor 810, enable the device 800 to operate in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiments herein may be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 810 of the device 800, by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 810 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the combination of the processor 810 and the memory 820 may form a processing means 850 suitable for implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0147] Memory 820 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 820 is shown in device 800, several physically distinct memory modules may be present within device 800. Processor 810 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may include, by way of non-limiting example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 800 may have multiple processors, e.g., application-specific integrated circuit chips time-slaved to a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0148] In some embodiments, a terminal device comprises circuitry that receives, from a network device that is a secondary node or a master node, a configuration for storing information regarding a change in a primary cell of a secondary node, and stores the information regarding a change in a primary cell of the secondary node based on the configuration.

[0149] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to receive the configuration by at least one of receiving the configuration in an RRC message from the secondary node, receiving the configuration in an RRC message from the master node, or receiving the configuration in system information from the master node.

[0150] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to store the information by determining whether a condition for triggering storage of the information is met, and, pursuant to determining that the condition is met, storing content corresponding to the condition as the information. In some embodiments, the circuitry may be further configured to obtain the condition from the configuration.

[0151] In some embodiments, the condition may include a radio link problem of a first cell when a primary cell of a secondary node is changed from a first cell to a second cell, and the content may include at least one of a radio link problem rating parameter of the first cell, measurement results of the first cell, the second cell and neighboring cells when the condition is met, an identity of the first cell and an identity of the second cell, an identity of a primary cell of the master node, or identifiers of terminal devices in the first cell and the primary cell of the master node.

[0152] In some embodiments, the conditions may include whether multiple candidate cells are configured for a second cell when the primary cell of the secondary node is changed from a first cell to a second cell, and the content may include at least one of identities of the multiple candidate cells, measurement results of the multiple candidate cells, or execution conditions of the multiple candidate cells.

[0153] In some embodiments, the conditions may include whether multiple execution conditions are set for a second cell when a primary cell of the secondary node is changed from a first cell to a second cell, and the content may include content of the execution conditions that are satisfied.

[0154] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to store the information by storing the information in a first information element of the terminal device pursuant to a determination that the change is initiated by the secondary node, and by storing the information in a second information element of the terminal device pursuant to a determination that the change is initiated by the master node.

[0155] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to store the information by, pursuant to a determination that the change is initiated by the secondary node, storing the information in association with a first indication that the information is associated with a change initiated by the secondary node, and, pursuant to a determination that the change is initiated by the master node, storing the information in association with a second indication that the information is associated with a change initiated by the master node.

[0156] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be further configured to at least one of discard the stored information once the information is transmitted, release the stored information if the modification is unsuccessful, discard the stored information after a predetermined period of time, or discard the stored information upon receiving an indication from the network device indicating that the information has been discarded.

[0157] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be further configured to transmit the information to the network device. In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to transmit the information by transmitting availability of information associated with at least one of the secondary node-initiated change or the master node-initiated change to the network device, receiving a request from the network device to obtain the information, and transmitting the information to the network device.

[0158] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to transmit the availability of the information by at least one of: transmitting availability of the information to the secondary node in accordance with a determination that the information is associated with a change initiated by the secondary node; transmitting availability of the information to the master node in accordance with a determination that the information is associated with a change initiated by the master node; transmitting availability of information associated with a change initiated by the master node to the network device in accordance with a determination that the information is associated with a change initiated by the master node; or transmitting availability of information associated with a change initiated by the secondary node to the network device in accordance with a determination that the information is associated with a change initiated by the secondary node.

[0159] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to receive the request by at least one of receiving a request from the network device for a first portion of information associated with a change initiated by the secondary node, or receiving a request from the network device for a second portion of information associated with a change initiated by the master node.

[0160] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to transmit the information by at least one of: transmitting the information to the master node in accordance with a determination that the information is associated with a change initiated by the master node; transmitting the information to the secondary node in accordance with a determination that the information is associated with a change initiated by the secondary node; transmitting a first portion of the information to the network device in response to receiving a request from the network device for a first portion of the information, the first portion being associated with a change initiated by the secondary node; or transmitting a second portion of the information to the network device in response to receiving a request from the network device for a second portion of the information, the second portion being associated with a change initiated by the master node.

[0161] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to transmit the information by: transmitting, via the master node, availability of the information associated with at least one of a change initiated by the secondary node or a change initiated by the master node to the secondary node; receiving, via the master node, a request from the secondary node to obtain the information; and transmitting, via the master node, the information to the secondary node.

[0162] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to transmit the availability of the information by at least one of: transmitting, via the master node, availability of the information to the secondary node in accordance with a determination that the information is associated with a change initiated by the secondary node; transmitting, via the master node, availability of the information associated with a change initiated by the master node in accordance with a determination that the information is associated with a change initiated by the secondary node; or transmitting, via the master node, availability of the information associated with a change initiated by the secondary node in accordance with a determination that the information is associated with a change initiated by the secondary node.

[0163] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to receive the request by at least one of receiving the request from the secondary node via the master node for a first portion of the information associated with a change initiated by the secondary node, or receiving the request from the secondary node via the master node for a second portion of the information associated with a change initiated by the master node.

[0164] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to transmit the information by at least one of: transmitting the information to the secondary node via the master node in accordance with a determination that the information is associated with a change initiated by the secondary node; transmitting the first portion of the information to the secondary node via the master node in response to receiving a request for the first portion of the information from the secondary node via the master node; or transmitting the second portion of the information to the secondary node via the master node in response to receiving a request for the second portion of the information from the secondary node via the master node.

[0165] In some embodiments, the circuitry is configured to transmit the information by transmitting availability of the information to another network device, the network device being a network device upon re-establishment or handover of the master node, receiving a request from the other network device to obtain the information, and transmitting the information to the other network device for forwarding to the network device.

[0166] In some embodiments, a network device comprises circuitry, the circuitry configured to transmit to a terminal device a configuration regarding storage of information regarding a change of a primary cell of a secondary node, the network device being the secondary node or a master node.

[0167] In some embodiments in which the network device is a master node, the circuitry is configured to transmit the configuration by at least one of transmitting the configuration to the terminal device in an RRC message or transmitting the configuration to the terminal device in system information.

[0168] In some embodiments where the network device is a secondary node, the circuitry is configured to transmit the configuration by sending the configuration to the terminal device in an RRC message.

[0169] In some embodiments, the setting may include a condition for triggering storage of information. In some embodiments, the condition may include a radio link problem of the first cell when a primary cell of the secondary node is changed from the first cell to the second cell, and the content of the information corresponding to the condition may include at least one of a radio link problem rating parameter of the first cell, measurement results of the first cell, the second cell, and the neighboring cell when the condition is met, an identity of the first cell and an identity of the second cell, an identity of the primary cell of the master node, or identifiers of terminal devices in the first cell and the primary cell of the master node.

[0170] In some embodiments, the condition may include whether multiple candidate cells are configured for the second cell when the primary cell of the secondary node is changed from the first cell to the second cell, and the content of the information corresponding to the condition may include at least one of identities of the multiple candidate cells, measurement results of the multiple candidate cells, or performance conditions of the multiple candidate cells. In some embodiments, the condition may include whether multiple performance conditions are configured for the second cell when the primary cell of the secondary node is changed from the first cell to the second cell, and the content of the information corresponding to the condition may include performance conditions that are met.

[0171] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be further configured to receive from the terminal device the information related to a change in a primary cell of the secondary node. In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to receive the information by receiving from the terminal device availability of the information associated with at least one of a change initiated by the secondary node or a change initiated by the master node, sending a request to the terminal device to obtain the information, and receiving the information from the terminal device.

[0172] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to receive the availability of the information by at least one of receiving, at the network device that is a master node, the availability of the information transmitted by the terminal device in accordance with a determination that a change is initiated by the master node; receiving, at the network device that is the secondary node, the availability of the information transmitted by the terminal device in accordance with a determination that a change is initiated by the secondary node; receiving the availability of the information associated with a change initiated by the master node; or receiving the availability of the information associated with a change initiated by the secondary node.

[0173] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to send the request by at least one of sending to the terminal device the request for a first portion of the information associated with a change initiated by the secondary node, or receiving to the terminal device the request for a second portion of the information associated with a change initiated by the master node.

[0174] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to receive the information by: receiving, at the network device in a master mode, the information associated with a change initiated by the master node; receiving, at the network device in a secondary mode, the information associated with a change initiated by the secondary node; receiving a first portion of the information sent by the terminal device in response to a request from the network device for a first portion of the information, the first portion being associated with a change initiated by the secondary node; or receiving a second portion of the information sent by the terminal device in response to a request from the network device for a second portion of the information, the second portion being associated with a change initiated by the master node.

[0175] In some embodiments in which the network device is a master node, the circuitry may be further configured to at least one of: forward availability of the first portion of the information to the secondary node in response to receiving from the terminal device availability of the first portion of the information, the first portion being associated with a change initiated by the secondary node; or forward the first portion of the information to the secondary node in response to receiving from the terminal device.

[0176] In some embodiments in which the network device is the secondary node, the circuitry may be further configured to at least one of: forwarding availability of the second portion of the information to the master node in response to receiving from the terminal device availability of the second portion of the information, the second portion being associated with a change initiated by the master node; or forwarding the second portion of the information to the master node in response to receiving from the terminal device.

[0177] In some embodiments where the network device is a secondary node, the circuitry may be configured to receive the information by receiving from the terminal device, via the master node, availability of the information associated with at least one of a change initiated by the secondary node or a change initiated by the master node, sending to the terminal device, via the master node, a request to obtain the information, and receiving from the terminal device, via the master node, the information.

[0178] In some embodiments, the circuitry may be configured to receive the information associated with at least one of a change initiated by the secondary node or a change initiated by the master node by receiving the information from the terminal device via another network device that is a network device during re-establishment or handover of the master node.

[0179] As used herein, the term "circuitry" can 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 the software may not be present if not necessary for operation. As used herein, the term "circuitry" also includes implementations of only a hardware circuit or one or more processors, or a portion of a hardware circuit or one or more processors and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware.

[0180] 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 are 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 in, by way of non-limiting example, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing device, or any combination thereof.

[0181] 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. 2-7. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as 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.

[0182] 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.

[0183] 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 machine-readable storage media 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 optical disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above.

[0184] Although operations have been described in a particular order, it should not be understood that performing these operations in the particular order shown, or in any sequential order, or performing all of the operations described, is required to achieve desirable results. In some cases, multitasking or 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.

[0185] 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 performed by a terminal device, comprising: receiving, from a network device, a configuration for the terminal device to report a successful change of a primary cell (successful PSCell change) of a secondary cell group configured by the network device; storing information about the successful PSCell change in response to a trigger condition being satisfied based on the configuration; and Including, The information is Primary cell (PCell) identity (ID), ID of the source PSCell, Measurement results of source PSCell, ID of the target PSCell, Measurement results of the target PSCell, Measurement results of neighboring cells, or an indication of whether the information is about a PSCell change initiated by a secondary node (SN); at least one of: method.

2. The network device is a secondary node (SN) or a master node (MN); The method of claim 1.

3. and transmitting the availability of the information to the SN in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration complete message over Signaling Radio Bearer 3 (SRB3). The method of claim 2.

4. receiving a request for the information in a user equipment (UE) information request message; reporting the information in a UE Information Response message; The method of claim 2 further comprising:

5. receiving the request includes receiving the request from the MN, and reporting the information includes reporting the information to the MN; or receiving the request includes receiving the request from another network device different from the MN, and reporting the information includes reporting the information to the other network device; The method of claim 4.

6. and transmitting the availability of the information in one of an RRC setup complete message, an RRC restart complete message, and an RRC re-establishment complete message. The method of claim 5.

7. 1. A method performed by a network device, comprising: transmitting a configuration in which the terminal device reports a successful change of the primary cell of the secondary cell group configured by the network device (successful PSCell change); receiving information about the successful PSCell change; Including, The information is Primary cell (PCell) identity (ID), ID of the source PSCell, Measurement results of source PSCell, ID of the target PSCell, Measurement results of the target PSCell, Measurement results of neighboring cells, or an indication of whether the information is about a PSCell change initiated by a secondary node (SN); at least one of: method.

8. The network device is a secondary node (SN) or a master node (MN); The method of claim 7.

9. and receiving, by the SN, the availability of the information in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) Reconfiguration Complete message over Signaling Radio Bearer 3 (SRB3). The method of claim 8.

10. transmitting the availability of the information by the SN to the MN.

10. The method of claim 9.

11. sending a request for the information in a User Equipment (UE) Information Request message; receiving the information in a UE Information Response message; 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

12. sending the request includes sending the request by the MN, and receiving the information includes receiving the information by the MN; or sending the request includes sending the request by another network device different from the MN, and receiving the information includes receiving the information by the other network device. The method of claim 11.

13. If the information is received by the other network device, the method further includes receiving the information by the MN from the other network device and forwarding the information to the SN.

13. The method of claim 12.

14. The trigger condition includes first information related to a timer; The timer includes T310 or T312 associated with the source PSCell. The method of claim 1.

15. The timer is related to radio link issues.

15. The method of claim 14.

16. The information about the successful PSCell change further includes second information related to the timer.

15. The method of claim 14.

17. A terminal device, means for receiving, from a network device, a configuration in which the terminal device reports a successful change of a primary cell of a secondary cell group configured by the network device (successful PSCell change); means for storing information about the successful PSCell change in response to a trigger condition being satisfied based on the configuration; Equipped with The information is Primary cell (PCell) identity (ID), ID of the source PSCell, Measurement results of source PSCell, ID of the target PSCell, Measurement results of the target PSCell, Measurement results of neighboring cells, or an indication of whether the information is about a PSCell change initiated by a secondary node (SN); at least one of: Terminal device.

18. The network device is a secondary node (SN) or a master node (MN); 18. The terminal device according to claim 17.

19. means for transmitting the availability of the information to the SN in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration complete message over Signaling Radio Bearer 3 (SRB3).

19. The terminal device according to claim 18.

20. means for receiving a request for the information in a User Equipment (UE) Information Request message; means for reporting the information in a UE Information Response message; 20. The terminal device of claim 18, further comprising:

21. The means for receiving the request comprises means for receiving the request from the MN, and the means for reporting the information comprises means for reporting the information to the MN, or the means for receiving the request comprises means for receiving the request from another network device different from the MN, and the means for reporting the information comprises means for reporting the information to the other network device; The terminal device according to claim 20.

22. means for transmitting the availability of the information in one of an RRC setup complete message, an RRC restart complete message, and an RRC re-establishment complete message.

22. The terminal device according to claim 21.

23. A network device, A means for transmitting a configuration in which a terminal device reports a successful change of a primary cell of a secondary cell group configured by the network device (successful PSCell change); means for receiving information about the successful PSCell change; Equipped with The information is Primary cell (PCell) identity (ID), ID of the source PSCell, Measurement results of source PSCell, ID of the target PSCell, Measurement results of the target PSCell, Measurement results of neighboring cells, or an indication of whether the information is about a PSCell change initiated by a secondary node (SN); at least one of: Network equipment.

24. The network device is a secondary node (SN) or a master node (MN); 24. The network device of claim 23.

25. means for receiving, by the SN, the availability of the information in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) Reconfiguration Complete message over Signaling Radio Bearer 3 (SRB3).

25. The network device of claim 24.

26. means for transmitting the availability of said information to said MN by said SN; 26. The network device of claim 25.

27. means for transmitting a request for the information in a User Equipment (UE) Information Request message; means for receiving the information in a UE Information Response message; 26. The network device of claim 25, further comprising:

28. The means for sending the request comprises means for sending the request by the MN, and the means for receiving the information comprises means for receiving the information by the MN; or the means for sending the request comprises means for sending the request by another network device different from the MN, and the means for receiving the information comprises means for receiving the information by the other network device; 28. The network device of claim 27.

29. means for receiving the information by the MN from the other network device and forwarding the information to the SN if the information is received by the other network device; 29. The network device of claim 28.

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