Report on the relaxed state of signal measurement

Abstract

An embodiment of the present disclosure relates to reporting a relaxation state of signal measurement. A first device performs a first evaluation to determine whether a relaxation criterion of signal measurement is satisfied, and performs a second evaluation to determine whether a transition between DRX and non-DRX occurs. Then, the first device determines whether a report on a change in the relaxation state of signal measurement is initiated to be transmitted to a second device based on at least one of the first evaluation or the second evaluation. In this way, the report on the relaxation state of signal measurement can be appropriately transmitted, and unnecessary signaling overhead and additional power consumption can be avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to reporting relaxed states of signal measurements.

Background Art

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP (registered trademark)) is working on a work item (WI) regarding power saving of user equipment (UE) by relaxation of signal measurements for radio link monitoring (RLM) and / or beam failure detection (BFD). Generally, relaxation of signal measurements for RLM and / or BFD is only permitted when discontinuous reception (DRX) is used. When a relaxed state report is configured, the UE is supposed to indicate a change in the relaxed state when transitioning between "DRX is in use" and "DRX is not in use". However, such a report may not be necessary if the evaluation result of the relaxation criteria does not change. Also, in order to transmit a report when DRX is in use, the UE needs to be activated from DRX. This may result in additional power consumption. Therefore, further development is needed for reporting the relaxed state of signal measurements.

Summary of the Invention

[0003] Generally, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for reporting a relaxed state of signal measurements.

[0004] In a first embodiment, a first device is provided. The first device comprises at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the first device to perform, by at least one processor, a first evaluation to determine whether a signal measurement relaxation criterion is met, a second evaluation to determine whether a transition between discontinuous reception and non-discontinuous reception occurs, and, based on at least one of the first evaluation or the second evaluation, whether it is initiated to transmit a report regarding a change in the signal measurement relaxation state to the second device.

[0005] In a second embodiment, a second device is provided. The second device comprises at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the at least one processor to send a setting to the first device indicating that reports regarding changes in the relaxation state of signal measurements are not permitted to be sent during discontinuous reception, and to cause the second device to receive reports from the first device that are triggered based on the signal measurement relaxation criteria.

[0006] In a third embodiment, a communication method is provided. This method includes, in a first device, performing a first evaluation to determine whether a signal measurement relaxation criterion is met, performing a second evaluation to determine whether a transition between discontinuous reception and non-discontinuous reception has occurred, and determining, based on at least one of the first or second evaluation, whether to initiate transmission of a report regarding a change in the signal measurement relaxation state to a second device.

[0007] In a fourth embodiment, a communication method is provided, which includes a second device sending a setting to a first device indicating that it does not permit reports of changes in the signal measurement relaxation state to be transmitted during discontinuous reception, and receiving reports from the first device that are triggered based on the signal measurement relaxation criterion.

[0008] In a fifth embodiment, a non-transient computer-readable medium is provided. The non-transient computer-readable medium includes program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform the method according to the third or fourth embodiment.

[0009] Please understand that this abstract is not intended to identify any significant or essential features of the embodiments of the Disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the Disclosure. Other features of the Disclosure will be readily apparent through the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] Next, several exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to the attached drawings. [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows an exemplary communications network in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an example of a report on the modification of the relaxation state of signal measurement using conventional solutions. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows a process for reporting a change in the relaxation state of a signal measurement, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4A] Figure 4A shows examples of reporting on changes in the relaxation state of signal measurement in some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4B] Figure 4B shows another exemplary report regarding the modification of the relaxation state of signal measurement in some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows a flowchart of a communication example performed in the first device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows a flowchart of a communication example performed by the second device in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for carrying out exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer-readable medium in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Throughout the drawings, identical or similar reference numerals represent identical or similar elements. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Next, the principles of this disclosure will be described with reference to several exemplary embodiments. These embodiments are provided for illustrative purposes only and are intended to help those skilled in the art understand and implement this disclosure, and should not be considered to imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The disclosures described herein may be implemented in various other ways than those described below.

[0012] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as those generally understood by an ordinary person skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0013] References in this disclosure to “one embodiment,” “embodiment,” “exemplary embodiment,” etc., indicate that the described embodiments may include certain features, structures, or characteristics, but not all embodiments are required to include such features, structures, or characteristics. Furthermore, such expressions do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, if certain features, structures, or characteristics are described in relation to an embodiment, it is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art that such features, structures, or characteristics will be affected in relation to other embodiments, whether or not they are explicitly stated.

[0014] In this specification, terms such as “first” and “second” may be used to describe various elements, but it should be understood that these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used merely to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, the first element may be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element may be referred to as the first element. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the enumerated terms.

[0015] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and is not limited to exemplary embodiments. Where used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural form unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Where used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes,” and / or “including” identify the presence of described features, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0016] As used in this application, the term "circuit" may refer to one or more, or all of the following: (a) Hardware-only circuit implementation (such as implementation of analog and / or digital circuits only). (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software (if applicable). (i) A combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits with software / firmware. (ii) A portion(s) of a hardware processor, including software (including a digital signal processor), software, and memory, that works together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or a server to perform various functions. (c) Hardware circuits or processors such as microprocessors or parts of microprocessors require software (such as firmware) for operation, but there may be no software when it is not necessary for operation.

[0017] This definition of circuit applies to all uses of this term in this application, including all claims. As a further example, in the use in this embodiment, the term "circuit" simply refers to a hardware circuit or processor (or a plurality of processors) or a part of a hardware circuit or processor, and the software and / or firmware implementation associated with it (or them). Also, the term "circuit" is also applicable to, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or a processor integrated circuit for mobile devices, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing device or network device if applicable to the elements of a particular claim.

[0018] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that conforms to any suitable communication standard such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA (registered trademark)), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Further, the communication between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network can be any of the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G), 5.5G, 5G-Advanced Network, or future sixth generation (6G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocol known currently or developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Considering the rapid development of communication, of course, there will also be future communication technologies and systems in which the present disclosure can be implemented. The scope of the present disclosure should not be regarded as limited to only the aforementioned systems.

[0019] As used herein, the term “network equipment” refers to a node in a communications network from which terminal devices access and receive services. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, network equipment may also refer to base stations (BS) or access points (APs), such as Node B (or NB), evolved Node B (eNode B or eNB), NR NB (also known as gNB), remote radio units (RRU), radio headers (RH), remote radio heads (RRH), relays, femto, pico, and other low-power nodes.

[0020] The term "terminal equipment" refers to any terminal equipment capable of wireless communication. For example, rather than being limited, terminal equipment may also be called communication equipment, UE, subscriber station (SS), mobile subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture devices such as digital cameras, game consoles, music storage / playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, wearables such as watches, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of industrial and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronics devices, and devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks. In the following description, the terms “terminal devices,” “communication devices,” “terminals,” “user devices,” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

[0021] In the context of the present disclosure, the expression "DRX is being used" may refer to the case where the DRX configuration is set and the UE is in DRX (e.g., not monitoring the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) from the downlink (DL), or not during the active time). The expression "DRX is being used" may be used interchangeably with "DRX is in use" or "DRX is on".

[0022] The expression "DRX is not being used" may refer to the case where the DRX configuration is set but the UE is not in DRX (e.g., the UE is monitoring the PDCCH from the DL and / or is during the active time), or may refer to the case where the DRX configuration is not set for the UE and clearly the UE is not applying DRX. The expression "DRX is not being used" may be used interchangeably with "DRX is not in use", "DRX not used", or "not in DRX".

[0023] Currently, the UE is permitted to relax the signal measurements of RLM and / or BFD when the serving cell quality and / or the low mobility criteria are met. Further, it is agreed that the relaxation is permitted only when the DRX period ≤ 80 ms) and DRX is being used. Otherwise, since the UE is expected to actively monitor the channel for data transmission etc., power cannot be saved by relaxing the signal measurements. Further, when the reporting of the relaxation state is set, it is agreed that the UE triggers the reporting of the relaxation state when the relaxation state changes.

[0024] In this case, the UE is supposed to indicate the change in the relaxation state when transitioning between "DRX is being used" and "DRX is not being used". Such reporting is not necessary if the evaluation result of the relaxation criteria does not change. Also, in order to transmit the report when DRX is being used, the UE needs to be activated from DRX. Therefore, there is a risk of additional power consumption.

[0025] In view of this, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for reporting the relaxation state of a signal measurement to overcome the above and other potential problems. In the solution, a first device performs a first evaluation to determine whether a signal measurement relaxation criterion is met and a second evaluation to determine whether a transition between DRX and non-DRX occurs. The first device then determines, based on at least one of the first or second evaluation, whether it initiates the transmission of a report regarding a change in the signal measurement relaxation state to the second device.

[0026] In this way, reports of the relaxed state of signal measurement are properly transmitted, avoiding unnecessary signaling overhead and additional power consumption.

[0027] The principles and embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the figures. However, those skilled in the art will readily understand that this disclosure extends beyond these limited embodiments, and therefore the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for illustrative purposes only.

[0028] Examples of communication networks Figure 1 shows an exemplary communication network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. As shown in Figure 1, the network 100 includes a first device 110 and a second device 120. The second device 120 can provide one or more serving cells that provide services to one or more devices. In this embodiment, the first device 110 is located within a serving cell (not shown) of the second device 120 and is served by the second device 120.

[0029] For illustrative purposes only and without implying any limitation on the scope of this disclosure, some embodiments are described in the context that the first device 110 is a terminal device and the second device 120 is a network device. It should be understood that in other embodiments, the first device 110 may be a network device and the second device 120 may be a terminal device. In other words, this disclosure is applicable to both uplink and downlink transmissions.

[0030] It should be understood that the number and types of first and second devices shown in Figure 1 are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitations. Network 100 may include any appropriate number and types of first and second devices adapted to carry out embodiments of this disclosure.

[0031] As shown in Figure 1, the first device 110 and the second device 120 can communicate with each other via a channel such as a wireless communication channel. Communication in network 100 can conform to any appropriate standard, including but not limited to LTE, LTE Evolution, LTE Advanced (LTE-A), WCDMA®, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). Furthermore, communication can be performed according to any generation of communication protocol currently known or to be developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, 1G, 2G, 2.5G, 2.75G, 3G, 4G, 4.5G, 5G, 5.5G-Advanced Network, or future 6G communication protocols.

[0032] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 can receive a configuration for RLM measurement from the second device 120. Based on the RLM measurement configuration, the first device 110 can receive a set of RLM reference signals (RLM-RS) on the configured RLM-RS resource set from the second device 120 and perform a measurement on the set of RLM-RS. In this way, the first device 110 can perform an RLM measurement. In some exemplary embodiments, the RLM measurement may be relaxed; for example, the RLM measurement may be performed on only a portion of the configured RLM-RS resources.

[0033] In some exemplary embodiments, each of the first device 110 and the second device 120 may have multiple beams. Channels or subchannels may be formed between the beam of the first device 110 and the beam of the second device 120. In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 may receive a setting for BFD measurement from the second device 120. Based on the setting for BFD measurement, the first device 110 may receive a set of BFD-RS on the set BFD-RS resource set from the second device 120 and perform a measurement on the set of BFD-RS. In this way, the first device 110 can perform a BFD measurement. In some exemplary embodiments, the BFD measurement may be relaxed; for example, the BFD measurement may be performed on only a portion of the set BFD-RS resources.

[0034] In some exemplary embodiments for the relaxation of RLM and / or BFD measurements, the first device 110 may receive from the second device 120 the setting of relaxation criteria for low mobility and / or good serving cell quality. The first device 110 can perform an evaluation of the relaxation criteria and perform a relaxed or relaxed RLM / BFD measurement of RLM and / or BFD if the relaxation criteria are met, and a non-relaxed or non-relaxed / legacy RLM / BFD measurement of RLM and / or BFD if the relaxation criteria are not met.

[0035] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 may receive a setting from the second device 120 indicating a report of a change in relaxation status, such as a change from non-relaxed to relaxed, or from relaxed to non-relaxed. In this case, if the first device 110 changes the respective RLM and / or BFD relaxation status while the first device 110 meets the UE minimum requirements, it may trigger a report of that RLM and / or BFD relaxation status via UE support information.

[0036] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 needs to monitor a downlink control channel, such as a PDCCH, from the second device 120. Monitoring the PDCCH consumes a significant amount of power in the first device 110. Therefore, the first device 110 may be configured to perform DRX.

[0037] As is known, the UE is only permitted to relax RLM and / or BFD measurements if a short DRX cycle is used. If relaxation reporting (i.e., relaxation state reporting) is configured, the UE is supposed to indicate a change in relaxation state when the UE transitions between "DRX is used (i.e., DRX is in use)" and "DRX is not used (i.e., DRX is not in use)". Figure 2 is a diagram (200) showing an example of reporting on changes in the relaxation state of signal measurements with a conventional solution. Assume the DRX period is 80 ms.

[0038] As shown in Figure 2, at timing T1, the UE detects that the relaxation criteria have been met and initiates relaxation. Therefore, the UE sends a #1 relaxation report indicating the start of RLM / BFD relaxation because DRX is being used. Subsequently, RLM / BFD measurements may be relaxed during DRX. For example, at timing T2, the DRX on period begins (i.e., DRX is used) and signal measurements may be performed. At timing T3, the DRX on period begins again, but signal measurements may be skipped due to relaxation.

[0039] At timing T4, the DRX inactive timer (e.g., DRX inactive timer) may be started for data transmission or other purposes. Subsequently, the DRX is not used, and the UE sends a #2 relaxation report indicating a return to non-relaxed RLM / BFD measurements. When the inactive timer expires, if the relaxation criteria are still met, the UE can restart RLM / BFD relaxation. As shown in Figure 2, at timing T5, the UE can again send a #3 relaxation report indicating the start of RLM / BFD relaxation. While the UE transitions between DRX and non-DRX, the relaxation state of the signal measurement may change between relaxed and non-relaxed RLM / BFD measurements, but the UE continues to evaluate downlink radio link quality to meet minimum requirements and continues to evaluate the relaxation criteria. In other words, if the UE performs non-relaxed RLM / BFD measurements, the UE must be able to evaluate downlink radio link quality within the legacy evaluation period. If the UE performs relaxed RLM / BFD measurements, the UE shall be able to evaluate downlink radio link quality within the relaxed evaluation period or longer. Furthermore, during the transition period between DRX and non-DRX, the minimum values ​​of the relaxed and non-relaxed evaluation periods are applied. The evaluation of the relaxed criteria may also be based on RLM / BFD measurement results that meet the minimum requirements.

[0040] In the example in Figure 2, the mitigation reports #2 and #3 are triggered not by whether the mitigation criteria are met or not, but by the transition between "using DRX" and "not using DRX, or DRX not being used." If the evaluation result of the mitigation criteria does not change, such mitigation reports are unnecessary. Since mitigation is only permitted for short DRX cycles of 80ms or less, frequent transitions between "using DRX" and "not using DRX" will result in frequent mitigation reports at the beginning and end of the active time. This causes unnecessary signaling overhead and additional power consumption.

[0041] Furthermore, because the UE needs to start from the DRX to send mitigation reports (e.g., #1 and #3 mitigation reports) when the DRX is being used, the UE will be forced to terminate the mitigated RLM / BFD measurements. This involves additional power consumption and should be avoided or at least minimized.

[0042] To address the above and other potential problems, embodiments of this disclosure provide improved solutions for reporting relaxation status. Further details will be provided below in relation to Figures 3 to 4B.

[0043] Examples of mitigation reports Figure 3 shows a process 300 for reporting a change in the relaxation state of a signal measurement, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For convenience, the following description will be made in relation to Figure 1.

[0044] As shown in Figure 3, the second device 120 can transmit a setting 310 for measurement relaxation to the first device 110. In some exemplary embodiments, the setting for measurement relaxation may include at least a relaxation criterion for signal measurement. In some exemplary embodiments, the relaxation criterion may include low mobility (e.g., mobility is below a mobility threshold, or channel measurement fluctuations are not above a threshold within a given time). In some exemplary embodiments, the relaxation criterion may include good serving cell quality (e.g., serving cell quality is above a quality threshold). It should be understood that the relaxation criterion may include other appropriate criteria, or a combination of criteria. It should also be understood that the setting for measurement relaxation may be optional, and the relaxation criterion may be predefined. This disclosure is not limited to any one embodiment.

[0045] The second device 120 may also transmit a configuration 320 for mitigation status reporting to the first device 110. It should be understood that the configuration for mitigation status reporting may include any appropriate information. It should also be understood that the configuration for mitigation status reporting may be optional, and mitigation status reporting may be predefined. This disclosure is not limited to any one aspect thereof.

[0046] Continuing to refer to Figure 3, the first device 110 performs an evaluation (for convenience, also referred to herein as the first evaluation) 330 to determine whether the relaxation criteria for signal measurement are met. In some exemplary embodiments, if the radio link quality of the first device 110 is modified to be equal to or greater than the radio link quality threshold, the first device 110 may determine that the relaxation criteria are met. In some exemplary embodiments, if the first device 110 is determined to be in a low-mobility state, the first device 110 may determine that the relaxation criteria are met. In some exemplary embodiments, if the serving cell quality of the first device 110 is modified to be equal to or greater than the serving cell quality threshold, and the first device 110 is determined to be in a low-mobility state, the first device 110 may determine that the relaxation criteria are met. These are merely examples and not intended to limit the scope. The evaluation of the relaxation criteria may be performed in any other suitable method.

[0047] The first device 110 also performs an evaluation (for convenience, also referred to herein as the second evaluation) to determine whether a transition between DRX and non-DRX has occurred (340). A transition between DRX and non-DRX may include a transition from DRX to non-DRX, or a transition from non-DRX to DRX. A transition from DRX to non-DRX may refer to a transition from "DRX is being used" to "DRX is not being used," or a transition from "DRX is being used" to "DRX is not being used." A transition from non-DRX to DRX may refer to a transition from "DRX is not being used" to "DRX is being used," or a transition from "DRX is not being used" to "DRX is being used."

[0048] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 may determine that it is non-DRX if DRX is not set (e.g., if the DRX parameter is not set). In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 may determine that it is non-DRX if DRX is set (e.g., if the DRX parameter is set) and the DRX inactivity timer (e.g., drx-InactivityTimer) is operating. In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 may determine that it is non-DRX if DRX is set (e.g., if the DRX parameter is set) and the downlink DRX retransmission timer (e.g., drx-RetransmissionTimerDL) is operating. In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 may determine that it is non-DRX if DRX is set (e.g., if the DRX parameter is set) and the uplink DRX retransmission timer (e.g., drx-RetransmissionTimerUL) is operating. In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 can be determined to be non-DRX if DRX is set (e.g., if the DRX parameter is set) and a contention resolution timer for random access (RA) (e.g., ra-ContentionResolutionTimer) is operating. In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 can be determined to be non-DRX if DRX is set (e.g., if the DRX parameter is set) and a scheduling request (SR) transmitted on the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) is pending.In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 can determine that it is not DRX if DRX is set (e.g., if the DRX parameter is set) and a PDCCH indicating a new transmission addressed to the identity of a media access control (MAC) entity (e.g., a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI)) has not been received after a successful reception of a Random Access Response (RAR) for a preamble not selected by the MAC entity. Otherwise, the first device 110 can determine that it is DRX or that DRX is in use. It should be understood that any other suitable method is also possible.

[0049] Based on at least one of the first or second evaluation, the first device 110 determines whether or not to initiate the transmission of a report to the second device 120 (350). That is, the first device 110 can determine whether or not to transmit a report to the second device 120.

[0050] In some exemplary embodiments, if the relaxation state is changed only as a result of a transition between DRX and non-DRX, the first device 110 can determine that the transmission of a report to the second device 120 is not initiated (351). For example, the relaxation state may be changed when the UE enters DRX from active time due to the expiration of a drx-InactivityTimer or drx-onDurationTimer or the reception of a DRX command MAC control element (CE) from the network. In other embodiments, the relaxation state may be changed when the UE enters active time from DRX due to, for example, the start of a drx-InactivityTimer, an SR trigger, an RA procedure trigger, etc. In this embodiment, the first device 110 can determine that the transmission of a report to the second device 120 is not initiated; that is, the transmission of the report is skipped. In this way, unnecessary signaling overhead related to relaxation reporting can be avoided, and therefore additional power consumption can also be avoided.

[0051] In some exemplary implementations where the submission of reports is skipped, the first device 110 can maintain the assessment of the relaxation criteria (352) (i.e., continue performing the first assessment). In this way, efficient management of measurement relaxation can be achieved, and thus power consumption can be further reduced.

[0052] In some exemplary embodiments, if the relaxation state is changed based on the relaxation criteria, the first device 110 can determine that a report is initiated to be sent to the second device 120 (353). In this way, unnecessary signaling overhead related to relaxation reporting can be avoided, and therefore additional power consumption can also be avoided.

[0053] In some exemplary embodiments, if the first device 110 initiates relaxation while DRX is in use, the first device 110 may delay sending the report until the on-period for DRX (i.e., drx-OnDurationTimer) begins. In some exemplary embodiments, if the report indicates a change in relaxation state from relaxation to non-relaxed RLM / BFD measurement, the first device 110 may delay sending the report until the on-period for DRX begins. Otherwise, the first device 110 does not need to delay sending the report. Thus, the device may not start from DRX to send relaxation reports and may not terminate relaxed RLM and / or BFD measurements. Therefore, additional power consumption is avoided.

[0054] In some exemplary embodiments, if the first device 110 receives a setting from the second device 120 indicating that sending reports is not permitted during DRX, the first device 110 can delay sending reports until the DRX on period begins. In this way, the device does not wake up from DRX to send mitigation reports and does not terminate mitigated RLM and / or BFD measurements. Thus, additional power consumption is avoided. Furthermore, at least the network can avoid a flood of UE reports (which may be of no use to the network's operation) that are solely intended to notify the network that mitigated RLM and / or BFD measurements have been started or terminated.

[0055] In some exemplary embodiments, if the relaxation criterion triggers a change in relaxation state, the first device 110 may be permitted to trigger reporting the change in relaxation state when the DRX is in use. In some exemplary embodiments, if the relaxation criterion triggers a change in relaxation state and the report indicates a change in relaxation state from non-relaxed to relaxed RLM / BFD measurement, the first device 110 may be permitted to trigger reporting the change in relaxation state when the DRX is in use. In this case, the first device 110 may not need to delay sending the report in order to properly report the change in relaxation state.

[0056] In some exemplary embodiments, the report may include the period during which the change in the relaxation state of the signal measurement was performed. For example, the period can be expressed in terms of the number of DRX cycles. It should be understood that other suitable methods are also possible. In this way, if the relaxation report is interrupted by the prohibit timer, the first device 110 may additionally report the time during which the first device 110 performed the relaxation of the signal measurement.

[0057] In some exemplary embodiments, the report may include the cause of a change in the relaxation state of a signal measurement. In some exemplary embodiments, the cause may include a change in the low-mobility state. In some exemplary embodiments, the cause may include a change in the serving cell quality. In some exemplary embodiments, the cause may include a change in both the low-mobility state and the serving cell quality. In some exemplary embodiments, the cause may include a set of signals or a set of indices associated with a signal that causes a change in the relaxation state. For example, if multiple RLM / BFD-RS are configured, this would be the RLM / BFD-RS(or RLM / BFD-RS) whose relaxation state is changed.

[0058] In some exemplary embodiments, the cause may include the signal measurement being relaxed while the report is being transmitted. In other words, the first device 110 may be permitted to report a relaxed state indicating that the first device 110 is relaxed, although such a report would cause the first device 110 to enter a “DRX not in use” state in which the UE is not permitted to relax.

[0059] In some exemplary embodiments, the cause may include the meeting of a relaxation criterion and the relaxation of the signal measurement during DRX (i.e., when DRX is used). In other words, the first device 110 may report that it is able to relax when it has met the relaxation criterion and when it enters the “DRX is used” state. For example, the first device 110 may determine that it has met the relaxation criterion while not in DRX mode. When DRX is initiated, the first device 110 can perform a relaxation of the signal measurement. In another example, the first device 110 may determine that it has not met the relaxation criterion while not in DRX mode. When DRX is initiated, the first device 110 can perform a non-relaxation of the signal measurement.

[0060] In some exemplary embodiments, the cause may include the signal measurement being non-relaxed while the report is being transmitted and the signal measurement being relaxed after the report is transmitted. In other words, if DRX is not used, the first device 110 is not relaxed, but it may be permitted to report a relaxed state indicating that the first device 110 is relaxed.

[0061] Please understand that the cause may include other relevant information or combinations of information. Also, please understand that the report may include any other relevant content. This disclosure is not limited to any one of these aspects.

[0062] For illustrative purposes, several exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to Figures 4A and 4B. Figure 4A is a diagram (400A) showing an exemplary report on the change in the relaxation state of signal measurement in some embodiments of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the relaxation criterion remains met while there is no DRX. Assume the DRX period is 80 ms.

[0063] As shown in Figure 4A, at timing t1, the first device 110 detects that the relaxation criteria have been met and initiates relaxation. However, at timing t1, because the DRX is in use, the first device 110 does not send a #1 relaxation report indicating the start of relaxation. At timing t2, the DRX's ON period begins. At timing t2, the first device 110 sends a #1 relaxation report indicating the start of relaxation.

[0064] When DRX is used, a relaxation measurement is performed. At timing t3, for example, an inactive timer is started for data transmission. Subsequently, DRX is not used, but the first device 110 does not send a #2 relaxation report indicating a return to non-relaxation measurement. Non-relaxation measurement is performed when DRX is not used. When the inactive timer expires, the relaxation criterion is still met, and the first device 110 can start relaxation of measurement again. However, since the change in relaxation state is triggered only by a change from non-DRX to DRX, the first device 110 does not send a #3 relaxation report indicating the start of relaxation again.

[0065] Figure 4B is a diagram (400B) illustrating an example of reporting on changes in the relaxation state of signal measurement in some embodiments of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the relaxation criterion is no longer met during non-DRX. Assume the DRX period is 80 ms.

[0066] As shown in Figure 4B, at timing t4, the first device 110 detects that the relaxation criteria have been met and initiates relaxation. However, at timing t4, because the DRX is in use, the first device 110 does not send a #1 relaxation report indicating the start of relaxation. At timing t5, the DRX's ON period begins. At timing t5, the first device 110 sends a #1 relaxation report indicating the start of relaxation.

[0067] If DRX is used, a relaxation measurement is performed. At timing t6, for example, an inactive timer is started for data transmission. Subsequently, DRX is not used, but the first device 110 does not send a #2 relaxation report indicating a return to a non-relaxation measurement. If DRX is not used, a non-relaxation measurement is performed.

[0068] At timing t7, the first device 110 can detect that the relaxation criteria are no longer met. When the inactive timer expires, the first device 110 may input "DRX is in use" and continue with no relaxation. The first device 110 may not send a #3 relaxation report indicating the start of no relaxation even after the inactive timer expires. At timing t8, the DRX on period begins. At this time, the first device 110 sends a #3 relaxation report indicating the change from relaxation to no relaxation.

[0069] So far, we have described the solution for reporting relaxation states according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Note that the actions shown in Figure 3 are not necessarily required to implement embodiments of the present disclosure, and more or more actions may be adapted as needed. The process in Figure 3 allows for the proper transmission of reports regarding changes in the relaxation state of signal measurements, while avoiding unnecessary signaling overhead and additional power consumption.

[0070] Implementation example of this method Corresponding to the process described in Figure 3, embodiments of this disclosure provide communication methods implemented in the first and second devices. These methods are described below with reference to Figures 5 and 6.

[0071] Figure 5 shows a flowchart of a communication method 500 implemented in a first device in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Method 500 can be implemented in the first device 110 shown in Figure 1. For discussion purposes, method 500 will be described with reference to Figure 1. It should be understood that method 500 further includes additional blocks not shown, and / or some illustrated blocks may be omitted, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0072] As shown in Figure 5, in block 510, the first device 110 performs a first evaluation to determine whether the relaxed criteria for signal measurement are met. In some embodiments, the first device 110 can perform the first evaluation by evaluating at least one of the following: radio link quality, mobility status, or serving cell quality. It should be understood that other suitable methods are also possible.

[0073] In block 520, the first device 110 performs a second evaluation to determine whether a transition between DRX and non-DRX occurs. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine that it is non-DRX in response to the fact that DRX is not set. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine that it is non-DRX in response to at least one of the following: DRX is set and the DRX inactive timer is running; the retransmission timer for the downlink DRX is running; the retransmission timer for the uplink DRX is running; the RA conflict resolution timer is running; an SR sent in PUCCH is pending; or a PDCCH transmission has not been received after successfully receiving a RAR for a preamble not selected by the MAC entity, and the PDCCH transmission indicates a new transmission addressed to the MAC entity's identity.

[0074] In block 530, the first device 110 determines, based on at least one of the first or second evaluation, whether or not to initiate the transmission of a report regarding a change in the relaxation state of the signal measurement to the second device 120.

[0075] In some embodiments, if the relaxation state is changed only by a transition between DRX and non-DRX, the first device 110 may determine that the transmission of the report to the second device 120 is not initiated. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may further maintain the execution of the first evaluation.

[0076] In some embodiments, if the relaxation state is changed based on the relaxation criteria, the first device 110 can determine that a report is initiated to be sent to the second device 120.

[0077] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may delay sending the report until the ON period begins in response to at least one of the following: the report is triggered during DRX; the report indicates a change in the relaxed state of the signal measurement from relaxed to non-relaxed; or a setting is received from the second device 120 indicating that the report is not permitted to be sent during DRX.

[0078] In some embodiments, the report may include at least one of the following: the period during which the change in the relaxation state of the signal measurement was performed, or the cause of the change in the relaxation state of the signal measurement. It should be understood that other appropriate information may also be included in the report.

[0079] In some embodiments, the cause may include at least one of the following: a change in low mobility state, a change in serving cell quality, a set of signals in which a change in relaxation state occurred, relaxation of the signal measurement while the report is being transmitted, the relaxation criterion being met and the signal measurement being relaxed during DRX, or the signal measurement being non-relaxed while the report is being transmitted and then relaxed after the report is transmitted. Please understand that other relevant information may also be available.

[0080] In some embodiments, the first device 110 can determine that the relaxation criteria are met during non-DRX. In response to the start of DRX, the first device 110 can perform a relaxation of the signal measurement. In some embodiments, the first device 110 can determine that the relaxation criteria are not met during non-DRX. In response to the start of DRX, the first device 110 can perform a non-relaxation of the signal measurement.

[0081] Method 500 ensures that reports regarding changes in the relaxation state of signal measurement are properly transmitted, avoiding unnecessary signaling overhead and additional power consumption.

[0082] Figure 6 shows a flowchart of a communication method 600 implemented in a second device in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Method 600 can be implemented in the second device 120 shown in Figure 1. For discussion purposes, Method 600 will be described with reference to Figure 1. It should be understood that Method 600 further includes additional blocks not shown and / or some illustrated blocks may be omitted, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0083] As shown in Figure 6, in block 610, the second device 120 sends a setting to the first device 110 indicating that it does not allow reports regarding changes in the relaxation state of signal measurement to be sent during DRX.

[0084] In block 620, the second device 120 receives a report from the first device 110 that is triggered based on the relaxed criteria for signal measurement.

[0085] In some embodiments, the report may include at least one of the following: the period during which the change in the relaxation state of the signal measurement was performed, or the cause of the change in the relaxation state of the signal measurement. It should be understood that other relevant information is also available.

[0086] In some embodiments, the cause may include at least one of the following: a change in low mobility state, a change in serving cell quality, a set of signals in which a change in relaxation state has occurred, relaxation of the signal measurement while the report is being transmitted, the relaxation criterion being met and the signal measurement being relaxed during DRX, or the signal measurement being non-relaxed while the report is being transmitted and then relaxed after the report is transmitted. Please understand that other relevant information may also be available.

[0087] Method 600 allows for the appropriate transmission of reports regarding changes in the relaxation state of signal measurements based on network settings, thus avoiding unnecessary signaling overhead and additional power consumption. Furthermore, the network can avoid a flood of UE reports that are solely intended to notify the network that relaxation measurements have been started or ended.

[0088] Examples of apparatus and devices In some exemplary embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any of the methods 500 (e.g., the first device 110) may include means for performing each step of the method 500. These means can be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0089] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus includes means for performing a first evaluation in a first device to determine whether a signal measurement relaxation criterion is met; means for performing a second evaluation to determine whether a transition between discontinuous reception and non-discontinuous reception has occurred; and means for determining, based on at least one of the first or second evaluation, whether a report regarding a change in the signal measurement relaxation state is initiated to be transmitted to the second device.

[0090] In some embodiments, means for performing the first evaluation may include means for evaluating at least one of the following: radio link quality, mobility status, or serving cell quality.

[0091] In some exemplary embodiments, the means for determination may include means for determining that transmission of a report to a second device is not initiated, according to the determination that the relaxation state is changed only by a transition between discontinuous reception and non-discontinuous reception. In some exemplary embodiments, the device may further include means for maintaining the performance of the first evaluation.

[0092] In some exemplary embodiments, means for performing a second evaluation include means for determining that the first device is in discontinuous reception in response to discontinuous reception not being configured. In some exemplary embodiments, means for performing a second evaluation include means for determining that the first device is in discontinuous reception in response to discontinuous reception being configured, and at least one of the following: an inactive timer for discontinuous reception is running; a retransmission timer for downlink discontinuous reception is running; a retransmission timer for uplink discontinuous reception is running; a conflict resolution timer for random access is running; a scheduling request transmitted on a physical uplink control channel is pending; or a physical downlink control channel transmission has not been received after successfully receiving a random access response for a preamble not selected by the media access control entity, and the physical downlink control channel transmission indicates a new transmission addressed to the identity of the media access control entity.

[0093] In some exemplary embodiments, the determination means include means for determining that transmission of a report to a second device is initiated in accordance with the determination that a relaxation state has been changed based on a relaxation criterion. In some exemplary embodiments, the device further includes means for delaying the transmission of the report until an ON period begins in response to at least one of the following: the report is triggered during discontinuous reception; the report indicates a change in relaxation state from relaxed to non-relaxed signal measurement; or a setting is received from a second device, the setting indicating that transmission of a report during discontinuous reception is not permitted.

[0094] In some exemplary embodiments, the report includes at least one of the following: the period during which the change in the relaxation state of the signal measurement was performed, or the cause of the change in the relaxation state of the signal measurement.

[0095] In some exemplary embodiments, the cause includes at least one of the following: a change in low mobility state, a change in serving cell quality, a set of signals that cause a change in relaxation state, a signal measurement being relaxed while a report is being transmitted, a relaxation criterion being met and the signal measurement being relaxed during discontinuous reception, or the signal measurement not being relaxed while a report is being transmitted and the signal measurement being relaxed after the transmission of the report.

[0096] In some exemplary embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any of the methods 600 (e.g., a second device 120) may include means for performing each step of the methods 600. These means can be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0097] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus includes means for transmitting a setting to the first device indicating that the second device does not allow reports of changes in the signal measurement relaxation state to be transmitted during discontinuous reception, and means for receiving reports from the first device that are triggered based on the signal measurement relaxation criterion.

[0098] In some exemplary embodiments, the report includes at least one of the following: the period during which the change in the relaxation state of the signal measurement was performed, or the cause of the change in the relaxation state of the signal measurement.

[0099] In some exemplary embodiments, the cause includes at least one of the following: a change in low mobility state, a change in serving cell quality, a set of signals that cause a change in relaxation state, relaxation of signal measurement while a report is being transmitted, relaxation criteria being met and signal measurement being relaxed during discontinuous reception, or signal measurement not being relaxed while a report is being transmitted and signal measurement being relaxed after transmission of the report.

[0100] Figure 7 is a simplified block diagram of an apparatus 700 suitable for carrying out embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus 700 may be provided for implementing a first device or a second device, for example, a first device 110 or a second device 120 as shown in Figure 1. As shown, the apparatus 700 includes one or more processors 710, one or more memories 720 connected to the processors 710, and one or more communication modules 740 (e.g., transmitters and / or receivers) connected to the processors 710.

[0101] The communication module 740 is for bidirectional communication. The communication module 740 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface can represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements.

[0102] The processor 710 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and, in non-limiting examples, may include one or more of general-purpose computers, special-purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and processors based on multi-core processor architectures. The device 700 may have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips, which are temporally slaved to a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0103] Memory 720 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 724, electronically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash® memory, hard disks, compact discs (CDs), digital video discs (DVDs), and other magnetic and / or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random-access memory (RAM) 722 and other volatile memories that do not persist when the power is turned off.

[0104] The computer program 730 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 710. The program 730 may be stored in ROM 724. The processor 710 can perform any appropriate operations and processes by loading the program 730 into RAM 722.

[0105] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by program 730 so that apparatus 700 performs the process of the present disclosure, as described with reference to Figure 3. Embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0106] In some exemplary embodiments, program 730 may be contained in contact with a computer-readable medium that may be contained in the device 700 (such as in memory 720) or in other storage devices accessible by the device 700. The arithmetic unit 700 can load program 730 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 722 and execute it. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile storage device, such as ROM, EPROM, flash® memory, hard disk, CD, or DVD. Figure 8 shows an example of computer-readable medium 800 in the form of a CD or DVD. Program 730 is stored on this computer-readable medium.

[0107] In general, various embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special-purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some embodiments may be implemented in hardware, while others may be implemented in firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other processing unit. Various embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated and described using block diagrams, flowcharts, or some other graphic representations, but it should be understood that any blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, special-purpose circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other processing units, or any combination thereof, in non-limiting examples.

[0108] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored in a non-transient computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those contained in a program module, which are executed in an arithmetic unit on a target real or virtual processor to perform methods 500 and 600 as described above with reference to Figures 5 and 6. Generally, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform a specific task or implement a specific abstract data type. The functions of the program modules can be combined or divided amongst the program modules as desired in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions of the program modules can be executed in a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, the program modules can be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0109] Program code for carrying out the methods of this disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, so that when the program code is executed by the processor or controller, specific functions / operations are performed on flowcharts and / or block diagrams. The program code may run entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a standalone software package, partially on the machine, partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0110] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, arithmetic unit, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, and the like.

[0111] Computer-readable media may be computer-readable signal media or computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media include electrical connections with one or more wires, portable computer diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM, or flash® memory), optical fibers, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the above.

[0112] Furthermore, although the operations are described in a specific order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in a specific order or sequentially, or that all illustrated operations be performed, in order to achieve the desired result. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing are preferred. Similarly, although some specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments. Certain features described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately or in any preferred subcombination in multiple embodiments.

[0113] While this disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological behavior, it should be understood that the disclosure as defined in the attached claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or behaviors described above. Rather, the specific features and behaviors described above are disclosed as exemplary forms for carrying out the claims.

Claims

1. The first device At least one processor, A device comprising at least one memory containing computer program code, The at least one memory and the computer program code are, by the at least one processor, Perform a first evaluation to determine whether the relaxed criteria for signal measurement are met. A second evaluation is performed to determine whether a transition occurs between discontinuous reception and non-discontinuous reception. Based on at least one of the first evaluation or the second evaluation, it is determined whether or not a report regarding a change in the relaxation state of the signal measurement is initiated to be transmitted to the second device. The first device is configured to perform the following: The first device is In accordance with the determination that the relaxation state is changed only by the transition between discontinuous reception and non-discontinuous reception, it is determined that the transmission of the report to the second device is not initiated. This is used to determine whether or not the transmission of the aforementioned report is initiated. Device 1.

2. The first device further, Maintain the performance of the first evaluation described above. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the device is configured to be such as.

3. The first device is The aforementioned discontinuous reception is not set. The aforementioned discontinuous reception is set, The non-active timer for discontinuous reception is operating. The retransmission timer for the discontinuous reception of the downlink is operating. The retransmission timer for the discontinuous reception of the uplink is operating. The random access conflict resolution timer is running. A scheduling request sent via the physical uplink control channel is pending. After successfully receiving a random access response for a preamble not selected by the media access control entity, if the physical downlink control channel transmission has not been received, and the physical downlink control channel transmission indicates a new transmission addressed to the identity of the media access control entity, It must be at least one of the following: In response to any of the above, the first device determines that it is in the process of receiving a discontinuous signal. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the second evaluation is performed by the means described above.

4. The first device is Based on the relaxation criteria, it is determined that the transmission of the report to the second device begins in accordance with the determination that the relaxation state has been changed. The first device according to claim 1, wherein it determines whether or not the transmission of the report is initiated.

5. The first device further, The aforementioned report is triggered during discontinuous reception. The aforementioned report indicates a change in the relaxation state from relaxation of signal measurement to non-relaxation of signal measurement, or A setting indicating that the aforementioned report is not permitted to be transmitted during discontinuous reception is received from the second device. In response to at least one of the above, the transmission of the report is delayed until the on-period timer or inactive timer starts. The first device according to claim 4, wherein the device is configured to be such as.

6. The aforementioned report states, The period during which the change in the relaxation state of the signal measurement is performed, or The cause of the change in the relaxation state of the signal measurement, The first device according to claim 1, comprising at least one of the following.

7. The aforementioned cause is, Change of low mobility state, Changes to the quality of serving cells, A set of signals that cause the aforementioned change in the relaxation state, While the aforementioned report is being transmitted, the signal measurement is relaxed. The relaxation criteria are met, and the signal measurement is relaxed during the discontinuous reception. The signal measurement is not relaxed while the report is being transmitted, and the signal measurement is relaxed after the report has been transmitted. The first device according to claim 6, comprising at least one of the following.

8. The first device is Wireless link quality, Moving state, or, Quality of serving cells, Evaluate at least one of the following: The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first evaluation is performed by the first device.

9. The first device further, During the aforementioned discontinuous reception, it is determined whether the relaxation criteria are met. In response to initiating the aforementioned discontinuous reception, If the aforementioned relaxation criteria are met, the signal measurement relaxation is performed, or If the aforementioned relaxation criteria are not met, the non-relaxation of the signal measurement is performed. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the device is configured to be such as.

10. A method of communication, In the first device, a first evaluation is performed to determine whether the relaxed criteria for signal measurement are met. A second evaluation is performed to determine whether a transition between discontinuous reception and non-discontinuous reception has occurred. Based on at least one of the first evaluation or the second evaluation, it is determined whether or not a report regarding a change in the relaxation state of the signal measurement is initiated to be transmitted to the second device. This includes, Determining whether or not the transmission of the aforementioned report is initiated is: In accordance with the determination that the relaxation state is changed only by the transition between discontinuous reception and non-discontinuous reception, it is determined that the transmission of the report to the second device is not initiated. A method that includes doing so.

11. Maintain the performance of the first evaluation described above. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the following:

12. Performing the second evaluation described above means The aforementioned discontinuous reception is not set. The aforementioned discontinuous reception is set, The non-active timer for discontinuous reception is operating. The retransmission timer for the discontinuous reception of the downlink is operating. The retransmission timer for the discontinuous reception of the uplink is operating. The random access conflict resolution timer is running. A scheduling request sent via the physical uplink control channel is pending. After successfully receiving a random access response for a preamble not selected by the media access control entity, if the physical downlink control channel transmission has not been received, and the physical downlink control channel transmission indicates a new transmission addressed to the identity of the media access control entity, It must be at least one of the following: In response to any of the above, the first device determines that it is in the state of discontinuous reception. The method according to claim 10, which includes the following:

13. Determining whether or not the transmission of the aforementioned report is initiated is: In response to the determination that the relaxation state has been changed based on the relaxation criteria, it is determined that the transmission of the report to the second device will begin. The method according to claim 10, which includes the following:

14. The aforementioned report is triggered during discontinuous reception. The aforementioned report indicates a change in the relaxation state from relaxation of signal measurement to non-relaxation of signal measurement, or The setting is received from the second device, and the setting indicates that the report is not permitted to be sent during discontinuous reception, In response to at least one of the above, delay the transmission of the report until the ON period begins. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the following:

15. The aforementioned report states, The period during which the change in the relaxation state of the signal measurement is performed, or The cause of the change in the relaxation state of the signal measurement, The method according to claim 10, comprising at least one of the above.

16. The aforementioned cause is, Change of low mobility state, Changes to the quality of serving cells, A set of signals that cause the aforementioned change in the relaxation state, The signal measurement is relaxed while the report is being transmitted. The relaxation criteria are met, and the signal measurement is relaxed during the discontinuous reception. The signal measurement is not relaxed while the report is being transmitted, and the signal measurement is relaxed after the report has been transmitted. The method according to claim 15, comprising at least one of the following.

17. A non-transient, computer-readable medium containing program instructions for causing a device to perform the method according to any one of claims 10 to 16.

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