Measurement relaxation

Abstract

The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein relate to measurement relaxation techniques. In one instance, a terminal device determines a short discontinuous reception (DRX) period and a long DRX period configured for the terminal device. Based on at least one of the short DRX period or the long DRX period, the terminal device determines at least one of the following: (i) whether to allow the terminal device to relax a measurement, or (ii) an evaluation period for relaxing the measurement. In this way, UE behavior is predictable, and thus the communication efficiency or effectiveness of a communication system can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Invention Field The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are generally related to the field of communications, and more particularly to apparatus, methods, devices, and computer-readable storage media for measuring relaxation techniques. Prior Technology

[0002] Background of the Invention A communication network can be considered as a facility that enables communication between two or more communication devices or provides communication devices with access to a data network. A mobile or wireless communication network is an example of a communication network. A communication device may be provided with a service by an application server.

[0003] Such communication networks operate according to standards—such as those provided by 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) or ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute). An example of such a standard is the so-called 5G (5th generation) standard provided by 3GPP. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Invention Summary In general, the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure provide a solution for measuring relaxation techniques, particularly for radio link monitoring (RLM) measurements and beam failure detection (BFD) measurements.

[0005] In a first embodiment, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to at least: determine a short discontinuous reception (DRX) period and a long DRX period configured for the terminal device, and based on at least one of the short DRX period or the long DRX period, determine at least one of the following: (i) whether the terminal device is allowed to relax a measurement, or (ii) an evaluation period for relaxing one of the measurements.

[0006] In a second embodiment, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to at least: determine a short discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle and a long DRX cycle configured for the terminal device; detect a transition from using one of the short DRX cycle or the long DRX cycle to using the other of the short DRX cycle and the long DRX cycle; and prevent a relaxation state of a measurement from being reported due to the transition.

[0007] In a third embodiment, a method is provided. The method includes: determining a short discontinuous reception (DRX) period and a long DRX period configured for the terminal device; and determining, based on at least one of the short DRX period or the long DRX period, at least one of the following: (i) whether the terminal device is allowed to relax a measurement, or (ii) an evaluation period for relaxing one of the measurements.

[0008] In a fourth embodiment, a method is provided. The method includes determining a short discontinuous reception (DRX) period and a long DRX period configured for the terminal device; detecting a transition from using one of the short DRX period or the long DRX period to using the other of the short DRX period and the long DRX period; and preventing a relaxation state of a measurement from being reported due to the transition.

[0009] In a fifth embodiment, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: means for determining a short discontinuous reception (DRX) period and a long DRX period configured for the terminal device; and means for determining, based on at least one of the short DRX period or the long DRX period, at least one of the following: (i) whether the terminal device is allowed to relax a measurement, or (ii) an evaluation period for relaxation of the measurement.

[0010] In a sixth embodiment, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: means for determining a short discontinuous reception (DRX) period and a long DRX period configured for the terminal device; means for detecting a transition from using one of the short DRX period or the long DRX period to using the other of the short DRX period and the long DRX period; and means for preventing a relaxation state of a measurement from being reported due to the transition.

[0011] In a seventh state, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, the non-transitory computer-readable medium including program instructions for causing a device to perform at least the methods according to the third and fourth states.

[0012] In an eighth state, a computer program is provided that includes instructions, when executed by a device, causing the device to perform at least one of the methods according to a third state and a fourth state.

[0013] In a ninth embodiment, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes: a determination circuit configured to determine a short discontinuous reception (DRX) period and a long DRX period configured for the terminal device; and a determination circuit configured to determine, based on at least one of the short DRX period or the long DRX period, at least one of the following: (i) whether the terminal device is allowed to relax a measurement, or (ii) an evaluation period for relaxing one of the measurements.

[0014] In a tenth embodiment, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes: a determination circuit configured to determine a short discontinuous reception (DRX) period and a long DRX period configured for the terminal device; a detection circuit configured to detect a transition from using one of the short DRX period or the long DRX period to using the other of the short DRX period and the long DRX period; and an prevention circuit configured to prevent a relaxation state of a measurement from being reported due to the transition.

[0015] It should be understood that this summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments disclosed herein, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0016] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0017] Figure 1A illustrates one example of a network environment in which the present disclosure can be implemented;

[0018] Figure 1B illustrates a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle related to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 2A illustrates a flowchart of a method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 2B illustrates a flowchart of a method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 2C illustrates a flowchart of a method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 3 illustrates some principles of the rules according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 4 illustrates a simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for carrying out some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0024] Figure 5 illustrates a block diagram of one example of a computer-readable medium 700 according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] In a diagram, identical or similar element symbols represent identical or similar elements. Implementation

[0026] Detailed description The principles of this disclosure will now be illustrated with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are for illustrative purposes only, intended to help those skilled in the art understand and implement this disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The disclosure contained herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0027] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein shall have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0028] In this disclosure, the embodiments described by reference to "an embodiment," "an exemplary embodiment," and the like may include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic, but it is not necessary for every embodiment to include that specific feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Moreover, when an embodiment is linked to describe a specific feature, structure, or characteristic, it is hereby stated that how other embodiments are linked to implement that feature, structure, or characteristic falls within the knowledge of those skilled in the art, whether or not it is explicitly stated.

[0029] It should be understood that although terms such as "first" and "second" may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed words.

[0030] The terminology used herein is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should be further understood that the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” “having,” “including,” and / or “comprising” as used herein indicate the presence of the stated 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. As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar wording—where the list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”—means at least any one of those elements, or at least any two or more of those elements, or at least all of those elements.

[0031] When used in this application, the term "circuit" may refer to one or more, or all of the following: (a) Purely hardware circuitry (such as in analog and / or digital circuitry); and (b) Combinations of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) A combination of one or more analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software (e.g., firmware); and (ii) any part of one or more hardware processors with software (including one or more digital signal processors working together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions), software, and one or more memories; and (c) One or more hardware circuits and / or one or more processors—such as microprocessors or parts thereof—that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but may not exist when the software is not required for operation.

[0032] This definition of "circuit" applies to all uses of the term in this application and in all claims. As another example, when used in this application, the term "circuit" also covers implementations of a single hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors), or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its accompanying software and / or firmware. The term "circuit" also covers, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or networking device, if applicable to an element within a specific claim.

[0033] As used herein, the term "cellular network" refers to a network operating under any suitable radio access technology as defined by standards such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A Advanced, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Furthermore, communication between a terminal device and a network device within a cellular network can be performed according to any suitable communication protocol, including but not limited to fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or any other currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of this disclosure can be applied in various cellular networks. Given the rapid development of communications, there will naturally be future types of communication technologies and systems for which this disclosure can be embodied. This disclosure should not be construed as limiting its scope to the aforementioned systems.

[0034] As used herein, the term "network device" means any device in a cellular network through which a terminal device accesses a data network and receives services exposed by other network devices in the cellular network. In some examples, a network device may include or implement a network function of a 5G communication system (5GS) (e.g., a core network) of a cellular network. In some examples, the network device may be located at the RAN of the 5GS. A network device can be part of a satellite, a base station (BS), or an access point (AP), such as a NodeB (or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also called a gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a radio header (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a repeater, or a low-power node (such as a femtonode or a piconode), depending on the terminology and technology used. A gNB may include a central unit (CU) and one or more distributed units (DUs). Femtonodes and piconodes are small base stations with a small coverage area.

[0035] The term "terminal device" refers to a device in a cellular network communication system (such as a 5th generation communication system (5GS)) that can communicate wirelessly (e.g., radioly) with a 5GS NR-RAN. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a wireless communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Examples of a terminal device include, but are not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smartphone, a Voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet computer, a wearable terminal device, a digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capturing terminal device (such as a digital camera), a gaming terminal device, a music storage and playback device, an in-vehicle wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop loaded device (LME), a USB adapter, a smart device, a wireless client device (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and application (e.g., telesurgery), an industrial device and application (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless device operating in the context of an industrial and / or automated processing chain), a consumer electronic device, a device operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, and the like. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0036] A User Equipment (UE) can be configured with Discontinuous Reception (DRX). This configuration may include a long DRX and an additional short DRX. Therefore, a UE can be configured with a short DRX period and a long DRX period. However, when the configured DRX period is longer than, for example, 80 ms, the UE may no longer be allowed to relax RLM or BFD measurements. When a UE is configured with a short DRX period shorter than, for example, 80 ms and a long DRX period longer than, for example, 80 ms, the UE behavior is ambiguous. It is unclear whether the UE is allowed to relax RLM / BFD measurements. Without clearly defined UE behavior, the network cannot determine the expected UE behavior. Therefore, in the absence of defined UE behavior, different UEs in the field may behave differently, and these different UEs may behave differently when configured with long and short DRX and allowed to relax RLM / BFD. This complicates the network's situation when using concurrent features.

[0037] In some scenarios, the network is aware that the UE is using either a short or long DRX cycle for Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) monitoring. Therefore, if the UE initiates a UE assistance information procedure to report its RLM and / or BFD relaxation state every time it switches from using a short to a long DRX cycle (or vice versa), this results in unnecessary signaling and increased UE power consumption.

[0038] Furthermore, when the short DRX period is shorter than, for example, 80ms and the long DRX period is longer than, for example, 80ms, the UE behavior is ambiguous. It is unclear whether the UE is allowed to relax RLM / BFD measurements in this situation and whether the UE should report its RLM and / or BFD relaxation status accordingly.

[0039] In view of the foregoing, the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure provide a solution for measurement relaxation techniques. In the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, a terminal device can determine a short discontinuous reception (DRX) period and a long DRX period configured for the terminal device. Based on at least one of the short DRX period or the long DRX period, the terminal device can determine at least one of the following: (i) whether to allow the terminal device to relax a measurement, or (ii) the evaluation period for a relaxation of the measurement. In this way, UE behavior is predictable and thus the communication efficiency or effectiveness of a communication system can be improved.

[0040] Figure 1A illustrates an example of a network environment 100a in which the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are implemented. Environment 100a may be part of a communication network and includes a plurality of terminal devices and network devices, such as a terminal device 110 and a network device 120. As an example, terminal device 110 may be implemented as a user equipment (UE) or an access terminal (AT), and network device 120 may be implemented as a base station (BS). Network device 120 may transmit various data to terminal device 110 via network environment 100a.

[0041] For the purpose of transmitting data and / or control information, terminal device 110 may communicate with network device 120. A link from network device 120 to terminal device 110 is called a downlink (DL), and a link from terminal device 110 to network device 120 is called an uplink (UL).

[0042] Although terminal device 110 and network device 120 are illustrated in the communication environment 100a of FIG1A, the embodiments of this disclosure are equally applicable to any other suitable communication devices communicating with each other. That is, the embodiments of this disclosure are not limited to the exemplary scenario of FIG1A. In this regard, it should be noted that although the terminal device is schematically illustrated as a mobile phone and the network device 120 is schematically illustrated as a base station in FIG1A, it should be understood that these illustrations are exemplary in nature and do not imply any limitation. In other embodiments, terminal device 110 and network device 120 may be any other communication device, such as any other wireless communication device.

[0043] It should be understood that the specific number of various communication devices and various communication links shown in FIG1A are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation. Communication environment 100a may include any suitable number of communication devices and any suitable number of communication links to implement the embodiments of this disclosure. In addition, it should be understood that various wireless and wired communications (if needed) may exist between all communication devices.

[0044] Figure 1B illustrates a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle 100b related to some embodiments of this disclosure. UE power savings can be achieved by the terminal device or UE 110 relaxing the RLM / BFD measurements. When configured, the UE can determine whether it is in a low mobility state and / or whether its serving cell radio link quality is better than a threshold. The configuration for low mobility and a good serving cell quality condition is provided via dedicated RRC signaling. RLM and BFD relaxation can be enabled / disabled via one or more RRC configurations, respectively. In addition, RLM relaxation can be enabled / disabled per cell group, while BFD relaxation can be enabled / disabled per serving cell.

[0045] When the measurement conditions for relaxation of low mobility and / or good service cell quality are met, the UE is allowed to perform RLM and / or BFD relaxation. If configured in this way, if the UE changes its RLM and / or BFD relaxation state while meeting the UE minimum requirements, the UE can trigger a report of its individual RLM and / or BFD relaxation state through UE auxiliary information.

[0046] The UE may not be allowed to relax RLM measurements and apply relaxed radio link monitoring if at least one of the following conditions is met: the UE sends a synchronization indication to a higher layer; timer T310 is running; or DRX is not configured, or the configured DRX period 100b is longer than, for example, 80ms. The UE may not be allowed to relax BFD measurements and apply relaxed link recovery procedures if at least one of the following conditions is met: timer beamFailureDetectionTimer is running; or DRX is not configured, or the configured DRX period 100b is longer than, for example, 80ms.

[0047] When DRX 100b is configured, the UE does not need to continuously monitor the PDCCH. An on-duration is the minimum duration the UE can wait to receive the PDCCH after waking up. If the UE successfully decodes a PDCCH, it can remain awake and start an inactivity timer. An inactivity timer is the duration the UE can wait to successfully decode a PDCCH since the last successful decoding; if it fails, it can return to sleep. The UE can restart the inactivity timer after a single successful decoding of a PDCCH, only for the first transmission (i.e., not for retransmissions). A retransmission timer is the duration until a retransmission is expected. This period indicates a periodic repetition of the on-duration, followed by a possible inactivity period.

[0048] An active time is the total duration during which the UE monitors the PDCCH. It may include the "on duration" of the DRX cycle, the time the UE performs continuous reception while the inactivity timer has not expired, and the time the UE performs continuous reception while waiting for a retransmission opportunity. The UE may also be configured with a short DRX cycle used after the drx-InactivityTimer expires or when the UE receives a DRX command MAC CE.

[0049] When DRXs are configured, if the drx-InactivityTimer for a DRX group expires and a short DRX cycle is configured, the MAC entity can start or restart the drx-ShortCycleTimer for this DRX group on the first symbol after the drx-InactivityTimer expires and apply the short DRX cycle to this DRX group. Otherwise, the MAC entity can apply a long DRX cycle to this DRX group.

[0050] If a DRX command MAC CE is received, indicated by a PDCCH addressed to a C-RNTI or CS-RNTI, or by a configured downlink assignment for unicast transmission, and a short DRX cycle is configured, the MAC entity may start or restart the drx-ShortCycleTimer for each DRX group on the first symbol after the MAC CE is received and apply the short DRX cycle to each DRX group. Otherwise, the MAC entity may apply a long DRX cycle to each DRX group.

[0051] If the drx-ShortCycleTimer for a DRX group expires, the MAC entity can use a long DRX cycle for that DRX group. If a long DRX command MAC CE is received, the MAC entity can stop the drx-ShortCycleTimer for each DRX group and use a long DRX cycle for each DRX group.

[0052] If a short DRX cycle is used in a DRX group, and [(SFN × 10) + number of subframes] modulo (drx-ShortCycle) = (drx-StartOffset) modulo (drx-ShortCycle), then the MAC entity can start the drx-onDurationTimer for this DRX group after drx-SlotOffset from the start of the subframe.

[0053] Figure 2A illustrates a flowchart of a method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For purposes of discussion, method 200a will be described with reference to Figure 1A. It should be understood that although process flow 200a is described with reference to Figure 1A, this process flow 200a is equally applicable to other similar communication scenarios.

[0054] In procedure flow 200a, terminal device 110 may determine (202) whether to determine a short discontinuous reception (DRX) period and a long DRX period configured for the terminal device. Based on the short DRX period or the long DRX period (or based on both), terminal device 110 may determine (204) whether to allow the terminal device to relax a measurement, or determine the evaluation period for relaxing one of the measurements, or both.

[0055] For example, in some embodiments, terminal device 110 may determine to allow terminal device 110 to relax measurement based on determining that the short DRX period is less than or equal to a threshold duration, regardless of the long DRX period. In some other embodiments, terminal device 110 may determine to allow terminal device to relax measurement based on determining that the short DRX period is less than or equal to a threshold duration and the long DRX period is greater than the threshold duration.

[0056] In some other embodiments, terminal device 110 may determine to allow the terminal device to relax the measurement based on the determination that the short DRX period is less than or equal to a threshold duration. Alternatively or additionally, terminal device 110 may determine to disallow the terminal device to relax the measurement based on the determination that the short DRX period is greater than the threshold duration.

[0057] In some exemplary embodiments, terminal device 110 may determine whether to allow terminal device to withdraw from relaxation measurement based on short DRX cycles.

[0058] In some other examples, terminal device 110 may determine an evaluation period for measurement by the following operation: determining an evaluation period for relaxation based on the determination that the short DRX period is less than or equal to a threshold duration and the long DRX period is greater than the threshold duration, based on the DRX period used by terminal device 110 to determine whether terminal device 110 can relax the measurement.

[0059] In some other examples, terminal device 110 may determine the evaluation period for measurement by: determining that both the short DRX period and the long DRX period are less than or equal to a threshold duration, and determining a relaxed evaluation period based on the short DRX period or the long DRX period. Which DRX period to use to determine the relaxed evaluation period may be predefined, for example, using a long DRX period indicated by the UE in, for example, UE capabilities, or configured by the network.

[0060] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine the evaluation period for measurement by: determining a relaxation evaluation period for assessing whether the downlink radio link quality has become worse than a threshold value based on either a long or short DRX period, based on the determination that the terminal device is allowed to relax the measurement. Alternatively or additionally, the terminal device 110 may determine the evaluation period for measurement by: determining a relaxation evaluation period for assessing whether the downlink radio link quality has become better than a threshold value based on either a long or short DRX period.

[0061] As an alternative or additional option, the threshold duration may be 80 milliseconds or any other suitable time length.

[0062] In some exemplary embodiments, the measurements include radio link monitoring (RLM) measurements and / or beam failure detection (BFD) measurements.

[0063] Figure 2B illustrates a flowchart of a method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For purposes of discussion, method 200b will be described with reference to Figure 1A. It should be understood that although process flow 200b is described with reference to Figure 1A, this process flow 200b is equally applicable to other similar communication scenarios.

[0064] In procedure flow 200b, terminal device 110 may first determine (206) that a short discontinuous reception (DRX) period and a long DRX period are configured for use with the terminal device. Then, terminal device 110 may detect (208) a transition from using either the short DRX period or the long DRX period to using the other of the short DRX period and the long DRX period. Terminal device 110 may prevent (210) from reporting a relaxation state of the measurement due to the transition.

[0065] In some other embodiments, terminal device 110 may determine that a relaxation state of a measurement has changed due to a transition. In some exemplary embodiments, terminal device 110 may determine whether to allow the terminal device to relax a measurement based on a short DRX period, a long DRX period, or both.

[0066] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may prevent the initiation of a UE assistance information procedure for reporting the relaxation state of a measurement. In some examples, terminal device 110 may exclude the reporting of the relaxation state of a measurement from a UE assistance information procedure. In some examples, terminal device 110 may determine that the relaxation state of a measurement has changed due to reasons other than change (such as mobility, good channel quality), and terminal device 110 may then report the current relaxation state of the measurement.

[0067] In some examples, terminal device 110 may compare the measured relaxation state with a previously reported relaxation state. Terminal device 110 may report the current relaxation state of the measurement based on a determination that the relaxation state differs from a previously reported relaxation state. The report may include a UE-assisted information procedure for initiating the reporting of the measured relaxation state. In some other embodiments, terminal device 110 may prevent reporting the current relaxation state of the measurement based on a determination that the relaxation state is the same as a previously reported relaxation state. Alternatively or additionally, the measurement may include radio link monitoring (RLM) measurements and / or beam failure detection (BFD) measurements.

[0068] Figure 2C illustrates a flowchart of a method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that process flow 200c can be considered another example of Figure 1A. For example, terminal device 230 may be one of the exemplary devices of terminal device 110, and network device 240 may be one of the exemplary devices of network device 120. It should be understood that these devices are illustrated for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure.

[0069] In some embodiments, network device 240 may configure DRX cycles for terminal device 230, and terminal device 230 may transmit a capability indication 205 to network device 240, the capability indication indicating the desired DRX cycle for relaxation and whether the terminal device is capable of performing per-nest grid group (per-CG) relaxation measurements.

[0070] In some other embodiments, network device 240 may transmit an RRC reconfiguration 207 to terminal device 230, including reconfiguration relaxation and DRX cycle. In some embodiments, terminal device 230 may make (215) a determination regarding whether to relax the measurement. In some other embodiments, terminal device 230 may perform (217) a measurement based on the relaxation or non-relaxation behavior. Terminal device may transmit a measurement report 219 to network device 240.

[0071] Figure 3 illustrates some principles of rule 300 according to some embodiments of this disclosure. It should be noted that program flow 300 can be considered as another example of program flow 200. It should be understood that these elements are illustrated for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure.

[0072] In Figure 3, element X can represent a configured long DRX, and element Y can represent a configured short DRX. In some embodiments, the UE is configured with a long DRX (i.e., X) and a short DRX (i.e., Y), and it can also be configured to allow relaxation of RLM / BFD measurements. For example, in some embodiments, if X > 80 ms, the UE may not be allowed to relax RLM or BFD. In another example, if X > 80 ms and Y <= 80 ms, the UE may be allowed to relax RLM / BFD. In some other examples, if X <= 80 ms and Y <= 80 ms, the UE may be allowed to relax RLM / BFD.

[0073] In some detailed embodiments, if the configured short DRX period is shorter than, for example, 80ms and / or if the configured long DRX period is longer than, for example, 80ms, the UE may determine that the UE is not allowed to relax RLM / BFD measurements.

[0074] In an exemplary embodiment, if the configured long DRX period is longer than, for example, 80ms, the UE may determine that it is not allowed to relax the RLM / BFD measurement, regardless of the length of the configured short DRX period.

[0075] In some examples, if the length of the configured short DRX cycle is, for example, 80ms or less, the UE may determine that it is allowed to relax the RLM / BFD measurement (even if or regardless of the length of the configured long DRX cycle).

[0076] As an alternative or additional option, the UE can use the shortest or longest configured DRX period (short or long) to determine whether to allow the UE to relax RLM / BFD measurements. For example, if a short DRX is configured with a DRX period of 80ms or less, the UE can be allowed to relax RLM / BFD measurements. In another example, if the longest configured DRX period (long or short) is, for example, 80ms or less, the UE can be allowed to relax RLM / BFD measurements.

[0077] In some embodiments, if both the short DRX period and the long DRX period are longer than, for example, 80 ms, the UE may determine that it is not allowed to relax RLM / BFD measurements. In other examples, if both the short DRX period and the long DRX period are shorter than, for example, 80 ms, the UE may be allowed to relax RLM / BFD measurements.

[0078] In some exemplary embodiments, the UE can use the shortest configured DRX period to determine whether to allow the UE to relax RLM / BFD measurements, and the UE can use the longest configured DRX period to determine whether to allow the UE to withdraw from relaxed RLM / BFD measurements. The method disclosed herein can be applied when the configured short DRX period or long DRX period is not longer than, for example, 80 ms.

[0079] The methods disclosed herein can also be used to determine the evaluation period for relaxed RLM / BFD measurements. In some situations, when both short and long DRX are combined, what "DRX period" refers to may not be clear.

[0080] In some exemplary embodiments, the UE determines that the short DRX period is less than or equal to a threshold duration (such as 80 ms) and the long DRX period is greater than the threshold duration. The UE determines the evaluation period for relaxation of the RLM / BFD measurement based on the DRX period used by the terminal device to determine whether the terminal device is allowed to relax the measurement, or based on the long DRX period. For example, if the UE uses the short DRX period to determine whether the terminal device is allowed to relax the measurement, regardless of the long DRX period, the evaluation period for relaxation is determined based on the short DRX period. Alternatively, when the UE performs relaxation of both short and long DRX periods, the UE may determine the evaluation period for relaxation of the RLM / BFD measurement based on the long DRX period.

[0081] In some other exemplary embodiments, the UE determines that both the short DRX period and the long DRX period are less than or equal to a threshold duration (such as 80 ms). The UE can determine the relaxation assessment period based on either the short DRX period or the long DRX period. For example, the relaxation assessment period is always determined based on the long DRX period.

[0082] In some other exemplary embodiments, the UE may determine that the terminal device is allowed to relax the measurement. The UE may then determine an assessment period for relaxation based on one of the long and short DRX cycles to assess whether the downlink radio link quality has become worse than a threshold (e.g., Qout), and a assessment period for relaxation based on the other of the long and short DRX cycles to assess whether the downlink radio link quality has become better than a threshold (e.g., Qin).

[0083] In some other embodiments, when the UE is configured with both short and long DRX periods, the UE may or may not trigger an RLM / BFD measurement of the relaxed state report when the relaxed state changes due to a transition from using a short DRX period to a long DRX period (or from using a long DRX period to a short DRX period).

[0084] As an alternative or additional option, when the relaxation state changes due to a change from using a short DRX cycle to a long DRX cycle (or from using a long DRX cycle to a short DRX cycle), the UE may or may not initiate the UE auxiliary information procedure for reporting the relaxation state for RLM / BFD measurements.

[0085] In some examples, the UE can exclude RLM / BFD relaxation status reports made when the UE moves from a short DRX cycle to a long DRX cycle or vice versa.

[0086] In some embodiments, if the current relaxation state of the RLM / BFD measurement of a cell group is different from the relaxation state reported in the last transmission of the UEAssistanceInformation message including the rlm / bfd-MeasRelaxationState of the cell group, and the change in relaxation state is not (or is) due to a change from using a short DRX period to a long DRX period (or from using a long DRX period to a short DRX period), the UE may decide to initiate the transmission of the UEAssistanceInformation message to provide the relaxation state of the RLM / BFD measurement of the cell group.

[0087] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., terminal device 110) capable of performing any of method 200A may include means for performing the individual steps of method 200A. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuit or software module.

[0088] In some embodiments, the device includes means for determining a short discontinuous reception (DRX) period and a long DRX period configured for a terminal device; and means for determining, based on at least one of the short DRX period or the long DRX period, at least one of the following: (i) whether the terminal device is allowed to relax a measurement, or (ii) the evaluation period for relaxation of the measurement.

[0089] In some embodiments, the apparatus for determining whether to allow the terminal device to relax the measurement includes: an apparatus for determining whether to allow the terminal device to relax the measurement (regardless of the long DRX period) based on determining that the short DRX period is less than or equal to a threshold duration. In some embodiments, the apparatus for determining whether to allow the terminal device to relax the measurement includes: an apparatus for determining whether to allow the terminal device to relax the measurement based on determining that the short DRX period is less than or equal to a threshold duration and the long DRX period is greater than the threshold duration.

[0090] In some embodiments, the apparatus for determining whether the terminal device is allowed to relax the measurement includes: an apparatus for determining whether the terminal device is allowed to relax the measurement based on the determination that the short DRX period is less than or equal to a threshold duration. In some other embodiments, the apparatus for determining whether the terminal device is allowed to relax the measurement includes: an apparatus for determining whether the terminal device is not allowed to relax the measurement based on the determination that the short DRX period is greater than the threshold duration.

[0091] In some exemplary embodiments, the device further includes means for determining whether the terminal device is permitted to withdraw from the measurement based on a short DRX cycle. In some exemplary embodiments, the means for determining the evaluation period for the measurement includes means for performing the following operations: determining the evaluation period for relaxation based on the DRX cycle used by the terminal device to determine whether the terminal device is permitted to relax the measurement, based on determining that the short DRX cycle is less than or equal to a threshold duration and the long DRX cycle is greater than the threshold duration; or determining the evaluation period for relaxation based on the long DRX cycle.

[0092] In some other embodiments, the apparatus for determining the assessment period for measurement includes an apparatus for performing the following operations: determining the relaxation assessment period based on the short DRX period or the long DRX period based on the determination that both the short DRX period and the long DRX period are less than or equal to a threshold duration.

[0093] In some other embodiments, the apparatus for determining the evaluation period for measurement includes: apparatus for determining, based on one of a long and a short DRX period, whether the downlink radio link quality has become worse than a threshold value, to determine a relaxation evaluation period based on the other of the long and short DRX periods; and apparatus for determining, based on the other of the long and short DRX periods, whether the downlink radio link quality has become better than a threshold value. In some other embodiments, the threshold duration is 80 milliseconds. In some exemplary embodiments, the measurement includes radio link monitoring (RLM) measurement and / or beam failure detection (BFD) measurement.

[0094] In some embodiments, the device further includes means for performing other steps in some embodiments of method 200a. In some embodiments, the means includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to cause the device to execute together with the at least one processor.

[0095] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., terminal device 110) capable of performing any of method 200B may include means for performing the individual steps of method 200B. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuit or software module.

[0096] In some exemplary embodiments, the device includes: means for determining a short discontinuous reception (DRX) period and a long DRX period configured for use in a terminal device; means for detecting a transition from using one of the short DRX period or the long DRX period to using the other of the short DRX period and the long DRX period; and means for preventing a relaxation state of a measurement from being reported due to the transition.

[0097] In some exemplary embodiments, the device further includes means for determining whether a relaxation state of a measurement has changed due to the transition. In some exemplary embodiments, the device further includes means for determining whether the terminal device is permitted to relax a measurement based on at least one of a short DRX cycle or a long DRX cycle.

[0098] In some exemplary embodiments, the device further includes means for preventing the initiation of a UE assistance information procedure for reporting the relaxation state of the measurement. In some exemplary embodiments, the device further includes means for excluding the reporting of the relaxation state of the measurement from a UE assistance information procedure.

[0099] In some exemplary embodiments, the device further includes: an apparatus for determining that a relaxation state of a measurement has changed due to reasons other than the change; and an apparatus for reporting the current relaxation state of the measurement.

[0100] In some exemplary embodiments, the device further includes: means for comparing the relaxation state of the measurement with a previously reported relaxation state of the measurement; means for reporting the current relaxation state of the measurement based on a determination that the relaxation state is different from the previously reported relaxation state, wherein the report includes a UE auxiliary information procedure for initiating the reporting of the relaxation state of the measurement; and means for preventing the reporting of the current relaxation state of the measurement based on a determination that the relaxation state is the same as the previously reported relaxation state. In some exemplary embodiments, the measurement includes radio link monitoring (RLM) measurement and / or beam failure detection (BFD) measurement.

[0101] In some embodiments, the device further includes means for performing other steps in some embodiments of method 200b. In some embodiments, the means includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to cause the device to execute together with the at least one processor.

[0102] Figure 4 illustrates a simplified block diagram of an apparatus 400 suitable for implementing some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Apparatus 400 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as the terminal device 110 and network device 120 shown in Figure 1A. As shown, apparatus 400 includes one or more processors 410, one or more memories 420 coupled to processors 410, and one or more communication modules 440 coupled to processors 410.

[0103] Communication module 440 is designed for bidirectional communication. Communication module 440 has at least one antenna for facilitating communication. The communication interface can represent any interface necessary for communication with other network components.

[0104] Processor 410 may be of any type suitable for local area network technology and may include one or more of the following: general purpose computer, special purpose computer, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), and processor based on multi-core processor architecture, as examples without limitation. Device 400 may have multiple processors, such as an application-specific integrated circuit chip that is time-dependent on a clock that synchronizes with the main processor.

[0105] Memory 420 may include one or more non-electrically dependent memories and one or more electrically dependent memories. Examples of non-electrically dependent memories include, but are not limited to, a read-only memory (ROM) 424, an electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a flash memory, a hard disk, an optical disc (CD), a digital optical disc (DVD), and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of electrically dependent memories include, but are not limited to, a random access memory (RAM) 422 and other electrically dependent memories that will not persist during power-off periods.

[0106] A computer program 430 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by an associated processor 410. The program 430 may be stored in ROM 424. The processor 410 may perform any appropriate actions and processes by loading the program 430 into RAM 422.

[0107] Embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented using program 430, enabling device 400 to execute any program of this disclosure as discussed with reference to Figures 2A and 2B. Embodiments of this disclosure can also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0108] In some exemplary embodiments, program 430 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium (such as memory 420) that may be included in device 400, or in other storage devices accessible by device 400. Device 400 may load program 430 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 422 for execution. Computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-electrical storage, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, and the like.

[0109] Figure 5 illustrates a block diagram of one example of a computer-readable medium 500 according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The computer-readable medium 500 stores a program 430 therein. It should be noted that although the computer-readable medium 500 is illustrated in Figure 5 as a CD or DVD, the computer-readable medium 500 may be in any other form suitable for carrying or storing the program 430.

[0110] Generally, the various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some embodiments can be implemented in hardware, while others can be implemented in firmware or software executable by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated and explained using block diagrams, flowcharts, or other graphical representations, it should be understood that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuitry or logic, general purpose hardware or controllers, or other computing devices, or some combination thereof, as examples provided are non-limiting.

[0111] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in a program module, which execute on a device on a target real or virtual processor to implement methods 200a and 200b illustrated above with reference to Figures 2A and 2B. Generally, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, categories, components, data structures, or the like that perform a specific task or implement a specific type of abstract data. The functionality of program modules can be combined or divided among a plurality of program modules, as desired in the various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions for the program module can execute on a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, the program module can reside on both local and remote storage media.

[0112] The program code used to implement the methods disclosed herein may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. This program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, such that when executed by the processor or controller, the functions / operations set forth in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams are performed. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on the machine as a standalone software suite, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on the remote machine or server.

[0113] In the context of this disclosure, computer code or related data may be carried on any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various programs and operations described above. Examples of carriers include a signal, a computer-readable medium, and the like.

[0114] A computer-readable medium can be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable medium can be, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device, or apparatus, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of a computer-readable storage medium include an electrical connector 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 disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. When used herein, the term "non-transitory" is a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), and not a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0115] Furthermore, although operations are described in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring such operations to be performed in the specific order shown or in a cascading order, or requiring the execution of all illustrated operations to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multiplexing and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while several specific implementation details are included in the foregoing discussion, these details should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features described in the context of several 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 suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0116] Although this disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that the disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claims.

[0117] 100a: Network environment; environment; communication environment 100b: Discontinuous Reception (DRX) cycle; DRX cycle; DRX 110: Terminal device; UE 120: Network device 200A: Method; Program Flow 200B: Method; Procedure Flow 200c: Program Flow 202, 204, 206: Judgment 208: Detection 210: Prevention 215: Make 217: Proceed 205: Capability Indicators 207:RRC Recombinant 219: Measurement Report 230: Terminal device 240: Network Device 300: Rules; Procedure Flow 400: Device 410: Processor 420: Memory 422: Random Access Memory (RAM); RAM 424: Read-only memory (ROM); ROM 430: Computer program; program 440: Communication Module 500: Computer-readable media X: Element Y: Element

Claims

1. A terminal device comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to at least: determine a short discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle and a long DRX cycle configured for the terminal device; detect a transition from using one of the short DRX cycle or the long DRX cycle to using the other of the short DRX cycle or the long DRX cycle; and prevent a relaxation state of a measurement from being reported due to the transition.

2. As in the terminal device of request item 1, wherein, The terminal device is further caused to: determine that the relaxation state of the measurement has changed due to the transition.

3. The terminal device as described in claim 2, wherein, The terminal device is further caused to determine that it is allowed to relax the measurement based on the fact that the short DRX period is less than or equal to a threshold duration and the long DRX period is greater than the threshold duration.

4. The terminal device as described in any of requests 1 to 3, wherein, The terminal device is further caused to perform at least one of the following operations: prevent the initiation of a UE assistance information procedure for reporting the relaxation state of the measurement, or exclude the reporting of the relaxation state of the measurement from the UE assistance information procedure.

5. A terminal device as described in any of requests 1 to 3, wherein, The terminal device is further caused to: determine that the relaxation state of the measurement has changed due to reasons other than the change; and report the current relaxation state of the measurement.

6. The terminal device as described in claim 5, wherein, The terminal device is further caused to: compare the measured relaxation state with a previously reported relaxation state of the measurement; report the current relaxation state of the measurement based on the determination that the relaxation state is different from the previously reported relaxation state, wherein the report includes a UE auxiliary information procedure for initiating the reporting of the relaxation state of the measurement; and prevent the reporting of the current relaxation state of the measurement based on the determination that the relaxation state is the same as the previously reported relaxation state.

7. A terminal device as described in any of requests 1 to 3, wherein, The measurement includes at least one of the following: a radio link monitoring (RLM) measurement; or a beam failure detection (BFD) measurement.

8. A terminal device comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to at least: determine a short discontinuous reception (DRX) period and a long DRX period configured for the terminal device; and determine that the terminal device is permitted to relax a measurement based on the short DRX period being less than or equal to a threshold duration and the long DRX period being greater than the threshold duration.

9. The terminal device as described in claim 8, wherein, The terminal device is further caused to: determine whether the terminal device is allowed to withdraw from the relaxation measurement based on the short DRX cycle.

10. The terminal device as requested in item 8 or 9, wherein, The terminal device is caused to: determine the assessment period for relaxation of the measurement based on at least one of the short DRX cycle or the long DRX cycle.

11. The terminal device as described in claim 10, wherein, The terminal device is caused to determine the assessment period for the relaxation used in the measurement by the following operations: determining the assessment period for relaxation based on the DRX period used by the terminal device to determine whether the terminal device is allowed to relax the measurement, based on the determination that the short DRX period is less than or equal to the threshold duration and the long DRX period is greater than the threshold duration, or determining the assessment period for relaxation based on the long DRX period.

12. The terminal device as described in claim 10, wherein, The terminal device is caused to determine the assessment period of the relaxation used for the measurement by: determining the assessment period of the relaxation based on the short DRX period or the long DRX period, based on the determination that both the short DRX period and the long DRX period are less than or equal to a threshold duration.

13. The terminal device as described in claim 11, wherein, The terminal device is caused to determine the relaxation assessment period for the measurement by the following operations: based on determining that the terminal device is allowed to relax the measurement, determining the relaxation assessment period for assessing whether the downlink radio link quality has become worse than a threshold value based on one of the long DRX period or the short DRX period, and determining the relaxation assessment period for assessing whether the downlink radio link quality has become better than a threshold value based on the other of the long DRX period or the short DRX period.

14. The terminal device as requested in item 8 or 9, wherein, The duration of this threshold is 80 milliseconds.

15. The terminal device as requested in item 8 or 9, wherein, The measurement includes at least one of the following: a radio link monitoring (RLM) measurement; or a beam failure detection (BFD) measurement.

16. A method performed by a terminal device, the method comprising: determining a short discontinuous reception (DRX) period and a long DRX period configured for the terminal device; detecting a transition from using one of the short DRX period or the long DRX period to using the other of the short DRX period or the long DRX period; and preventing a relaxation state of a measurement from being reported due to the transition.

17. A method performed by a terminal device, the method comprising: determining a short discontinuous reception (DRX) period and a long DRX period configured for the terminal device; and determining that the terminal device is permitted to relax a measurement based on the short DRX period being less than or equal to a threshold duration and the long DRX period being greater than the threshold duration.

18. A terminal device comprising means for performing the method as claimed in claim 16 or the method as claimed in claim 17.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform the method of claim 16 or the method of claim 17.

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