Communication method, apparatus and system

Abstract

The embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of communications. Disclosed are a communication method, apparatus and system, which can reduce signaling overheads. The method comprises: receiving configuration information of a first quality of experience (QoE) measurement from a first network device, first identification information corresponding to the first QoE measurement, and first information, wherein the first QoE measurement corresponds to a first multicast or broadcast (MBS) service, and the first identification information is used for identifying the first QoE measurement; sending the first information and the first identification information to a second network device, wherein the first information corresponds to the first identification information; and sending at least one first measurement result and the first identification information to the second network device, wherein the first measurement result is a QoE measurement result obtained on the basis of the configuration information of the first QoE measurement.

Description

Communication method, device and system

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on September 28, 2023, with application number 202311295418.5 and application name “Communication Methods, Devices and Systems”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular to communication methods, devices, and systems. Background Art

[0003] For some streaming services or voice services, such as streaming services, multimedia telephony services for IP multimedia subsystem (MTSI), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), or multicast-broadcast services (MBS), signal quality alone cannot reflect the user experience when using these services. Operators want to know the user experience so they can better optimize the network to improve the user experience. This type of measurement collection is called customer-perceived experience (QoE) measurement collection, also known as application-layer measurement collection.

[0004] The application layer of a terminal device can collect QoE measurements. After the terminal device completes the measurement and obtains the QoE measurement results, it needs to report them to the network. Furthermore, when reporting the QoE measurement results, the terminal device must also report some information related to the QoE measurement. However, current methods for reporting QoE measurement results require significant signaling overhead.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, apparatus, and system that can reduce the signaling overhead required to report some information related to QoE measurement.

[0007] The embodiments of this application adopt the following technical solutions:

[0008] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be executed by a terminal device or by a module (such as a processor, chip, or chip system) applied to the terminal device. The following description uses the terminal device executing the method as an example. The method includes: the terminal device receiving configuration information of a first customer perceived experience (QoE) measurement, first identification information corresponding to the first QoE measurement, and first information from a first network device, wherein the first QoE measurement corresponds to a first multicast or broadcast MBS service, and the first identification information is used to identify the first QoE measurement; the terminal device sending the first information and the first identification information to a second network device, wherein the first information corresponds to the first identification information; and the terminal device sending at least one first measurement result and the first identification information to the second network device, wherein the first measurement result is a QoE measurement result obtained based on the configuration information of the first QoE measurement.

[0009] Based on the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can first send the first information and the first identification information to the second network device, so that the second network device knows the correspondence between the first information and the first identification information. When the terminal device subsequently sends the measurement result to the second network device, it can send the first identification information without sending the first information. The second network device can know that the measurement result corresponds to the first information, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0010] In combination with the above first aspect, in a possible design, at least one first measurement result and first identification information are carried in a first message, and the first message does not include the first information.

[0011] In combination with the above-mentioned first aspect, in a possible design, the method also includes: the terminal device sends first indication information to the second network device, and the first indication information is used to indicate whether there is a QoE measurement result.

[0012] Based on this solution, the terminal device can indicate to the second network device whether there is a QoE measurement result, so that the second network device determines whether to prepare to receive the QoE measurement result.

[0013] In combination with the above-mentioned first aspect, in a possible design, the method also includes: the terminal device receives first configuration information from the second network device; the first configuration information is used to configure the wireless bearer; the terminal device sends the first information and the first identification information to the second network device, including: the terminal device sends the first information and the first identification information to the second network device via the wireless bearer.

[0014] In combination with the above-mentioned first aspect, in a possible design, the method also includes: the terminal device receives first configuration information from the second network device; the first configuration information is used to configure the wireless bearer; the terminal device sends at least one first measurement result and first identification information to the second network device, including: the terminal device sends at least one first measurement result and first identification information to the second network device via the wireless bearer.

[0015] In combination with the above-mentioned first aspect, in a possible design, the method also includes: the terminal device receives second indication information from the second network device; the second indication information is used to indicate the start or pause of reporting the target measurement result; wherein, the target measurement result is a measurement result obtained according to any QoE measurement configuration information, or the target measurement result is the first measurement result.

[0016] In combination with the above-mentioned first aspect, in a possible design, the terminal device sends the first information and the first identification information to the second network device, including: the terminal device sends the first information, the first identification information and at least one first measurement result to the second network device.

[0017] In combination with the above first aspect, in a possible design, the first network device and the second network device are different network devices.

[0018] In combination with the above-mentioned first aspect, in a possible design, the first information includes at least one of the following: measurement collection entity MCE information, type information corresponding to QoE measurement, service type information corresponding to QoE measurement, relevant information of minimization of drive test MDT alignment, and application layer indicators visible to the radio access network RAN.

[0019] In combination with the above-mentioned first aspect, in a possible design, the first identification information includes at least one of the following: QoE reference information, application layer measurement identification information.

[0020] In combination with the above-mentioned first aspect, in a possible design, the method also includes: the terminal device sends third indication information to the second network device, and the third indication information is used to indicate whether the first QoE measurement has been started.

[0021] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a network device or by a module (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system) applied to the network device. The following description uses a second network device performing the method as an example. The method includes: the second network device receiving first information and first identification information from a terminal device, where the first information corresponds to the first identification information, the first identification information is used to identify a first QoE measurement, and the first QoE measurement corresponds to a first multicast or broadcast MBS service. The second network device receives at least one first measurement result and first identification information from the terminal device, where the first measurement result is a QoE measurement result obtained based on configuration information for the first QoE measurement.

[0022] In combination with the above second aspect, in a possible design, at least one first measurement result and first identification information are carried in a first message, and the first message does not include the first information.

[0023] In combination with the above second aspect, in a possible design, the method also includes: receiving first indication information from a terminal device, the first indication information being used to indicate whether there is a QoE measurement result.

[0024] In combination with the above-mentioned second aspect, in a possible design, the method also includes: sending first configuration information to the terminal device; the first configuration information is used to configure the wireless bearer; receiving the first information and the first identification information from the terminal device, including: receiving the first information and the first identification information from the terminal device through the wireless bearer.

[0025] In combination with the above-mentioned second aspect, in a possible design, the method also includes: sending first configuration information to the terminal device; the first configuration information is used to configure the wireless bearer; receiving at least one first measurement result and first identification information from the terminal device, including: receiving at least one first measurement result and first identification information from the terminal device through the wireless bearer.

[0026] In combination with the above-mentioned second aspect, in one possible design, the method also includes: sending second indication information to the terminal device; the second indication information is used to indicate the start or pause of reporting the target measurement result; wherein the target measurement result is a measurement result obtained according to any QoE measurement configuration information, or the target measurement result is the first measurement result.

[0027] In combination with the above second aspect, in a possible design, receiving first information and first identification information from a terminal device includes: receiving the first information, first identification information and at least one first measurement result from the terminal device.

[0028] In combination with the above-mentioned second aspect, in one possible design, the first information includes at least one of the following: measurement collection entity MCE information, type information corresponding to QoE measurement, service type information corresponding to QoE measurement, relevant information of minimization of drive test MDT alignment, and application layer indicators visible to the radio access network RAN.

[0029] In combination with the above second aspect, in a possible design, the first identification information includes at least one of the following: QoE reference information, application layer measurement identification information.

[0030] In combination with the above second aspect, in a possible design, the method also includes: receiving third indication information from the terminal device, where the third indication information is used to indicate whether the first QoE measurement has been started.

[0031] Among them, the technical effects that can be achieved by the above-mentioned second aspect and any possible design can refer to the technical effects that can be achieved by the above-mentioned first aspect and any possible design.

[0032] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a network device or by a module (such as a processor, chip, or chip system) applied to the network device. The following takes the execution of the method by a fourth network device as an example for illustration, and the method includes: receiving a first request message from a third network device; wherein the first request message is used to request switching of a terminal device to a fourth network device, or the first request message is used to request adding the fourth network device as a secondary base station for the terminal device and allocating resources to the terminal device, or requesting the fourth network device to modify the resources allocated to the terminal device; wherein the first request message includes first information corresponding to a first customer perceived experience (QoE) measurement and first identification information, wherein the first QoE measurement corresponds to a first multicast or broadcast MBS service, the first identification information is used to identify the first QoE measurement, and the first information corresponds to the first identification information.

[0033] Based on the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the target base station in the cell switching scenario can obtain the first information corresponding to the QoE measurement, or the secondary base station in the cell switching scenario can obtain the first information corresponding to the QoE measurement, filling the gap in how the target base station or the secondary base station obtains the first information corresponding to the QoE measurement in the current cell switching scenario or the primary-secondary base station scenario.

[0034] In combination with the above-mentioned third aspect, in a possible design, the first information is received by the third network device from the terminal device or the core network device.

[0035] In combination with the above-mentioned third aspect, in a possible design, the method also includes: sending fifth indication information to the terminal device, and the fifth indication information is used to indicate that the fourth network device has the first information.

[0036] Based on this solution, the terminal device can know that the fourth network device already has the first information, thereby deciding whether to send the first information to the fourth network device.

[0037] In combination with the above-mentioned third aspect, in a possible design, the method also includes: receiving at least one first measurement result and corresponding first identification information from a terminal device; the first measurement result is a QoE measurement result obtained according to the configuration information of the first QoE measurement.

[0038] Based on this solution, the terminal device can only send the first identification information to the fourth network device without sending the first information to the fourth network device. The fourth network device can know that the first measurement result corresponds to the first information, saving signaling overhead.

[0039] In combination with the above third aspect, in a possible design, at least one first measurement result and first identification information are carried in a first message; the first message does not include the first information.

[0040] In combination with the above third aspect, in one possible design, the third network device and the fourth network device are different network devices.

[0041] In combination with the above-mentioned third aspect, in one possible design, the first information includes at least one of the following: measurement collection entity MCE information, type information corresponding to QoE measurement, service type information corresponding to QoE measurement, relevant information of minimization of drive test MDT alignment, and application layer indicators visible to the radio access network RAN.

[0042] In combination with the above third aspect, in a possible design, the first identification information includes at least one of the following: QoE reference information, application layer measurement identification information.

[0043] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a network device or by a module (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) applied to the network device. The following is an example of a third network device executing the method, and the method includes: the third network device receives first information and first identification information from a terminal device or a core network device. The third network device sends a first request message to the fourth network device; wherein the first request message is used to request switching of the terminal device to the fourth network device, or the first request message is used to request adding the fourth network device as a secondary base station for the terminal device and allocating resources to the terminal device, or requesting the fourth network device to modify the resources allocated to the terminal device; wherein the first request message includes the first information and first identification information corresponding to the first customer perceived experience QoE measurement, wherein the first QoE measurement corresponds to the first multicast or broadcast MBS service, the first identification information is used to identify the first QoE measurement, and the first information corresponds to the first identification information.

[0044] Based on the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the target base station in the cell switching scenario can obtain the first information corresponding to the QoE measurement, or the secondary base station in the cell switching scenario can obtain the first information corresponding to the QoE measurement, filling the gap in how the target base station or the secondary base station obtains the first information corresponding to the QoE measurement in the current cell switching scenario or the primary-secondary base station scenario.

[0045] In combination with the above-mentioned fourth aspect, in a possible design, the method also includes: receiving at least one first measurement result from a terminal device; the first measurement result is a QoE measurement result obtained according to configuration information of the first QoE measurement.

[0046] In combination with the fourth aspect above, in one possible design, the third network device and the fourth network device are different network devices.

[0047] In combination with the above-mentioned fourth aspect, in one possible design, the first information includes at least one of the following: measurement collection entity MCE information, type information corresponding to QoE measurement, service type information corresponding to QoE measurement, relevant information of minimization of drive test MDT alignment, and application layer indicators visible to the radio access network RAN.

[0048] In combination with the above fourth aspect, in a possible design, the first identification information includes at least one of the following: QoE reference information, application layer measurement identification information.

[0049] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the various methods described above. The communication device may be the terminal device described in the first aspect or any implementation of the first aspect, or a device including the terminal device, or a device included in the terminal device, such as a chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be the second network device described in the second aspect or any implementation of the second aspect, or a device including the second network device, or a device included in the second network device, such as a chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be the fourth network device described in the third aspect or any implementation of the third aspect, or a device including the fourth network device, or a device included in the fourth network device, such as a chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be the third network device described in the fourth aspect or any implementation of the fourth aspect, or a device including the third network device, or a device included in the third network device, such as a chip.

[0050] The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the above-mentioned methods. The modules, units, or means may be implemented by hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above-mentioned functions.

[0051] In some possible designs, the communication device may include a transceiver module. The transceiver module, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is configured to implement the sending and / or receiving functions described in the first, second, third, or fourth aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The transceiver module may be comprised of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface. Optionally, the communication device may include a processing module, which may be configured to implement the processing functions described in the first, second, third, or fourth aspects and any possible implementations thereof.

[0052] In some possible designs, the transceiver module includes a sending module and a receiving module, which are respectively used to implement the sending and receiving functions in the above-mentioned first aspect, second aspect, third aspect or fourth aspect and any possible implementation methods.

[0053] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store computer instructions, and when the processor executes the instructions, the communication device performs the method of any of the above aspects. The communication device may be the terminal device of the above first aspect, or any implementation of the first aspect, or a device including the above terminal device, or a device included in the above terminal device, such as a chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be the second network device of the above second aspect, or any implementation of the second aspect, or a device including the above second network device, or a device included in the above second network device, such as a chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be the fourth network device of the above third aspect, or any implementation of the third aspect, or a device including the fourth network device, or a device included in the fourth network device, such as a chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be the third network device of the above fourth aspect, or any implementation of the fourth aspect, or a device including the third network device, or a device included in the third network device, such as a chip.

[0054] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a communication interface; the communication interface is configured to communicate with a module outside the communication device; and the processor is configured to execute a computer program or instruction to cause the communication device to perform the method of any of the above aspects. The communication device may be the terminal device described in the first aspect or any implementation of the first aspect, or a device including the terminal device, or a device included in the terminal device, such as a chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be the second network device described in the second aspect or any implementation of the second aspect, or a device including the second network device, or a device included in the second network device, such as a chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be the fourth network device described in the third aspect or any implementation of the third aspect, or a device including the fourth network device, or a device included in the fourth network device, such as a chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be the third network device described in the fourth aspect or any implementation of the fourth aspect, or a device including the third network device, or a device included in the third network device, such as a chip.

[0055] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor; the processor is configured to execute a computer program or instruction stored in a memory, so that the communication device performs the method of any of the aforementioned aspects. The memory may be coupled to the processor, or may be independent of the processor. The communication device may be the terminal device described in the first aspect, or any implementation of the first aspect, or a device including the terminal device, or a device included in the terminal device, such as a chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be the second network device described in the second aspect, or any implementation of the second aspect, or a device including the second network device, or a device included in the second network device, such as a chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be the fourth network device described in the third aspect, or any implementation of the third aspect, or a device including the fourth network device, or a device included in the fourth network device, such as a chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be the third network device described in the fourth aspect, or any implementation of the fourth aspect, or a device including the third network device, or a device included in the third network device, such as a chip.

[0056] In the ninth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is run on a communication device, the communication device can execute any of the above aspects or any of its implementation methods.

[0057] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on a communication device, enables the communication device to execute the method of any of the above aspects or any of its implementations.

[0058] In the eleventh aspect, a communication device is provided (for example, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system), which includes a processor for implementing the functions involved in any of the above aspects or any of its implementation methods.

[0059] In some possible designs, the communication device includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data.

[0060] In some possible designs, when the device is a chip system, it can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0061] It can be understood that when the communication device provided in any one of the fifth to eighth aspects is a chip, the above-mentioned sending action / function can be understood as output, and the above-mentioned receiving action / function can be understood as input.

[0062] Among them, the technical effects brought about by any implementation method in the fifth to eleventh aspects can refer to the technical effects brought about by the corresponding implementation methods in the first to fourth aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0063] It should be noted that various possible implementations of any of the above aspects can be combined under the premise that there is no contradiction between the solutions.

[0064] In a twelfth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising a terminal device that executes the method of the first aspect and a second network device that executes the method of the second aspect. Alternatively, the communication system comprises a fourth network device that executes the method of the third aspect and a third network device that executes the method of the fourth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0065] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a QoE measurement process;

[0066] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] FIG4 is an interactive diagram of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] FIG5 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] FIG6 is an interactive diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] FIG7 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0073] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, a brief introduction to the relevant technologies of the present application is first given as follows.

[0074] 1. QoE measurement:

[0075] QoE measurement can utilize the tracing process or other processes to perform signaling-based QoE measurement and management-based QoE measurement. Among them, signaling-based QoE measurement means that the QoE measurement is for a specific terminal device, such as the core network sends the configuration information of the signaling-based QoE measurement to the base station through terminal device-level signaling. Management-based QoE measurement means that the QoE measurement is not for a specific terminal device, such as the network element management (element management, EM) or operation, administration and maintenance (OAM) network element sends the configuration information of the management-based QoE measurement to the base station, and the base station selects a part of the terminal devices for QoE measurement based on the capabilities and other information of the terminal devices currently connected to the base station. In the embodiment of the present application, OAM and EM can be interchangeable.

[0076] Currently, the basic process of QoE measurement is shown in Figure 1 and includes the following steps:

[0077] Step 1: A radio access network (RAN) node obtains QoE measurement collection configuration information from a core network (CN) or OAM.

[0078] For signaling-based QoE measurement, the RAN node obtains QoE measurement collection configuration information from the CN. The QoE measurement collection configuration information includes application layer measurement configuration, which can be carried in a transparent container (called an application layer measurement configuration container).

[0079] Exemplarily, the QoE measurement configuration information may include the following information:

[0080] QoE Reference (QoE Reference), Service Type (Service Type), QoE Measurement Collection Scope (CHOICE Area Scope of QMC), Measurement Collection Entity (MCE) Internet Protocol (IP) Address (MCE IP Address), Application Layer Measurement Configuration Container (Container for Application Layer Measurement Configuration), Slice Support List for QMC, Minimization Drive Test (MDT) Alignment Information (CHOICE MDT Alignment Information), Available RAN Visible QoE Metrics (or measurement indicators). The specific meaning of this information can be referred to in existing protocols and will not be elaborated here.

[0081] For management-based QoE measurement, the RAN node obtains QoE measurement collection configuration information from the OAM or EM. This QoE measurement collection configuration information includes the application layer measurement configuration (application layer measurement configuration container). The QOE measurement collection configuration information sent by the OAM or EM to the RAN is not specific to a specific terminal device.

[0082] In addition, the CN or OAM may also notify the RAN node, which RAN-visible application layer metrics (i.e., the available RAN-visible QoE metrics included in the above-mentioned QoE measurement configuration information) the RAN node can configure to be measured for the terminal device. Generally speaking, the application layer measurement configuration for the terminal device may include RAN-visible application layer metrics. Exemplarily, the RAN-visible application layer metrics may include the following metrics:

[0083] Average throughput, initial playback latency, buffering level, playback latency, degradation duration, consecutive packet losses, jitter duration, desynchronization duration, round-trip latency, average bitrate, comparable quality viewport switching latency, and stuttering. The specific meanings of these metrics can be found in existing protocols and will not be elaborated here.

[0084] In this document, "visible to the RAN" means that the RAN can interpret it. For example, "information visible to the RAN" means that the RAN can interpret the information. The word "visible" can also be replaced by "perceived," "obtained," "detected," etc., without limitation.

[0085] The RAN node can notify the terminal device to report the measurement results of RAN-visible application layer indicators. For example, the RAN node can notify the terminal device to report the measurement results of RAN-visible application indicators. Alternatively, the RAN node can notify the terminal device to report the measurement results of RAN-perceivable application indicators specified in the protocol (as long as the terminal device is currently measuring the RAN-visible application indicators specified in the protocol, the terminal device will report the measurement results corresponding to these application indicators).

[0086] The QoE measurement collection configuration information sent by the CN or OAM to the RAN node also includes a QoE reference and the MCE's IP address. The QoE reference identifies the QoE measurement requested by the network (also understood as identifying the QoE measurement collection task at the RAN node and MCE) (also known as the QoE measurement identifier). The QoE reference is a globally unique identifier. The MCE's IP address is used by the RAN node to send the corresponding measurement results to the MCE after receiving them from the terminal device.

[0087] Step 2: The RAN node sends the application layer measurement configuration to the terminal device.

[0088] The application layer measurement configuration information sent by the RAN node to the terminal device may be the same as the QoE measurement collection configuration information received by the RAN node from the CN or OAM, or may include only part of the information (for example, the area range is not required). Typically, the application layer measurement configuration information sent by the RAN node to the terminal device includes the service type, application layer measurement configuration, etc.

[0089] For signaling-based QoE measurement, before the RAN node sends the application layer measurement configuration to the corresponding terminal device, the RAN node also determines whether to configure QoE measurement for the terminal device based on whether the terminal device supports QoE measurement. Optionally, before sending QoE measurement collection configuration information to the RAN node, the CN determines whether the terminal device is currently within the area scope specified in the QoE measurement collection configuration information. Only if the terminal device is within the area scope will the CN send the QoE measurement collection configuration information to the RAN node.

[0090] For management-based QoE measurements, the RAN selects an appropriate terminal device based on the QoE measurement collection configuration information sent by the OAM / EM, whether the terminal device supports the corresponding QoE measurement, and other factors. After the RAN selects the terminal device, it sends the application layer measurement configuration to the terminal device.

[0091] The RAN node sends the application layer measurement configuration obtained from the CN, OAM or EM to the terminal device through a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message. The message also carries the service type corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration.

[0092] The application layer measurement configuration may be sent to the terminal device in a container format, or the application layer measurement configuration may be sent to the terminal device in a non-container format.

[0093] In addition, the RAN node can also trigger the configuration of application layer measurement configuration for the terminal device itself, and is not limited to receiving the command in step 1. That is, the RAN node can send the application layer measurement configuration generated by the RAN node to the terminal device via an RRC message, and the message also carries the service type corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration.

[0094] In addition to sending the application layer measurement configuration to the terminal device, the RAN node may also send some configuration information (which may be referred to as RAN-visible application layer measurement configuration) to the terminal device, instructing the terminal device to report some application layer indicators in a RAN-visible form (e.g., in the form of information elements). The application layer indicators may include the RAN-visible application layer indicators in step 1 above, or may include a comprehensive score for the application layer indicators, a comprehensive score for the access layer indicators, or a comprehensive score obtained by combining the application layer indicators and the access layer indicators, or an indicator indicating the quality of the application layer indicators (e.g., the values ​​may be good, medium, or poor) (e.g., the RAN node sends some thresholds to the terminal device, and the terminal device determines the quality indicator corresponding to the application layer indicator measurement result based on the application layer indicator measurement result and the thresholds corresponding to the application layer measurement indicator). The RAN node may also configure the reporting period for the terminal device to report the RAN-visible application layer indicators (if the RAN does not configure this reporting period, the terminal device may report the RAN-visible application layer indicators when reporting the application layer measurement results corresponding to the application layer measurement configuration). In addition, the RAN node does not need to send down some configuration information about the application layer indicators visible to the terminal device. After the terminal device obtains the application layer indicators, the terminal device can report some application layer indicators specified by the protocol and currently available to the RAN node.

[0095] Optionally, in addition to sending the application layer measurement configuration or the RAN-visible application layer measurement configuration to the terminal device, the RAN node may also send an application layer measurement identifier to the terminal device. This application layer measurement identifier is generated by the RAN node for the terminal device and corresponds to an application layer measurement configuration configured by the RAN node for the terminal device. Generally speaking, the application layer measurement identifier corresponds to the QoE reference. The RAN node stores this correspondence.

[0096] Optionally, the RAN node may send the application layer measurement configuration and the RAN-visible measurement configuration to the terminal device in the same RRC message, or may send them in different messages, for example, sending the application layer measurement configuration first and then sending the RAN-visible application layer measurement configuration.

[0097] In step 3, the access stratum (AS) of the terminal device sends the application layer measurement configuration received from the RAN to the upper layer of the AS of the terminal device.

[0098] The upper layer of the AS of the terminal device here may be an application layer or a layer for performing QOE measurement.

[0099] The AS of the terminal device sends the application layer measurement configuration and service type to the upper layer of the AS of the terminal device.

[0100] The upper layer of the AS of the terminal device performs QoE measurement according to the application layer measurement configuration.

[0101] If the application layer measurement configuration is sent to the terminal device in the form of a container, in addition to sending the application layer measurement configuration to the upper layer of the AS, the AS of the terminal device can also send the configuration information of some application layer indicators received from the RAN that the terminal device is notified to report in a RAN-visible form to the upper layer of the AS of the terminal device.

[0102] Optionally, the AS of the terminal device also sends the application layer measurement identifier corresponding to each application layer measurement configuration to an upper layer of the AS of the terminal device.

[0103] The AS of the terminal device sends the above information to the upper layer of the AS through a command called AT (attention) command. For example, the above command is also called AT command + CAPPLEVMC (command application level measurement configuration).

[0104] In step 4, the upper layer of the AS of the terminal device sends the application layer measurement result to the AS of the terminal device.

[0105] The upper layer of the AS of the terminal device reports the application layer measurement results according to certain rules (such as the rules included in the application layer measurement configuration). For example, the upper layer of the AS of the terminal device periodically reports the application layer measurement results. For example, the terminal device may report the application layer measurement results only after a session ends.

[0106] When the upper layer of the AS of the terminal device determines that the application layer measurement result needs to be reported according to the application layer measurement configuration, the upper layer of the AS of the terminal device sends the application layer measurement result to the AS of the terminal device. The application layer measurement result can be reported in the form of a container.

[0107] In addition, in addition to reporting RAN-invisible application layer measurement results (application layer measurement results reported in the form of containers), the upper layer of the AS of the terminal device can also report RAN-visible application layer indicator measurement results (for example, application layer indicator measurement results reported in the form of information elements) based on the RAN-visible application layer measurement configuration. (Note: The upper layer of the AS of the terminal device may report RAN-invisible application layer measurement results and RAN-visible application layer indicator measurement results at different times.)

[0108] In addition, in addition to reporting the application layer measurement result or the measurement result of the application layer indicator visible to the RAN, the upper layer of the AS of the terminal device may also report the application layer measurement identifier corresponding to the measurement result.

[0109] Optionally, when an application layer measurement starts, the upper layer of the AS of the terminal device may send an indication message to the AS of the terminal device, indicating that the application layer measurement has started. Similarly, when an application layer measurement ends, the upper layer of the AS of the terminal device may send an indication message to the AS of the terminal device, indicating that the application layer measurement has ended.

[0110] The upper layer of the AS sends the above information to the AS via a command called an AT (attention) command. For example, the command is also called AT command + CAPPLEVMR (command application level measurement report).

[0111] Step 5: The AS of the terminal device sends the application layer measurement results to the RAN.

[0112] The AS in the terminal device sends the application layer measurement results to the RAN, for example, by including this information in an uplink RRC message. The application layer measurement results may be sent to the RAN in a container or non-container format.

[0113] It should be noted that the RAN node that sends the application layer measurement configuration and the RAN node that receives the application layer measurement result may not be the same base station (for example, due to mobility, the RAN is changed), or they may be the same base station.

[0114] Furthermore, if application-layer measurement results are sent to the RAN in the form of a container, the terminal device's AS can report not only the RAN-invisible application-layer measurement results (i.e., the contents of the container) but also the RAN-visible application-layer metric measurement results received from the terminal device's AS layer. (Note: The terminal device may report the RAN-invisible and RAN-visible application-layer metric measurement results at different times.)

[0115] In addition, in addition to reporting the application layer measurement results or the measurement results of the application layer indicators visible to the RAN, the AS of the terminal device may also report the application layer measurement identifiers corresponding to these measurement results.

[0116] Step 6: The RAN node sends the application layer measurement results to the MCE.

[0117] The RAN node sends the application layer measurement results to the MCE. For example, the RAN node obtains the QoE reference corresponding to the application layer measurement result based on the stored correspondence between the application layer measurement identifier and the QoE reference and the application layer measurement identifier reported by the terminal device. The RAN then searches the QoE reference to find the IP address of the corresponding MCE and sends the application layer measurement results to the MCE. Alternatively, the RAN obtains the corresponding application layer measurement configuration based on the application layer measurement identifier reported by the terminal device, and then obtains the IP address of the MCE corresponding to the application layer measurement result based on the QoE measurement collection configuration information issued by the CN or OAM, and then sends the application layer measurement results to the MCE.

[0118] In addition, the RAN node can optimize wireless resources based on the measurement results of RAN-visible application layer indicators reported by the terminal device (for example, when the measurement result of a certain application layer indicator is not ideal, the base station can allocate more resources to the terminal device, or increase the scheduling priority of the terminal device, etc.).

[0119] The above describes the existing QoE measurement process. Additionally, a terminal device can perform application-layer measurements of broadcast services in the MBS while in RRC IDLE, RRC INACTIVE, or RRC CONNECTED. The basic idea is that while a terminal device is receiving broadcast services in the MBS in RRC_IDLE, RRC_INACTIVE, or RRC_CONNECTED, it simultaneously performs application-layer measurements of these services.

[0120] For terminal devices in the RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE state, the QoE measurement configuration is configured by the network before the terminal device enters the RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE state. The terminal device measures and saves the application layer measurement results of these services in the RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE state. After the terminal device enters the RRC_CONNECTED state, the terminal device sends the application layer measurement results to the network.

[0121] It is currently under discussion that after the terminal device enters the RRC_Connected state from the RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE state, the new base station needs to know some information about the QoE measurement previously configured by the network side for the terminal device, such as QoE reference, application layer measurement identifier, MCE information (such as MCE IP address or MCE identifier), type of QoE measurement (signaling-based QoE measurement or management-based QoE measurement), whether the QoE measurement has been started, the service type corresponding to the QoE measurement, relevant information on MDT alignment, and available RAN-visible application layer indicators (hereinafter referred to as the first information).

[0122] There are currently two methods. One method is that when the terminal device enters the RRC_CONNECTED state from the RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE state, the terminal device sends the first information corresponding to each QoE measurement to the target base station. The other method is that before or after the terminal device enters the RRC_IDLE state, the source base station sends the above information to the core network. When the terminal device subsequently enters the RRC_CONNECTED state, the core network sends the above information to the target base station.

[0123] However, if the first method is applied to an MBS scenario, after a terminal device enters RRC_Connected from RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE, if the terminal device reports the corresponding first information each time it reports the QoE measurement result corresponding to the MBS service, this will increase the signaling overhead between the terminal device and the base station. To address this issue, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, apparatus, and system to reduce the signaling overhead of a terminal device reporting the first information corresponding to the QoE measurement result.

[0124] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Among them, in the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" in the present application is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, in the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" refers to two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, c can be single or multiple. In addition, in order to facilitate the clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish between identical or similar items with substantially the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art will understand that words such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and words such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit differences. At the same time, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a concrete way for easy understanding.

[0125] In the embodiment of the present application, "indication" may include direct indication and indirect indication, and may also include explicit indication and implicit indication. The information indicated by a certain information (such as the first indication information below) is called information to be indicated. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated, such as but not limited to, the information to be indicated can be directly indicated, such as the information to be indicated itself or the index of the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, wherein the other information and the information to be indicated have an association relationship. It is also possible to indicate only a part of the information to be indicated, while the other parts of the information to be indicated are known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of specific information can be achieved by means of the arrangement order of each piece of information agreed in advance (such as specified in the protocol), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. At the same time, the common parts of each piece of information can also be identified and indicated uniformly to reduce the indication overhead caused by indicating the same information separately.

[0126] In addition, the specific indication method can also be various existing indication methods, such as but not limited to the above-mentioned indication methods and various combinations thereof. The specific details of the various indication methods can be referred to the prior art and will not be repeated herein. As can be seen from the above, for example, when it is necessary to indicate multiple information of the same type, there may be a situation where the indication methods for different information are different. In the specific implementation process, the required indication method can be selected according to specific needs. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the selected indication method. In this way, the indication method involved in the embodiment of the present application should be understood to cover various methods that can enable the party to be indicated to obtain the information to be indicated.

[0127] It should be understood that the information to be indicated can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately, and the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be the same or different. The specific sending method is not limited in the embodiments of this application. The sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be predefined, for example, predefined according to a protocol, or can be configured by the transmitting device by sending configuration information to the receiving device.

[0128] In an embodiment of the present application, "pre-definition", "pre-defined", "pre-configured" or "pre-configured" can be implemented by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in the device. For example, it can be burned into the device when the device leaves the factory. The embodiment of the present application does not limit its specific implementation method. Among them, "saving" can mean saving in one or more memories. The one or more memories can be set separately or integrated in an encoder or decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The one or more memories can also be partially set separately and partially integrated in a decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The type of memory can be any form of storage medium, which is not limited by the embodiment of the present application.

[0129] The "protocol" involved in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a protocol family in the communication field, a standard protocol with a similar protocol family frame structure, or a related protocol used in future communication systems. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0130] In the embodiments of the present application, descriptions such as "when...", "in the case of...", "if" and "if" all mean that the device will perform corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances. It does not limit the time, nor does it require the device to perform judgment actions when implemented, nor does it mean that there are other limitations.

[0131] The technical solution provided in this application can be used in various communication systems, for example, it can be applied to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) communication system, such as the 4th generation (4G) long term evolution (LTE) system, 5G mobile communication system and its evolution system, vehicle to everything (V2X) system, LTE and new radio (NR) hybrid networking system, or device to device (D2D) system, machine to machine (M2M) communication system, Internet of Things (IoT), and other next generation communication systems, such as the 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system.

[0132] It should be noted that the network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0133] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting communication system applicable to embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 2 , communication system 10 includes a RAN 100, which includes at least one RAN node (e.g., 110a and 110b in Figure 2 , collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal device 120. RAN 100 may also include other devices, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 2). Terminal device 120 can be wirelessly connected to network device 110.

[0134] Optionally, the communication system 10 may further include a core network (CN) 200. The RAN node 110 may be connected to the core network 200 via a wireless or wired connection. The core network devices in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 may be different physical devices, or they may be the same physical device that integrates the core network logical functions and the radio access network logical functions.

[0135] Optionally, the communication system 10 may further include the Internet, which may be connected to the core network or the RAN.

[0136] RAN 100 may be a 3GPP-related cellular system, such as a 4G or 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolutionary system (such as a 6G mobile communication system). RAN 100 may also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN 100 may also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0137] The RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity or access node, constitutes a part of the communication system to help terminal devices achieve wireless access. The multiple RAN nodes 110 in the communication system 10 can be nodes of the same type or different types. In one possible scenario, the RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a next-generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. The RAN node can be a macro base station, a micro base station or an indoor station, a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the RAN node can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or an onboard device, etc. For example, the access network device in V2X technology can be a road side unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this application may also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform). The RAN node in this application may also be a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the RAN node functions.

[0138] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist terminal devices in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set separately, or they can be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0139] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0140] The RAN node may also be expressed in different ways, such as a network device. In this application, unless otherwise specified, the network device is used to express the node.

[0141] A terminal device may be a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, and may also be referred to as a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal device, etc. Terminal devices can be widely used in various scenarios, such as D2D, V2X communication, machine-type communication (MTC), IOT, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, self-driving, remote medical, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, etc. Terminal devices may be mobile phones, tablet computers, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the device form of the terminal device.

[0142] In the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, taking the interaction between two network devices (referred to as a first network device and a second network device) and any terminal device as an example, the terminal device receives the configuration information of the first customer perceived experience QoE measurement, the first identification information corresponding to the first QoE measurement, and the first information from the first network device, wherein the first QoE measurement corresponds to the first multicast or broadcast MBS service, and the first identification information is used to identify the first QoE measurement. The terminal device sends the first information and the first identification information to the second network device, and the first information corresponds to the first identification information. The terminal device sends at least one first measurement result and the first identification information to the second network device, and the first measurement result is a QoE measurement result obtained based on the configuration information of the first QoE measurement. The specific implementation and technical effects of this solution will be described in detail in the subsequent method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0143] Optionally, the network device or terminal device may adopt the structure of the communication device 300 shown in Figure 3. As shown in Figure 3, the communication device 300 includes a processor 301, a communication circuit 302, and at least one communication interface (Figure 3 is merely an example of including a communication interface 304). Optionally, the communication device 300 may also include a memory 303.

[0144] The processor 301 can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits used to control the execution of the program of the present application.

[0145] The communication link 302 may include a pathway for transmitting information between the aforementioned components.

[0146] The communication interface 304 uses any transceiver or other device for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, wireless access network, wireless local area network (WLAN), etc.

[0147] The memory 303 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, an optical disc storage (including a compact disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory may exist independently and be connected to the processor via the communication line 302. The memory may also be integrated with the processor.

[0148] The memory 303 is used to store computer-executable instructions for executing the solution of the present application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 301. The processor 301 is used to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 303, thereby implementing the methods provided in the following embodiments of the present application.

[0149] Optionally, the computer-executable instructions in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as application code or computer program code, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0150] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 301 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 in FIG. 3 .

[0151] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 300 may include multiple processors, such as the processor 301 and the processor 308 in FIG3 . Each of these processors may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. The processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0152] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 300 may further include an output device 305 and an input device 306. The output device 305 communicates with the processor 301 and can display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device 305 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector. The input device 306 communicates with the processor 301 and can receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, the input device 306 can be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensor device.

[0153] It is understood that the structure shown in FIG3 does not constitute a specific limitation on the communication device 300. For example, in other embodiments of the present application, the communication device 300 may include more or fewer components than shown, or may combine or separate certain components, or arrange the components differently. The components shown in the figure may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0154] The following will combine Figures 2 to 3 to explain the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application by taking the interaction between a network device and any terminal device as an example.

[0155] It should be noted that the message names between network elements or the names of parameters in the messages in the following embodiments of the present application are only examples, and other names may be used in specific implementations. The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0156] Similar to the meaning of "visible" in the RAN, in the embodiments of the present application, information visible to a network device means that the network device can interpret the information, and a form visible to a network device means that if the information is sent to the network device in this form, the network device can interpret the received information. Conversely, information invisible to a network device means that the network device cannot interpret the information, and a form invisible to a network device means that if the information is sent to the network device in this form, the network device can interpret the received information. The word "visible" can also be replaced by "perceived," "acquired," "detected," etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0157] As shown in Figure 4, a communication method is provided for an embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 illustrates the method by taking a network device and a terminal device as the execution subjects of the interaction diagram as an example, but the present application does not limit the execution subjects of the interaction diagram. For example, the network device in Figure 4 may also be a module such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor applied to a network device, or a logical node, a logical module, or software that can realize all or part of the functions of a network device node; the terminal device in Figure 4 may also be a module such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor applied to a terminal device, or a logical node, a logical module, or software that can realize all or part of the functions of a terminal device. The communication method includes the following steps S401-S403:

[0158] S401: A first network device sends configuration information for a first QoE measurement, first identification information corresponding to the first QoE measurement, and first information to a terminal device, where the first identification information is used to identify the first QoE measurement. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the configuration information for the first QoE measurement, the first identification information corresponding to the first QoE measurement, and the first information.

[0159] The first network device is the network device to which the terminal device is connected when S401 occurs.

[0160] The first QoE measurement can be understood as a specific measurement task issued by the network side for a service. Optionally, a service can correspond to one or more QoE measurements.

[0161] Optionally, the first QoE measurement may correspond to a multicast or broadcast service (which may be referred to as a first MBS service). Alternatively, the first QoE measurement may correspond to other types of services, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0162] Optionally, in addition to the first QoE measurement, the first network device may also send configuration information of one or more other QoE measurements, corresponding first identification information, and first information to the terminal device.

[0163] Optionally, the first QoE measurement may be a signaling-based QoE measurement, or may be a management-based QoE measurement. The meanings of the signaling-based QoE measurement and the management-based QoE measurement can be found in the above description and will not be elaborated here.

[0164] The first QoE measurement may be an application layer measurement.

[0165] The configuration information of the first QoE measurement can be used by the terminal device to perform corresponding application layer measurements to obtain a measurement result corresponding to the first QoE measurement. After receiving the configuration information of the first QoE measurement, the access stratum (AS) of the terminal device can send the configuration information of the first QoE measurement to an upper layer of the AS of the terminal device (the upper layer of the AS can be an application layer or a layer that performs QOE measurement). The upper layer of the AS performs measurement based on the configuration information of the first QoE measurement to obtain a measurement result.

[0166] The first information can be understood as information related to the first QoE measurement task. If the network device obtains the first information and the corresponding measurement result reported by the terminal device, it can know based on the first information what measurement task the measurement result is based on.

[0167] Among them, the first identification information is used to identify the first QoE measurement and corresponds to the first information. If the network device saves the correspondence between the first identification information and the first information, the corresponding first information can be determined based on the first identification information, thereby further determining what kind of measurement task the first QoE measurement is.

[0168] Optionally, before S401 , the first network device may obtain configuration information of the first QoE measurement, first identification information corresponding to the first QoE measurement, and first information, which are described in detail below.

[0169] Optionally, the first network device may obtain the first QoE measurement configuration information from the core network device. For example, the first network device may obtain the first QoE measurement configuration information from an OAM or EM network element.

[0170] Exemplarily, the configuration information of the first QoE measurement may include at least one of the following:

[0171] Service Type, Choice Area Scope of QMC, Measurement Collection Entity IP Address, Application Layer Measurement Configuration, Slice Support List for QMC, Choice MDT Alignment Information, and Available RAN Visible QoE Metrics. The specific meaning of this information can be found above and will not be elaborated here.

[0172] Optionally, in the above example, the application layer measurement configuration included in the configuration information for the first QoE measurement may be sent to the first network device in a form that is not visible to the first network device. For example, it may be sent to the first network device in the form of a container. In this case, the application layer measurement configuration may also be referred to as a container for application layer measurement configuration. Alternatively, the application layer measurement configuration may be sent to the first network device in a form that is visible to the first network device. For example, it may be sent to the first network device in a non-container form.

[0173] Optionally, the first network device may generate first identification information corresponding to the first QoE measurement, or may obtain the first identification information corresponding to the first QoE measurement from a core network device.

[0174] Exemplarily, the first identification information may include at least one of the following:

[0175] QoE reference information and application layer measurement identification information.

[0176] Among them, the QoE reference information can also be called QoE measurement identification information, which is a unique identification information. For example, the QoE reference information can be composed of a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) number (the PLMN code is composed of a mobile country code (MCC) and a mobile network code (MNC)) and a QoE measurement collection identifier, wherein the QoE measurement collection identifier is allocated by the management system (which can be understood as a backend network management) or the operator for the QoE measurement, and different QoE measurements are allocated different QoE measurement collection identifiers. The QoE reference information can be sent to the first network device by the core network device, OAM or EM.

[0177] The application layer measurement identification information is generated by the first network device for the terminal device, and corresponds to an application layer measurement configuration configured by the first network device for the terminal device (not the application layer measurement configuration included in the above-mentioned first QoE measurement configuration information).

[0178] Optionally, if the first network device obtains the QoE reference information and application layer measurement identification information corresponding to the first QoE, the first network device may save the correspondence between the QoE reference information and the application layer measurement identification information.

[0179] Optionally, the first network device may obtain first information corresponding to the first QoE measurement from the core network device.

[0180] Exemplarily, the first information may include at least one of the following:

[0181] Measurement collection entity (MCE) information (e.g., MCE IP address or MCE identification information), QoE measurement type information (e.g., whether the QoE measurement is signaling-based or management-based), service type information corresponding to the QoE measurement, information related to minimization drive test (MDT) alignment, and available RAN-visible application layer metrics. The specific meaning of this information can be found above and will not be elaborated here.

[0182] Optionally, the first network device may also send a configuration range corresponding to the first QoE measurement to the terminal device. In one possible implementation, the configuration range may be included in the application layer measurement configuration included in the configuration information of the above-mentioned first QoE measurement. For example, it may be location filter information in the application layer measurement configuration, and the location filter information may indicate the cell identifier, PLMN, tracking area code (TAC), etc. corresponding to the configuration range. Alternatively, the location range may not be in the application layer measurement configuration included in the configuration information of the above-mentioned first QoE measurement. For example, the configuration information of the first QoE measurement sent by the first network device to the terminal device displays the cell identifier, PLMN, TAC, etc. corresponding to the configuration range, that is, the location range is carried outside the application layer measurement configuration.

[0183] S402: The terminal device sends first information and first identification information to the second network device, where the first information corresponds to the first identification information. Correspondingly, the second network device receives the first information and the first identification information.

[0184] The second network device is the network device to which the terminal device is connected when S402 occurs.

[0185] In S402 , the second network device and the first network device may be different network devices or the same network device.

[0186] Optionally, during S401 to S402, the terminal device may be in the RRC connected (RRC_Connected) state. Alternatively, the terminal device may enter the RRC idle (RRC_IDLE) state or the RRC inactive (RRC_INACTIVE) state from the RRC_Connected state, and then enter the RRC_Connected state from the RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0187] Optionally, during S401 to S402, the terminal device may have performed a cell handover, switching from the first network device to the second network device. Alternatively, the terminal device may have performed a cell reselection, reselecting from the cell served by the first network device to the cell served by the second network device. Alternatively, the terminal device may have performed other processes, accessing from the first network device to the second network device. Therefore, during S401 to S402, the first network device can be understood as the source network device originally accessed by the terminal device, and the second network device can be understood as the new network device (or target network device) accessed by the terminal device.

[0188] In S402, after receiving the first information and the first identification information sent by the terminal device, the second network device may save the corresponding relationship between the first information and the first identification information.

[0189] Optionally, if before S402, the terminal device performed measurements according to the configuration information of the first QoE measurement and obtained at least one measurement result (in the following embodiments of the present application, the QoE measurement result obtained according to the configuration information of the first QoE measurement may be referred to as the first measurement result), in S402, the terminal device may also send the at least one first measurement result obtained together with the first information and the first identification information to the second network device.

[0190] Optionally, the first measurement result may be a specific measurement result of the application layer, for example, it may be a value of an application layer indicator measured based on the application layer indicator sent by the first network device.

[0191] Optionally, the terminal device may periodically perform measurement according to the configuration information of the first QoE measurement to obtain multiple first measurement results.

[0192] Optionally, in S402, the first information and first identification information sent by the terminal device to the second network device may be transmitted via a wireless bearer. In one possible manner, the wireless bearer is configured by the second network device for the terminal device when the terminal device initiates a connection with the second network device, and can be understood as being configured by default. For example, the wireless bearer may be a signaling radio bearer (SRB) 1. In another possible manner, the wireless bearer requires the second network device to be specifically configured for the terminal device. In this possible manner, before S402, the second network device may send first configuration information to the terminal device, and the first configuration information is used to configure the wireless bearer. After receiving the first configuration information, the terminal device determines the corresponding wireless bearer, and sends the first information and first identification information to the second network device via the wireless bearer. Exemplarily, the wireless bearer configured by the first configuration information may be SRB4.

[0193] S403: The terminal device sends at least one first measurement result and first identification information to the second network device. Correspondingly, the second network device receives the at least one first measurement result and first identification information.

[0194] Before S403 , the terminal device performs measurement according to the configuration information of the first QoE measurement to obtain at least one first measurement result.

[0195] Optionally, in S403, when the terminal device sends the first measurement result and the first identification information to the second network device, one first measurement result and the first identification information may be sent each time. Alternatively, the terminal device may also send the first identification information and one or more first measurement results each time. In one possible implementation, the number of first measurement results sent each time may be determined based on the number of first measurement results currently obtained and the size of resources that can be used to transmit the first measurement results and the first identification information. For example, if multiple first measurement results are currently obtained and the transmission resources are sufficient to transmit the first identification information and the multiple first measurement results, the terminal device may send both the first identification information and the multiple first measurement results to the second network device through the transmission resources.

[0196] Optionally, in S403, the terminal device may not send the first information to the second network device. That is, if the message carrying at least one first measurement result and first identification information is called a first message, the first message may not include the first information.

[0197] Since in S402, the second network device received the first information and the first identification information, it learned the correspondence between the first information and the first identification information. Therefore, in S403, after the second network device receives the first measurement result and the first identification information, it can determine, based on the first identification information, that the first measurement result corresponds to the first information received previously. Furthermore, when the second network device sends the QoE measurement result to the MCE, it can obtain other information corresponding to the QoE measurement (such as the MCE IP address, etc.) based on the first identification information. Therefore, based on the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, after the terminal device reports the first information and the first identification information to the second network device, each subsequent time the measurement result is sent to the second network device, it is not necessary to send the first information together. Only the first identification information needs to be sent to allow the second network device to determine the first information corresponding to the measurement result, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0198] Optionally, in S403, the first measurement result and first identification information sent by the terminal device to the second network device may be transmitted via a wireless bearer. In one possible manner, the wireless bearer is configured by the second network device for the terminal device when the terminal device initiates a connection with the second network device, and can be understood as being configured by default. For example, the wireless bearer may be SRB1. In another possible manner, the wireless bearer requires the second network device to be specially configured for the terminal device. In this possible manner, in this optional implementation, before S403, the second network device may send first configuration information to the terminal device, and the first configuration information is used to configure the wireless bearer. After receiving the first configuration information, the terminal device determines the corresponding wireless bearer, and sends the first measurement result and first identification information to the second network device via the wireless bearer. Exemplarily, the wireless bearer configured by the first configuration information may be SRB4.

[0199] Optionally, the radio bearer used to transmit the first information and the first identification information in S402 and the radio bearer used to transmit the first measurement result and the first identification information in S403 may be the same radio bearer or different radio bearers.

[0200] Optionally, after S401 and before S402, the terminal device may send a first indication message to the second network device, where the first indication message is used to indicate whether there is a QoE measurement result. If the terminal device obtains the measurement result according to the configuration information of the QoE measurement, the terminal device may send a first indication message indicating that there is a QoE measurement result to the second network device. If the terminal device has not yet obtained the first measurement result, the terminal device may send a first indication message indicating that there is no QoE measurement result to the second network device, or the terminal device may not send the first indication message to the second network device (implying that there is no QoE measurement result).

[0201] Alternatively, the first indication information may also indicate whether there is configuration information for QoE measurement corresponding to the multicast or broadcast service. If the terminal device determines that it has configuration information for QoE measurement corresponding to the multicast or broadcast service, it can perform measurements to obtain measurement results, and the terminal device may send a first indication information to the second network device, indicating that there is configuration information for QoE measurement corresponding to the multicast or broadcast service. If the terminal device has not yet obtained the configuration information for QoE measurement corresponding to the multicast or broadcast service, the terminal device may send a first indication information to the second network device, and the first indication information indicates that there is no configuration information for QoE measurement corresponding to the multicast or broadcast service, or the terminal device may not send the first indication information to the second network device (implying that there is no configuration information for QoE measurement corresponding to the multicast or broadcast service).

[0202] Optionally, the first indication information may indicate whether the QoE measurement result / QoE measurement configuration information is present through different values. For example, the first indication information may be a 1-bit field, where a value of 1 indicates that the QoE measurement result / QoE measurement configuration information is present, and a value of 0 indicates that the QoE measurement result / QoE measurement configuration information is not present.

[0203] Among them, "have" can also be replaced by "obtained", "obtained", etc., as long as it can indicate whether the terminal device has obtained the QoE measurement results / QoE measurement configuration information. The embodiments of this application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0204] Optionally, the second network device sending the first configuration information to the terminal device may be triggered by first indication information sent by the terminal device to the second network device, indicating that there is a QoE measurement result or a QoE measurement configuration. That is, after the terminal device sends the first indication information to the second network device, the second network device may send the first configuration information to the terminal device to configure a radio bearer (e.g., SRB4).

[0205] Optionally, after S401, the second network device may send a second indication message to the terminal device, and the second indication message may indicate the start or suspension of reporting the target measurement result. The target measurement result is a measurement result obtained according to any QoE measurement configuration information, that is, in this case, the second indication message may indicate the start or suspension of reporting any QoE measurement result. Alternatively, the target measurement result is the first measurement result, that is, in this case, the second indication message may be sent by the second network device to the terminal device for the first QoE measurement result. Alternatively, the target measurement result may be the QoE measurement result corresponding to a certain service type, for example, the QoE measurement result corresponding to the MBS service or the QoE measurement result corresponding to the non-MBS service. For example, in some scenarios, the second network device only wants to receive the QoE measurement result corresponding to the non-MBS service, but does not want to receive the QoE measurement result corresponding to the MBS service. The second network device may send a second indication message to the terminal device, instructing to suspend reporting the QoE measurement result corresponding to the MBS service (i.e., the target measurement result).

[0206] Correspondingly, after receiving the second indication information, the terminal device can determine whether to report the QoE measurement result based on the second indication information.

[0207] Optionally, the terminal device may further generate third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate whether the first QoE measurement has been started. Further, the terminal device may send the third indication information to the second network device to inform the second network device whether the terminal device has currently started the first QoE measurement.

[0208] Optionally, the third indication information may be sent to the second network device together with the first information and the first identification information in S402. That is, S402 may be: the terminal device sends the first information, the first identification information and the third indication information to the second network device.

[0209] Optionally, after S402, the second network device may send a fourth indication message to the terminal device. The fourth indication message may indicate whether the terminal device reports the first identification information together (i.e., without reporting the first information) or reports the first information together when subsequently reporting the measurement result of the first QoE measurement. Furthermore, in S403, the information reported together when the terminal device sends the first measurement result to the second network device may be determined based on the indication of the fourth indication message. If the fourth indication message instructs the terminal device to report the first identification information together, in S403, when the terminal device reports the first identification information and the measurement result of the first QoE measurement to the second network device, the first information may not be reported. If the fourth indication message instructs the terminal device to report the first information together, in S403, when the terminal device reports the first identification information and the measurement result of the first QoE measurement to the second network device, it may also report the first information.

[0210] For example, FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a possible flow of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Assuming that the first network device is RAN1, the second network device is RAN2, and the terminal device is a UE, as shown in FIG5, the flow includes the following steps:

[0211] S501. RAN1 sends configuration information of a first QoE measurement, first information corresponding to the first QoE measurement, and first identification information to a UE.

[0212] For details of S501, please refer to S401 and will not be elaborated here.

[0213] S502 : The AS of the UE sends the configuration information of the first QoE measurement received from RAN1 to the upper layer (ie, application layer) of the AS of the UE.

[0214] S503 : The upper layer of the AS of the UE performs measurement according to the configuration information of the first QoE measurement to obtain a first QoE measurement result.

[0215] S504 : The upper layer of the AS of the UE sends the first QoE measurement result to the AS.

[0216] S505. The UE reports first indication information indicating a first QoE measurement result to RAN2.

[0217] S506. RAN2 configures a radio bearer for transmitting the first QoE measurement result for the UE. For example, the radio bearer is SRB4.

[0218] S507. The UE reports the first QoE measurement result, the first information, and the first identification information to RAN2.

[0219] After receiving the first QoE measurement result, the first information, and the first identification information, the RAN may determine that the first identification information and the first information correspond to the first QoE, and save the correspondence between the first identification information and the first information.

[0220] S508. The UE reports the first QoE measurement result to RAN2 again, and reports the first identification information.

[0221] RAN2 can determine the corresponding first information according to the first identification information, thereby determining that the first QoE measurement result received this time is still the first QoE measurement result.

[0222] In addition, if the terminal device obtains the first information corresponding to the QoE measurement in the RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE state, after the terminal device enters the RRC_Connected state from the RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE state, if a handover occurs, and the terminal device also sends the QoE measurement result to the target base station after the handover, then the target base station also needs the first information corresponding to the QoE measurement. At this time, there is no solution for how the target base station obtains the first information. Moreover, in the scenario of the primary and secondary base stations, if the terminal device reports the QoE measurement result to the secondary base station, the secondary base station also needs to know the first information corresponding to the QoE measurement. At this time, there is no solution for how the secondary base station obtains the first information. Based on the above problems, an embodiment of the present application also provides another communication method. Figure 6 takes the network device and the terminal device as the execution subjects of the interaction as an example to illustrate this method, but the present application does not limit the execution subjects of the interaction. For example, the network device in FIG6 may also be a module applied to the network device, such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor, or a logical node, a logical module, or software that can realize all or part of the network device node functions; the terminal device in FIG6 may also be a module applied to the terminal device, such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor, or a logical node, a logical module, or software that can realize all or part of the terminal device functions. As shown in FIG6 , the communication method includes the following steps:

[0223] S601. The third network device sends a first request message to the fourth network device; wherein the first request message is used to request switching of the terminal device to the fourth network device, or the first request message is used to request adding the fourth network device as a secondary base station of the terminal device and allocating resources to the terminal device, or requesting the fourth network device to modify the resources allocated to the terminal device.

[0224] The third network device and the fourth network device may be different network devices.

[0225] The first request information includes first information corresponding to the first QoE measurement and first identification information, wherein the first QoE measurement corresponds to the first MBS service, the first identification information is used to identify the first QoE measurement, and the first information corresponds to the first identification information.

[0226] The communication method shown in Figure 6 can be applied to a cell handover scenario. In this scenario, the first request message is used to request handover of a terminal device to a fourth network device. The third network device is the source base station currently connected to the terminal device, and the fourth network device is the target base station (or new base station) to which the terminal device requests handover. Exemplarily, the first request message can be a Handover Request message.

[0227] Therefore, based on the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the target base station in the cell switching scenario can obtain the first information corresponding to the QoE measurement.

[0228] Alternatively, the communication method shown in Figure 6 can be applied to the scenario of primary and secondary cells. In this scenario, the first request message can request the addition of a fourth network device as a secondary node (SN) of the terminal device and allocate resources to the terminal device. In this case, the third network device can be the primary base station of the terminal device. If the fourth network device agrees, the fourth network device is the secondary base station of the terminal device. Exemplarily, the first request message can be an SN addition request message. Alternatively, the first request message can request the fourth network device to modify the resources allocated to the terminal device. In this case, the third network device can be the primary base station of the terminal device, and the fourth network device can be the secondary base station of the terminal device. Exemplarily, the first request message can be an SN modification request message.

[0229] Therefore, based on the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the secondary base station in the cell handover scenario can obtain the first information corresponding to the QoE measurement.

[0230] In S601 , the first QoE measurement, the first information corresponding to the first QoE measurement, and the first identification information can be described in S401 and will not be expanded here.

[0231] Optionally, the first information may be received by the third network device from the terminal device, the core network device, the OAM or the EM, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0232] Optionally, the terminal device may send third indication information to the third network device, where the third indication information is used to indicate whether the first QoE measurement has been started. After receiving the third indication information, the third network device may also send the third indication information to the fourth network device.

[0233] Optionally, if the first information sent by the terminal device to the third network device includes the MCE ID, the first information sent by the third network device to the fourth network device can carry the MCE IP address, that is, the third network device can convert the MCE ID in the received first information into an MCE IP address, and then send it to the fourth network device.

[0234] Optionally, after receiving the first information and the first identification information, the fourth network device may save the correspondence between the first information and the first identification information.

[0235] Optionally, before S601 , the terminal device may receive configuration information of the first QoE measurement from the fifth network device.

[0236] The configuration information of the first QoE measurement may be specifically referred to the introduction in S401 and will not be elaborated here.

[0237] Optionally, before S601, the terminal device may also receive a configuration range corresponding to the first QoE measurement from the fifth network device. The configuration range corresponding to the first QoE measurement may be specifically described in S401 and will not be expanded here.

[0238] Optionally, before S601, if the terminal device receives configuration information for a first QoE measurement, the terminal device may perform a measurement based on the configuration information for the first QoE measurement. If a first measurement result is obtained, the terminal device may also report the at least one obtained first measurement result to a third network device. The details of how the terminal device obtains the first measurement result can be found in the description of S401 above and will not be elaborated here.

[0239] Optionally, when the terminal device sends the at least one first measurement result to the third network device, it may also send the first information and the first identification information. Alternatively, the terminal device may send the first measurement result to the first network device by referring to the manner in which the terminal device sends the first measurement result to the second network device in the communication method shown in FIG. 4 . The embodiments of the present application do not limit how the terminal device specifically sends the first measurement result to the first network device.

[0240] Optionally, the fifth network device that sends the configuration information of the first QoE measurement and / or the configuration range corresponding to the first QoE measurement to the terminal device, and the third network device that receives the first measurement result sent by the terminal device can be the same network device or different network devices.

[0241] Optionally, from the time the terminal device receives the configuration information of the first QoE measurement from the fifth network device to the time the terminal device sends the obtained at least one first measurement result to the third network device, the terminal device may remain in the RRC_Connected state. Alternatively, the terminal device may enter the RRC_IDLE state or the RRC_INACTIVE state from the RRC_Connected state, and then enter the RRC_Connected state from the RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0242] Optionally, after S601, the fourth network device may send fifth indication information to the terminal device, where the fifth indication information is used to indicate that the fourth network device has the first information or indicates that the terminal device does not need to report the first information. Exemplarily, the fifth indication information may be carried in an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0243] Optionally, after S601 , if the terminal device obtains at least one first measurement result according to the configuration information of the first QoE measurement, the terminal device may send the at least one first measurement result to the fourth network device.

[0244] Optionally, when the terminal device sends at least one first measurement result to the fourth network device, it may also send first identification information.

[0245] Optionally, when the terminal device sends at least one first measurement result and first identification information to the fourth network device, it may not send the first information. That is, if a message carrying at least one first measurement result and first identification information is referred to as a first message, the first message may not include the first information. Alternatively, when the terminal device sends at least one first measurement result and first identification information to the fourth network device, it may also send the first information.

[0246] Since in S601, the fourth network device received the first information and the first identification information, it learned the correspondence between the first information and the first identification information. Therefore, after the fourth network device receives the first measurement result and the first identification information, it can determine, based on the first identification information, that the first measurement result corresponds to the first information received previously. Furthermore, when the second network device sends the QoE measurement result to the MCE, it can obtain other information corresponding to the QoE measurement (such as the MCE IP address, etc.) based on the first identification information. Therefore, when the terminal device sends the measurement result to the fourth network device, it does not need to send the first information together. It only needs to send the first identification information to allow the fourth network device to determine the first information corresponding to the measurement result, saving signaling overhead.

[0247] Optionally, the terminal device does not send the first information when sending the at least one first measurement result and the first identification information to the fourth network device, which may be determined based on fifth indication information sent by the fourth network device to the terminal device.

[0248] For example, FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a possible flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Assuming that the third network device is RAN1, the fourth network device is RAN2, and the terminal device is a UE, as shown in FIG7 , the flow includes the following steps:

[0249] S701. RAN1 sends first QoE measurement configuration information to UE.

[0250] S702 : The AS of the UE sends the configuration information of the first QoE measurement received from RAN1 to the upper layer (ie, application layer) of the AS of the UE.

[0251] S703 : The upper layer of the AS of the UE performs measurement according to the configuration information of the first QoE measurement, obtains a first QoE measurement result, and sends it to the AS.

[0252] S704. The UE reports first indication information including a first QoE measurement result to RAN1.

[0253] S705 : RAN1 configures a radio bearer for transmitting the first QoE measurement result for the UE, for example, the radio bearer is SRB4.

[0254] S706 : The UE reports the first QoE measurement result to RAN1 .

[0255] S707 : RAN1 obtains first information and first identification information corresponding to the first QoE.

[0256] For details of S701-S707, please refer to the above introduction to S501-506, or S501-S507 may also refer to existing implementation methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0257] S708 : RAN1 sends a first request message to RAN2 , where the first request message includes first information corresponding to the first QoE and first identification information.

[0258] The first request message may be a handover request message, an SN addition request message, or an SN modification request message.

[0259] Optionally, the method may further include S709: RAN2 sends indication information indicating first information corresponding to the first QoE to the UE.

[0260] S710. The UE reports a first QoE measurement result and first identification information to RAN2.

[0261] RAN2 can determine the corresponding first information according to the first identification information, thereby determining that the first QoE measurement result received this time is still the first QoE measurement result.

[0262] The above primarily describes the solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application from the perspective of interaction between various network elements. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present application also provide a communication device for implementing the various methods described above. The communication device may be a network device in the above method embodiments, or a device including the above network device, or a component usable for a network device; alternatively, the communication device may be a terminal device in the above method embodiments, or a device including the above terminal device, or a component usable for a terminal device. It is understood that, to implement the aforementioned functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the respective functions. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that, in conjunction with the various exemplary units and algorithm steps described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is implemented in hardware or in a hardware-driven manner by computer software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professionals and technicians may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0263] In the embodiment of the present application, the communication device can be divided into functional modules according to the above method embodiment. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be understood that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0264] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 800. The communication device 800 includes a transceiver module 802. Optionally, the communication device 800 may also include a processing module 801. Optionally, the communication device 800 may also include a storage module 803. The transceiver module 802, also known as a transceiver unit, is used to implement transceiver functions and may be, for example, a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0265] Taking the communication device 800 as the terminal device in the above embodiment as an example, in a possible implementation manner:

[0266] Transceiver module 802 is configured to receive configuration information for a first customer perceived experience (QoE) measurement, first identification information corresponding to the first QoE measurement, and first information from a first network device, wherein the first QoE measurement corresponds to a first multicast or broadcast MBS service, and the first identification information is used to identify the first QoE measurement. Transceiver module 802 is further configured to send the first information and the first identification information to a second network device, where the first information corresponds to the first identification information. Transceiver module 802 is further configured to send at least one first measurement result and the first identification information to the second network device, where the first measurement result is a QoE measurement result obtained based on the configuration information for the first QoE measurement.

[0267] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 is further configured to send first indication information to the second network device, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether there is a QoE measurement result.

[0268] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 is also used to receive first configuration information from the second network device; the first configuration information is used to configure the wireless bearer; the transceiver module 802 sends the first information and the first identification information to the second network device, including: sending the first information and the first identification information to the second network device via the wireless bearer.

[0269] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 is also used to receive first configuration information from the second network device; the first configuration information is used to configure the wireless bearer; the transceiver module 802 sends at least one first measurement result and first identification information to the second network device, including: sending at least one first measurement result and first identification information to the second network device via the wireless bearer.

[0270] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 is further used to receive second indication information from the second network device; the second indication information is used to indicate the start or pause of reporting the target measurement result; wherein the target measurement result is a measurement result obtained according to any QoE measurement configuration information, or the target measurement result is the first measurement result.

[0271] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 sends the first information and the first identification information to the second network device, including: sending the first information, the first identification information, and at least one first measurement result to the second network device.

[0272] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 is further configured to send third indication information to the second network device, where the third indication information is used to indicate whether the first QoE measurement has been started.

[0273] Taking the communication device 800 as the second network device in the above embodiment as an example, in a possible implementation:

[0274] The transceiver module 802 is configured to receive first information and first identification information from a terminal device, where the first information corresponds to the first identification information, and the first identification information is used to identify a first QoE measurement, where the first QoE measurement corresponds to a first multicast or broadcast MBS service. The transceiver module 802 is further configured to receive at least one first measurement result and the first identification information from the terminal device, where the first measurement result is a QoE measurement result obtained based on configuration information for the first QoE measurement.

[0275] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 is further configured to receive first indication information from a terminal device, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether there is a QoE measurement result.

[0276] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 is also used to send first configuration information to the terminal device; the first configuration information is used to configure the wireless bearer; the transceiver module 802 receives the first information and the first identification information from the terminal device, including: receiving the first information and the first identification information from the terminal device through the wireless bearer.

[0277] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 is also used to send first configuration information to the terminal device; the first configuration information is used to configure the wireless bearer; the transceiver module 802 receives at least one first measurement result and first identification information from the terminal device, including: receiving at least one first measurement result and first identification information from the terminal device through the wireless bearer.

[0278] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 is further used to send second indication information to the terminal device; the second indication information is used to indicate the start or pause of reporting the target measurement result; wherein the target measurement result is a measurement result obtained according to any QoE measurement configuration information, or the target measurement result is the first measurement result.

[0279] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 receives the first information and first identification information from the terminal device, including: receiving the first information, the first identification information and at least one first measurement result from the terminal device.

[0280] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 is further configured to receive third indication information from the terminal device, where the third indication information is used to indicate whether the first QoE measurement has been started.

[0281] Taking the communication device 800 as the fourth network device in the above embodiment as an example, in a possible implementation manner:

[0282] The transceiver module 802 is used to receive a first request message from a third network device; wherein the first request message is used to request switching of the terminal device to the fourth network device, or the first request message is used to request adding the fourth network device as a secondary base station of the terminal device and allocating resources to the terminal device, or requesting the fourth network device to modify the resources allocated to the terminal device; wherein the first request message includes first information corresponding to a first customer perceived experience QoE measurement and first identification information, wherein the first QoE measurement corresponds to a first multicast or broadcast MBS service, the first identification information is used to identify the first QoE measurement, and the first information corresponds to the first identification information.

[0283] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 is further used to send fifth indication information to the terminal device, where the fifth indication information is used to indicate that the fourth network device has the first information.

[0284] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 is further configured to receive at least one first measurement result and corresponding first identification information from a terminal device; the first measurement result is a QoE measurement result obtained according to configuration information of the first QoE measurement.

[0285] Taking the communication device 800 as the third network device in the above embodiment as an example, in a possible implementation manner:

[0286] The transceiver module 802 is configured to receive first information and first identification information from a terminal device or a core network device. The transceiver module 802 is further configured to send a first request message to a fourth network device; wherein the first request message is used to request switching of the terminal device to the fourth network device, or the first request message is used to request adding the fourth network device as a secondary base station for the terminal device and allocating resources to the terminal device, or to request the fourth network device to modify the resources allocated to the terminal device; wherein the first request message includes first information and first identification information corresponding to a first customer perceived experience (QoE) measurement, wherein the first QoE measurement corresponds to a first multicast or broadcast MBS service, the first identification information is used to identify the first QoE measurement, and the first information corresponds to the first identification information.

[0287] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 is further configured to receive at least one first measurement result from a terminal device; the first measurement result is a QoE measurement result obtained according to configuration information of the first QoE measurement.

[0288] Among them, all relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module and will not be repeated here.

[0289] Alternatively, the modules in FIG8 may also be referred to as units. For example, the processing module may be referred to as a processing unit, and the transceiver module may be referred to as a transceiver unit. In addition, in the embodiment shown in FIG8 , the names of the units may not be those shown in the figure. For example, the transceiver module may also be referred to as a communication module or a communication unit.

[0290] If the various units in Figure 8 are implemented in the form of software function modules and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) or a processor (processor) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The storage medium for storing computer software products includes various media that can store program codes, such as a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0291] In the embodiment of the present application, the communication device 800 is presented in the form of various functional modules divided in an integrated manner. The "module" here can refer to a specific ASIC, circuit, processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions. In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art can imagine that the communication device 800 can take the form of the communication device shown in Figure 3.

[0292] Specifically, the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 802 and the processing module 801 in FIG8 can be implemented by the processor 301 in the communication device 300 shown in FIG3 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 303. Alternatively, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 801 in FIG8 can be implemented by the processor 301 in the communication device 300 shown in FIG3 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 303, and the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 802 in FIG8 can be implemented by the communication interface 304 in the communication device 300 shown in FIG3.

[0293] It should be understood that one or more of the above modules or units can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of the two. When any of the above modules or units is implemented in software, the software exists in the form of computer program instructions and is stored in a memory, and a processor can be used to execute the program instructions and implement the above method flow. The processor can be built into an SoC or ASIC, or it can be an independent semiconductor chip. In addition to the core used to execute software instructions to perform calculations or processing within the processor, it can further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or logic circuits that implement dedicated logic operations.

[0294] When the above modules or units are implemented in hardware, the hardware can be any one or any combination of a CPU, a microprocessor, a digital signal processing (DSP) chip, a microcontroller unit (MCU), an artificial intelligence processor, an ASIC, a SoC, an FPGA, a PLD, a dedicated digital circuit, a hardware accelerator or a non-integrated discrete device, which can run the necessary software or not rely on the software to execute the above method flow.

[0295] Optionally, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device (for example, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system), which includes a processor for implementing the method in any of the above method embodiments. In one possible design, the communication device also includes a memory. The memory is used to store necessary program instructions and data, and the processor can call the program code stored in the memory to instruct the communication device to execute the method in any of the above method embodiments. Of course, the memory may not be in the communication device. When the communication device is a chip system, it may be composed of a chip, or it may include a chip and other discrete devices, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0296] Optionally, an embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is run on a communication device, the communication device can execute the method described in any of the above method embodiments or any of its implementation methods.

[0297] Optionally, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, which includes the network device described in the above method embodiment and the terminal device described in the above method embodiment.

[0298] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions according to the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more media integrated therein. The available media may be magnetic media (eg, floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (eg, DVDs), or semiconductor media (eg, solid state drives (SSDs)).

[0299] Although the present application is described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, in the process of implementing the claimed application, those skilled in the art may understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments by reviewing the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude multiple situations. A single processor or other unit may implement several functions listed in the claims. Certain measures are recorded in different dependent claims, but this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0300] Although the present application has been described with reference to specific features and embodiments thereof, it is apparent that various modifications and combinations may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present application. Accordingly, this specification and the drawings are merely illustrative of the present application as defined by the appended claims and are deemed to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalents within the scope of the present application. Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present application without departing from the scope of the present application. Thus, the present application is intended to encompass such modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Receiving configuration information of a first customer perceived experience QoE measurement, first identification information corresponding to the first QoE measurement, and first information from a first network device, wherein the first QoE measurement corresponds to a first multicast or broadcast MBS service, and the first identification information is used to identify the first QoE measurement; Sending the first information and the first identification information to a second network device, where the first information corresponds to the first identification information; At least one first measurement result and the first identification information are sent to the second network device, where the first measurement result is a QoE measurement result obtained according to the configuration information of the first QoE measurement.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The at least one first measurement result and the first identification information are carried in a first message, and the first message does not include the first information.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Sending first indication information to the second network device, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether there is a QoE measurement result.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The method further comprises: receiving first configuration information from the second network device; the first configuration information is used to configure a radio bearer; The sending the first information and the first identification information to the second network device includes: The first information and the first identification information are sent to the second network device through the radio bearer.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The method further comprises: receiving first configuration information from the second network device; the first configuration information is used to configure a radio bearer; The sending the at least one first measurement result and the first identification information to the second network device includes: The at least one first measurement result and the first identification information are sent to the second network device through the radio bearer.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Receive second indication information from the second network device; the second indication information is used to indicate starting or pausing reporting of a target measurement result; wherein the target measurement result is a measurement result obtained according to any QoE measurement configuration information, or the target measurement result is the first measurement result.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The sending the first information and the first identification information to the second network device includes: The first information, the first identification information, and at least one first measurement result are sent to the second network device.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The first network device and the second network device are different network devices.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The first information includes at least one of the following: The measurement collects entity MCE information, type information corresponding to QoE measurement, service type information corresponding to QoE measurement, related information of MDT alignment of minimized drive test, and application layer indicators visible to the radio access network RAN.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The first identification information includes at least one of the following: QoE reference information, application layer measurement identification information.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Send third indication information to the second network device, where the third indication information is used to indicate whether the first QoE measurement has been started.

12. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: receiving first information and the first identification information from a terminal device, where the first information corresponds to the first identification information, the first identification information is used to identify a first QoE measurement, and the first QoE measurement corresponds to a first multicast or broadcast MBS service; At least one first measurement result and the first identification information are received from the terminal device, where the first measurement result is a QoE measurement result obtained according to the configuration information of the first QoE measurement.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The at least one first measurement result and the first identification information are carried in a first message, and the first message does not include the first information.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive first indication information from the terminal device, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether there is a QoE measurement result.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Sending first configuration information to the terminal device; the first configuration information is used to configure a radio bearer; The first information from the terminal device and the first identification information include: The first information and the first identification information are received from the terminal device through the wireless bearer.

16. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Sending first configuration information to the terminal device; the first configuration information is used to configure a radio bearer; The receiving at least one first measurement result and the first identification information from the terminal device includes: The at least one first measurement result and the first identification information are received from the terminal device through the radio bearer.

17. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Sending second indication information to the terminal device; the second indication information is used to indicate starting or suspending reporting of the target measurement result; wherein the target measurement result is a measurement result obtained according to any QoE measurement configuration information, or the target measurement result is the first measurement result.

18. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 17, characterized in that: The receiving the first information and the first identification information from the terminal device includes: The first information, the first identification information, and at least one first measurement result are received from the terminal device.

19. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 18, characterized in that: The first information includes at least one of the following: The measurement collects entity MCE information, type information corresponding to QoE measurement, service type information corresponding to QoE measurement, related information of MDT alignment of minimized drive test, and application layer indicators visible to the radio access network RAN.

20. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 19, characterized in that: The first identification information includes at least one of the following: QoE reference information, application layer measurement identification information.

21. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 20, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Receive third indication information from a terminal device, where the third indication information is used to indicate whether the first QoE measurement has been started.

22. A communication device, characterized in that: The apparatus comprises: a module for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1-21.

23. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device comprises: a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store computer instructions, and when the processor executes the instructions, the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

24. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium comprises a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are run on a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 21 is executed.

25. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises instructions, and when the instructions are run on a computer, the method of any one of claims 1 to 21 is executed.

26. A chip, characterized in that: The chip includes: a processor, and the processor is used to execute instructions so that a device including the chip performs the method according to any one of claims 1-21.

27. A communication system, characterized in that: The communication system comprises: a terminal device and a network device; wherein the terminal device is used to execute the method as described in any one of claims 1-11, and the network device is used to execute the method as described in any one of claims 12-21.

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