Method executed by user equipment, and user equipment

Abstract

Provided are a method executed by a user equipment (UE), and a UE. The method executed by a UE comprises: initiating a fast master cell group (MCG) recovery procedure, starting a timer T316 when the fast MCG recovery procedure is initiated, and if the timer T316 expires, incorporating, in a UE variable VarRLF-Report, information indicative of a PSCell where the UE initiates the MCG recovery procedure, wherein the information is a global cell identifier of the PSCell or a physical cell identifier of the PSCell and a carrier frequency.

Description

Method performed by user equipment and user equipment Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and more specifically, to a method for reporting information related to primary and secondary cells in a dual connectivity scenario and a corresponding user equipment. Background Art

[0002] In December 2021, a new research project for Release 18 technical standards was approved at the RAN#94e plenary meeting of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) (see non-patent document: RP-213553: New WID on further enhancement of data collection for SON (Self-Organizing Networks) / MDT (Minimization of Drive Tests) in NR and EN-DC). The purpose of this project is to further enhance the network data collection process in the NR system based on version 17 to better achieve the purpose of self-organizing and self-optimizing the network and minimizing drive tests. The specific technologies studied include information reporting in the scenario of successful change of primary and secondary cell group cells (PSCell), mobile robustness optimization based on the fast primary cell group recovery mechanism, etc.

[0003] This disclosure proposes a solution to the problem of how to implement PSCell-based information reporting in the NR system. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the embodiments of the present disclosure is to propose a solution to the problem of how to implement PSCell information reporting in a NR system. More specifically, the present disclosure proposes a solution to the problem of how to record PSCell change information after successfully executing a PSCell change procedure when a UE is configured with dual connectivity (DC) in an NR system. The embodiments of the present disclosure provide an information reporting method performed in a user equipment and a corresponding user equipment.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method performed by a user equipment UE is proposed, comprising: initiating a fast main cell group MCG recovery process, starting a timer T316 when the fast main cell group MCG recovery process is initiated, and if the timer T316 expires, including in the UE variable VarRLF-Report information indicating the PSCell in which the UE initiates the main cell group MCG recovery process, wherein the information is the global cell identifier of the PSCell or the physical cell identifier and carrier frequency of the PSCell.

[0006] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a user equipment (UE) is provided, comprising a processor configured to: initiate a fast primary cell group (MCG) recovery procedure; start a timer T316 when initiating the fast primary cell group (MCG) recovery procedure; and, if timer T316 expires, include information indicating the PSC in which the UE initiated the MCG recovery procedure in a UE variable VarRLF-Report, wherein the information is a global cell identifier (GCI) or a physical cell identifier (PCI) and carrier frequency of the PSC. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and its advantages, reference will now be made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0008] FIG1 is a schematic flow chart showing an information reporting method in Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure.

[0009] FIG2 is a schematic flow chart showing an information reporting method in Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure.

[0010] FIG3 is a schematic flow chart showing an information reporting method in Embodiment 4 of the present disclosure.

[0011] FIG4 is a block diagram showing a user equipment UE involved in the present disclosure.

[0012] In the drawings, the same or similar structures are marked with the same or similar reference numerals. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0014] In this disclosure, the terms "include" and "including" and their derivatives mean inclusion without limitation; the term "or" is inclusive, meaning and / or.

[0015] In this specification, the various embodiments described below for describing the principles of the present disclosure are merely illustrative and should not be construed in any way as limiting the scope of the disclosure. The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is intended to assist in a comprehensive understanding of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. The following description includes a variety of specific details to aid understanding, but these details should be considered merely exemplary. Therefore, it should be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. In addition, for the sake of clarity and brevity, descriptions of well-known functions and structures have been omitted. In addition, throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals are used for similar functions and operations.

[0016] The following describes multiple implementations in detail using the NR mobile communication system and its subsequent evolutionary versions as example application environments. It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the following implementations, but is applicable to many other wireless communication systems. Unless otherwise specified, in the present disclosure, the concepts of cell, base station and cell group can be replaced with each other. The present disclosure involves the addition or change of the primary and secondary cells PSCell. The primary and secondary cells PSCell, the secondary base station SN, the secondary cell group (Secondary Cell Group, SCG), the secondary beam (beam), and the secondary transmission point (Transmission point, TRP) can be replaced. In the present disclosure, the PSCell addition and change command is used to trigger the UE to perform PSCell addition or change. In the NR system, the PSCell addition and change command is an RRC reconfiguration message containing a synchronous reconfiguration (Reconfiguration with sync) information element for the SCG. Therefore, the addition or change of the PSCell is equivalent to the synchronous reconfiguration of the SCG or the synchronous reconfiguration of the PSCell. Among them, the synchronous reconfiguration information element may include configuration information of the target primary and secondary cells, such as the target cell identifier, the target cell frequency, the public configuration of the target cell such as system information, the random access configuration used by the UE to access the target cell, the security parameter configuration of the UE in the target cell, the wireless bearer configuration of the UE in the target cell, etc. Cancellation, release, deletion, clearing and removal can be replaced. Execution, use and application can be replaced. Configuration and reconfiguration can be replaced. Monitoring (monitor) and detection (detect) can be replaced. Triggering and initiating can be replaced. The names of the information elements appearing in the embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the case of the English letters in their names.

[0017] The following describes processes or concepts in the prior art to which this disclosure relates.

[0018] Dual Connectivity:

[0019] In order to improve the data transmission efficiency of the UE, the UE establishes links with two base stations at the same time, that is, the radio resources used by the UE are provided by different schedulers located in the two base stations. The radio access between the two base stations and the UE can be the same or different standards (Radio Access Technology, RAT), such as both are NR, or one is NR and the other is LTE, also known as Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA). Among the two base stations, one is called the Master Node (MN) or MgNB, MeNB, and the service cell group under the Master Node is called the Master Cell Group (MCG); the other is called the Secondary Node (SN) or SgNB, SeNB, and the service cell group under the Secondary Node is called the Secondary Cell Group (SCG). When the Master Node is LTE and the Secondary Node is NR, the DC is called EN-DC (using the 4G core network) or NGEN-DC (using the 5G core network); when both the Master Node and the Secondary Node are NR, the DC is called NR-DC. MCG contains a primary cell (PCell) and optionally one or more secondary cells (SCell). PCell operates on the primary frequency, and the UE performs the initial connection establishment process or the connection re-establishment process through the primary frequency. SCG contains a primary SCG cell (PSCell) and optionally one or more SCells. PSCell refers to the SCG cell to which the UE performs random access when performing the SCG synchronization reconfiguration process or the cell indicated by the cell identifier in the SCG synchronization reconfiguration information element. PCell and PSCell are also collectively referred to as special cells SpCell. When DC is configured, the data radio bearer (DRB) and signaling radio bearer (SRB) of the UE are supported to be configured as split bearers. When not configured as split SRB, SRB1 and SRB2 are transmitted through the MCG path. In addition, when DC is configured, SRB3 can also be established for the SN to transmit the configuration associated with the SCG between the SN and the UE. The establishment and release of SRB3 are determined by SN.

[0020] PSCell change process in NR system:

[0021] The addition of PSCell is always initiated by MN. The change of PSCell can be initiated by MN or SN. MN or SN can initiate the change of PSCell based on the measurement results of the source PSCell or neighboring cells reported by UE or the load of neighboring cells and other factors. In the process of PSCell addition and change with the participation of MN (whether initiated by MN or SN), the cell addition change command for PSCell is included in the RRC reconfiguration message of SRB1 and sent to the UE. The PSCell addition change command (that is, the RRC reconfiguration message generated by the target PSCell) is an RRC reconfiguration message for SCG. When sent to the UE via the MCG link or via the SCG link portion of signaling split bearer 1 or 2, it is generally included in the mrdc-SecondaryCellGroupConfig information element or the nr-SecondaryCellGroupConfig information element and nested in the RRC reconfiguration message of SRB1. If the PSCell change does not require MN participation, such as the intra-SN PSCell change scenario, the SN can independently generate an RRC reconfiguration message containing a PSCell change command and send it to the UE via SRB3 of the SCG link.

[0022] When a UE that receives a PSCell add / change command triggers the addition or change of a target PSCell, it applies the configuration in the command to perform the PSCell addition or change, including performing a random access procedure to the target PSCell. The UE uses a timer, T304, to detect the cell change process. When the cell change process is initiated, the UE starts T304. When the cell change process is completed (e.g., when the random access procedure is successfully completed), the UE stops T304. When T304 times out, the UE considers the PSCell change or synchronization reconfiguration failure to have occurred.

[0023] Similarly, NR systems in Release 16 and later also support conditional PSCell changes, which are conditional reconfigurations of PSCells, called Conditional PSCell Change (CPC) or Conditional PSCell Addition / Change (CPAC).

[0024] Fast MCG link recovery mechanism:

[0025] The dual link and carrier aggregation enhancement project of version 16 (see document RP-190452) introduces a fast MCG link recovery mechanism. In the fast MCG link recovery mechanism, when a radio link failure (RLF) occurs in the UE's MCG or the UE fails to perform a handover process (HOF) (i.e., the MCG timer T304 times out), if the UE is configured with timer T316 (i.e., fast MCG link recovery is enabled) and the link quality of the secondary cell group SCG is good (i.e., no RLF occurs, timer T310 is not running or is not in the PSCell addition and change process (i.e., T04 corresponding to the PSCell is not running), or the SCG is not suspended, or the SCG is not in a deactivated state), at this time, both the MCG and the SCG are not in a suspended (or interrupted) state or the timer T316 is not running, then the UE initiates the MCG failure information process, starts the timer T316, and returns to the SCG through the SCG path (such as split SRB1 or SRB3) sends an MCG failure information (MCGFailureInformation) message containing an information report on the MCG link failure to the master base station instead of directly triggering the RRC connection re-establishment process. In the MCG failure information process, the UE will suspend the transmission of the MCG path, such as suspending the transmission on the MCG side corresponding to all SRBs and DRBs except SRB0, and reset the MAC entity corresponding to the MCG, and wait for the response from the network side during the operation of timer T316. The master base station that receives the MCG failure information RRC message can send an RRC reconfiguration message containing a synchronous reconfiguration information element to the UE to trigger the UE to switch to a new cell or send an RRC release message to release the UE's RRC connection. After receiving the above-mentioned RRC reconfiguration message or RRC release message, the UE stops T316 and performs corresponding operations according to the received response message (RRC reconfiguration message or RRC release message). If the received message is an RRC reconfiguration message containing a synchronous reconfiguration information element, the UE performs a switch to the target cell; if the received message is an RRC release message, the UE releases the RRC connection and leaves the RRC connection state. If T316 times out, the UE initiates an RRC re-establishment procedure. In this disclosure, the MCG failure information procedure / mechanism and the fast MCG recovery procedure / mechanism and the fast MCG link recovery procedure / mechanism are equivalent.

[0026] Wireless link failure reporting:

[0027] In the NR system, the UE will generate and save a radio link failure report (RLF Report) when a radio link failure (RLF) or handover failure (HOF) occurs, and save the radio link failure information in the UE variable VarRLF-Report. Generally, the UE only saves the RLF report of the most recent connection failure (RLF or HOF). That is, when a connection failure occurs, the UE will clear the last saved RLF report and then save the failure information corresponding to the most recent connection failure in the variable VarRLF-Report. After restoring the connection with the network side (such as through the RRC re-establishment process or the RRC establishment process for establishing a new connection), the UE can inform the network side through an RRC message that there is an available radio link failure report (such as indicated by the rlf-InfoAvailable information element). After receiving the indication, the network side can request the UE to report its saved radio link failure report through an RRC message (such as the rlf-ReportReq information element in the UE information request UEInformationRequest message to indicate the request). The UE will report the saved radio link failure report (rlf-Report information element in the UE information response UEInformationResponse message) to the network side in the response RRC message. The radio link failure report obtained by the network side is used for network optimization, such as network coverage and mobility robustness optimization. The radio link failure report contains information related to the link failure, including the measurement results of the source cell, target cell or neighbor cell when the link failure occurs, location information, the main cell identifier where the link failure occurs, the link failure type (RLF or HOF), the RLF reason, the time from the connection failure to the RLF report reporting (recorded as timeSinceFailure information element), the time from the last receipt of the handover command (handover initiation or handover execution) to the connection failure (recorded as timeConnFailure information element), the time between the next time the UE enters the RRC connection state after the connection failure and the failure of the re-establishment process (recorded as timeUntilReconnection information element), the RRC re-establishment cell identifier, etc.

[0028] Successful PSCell addition change report:

[0029] The NR system of Release 18 introduces information reporting when a PSCell is added or changed successfully, namely the Successful PScell ​​addition & change Report (SPR), so that the UE can report relevant information when a PSCell is added or changed successfully to the network side. Based on the information obtained, the network side can further optimize the mobility of the PSCell, reduce the failure rate of the PSCell addition or change, and reduce the delay of the PSCell addition or change.

[0030] The network side needs to configure the trigger condition related parameters of SPR to the UE (such as the percentage threshold values ​​corresponding to T310, T312, and T304). Only when one or more configured trigger conditions are met, the UE will record the relevant information of the successful PSCell addition or change. Among them, the trigger conditions related to the link status of the source PSCell, such as the T310 percentage threshold value or the T312 percentage threshold value, are configured to the UE by the source PSCell or PCell, and the trigger conditions related to the link status of the target cell, such as the T304 percentage threshold value, are configured to the UE by the target PSCell. The PSCell change process can be initiated by the MN or the SN. In the R18 protocol, when a UE in the DC state receives an RRC message containing a PSCell change command, the UE determines which site triggers the corresponding PSCell change process based on the information in the RRC message. For example, if the RRC message contains a sn-InitiatedPSCellChange information element, which is used to indicate that the PSCell change process is initiated by the SN, the UE believes that the PSCell change process is initiated by the SN; if the RRC message does not contain the sn-InitiatedPSCellChange information element, the UE believes that the PSCell change process is initiated by the MN. The SPR configuration (successPSCell-Config information element) can be configured by the MN or by the SN to the UE. The UE can contain two sets of SPR configurations at the same time, one set configured by the MN and the other set configured by the SN. When the UE successfully completes a PSCell change process, the UE executes the SPR determination process, that is, it determines whether to save the SPR information in the corresponding UE variable (VarSuccessPSCell-Report) for the PSCell change process based on the saved SPR configuration. During this judgment process, if the PSCell change process is triggered by the SN, the UE determines whether to save the SPR information for the PSCell change process in the corresponding UE variable based on the threshold value in the SPR configuration of the saved SN configuration; if the PSCell change process is triggered by the MN, the UE determines whether to save the SPR information for the PSCell change process in the corresponding UE variable based on the threshold value in the SPR configuration of the saved MN configuration. When the UE determines that the SPR triggering condition has been met and saves the PSCell change information of the PSCell change event in the SPR variable, the UE sets one or more relevant contents in the PSCell change information.The relevant information in the SPR recorded by the UE may include one or more of the following: the source PSCell cell identifier of the PSCell change; the target PSCell cell identifier of the PSCell addition or change; the measurement results of the source PSCell or target PSCell; the measurement results of the neighboring cells; the SPR triggering cause, etc. The UE can inform the network side that there is an available SPR by including an SPR indication in the RRC message. After receiving the indication, the network side can request the UE to report its saved SPR through an RRC message (such as a UE information request UEInformationRequest message). The UE will report the saved SPR to the network side in the response RRC message UEInformationResponse message. This process is called the UE information process.

[0031] In the existing mechanism, the spr-Cause field in the SPR information can contain multiple values. When the UE sets the spr-Cause field, it is set according to the following process: if the ratio of the running time value of timer T304 and the configuration value of timer T304 configured in the executed PSCell change command is greater than the T304 threshold value (thresholdPercentageT304-SCG) in the SPR configuration, the UE sets the t304-cause field in the spr-Cause field to true; if the running time value of timer T310 and the configuration value of timer T310 configured before the PSCell change command is executed are ... When the ratio of the configured value of timer T310 is greater than the T310 threshold value (thresholdPercentageT310-SCG) in the SPR configuration, the UE sets the t310-cause field in the spr-Cause field to true. If the ratio of the running time value of timer T312 to the configured value of timer T312 configured before the execution of the PSCell change command is greater than the T312 threshold value (thresholdPercentageT312-SCG) in the SPR configuration, the UE sets the t312-cause field in the spr-Cause field to true. This leads to a situation where, when there are two sets of SPR configurations on the UE, when setting the spr-Cause value according to the setting process of the aforementioned spr-Cause information, the existing mechanism is unclear as to how the UE uses the two sets of SPR configurations to set the spr-Cause value. If the UE uses one of the SPR configurations to set the spr-cause value, but the network is unaware of which SPR configuration the UE uses, this may lead to misalignment between the UE and the network. This is also the main issue addressed in this disclosure.

[0032] The present disclosure proposes a solution to the problem of how to set the spr-Cause in the SPR information. Through the solution described in the present disclosure, when two sets of SPR configurations are applied on the UE, the UE determines to use one of the SPR configurations to set the spr-Cause or to use two sets of SPR configurations to set the corresponding spr-Cause. Through reasonable spr-Cause settings, the network side can obtain the correct network status information when the PSCell is changed and added (such as whether the operating value of SCG T310 exceeds the threshold value configured by the network side) when receiving the SPR, and avoid the network side and the UE side from having a misunderstanding of the spr-Cause (for example, the UE uses the SPR configuration configured by the MN to set the spr-Cause information, but the network side believes that the UE uses the SPR configuration configured by the SN to set the spr-Cause or the network side cannot know which set of SPR configuration the spr-Cause is based on).

[0033] The following embodiments provide solutions to the aforementioned issues. Unless otherwise specified, some concepts or definitions are common across the embodiments. Each embodiment is described using PSCell changes, but is also applicable to PSCell additions. In other words, the PSCell change can also be a PSCell addition. Each embodiment is also applicable to conditional reconfiguration, such as the Conditional PSCell Change (CPC) process.

[0034] Example 1

[0035] This embodiment provides an information reporting method executed on a UE. According to the method of this embodiment, when two SPR configurations exist on the UE, the UE determines which SPR configuration to use to set the spr-Cause value in the SPR information based on the initiating site of the PSCell change process.

[0036] The following is a detailed description of the embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. Figure 1 is a schematic flow chart showing the information reporting method in the embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1 , the information reporting method in the embodiment 1 of the present disclosure may include the following steps.

[0037] Step 101: The UE successfully completes the PSCell change process and performs the SPR determination process.

[0038] Optionally, the successful completion of a PSCell change process refers to the successful completion of the random access process triggered by the synchronous reconfiguration of the PSCell / SCG, or the response message for responding to the PSCell change command, i.e., the RRC reconfiguration completion message containing the synchronous reconfiguration of the SCG, has been (successfully) sent.

[0039] Optionally, the UE performs the SPR determination process only when the UE is configured with an SPR configuration. Furthermore, the UE performs the SPR determination process when the UE is configured with an SPR configuration (identified by the successPSCell-Config information element) by the primary cell (PCell) or the primary / secondary cell (PSCell). Optionally, the UE being configured with an SPR configuration by the PSCell may be configured with an SPR configuration by the source PSCell or by the target PSCell.

[0040] Step 102: During the SPR determination process, the UE determines to store the successful PSCell change information in a UE variable used to store the SPR (e.g., VarSuccessPSCell-Report). The UE sets the spr-Cause field in the PSCell change information in the following manner, i.e., performs one or more of the following operations, but the order of performing the operations is not limited here:

[0041] Operation 1: If the SPR configuration received by the UE before executing the last SCG synchronization reconfiguration includes the T304 threshold value (for example, identified by thresholdPercentageT304-SCG), if the ratio of the running time value of timer T304 and the configuration value of timer T304 included in the last applied RRC reconfiguration including SCG synchronization reconfiguration is greater than the T304 threshold value in the SPR configuration, set the t304-cause value in spr-Cause to true.

[0042] Operation 2: If the PSCell change is triggered by the SN, and if the ratio between the running value of timer T310 and the configured value of timer T310 is greater than the T310 threshold value (e.g., identified by thresholdPercentageT310-SCG) in the SPR configuration configured by the source PSCell before the last SCG synchronization reconfiguration is performed, set t310-cause in spr-Cause to true. Optionally, the configured value of timer T310 is configured when the UE is connected to the source PSCell before the last SCG synchronization reconfiguration is performed. Optionally, this operation is performed when the T310 threshold value is included in the SPR configuration configured by the source PSCell before the UE performs the last SCG synchronization reconfiguration.

[0043] Operation 3: If the PSCell change is not triggered by the SN, and if the ratio between the running value of timer T310 and the configured value of timer T310 is greater than the T310 threshold value in the SPR configuration configured by the PCell before the last SCG synchronization reconfiguration is performed (for example, identified by thresholdPercentageT310-SCG), set t310-cause in spr-Cause to true. Optionally, the configuration value of timer T310 is configured when the UE is connected to the source PSCell before the last SCG synchronization reconfiguration is performed; or it is configured when the UE is connected to the PCell before the last SCG synchronization reconfiguration is performed. Optionally, this operation is performed when the SPR configuration configured for the PCell before the UE performs the last SCG synchronization reconfiguration includes the T310 threshold value. Optionally, when the PSCell change is accompanied by PCell switching, the PCell can be the source PCell or the target PCell.

[0044] Operation 4: If the PSCell change is triggered by the SN, and if the ratio between the running value of timer T312 and the configured value of timer T312 is greater than the T312 threshold value (such as thresholdPercentageT312-SCG identifier) ​​in the SPR configuration configured by the source PSCell before the last SCG synchronization reconfiguration is performed, set t312-cause in spr-Cause to true. Optionally, the configuration value of timer T312 is configured when the UE is connected to the source PSCell before the last SCG synchronization reconfiguration is performed. Optionally, this operation is performed when the SPR configuration configured by the source PSCell before the UE performs the last SCG synchronization reconfiguration includes the T312 threshold value. Optionally, the execution condition of this operation also includes if the timer T312 associated with the measurement identifier of the target PSCell is running when the execution of the synchronization reconfiguration for the SCG is initiated. Optionally, the measurement identifier of the target PSCell is included in the measurement variable VarMeasConfig or VarMeasReportList associated with the SCG. Optionally, the measurement identifier of the target PSCell is included in the measurement configuration measConfig associated with the SCG, that is, it is configured by the SCG. Optionally, the measurement identifier of the target PSCell is included in the measurement variable VarMeasConfig or VarMeasReportList associated with the MCG. Optionally, the measurement identifier of the target PSCell is included in the measurement configuration measConfig associated with the MCG, that is, it is configured by the MCG.

[0045] Operation 5: If the PSCell change is not triggered by the SN, and if the ratio between the running value of timer T312 and the configured value of timer T312 is greater than the T312 threshold value in the SPR configuration configured by the PCell before the last SCG synchronization reconfiguration is performed (for example, identified by thresholdPercentageT312-SCG), set t312-cause in spr-Cause to true. Optionally, the configuration value of timer T312 is configured when the UE is connected to the source PSCell before the last SCG synchronization reconfiguration is performed; or it is configured when the UE is connected to the PCell before the last SCG synchronization reconfiguration is performed. Optionally, this operation is performed when the SPR configuration configured for the PCell before the UE performs the last SCG synchronization reconfiguration includes the T312 threshold value. Optionally, when the PSCell change is accompanied by PCell switching, the PCell can be the source PCell or the target PCell. Optionally, the execution condition of the operation also includes if the timer T312 associated with the measurement identifier of the target PSCell is running when the execution of the synchronous reconfiguration for the SCG is initiated. Optionally, the measurement identifier of the target PSCell is included in the measurement variable VarMeasConfig or VarMeasReportList associated with the MCG. Optionally, the measurement identifier of the target PSCell is included in the measurement configuration measConfig associated with the MCG, that is, it is configured by the MCG. Optionally, the measurement identifier of the target PSCell is included in the measurement variable VarMeasConfig or VarMeasReportList associated with the SCG. Optionally, the measurement identifier of the target PSCell is included in the measurement configuration measConfig associated with the SCG, that is, it is configured by the SCG.

[0046] Optionally, the PSCell change is triggered by the SN, which means that sn-InitiatedPSCellChange is configured in the RRC reconfiguration message containing the last applied RRC reconfiguration message with SCG synchronous reconfiguration (RRC reconfiguration message with a double nested structure), and the RRC reconfiguration message is received through SRB1. Optionally, the PSCell change is triggered by the SN, which may also mean that sn-InitiatedPSCellChange is configured in the RRC reconfiguration message containing the last applied RRC reconfiguration message with SCG synchronous reconfiguration, or the last applied RRC reconfiguration message with SCG synchronous reconfiguration is received through SRB3. Optionally, the situation where the RRC reconfiguration message is received through SRB3 also includes that the RRC reconfiguration message is not nested in another RRC reconfiguration message or is not nested in a DLInformationTransferMRDC message or there is no T316 timer running when the RRC reconfiguration message is received (not in the fast MCG recovery process). Optionally, the PSCell change is not triggered by the SN, that is, the PSCell change is triggered by the MN, which means that the sn-InitiatedPSCellChange is not configured in the RRC reconfiguration message containing the last applied RRC reconfiguration message with SCG synchronous reconfiguration (RRC reconfiguration message with a double nested structure). The sn-InitiatedPSCellChange information element is used to indicate whether the PSCell synchronous reconfiguration process is initiated by the SN. If so, the information element is set to true; otherwise, the information element is not configured.

[0047] Optionally, when the trigger condition corresponding to at least one configuration in the SPR configuration is met, the UE determines to save the successful PSCell change information in the UE variable used to save the SPR. For example, if the SPR configuration received by the UE includes a T304 threshold value (thresholdPercentageT304-SCG), if the ratio of the running time value of timer T304 (value of the elapsed time) and the configuration value of timer T304 configured in the executed PSCell change command is greater than the T304 threshold value (thresholdPercentageT304-SCG) in the SPR configuration, the UE considers that the SPR trigger condition is met. At this time, the UE clears the information saved in the UE variable used to save the SPR and saves the successful PSCell change information in the variable. Optionally, the executed PSCell change command refers to the last applied RRC reconfiguration message containing synchronous reconfiguration for SCG. Optionally, the SPR configuration received by the UE refers to the SPR configuration received before the last synchronous reconfiguration for SCG is executed.

[0048] Obviously, before step 101, the UE also includes receiving a signaling of a PSCell change from the network side, and the UE applies the configuration corresponding to the signaling to perform synchronous reconfiguration of the PSCell.

[0049] Whether the aforementioned PSCell change process is accompanied by the switching of the primary cell PCell refers to whether the RRC message used to trigger the PSCell change contains both the synchronous reconfiguration for SCG and the synchronous reconfiguration for MCG reconfiguration WithSync information elements. If the RRC message used to trigger the PSCell change contains both the synchronous reconfiguration for SCG reconfiguration WithSync and the synchronous reconfiguration for MCG reconfiguration WithSync information elements, it is considered that the RRC message triggers the PSCell change and PCell switching at the same time, that is, the PSCell change process is accompanied by the switching of PCell or the switching of PCell is accompanied by the PSCell change.

[0050] In the present disclosure, the T310 or T312 timer refers to the T310 or T312 timer used for SCG / PSCell. RRC reconfiguration and RRC reconfiguration message are equivalent.

[0051] Example 2

[0052] This embodiment provides an information reporting method executed on a UE. Through the method described in this embodiment, when two sets of SPR configurations exist on the UE, the UE sets the spr-Cause value in the SPR information based on the two sets of SPR configurations.

[0053] The following is a detailed description of the embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. FIG2 is a schematic flow chart showing the information reporting method in the embodiment 2 of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG2 , the information reporting method in the embodiment 2 of the present disclosure may include the following steps.

[0054] Step 201: The UE successfully completes the PSCell change process and performs the SPR determination process.

[0055] Optionally, the successful completion of a PSCell change process refers to the successful completion of the random access process triggered by the synchronous reconfiguration of the PSCell / SCG, or the response message for responding to the PSCell change command, i.e., the RRC reconfiguration completion message containing the synchronous reconfiguration of the SCG, has been (successfully) sent.

[0056] Optionally, the UE performs the SPR determination process only when the UE is configured with an SPR configuration. Furthermore, the UE performs the SPR determination process when the UE is configured with an SPR configuration (identified by the successPSCell-Config information element) by the primary cell (PCell) or the primary / secondary cell (PSCell). Optionally, the UE being configured with an SPR configuration by the PSCell may be configured with an SPR configuration by the source PSCell or by the target PSCell.

[0057] Step 202: During the SPR determination process, the UE determines to store the successful PSCell change information in a UE variable used to store the SPR (e.g., VarSuccessPSCell-Report). The UE sets the spr-Cause field in the PSCell change information in the following manner, i.e., performs one or more of the following operations, but the order of performing the operations is not limited here:

[0058] Operation 1: If the ratio between the running value of timer T310 and the configured value of timer T310 is greater than the T310 threshold value (e.g., identified by thresholdPercentageT310-SCG) in the SPR configuration configured before the last SCG synchronization reconfiguration is performed (i.e., the T310 threshold value is met); if the corresponding T310 threshold value (i.e., the T310 threshold value used to determine whether it is met) is configured by the source PSCell, then set t310-cause-SN in spr-Cause to true, or if the corresponding T310 threshold value is configured by the PCell, then set t310-cause-MN in spr-Cause to true. The t310-cause-SN information element is set to true to indicate that the T310 threshold value in the SPR configuration configured by the SN is met; and the t310-cause-MN information element is set to true to indicate that the T310 threshold value in the SPR configuration configured by the MN is met. Optionally, the configuration value of timer T310 is configured by the UE when the UE is connected to the source PSCell before performing the last SCG synchronization reconfiguration. Optionally, this operation is performed when the SPR configuration configured by the UE before performing the last SCG synchronization reconfiguration includes the T310 threshold value.

[0059] Operation 2: If the ratio between the running value of timer T312 and the configured value of timer T312 is greater than the T312 threshold value (e.g., identified by thresholdPercentageT312-SCG) in the SPR configuration configured before the last SCG synchronization reconfiguration is performed (i.e., the T312 threshold value is met); if the corresponding T312 threshold value (i.e., the T312 threshold value used to determine whether it is met) is configured by the source PSCell, then set t312-cause-SN in spr-Cause to true, or if the corresponding T312 threshold value is configured by the PCell, then set t312-cause-MN in spr-Cause to true. The t312-cause-SN information element is set to true to indicate that the T312 threshold value in the SPR configuration configured by the SN is met; and the t312-cause-MN information element is set to true to indicate that the T312 threshold value in the SPR configuration configured by the MN is met. Optionally, the configuration value of timer T312 is configured by the UE when the UE is connected to the source PSCell before performing the last SCG synchronization reconfiguration. Optionally, the operation is performed when the T312 threshold value is included in the SPR configuration configured by the UE before performing the last SCG synchronization reconfiguration. Optionally, the execution condition of the operation also includes if the timer T312 associated with the measurement identifier of the target PSCell is running when the execution of the synchronization reconfiguration for the SCG is initiated. Optionally, the measurement identifier of the target PSCell is included in the measurement variable VarMeasConfig or VarMeasReportList associated with the MCG. Optionally, the measurement identifier of the target PSCell is included in the measurement configuration measConfig associated with the MCG, that is, configured by the MCG. Optionally, the measurement identifier of the target PSCell is included in the measurement variable VarMeasConfig or VarMeasReportList associated with the SCG. Optionally, the measurement identifier of the target PSCell is included in the measurement configuration measConfig associated with the SCG, that is, configured by the SCG.

[0060] Optionally, when the change of the PSCell is accompanied by a PCell switch, the aforementioned PCell may be a source PCell or a target PCell.

[0061] Optionally, when the trigger condition corresponding to at least one configuration in the SPR configuration is met, the UE determines to save the successful PSCell change information in the UE variable used to save the SPR. For example, if the SPR configuration received by the UE includes a T304 threshold value (thresholdPercentageT304-SCG), if the ratio of the running time value of timer T304 (value of the elapsed time) and the configuration value of timer T304 configured in the executed PSCell change command is greater than the T304 threshold value (thresholdPercentageT304-SCG) in the SPR configuration, the UE considers that the SPR trigger condition is met. At this time, the UE clears the information saved in the UE variable used to save the SPR and saves the successful PSCell change information in the variable. Optionally, the executed PSCell change command refers to the last applied RRC reconfiguration message containing synchronous reconfiguration for SCG. Optionally, the SPR configuration received by the UE refers to the SPR configuration received before the last synchronous reconfiguration for SCG is executed.

[0062] Obviously, before step 201, the UE also includes receiving a signaling of a PSCell change from the network side, and the UE applies the configuration corresponding to the signaling to perform synchronous reconfiguration of the PSCell.

[0063] Example 3

[0064] This embodiment provides another information reporting method executed on the UE. Through the method described in this embodiment, the UE can report more T316 timeout-related information to the network side when a fast MCG recovery failure occurs due to a T316 timeout. The network side can analyze the possible causes of the T316 timeout based on the information, and further adjust the T316 configuration or the SCG configuration to improve the success probability of the fast MCG recovery process.

[0065] The following describes in detail the third embodiment of the present disclosure. The information reporting method in the third embodiment of the present disclosure may include the following steps.

[0066] Step 301: The UE initiates a fast MCG recovery process.

[0067] In the prior art, when a UE detects an MCG RLF, if timer T316 is configured and the SCG link is available (the SCG is not in deactivated state, SCG transmission is not suspended, and there is no ongoing PSCell addition or change process), the UE initiates a fast MCG recovery procedure to perform link recovery. Therefore, it is clear that an MCG link failure RLF occurred in the UE before the UE initiated the MCG recovery procedure.

[0068] Step 302: The UE includes one or more of the following information in the SON report:

[0069] The first information is used to indicate the PSCell identifier when the fast MCG recovery process is initiated, such as the physical cell identifier or carrier frequency of the PSCell, or the global cell identity (Global Cell Identity, GCI) of the PSCell;

[0070] The second information is used to record the measurement results of the SCG / PSCell link when the fast MCG recovery process occurs;

[0071] Optionally, the measurement result refers to a reference signal received power (RSRP) of a link.

[0072] The third information is used to record the measurement results of the SCG / PSCell link when the fast MCG recovery process fails;

[0073] Optionally, the failure of the fast MCG recovery process refers to when T316 times out.

[0074] Optionally, the UE starts timer T316 when initiating the fast MCG recovery procedure.

[0075] Optionally, when the fast MCG recovery failure is caused by T316 timeout, the UE includes / sets one or more of the first to third information in the SON report. Optionally, when the UE includes / sets T316 timeout information in the SON report (such as mcgRecoveryFailureCause is set to t316-expiry), the UE includes / sets one or more of the first to third information in the SON report.

[0076] Optionally, the SON report is an RLF report. The present disclosure does not limit the naming of the SON report.

[0077] Optionally, the UE saves various information / contents in the RLF report in the variable VarRLF-Report.

[0078] Example 4

[0079] This embodiment provides a method for information reporting executed on a UE. This embodiment provides a signaling process method when the UE reports the SPR information or the information in the SON report described in the above embodiments through an RRC process.

[0080] FIG3 is a schematic flow chart showing an information reporting method in Embodiment 4 of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG3 , the information reporting method in Embodiment 4 of the present disclosure may include the following steps.

[0081] Step 401: The UE receives a UEInformationRequest message from the network side.

[0082] Step 402: If the UEInformationRequest carries an indication / request for requesting the UE to report the stored SPR, the UE includes the content of the stored SPR in a UEInformationResponse message and sends a UEInformationResponse message to the network side. The SPR report included in the UEInformationResponse message includes at least the spr-Cause value set according to the aforementioned embodiment 1 or 2. If the UEInformationRequest carries an indication / request for requesting the UE to report the stored RLF report, the UE includes the content of the stored RLF report in a UEInformationResponse message and sends a UEInformationResponse message to the network side. The RLF report included in the UEInformationResponse message includes at least one or more of the first to third information according to the aforementioned embodiment 3.

[0083] Example 5

[0084] This embodiment illustrates the user equipment UE of the present disclosure. Figure 4 is a block diagram of the user equipment UE involved in the present invention. As shown in Figure 4, the user equipment UE40 includes a processor 401 and a memory 402. The processor 401 may include, for example, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, an embedded processor, etc. The memory 402 may include, for example, a volatile memory (such as a random access memory RAM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a non-volatile memory (such as a flash memory), or other memory. The memory 402 stores program instructions. When the instructions are executed by the processor 401, the above-mentioned information reporting method described in detail in the present invention can be executed.

[0085] The method and related devices of the present disclosure have been described above in conjunction with preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the method shown above is merely exemplary. The method of the present disclosure is not limited to the steps and sequence shown above. The base station and user equipment shown above may include more modules, for example, modules that can be developed or will be developed in the future and can be used for the base station, MME, or UE, etc. The various identifiers shown above are merely exemplary and not restrictive, and the present disclosure is not limited to the specific information elements used as examples of these identifiers. Those skilled in the art may make many changes and modifications based on the teachings of the illustrated embodiments.

[0086] The program running on the device according to the present disclosure may be a program that controls a central processing unit (CPU) to enable a computer to implement the functions of the embodiments of the present disclosure. The program or the information processed by the program may be temporarily stored in a volatile memory (such as a random access memory RAM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a non-volatile memory (such as a flash memory), or other memory systems.

[0087] The program for realizing each embodiment function of the present disclosure can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The corresponding function can be realized by making a computer system read the program recorded on the recording medium and executing these programs. The so-called "computer system" herein can be a computer system embedded in the device, and can include an operating system or hardware (such as a peripheral device). "Computer-readable recording medium" can be a semiconductor recording medium, an optical recording medium, a magnetic recording medium, a short-term dynamic storage program recording medium or any other recording medium that is computer-readable.

[0088] The various features or functional modules of the devices used in the above embodiments can be implemented or executed by circuits (e.g., single-chip or multi-chip integrated circuits). The circuits designed to perform the functions described in this specification may include a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination of the above devices. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or any existing processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The above circuits may be digital circuits or analog circuits. In the case where new integrated circuit technologies have emerged to replace existing integrated circuits due to advances in semiconductor technology, one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented using these new integrated circuit technologies.

[0089] Furthermore, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Although various examples of the embodiments have been described, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Fixed or non-mobile electronic devices installed indoors or outdoors can be used as terminal devices or communication devices, such as AV equipment, kitchen equipment, cleaning equipment, air conditioners, office equipment, vending machines, and other household appliances.

[0090] As described above, the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the specific structure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and the present disclosure also includes any design changes that do not deviate from the main purpose of the present disclosure. In addition, various modifications can be made to the present disclosure within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure. In addition, components with the same effect described in the above-mentioned embodiments can be replaced with each other.

Claims

1. A method performed by a user equipment UE, comprising: Initiate the fast master cell group MCG recovery process, When the fast master cell group MCG recovery process is initiated, timer T316 is started. If the timer T316 expires, the UE variable VarRLF-Report includes information indicating the PSCell in which the UE initiates the master cell group MCG recovery procedure, wherein the information is the global cell identifier of the PSCell or the physical cell identifier and carrier frequency of the PSCell.

2. A user equipment UE, comprising a processor, wherein the processor is configured to: Initiate the fast master cell group MCG recovery process, When the fast master cell group MCG recovery process is initiated, timer T316 is started. If the timer T316 expires, the UE variable VarRLF-Report includes information indicating the PSCell in which the UE initiates the master cell group MCG recovery procedure, wherein: The information is the global cell identifier of the PSCell or the physical cell identifier and carrier frequency of the PSCell.

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