EP-4742819-A1 - TERMINAL DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MEASUREMENT EVALUATION IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

EP4742819A1EP 4742819 A1EP4742819 A1EP 4742819A1EP-4742819-A1

Abstract

A terminal device performs measurements related to a first base station while in a radio resource control (RRC) idle state or RRC inactive state. The terminal device performs an evaluation process, at least when not configured to determine whether the measurement satisfies a timing condition. The evaluation process determines whether at least two conditions are both met at a given point in time or during a given time period. The conditions include a first condition relating to terminal device mobility and a second condition relating to terminal device location with respect to a cell provided by the first base station. The terminal device sends, to a second base station, an indication of the measurement result and an indication of whether the conditions are both met. A network device receives and processes these indications from the terminal device.

Inventors

MANALASTAS, MARVIN
DALSGAARD, LARS
KAINULAINEN, Jani-Pekka
LEE, Gilsoo
Karimidehkordi, Ali

Assignees

Nokia Technologies Oy

Dates

Publication Date: 20260513
Application Date: 20241108

Claims (15)

A terminal device comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to perform operations comprising: performing a measurement related to a first base station while the terminal device is configured in a radio resource control (RRC) idle state or in an RRC inactive state; performing, at least when the terminal device is not configured to determine whether the measurement satisfies a timing condition, an evaluation process comprising determining whether, at a given point in time or during a given time period, at least two conditions are both met, the at least two conditions comprising: a first condition relating to a mobility of the terminal device; and a second condition relating to a location of the terminal device with respect to a cell provided by the first base station; and sending, to a second base station, an indication of a result of the measurement and an indication of whether the at least two conditions are both met.
The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to perform operations comprising: receiving an instruction to configure the terminal device to perform the evaluation process, the instruction including an indication of the given point in time or the given time period; and responsive to receiving the instruction, configuring the terminal device to perform the evaluation process.
The terminal device of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the given time period is at least one of: a time period during which one or more samples from which the result of the measurement is derived are obtained; or a time period beginning at a time of a first trigger event responsive to which the terminal device enters the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state and ending at a time of a second trigger event related to the sending of the indication of the result of the measurement to the first base station; or a time period beginning at a start of the performing of the measurement and ending at a time of a or the second trigger event related to the sending of the indication of the result of the measurement to the first base station; or a time period beginning at a completion of the performing of the measurement and ending at a time of a or the second trigger event related to the sending of the indication of the result of the measurement to the first base station; and optionally, wherein the first trigger event comprises the terminal device receiving an RRC Release message or an RRC Suspend message; and optionally, wherein the second trigger event comprises: the terminal device sending a random-access MSG1 message; or the terminal device receiving a request for an early measurement reporting (EMR) report.
The terminal device of any of claim 1 to claim 3, wherein the evaluation process is performed responsive to the occurrence of an evaluation trigger event.
The terminal device of claim 4, wherein the evaluation trigger event comprises the sending, by the terminal device, of a random-access MSG1 message; or wherein the evaluation trigger event relates to activation of a secondary cell for the terminal device.
The terminal device of claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to perform operations comprising: receiving an instruction to configure the terminal device to perform the evaluation process, the instruction including an indication of the evaluation trigger event; and responsive to receiving the instruction, configuring the terminal device to perform the evaluation process in response to the evaluation trigger event.
The terminal device of any of claim 1 to claim 6, wherein the first condition relates to: a speed of movement of the terminal device; whether the terminal device has low mobility; or whether the terminal device is stationary.
The terminal device of any of claim 1 to claim 7, wherein the second condition relates to: a proximity of the terminal device to an edge of the cell of the network.
A method performed by a terminal device, the method comprising: performing a measurement related to a first base station while the terminal device is configured in a radio resource control (RRC) idle state or in an RRC inactive state; performing, at least when the terminal device is not configured to determine whether the measurement satisfies a timing condition, an evaluation process comprising determining whether, at a given point in time or during a given time period, at least two conditions are both met, the at least two conditions comprising: a first condition relating to a mobility of the terminal device; and a second condition relating to a location of the terminal device with respect to a cell provided by the first base station; and sending, to a second base station, an indication of a result of the measurement and an indication of whether the at least two conditions are both met.
The method of claim 9, comprising: receiving an instruction to configure the terminal device to perform the evaluation process, the instruction including an indication of the given point in time or the given time period; and responsive to receiving the instruction, configuring the terminal device to perform the evaluation process.
The method of claim 9 or claim 10, comprising: receiving an instruction to configure the terminal device to perform the evaluation process, the instruction including an indication of an evaluation trigger event responsive to which the terminal device is to perform the evaluation process; and responsive to receiving the instruction, configuring the terminal device to perform the evaluation process in response to the evaluation trigger event.
A network device comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to perform operations comprising: receiving, from a terminal device: an indication of a result of a measurement related to a first base station, the measurement having been performed when the terminal device is in a radio resource control (RRC) idle state or in an RRC inactive state; and an indication of a result of an evaluation process; wherein the result of the evaluation process is indicative of whether, at a given point in time or during a given time period, at least two conditions are both met, the at least two conditions comprising: a first condition relating to a mobility of the terminal device; and a second condition relating to a location of the terminal device with respect to a cell provided by the first base station.
A method performed by a network device, the method comprising: receiving, from a terminal device: an indication of a result of a measurement related to a first base station, the measurement having been performed when the terminal device is in a radio resource control (RRC) idle state or in an RRC inactive state; and an indication of a result of an evaluation process; wherein the result of the evaluation process is indicative of whether, at a given point in time or during a given time period, at least two conditions are both met, the at least two conditions comprising: a first condition relating to a mobility of the terminal device; and a second condition relating to a location of the terminal device with respect to a cell provided by the first base station.
The method of claim 13, comprising: determining, based on the indication of the result of the evaluation process, an indication of a reliability or validity of the indication of the result of the measurement; and, optionally: wherein the measurement relates to a cell which is a candidate for use as a secondary cell for the terminal device, and wherein the method comprises: determining, based on the indication of the reliability or validity of the indication of the result of the measurement, a parameter relating to activation of the secondary cell for the terminal device.
A computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by at least one processor of a terminal device, cause the terminal device to perform at least the method of any of claim 9 to claim 11.

Description

Technical Field The present disclosure relates to wireless communication systems, and more particularly to terminal devices and network devices operating in wireless communication networks. More specifically, the disclosure relates to measurement reporting and evaluation processes performed by terminal devices in radio resource control (RRC) idle or inactive states. Background Communication management in wireless networks relies on measurement reporting to facilitate transitions between cells. Base stations work together to maintain connectivity as devices operate within the network, requiring information exchange about various network parameters and resource availability. Conventional approaches involve devices performing measurements and reporting results to network nodes. These measurements allow the network to manage communications and maintain service delivery. The implementation of wireless network measurements involves multiple technical considerations. The frequency of measurements affects the level of detail available about network conditions while impacting operation of terminal devices. Similarly, measurement precision often requires specific monitoring periods or sampling approaches, which affects system efficiency. The quantity of measurement reports influences network signaling, while processing these reports requires computational capacity at network nodes. In certain contexts, a network may take decisions relating to a terminal device, e.g. the setting of certain parameters such as SCell activation delay parameters, based on whether a cell is considered known or unknown to the terminal device. However, whether the cell is known to the terminal device may not be known to the network. Summary According to a first aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a terminal device including at least one processor and memory storing instructions for performing operations. The terminal device can perform measurements related to a first base station while in a radio resource control (RRC) idle state or RRC inactive state. When the terminal device is not configured to determine whether measurements satisfy a timing condition, it performs an evaluation process. This evaluation process determines whether at least two conditions are met at a given point in time or during a given time period. These conditions include a first condition relating to terminal device mobility and a second condition relating to the terminal device's location with respect to a cell provided by the first base station. The terminal device sends indications of measurement results and whether both conditions are met to a second base station. Advantageously, this may provide a means by which the network may determine whether a cell should be considered known or unknown to the terminal device. The terminal device may receive instructions to configure the evaluation process, including an indication of the given point in time or time period. Upon receiving these instructions, the terminal device configures itself accordingly. The given time period may correspond to various intervals, such as when measurement samples are obtained, or between specific trigger events. These trigger events may include entering the RRC idle or inactive state upon receiving an RRC Release message or an RRC Suspend message, or events related to sending measurement results. The second trigger event may involve sending a random-access MSG1 message receiving a request for an early measurement reporting (EMR) report. The evaluation process may be initiated in response to an evaluation trigger event. Such trigger events may include the terminal device sending a random-access MSG1 message events relating to activation of a secondary cell for the terminal device. The terminal device may receive instructions to configure the evaluation process that include an indication of the evaluation trigger event. Upon receiving these instructions, the terminal device configures itself to perform the evaluation process when the specified trigger event occurs. The first condition relating to terminal device mobility may be based on various mobility-related parameters. These parameters may include the speed at which the terminal device moves, whether the terminal device exhibits low mobility characteristics, or whether the terminal device remains stationary. The second condition may relate to how close the terminal device is to the edge of the network cell. According to a second aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a method that may be implemented in a terminal device to perform measurements related to a first base station while in an RRC idle or inactive state. When the terminal device is not configured to evaluate measurement timing conditions, it performs an evaluation process. This process determines whether two conditions are simultaneously met at a specified time or during a specified period. These conditions relate to the terminal device's mobility and its