Methods and apparatus for edge computing services

Abstract

An example method for providing services from a source edge data network to a terminal in a wireless communication system includes: identifying a target edge data network based on the terminal's location information, the target edge data network being an edge data network to which the terminal is expected to perform a handover; determining whether the transmission of expected data will be delayed, the expected data being service-related data that the target edge data network is expected to send to the terminal after the handover; sending a message requesting the expected data to the target edge data network based on the determination that the transmission of the expected data will be delayed; receiving service-related data corresponding to the expected data from the target edge data network; and sending the service-related data to the terminal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to methods and apparatus for edge computing services (e.g., multi-access edge computing (MEC) services). Background Technology

[0002] Recently, edge computing technologies that use edge servers to send data have been discussed. Edge computing technologies can include, for example, multi-access edge computing (MEC) or fog computing (FOC). Edge computing technology can refer to the technology of providing data to electronic devices through separate servers (hereinafter referred to as "edge data networks" or "MEC servers") provided at locations geographically close to the electronic device (e.g., within or near a base station). For example, in at least one application installed in an electronic device, applications requiring low latency can send / receive data through edge servers located in geographically close locations, rather than through servers located on an external data network (DN) (e.g., the Internet).

[0003] Recently, services using edge computing technology (hereinafter referred to as "MEC-based services" or "MEC services") have been discussed, and electronic devices have been researched and developed to support MEC-based services. For example, applications on electronic devices can send / receive edge-based data to / from edge servers (or applications on edge servers) at the application layer.

[0004] With the progress in research and development supporting MEC-based services, schemes for reducing latency in edge data networks (e.g., MEC servers) providing MEC-based services have been discussed. For example, when providing services to terminals using edge computing services, a method for eliminating latency that may occur due to terminal handover has been discussed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] According to an exemplary embodiment, a method for providing services from a source edge data network to a terminal in a wireless communication system includes: identifying a target edge data network to which the terminal is expected to switch based on the location information of the terminal; determining whether the transmission of expected data will be delayed, the expected data being service-related data that the target edge data network is expected to send to the terminal after the handover; sending a message requesting the expected data to the target edge data network based on the determination that the transmission of the expected data will be delayed; receiving service-related data corresponding to the expected data from the target edge data network; and sending the service-related data to the terminal. Attached Figure Description

[0006] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain embodiments of this disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0007] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary network environment for supporting services based on multi-access edge computing (MEC) according to various embodiments;

[0008] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating examples of delayed service delivery to a terminal when the terminal performs a switch from a source edge data network to a target edge data network, according to various embodiments.

[0009] Figure 3A This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary network environment that supports MEC-based services when a terminal performs a handover, according to various embodiments.

[0010] Figure 3B This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary network environment for supporting MEC-based services in the event of a handover at a terminal, according to various embodiments;

[0011] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating example methods for providing MEC-based services from a source edge data network to a terminal without and / or with reduced latency due to handover, according to various embodiments.

[0012] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating example methods for providing MEC-based services from a target edge data network to a terminal without and / or with reduced latency due to handover, according to various embodiments.

[0013] Figure 6A This is a signal flow diagram illustrating example methods for providing MEC-based services to a terminal without and / or with reduced latency due to handover, according to various embodiments.

[0014] Figure 6B This is a signal flow diagram illustrating example methods for providing MEC-based services to a terminal without and / or with reduced latency due to handover, according to various embodiments.

[0015] Figure 7 This is a signal flow diagram illustrating example methods for providing MEC-based services to a terminal without and / or with reduced latency due to handover, according to various embodiments.

[0016] Figure 8 This is a signal flow diagram illustrating example methods for providing MEC-based services to a terminal after a handover, according to various embodiments;

[0017] Figure 9 This is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary edge data network according to various embodiments;

[0018] Figure 10 This is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary terminal according to various embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0019] Embodiments of this disclosure provide an edge data network that provides services to terminals using edge computing services without and / or with reduced latency due to handover.

[0020] Other aspects will be partly described in the following description, and partly become apparent from the description.

[0021] According to an exemplary embodiment, a method for providing services from a source edge data network to a terminal in a wireless communication system includes: identifying a target edge data network to which the terminal is expected to switch based on the terminal's location information; determining whether the transmission of expected data will be delayed, wherein the expected data is service-related data that the target edge data network is expected to transmit to the terminal after the handover; sending a message requesting the expected data to the target edge data network based on the determination that the transmission of the expected data will be delayed; receiving service-related data corresponding to the expected data from the target edge data network; and transmitting the service-related data to the terminal.

[0022] According to an exemplary embodiment, a method for providing services from a target edge data network to a terminal in a wireless communication system includes: receiving a message requesting expected data from a source edge data network providing services to the terminal, the expected data being service-related data that the target edge data network expects to send to the terminal after performing a handover from the terminal to the target edge data network; obtaining service-related data corresponding to the requested expected data based on the message requesting expected data; and sending the obtained data to the source edge data network.

[0023] According to an exemplary embodiment, a source edge data network providing services to a terminal in a wireless communication system includes: a communicator including communication circuitry; a memory storing a plurality of instructions; and a processor configured to execute the instructions to: identify a target edge data network to which the terminal is expected to switch based on the terminal's location information; determine whether the transmission of expected data will be delayed, the expected data being service-related data that the target edge data network is expected to transmit to the terminal after the handover; based on the determination that the transmission of the expected data will be delayed, send a message requesting the expected data to the target edge data network; receive service-related data corresponding to the expected data from the target edge data network; and transmit the service-related data to the terminal.

[0024] According to an exemplary embodiment, a target edge data network provides services to a terminal in a wireless communication system. The target edge data network includes: a communicator including communication circuitry; a memory storing a plurality of instructions; and a processor configured to execute the instructions to: receive a message requesting expected data from a source edge data network providing services to the terminal, the expected data being service-related data that the target edge data network expects to send to the terminal after a switch is performed between the terminal and the target edge data network; obtain service-related data corresponding to the requested expected data based on the message requesting the expected data; and send the obtained data to the source edge data network.

[0025] In the following, various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] In describing various exemplary embodiments, descriptions of technical content that is well-known in the technical field to which this disclosure pertains and is not directly related to this disclosure may be omitted.

[0027] Some components in the accompanying drawings may be exaggerated, omitted, or shown schematically. Additionally, the dimensions of each component may not perfectly reflect its actual size. In the drawings, identical or corresponding elements may be given the same reference numerals.

[0028] The advantages and features of this disclosure, as well as methods for achieving these advantages and features, will become apparent from the exemplary embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described below; rather, these embodiments are illustrative and non-limiting and will convey the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art. Throughout this disclosure, similar reference numerals may denote similar elements.

[0029] It should be understood that each block of the process flowchart and combinations thereof can be executed by computer program instructions. Because these computer program instructions can be mounted on the processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing equipment, the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing equipment, can generate a means for performing the functions described in the blocks of the flowchart. Because these computer program instructions can be stored in a computer-executable or computer-readable memory that can be directed to a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to implement the functions in a particular manner, the instructions stored in the computer-executable or computer-readable memory can also produce an article of manufacture containing instruction means for performing the functions described in the blocks of the flowchart. Because computer program instructions can also be mounted on a computer or other programmable data processing equipment, performing a series of operations on the computer or other programmable data processing equipment to generate instructions for executing a computer-implemented process of the computer or other programmable data processing equipment can also provide operations for performing the functions described in the blocks of the flowchart.

[0030] Furthermore, each box may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which includes one or more executable instructions for performing one or more specified logical functions. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementation examples, the functions mentioned in the boxes may appear in a different order. For example, two boxes shown consecutively may actually be executed substantially simultaneously, or sometimes they may be executed in reverse order depending on their respective functions.

[0031] Furthermore, the term "~unit" as used herein can refer to, for example, a software component or a hardware component, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and a "~unit" can perform some function. However, a "~unit" is not limited to software or hardware. A "~unit" can be configured to reside in addressable memory or can be configured to operate one or more processors. Thus, by way of example, a "~unit" can include components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, and can include processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, program code segments, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functionality provided in components and "~units" can be combined into a smaller number of components and "~units," or can be further divided into additional components and "~units." Furthermore, components and "~units" can be implemented to operate one or more central processing units (CPUs) in a device or secure multimedia card. Additionally, in embodiments of this disclosure, a "~unit" can include one or more processors.

[0032] Throughout the disclosure, the expression "at least one of a, b, or c" means: only a, only b, only c, both a and b, both a and c, both b and c, all a, b, and c, or variations thereof.

[0033] Examples of terminals may include, for example, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), cellular phone, smartphone, computer, multimedia system capable of performing communication functions, etc.

[0034] In this disclosure, the controller may also be referred to as a processor.

[0035] Throughout this disclosure, a layer (or layer device) may also be referred to as an entity.

[0036] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary network environment for supporting services based on multi-access edge computing (MEC) according to various embodiments.

[0037] Reference Figure 1 Network environment 10 may include terminal 100, 3GPP network 200, edge data network 300, and service server 400. However, the configuration of network environment 10 is not limited to... Figure 1 The configuration shown.

[0038] According to an exemplary embodiment, each component included in the network environment 10 may refer to a physical entity unit or a software or module unit capable of performing a single function. Therefore, a component included in the network environment 10 may be referred to as an entity or a function.

[0039] According to various embodiments, terminal 100 may refer to a device used by a user. For example, terminal 100 may refer to user equipment (UE), remote terminal, wireless terminal, or user device. Additionally, terminal 100 may include all types of devices. For example, terminal 100 may include drones, autonomous vehicles, augmented reality (AR) devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, mobile phones, smartphones, etc.

[0040] According to an exemplary embodiment, terminal 100 may drive (or execute) multiple application clients. For example, terminal 100 may include a first application client 111 and a second application client 112. The multiple application clients may request different network services based on at least one of the following: the data transmission rate of terminal 100, the latency (or rate) of terminal 100 accessing the network, reliability, number, network access cycle of terminal 100, or average data usage. Different network services may include, for example, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC), or massive machine-type communication (mMTC).

[0041] The application client of terminal 100 can refer to, for example, a basic application pre-installed on terminal 100 or an application provided by a third party. That is, it can refer to a client application driven on terminal 100 for a specific application service. Various application clients can be driven on terminal 100. At least one of these application clients can be used to provide services from edge data network 300 to terminal 100. For example, the application client can be an application installed and executed on terminal 100, and can provide the function of sending / receiving data through edge data network 300. The application client of terminal 100 can refer to application software (or modules) executed on terminal 100 to use the functions provided by one or more specific edge applications.

[0042] According to various embodiments, multiple application clients 111 and 112 of terminal 100 can perform data transmission with service server 400 based on the required network service type, or can perform edge computing-based data transmission with edge data network 300. For example, when first application client 111 does not require low latency, first application client 111 can perform data transmission with service server 400. As another example, when second application client 112 requires low latency, second application client 112 can perform MEC-based data transmission with edge data network 300. However, this disclosure is not limited to this, and terminal 100 can decide whether to send / receive data to / from service server 400 or edge data network 300 based on various conditions other than latency.

[0043] According to various embodiments, the application client of terminal 100 may be referred to as, for example, a UE application (app), an application client, a client application (app), or a UE application. Hereinafter, for convenience, the application client of terminal 100 will be referred to as an application client.

[0044] According to various embodiments, terminal 100 may include an edge enabler client 120 and a 3GPP communication layer 130. According to an exemplary embodiment, edge enabler client 120 may refer to a layer that performs operations within terminal 100 to enable terminal 100 to use MEC services. According to exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, edge enabler client 120 may also be referred to as the MEC enabling layer (MEL). Edge enabler client 120 may determine which UE application can use MEC services and connect to the network interface so that data from the application client of terminal 100 can be sent to the edge data network 300 providing MEC services.

[0045] Furthermore, the edge enabler client 120 can work with the 3GPP communication layer 130 to perform operations that enable the terminal 100 to establish a data connection to use MEC services. For example, the 3GPP communication layer 130 may refer to a layer that performs modem operations to use the mobile communication system, and can establish a wireless connection for data communication, register the terminal 100 in the mobile communication system, establish a connection for sending data to the mobile communication system, and perform data sending / receiving functions.

[0046] According to various embodiments, 3GPP network 200 may be a 3GPP-compliant wireless communication system and may be connected to terminal 100 to provide wireless communication services to terminal 100. 3GPP network 200 may include a radio access network (RAN) 210 and a core network 220. 3GPP network 200 may include, for example, a third-generation (3G) network, an LTE network, an LTE-A network, or a next-generation network (5G or NR). However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and 3GPP network 200 may include networks configured with other communication technologies.

[0047] According to various embodiments, the RAN 210 of the 3GPP network 200 may be a network directly connected to the terminal 100 and may be infrastructure providing radio access to the terminal 100. The RAN 210 may include multiple base stations, and the multiple base stations may communicate through interfaces formed between them. At least some of the interfaces between the multiple base stations may be wired or wireless. A base station may be referred to as a gNode B, eNode B, Node B, base station (BS), radio access unit, base station controller, node on a network, or any other term with equivalent technical meaning.

[0048] According to various embodiments, the core network 220 of the 3GPP network 200 can process data and control signals transmitted / received via the RAN 210 regarding the terminal 100. The core network 220 can perform various functions, such as controlling the user plane and control plane, processing mobility, managing user information, charging, and interoperating with other types of systems (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems). To perform these various functions, the core network 220 may include multiple functionally separate entities with different network functions (NFs).

[0049] For example, the core network 220 may include user plane functions (UPF) 221, access and mobility management functions (AMF) (not shown), session management functions (SMF) (not shown), policy control functions (PCF) (not shown), network open functions (NEF) 225, user data management (UDM) (not shown), network data analysis functions (NWDAF) (not shown), and gateway mobility location center (GMLC) (not shown).

[0050] UPF 221 can provide a data path (or data plane) between terminal 100 and edge data network 300. That is, UPF 221 can be used as a gateway for sending data (or data packets) sent / received by the terminal.

[0051] Terminal 100 and edge data network 300 can send / receive data (or data packets) to / from each other via UPF 221. Edge data network 300 can send / receive data to / from UPF 221 via data network (DN). UPF 221 can be located near edge data network 300 to support MEC services to terminal 100; and can send data packets of terminal 100 to edge data network 300 with low latency, or can send data packets of edge data network 300 to terminal 100 with low latency.

[0052] UPF 221 can also be connected to a data network that connects terminal 100 and service server 400 via the Internet. UPF 221 can route data packets to be sent via the Internet in data packets sent by terminal 100 to the data network between service server 400 and terminal 100.

[0053] NEF 225 can be an NF that exposes the functions (capabilities) and services of the internal NF of 3GPP network 200 to external NFs. NEF 225 can connect to an external server (e.g., edge data network 300) to send information about events occurring in the internal NFs of 3GPP network 200 to the external server, or to send information about events requested by the external server to the internal NFs. The functions and services exposed by NEF 225 may include, for example, location-related event reports of terminal 100, session-related event reports of terminal 100, and mobility management event reports of terminal 100. External servers can subscribe to the functions and services exposed by NEF 225 to access the corresponding functions and services.

[0054] According to various embodiments, edge data network 300 may refer to a server to which terminal 100 is connected to use MEC services. Edge data network 300 may be deployed in a base station of the 3GPP network 200 to which terminal 100 is connected, or may be deployed at a location geographically close to the base station, and may provide services at least partially the same as those provided by service server 400. In exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, MEC may be referred to as multi-access edge computing or mobile edge computing.

[0055] According to various embodiments, the edge data network 300 may be referred to as, for example, an MEC server, an MEC host, an edge computing server, a mobile edge host, an edge computing platform, etc.

[0056] According to various embodiments, the edge data network 300 can execute (or drive) multiple edge applications. For example, the edge data network 300 can execute a first edge application 311 and a second edge application 312. According to an exemplary embodiment, an edge application can refer to, for example, an application provided by a third party in the edge data network 300 for providing MEC services. For example, to send / receive data related to an application client, an edge application can be used to establish a data session with the application client. That is, an edge application can establish a data session with the application client. According to an exemplary embodiment, a data session can refer to a communication path established by the application client of the terminal 100 and the edge application of the edge data network 300 for sending / receiving data.

[0057] According to various embodiments, the edge data network 300 can provide virtual resources to edge applications. Virtual resources may include at least one of, for example, computing resources, storage resources, or network resources (e.g., network bandwidth) that can be used by the edge application. The edge application of the edge data network 300 can be executed (or driven) as a virtual machine.

[0058] According to various embodiments, the applications of the edge data network 300 may be referred to as, for example, edge applications, MEC applications (apps), edge application servers, or ME (MEC) applications and edge applications. Hereinafter, for convenience, the applications of the edge data network 300 will be referred to as edge applications.

[0059] According to various embodiments, the edge data network 300 may include, for example, an edge enabler server 320. According to exemplary embodiments, the edge enabler server 320 may be referred to as a mobile edge computing (MEC) platform, a mobile edge (ME) platform (MEP), a platform, etc.

[0060] According to various embodiments, the edge enabler server 320 can provide the functionality required to perform edge applications. For example, the edge enabler server 320 can provide functionality or an environment that allows edge applications to provide MEC services to terminals such as terminal 100, or to enable edge applications to use (consume) MEC services. Furthermore, the edge enabler server 320 can also perform service control or perform Domain Name System (DNS) processing.

[0061] According to various embodiments, MEC services can be collectively referred to as, for example, services related to programs and information required for use by edge applications. MEC services can be provided or used (consumed) by edge enabler server 320 or edge applications. For example, an edge application can provide MEC services to terminal 100; or, in order to provide MEC services to terminal 100, MEC services provided by edge enabler server 320 can be used. Furthermore, edge enabler server 320 can provide MEC services that can be used by edge applications to provide MEC services to terminal 100. Hereinafter, MEC services can refer to services provided to terminal 100 by edge data network 300 or edge applications, or services provided by edge enabler server 320 and usable by edge applications.

[0062] According to various embodiments, edge enabler server 320 can provide MEC services to edge applications. For example, edge enabler server 320 can provide various information (data and content, such as information about the location of the terminal, cached data, and information about subscribed services) to the edge application based on the provided MEC services. The edge application can provide MEC services to terminal 100 by using the MEC services provided by edge enabler server 320. For example, the edge application can provide MEC services to terminal 100 based on information provided by edge enabler server 320 as MEC services. The MEC services provided to terminal 100 may be services necessary for terminal 100 to drive application clients (e.g., data provision necessary to drive application clients). In the following, edge data network 300 providing services to terminal 100 may refer to the edge application of edge data network 300 that provides MEC services necessary for terminal 100 to drive application clients.

[0063] According to various embodiments, the edge enabler server 320 may include an MEC service 330 and a service registry 340. The MEC service 330 can provide services to edge applications included in the edge data network 300. The MEC service 330 can be implemented as a module or software capable of performing a single function. The service registry 340 can provide information about available services within the edge data network 300.

[0064] According to various embodiments, when an instance of an edge application is generated (installed), the edge enabler server 320 can internally register the edge application. The edge enabler server 320 can register the edge application and store information related to the edge application. The information related to the edge application stored by the edge enabler server 320 may include, for example, information about MEC services that will be provided by the edge application to the terminal 100, etc., and information about whether the MEC service is a required service or an optional service for the edge application.

[0065] According to various embodiments, edge applications can register new MEC services (service registration), update pre-registered MEC services, or retrieve MEC services registered in the edge enabler server 320. When registering or updating MEC services in the edge enabler server 320, the edge application can provide the edge enabler server 320 with information about the MEC services to be registered or updated. The edge enabler server 320 can register MEC services in the service registry 340.

[0066] According to various embodiments, the edge enabler server 320 can send information about MEC services registered in the service registry 340 to edge applications in the edge data network 300. For example, the edge enabler server 320 can send a list of MEC services registered in the service registry 340 to the edge applications. Furthermore, the edge enabler server 320 can send information about the availability of MEC services that are pre-registered or newly registered in the service registry 340 to the edge applications. The edge enabler server 320 can also provide Domain Name System (DNS) processing 342 and business rule control 344.

[0067] According to various embodiments, an edge application can subscribe to an MEC service 330 registered in the service registry 340. An edge application can subscribe to the MEC service 330 by sending a subscription request to the edge enabler server 320. For example, an edge application "subscribing" to the MEC service 330 could mean continuously receiving information about the MEC service from the edge enabler server 320.

[0068] According to various embodiments, service server 400 can provide content related to the application client of terminal 100. For example, service server 400 can provide services or data necessary for terminal 100 to drive (or execute) the application client, and can provide edge applications capable of providing MEC services to the application client of terminal 100 to edge data network 300. Furthermore, service server 400 can provide services or data necessary for terminal 100 to drive (or execute) the application client to edge data network 300. Service server 400 can be operated or managed by a content provider that provides content to terminal 100.

[0069] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating an example of delayed service delivery to a terminal when the terminal performs a switch from a source edge data network to a target edge data network, according to various embodiments.

[0070] Reference Figure 2Terminal 100 can be located in the service area 31 of the source edge data network 301, and terminal 100 can receive services from the source edge data network 301.

[0071] Terminal 100 can move from service area 31 of source edge data network 301 to service area 32 of target edge data network 302, and based on this movement, terminal 100 can perform a switch from source edge data network 301 to target edge data network 302.

[0072] Switching a terminal from a source edge data network to a target edge data network can refer to, for example, the technology of changing the edge data network providing services to the terminal from a source edge data network to a target edge data network. Furthermore, switching a terminal to a target edge data network (or performing a switch) can refer to executing a procedure that changes the edge data network providing services to the terminal from a source edge data network to a target edge data network.

[0073] More specifically, the method of performing the switch can refer to relocating the terminal's application context (or application instance) from the edge application of the source edge data network (i.e., the source edge application) to the edge application of the target edge data network (i.e., the target edge application).

[0074] The edge data network that provides services to the terminal by switching can be changed from the source edge data network to the target edge data network, and the terminal can continue to receive services by switching to another edge data network, even if it is not in the service area of ​​the connected edge data network.

[0075] In the following text, the source edge data network can refer to the edge data network currently connected to the terminal for providing services to the terminal, and the source edge application can refer to the edge application of the source edge data network. Furthermore, the target edge data network can refer to the edge data network that provides services to the terminal after a handover, and the target edge application can refer to the edge application of the target edge data network. Here, the target edge application can be an edge application that provides the same services as the source edge application.

[0076] The service area of ​​an edge data network refers to the coverage area within which the edge data network can provide services to a terminal. This coverage area can be determined based on the location of the edge data network, its communication capabilities, and its edge service provision capabilities (e.g., the types of services available). Here, the communication capabilities of the edge data network can be determined based on the communication capabilities (e.g., transmit / receive strength) of the base stations connected to the edge data network. The service area may differ for each edge data network and can be switched when the terminal moves between service areas.

[0077] Reference Figure 2 Terminal 100 should receive services from the target edge data network 302 after the handover. However, after the handover, the transmission of data related to the service (that the target edge data network 302 must send to terminal 100 in order to provide services to terminal 100) may be delayed. For example, after the handover, data transmission delays may occur due to poor channel conditions between the target edge data network 302 and terminal 100. Alternatively, data transmission delays may occur when the target edge data network 302 needs time to process the data to be sent to terminal 100. Or, data transmission delays may occur when many terminals are connected to the target edge data network 302 and therefore the data transmission to terminal 100 has a low priority. Alternatively, after the handover, data transmission delays may occur depending on the time taken by the target edge data network 302 to execute the target edge application to provide services to terminal 100.

[0078] Therefore, terminal 100 may face dangerous situations because it may fail to receive the data for providing services from the target edge data network 302 after the handover. For example, when terminal 100 is a drone, the transmission of ground data, collision avoidance data, etc., that should be sent from the target edge data network 302 to terminal 100 may be delayed, and terminal 100 may be at risk of colliding with trees, streetlights, building facades, etc.

[0079] This disclosure describes a method to prevent risks caused by data transmission delays after terminal 100 performs a switch from source edge data network 301 to target edge data network 302. Specifically, a method is described whereby source edge data network 301 anticipates a switch of terminal 100 to target edge data network 302, determines whether services (i.e., data transmission) provided to terminal 100 after the switch will be delayed, obtains in advance the expected data to be provided to terminal 100 from target edge data network 302, and provides the expected data to terminal 100.

[0080] Figure 3A This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary network environment for supporting MEC-based services when a handover is performed at a terminal, according to various embodiments.

[0081] Reference Figure 3A Terminal 100 can execute (or drive) the first application client 111 and the second application client 112. Terminal 100 can send / receive data related to the first application client 111 to / from the source edge data network 301 or the first edge application 311 via the first RAN 230 and the first UPF 241.

[0082] According to an exemplary embodiment, the first core network 240 may be a core network connected to the first RAN 230 and the source edge data network 301. The first core network 240 may include a first UPF 241 and a first NEF 245, and may also include other network entities.

[0083] According to an exemplary embodiment, the first UPF 241 can provide a data path (or data plane) between the terminal 100 and the source edge data network 301. That is, the first UPF 241 can be used as a gateway for sending data (or data packets) sent / received by the terminal 100. According to an exemplary embodiment, the first NEF 245 can be connected to the source edge data network 301 to send events or information generated from an internal NF of the 3GPP network to the source edge data network 301, or to send events or information requested by the source edge data network 301 to an internal NF.

[0084] According to various embodiments, the source edge data network 301 may be an edge data network connected to the terminal 100 to provide services to the terminal 100. Therefore, the source edge data network 301 may be located near the first RAN 230 to which the terminal 100 is connected.

[0085] According to various embodiments, the services provided by the source edge data network 301 can vary depending on the terminal 100 or the application client of the terminal 100. For example, the services provided by the source edge data network 301 can be location-based services that provide data (e.g., map information or location-based content information) based on data that may vary depending on the location of the terminal 100 (e.g., map information), and can include at least one of drone control services, AR content services, VR content services, or autonomous driving information services.

[0086] According to various embodiments, the source edge data network 301 may store information about the service area 31 of the source edge data network 301. Figure 2 Data (e.g., regional information or geospatial information) of the source edge data network 301. Edge applications of the source edge data network 301 can provide services to the terminal 100 based on data about the service area 31. The source edge data network 301 may not store information about the service area 32 of the target edge data network 302. Figure 2 When there is a delay in switching terminal 100 from source edge data network 301 to target edge data network 302, source edge data network 301 may need to provide services to terminal 100 by obtaining information about the service area 32 of target edge data network 302, or by obtaining data sent by target edge data network 302 to terminals in service area 32 for providing services.

[0087] According to various embodiments, the source edge data network 301 can execute multiple edge applications (e.g., a first edge application 311 and a second edge application 312) and may include an edge enabler server 321. However, the configuration of the source edge data network 301 is not limited to... Figure 3A The configuration shown is illustrated. (Refer to...) Figure 3A The first edge application 311 can form a data session with the first application client 111 of the terminal 100. The first edge application 311 can provide services to the first application client 111 and can send data for providing services. As used herein, the source edge data network 301 that provides services to the terminal 100 or sends data to provide services can, for example, mean that the edge application of the source edge data network 301 (e.g., the first edge application 311) provides services to the application client of the terminal 100 (e.g., the first application client 111) or sends data for providing services.

[0088] According to various embodiments, the source edge data network 301 can obtain the location information of the terminal 100. For example, the source edge data network 301 can receive the location information of the terminal 100 from at least one of the terminal 100 or a 3GPP network entity connected to the terminal 100. For example, the location information of the terminal 100 may include information about the current location of the terminal 100, information about changes in the location of the terminal 100, information about the movement path of the terminal 100, etc.

[0089] According to various embodiments, the source edge data network 301 can send a message requesting the location information of the terminal 100 to the terminal 100, and can also receive the location information of the terminal 100 from the terminal 100. The location information of the terminal 100 that can be received from the terminal 100 may include, for example, the location information of the terminal 100 obtained by the terminal 100 through the Global Positioning Service (GPS). In this case, the location information of the terminal 100 sent by the terminal 100 can be sent to the source edge data network 301 through the first RAN 230 and the first UPF 241.

[0090] According to various embodiments, the source edge data network 301 can receive location information of the terminal 100 from a 3GPP network entity connected to the terminal 100. For example, the source edge data network 301 can send a message requesting subscription to reports of location-related events (e.g., the terminal's current location, location changes, or location under specific circumstances) opened by a first NEF 245 of the 3GPP network connected to the terminal 100, and can receive report messages about location-related events from the first NEF 245. Location-related events may include location-related events detected by the 3GPP network's AMF or GMLC.

[0091] According to various embodiments, the report message about events related to the location of terminal 100 may be the location information of terminal 100, and may include GPS information of terminal 100, information about the area where terminal 100 is located, information about the cell to which terminal 100 is connected, etc.

[0092] According to various embodiments, the operation of obtaining the location information of the terminal 100 can be performed by using MEC services (e.g., location services for providing location information of the terminal 100) provided by the edge enabler server 321 of the source edge data network 301.

[0093] According to various embodiments, the location information of terminal 100 obtained by source edge data network 301 may be a combination of location information of terminal 100 received from first NEF 245 and information received from terminal 100.

[0094] According to various embodiments, the source edge data network 301 can identify the movement path of the terminal 100 based on the obtained location information of the terminal 100. The movement path of the terminal 100 can be the path taken by the terminal 100 when moving from its current location, and can be the actual movement path or the expected movement path of the terminal 100.

[0095] For example, by combining information about the current location of terminal 100 and information about changes in the location of terminal 100 included in the obtained location information of terminal 100, the source edge data network 301 can identify the movement path of terminal 100. Alternatively, the source edge data network 301 can receive information about the movement path of terminal 100 as location information of terminal 100 from terminal 100 or a 3GPP network entity connected to terminal 100 (i.e., information about the movement path of terminal 100 can be included in the location information of terminal 100), and can identify the movement path of terminal 100 using the received information.

[0096] According to various embodiments, the source edge data network 301 can identify the target edge data network 302 that the terminal 100 is expected to switch to based on the location information of the terminal 100. For example, the source edge data network 301 can identify the movement path of the terminal 100 based on the obtained location information of the terminal 100, and determine that the terminal 100 will move to a specific area based on the identified movement path of the terminal 100. When the terminal 100 moves to the specific area, the source edge data network 301 can expect to switch to the edge data network providing services to the specific area. The source edge data network 301 can determine the edge data network providing services to the specific area as the target edge data network 302.

[0097] According to various embodiments, the source edge data network 301 can identify the target edge data network 302 to which the terminal 100 is expected to switch based on the strength of signals received from or transmitted to the RAN. For example, the source edge data network 301 can receive information from the first RAN 230, the terminal 100, etc., regarding the strength of signals transmitted / received by the terminal 100 to / from the first RAN 230 or another RAN (e.g., the second RAN 250). Based on changes in the strength of signals transmitted / received by the terminal 100 to / from the currently connected first RAN 230, or based on changes in the strength of signals transmitted / received to / from another RAN, the source edge data network 301 can identify the target edge data network 302 to which the terminal 100 is expected to switch.

[0098] According to various embodiments, the source edge data network 301 can retrieve an edge data network (i.e., a target edge data network 302) that provides services to a specific area. For example, the source edge data network 301 can retrieve the target edge data network 302 based on at least one of the location information of the terminal 100 (e.g., area information or cell information), information about the movement path of the terminal 100, or information about a specific area (e.g., cell information of the specific area).

[0099] More specifically, the source edge data network 301 can request information about the target edge data network 302 from an edge data network configuration server (EDN CS) or a DNS server, and can receive information about the target edge data network 302 (e.g., the identifier of the target edge data network 302, the IP address of the target edge data network 302, etc.). The source edge data network 301 can identify the edge data network providing services to a specific area based on the received information, and can determine the identified edge data network as the target edge data network 302. References will be made below. Figure 3B A more detailed description of the edge data network configuration server.

[0100] According to various embodiments, the source edge data network 301 can be anticipated to indicate the connection state between the terminal 100 and the target edge data network 302 after the terminal 100 performs a switch from the source edge data network 301 to the target edge data network 302. Here, the connection state can refer to, for example, the connection state of a wireless communication channel, and can include the connection states of both the uplink channel and the downlink channel.

[0101] The source edge data network 301 may request information about the channel state of the terminal 100 and information about the capabilities of the terminal 100 from the terminal 100 or the 3GPP network 200 connected to the terminal 100 (i.e., the first RAN 230 or the core network entity to which the first RAN 230 is connected (e.g., the first NEF 245)), and in response to the request, receive information about the channel state and performance of the terminal 100. The information about the channel state of the terminal 100 may include information about the state of the channels currently connected to the terminal 100. The information about the performance of the terminal 100 may include information about the reception performance of the terminal 100 and information about the transmission capabilities of the terminal 100.

[0102] The source edge data network 301 may request information about the channel state and performance of the target edge data network 302 from the first RAN 230, the core network entity (e.g., the first NEF 245) to which the first RAN 230 is connected, or the target edge data network 302, and in response to such request, receive information about the channel state and performance of the target edge data network 302. The information about the channel state of the target edge data network 302 may include information about the state of the channels connected to the target edge data network 302 (i.e., the communication channel between the target edge data network 302 and the terminal). The information about the performance of the target edge data network 302 may include information about the reception performance of the target edge data network 302 and information about the transmission capabilities of the target edge data network 302, which may be information about the performance of the antennas or base stations (e.g., the second RAN 250) that physically transmit / receive signals from the target edge data network 302.

[0103] Based on information about the channel state of terminal 100, information about the performance of terminal 100, location information (or movement path) of terminal 100, information about the channel state of target edge data network 302, and information about the performance of target edge data network 302, source edge data network 301 can anticipate the connection state between terminal 100 and target edge data network 302 after handover.

[0104] For example, based on information about the channel state between the target edge data network 302 and other terminals on the mobility path of terminal 100, and information about the performance of terminal 100, the source edge data network 301 can anticipate the connection state between terminal 100 and the target edge data network 302 after the handover. Alternatively, based on information that the target edge data network 302 is connected to multiple terminals, it can be anticipated that the data transmission priority from the target edge data network 302 to terminal 100 will be very low after the handover. Or, based on information about the poor channel connection state between the target edge data network 302 and the terminal, it can be anticipated that the connection state between terminal 100 and the target edge data network 302 will be poor after the handover.

[0105] According to various embodiments, based on the expected connection state between terminal 100 and target edge data network 302, source edge data network 301 can determine whether to delay the transmission of expected data from target edge data network 302 to terminal 100 after terminal 100 switches to target edge data network 302. For example, source edge data network 301 can anticipate that the connection state between terminal 100 and target edge data network 302 will be poor after the switch, and can determine to delay the transmission of expected data from target edge data network 302 to terminal 100.

[0106] According to various embodiments, the expected data that the target edge data network 302 intends to send to the terminal 100 after a handover can be data that the target edge data network 302 intends to send to the terminal located in the service area of ​​the target edge data network 302 in order to provide services. For example, the expected data can be data that is continuous with the data sent by the source edge data network 301 to the terminal 100 for providing services, and can be service-related data to be sent to the terminal 100 when the terminal 100 moves to the service area of ​​the target edge data network 302. In the following, the service-related data that the target edge data network 302 intends to send to the terminal 100 after the handover will be simply referred to as expected data.

[0107] According to various embodiments, when providing drone control services, the anticipated data may include, for example, information for avoiding collisions with the drone (i.e., terminal 100), information about the drone's movement path, etc. Furthermore, when providing AR / VR content services, the anticipated data may include content such as images or sound provided based on the movement of terminal 100. Additionally, when providing autonomous driving information services, the anticipated data may include, for example, information for avoiding collisions with autonomous vehicles (i.e., terminal 100), traffic information, pedestrian information based on vehicle movement, etc.

[0108] According to various embodiments, the source edge data network 301 may send a message requesting expected data to the target edge data network 302. The expected data is data that the target edge data network 302 intends to send to the terminal 100 after the terminal 100 performs a handover. The message requesting expected data may include at least one of the following: information identifying the service provided by the source edge data network 301 to the terminal 100 (e.g., a terminal identifier, a service identifier, an identifier of the edge application providing the service, an identifier of the application client receiving the service), location information of the terminal 100, information about the channel state of the terminal 100, or information about the performance of the terminal 100. The information for identifying the service and the location information of the terminal 100 may be sent to the target edge data network 302 as information for identifying the expected data.

[0109] According to various embodiments, the source edge data network 301 can be configured (or set) with service rules for sending / receiving data (or signals) to / from the target edge data network 302. For example, the source edge data network 301 can be configured with service rules such that it can send an expected data request message to the target edge data network 302. The source edge data network 301 can send a message to the first UPF 241 requesting that the expected data request message be sent to the target edge data network 302 according to the configured service rules. The first UPF 241 can be configured with a service path (service redirection) such that the expected data request message can be sent to the target edge data network 302 according to the service rules. Service rules can be configured before or simultaneously with the source edge data network 301 requests expected data from the target edge data network 302, and the expected data request message sent by the source edge data network 301 according to the configured service rules can be sent to the target edge data network 302 through the first UPF 241 and the second UPF 261.

[0110] According to various embodiments, in response to a desired data request, the source edge data network 301 can receive service-related data corresponding to the desired data from the target edge data network 302. The service-related data corresponding to the desired data will be described in detail below in the description of the operation of the target edge data network 302.

[0111] According to various embodiments, the source edge data network 301 can transcode service-related data corresponding to expected data received from the target edge data network 302. As used herein, transcoding can refer to processing, selecting, or transforming data according to another environment (e.g., the network environment of terminal 100), or generating new data based on the data. For example, the source edge data network 301 can convert the size, format, etc. of service-related data received from the target edge data network 302 so that terminal 100 (or the first application client 111 of terminal 100) can use the same data size, format, etc.

[0112] Furthermore, for example, the source edge data network 301 may transcode service-related data received from the target edge data network 302 based on at least one of the connection status with terminal 100 or the location of terminal 100. When it is determined that the connection status with terminal 100 is poor, the source edge data network 301 may convert and reduce the size of the service-related data received from the target edge data network 302. Alternatively, based on the location of terminal 100 (or the movement path of terminal 100), the source edge data network 301 may select data to be preferentially sent to terminal 100 from the service-related data received from the target edge data network 302. For example, data to be preferentially sent to terminal 100 may be selected based on the distance between the location of terminal 100 and the service area of ​​the target edge data network 302, or based on the movement path of terminal 100 within the service area of ​​the target edge data network 302.

[0113] Specifically, the source edge data network 301 can receive map data from the target edge data network 302 as data corresponding to the expected data related to the service, and can process the map data or generate other data from the map data (e.g., path determination information for drones, driving determination information for autonomous vehicles, etc.).

[0114] According to various embodiments, the source edge data network 301 may send service-related data corresponding to expected data received from the target edge data network 302 to the terminal 100. Alternatively, the source edge data network 301 may transcode the service-related data received from the target edge data network 302 and send the transcoded service-related data to the terminal 100.

[0115] According to various embodiments, the target edge data network 302 can be an edge data network that provides services to terminal 100 after terminal 100 has performed a handover. The target edge data network 302 can be located close to the second RAN 250.

[0116] According to various embodiments, the target edge data network 302 can execute multiple edge applications (e.g., a third edge application 313 and a fourth edge application 314) and may include an edge enabler server 322. However, the configuration of the target edge data network 302 is not limited to... Figure 3A The configuration shown is illustrated. (Refer to...) Figure 3A The edge application of the target edge data network 302 can be in a state where it does not form a data session with the application client of the terminal 100.

[0117] According to various embodiments, the second core network 260 may be a core network connected to the second RAN 250 and the target edge data network 302. The second core network 260 may include a second UPF 261 and may also include other network entities. After a handover is performed, the second UPF 261 may provide a data path between the terminal 100 and the target edge data network 302.

[0118] According to various embodiments, when terminal 100 performs a switch from source edge data network 301 to target edge data network 302, the application context (or application instance) of terminal 100 in source edge data network 301 can be relocated from source edge data network 301 to target edge data network 302. For example, based on the switch of terminal 100, the application context (or application instance) of the first edge application 311 providing services to terminal 100 can be sent from source edge data network 301 to target edge data network 302.

[0119] Based on the application context (or application instance) for terminal 100 received from source edge data network 301, target edge data network 302 can provide services provided by first edge application 311 to terminal 100. For example, based on the received application context (or application instance), target edge data network 302 can execute an edge application corresponding to first edge application 311 (e.g., third edge application 313), and the executed edge application can provide services provided by first edge application 311 to terminal 100. Figure 3A In the following description, it is assumed that terminal 100 does not perform a handover to the target edge data network 302.

[0120] According to various embodiments, the target edge data network 302 can receive a message requesting expected data from the source edge data network 301. The expected data is service-related data that the target edge data network 302 intends to send to the terminal 100 after the terminal 100 performs a handover to the target edge data network 302. The message requesting expected data received by the target edge data network 302 can be the same message requested by the source edge data network 301 described above.

[0121] According to various embodiments, based on a message requesting expected data received from the source edge data network 301, the target edge data network 302 can obtain service-related data corresponding to the requested expected data. More specifically, based on information included in the message requesting expected data, the target edge data network 302 can obtain service-related data corresponding to the requested expected data.

[0122] The message requesting expected data may include information for identifying the service and the location information of terminal 100. Based on the information for identifying the service, the target edge data network 302 can identify which service the requested expected data relates to. In this case, the target edge data network 302 can determine whether the identified service can be provided to terminal 100. When it is determined that the identified service can not be provided to terminal 100, the target edge data network 302 can send a message to the source edge data network 301 indicating that it is unable to provide the data corresponding to the requested expected data related to the service.

[0123] Based on the location information of terminal 100 (e.g., the movement path of terminal 100), the target edge data network 302 can obtain the identified service-related data to be provided to terminal 100 after handover. Based on the location information of terminal 100 (e.g., the movement path of terminal 100), the target edge data network 302 can determine the expected location or expected movement path of terminal 100 within the service area of ​​the target edge data network 302 after handover. Based on the expected location or expected movement path of terminal 100 within the service area of ​​the target edge data network 302, the target edge data network 302 can obtain the service-related data to be provided to terminal 100.

[0124] In this scenario, the target edge data network 302 can request and receive service-related data from the service server 400. Alternatively, the target edge data network 302 can obtain service-related data through an edge application capable of providing the identified service (e.g., a third edge application 313). In other words, service-related data can be obtained through the service provision operations of an edge application capable of providing the identified service.

[0125] According to various embodiments, based on at least one of the location information of terminal 100, information about the channel state of terminal 100, or information about the performance of terminal 100, the target edge data network 302 can identify data to be preferentially sent to terminal 100 from the obtained service-related data.

[0126] For example, based on the location information of terminal 100, target edge data network 302 can identify a portion of the area near terminal 100 within its service area. Among the obtained service-related data, target edge data network 302 can identify service-related data that can be provided to terminal 100 when terminal 100 is located within the identified portion of the area as data to be prioritized for transmission to terminal 100.

[0127] Alternatively, the target edge data network 302 can determine the transmission priority of the acquired service-related data based on whether it should be sent to terminal 100 without delay. Based on information about the channel state of terminal 100 and information about the performance of terminal 100 (e.g., whether the channel state of terminal 100 is good or bad, or whether the performance of terminal 100 is good or bad), the target edge data network 302 can identify data from the acquired service-related data that should be prioritized for transmission to terminal 100 according to the determined priority. For example, when it is determined that the channel state of terminal 100 is poor or the performance of terminal 100 is poor, the target edge data network 302 can identify only some data with high priority as data to be prioritized for transmission to terminal 100.

[0128] According to various embodiments, based on a message requesting expected data received from a source edge data network 301 and a pre-stored service-related expected data request history (hereinafter referred to as expected data request history), a target edge data network 302 can obtain service-related data corresponding to the requested expected data. The expected data request history may be a data table storing information received by the target edge data network 302 from an edge data network (e.g., source edge data network 301) regarding expected data request messages (e.g., information for identifying the request message or information included in the request message), and information regarding service-related data sent to the edge data network in response to the expected data request message (e.g., information for identifying the data, information about the location where the data is stored, etc.).

[0129] For example, the target edge data network 302 can compare a message requesting expected data received from the source edge data network 301, or information included in the message, with information stored in the expected data request history. The target edge data network 302 can identify previous request history information stored in the expected data request history (e.g., information about the request message, or information about data sent based on that request message), which corresponds to the received message requesting expected data. Based on the information about previously sent data included in the identified request history information, the target edge data network 302 can obtain data related to the service corresponding to the requested expected data.

[0130] According to various embodiments, the edge enabler server 322 of the target edge data network 302 can store historical information of expected data requests related to a service, and based on received expected data request messages, provide an MEC service to entities of the target edge data network 302 (e.g., edge applications) that provides data related to the service corresponding to the requested expected data. That is, by using the MEC service provided by the edge enabler server 322, the target edge data network 302 can obtain data related to the service corresponding to the requested expected data based on the historical expected data request information related to the service.

[0131] In this scenario, the service-related data obtained by the target edge data network 302 based on the expected data request history may be data that has been identified as being prioritized for transmission to the terminal 100 based on a previous request. Alternatively, based on information included in the expected data request message received from the source edge data network 301, the target edge data network 302 may identify data that is prioritized for transmission to the terminal 100 based on the expected data request history from the obtained service-related data.

[0132] According to various embodiments, the target edge data network 302 may send to the source edge data network 301: service-related data corresponding to the requested expected data, obtained based on a message requesting expected data. Alternatively, the target edge data network 302 may send to the source edge data network 301: data identified from the obtained service-related data as data to be preferentially sent to the terminal 100.

[0133] According to various embodiments, the target edge data network 302 may be configured (or set) with service rules for sending / receiving data (or signals) to / from the source edge data network 301. For example, the target edge data network 302 may be configured with service rules such that service-related data corresponding to the requested expected data (or service-related data identified as being preferentially sent to the terminal 100) can be sent to the source edge data network 301.

[0134] For example, according to the configured service rules, the target edge data network 302 can send a message to the second UPF 261 requesting service-related data corresponding to the requested expected data to be sent to the source edge data network 301 (or service-related data identified as being prioritized for transmission to the terminal 100). The second UPF 261 can configure service paths according to the service rules. Service rules can be configured before or simultaneously with the target edge data network 302 sending data to the source edge data network 301, and the data sent by the target edge data network 302 according to the configured service rules can be sent to the source edge data network 301 through the second UPF 261 and the first UPF 241.

[0135] Figure 3B This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary network environment for supporting MEC-based services when a handover is performed at a terminal, according to various embodiments. Figure 3B The network environment can correspond to adding the edge data network configuration server 500. Figure 3A The network environment shown in the figure.

[0136] According to various embodiments, the edge data network configuration server 500 can be connected to an edge data network (e.g., a source edge data network 301 and a target edge data network 302) and a terminal 100. The edge data network configuration server 500 can be an initial access server through which the terminal 100 can receive configuration information for using MEC services. For example, the edge data network configuration server 500 can provide configuration information to the edge enabler client 120 of the terminal 100 (…). Figure 1 The edge data network configuration server 500 provides edge data network configuration information. For example, when it receives a message from terminal 100 requesting the generation of application contexts related to application clients 111 and 112, the edge data network configuration server 500 can send a message requesting the allocation of edge applications corresponding to application clients 111 and 112 to the edge data network.

[0137] Here, the edge data network configuration information may include, for example, information for connecting terminal 100 to edge data networks 301 and 302, such as Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs) for connecting to edge enabler servers 321 and 322. The edge data network configuration server may be referred to as, for example, an edge data network management server, an edge configuration server, a configuration server, etc., and may be used as a Mobile Edge Platform Manager (MEPM) or a Multi-Access Edge Coordinator (MEO).

[0138] According to various embodiments, the edge data network configuration server 500 can identify the target edge data network 302 to which the terminal 100 is expected to switch. For example, the edge data network configuration server 500 can receive from the terminal 100, the source edge data network 301, and the target edge data network 302: the location information of the terminal 100, information about its service area, and information about the strength of signals sent / received to / from each other. Based on the received information, the edge data network configuration server 500 can identify the target edge data network 302 as the edge data network to which the terminal 100 is expected to switch. Furthermore, the edge data network configuration server 500 can send identification information about the identified target edge data network 302 to the source edge data network 301.

[0139] According to various embodiments, the edge data network configuration server 500 can receive a message from the source edge data network 301 requesting identification of a target edge data network to which the terminal 100 is expected to switch. The request message may include information about the location of the terminal 100. Upon the request from the source edge data network 301, the edge data network configuration server 500 can identify the target edge data network 302 as the edge data network to which the terminal 100 is expected to switch, and send identification information about the identified target edge data network 302 to the source edge data network 301.

[0140] According to various embodiments, the edge data network configuration server 500 can determine whether to delay the transmission of expected data from the target edge data network 302 to the terminal 100 after a handover has been performed. For example, after the terminal 100 has performed a handover from the source edge data network 301 to the target edge data network 302, the edge data network configuration server 500 can predict the connection state between the terminal 100 and the target edge data network 302. For example, based on the predicted connection state between the terminal 100 and the target edge data network 302 after the handover has been performed, the edge data network configuration server 500 can determine whether to delay the transmission of expected data from the target edge data network 302 to the terminal 100 after the handover has been performed.

[0141] According to various embodiments, the edge data network configuration server 500 may receive from the source edge data network 301 a message requesting determination of whether the transmission of expected data from the target edge data network 302 to the terminal 100 should be delayed after a handover has been performed. This request message may include... Figure 3A The information described above regarding the predicted connection state between terminal 100 and target edge data network 302 after a handover, or information used to predict the connection state, is included. Upon request from source edge data network 301, edge data network configuration server 500 can determine whether the transmission of expected data from target edge data network 302 to terminal 100 should be delayed after the handover is performed, and sends information to source edge data network 301 regarding whether the transmission of expected data should be delayed.

[0142] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating example methods for providing MEC-based services from a source edge data network to a terminal without and / or with reduced latency due to handover, according to various embodiments. In the following, in Figure 4 For the sake of brevity, the description will omit the following: Figure 3A and Figure 3B Redundant descriptions that overlap with each other.

[0143] In operation 410, based on the location information of terminal 100, source edge data network 301 can identify the target edge data network 302 that terminal 100 is expected to switch to.

[0144] According to various embodiments, the source edge data network 301 can obtain the location information of the terminal 100. For example, the source edge data network 301 can receive the location information of the terminal 100 from the terminal 100 or from at least one of the 3GPP network entities connected to the terminal 100.

[0145] According to various embodiments, based on the location information of terminal 100, source edge data network 301 can identify the movement path of terminal 100. Based on the movement path of terminal 100, source edge data network 301 can determine the edge data network providing services to a specific area as target edge data network 302.

[0146] According to various embodiments, the source edge data network 301 can receive identification information about the target edge data network 302 that the terminal 100 is expected to switch to from the edge data network configuration server 500. Here, at the request of the source edge data network 301, the target edge data network 302 can be identified as the edge data network that the terminal 100 is expected to switch to through the edge data network configuration server 500.

[0147] In operation 420, the source edge data network 301 can determine that the transmission of expected data will be delayed. The expected data is service-related data that the target edge data network 302 is expected to send to the terminal 100 after the handover is performed.

[0148] According to various embodiments, based on the predicted connection state between terminal 100 and target edge data network 302 after the handover is performed, source edge data network 301 can determine that the transmission of expected data from target edge data network 302 to terminal 100 after the handover will be delayed.

[0149] According to various embodiments, the source edge data network 301 can receive information from the edge data network configuration server 500 regarding whether to delay the transmission of expected data from the target edge data network 302 to the terminal 100 after a handover is performed. Here, the information regarding whether to delay the transmission of expected data may include, for example, information determined by the edge data network configuration server 500 at the request of the source edge data network 301.

[0150] According to various embodiments, the intended data may be data that the target edge data network 302 intends to send to a terminal located in the service area of ​​the target edge data network 302 in order to provide services.

[0151] In operation 430, based on the determination that the expected data will be delayed, the source edge data network 301 can send a message requesting the expected data to the target edge data network 302.

[0152] According to various embodiments, a message requesting expected data may include at least one of information for identifying the service, location information of the terminal 100, information about the channel state of the terminal 100, or information about the capabilities of the terminal 100.

[0153] According to various embodiments, the source edge data network 301 can be configured (or set) with service rules for sending / receiving data to / from the target edge data network 302. Based on the configured service rules, a message requesting expected data can be sent to the target edge data network 302.

[0154] According to various embodiments, the services provided by the source edge data network 301 may include at least one of drone control services, AR content services, VR content services, or autonomous driving information services.

[0155] In operation 440, the source edge data network 301 can receive data corresponding to the expected data related to the service from the target edge data network 302.

[0156] In operation 450, the source edge data network 301 can send service-related data to the terminal 100.

[0157] According to various embodiments, the source edge data network 301 can transcode service-related data based on at least one of the connection status with terminal 100 or the location of terminal 100. The source edge data network 301 can send service-related transcoded data to terminal 100.

[0158] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating example methods for providing MEC-based services from a target edge data network to a terminal without and / or with reduced latency due to handover, according to various embodiments. (See below) Figure 5 For the sake of brevity, the description will omit the following: Figure 3A and Figure 3B Redundant descriptions that overlap with each other.

[0159] In operation 510, the target edge data network 302 can receive a message requesting expected data from the source edge data network 301 that provides services to the terminal 100. The expected data is service-related data that the target edge data network 302 is expected to send to the terminal 100 after the terminal 100 switches to the target edge data network 302.

[0160] According to various embodiments, the intended data may be data that the target edge data network 302 intends to send to a terminal located in the service area of ​​the target edge data network 302 in order to provide services.

[0161] According to various embodiments, a message requesting expected data may include at least one of information for identifying the service, location information of the terminal 100, information about the channel state of the terminal 100, or information about the capabilities of the terminal 100.

[0162] In operation 520, based on the message requesting expected data, the target edge data network 302 can obtain data related to the service corresponding to the requested expected data.

[0163] According to various embodiments, based on information for identifying the service included in the expected data request message and the location information of the terminal 100, the target edge data network 302 can obtain data related to the service corresponding to the requested expected data.

[0164] According to various embodiments, based on the message requesting expected data and a pre-stored history of expected data requests related to the service, the target edge data network 302 can obtain service-related data corresponding to the requested expected data.

[0165] According to various embodiments, based on at least one of the location information of terminal 100 included in the expected data request message, information about the channel state of terminal 100, or information about the performance of terminal 100, the target edge data network 302 can identify data to be preferentially sent to terminal 100 from the obtained service-related data.

[0166] In operation 530, the target edge data network 302 can send the acquired data to the source edge data network 301.

[0167] According to various embodiments, the target edge data network 302 can send data to the source edge data network 301, which is data identified from the acquired service-related data as data to be preferentially sent to the terminal 100.

[0168] Figure 6A This is a signal flow diagram illustrating example methods for providing MEC-based services to a terminal without and / or with reduced latency due to handover, according to various embodiments. (See below) Figure 6A For the sake of brevity, the description will omit the following: Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 4 and Figure 5 Redundant descriptions that overlap with each other.

[0169] Reference Figure 6A In operation 601, terminal 100 can send its location information to source edge data network 301 via first core network 240. Alternatively, although in Figure 6A Although not shown, the first core network 240 (or an entity of the first core network 240) connected to the terminal 100 and the source edge data network 301 can send the location information of the terminal 100 to the source edge data network 301.

[0170] In operation 602, based on the location information of terminal 100, source edge data network 301 can identify the target edge data network 302 that terminal 100 is expected to switch to.

[0171] In operation 603, in response to a request from the source edge data network 301 to the first core network 240 for information about the channel state and performance of the target edge data network 302, the first core network 240 may send information about the channel state and performance of the target edge data network 302 to the source edge data network 301. The source edge data network 301 may directly request information about the channel state and performance of the target edge data network 302 from it and receive such information from it.

[0172] In operation 604, the source edge data network 301 can predict the connection status between the terminal 100 and the target edge data network 302 after the handover and determine that the expected data to be sent will be delayed. This expected data is the data that the target edge data network 302 expects to send to the terminal 100.

[0173] In operation 605, the source edge data network 301 can configure (or set) service rules for sending / receiving data (or signals) to / from the target edge data network 302, and send service rule configuration information to the first core network 240. Based on the service rule configuration, the UPF of the first core network 240 can be configured with a service path (service redirection) such that the expected data request message sent by the source edge data network 301 can be sent to the target edge data network 302.

[0174] In operation 606, the source edge data network 301 can send a desired data request message to the first core network 240, so that the first core network can send it to the target edge data network 302. In operation 607, according to the configured service rules, the first core network 240 (or its UPF) can send the desired data request message to the target edge data network 302 through the second core network 260 (or its UPF).

[0175] In operation 608, the target edge data network 302 can retrieve the request message corresponding to the expected data request message by searching the expected data request history. Operation 608 can be omitted when the target edge data network 302 does not store the expected data request history.

[0176] In operation 609, the target edge data network 302 can obtain service-related data corresponding to the requested expected data from the expected data request message. For example, based on the information included in the expected data request message, the target edge data network 302 can obtain service-related data corresponding to the requested expected data. Here, the service-related data corresponding to the expected data can be obtained through the target edge application of the target edge data network 302. Alternatively, in operation 608, the target edge data network 302 can search the expected data request history to obtain service-related data corresponding to the expected data. Based on the information included in the expected data request message, the target edge data network 302 can identify data to be prioritized for transmission to the terminal 100 from the obtained service-related data.

[0177] In operation 610, the target edge data network 302 can configure (or set) service rules for sending / receiving data (or signals) to / from the source edge data network 301, and send service rule configuration information to the second core network. Based on the service rule configuration, the UPF of the second core network 260 can be configured with a service path (service redirection) such that data sent by the target edge data network 302 can be sent to the source edge data network 301.

[0178] In operation 611, the target edge data network 302 may send service-related data corresponding to the requested expected data. Alternatively, the target edge data network 302 may send data identified from the obtained service-related data as data to be preferentially sent to the terminal 100. According to the configured service rules, the second core network 260 (or its UPF) may send the data sent by the target edge data network 302 to the source edge data network 301 via the first core network 240. That is, the target edge data network 302 may send data to the first core network 240 in operation 612a, and the first core network 240 may send the received data to the source edge data network 301 in operation 612b.

[0179] In operation 613, the target edge data network 302 can update the expected data request history based on the expected data request message received from the source edge data network 301. Operation 613 can be performed when the target edge data network 302 provides services for the expected data request history.

[0180] In operation 614, the source edge data network 301 can transcode the service-related data corresponding to the expected data sent by the target edge data network 302. Operation 614 can be omitted.

[0181] In operation 615, the source edge data network 301 can send service-related data (or transcoded data) corresponding to the expected data to the terminal 100. Here, through the source edge application of the source edge data network 301, service-related data corresponding to the expected data can be sent to the terminal 100.

[0182] Figure 6B This is a signal flow diagram illustrating example methods for providing MEC-based services to a terminal without and / or with reduced latency due to handover, according to various embodiments. (See below) Figure 6B For the sake of brevity, the description will omit the following: Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6A Redundant descriptions that overlap with each other.

[0183] Reference Figure 6B In operation 631, through the first core network 240, terminal 100 can send its location information to the source edge data network 301. Alternatively, although in Figure 6B Although not shown, the first core network 240 (or an entity of the first core network 240) connected to the terminal 100 and the source edge data network 301 can send the location information of the terminal 100 to the source edge data network 301.

[0184] In operation 632, the source edge data network 301 may send a message to the edge data network configuration server 500 requesting identification of the target edge data network to which the terminal 100 is expected to switch. The request message sent by the source edge data network 301 may, for example, include the location information of the terminal 100.

[0185] In operation 633, based on the location information of terminal 100, edge data network configuration server 500 can identify the target edge data network 302 that terminal 100 is expected to switch to.

[0186] In operation 634, the edge data network configuration server 500 can send identification information about the identified target edge data network 302 to the source edge data network 301.

[0187] In operation 635, in response to a request from the source edge data network to the first core network 240 for information regarding the channel status and performance of the target edge network 302, the first core network 240 may send the information regarding the channel status and performance of the target edge network 302 to the source edge data network 301. The source edge data network 301 may request and receive the information regarding the channel status and performance of the target edge data network 302 from the target edge data network 302 or from the edge data network configuration server 500.

[0188] In operation 636, the source edge data network 301 may send a request to the edge data network configuration server 500 to determine whether to delay the transmission of expected data, which is service-related data that the target edge data network 302 expects to send to terminal 100 after performing a handover of terminal 100. For example, the request message may include the above. Figure 3A Information about the predicted connection state between terminal 100 and target edge data network 302 after the handover, or information used to predict that connection state.

[0189] In operation 637, the edge data network configuration server 500 can determine that the transmission of expected data from the target edge data network 302 to the terminal 100 after a handover will be delayed. Based on the message received in operation 636, the edge data network configuration server 500 can determine to transmit the expected data.

[0190] In operation 638, the edge data network configuration server 500 may send to the source edge data network 301 information that the transmission of expected data from the target edge data network 302 to the terminal 100 will be delayed.

[0191] In operation 639, the source edge data network 301 can configure (or set) service rules for sending / receiving data (or signals) to / from the target edge data network 302, and send service rule configuration information to the first core network 240.

[0192] In operation 640, the source edge data network 301 can send expected data request information to the first core network 240, so that the first core network can send it to the target edge data network 302. In operation 641, according to the configured service rules, the first core network 240 (or its UPF) can send the expected data request message to the target edge data network 302 through the second core network 260 (or its UPF).

[0193] In operation 642, the target edge data network 302 can retrieve the request message corresponding to the expected data request message by searching the expected data request history. Operation 642 can be omitted when the target edge data network 302 does not store the expected data request history.

[0194] In operation 643, the target edge data network 302 can obtain data related to the service corresponding to the requested expected data from the expected data request message.

[0195] In operation 644, the target edge data network 302 can configure (or set) service rules for sending / receiving data (or signals) to / from the source edge data network 301, and send service rule configuration information to the second core network 260.

[0196] In operation 645, the target edge data network 302 can send service-related data corresponding to the requested expected data to the source edge data network 301. According to the configured service rules, in operation 646a, the second core network 260 (or its UPF) can send the data sent by the target edge data network 302 in operation 645 to the first core network 240; and in operation 646b, the first core network can send this data to the source edge data network 301. That is, the target edge data network 302 can send this data to the first core network 240, and the first core network 240 can send the received data to the source edge data network 301.

[0197] In operation 647, the target edge data network 302 can update the expected data request history based on the expected data request message received from the source edge data network 301. Operation 647 can be performed when the target edge data network 302 provides services for the expected data request history.

[0198] In operation 648, the source edge data network 301 can transcode service-related data corresponding to the expected data sent by the target edge data network 302. Operation 648 can be omitted.

[0199] In operation 649, the source edge data network 301 can send service-related data (or transcoded data) corresponding to the expected data to the terminal 100.

[0200] Figure 7 This is a signal flow diagram illustrating example methods for providing MEC-based services to a terminal without and / or with reduced latency due to handover, according to various embodiments. (See below) Figure 7 For the sake of brevity, the description will omit the following: Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6A and Figure 6B Redundant descriptions that overlap with the content.

[0201] Figure 7 This relates to an exemplary embodiment in which a primary edge data network 303 performs the operations of a target edge data network 302. More specifically, although Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6A and Figure 6B An exemplary embodiment involving a target edge data network 302 providing services based on a history of anticipated data requests, but... Figure 7An exemplary embodiment involving a primary edge data network 303 managing a source edge data network 301 and a target edge data network 302 to provide services based on a history of anticipated data requests.

[0202] According to various embodiments, when multiple edge data networks are clustered, the main edge data network 303 can be a management server that manages the multiple edge data networks. For example, in Figure 7 In this context, the main edge data network 303 can manage the source edge data network 301 and the target edge data network 302 that are connected to the main edge data network 303.

[0203] According to various embodiments, the main edge data network may be referred to as a server for managing the edge data network, a management server, etc. For convenience, it will be referred to as such in the following context. Figure 7 In the publicly available information, the server used to manage the edge data network will be referred to as the main edge data network.

[0204] refer to Figure 7 In operation 701, the target edge data network 302 may send a message to the primary edge data network 303 requesting an update to the expected data request history. In this case, the target edge data network 302 may have already received the expected data request message from another edge data network (e.g., the source edge data network 301), and in response, may have already sent data related to the service corresponding to the requested expected data.

[0205] The target edge data network 302 can send previously received expected data request messages and information (or history) about the data sent in response to them to the primary edge data network 303, and request an update to the expected data request history. The expected data request history of the primary edge data network 303 can be used to perform operations related to... Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6A and Figure 6B The target edge data network 302 is expected to have the same data request history as the function or role.

[0206] In operation 702, based on the update request message of the target edge data network 302, the main edge data network 303 can update the pre-stored expected data request history.

[0207] In operation 703, the primary edge data network 303 can configure DNS and service rules and send them to the first core network 240, enabling it to send to the primary edge data network 303 the expected data request message sent by the source edge data network 301 to the target edge data network 302, and to send to the source edge data network 301 service-related data corresponding to the expected data sent by the primary edge data network 303. Based on the configured DNS and service rules, the first core network 240 (or its UPF) can configure service paths (service redirection) to send to the primary edge data network 303 the expected data request message sent by the source edge data network 301, and to send to the source edge data network 301 service-related data corresponding to the expected data sent by the primary edge data network 303.

[0208] In operations 704a and 704b, terminal 100 can send its location information to source edge data network 301 via the first core network 240. Alternatively, in operation 704', the first core network 240 (or an entity of the first core network 240) connected to terminal 100 and source edge data network 301 can send terminal 100's location information to source edge data network 301.

[0209] In operation 705, based on the location information of terminal 100, source edge data network 301 can identify the target edge data network 302 that the terminal is expected to switch to.

[0210] In operation 706, the source edge data network 301 may receive information about the channel state and performance of the target edge data network 302 from either the first core network 240 or the target edge data network 302 (e.g., in response to a request from the source edge data network). Alternatively, the source edge data network 301 may receive information about the channel state and performance of the target edge data network 302 from the primary edge data network 303.

[0211] In operation 707, the source edge data network 301 can predict the connection status between the terminal 100 and the target edge data network 302 after the handover, and determine the expected data that the target edge data network 302 is expected to send to the terminal 100 will be delayed.

[0212] In operation 708, the source edge data network 301 may send a desired data request message to the target edge data network 302. In operation 709, according to the configured service rules, the first core network 240 (or its UPF) may send the desired data request message to the primary edge data network 303 instead of to the target edge data network 302.

[0213] In operation 710, the primary edge data network 303 can retrieve the request message corresponding to the expected data request message by searching the expected data request history. In the expected data request history of the primary edge data network 303, information corresponding to the expected data request message sent by the terminal 100 may have already been stored in response to a request from another edge data network (e.g., the target edge data network 302).

[0214] In operation 711, the primary edge data network 303 can obtain service-related data corresponding to the requested expected data from the expected data request message. For example, in operation 710, the primary edge data network 303 can search the expected data request history to obtain service-related data corresponding to the expected data. Based on the information included in the expected data request message, the primary edge data network 303 can identify data to be prioritized for transmission to terminal 100 from the obtained service-related data.

[0215] In operation 712, the primary edge data network 303 may send service-related data corresponding to the requested expected data to the source edge data network 301. Alternatively, the primary edge data network 303 may send data identified from the obtained service-related data as data to be preferentially sent to the terminal 100 to the source edge data network 301. In operation 713, according to the configured service rules, the first core network 240 (or its UPF) may send the data sent by the primary edge data network 303 to the source edge data network 301.

[0216] In operation 714, the source edge data network 301 can transcode the service-related data corresponding to the expected data sent by the main edge data network 303. Operation 714 can be omitted.

[0217] In operation 715, the source edge data network 301 can send service-related data (or transcoded data) corresponding to the expected data to the terminal 100.

[0218] Figure 8 This is a signal flow diagram illustrating an example method for providing MEC-based services to a terminal after a handover, according to various embodiments.

[0219] Figure 8 Involving in Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6A , Figure 6B and Figure 7 This is an example procedure following the transmission of service-related data corresponding to the expected data from the source edge data network 301 to the terminal 100. More specifically, Figure 8An example method is shown whereby services are provided by the target edge data network after terminal 100 switches to target edge data network 302.

[0220] Reference Figure 8 In operation 801, terminal 100 (or application client of terminal 100) or source edge data network 301 (or edge application of source edge data network 301) can determine to perform a switch from terminal 100 to target edge data network.

[0221] When a handover is determined in operation 801, in operation 802, the source edge data network 301 can send the application context (or application instance) of the terminal 100 of the source edge data network 301 to the target edge data network 302. Therefore, the application context (or application instance) of the edge application of the source edge data network 301 that provides services to the terminal 100 can be relocated to the target edge data network 302, and the handover can be completed based on the relocation of the application context (or application instance) of the terminal 100.

[0222] In operation 803, terminal 100 may request services from target edge data network 302. In this case, the service requested by terminal 100 may be a service provided to terminal 100 by source edge data network 301 before the handover. Furthermore, terminal 100's service provision request may be a request from target edge data network 302 to maintain data continuity related to the services provided to terminal 100 by source edge data network 301. In this case, terminal 100's request may be for data other than those related to... Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6A , Figure 6B and Figure 7 In an exemplary embodiment, the request for data other than data related to the services previously provided to the terminal 100 by the source edge data network 301.

[0223] In operation 804, the target edge data network 302 can identify service-related data requested by the terminal 100 to be provided to the terminal 100. In this case, from the service-related data to be provided to the terminal 100, the target edge data network 302 can identify data other than the service-related data previously provided to the terminal 100 at the request of the source edge data network 301 before the handover as data to be sent to the terminal 100.

[0224] In operation 805, the target edge data network 302 may send other identified service-related data to the terminal 100.

[0225] Figure 9This is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary edge data network according to various embodiments.

[0226] Figure 9 The edge data network can be the source edge data network 301, the target edge data network 302, or the main edge data network 303 in this paper.

[0227] like Figure 9 As shown, the edge data network of this disclosure may include a processor 910, a communicator 920, and a memory 930. However, the components of the edge data network are not limited to those shown. Figure 9 The components are shown in the diagram. For example, an edge data network may include more or fewer components than those described above. Furthermore, the processor 910, communicator 920, and memory 930 may be implemented as a single chip.

[0228] According to various embodiments, processor 910 can control a series of processes in which the edge data network operates according to the exemplary embodiments described above. For example, according to the exemplary embodiments, the edge data network can control components of the edge data network to provide services to the terminal. More specifically, the edge data network can control components of the edge data network to provide MEC-based services to the terminal 100 without and / or with reduced latency due to handover. Processor 910 may include multiple processors, and processor 910 can perform the operation of providing MEC-based services to the terminal 100 without and / or with reduced latency due to handover by executing multiple instructions (or programs) stored in memory 930.

[0229] According to various embodiments, the processor 910 can control a series of processes, wherein Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6A , Figure 6B , Figure 7 and Figure 8 Edge application and edge enabler servers, illustrated in various ways in the edge data network 301, 302, or 303, can operate. For example, the edge application and edge enabler server can be implemented as multiple instructions (or programs). By executing the multiple instructions (or programs), the processor 910 can perform the operations of the edge application and edge enabler server.

[0230] According to various embodiments, when Figure 9When the source edge data network 301 is the edge data network, the processor 910 can identify the target edge data network to which the terminal 100 is expected to perform a handover based on the location information of the terminal 100. The processor 910 can determine that the transmission of expected data will be delayed; this expected data is service-related data that the target edge data network 302 is expected to send to the terminal 100 after the handover. Based on the determination that the transmission of expected data will be delayed, the processor 910 can control the sending of a message requesting the expected data to the target edge data network 302. The processor 910 can control the receiving of service-related data corresponding to the expected data from the target edge data network 302, and can control the sending of service-related data to the terminal 100.

[0231] According to various embodiments, when Figure 9 When the target edge data network 302 is the edge data network, the processor 910 can control the receiving of a message requesting expected data from the source edge data network providing services to the terminal. The expected data is service-related data that the target edge data network is expected to send to the terminal after the terminal 100 performs a handover to the target edge data network 302. Based on the message requesting expected data, the processor 910 can obtain service-related data corresponding to the requested expected data. The processor 910 can control the sending of the obtained data to the source edge data network.

[0232] The communicator (including communication circuitry) 920 can send / receive signals to / from external devices (e.g., terminal 100), networks (e.g., 3GPP networks), servers (e.g., service server 400), or another edge data network. The signals sent / received by the communicator 920 may include control information and data. The communicator 920 may include, for example, an RF transmitter for up-conversion and amplification of the transmitted signals and an RF receiver for low-noise amplification and down-conversion of the received signals. However, this is merely one embodiment of the communicator 920, and the components of the communicator 920 are not limited to an RF transmitter and an RF receiver. Furthermore, the communicator 920 can receive signals via a radio channel and output signals to the processor 910, and can also transmit signals output from the processor 910 via a radio channel.

[0233] According to various embodiments, the communicator 920 can send / receive data to / from the terminal 100, a 3GPP network, or another edge data network under the control of the processor 910. For example, the communicator 920 can request location information from the terminal 100 or the 3GPP network, and can receive the requested location information. Furthermore, the communicator 920 can send / receive information requesting expected data to / from another edge data network, and can send / receive service-related data corresponding to the expected data. Additionally, the communicator 920 can send service-related data (e.g., service-related data received from another edge data network) to the terminal 100.

[0234] According to various embodiments, memory 930 may store: multiple instructions (or programs) and data necessary for the operation of the edge data network. Furthermore, memory 930 may store: control information or data included in signals transmitted / received by the edge data network. Memory 930 may include storage media or combinations of storage media such as ROM, RAM, hard disk, CD-ROM, and DVD. Furthermore, memory 930 may include multiple memories, and, according to embodiments of this disclosure, memory 930 may store: multiple instructions (or programs) for providing services from the edge data network to terminal 100 according to the various exemplary embodiments described above.

[0235] According to various embodiments, memory 930 may store historical data of anticipated data requests or data received from another edge data network.

[0236] Figure 10 This is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary terminal according to various embodiments.

[0237] like Figure 10 As shown, the terminal 100 in this document may include a processor 1010, a communicator 1020, and a memory 1030. However, the components of the terminal 100 are not limited to those described above. Figure 10 The components are shown in the diagram. For example, terminal 100 may include more or fewer components than those described above. Furthermore, processor 1010, communicator 1020, and memory 1030 may be implemented as a single chip.

[0238] According to various embodiments, processor 1010 can control a series of processes, wherein terminal 100 can operate according to the various exemplary embodiments described above. Processor 1010 may include multiple processors, and processor 1010 can perform operations of terminal 100 by executing multiple instructions (or programs) stored in memory 1030.

[0239] According to various embodiments, the processor 1010 can control a series of processes, wherein... Figure 1Alternatively, the application clients 111 and 112, the edge enabler client 120, and the 3GPP communication layer 130 of terminal 100 shown in 3A can operate. For example, application clients 111 and 112, edge enabler client 120, and 3GPP communication layer 130 can be implemented as multiple instructions (or programs). Processor 1010 can execute the operations of application clients 111 and 112, edge enabler client 120, and 3GPP communication layer 130 by executing multiple instructions (or programs).

[0240] The communicator (including communication circuitry) 1020 can send / receive signals to / from a network (e.g., 3GPP network 200) or a server (e.g., an edge data network or service server 400). The signals sent / received by the communicator 1020 may include control information and data. The communicator 1020 may include, for example, an RF transmitter for up-conversion and amplification of the transmitted signals and an RF receiver for low-noise amplification and down-conversion of the received signals. However, this is merely a non-limiting embodiment of the communicator 1020, and the components of the communicator 1020 are not limited to an RF transmitter and an RF receiver. Furthermore, the communicator 1020 can receive signals via a radio channel and output signals to a processor 1010, and can also transmit signals output from the processor 1010 via a radio channel.

[0241] According to various embodiments, the communicator 1020 can send / receive data to / from the 3GPP network 200, the edge data network, and the service server 400. For example, the communicator 1020 can send a request for data to the edge data network or the service server 400 through the 3GPP network 200, and can receive the requested data from the edge data network or the service server 400.

[0242] According to various embodiments, memory 1030 may store: multiple instructions (or programs) and data necessary for the operation of terminal 100. Furthermore, memory 1030 may store: control information or data included in signals sent / received by terminal 100. Memory 1030 may include storage media or combinations of storage media such as ROM, RAM, hard disk, CD-ROM, and DVD. Additionally, memory 1030 may include multiple memories. According to various embodiments, memory 1030 may store: multiple instructions (or programs) for running terminal 100 according to the exemplary embodiments described above.

[0243] The methods according to the various embodiments described in this specification or claims can be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination thereof.

[0244] When these methods are implemented in software, a computer-readable storage medium or computer program product may be provided to store one or more programs (software modules). One or more programs stored in the computer-readable storage medium or computer program product may be configured to be executed by one or more processors in an electronic device. One or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to perform these methods according to the various embodiments described in this specification or the claims.

[0245] These programs (software modules or software) can be stored in random access memory (RAM), non-volatile memory including flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), magnetic disk storage devices, optical disc ROM (CD-ROM), digital versatile optical disc (DVD), other types of optical storage devices, or magnetic tape. Alternatively, the programs can be stored in a memory configured with some or all of such storage devices. Furthermore, each memory can be provided in multiples.

[0246] Furthermore, the program can be stored in an attachable storage device, which can be accessed via a communication network such as the Internet, intranet, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WLAN), or storage area network (SAN), or via a communication network configured by any combination thereof. Such a storage device can be connected to a device executing embodiments of this disclosure via an external port. Additionally, a separate storage device on the communication network can be connected to a device executing embodiments of this disclosure.

[0247] In this disclosure, the terms "computer program product" or "computer-readable recording medium" can be collectively referred to as media such as memory, hard disks mounted in hard disk drives, and signals. A "computer program product" or "computer-readable recording medium" can be an apparatus provided to a software computer system including instructions for configuring the length of a timer for receiving lost data packets based on network metrics corresponding to events determined according to this disclosure.

[0248] Exemplary embodiments may provide apparatus and methods capable of efficiently executing MEC-based services.

[0249] In the specific exemplary embodiments described above, the components included in this disclosure are expressed in a singular or plural form according to the proposed exemplary embodiments. However, these singular or plural expressions are chosen for the convenience of description and as appropriate according to the proposed situation. This disclosure is not limited to these singular or plural components, and components expressed in a plural form can even be configured as singular, or components expressed in a singular form can even be configured as plural.

[0250] While this disclosure has been shown and described with reference to various exemplary embodiments, it will be understood that these exemplary embodiments are exemplary and not restrictive. It will further be understood that various modifications may be made herein, including the appended claims and their equivalents, without departing from the true spirit and full scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for providing services to terminals in a wireless communication system, performed by a source edge data network, the method comprising: Based on the location information of the terminal, identify the target edge data network that the terminal is expected to switch to; Determine whether the transmission of expected data will be delayed, said expected data being service-related data that the target edge data network is expected to send to the terminal after performing the handover; Based on the determination that the transmission of the expected data will be delayed, a message requesting the expected data is sent to the target edge data network. Receive data corresponding to the expected data related to the service from the target edge data network; and The data related to the service is sent to the terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The expected data includes: data that the target edge data network intends to send to terminals located in the service area of ​​the target edge data network for providing the service.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Identifying the target edge data network includes: Obtain the location information of the terminal; Based on the location information of the terminal, the movement path of the terminal is identified; and Based on the terminal's movement path, the edge data network that provides the service to a specific area is identified as the target edge data network.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, Obtaining the location information of the terminal includes receiving the location information of the terminal from at least one of the terminal or a 3GPP network entity connected to the terminal.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The basis for determining whether the transmission of the expected data will be delayed is the predicted connection status between the terminal and the target edge data network after the handover is performed.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The message requesting the expected data includes at least one of: information for identifying the service, location information of the terminal, information about the channel state of the terminal, or information about the capabilities of the terminal.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Data related to the service is transcoded based on at least one of the connection status with the terminal or the location of the terminal. Sending data related to the service includes sending transcoded data related to the service to the terminal.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring service rules for sending / receiving data to / from the target edge data network.

9. A method for providing services to terminals in a wireless communication system, performed by a target edge data network, the method comprising: The terminal receives a message requesting expected data from the source edge data network that provides the service to the terminal. The expected data is data related to the service that the target edge data network expects to send to the terminal after the terminal performs a handover to the target edge data network. Based on the message requesting the expected data, obtain data related to the service corresponding to the requested expected data; Based on at least one of the terminal's location information, information about the terminal's channel state, or information about the terminal's capabilities, identify data to be preferentially sent to the terminal from the obtained service-related data; as well as The identified data is sent to the source edge data network.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The expected data includes: data that the target edge data network intends to send to terminals located in the service area of ​​the target edge data network for providing the service.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The message requesting the expected data includes at least one of: information for identifying the service, location information of the terminal, information about the channel state of the terminal, or information about the capabilities of the terminal.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, The data relating to the service and corresponding to the requested expected data is based on the information used to identify the service and the location information of the terminal.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The data obtained in relation to the service corresponding to the requested expected data is based on the message requesting the expected data and a pre-stored history of expected data requests related to the service.

14. A source-edge data network providing services to terminals in a wireless communication system, the source-edge data network comprising: A communicator, the communicator including communication circuitry; A memory that stores multiple instructions; as well as At least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to execute the plurality of instructions to: Based on the location information of the terminal, identify the target edge data network that the terminal is expected to switch to; Determine whether the transmission of expected data will be delayed, said expected data being service-related data that the target edge data network is expected to send to the terminal after performing the handover; Based on the determination that the transmission of the expected data will be delayed, a message requesting the expected data is sent to the target edge data network. Receive data corresponding to the expected data related to the service from the target edge data network; and The data related to the service is sent to the terminal.

15. A target edge data network for providing services to terminals in a wireless communication system, the target edge data network comprising: A communicator, the communicator including communication circuitry; A memory that stores multiple instructions; as well as At least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to execute the plurality of instructions to: The terminal receives a message requesting expected data from the source edge data network that provides the service to the terminal. The expected data is data related to the service that the target edge data network expects to send to the terminal after the terminal performs a handover to the target edge data network. Based on the message requesting the expected data, obtain data related to the service corresponding to the requested expected data; Based on at least one of the terminal's location information, information about the terminal's channel state, or information about the terminal's capabilities, identify data to be preferentially sent to the terminal from the obtained service-related data; and, The identified data is sent to the source edge data network.

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