Methods and systems that support restricted Proximity-Based Service (ProSe) direct discovery based on UE identifiers (UEIDs)

Abstract

Methods, systems, and instructions that support limited proximity-based services (ProSe) direct discovery in a wireless network are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method is performed by a first network function (NF), where a terminal device communicates with another terminal device based on limited ProSe direct discovery. The wireless network is to assign a ProSe discovery user equipment (UE) identifier (PDUID) to the terminal device to identify the terminal device in the limited ProSe direct discovery. The method includes receiving (602) a request message including a UE identifier (UE ID), where the UE ID uniquely identifies a UE in the wireless network, generating (604) a ProSe discovery user equipment (UE) identifier (PDUID) for the UE ID based on the UE ID, and sending (606) a PDUID information message to a second NF, where the PDUID information message includes the PDUID and a validity timer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of wireless networks; more specifically, to supporting restricted proximity-based service (ProSe) direct discovery in wireless networks. Background Technology

[0002] Proximity-based services (ProSe) is a D2D (device-to-device) technology that allows wireless devices (e.g., UEs) to detect each other and communicate directly. Compared to existing D2D and proximity network technologies, ProSe offers several significant advantages, including better scalability, manageability, privacy, security, and battery efficiency.

[0003] ProSe functions are logical functions that perform the network-related actions required by ProSe. ProSe functions play different roles for each feature of ProSe. In some deployments, there is only one logical ProSe function in each Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) supporting proximity services, while in other deployments, multiple ProSe functions are deployed in the same PLMN (e.g., for load reasons).

[0004] While ProSe has been implemented as one or more ProSe functions in fourth-generation (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, how to implement ProSe in fifth-generation (5G) New Radio (NR) systems or other future cellular networks is still under discussion. For example, implementing ProSe operations in 4G / LTE systems requires mapping to the operations of functional blocks (e.g., network functions (NF)) in the 5G / NR system architecture. Standardization bodies such as the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) have not yet specified how this mapping of operations and functional blocks will work. Wireless network operators prefer to implement ProSe efficiently in 5G / NR systems, utilizing known operations and logical functions. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Embodiments of this application provide an efficient method for supporting restricted Proximity-Based Service (ProSe) direct discovery in a wireless network. In one embodiment, a method for supporting restricted Proximity-Based Service (ProSe) direct discovery in a wireless network is performed by a first network function (NF), wherein a terminal device communicates with another terminal device based on restricted ProSe direct discovery. The wireless network assigns a ProSe Discovery User Equipment (UE) Identifier (PDUID) to the terminal device to identify the terminal device in restricted ProSe direct discovery. The method includes: receiving a request message including a UE identifier (UEID), wherein the UE ID uniquely identifies the UE in the wireless network; generating a ProSe Discovery User Equipment (UE) Identifier (PDUID) for the UE ID based on the UE ID; and sending a PDUID information message to a second NF, wherein the PDUID information message includes a PDUID and an validity timer.

[0006] In another embodiment, a method is performed by a second NF, the method comprising: receiving an announcement or monitoring request from a terminal device, wherein the announcement or monitoring request includes a UE ID and a restricted ProSe application user ID (RPAUID). The method continues to verify that the terminal device is authorized to perform restricted ProSe direct discovery; receiving a PDUID information message from a first NF including a PDUID corresponding to the UE ID; and sending (430) a response to the announcement or monitoring request from the terminal device, indicating whether the announcement or monitoring request is accepted.

[0007] In another embodiment, a method is performed by an NF to support restricted proximity-based direct discovery (ProSe) in a wireless network, wherein a terminal device communicates with another terminal device based on restricted ProSe direct discovery, and wherein the wireless network assigns a ProSe discovery user equipment (UE) identifier (PDUID) to the terminal device to identify the terminal device in restricted ProSe direct discovery. The method includes: receiving a request message including a UE identifier (UE ID), wherein the UE ID uniquely identifies the UE in the wireless network; verifying that the terminal device is authorized to perform restricted ProSe direct discovery; generating a ProSe discovery user equipment (UE) identifier (PDUID) for the UE ID based on the UE ID; interacting with a ProSe application server to register the PDUID at the ProSe application server and obtain a restricted ProSe application user ID (RPAUID) corresponding to the PDUID; and sending a response message including the UE ID, PDUID, RPAUID, and an validity timer.

[0008] In one embodiment, a network node is configured to implement a first network function (NF) to perform the methods discussed herein for the first NF. In another embodiment, a network node is configured to implement a second NF to perform the methods discussed herein for the second NF. In yet another embodiment, a network node is configured to implement an NF to perform the methods discussed herein for the NF.

[0009] In one embodiment, a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium is disclosed, which provides instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a network node to perform the methods discussed herein for a first normalized network (NF). In another embodiment, a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium is disclosed, which provides instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a network node to perform the methods discussed herein for a second normalized network (NF). In yet another embodiment, a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium is disclosed, which provides instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a network node to perform the methods discussed herein for NFs.

[0010] Through embodiments of this application, 5G / 6G or proprietary systems can implement ProSe and support restricted proximity-based service (ProSe) direct discovery in 5G / 6G or proprietary systems, which enables a smooth transition from traditional ProSe functionality in 4G / LTE systems. Attached Figure Description

[0011] The invention can be best understood by referring to the following description and accompanying drawings, which illustrate embodiments of the invention. In the drawings:

[0012] Figure 1 The functional components within the ProSe function, which implements ProSe from the network side according to the 4G implementation method, are shown.

[0013] Figure 2 The ProSe functional interface to other network elements and PLMN is shown according to the 4G implementation.

[0014] Figure 3 The 5G system architecture for ProSe support is shown.

[0015] Figure 4 The operation supporting limited proximity-based service (ProSe) direct discovery according to the first set of embodiments is illustrated.

[0016] Figure 5 The operation supporting limited proximity-based service (ProSe) direct discovery according to the second set of embodiments is illustrated.

[0017] Figure 6This is a flowchart illustrating operation that supports restricted proximity-based service (ProSe) direct discovery at a first network function (NF) according to a first set of embodiments.

[0018] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating operation that supports restricted proximity-based service (ProSe) direct discovery at a second network function (NF) according to the first set of embodiments.

[0019] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating operations supporting restricted proximity-based service (ProSe) direct discovery at the network function (NF) according to a second set of embodiments.

[0020] Figure 9 A network node according to some embodiments is shown.

[0021] Figure 10 A wireless network according to some embodiments is shown.

[0022] Figure 11 A user equipment (UE) according to some embodiments is shown.

[0023] Figure 12 A virtualized environment according to some embodiments is shown.

[0024] Figure 13 A telecommunications network connected to a host computer via an intermediate network is shown according to some embodiments.

[0025] Figure 14 A host computer is shown communicating with a user equipment via a base station through a partial wireless connection, according to some embodiments.

[0026] Figure 15 Methods implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment, according to some embodiments, are illustrated.

[0027] Figure 16 Methods implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment, according to some embodiments, are illustrated.

[0028] Figure 17 Methods implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment, according to some embodiments, are illustrated.

[0029] Figure 18 Methods implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment, according to some embodiments, are illustrated. Detailed Implementation

[0030] Generally, all terms used herein will be interpreted according to their common meaning in the relevant art, unless a different meaning is explicitly given and / or implied in the context of their use. Unless otherwise expressly stated, all references to elements, apparatus, components, methods, steps, etc., will be openly interpreted as referring to at least one instance of an element, apparatus, component, method, step, etc. The steps of any method disclosed herein are not necessarily to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless a step is explicitly described as occurring after or before another step and / or it is implied that a step must occur after or before another step. Any feature of any embodiment disclosed herein may be applied to any other embodiment, where appropriate. Similarly, any advantage of any embodiment may be applied to any other embodiment, and vice versa. Other objects, features, and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will be apparent from the following description. Note that while a user equipment (UE) is used as an example of a wireless device, embodiments of this application can be applied to other wireless devices. Furthermore, while a fifth-generation (5G) system is used as an example of a broadband cellular network, embodiments of this application can be applied to other standards-based cellular networks (e.g., sixth-generation (6G) systems) or proprietary networks.

[0031] References to "an embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., in the specification indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but each embodiment may not necessarily include that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is assumed that implementing such a feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments (whether explicitly described or not) is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0032] The specification and claims may use the terms “coupled” and “connected” and their derivatives. These terms are not intended to be synonyms with each other. “Coupled” is used to indicate that two or more elements cooperate or interact with each other, and these two or more elements may or may not be in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. “Connected” is used to indicate the establishment of wireless or wired communication between two or more elements coupled to each other. As used herein, “set” means any positive integer number of items, including one item.

[0033] ProSe in 4G / LTE systems

[0034] The ProSe functionality comprises three main sub-functions, each performing a different role depending on the ProSe features, such as... Figure 1 As shown, it includes (1) Direct Provide Function (DPF), (2) Direct Discovery Name Management Function (DDNMF), and (3) Evolved Packet Core (EPC) level discovery ProSe function implemented in 4G / LTE mode.

[0035] (1) The Direct Provider Function (DPF) is used to provide the UE with the necessary parameters for using ProSe Direct Discovery and ProSe Direct Communication. It provides the UE with PLMN-specific parameters that allow the UE to use ProSe within that specific PLMN. For direct communication used for public safety, the DPF also provides the UE with the parameters required when the UE is not served by the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN). For restricted ProSe Direct Discovery, the DPF also generates and maintains the ProSe Discovery UE ID (PDUID) in the 4G system. Note that the PDUID is a temporary identifier assigned to the UE by the ProSe function in the HPLMN for restricted direct discovery service. It includes the PLMN ID and a temporary identifier that uniquely identifies the UE within the Home PLMN (HPLMN).

[0036] (2) The Direct Discovery Name Management (DDNMF) function is used for open ProSe direct discovery to allocate and process the mapping of ProSe application IDs and ProSe application codes used in ProSe direct discovery. It uses ProSe-related subscriber data stored in the Home Subscriber Server (HSS) to authorize each discovery request. It also provides the UE with the necessary security materials to protect discovery messages transmitted over the air. In restricted ProSe direct discovery, it also interacts with the application server via the PC2 reference point for authorization of discovery requests. Figure 2 The ProSe function interface to other network elements and PLMNs is shown in the 4G implementation. Note that restricted ProSe direct discovery occurs with explicit permission from the discovered UE (unlike open ProSe direct discovery, which does not require explicit permission from the discovered UE).

[0037] (3) The EPC-level ProSe discovery function has a reference point toward the application server (PC2), a reference point toward other ProSe functions (PC6), a reference point toward the HSS (PC4a), and a reference point toward the UE (PC3). This function includes the following:

[0038] - Store ProSe-related subscriber data and / or retrieve ProSe-related subscriber data from the HSS;

[0039] - Authorization and configuration of UEs for EPC-level ProSe discovery and EPC-assisted WLAN direct discovery, as well as communication on PC3;

[0040] - Stores a list of applications authorized to use EPC-level ProSe discovery and EPC-assisted WLAN direct discovery and communication;

[0041] - Act as a location service client (SLP agent) to enable EPC-level ProSe discovery;

[0042] - Provide information to the UE to assist in WLAN direct discovery and communication;

[0043] -Process EPC ProSe user IDs and application layer user IDs;

[0044] - Exchange signaling with third-party application servers via the PC2 reference point for application registration and identifier mapping;

[0045] - Exchange signaling with ProSe functions in other PLMNs via the PC6 reference point for sending proximity requests, proximity alarms, and location reports; and

[0046] - Optional support for the function of requesting UE location via HSS.

[0047] In ProSe restricted discovery model A, the ProSe function in a 4G / LTE system can support “on-demand” announcements requested by the UE based on operator policies. Note that model A (“I am here”) defines two roles for ProSe-enabled UEs participating in direct ProSe discovery: (1) the announcing UE: this UE announces specific information that can be used by nearby UEs with discovery permission, and (2) the monitoring UE: UEs near the announcing UE that monitor specific information of interest. In this model, the announcing UE broadcasts discovery messages at predefined discovery intervals, and monitoring UEs interested in these messages read and process them. Both open and restricted discovery types are supported by model A.

[0048] Model B (“Who’s there?” / “Are you there?”) defines two roles for ProSe-enabled UEs participating in ProSe direct discovery when using the restricted discovery type: (1) the discovering UE: which sends a request containing specific information about what it is interested in discovering, and (2) the discoveree UE: the UE that receives the request message can respond with some information related to the discoverer’s request. Model B only supports the restricted discovery type.

[0049] The ProSe function provides the necessary accounting and security features for ProSe usage (ProSe via EPC and for ProSe direct discovery, ProSe direct communication, and WLAN direct discovery and communication). Note that when the HPLMN supports the ProSe function, the ProSe function in the HPLMN can always be reached if a Home Routed configuration is applied to a Packet Data Network (PDN) connection (e.g., a PDN Gateway (GW) is located in the HPLMN). In the case of Local Breakout (e.g., a PDN GW is located in a Visited PLMN (VPLMN)), if inter-PLMN signaling is required, the ProSe proxy function can be deployed by the VPLMN to support UE communication to the home ProSe function. Whether the PDN connection is provided via local breakout or via home routing is determined by the HSS configuration described in the standard. The UE is unaware of this and therefore will not know which Access Point Name (APN) can be used for communication with the ProSe function unless specific APN information is configured in the UE indicating that the APN provides a signaling connection between the UE and the home ProSe function.

[0050] ProSe Application Server

[0051] ProSe application server, such as Figure 2 As shown, the following capabilities are supported:

[0052] -Store EPC ProSe user ID: ProSe function ID, ProSe discovery UE ID (PDUID), metadata;

[0053] - Mapping between application layer user IDs and EPC ProSe user IDs;

[0054] - Mapping of Restricted ProSe Application User ID (RPAUID) and PDUID used for Restricted ProSe Direct Discovery;

[0055] - Use RPAUID to maintain licensing information for restricted ProSe direct discovery;

[0056] - If restricted direct discovery with application-controlled extensions is used, allocate the ProSe restricted code suffix pool; and

[0057] - If a restricted direct discovery with application-controlled extensions is used, a mask(s) for the ProSe restricted code suffix(s) is assigned.

[0058] Restricted ProSe Application User ID (RPAUID)

[0059] Note that RPAUID is an identifier associated with the application-layer user ID in the ProSe application server to hide / protect the application-level user identity within the 3GPP layer. It explicitly identifies the user within a given application. The 3GPP layer comprises the Physical Layer (“PHY”), Media Access Control Layer (“MAC”), Radio Link Control Layer (RLC), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Layer, Internet Protocol (IP) Layer, and Allocation Reserved Priority (ARP) Layer, with the application layer situated above the 3GPP layer.

[0060] Use PDUIDs between UE, ProSe functions, and ProSe application servers.

[0061] ProSe enables the UE to retrieve its PDUID from the ProSe function. The UE provides its PDUID to the ProSe application server and obtains its RPAUID from the server. When a ProSe-enabled UE wants to perform restricted ProSe discovery, it sends an Announce request or Monitor request to its ProSe function to obtain the corresponding restricted discovery code (details are explained in standards such as 3GPP). In the Announce / Monitor request, the UE includes its UE ID (e.g., International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)) and its RPAUID. If the ProSe function requires an authorization result from the application server, it sends an authorization request with the RPAUID (but without the UE ID and PDUID) to the ProSe application server. If the authorization is OK, the ProSe application server responds to the ProSe function with the UE's PDUID (and in some implementations, the RPAUID). The ProSe function checks whether the PDUID is mapped to the UE ID (e.g., IMSI). If the PDUID received from the application server is a PDUID mapped to the UE ID based on the mapping in the ProSe function, then the ProSe function grants the UE ProSe authorization and provides the corresponding restricted discovery code.

[0062] Note that the corresponding restricted discovery codes include one or more of the following:

[0063] (1) ProSe Application ID: The ProSe Application ID is an identifier used for open ProSe direct discovery, identifying application-related information used to enable UEs for ProSe. Each ProSe Application ID can be globally unique.

[0064] (2) ProSe application code: The ProSe application code is associated with the ProSe application ID and is used in the open ProSe direct discovery process.

[0065] (3) ProSe Application Mask: The ProSe application mask is provided by the ProSe function to allow the monitoring UE to perform partial matching of ProSe application code / ProSe restricted code on the PC5 interface.

[0066] (4) ProSe Query Code: The ProSe Query Code is a ProSe application code or ProSe restricted code assigned by the ProSe function in HPLMN to the discoverer UE for Model B discovery. The ProSe Query Code is sent by the discoverer UE over the air.

[0067] (5) ProSe Response Code: The ProSe response code is a ProSe application code or ProSe restricted code assigned by the ProSe function in HPLMN to the discoverer UE for Model B discovery. The discoverer UE transmits the ProSe response code over the air when it receives a ProSe query code that matches the discovery query filter.

[0068] (6) ProSe Restricted Code: The ProSe restricted code is assigned by the ProSe function in the HPLMN for restricted direct discovery and is associated with one or more restricted ProSe application user IDs based on the policy of the ProSe function that assigned it. The ProSe restricted code is sent over the air by the notifying UE.

[0069] (7) ProSe restricted code prefix: For restricted direct discovery of extensions with application control, a portion of the ProSe restricted code assigned by the ProSe function in HPLMN.

[0070] (8) ProSe Restricted Code Suffix: For restricted direct discovery of extensions with application control, a portion of the ProSe restricted code under the control of the ProSe application server. The ProSe restricted code suffix indicates application-specific information associated with the application indicated in the restricted ProSe application user ID.

[0071] ProSe in 5G systems

[0072] The 5G system (5GS) can implement an architecture option called "user plane-based architecture" to support ProSe. Figure 3 A 5G system architecture for ProSe support is illustrated. This architecture proposes the adoption of necessary ProSe functions in a 5G system architecture, such as those defined in earlier standards, without specific ProSe functions (e.g., in 4G / LTE systems). Figure 1 and Figure 2(As shown). In earlier standards, the Direct Discovery Name Management Function (DDNMF) and Direct Provided Function (DPF) of ProSe were required to support ProSe (DDNMF and DPF are as follows). Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, and discussed in this paper as a subfunction of the ProSe function). DPF can be used to provide the UE with the necessary parameters for 5G ProSe direct discovery and 5G ProSe direct communication, and DPF can be replaced by another network function (NF), Policy Control Function (PCF). DDNMF, as another NF (such as Figure 3 As shown in the 5G DDNMF, it can be used to provide the following processes via the PC3 interface:

[0073] - Discovery request / response process: Provides IDs and filters for direct discovery.

[0074] - Matching Reporting Process: Examines direct findings and provides mapping information for direct findings.

[0075] - Notification and alert process: In the case of ProSe restricted discovery model A, support "on-demand" direct ProSe discovery.

[0076] - Discover update process: Update / revoke previously assigned IDs and filters.

[0077] 5G systems support a service-based architecture, and DDNMF can be a network function (NF) that not only interacts with 5G NFs (e.g., consuming Nudm service operations, where Nudm is a service-based interface for User Data Management (UDM)), but also connects to the UE via the user plane connection to support processes on the PC3 interface, such as... Figure 3 As shown. Note that 5G DDNMF can be managed by the mobile network operator (MNO), and 5G DDNMF can be able to consume service operations from other NFs in 5GC (5G core) (e.g., Nudm or Npcf (interface to PCF)).

[0078] like Figure 3 As shown, the PC3 interface supports discovery request / response, match reporting procedures, notification alert procedures, and discovery update procedures, as baseline features defined in standards such as 3GPP. Which Network Slice Selection Auxiliary Information (NSSAI) or Data Network Name (DNN) will be used for user plane connectivity on the PC3 interface depends on the MNO configuration (e.g., it can be controlled by the UE Routing Policy (URSP) or local configuration within the UE).

[0079] While the 5G DDNMF in a 5G system is responsible for managing the ProSe discovery code (as implemented in earlier systems such as 4G / LTE), it currently does not generate or maintain a mapping between PDUIDs and RPAUIDs. Therefore, when the ProSe application server responds to an authorization request with an RPAUID from the 5G DDNMF and sends back the corresponding PDUID of the UE, the 5G DDNMF cannot use its maintained mapping between PDUIDs and RPAUIDs to verify whether the PDUID belongs to the UE. Embodiments of this application address this problem and allow 5G / 6G or proprietary systems to implement ProSe.

[0080] First set of embodiments

[0081] In the first set of embodiments, the PDF in the system manages the PDUID. When the PDF generates or updates a PDUID for the UE, it sends the information to the DDNMF in the system. Alternatively / additionally, when the DDNMF receives an announcement / monitoring request from the UE, it sends a request to the PCF to obtain the PDUID for the UE. In this set of embodiments, the PDF replaces... Figure 1 and Figure 2 DPF in the middle.

[0082] During the UE registration process, the PDF provides the DDNMF with a mapping between the UE ID (e.g., a Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI) or Subscription Hidden Identifier (SUCI)) and the PDUID. For PCF-based service authorization and provision to the UE, the registration process is defined in standards such as 3GPP. Note that the UE ID is not limited to SUPI or SUCI; in some embodiments, other subscriber identifiers of the UE may be used.

[0083] In one embodiment, the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) obtains the UE's PDUID from the PCF via a service (such as Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Create). The UE policy association establishment process is defined in standards such as 3GPP. When the PCF receives a service request (such as an Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Create request), the PCF can generate a PDUID for the UE and a validity timer indicating when the PDUID will expire. The PCF then sends the mapping between the PDUID and the UE ID, along with the validity timer, to the DDNMF. When the PDUID expires, the PCF can generate a new PDUID for the UE and send it to the DDNMF.

[0084] In another embodiment, the PCF does not proactively send the PDUID to the DDNMF. Instead, when the DDNMF receives an announcement / monitoring request from the UE, the DDNMF may request the UE's PDUID from the PCF.

[0085] Figure 4 Operation of supported limited proximity-based service (ProSe) discovery according to the first set of embodiments is illustrated. At label 402 (step 1), UE 450 sends a registration request to AMF 451. At label 404 (step 2), AMF 451 interacts with PCF 454 to perform the UE policy association establishment procedure. The UE policy association establishment procedure may use the Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Create service (including the Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Create request and response discussed herein). AMF 451 and PCF 454 use the service to establish an association. At label 406 (step 3), when AMF 451 determines that registration is acceptable, it sends a registration confirmation to UE 450 to accept registration. Otherwise, when registration is unacceptable (not shown), AMF 451 may refuse registration.

[0086] At marker 407 (step 4), PCF 454 generates a PDUID for UE 450. The PDUID can be generated based on the UE ID of UE 450, which UE 450 provides in its registration request at marker 402. PCF 454 can store and maintain the PDUID in a database. For example, the PDUID can be stored in a data structure within the database, such as a map, list, array, file, and / or table. In the data structure, the PDUID is mapped to the UE ID. In some embodiments, the UE ID will be mapped to the UE 450's PDUID and RPAUID; for example, the mapping can be in the form of {UE ID, (PDUID, RPAUID)}. The database can maintain a large number of mappings between UE IDs accessible to PCF and their corresponding PDUIDs and RPAUIDs.

[0087] Optionally, at marker 408 (step 5), PCF 454 may send the generated PDUID and UE ID mapping along with a validity timer to DDNMF 452. As described herein, the validity timer indicates a period of time whose expiration invalidates the information carried in the message along with the validity timer (e.g., PDUID). Once the PDUID becomes invalid, the sending NF (such as PCF 454) may generate and send another PDUID mapping to the UE ID.

[0088] At label 410 (step 6), PCF 454 uses the Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer service message to provide UE parameters to AMF 451. UE parameters may include a PDUID and a validity timer. The Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer service is a message delivery service message defined in standards such as 3GPP. UE parameters may include a PDUID. At label 412 (step 7), AMF 451 sends a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message including a PDUID to the terminal device. The NAS message may also include other UE policies and / or parameters.

[0089] Labels 402 to 412 illustrate the operation of the UE registration process, through which UE 450 obtains a PDUID to support its restricted ProSe direct discovery. At label 414 (step 8), UE 450 can communicate with the ProSe application server 458 to obtain the corresponding RPAUID by providing its PDUID.

[0090] When UE 450 is ready to perform restricted ProSe direct discovery, at label 416 (step 9), UE 450 sends an announcement or monitoring request to DDNMF 452, including UE 450's RPAUID, UE ID, and other parameters. These other parameters include those defined in standards such as 3GPP. At label 418 (step 10), DDNMF 452 verifies that UE 450 is authorized to perform restricted ProSe direct discovery, and if UE 450's authorization fails (not shown), DDNMF 452 responds to the announcement / monitoring request with a rejection message.

[0091] When it is confirmed at mark 418 that UE 450 is authorized to perform restricted ProSe direct discovery, the operation continues, and if DDNMF 452 does not have a mapped PUDID corresponding to the UE ID (e.g., UE ID not obtained at mark 408), then at mark 420 (step 11), DDNMF 452 may send a PDUID request message with the UE ID to PCF 454 to obtain the PDUID, and at mark 422 (step 12), PCF 454 may respond with a PDUID response message, which includes the requested PDUID mapped to the PDUID, and the response message may also include the UE ID and / or validity timer.

[0092] If DDNMF 452 requires authorization of UE 450's RPAUID, it obtains authorization from the ProSe application server; otherwise, it can determine independently how to respond to the announcement / monitoring request. In the former case, at mark 424 (step 13), DDNMF 452 sends an authorization request to ProSe application server 458, which includes UE 450's RPAUID and other parameters as defined in standards such as 3GPP. At mark 426 (step 14), ProSe application server 458 sends a response including UE 450's PDUID and other parameters as defined in standards such as 3GPP. The authorization response indicates whether UE 450 is authorized to perform restricted ProSe direct discovery. DDNMF 452 verifies whether the PDUID received from ProSe application server 458 at mark 426 matches the PDUID it obtained from PCF 454 for UE 450.

[0093] At mark 430 (step 15), DDNMF 452 responds to UE 450 with an Advertise / Monitor Response Message, indicating whether the Advertise / Monitor Request (sent at mark 416) is accepted or rejected. If the PDUIDs (the PDUID received from ProSe Application Server 458 and the PDUID received from PCF 454 at marks 408 or 422) match, DDNMF 452 responds with an Accept Message and other parameters as defined in standards such as 3GPP; otherwise, it responds with a Reject Message.

[0094] Note that although operations are marked in steps 1 through 15, some steps may be performed out of order. For example, steps 11 and 12 may occur after obtaining the RPAUID at step 14. Furthermore, as explained above, some steps are optional; for example, obtaining the PUDID may be performed alternatively (through the operations at marked 408 or 422). Additionally, in some embodiments, authorization of the ProSe application server 458 (the operations at 424 and 426) may also be optional.

[0095] In the first set of embodiments, the PDUID is generated and maintained by PCF 454. This method is based on the fact that PCF is a network function that replaces the ProSe function in the 4G implementation as a DPF component. PCF is an existing network function in the 5G implementation, and it is intuitive and effective to add additional functionality for restricted ProSe direct discovery, but it is not the only network function (NF) that can implement this functionality; the second set of embodiments uses another NF.

[0096] Second set of embodiments

[0097] In the second set of embodiments, the DDNMF in the system manages the PDUID, instead of the PCF as in the system of the first set of embodiments. Figure 5 Operations supporting limited proximity-based service (ProSe) discovery according to the second set of embodiments are illustrated.

[0098] At marker 502 (step 0), the authorization and parameter provision of UE 450 can occur during the UE registration phase. In this step, the UE obtains the addresses (e.g., IP addresses) of DDNMF 452 and the ProSe application server 458. Since it is not part of the process specifically supporting restricted ProSe direct discovery, it is designated as step 0 (conditions for restricted ProSe direct discovery support).

[0099] At mark 504 (step 1), UE 450 sends a PDUID request message to DDNMF 452 to request a PDUID, and the PDUID request message indicates the UE ID of UE 450. At mark 504 (step 2), DDNMF 452 verifies whether UE 450 is authorized for restricted ProSe direct discovery, and if UE 450 is authorized, DDNMF 452 generates a PDUID for UE 450. DDNMF 452 stores the generated PDUID.

[0100] At marker 506 (step 3), DDNMF 452 contacts ProSe application server 458 to register PDUID; ProSe application server 458 generates RPAUID based on the PDUID received from DDNMF 452, and sends RPAUID back to DDNMF 458 upon successful registration.

[0101] At marker 508 (step 4), DDNMF 452 maintains a mapping between PDUIDs and the PDUIDs and RPAUIDs of UE 450. This mapping can be stored in a data structure within the database, such as a mapping, list, array, file, and / or table. For example, the mapping can take the form {UE ID, (PDUID, RPAUID)}. Similar to maintaining the mapping in PCF 454 in the first set of embodiments, in the second set of embodiments, the database can maintain a large number of mappings between UE IDs accessible to DDNMF and their corresponding PDUIDs and RPAUIDs.

[0102] At marker 510 (step 5), DDNMF 452 sends a PDUID response message. The PDUID response message may include the UEID, PDUID, validity period, and other parameters as defined in standards such as 3GPP.

[0103] At marker 514 (step 6), UE 450 can communicate with ProSe application server 458 to obtain the corresponding RPAUID by providing its PDUID, similar to the operation at marker 414.

[0104] At mark 516 (step 7), UE 450 sends an announcement request or monitoring request to DDNMF 452, including UE 450's RPAUID, UE ID and other parameters, similar to the operation at mark 416.

[0105] At mark 518 (step 8), DDNMF 452 verifies that UE 450 is authorized to perform restricted ProSe direct discovery; additionally, DDNMF 452 checks whether the RPAUID provided by UE 450 at mark 516 matches the mapping maintained at mark 508 (i.e., whether the RPAUID belongs to the UE). If authorization or the check fails (not shown), DDNMF 452 responds to the announcement / monitoring request with a rejection message.

[0106] If both authorization and checks pass, at mark 524 (step 9), DDNMF 452 sends an authorization request to ProSe application server 458, which includes the RPAUID of UE 450 and other parameters as defined in standards such as 3GPP, similar to the operation at mark 424. At mark 526 (step 10), ProSe application server 458 sends back an authorization response message along with the parameters as defined in standards such as 3GPP. The authorization response message indicates whether UE 450 is authorized to perform restricted ProSe direct discovery. The authorization response message at mark 526 may or may not indicate a PDUID, unlike the authorization response message at mark 426, which does indicate a PDUID. The reason why a PDUID is not required in the response message at mark 526 is that DDNMF 452 knows that the RPAUID belongs to the UE through the check at mark 518; therefore, DDNMF 452 does not need the PDUID from ProSe application server 458 to verify the UE identity. At label 530 (step 11), DDNMF 452 responds to UE 450 with an announcement / monitoring response message, indicating whether the announcement / monitoring request (sent at label 516) is accepted or rejected. This operation is similar to that at label 430 and is not repeated.

[0107] Similar to Figure 4 , Figure 5 Some steps in the process can be performed out of order, while others can be optional.

[0108] Through the first set of embodiments and the second set of embodiments, the network function (NF) (in 5G, 6G or proprietary systems) can maintain a mapping between the UE ID and the corresponding PDUID (in some embodiments, and RPAUID) so that the NF (e.g., PCF or DDNMF) can support restricted ProSe direct discovery and enable a smooth transition from traditional ProSe functionality in 4G / LTE systems to a network architecture with network nodes that support ProSe.

[0109] Operation at the Network Function (NF) according to some embodiments

[0110] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating operations supporting restricted Proximity-Based Direct Discovery (ProSe) at a first network function (NF) according to a first set of embodiments. These operations support restricted ProSe direct discovery in a wireless network, wherein a terminal device communicates with another terminal device based on restricted ProSe direct discovery, and wherein the wireless network assigns a PDUID to the terminal device to identify the terminal device in the restricted ProSe direct discovery.

[0111] At label 602, the first network function receives a request message including a UE identifier (UE ID), whereby the UE ID uniquely identifies the UE within the wireless network. At label 604, based on the UE ID, the first network function generates a ProSe Discovery User Equipment (UE) Identifier (PDUID) for the UE ID, and at label 606, the first network function sends a PDUID information message to the second NF, whereby the PDUID information message includes the PDUID and a validity timer. The operations at labels 602, 604, and 606 have been described above with respect to labels 404, 406, and 408 / 422, respectively.

[0112] In some embodiments, the first NF includes a Policy Control Function (PCF), and the second NF includes a Direct Discovery Name Management Function (DDNMF). In some embodiments, the request message includes a UE policy association establishment message as described above with respect to label 404.

[0113] In some embodiments, a request message is received from a third NF, wherein the third NF sends the request message upon receiving a registration request from a terminal device. This operation has been described above with respect to label 402.

[0114] In some embodiments, the method continues at label 608, and the first NF sends a response message to the third NF in response to the request message, wherein the response message includes a PDUID, and wherein the third NF sends a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message including the PDUID to the terminal device. In some embodiments, the response message includes a messaging service message. In some embodiments, the third NF includes an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF). These operations have been described above with respect to labels 410 and 412.

[0115] In some embodiments, the PDUID is obtained by the terminal device during the terminal device registration process. The terminal device registration process is illustrated at references 402 to 412.

[0116] In some embodiments, a PDUID information message is sent in response to a PDUID request message sent from the second NF. This operation has been described above with respect to label 422.

[0117] In some embodiments, the second NF receives an announcement or monitoring request from the terminal device, wherein the announcement or monitoring request includes a UE ID and a restricted ProSe application user ID (RPAUID), and wherein the second NF authorizes the terminal device to perform restricted ProSe direct discovery. This operation is described above with respect to label 416.

[0118] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating operation of limited proximity-based service (ProSe) direct discovery at a second network function (NF) according to a first set of embodiments. The first NF and the second NF are related to... Figure 6 The same applies to both, and both operate within the first set of embodiments discussed herein. The first NF maintains a PDUID for the wireless network, and the maintained PDUID is generated through operations such as those described at label 407.

[0119] At label 702, the second NF receives an announcement or surveillance request from the terminal device, wherein the announcement or surveillance request includes the UE ID and the restricted ProSe application user ID (RPAUID). At label 704, the second NF verifies that the terminal device is authorized to perform restricted ProSe direct discovery. At label 706, the second NF receives a PDUID information message from the first NF, which includes the PDUID corresponding to the UE ID, and at label 708, the second NF sends a response to the announcement or surveillance request from the terminal device, indicating whether the announcement or surveillance request is accepted. These operations have been described above with reference to labels 416, 418, 408 / 422.

[0120] Similar to Figure 6The operation in the process, in response to a PDUID request message sent from the second NF to the first NF, receives a PDUID corresponding to the UE ID, wherein, in some embodiments, the PDUID request message includes the UE ID. Additionally, the PDUID information message also includes a validity timer indicating a time period, the expiration of which causes the first NF to send another PDUID information message.

[0121] In some embodiments, the method continues, with the second NF sending an authorization request message to the ProSe application server, wherein the authorization request message includes an RPAUID. Then, the second NF receives an authorization response message from the ProSe application server, wherein the authorization response message includes a PDUID corresponding to the RPAUID from the ProSe application server. Before accepting an announcement or monitoring request, the second NF verifies that the PDUID received from the ProSe application server matches the PDUID. These operations are described above with respect to markers 424 and 426.

[0122] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating operations supporting restricted Proximity-Based Direct Discovery (ProSe) at a Network Function (NF) according to a second set of embodiments. These operations support restricted ProSe direct discovery in a wireless network, wherein a terminal device communicates with another terminal device based on restricted ProSe direct discovery, and wherein the wireless network assigns a PDUID to the terminal device to identify the terminal device in restricted ProSe direct discovery. In some embodiments, the NF includes a Direct Discovery Name Management Function (DDNMF).

[0123] At label 802, the NF receives a request message including the UE identifier (UE ID), where the UE ID uniquely identifies the UE within the wireless network. At label 804, the NF verifies that the terminal device is authorized to perform restricted ProSe direct discovery, and at label 805, based on the UE ID, it generates a ProSe discovery user equipment (UE) identifier (PDUID) for the UE ID. At label 806, the NF interacts with the ProSe application server to register the PDUID with the ProSe application server and obtains the restricted ProSe application user ID (RPAUID) corresponding to the PDUID. At label 808, the NF sends a response message including the UE ID, PDUID, RPAUID, and validity timer. The operations at labels 802 to 808 have been described above regarding labels 502 to 508.

[0124] In some embodiments, the method continues the operation at mark 816, whereby the NF receives an announcement or surveillance request from the terminal device, wherein the announcement or surveillance request includes the UE ID and RPAUID. The NF verifies whether the RPAUID received from the terminal device matches the RPAUID in the mapping maintained for the terminal device at mark 818. When the two RPAUIDs match, at mark 824, the NF sends an authorization request message to the ProSe application server, wherein the authorization request message includes the RPAUID. At mark 826, the NF receives an authorization response message from the ProSe application server, and at mark 830, the NF sends an announcement or surveillance response message to the terminal device based on the authorization response message. The operations at marks 816, 818, 824, 826, and 828 are described herein with respect to marks 516, 518, 524, 526, and 528, respectively.

[0125] In some embodiments, the NF maintains a mapping between the UE ID and pairs including PDUID and RPAUID for the terminal device. In some embodiments, the authorization response message does not indicate the PDUID. In some embodiments, when two RPAUIDs fail to match, an announcement or monitoring response is sent to the terminal device based on the matching failure.

[0126] In Figures 4 to 8 In some related embodiments, the UE ID is either a Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI) or a Subscription Hidden Identifier (SUCI).

[0127] Network nodes implementing embodiments of the present invention

[0128] Electronic devices use machine-readable media (also known as computer-readable media) to store and transmit (internal and / or via a network with other electronic devices) code (which consists of software instructions and is sometimes referred to as computer program code or computer program) and / or data, such as machine-readable storage media (e.g., disks, optical discs, solid-state drives, read-only memory (ROM), flash memory devices, phase-change memory) and machine-readable transmission media (also known as carriers) (e.g., electrical, optical, radio, acoustic, or other forms of propagation signals, such as carrier waves, infrared signals). Therefore, an electronic device (e.g., a computer) includes hardware and software such as a group of one or more processors (e.g., where the processors are microprocessors, controllers, microcontrollers, central processing units, digital signal processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), other electronic circuits, or combinations thereof) coupled to one or more machine-readable storage media to store code for execution on that group of processors and / or store data. For example, an electronic device may include non-volatile memory containing code, because non-volatile memory can retain code / data even when the electronic device is turned off (when power is removed). When an electronic device is powered on, the portion of the code to be executed by one or more processors of the electronic device is typically copied from slower non-volatile memory to the volatile memory (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM)) of the electronic device. A typical electronic device also includes a set of one or more physical network interfaces (NIs) to establish network connections with other electronic devices (to send and / or receive code and / or data using propagation signals). For example, this set of physical NIs (or the set of physical NIs combined with the set of processors executing the code) can perform any formatting, encoding, or conversion to allow the electronic device to send and receive data via wired and / or wireless connections. In some embodiments, the physical NIs may include radio circuitry capable of performing the following operations: (1) receiving data from other electronic devices via a wireless connection and / or (2) transmitting data to other devices via a wireless connection. The radio circuitry may include one or more transmitters, one or more receivers, and / or one or more transceivers suitable for radio frequency communication. The radio circuitry can convert digital data into radio signals with appropriate parameters (e.g., frequency, timing, channel, bandwidth, etc.). The radio signal can then be transmitted via an antenna to the appropriate receiver(s). In some embodiments, the group of physical NIs may include one or more network interface controllers (NICs), also known as network interface cards, network adapters, or local area network (LAN) adapters. The one or more NICs can facilitate the connection of electronic devices to other electronic devices, allowing them to communicate via wired connections by plugging cables into the physical ports connected to the NICs.One or more parts of the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented using different combinations of software, firmware and / or hardware.

[0129] A wireless communication network (or “wireless network,” and the two terms are used interchangeably) is a network of electronic devices that communicate using radio waves (electromagnetic waves with frequencies in the range of 30 kHz–300 GHz). Wireless communication can follow wireless communication standards such as New Radio (NR), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), and High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA). Furthermore, communication between electronic devices (such as network nodes and terminal devices) in a wireless communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocol, including but not limited to first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or any other currently known or future-developed protocols. While LTE and NR are used as examples to describe embodiments of the invention, the invention can be applied to other wireless communication networks, including LTE, Multefire systems, and IEEE 802.11 systems operating in unlicensed spectrum.

[0130] A network node or node (also referred to as a network device (ND), and these terms are used interchangeably in this disclosure) is an electronic device in a wireless communication network through which a wireless device accesses the network and receives services. One type of network node can refer to a base station (BS) or access point (AP), such as a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a next-generation Node B (gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, and low-power nodes (such as femtocells and picocells).

[0131] Terminal devices can access wireless communication networks and receive services from these networks via network nodes. Terminal devices may also be referred to as wireless devices (WD), and these terms are used interchangeably in this disclosure. Terminal devices can be subscriber stations (SS), portable subscriber stations, mobile stations (MS), access terminals (AT), or other end-user equipment. End-user equipment (also referred to as terminal devices, and these terms are used interchangeably) can be mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, image capture terminal devices (e.g., digital cameras), gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, smart devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, smart speakers, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Terminal devices can be coupled (e.g., via (wired or wireless) client terminal devices to an access network) to an edge ND, which is coupled (e.g., via one or more core NDs) to other edge NDs, which in turn are coupled to electronic devices acting as servers.

[0132] Figure 9 A ProSe-enabled network node is illustrated according to some embodiments. Network node 902 can be implemented using a custom application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) as the processor and a dedicated operating system (OS), or a general-purpose off-the-shelf (COTS) processor and a standard OS. In some embodiments, network node 902 implements... Figures 3 to 8 The ProSe architecture shown includes one or more logical entities (network functions) for interacting with an end device (e.g., UE). For example, network node 902 may implement one or more of DDNMF and PCF.

[0133] Network node 902 includes hardware 940, which includes a set of one or more processors 942 (typically COTS processors, processor cores, or ASICs) and physical NI 946, and a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium 949 in which software 950 is stored. During operation, one or more processors 942 can execute software 950 to instantiate one or more sets of one or more applications 964A-R. While one embodiment does not implement virtualization, alternative embodiments may use different forms of virtualization. For example, in one such alternative embodiment, virtualization layer 954 represents the kernel of an operating system (or a shim executing on a base operating system) that allows the creation of multiple instances 962A-R, referred to as software containers, each of which can be used to execute one (or more) sets of applications 964A-R. Multiple software containers (also referred to as virtualization engines, virtual private servers, or prisons) are user spaces (typically virtual memory spaces) that are separate from each other and from the kernel space in which the operating system runs. Unless explicitly permitted, a set of applications running in a given user space cannot access the memory of other processes. In another such alternative embodiment, virtualization layer 954 represents a hypervisor (sometimes called a virtual machine monitor (VMM)) or a hypervisor that executes on top of the host operating system, and each set of applications 964A-R runs on top of a passenger operating system within an instance 962A-R called a virtual machine (which in some cases can be considered a strictly isolated form of software container), which runs on top of the hypervisor. The passenger operating system and applications may not be aware that they are running on a virtual machine, as opposed to running on “bare metal” host electronic devices, or through paravirtualization, the operating system and / or applications may be aware of the existence of virtualization for optimization purposes. In yet another alternative embodiment, one, some, or all of the applications are implemented as one or more monokernels, which can be generated by directly compiling a limited set of libraries (e.g., from a Library Operating System (LibOS) that includes drivers / libraries for the OS services) that the application requires. Since a single kernel can be implemented directly on hardware 940, directly on the hypervisor (in which case, the single kernel is sometimes described as running within a LibOS virtual machine), or in a software container, the embodiments can be used entirely as a single kernel running directly on the hypervisor represented by virtualization layer 954, a single kernel running within a software container represented by instances 962A-R, or as a combination of a single kernel and the techniques described above (e.g., a single kernel and a virtual machine both running directly on the hypervisor, a single kernel, and a collection of applications running in different software containers).

[0134] Software 950 includes ProSe coordinator 955, which performs reference... Figures 4 to 8 The described operations. For example, the ProSe coordinator 955 can perform operations related to... Figures 6 to 8 The operation of the first, second, and / or third network functions (NFs) described herein, or the operation of two or more combinations of the first, second, and third NFs discussed herein. The ProSe coordinator 955 may be instantiated within application 964A-R. Instantiation and virtualization (if implemented) of one or more sets of applications 964A-R are collectively referred to as software instances 952(one or more). Each set of applications 964A-R, its corresponding virtualization construct (e.g., instance 962A-R) (if implemented), and the portion of the hardware 940 that executes them (whether dedicated to that execution hardware and / or time-slices of temporarily shared hardware) form a separate virtual electronic device 960A-R.

[0135] A network interface (NI) can be physical or virtual. In the context of IP, the interface address is the IP address assigned to the NI, whether it is a physical NI or a virtual NI. A virtual NI can be associated with a physical NI, associated with another virtual interface, or standalone (e.g., a loopback interface, a point-to-point protocol interface). NIs (physical or virtual) can be numbered (NIs with IP addresses) or unnumbered (NIs without IP addresses).

[0136] Wireless networks according to some embodiments

[0137] While the subject matter described herein can be implemented in any suitable type of system using any appropriate components, the embodiments disclosed herein are described with respect to wireless networks, such as... Figure 10 The example wireless network shown is for simplicity. Figure 10 The wireless network depicted only includes network 1006, network nodes 1061 and 1060b, and WD 1010, 1010b, and 1010c. In practice, the wireless network may also include any additional elements suitable for supporting communication between wireless devices or between a wireless device and another communication device (such as a landline telephone, service provider, or any other network node or terminal device). With respect to the components shown, network node 1060 and wireless device (WD) 1010 are shown in additional detail. The wireless network can provide communication and other types of services to one or more wireless devices to facilitate access to the wireless network and / or use of services provided by or via the wireless network.

[0138] Wireless networks may include or interface with any type of communications, telecommunications, data, cellular, and / or radio network or other similar system. In some embodiments, a wireless network may be configured to operate according to a specific standard or other type of predefined rules or procedures. Thus, specific embodiments of a wireless network may implement communication standards such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G standards; wireless local area network (WLAN) standards such as the IEEE 802.11 standard; and / or any other suitable wireless communication standard such as WiMax, Bluetooth, Z-Wave, and / or ZigBee standards.

[0139] Network 1006 may include one or more backhaul networks, core networks, IP networks, public switched telephone networks (PSTN), packet data networks, optical networks, wide area networks (WAN), local area networks (LAN), wireless local area networks (WLAN), wired networks, wireless networks, metropolitan area networks, and other networks that enable communication between devices.

[0140] Network node 1060 and WD 1010 include various components described in more detail below. These components work together to provide network node and / or wireless device functionality, such as providing wireless connectivity in a wireless network. In various embodiments, the wireless network may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, base stations, controllers, wireless devices, relay stations, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in communication of data and / or signals via wired or wireless connections.

[0141] Network node 1060 and WD 1010 include various components described in more detail below. These components work together to provide network node and / or wireless device functionality, such as providing wireless connectivity in a wireless network. In various embodiments, the wireless network may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, base stations, controllers, wireless devices, relay stations, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in communication of data and / or signals via wired or wireless connections.

[0142] As used herein, a network node is a device that is capable of, configured, deployed, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with wireless devices and / or with other network nodes or devices in a wireless network to enable and / or provide wireless access to wireless devices and / or perform other functions (e.g., management) in a wireless network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points) and base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), and NR Node Bs (gNBs)). Base stations can be classified based on the coverage they provide (or, in other words, their transmit power levels) and can then be referred to as femtocells, picocells, microcells, or macrocells. A base station can be a relay node or a relay donor node that controls the relay.

[0143] Network nodes may also include one or more (or all) portions of a distributed radio base station, such as a centralized digital unit and / or a remote radio unit (RRU), sometimes referred to as a remote radio head (RRH). Such a remote radio unit may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna-integrated radio. A portion of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as a node in a distributed antenna system (DAS). Further examples of network nodes include multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment (such as an MSRBS), network controllers (such as a radio network controller (RNC) or base station controller (BSC)), base transceiver stations (BTS), transport points, transport nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), core network nodes (e.g., MSC, MME), O&M nodes, OSS nodes, SON nodes, location nodes (e.g., E-SMLC), and / or MDTs. As another example, a network node may be a virtual network node, as described in more detail below. More generally, however, a network node may represent any suitable device (or group of devices) that is capable of, configured, arranged and / or operable to enable and / or provide access to a wireless network to wireless devices or to provide some service to wireless devices that are already connected to the wireless network.

[0144] exist Figure 10 In the network node 1060, processing circuitry 1070, device-readable medium 1080, interface 1090, auxiliary equipment 1084, power supply 1086, power supply circuitry 1087, and antenna 1062 are included. Although in Figure 10The network node 1060 shown in the example wireless network can represent a device including a combination of the hardware components shown; however, other embodiments may include network nodes with different combinations of components. It should be understood that a network node includes any suitable combination of hardware and / or software required to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. Furthermore, while the components of network node 1060 are depicted as a single box located within a larger box or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, a network node may include multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component (e.g., device-readable medium 1080 may include multiple separate hard disk drives and multiple RAM modules).

[0145] Similarly, network node 1060 may include multiple physically separate components (e.g., NodeB and RNC components, or BTS and BSC components, etc.), each of which may have its own respective components. In some scenarios where network node 1060 includes multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of these separate components may be shared among multiple network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such scenarios, in some instances, each unique NodeB and RNC pair may be considered a single, separate network node. In some embodiments, network node 1060 may be configured to support multiple Radio Access Technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate device-readable media 1080 for different RATs), and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 1062 may be shared by RATs). Network node 1060 may also include multiple sets of illustrated components for various wireless technologies integrated into network node 1060, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies can be integrated into the same or different chips or chip sets within network node 1060.

[0146] The processing circuit 1070 is configured to perform any determination, calculation, or similar operation (e.g., certain acquisition operations) described herein as being provided by a network node. These operations performed by the processing circuit 1070 may include processing information acquired by the processing circuit 1070, by, for example, converting the acquired information into other information, comparing the acquired or converted information with information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the acquired or converted information, and making a determination as a result of said processing.

[0147] Processing circuitry 1070 may include one or more of the following: a microprocessor, controller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field-programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or coded logic, operable to provide network node 1060 functionality, alone or in conjunction with other network node 1060 components (such as device-readable medium 1080). For example, processing circuitry 1070 may execute instructions stored in device-readable medium 1080 or in memory within processing circuitry 1070. Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features, functions, or benefits discussed herein. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 1070 may include a system-on-a-chip (SoC).

[0148] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1070 may include one or more of a radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1072 and a baseband processing circuitry 1074. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 1072 and the baseband processing circuitry 1074 may be on separate chips (or chipsets), boards, or units (such as radio units and digital units). In other alternative embodiments, a portion or all of the RF transceiver circuitry 1072 and the baseband processing circuitry 1074 may be on the same chip or chipset, board, or unit.

[0149] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein as provided by a network node, base station, eNB, or other such network node may be performed by processing circuitry 1070, which executes instructions stored on device-readable medium 1080 or on memory within processing circuitry 1070. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions may be provided by processing circuitry 1070 without executing instructions stored on separate or independent device-readable media, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those embodiments, processing circuitry 1070 may be configured to perform the described functions regardless of whether instructions stored on device-readable storage media are executed. The benefits provided by such functions are not limited solely to processing circuitry or other components of network node 1060, but are enjoyed by network node 1060 as a whole and / or generally by end users and wireless networks.

[0150] Device-readable medium 1080 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage, including but not limited to persistent storage devices, solid-state storage, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., flash drives, optical discs (CDs), or digital video discs (DVDs)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory device that stores information, data, and / or instructions usable by processing circuitry 1070. Device-readable medium 1080 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including computer programs, software, applications including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc., and / or other instructions executable by processing circuitry 1070 and utilized by network node 1060. Device-readable medium 1080 may be used to store any calculations performed by processing circuitry 1070 and / or any data received via interface 1090. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1070 and the device-readable medium 1080 may be considered integrated. In some embodiments, the device-readable medium 1080 includes a ProSe coordinator 955.

[0151] Interface 1090 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network node 1060, network 1006, and / or WD 1010. As shown, interface 1090 includes, for example, one or more ports / terminals 1094 for sending and receiving data to and from network 1006 via a wired connection. Interface 1090 also includes radio front-end circuitry 1092, which may be coupled to antenna 1062, or in some embodiments, is part of antenna 1062. Radio front-end circuitry 1092 includes filter 1098 and amplifier 1096. Radio front-end circuitry 1092 may be connected to antenna 1062 and processing circuitry 1070. Radio front-end circuitry 1092 may be configured to modulate the signal transmitted between antenna 1062 and processing circuitry 1070. Radio front-end circuitry 1092 may receive digital data to be transmitted wirelessly to other network nodes or WD. The radio front-end circuit 1092 can use a combination of filter 1098 and / or amplifier 1096 to convert digital data into radio signals with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signals can then be transmitted via antenna 1062. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 1062 can collect radio signals, which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuit 1092. The digital data can be passed to processing circuitry 1070. In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0152] In some alternative embodiments, network node 1060 may not include a separate radio front-end circuitry 1092; instead, processing circuitry 1070 may include radio front-end circuitry and be connectable to antenna 1062 without requiring a separate radio front-end circuitry 1092. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or part of RF transceiver circuitry 1072 may be considered part of interface 1090. In other embodiments, interface 1090 may include one or more ports or terminals 1094, radio front-end circuitry 1092, and RF transceiver circuitry 1072 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and interface 1090 may communicate with baseband processing circuitry 1074, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0153] Antenna 1062 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals. Antenna 1062 may be coupled to radio front-end circuitry 1090 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, antenna 1062 may include one or more omnidirectional, sector, or planar antennas operable to transmit / receive radio signals, for example, between 2 GHz and 66 GHz. Omnidirectional antennas can be used to transmit / receive radio signals in any direction, sector antennas can be used to transmit / receive radio signals from devices within a specific area, and planar antennas can be line-of-sight antennas for transmitting / receiving radio signals along a relatively straight line. In some instances, the use of more than one antenna may be referred to as MIMO. In some embodiments, antenna 1062 may be detachable from network node 1060 and may be connected to network node 1060 via an interface or port.

[0154] Antenna 1062, interface 1090, and / or processing circuitry 1070 can be configured to perform any receive operation and / or certain acquisition operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals can be received from a wireless device, another network node, and / or any other network device. Similarly, antenna 1062, interface 1090, and / or processing circuitry 1070 can be configured to perform any transmit operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals can be transmitted to a wireless device, another network node, and / or any other network device.

[0155] Power supply circuit 1087 may include or be coupled to power management circuitry and is configured to supply power to components of network node 1060 for performing the functions described herein. Power supply circuit 1087 may receive power from power source 1086. Power source 1086 and / or power supply circuit 1087 may be configured to supply power to various components of network node 1060 in a manner suitable for the respective components (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required by each respective component). Power source 1086 may be included in power supply circuit 1087 and / or network node 1060, or may be external to power supply circuit 1087 and / or network node 1060. For example, network node 1060 may be connected to an external power source (e.g., an electrical outlet) via input circuitry or an interface (such as a cable), whereby the external power source supplies power to power supply circuit 1087. As another example, power source 1086 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack, which is connected to or integrated into power supply circuit 1087. The battery can provide backup power in the event of an external power failure. Other types of power sources, such as photovoltaic devices, may also be used.

[0156] Alternative embodiments of network node 1060 may include, in addition to Figure 10 Additional components, other than those shown, may be responsible for providing certain aspects of the functionality of the network node, including any of the functions described herein and / or any functionality required to support the topics described herein. For example, network node 1060 may include a user interface device that allows information to be input into and output from network node 1060. This can allow users to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other management functions for network node 1060.

[0157] As used herein, a wireless device (WD) means a device capable of, configured, positioned, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other wireless devices. Unless otherwise stated, the term WD may be used interchangeably with User Equipment (UE) herein. Wireless communication may involve transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for transmitting information through the air. In some embodiments, a WD may be configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, a WD may be designed to transmit information to the network according to a predetermined schedule when triggered by an internal or external event or in response to a request from the network. Examples of WDs include, but are not limited to, smartphones, mobile phones, handsets, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, game consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback devices, wearable terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablets, laptops, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), smart devices, wireless client terminal equipment (CPEs), and in-vehicle wireless terminal equipment. WDs can support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example, by implementing 3GPP standards for secondary link communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), and vehicle-to-everything (V2X), and in this context, can be referred to as D2D communication devices. As another specific example, in the Internet of Things (IoT) scenario, a WD can represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurement, and the WD sends the results of such monitoring and / or measurement to another WD and / or network node. In this case, the WD can be a machine-to-machine (M2M) device, which can be referred to as an MTC device in the 3GPP context. As a specific example, a WD can be a UE implementing the 3GPP Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) standard. Specific examples of such machines or devices are sensors, metering devices (such as power meters), industrial machinery, or household or personal appliances (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, etc.), and personal wearable devices (e.g., watches, fitness trackers, etc.). In other scenarios, a WD can refer to a vehicle or other device capable of monitoring and / or reporting its operational status or other functions associated with its operation. As described above, a WD can represent a wirelessly connected endpoint, in which case the device can be referred to as a wireless terminal. Furthermore, as described above, a WD can be mobile, in which case the WD can also be referred to as a mobile device or mobile terminal.

[0158] As shown in the figure, wireless device 1010 includes an antenna 1011, an interface 1014, processing circuitry 1020, a device-readable medium 1030, a user interface device 1032, auxiliary devices 1034, a power supply 1036, and a power circuit 1037. WD 1010 may include multiple sets of components for one or more of the different wireless technologies supported by WD 1010, such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, WiMAX, or Bluetooth wireless technologies, to name just a few. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets within WD 1010.

[0159] Antenna 2011 may include one or more antennas or an antenna array, configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals, and connected to interface 1014. In some alternative embodiments, antenna 1011 may be detached from WD 1010 and may be connected to WD 1010 via an interface or port. Antenna 1011, interface 1014, and / or processing circuitry 1020 may be configured to perform any receive or transmit operations described herein as being performed by a WD. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a network node and / or another WD. In some embodiments, radio front-end circuitry and / or antenna 1011 may be considered an interface.

[0160] As shown, interface 1014 includes radio front-end circuitry 1012 and antenna 1011. Radio front-end circuitry 1012 includes one or more filters 1018 and amplifiers 1016. Radio front-end circuitry 1014 is connected to antenna 1011 and processing circuitry 1020 and is configured to modulate the signal transmitted between antenna 1011 and processing circuitry 1020. Radio front-end circuitry 1012 may be coupled to antenna 1011 or be a portion thereof. In some embodiments, WD 1010 may not include separate radio front-end circuitry 1012; instead, processing circuitry 1020 may include radio front-end circuitry and may be connected to antenna 1011. Similarly, in some embodiments, some or all of RF transceiver circuitry 1022 may be considered part of interface 1014. Radio front-end circuitry 1012 can receive digital data to be transmitted wirelessly to other network nodes or WD. Radio front-end circuitry 1012 may use a combination of filters 1018 and / or amplifiers 1016 to convert digital data into radio signals with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signals can then be transmitted via antenna 1011. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 1011 can collect radio signals, which are then converted into digital data by radio front-end circuitry 1012. The digital data can then be passed to processing circuitry 1020. In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0161] Processing circuitry 1020 may include one or more of the following: a microprocessor, controller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field-programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or coding logic, operable to provide WD 1010 functionality, alone or in combination with other WD 1010 components (such as device-readable medium 1030). Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features or benefits discussed herein. For example, processing circuitry 1020 may execute instructions stored in device-readable medium 1030 or in memory within processing circuitry 1020 to provide the functionality disclosed herein.

[0162] As shown in the figure, the processing circuit 1020 includes one or more of an RF transceiver circuit 1022, a baseband processing circuit 1024, and an application processing circuit 1026. In other embodiments, the processing circuit may include different components and / or different combinations of components. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 1020 of WD 1010 may include a System-on-a-Chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuit 1022, the baseband processing circuit 1024, and the application processing circuit 1026 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In alternative embodiments, a portion or all of the baseband processing circuit 1024 and the application processing circuit 1026 may be combined into a single chip or chipset, and the RF transceiver circuit 1022 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In other alternative embodiments, a portion or all of the RF transceiver circuit 1022 and the baseband processing circuit 1024 may be on the same chip or chipset, and the application processing circuit 1026 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In other alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuitry 1022, baseband processing circuitry 1024, and application processing circuitry 1026 may be combined in a single chip or chipset. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 1022 may be part of interface 1014. The RF transceiver circuitry 1022 may modulate the RF signals used for processing circuitry 1020.

[0163] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein as being performed by WD may be provided by processing circuitry 1020 executing instructions stored on device-readable medium 1030, which in some embodiments may be a computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions may be provided by processing circuitry 1020 without executing instructions stored on a separate or independent device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, processing circuitry 1020 may be configured to perform the described functions regardless of whether instructions stored on a device-readable storage medium are executed. The benefits provided by such functions are not limited solely to processing circuitry 1020 or other components of WD 1010, but are enjoyed by WD 1010 as a whole and / or generally by end users and wireless networks.

[0164] Processing circuitry 1020 may be configured to perform any determination, calculation, or similar operation (e.g., certain acquisition operations) described herein as being performed by WD. Such operations performed by processing circuitry 1020 may include processing information acquired by processing circuitry 1020, by, for example, converting the acquired information into other information, comparing the acquired or converted information with information stored by WD 1010, and / or performing one or more operations based on the acquired or converted information, and making a determination as a result of the processing.

[0165] Device-readable medium 1030 may be operable to store computer programs, software, applications, including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc., and / or other instructions executable by processing circuitry 1020. Device-readable medium 1030 may include computer memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM) or read-only memory (ROM)), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., optical disc (CD) or digital video disc (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile non-transitory computer-readable and / or computer-executable memory device storing information, data, and / or instructions usable by processing circuitry 1020. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 1020 and device-readable medium 1030 may be considered integrated.

[0166] User interface device 1032 can provide components that allow a human user to interact with WD 1010. Such interaction can take many forms, such as visual, auditory, tactile, etc. User interface device 1032 can be operable to produce outputs to the user and allow the user to provide inputs to WD 1010. The type of interaction can vary depending on the type of user interface device 1032 installed in WD 1010. For example, if WD 1010 is a smartphone, interaction can be via a touchscreen; if WD 1010 is a smart meter, interaction can be via a screen providing usage (e.g., the number of gallons used) or a speaker providing audible alarms (e.g., if smoke is detected). User interface device 1032 may include input interfaces, devices, and circuitry, as well as output interfaces, devices, and circuitry. User interface device 1032 is configured to allow information input to WD 1010 and is connected to processing circuitry 1020 to allow processing circuitry 1020 to process the input information. User interface device 1032 may include, for example, a microphone, proximity sensor or other sensor, keys / buttons, touch display, one or more cameras, a USB port, or other input circuitry. User interface device 1032 is also configured to allow output of information from WD 1010 and to allow processing circuitry 1020 to output information from WD 1010. User interface device 1032 may include, for example, a speaker, display, vibration circuitry, a USB port, a headphone jack, or other output circuitry. Using one or more input and output interfaces, devices, and circuitry of user interface device 1032, WD 1010 can communicate with end users and / or wireless networks, allowing them to benefit from the functionality described herein.

[0167] The auxiliary device 1034 is operable to provide more specific functions that may not typically be performed by the WD. This may include specialized sensors for measurements for various purposes, interfaces for additional types of communication (such as wired communication), etc. The inclusion and type of components of the auxiliary device 1034 may vary depending on the embodiment and / or scenario.

[0168] In some embodiments, power supply 1036 may be in the form of a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources may also be used, such as an external power source (e.g., an electrical outlet), a photovoltaic device, or a battery. WD 1010 may also include power circuitry 1037 for supplying power from power supply 1036 to various parts of WD 1010 that require power from power supply 1036 to perform any function described or indicated herein. In some embodiments, power circuitry 1037 may include power management circuitry. Power circuitry 1037 may additionally or alternatively be operable to receive power from an external power source; in this case, WD 1010 may be connected to an external power source (such as an electrical outlet) via input circuitry or an interface such as a power cable. In some embodiments, power circuitry 1037 may also be operable to supply power from an external power source to power supply 1036. This may be used, for example, for charging power supply 1036. The power supply circuit 1037 can perform any formatting, conversion, or other modification on the power from the power supply 636 to produce power suitable for the corresponding components of the powered WD 1010.

[0169] Figure 11 An embodiment of a UE according to the aspects described herein is illustrated. As used herein, a user equipment or UE may not necessarily be a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the associated equipment. Instead, a UE may represent a device intended to be sold to or operated by a human user but which may not or initially may not be associated with a particular human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device not intended to be sold to or operated by an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter). UE1100 may be a UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including NB-IoT UEs, Machine Type Communication (MTC) UEs, and / or Enhanced MTC (eMTC) UEs. Figure 11 As shown, UE 1100 is an example of a WD configured to communicate according to one or more communication standards promulgated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 3GPP's GSM, UMTS, LTE, and / or 5G standards. As previously mentioned, the terms WD and UE can be used interchangeably. Therefore, although... Figure 11 It is a UE, but the components discussed in this article also apply to WD, and vice versa.

[0170] exist Figure 11In this embodiment, UE 1100 includes processing circuitry 1101 operatively coupled to an input / output interface 1105, a radio frequency (RF) interface 1109, a network connectivity interface 1111, a memory 1115 (including random access memory (RAM) 1117, read-only memory (ROM) 1119, and storage medium 1121, etc.), a communication subsystem 1131, a power supply 1113, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Storage medium 1121 includes an operating system 1123, application programs 1125, and data 1127. In other embodiments, storage medium 1121 may include other similar types of information. Some UEs may utilize... Figure 11 All components shown, or only a subset of components. The degree of integration between components can vary from one UE to another. Furthermore, some UEs may contain multiple instances of components, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc. In one embodiment, application 1125 includes the ProSe coordinator 955 discussed herein.

[0171] exist Figure 11 In this embodiment, processing circuitry 1101 can be configured to process computer instructions and data. Processing circuitry 1101 can be configured to implement any sequential state machine operable to execute machine instructions stored as a machine-readable computer program in memory, such as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, FPGA, ASIC, etc.); programmable logic along with appropriate firmware; one or more stored programs, general-purpose processors such as microprocessors or digital signal processors (DSPs), along with appropriate software; or any combination of the foregoing. For example, processing circuitry 1101 may include two central processing units (CPUs). Data may be information in a form suitable for use by a computer.

[0172] In the depicted embodiments, input / output interface 1105 can be configured to provide a communication interface to an input device, an output device, or both. UE 1100 can be configured to use an output device via input / output interface 1105. The output device can use an interface port of the same type as the input device. For example, a USB port can be used to provide input to UE 1100 and output from UE 1100. The output device can be a speaker, sound card, video card, display, monitor, printer, actuator, transmitter, smart card, another output device, or any combination thereof. UE 1100 can be configured to use an input device via input / output interface 1105 to allow a user to capture information into UE 1100. Input devices may include touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive displays, cameras (e.g., digital cameras, digital video cameras, webcams, etc.), microphones, sensors, mice, trackballs, steering wheels, scroll wheels, smart cards, etc. Presence-sensitive displays may include capacitive or resistive touch sensors that sense input from the user. Sensors can be, for example, accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt sensors, force sensors, magnetometers, optical sensors, proximity sensors, another similar sensor, or any combination thereof. For example, input devices can be accelerometers, magnetometers, digital cameras, microphones, and optical sensors.

[0173] exist Figure 11 In this configuration, RF interface 1109 can be configured to provide a communication interface to RF components such as transmitters, receivers, and antennas. Network connectivity interface 1111 can be configured to provide a communication interface to network 1143a. Network 1143a may encompass wired and / or wireless networks, such as local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), computer networks, wireless networks, telecommunications networks, another similar network, or any combination thereof. For example, network 1143a may include a Wi-Fi network. Network connectivity interface 1111 can be configured to include receiver and transmitter interfaces for communicating with one or more other devices over the communication network according to one or more communication protocols, such as Ethernet, TCP / IP, SONET, ATM, etc. Network connectivity interface 1111 can implement receiver and transmitter functions suitable for communication network links (e.g., optical, electrical, etc.). Transmitter and receiver functions may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively, may be implemented separately.

[0174] RAM 2117 can be configured to interface to processing circuitry 1101 via bus 1102 to provide storage or cache of data or computer instructions during the execution of software programs (such as operating systems, applications, and device drivers). ROM 1119 can be configured to provide computer instructions or data to processing circuitry 1101. For example, ROM 1119 can be configured to store invariant low-level system code or data for basic system functions, such as basic input and output (I / O), boot, or receive from keyboard keystrokes stored in non-volatile memory. Storage medium 1121 can be configured to include memory such as RAM, ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), disk, optical disk, floppy disk, hard disk, removable disk, or flash drive. In one example, storage medium 1121 can be configured to include operating system 1123, application program 1125 (such as a web browser application, widget or accessory engine, or another application), and data file 1127. Storage medium 1121 can store any of the various operating systems or combinations of operating systems for use by UE 1100.

[0175] Storage medium 1121 can be configured to include multiple physical drive units, such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), a floppy disk drive, flash memory, a USB flash drive, an external hard disk drive, a thumb drive, a pen drive, a key drive, a high-density digital universal optical disc (HD-DVD) drive, an internal hard disk drive, a Blu-ray disc drive, a holographic digital data storage (HDDS) disc drive, an external mini dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro DIMM SDRAM, smart card memory such as a subscriber identity module (or a removable subscriber identity (SIM / RUIM) module), other memory, or any combination thereof. Storage medium 1121 can allow UE 1100 to access computer-executable instructions, applications, etc., stored on a transient or non-transient storage medium to unload or upload data. Articles of manufacture (such as articles utilizing a communication system) can be tangibly implemented in storage medium 1121, which may include a device-readable medium.

[0176] exist Figure 11In this configuration, processing circuitry 1101 can be configured to communicate with network 1143b using communication subsystem 1131. Networks 1143a and 1143b can be the same one or more networks or different one or more networks. Communication subsystem 1131 can be configured to include one or more transceivers for communicating with network 1143b. For example, communication subsystem 1131 can be configured to include one or more remote transceivers for communicating wirelessly with another device (such as another WD, UE, or a base station of a radio access network (RAN)) according to one or more communication protocols (such as IEEE 802.7, CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, LTE, UTRAN, WiMax, etc.). Each transceiver can include transmitter 1133 and / or receiver 1135, respectively implementing transmitter or receiver functions suitable for RAN links (e.g., frequency allocation, etc.). Further, transmitter 1133 and receiver 1135 of each transceiver can share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively can be implemented separately.

[0177] In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functions of the communication subsystem 1131 may include data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication (such as Bluetooth, near-field communication), location-based communication (such as using a Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine location), another similar communication function, or any combination thereof. For example, the communication subsystem 1131 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth communication, and GPS communication. The network 1143b may encompass wired and / or wireless networks, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network, another similar network, or any combination thereof. For example, the network 1143b may be a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, and / or a near-field network. The power supply 1113 may be configured to provide alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power to the components of the UE 1100.

[0178] The features, benefits, and / or functions described herein may be implemented in one of the components of UE 1100 or divided across multiple components of UE 1100. Further, the features, benefits, and / or functions described herein may be implemented using any combination of hardware, software, or firmware. In one example, communication subsystem 1131 may be configured to include any of the components described herein. Further, processing circuitry 1101 may be configured to communicate with any of such components via bus 1102. In another example, any such component may be represented by program instructions stored in memory that, when executed by processing circuitry 1101, perform the corresponding functions described herein. In another example, the functionality of any such component may be divided between processing circuitry 1101 and communication subsystem 1131. In another example, the non-computationally intensive functions of any such component may be implemented using software or firmware, and the computationally intensive functions may be implemented using hardware.

[0179] Figure 12 This is a schematic block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1200 in which functionality implemented by some embodiments can be virtualized. In this context, virtualization means creating virtual versions of devices or equipment, which may include virtualized hardware platforms, storage devices, and network resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to nodes (e.g., virtualized base stations or virtualized radio access nodes) or devices (e.g., UEs, wireless devices, or any other type of communication equipment) or components thereof, and involves at least a portion of functionality being implemented as an implementation of one or more virtual components (e.g., via one or more applications, components, functions, virtual machines, or containers executed on one or more physical processing nodes in one or more networks).

[0180] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines implemented in one or more virtual environments 1200 hosted in one or more hardware nodes 1230. Further, in embodiments where the virtual node is not a radio access node or does not require a radio connection (e.g., a core network node), the network node may be fully virtualized.

[0181] The functionality may be implemented by one or more applications 1220 (which may alternatively be referred to as software instances, virtual devices, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.), which are operable to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of the embodiments disclosed herein. Application 1220 runs in a virtualization environment 1200 that provides hardware 1230 including processing circuitry 1260 and memory 1290. Memory 1290 contains instructions 1295 executable by processing circuitry 1260, wherein application 1220 is operable to provide one or more of the features, benefits, and / or functions disclosed herein.

[0182] The virtualization environment 1200 includes general-purpose or special-purpose network hardware devices 1230, which include one or more processors or processing circuitry 1260, which may be commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or any other type of processing circuitry including digital or analog hardware components or special-purpose processors. Each hardware device may include a memory 1290-1, which may be a non-persistent memory for temporarily storing instructions 1295 or software executed by the processing circuitry 1260. Each hardware device may include one or more network interface controllers (NICs) 1270 (also referred to as network interface cards), which include a physical network interface 1280. Each hardware device may also include a non-transitory, persistent machine-readable storage medium 1290-2 in which software 1295 and / or instructions executable by the processing circuitry 1260 are stored. Software 1295 may include any type of software, including software for instantiating one or more virtualization layers 1250 (also referred to as a hypervisor), software for executing virtual machine 1240, and software that allows the execution of the functions, features, and / or benefits described in relation to some embodiments described herein.

[0183] Virtual machine 1240 includes virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interfaces, and virtual storage, and can be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1250 or hypervisor. Different embodiments of instances of virtual device 1220 may be implemented on one or more virtual machines 1240, and these implementations may be carried out in different ways.

[0184] During operation, the processing circuitry 1260 executes the software 1295 of the instantiation management program or virtualization layer 1250, which may sometimes be referred to as the virtual machine monitor (VMM). The virtualization layer 1250 can present a virtual operating platform that appears to be network hardware to the virtual machine 1240.

[0185] like Figure 12As shown, hardware 1230 can be a standalone network node with general or specific components. Hardware 1230 may include antenna 12225 and may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1230 may be part of a larger hardware cluster (e.g., in a data center or customer premises equipment (CPE)) in which many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration (MANO) 12100, which in particular oversees the lifecycle management of application 1220.

[0186] Hardware virtualization is sometimes referred to as Network Functions Virtualization (NFV). NFV can be used to consolidate many types of network devices into industry-standard high-capacity server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage devices, which can reside in data centers and client terminal devices.

[0187] In the context of NFV, virtual machine 1240 can be a software implementation of a physical machine, and its programs run as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each virtual machine 1240 and the portion of hardware 1230 that executes that virtual machine (i.e., hardware dedicated to that virtual machine and / or hardware shared by that virtual machine and other virtual machines 1240) form a separate virtual network element (VNE).

[0188] Still within the context of NFV, a Virtual Network Function (VNF) is responsible for handling specific network functions running in one or more virtual machines 1240 on top of the hardware network infrastructure 1230, and corresponds to... Figure 12 Application 1220.

[0189] In some embodiments, one or more radio units 12200, each including one or more transmitters 12220 and one or more receivers 12210, may be coupled to one or more antennas 12225. The radio unit 12200 may communicate directly with the hardware node 1230 via one or more suitable network interfaces and may be combined with virtual components to provide a radio-capable virtual node, such as a radio access node or base station.

[0190] In some embodiments, some signaling may be implemented using the control system 8230, which may alternatively be used for communication between the hardware node 1230 and the radio unit 12200.

[0191] refer to Figure 13According to some embodiments, the communication system includes a telecommunications network 1310, such as a 3GPP-type cellular network, which includes an access network 1311 (such as a radio access network) and a core network 1314. The access network 1311 includes multiple base stations 1312a, 1312b, and 1312c, such as NBs, eNBs, GNBs, or other types of wireless access points, each base station 1312a, 1312b, and 1312c defining a corresponding coverage area 1313a, 1313b, and 1313c. Each base station 1312a, 1312b, and 1312c can be connected to the core network 1314 via a wired or wireless connection 1315. A first UE 1391 located in coverage area 1313c is configured to wirelessly connect to or be paged by the corresponding base station 1312c. A second UE 1392 located in coverage area 1313a can wirelessly connect to the corresponding base station 1312a. Although multiple UEs 1391 and 1392 are shown in this example, the disclosed embodiments are equally applicable to situations where a single UE is in a coverage area or a single UE is connected to the corresponding base station 1312.

[0192] Telecommunications network 1310 connects itself to host computer 1330, which may be implemented in the hardware and / or software of a standalone server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, or as a processing resource in a server cluster. Host computer 1330 may be owned or controlled by a service provider, or it may be operated through or on behalf of the service provider. Connections 1321 and 1322 between telecommunications network 1310 and host computer 1330 may extend directly from core network 1314 to host computer 1330 or may be made via optional intermediate network 1320. Intermediate network 1320 may be one or more public, private, or host networks; if any, intermediate network 1320 may be a backbone network or the Internet; in particular, intermediate network 1320 may include two or more subnetworks (not shown).

[0193] Figure 13The communication system as a whole enables connectivity between the connected UEs 1391 and 1392 and the host computer 1330. This connectivity can be described as an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1350. The host computer 1330 and the connected UEs 1391 and 1392 are configured to use access network 1010, core network 1314, any intermediate network 1320, and possibly further infrastructure (not shown) as intermediaries to transmit data and / or signaling via the OTT connection 1350. The OTT connection 1350 can be transparent in the sense that the participating communication devices traversed by the OTT connection 1350 are unaware of the routes for uplink and downlink communications. For example, the base station 1312 may not be informed, or need not be informed, of the past routes for incoming downlink communications with data originating from the host computer 1330 to be forwarded (e.g., handed over) to the connected UE 1391. Similarly, base station 1312 does not need to know the future route of outgoing uplink communication from UE 1391 to host computer 1330.

[0194] Now refer to Figure 14 Example implementations of the UE, base station, and host computer discussed in the preceding paragraphs according to embodiments are described. In the communication system 1400, the host computer 1410 includes hardware 1415 including a communication interface 1416 configured to establish and maintain wired or wireless connections with different communication devices of the communication system 1400. The host computer 1410 also includes processing circuitry 1418, which may have storage and / or processing capabilities. In particular, the processing circuitry 1418 may include one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. The host computer 1410 also includes software 1411, which is stored in the host computer 1410 or is accessible by the host computer 1410 and executable by the processing circuitry 1418. The software 1411 includes a host application 1412. Host application 1412 may be operable to provide services to remote users, such as UE 1430 connected via OTT connection 1450 terminated at UE 1430 and host computer 1410. When providing services to remote users, host application 1412 may provide user data sent using OTT connection 1450.

[0195] The communication system 1400 also includes a base station 1420, which provides and includes hardware 1425 in the telecommunications system enabling the base station 1420 to communicate with the host computer 1410 and the UE 1430. Hardware 1425 may include a communication interface 1426 for establishing and maintaining wired or wireless connections with different communication devices of the communication system 1400, and for establishing and maintaining connections at least with areas within the coverage area served by the base station 1420 (in... Figure 14 The radio interface 1427 of the UE 1430 (not shown) is the wireless connection 1470. The communication interface 1426 can be configured to facilitate a connection 1460 to the host computer 1410. The connection 1460 can be direct, or it can traverse the core network of the telecommunications system (in...). Figure 14 (not shown) and / or one or more intermediate networks outside the telecommunications system. In the illustrated embodiment, the hardware 1425 of base station 1420 also includes processing circuitry 1428, which may include one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. Base station 1420 also includes software 1421 stored internally or accessible via an external connection.

[0196] The communication system 1400 also includes the previously mentioned UE 1430. Hardware 1435 may include a radio interface 1437 configured to establish and maintain a wireless connection 1470 with a base station serving the coverage area where the UE 1430 is currently located. The hardware 1435 of the UE 1430 also includes processing circuitry 1438, which may include one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. The UE 1430 also includes software 1431, which is stored in the UE 1430 or is accessible by the UE 1430 and executable by the processing circuitry 1438. Software 1431 includes a client application 1432. Client application 1432 may be operable to provide services to human or non-human users via the UE 1430 with the support of a host computer 1410. In host computer 1410, a executing host application 1412 can communicate with a executing client application 1432 via an OTT connection 1450 terminated at UE 1430 and host computer 1410. When providing services to a user, client application 1432 can receive request data from host application 1412 and provide user data in response to the request data. OTT connection 1450 can transmit both request data and user data. Client application 1432 can interact with the user to generate the user data it provides.

[0197] It should be noted that Figure 14The host computer 1410, base station 1420, and UE 1430 shown can be respectively connected to Figure 13 One of the host computer 1330, base stations 1312a, 1312b, and 1312c, and one of the UEs 1391 and 1392 are similar to or the same. That is to say, the internal operation of these entities can be as follows: Figure 14 As shown, and independently, the surrounding network topology can be Figure 13 The network topology.

[0198] exist Figure 14 In this diagram, OTT connection 1450 is abstractly depicted to illustrate communication between host computer 1410 and UE 1430 via base station 1420, without explicitly referencing any intermediate devices and the precise routes of messages via those devices. The network infrastructure can determine the route, and can be configured to hide this route from UE 1430 or the service provider operating host computer 1410, or both. While OTT connection 1450 is active, the network infrastructure can further make decisions by dynamically altering the route (e.g., based on network load balancing considerations or reconfiguration).

[0199] The wireless connection between UE 1430 and base station 1420 is based on the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. One or more improvements in various embodiments utilize wireless connection 1470 to form the final segment of OTT connection 1450 to provide OTT services to UE 1430.

[0200] The measurement process can be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rates, latency, and other factors improved in one or more embodiments. Optional network functions may also be available for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1450 between the host computer 1410 and the UE 1430 in response to changes in the measurement results. The measurement process and / or the network functions for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1450 may be implemented in the software 1411 and hardware 1415 of the host computer 1410, or in the software 1431 and hardware 1435 of the UE 1430, or both. In embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or associated with communication equipment through which the OTT connection 1450 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement process by supplying values ​​of the monitored quantities illustrated above, or by supplying values ​​of other physical quantities from which the software 1411, 1431 can calculate or estimate the monitored quantities. Reconfiguration of the OTT connection 1450 may include message formatting, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc.; reconfiguration does not need to affect the base station 1420, and the reconfiguration may be unknown or imperceptible to the base station 1420. Such processes and functions are known and practiced in the art. In some embodiments, the measurement results may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation time, latency, etc., of the host computer 1410. Measurements can be implemented because software 1411 and 1431 enables messages (especially empty or “pseudo” messages) to be sent using the OTT connection 1450 while monitoring propagation time, errors, etc.

[0201] Figure 15 This is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be a reference... Figure 13 and Figure 14 The host computer, base station, and UE described herein. For the sake of simplicity in this disclosure, only the host computer, base station, and UE will be included in this section. Figure 15 Reference numerals are used in the accompanying drawings. In step 1510, the host computer provides user data. In sub-step 1511 of step 1510 (which may be optional), the host computer provides user data by executing a host application. In step 1520, the host computer initiates a transmission carrying user data to the UE. In step 1530 (which may be optional), in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the base station sends the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the host computer to the UE. In step 1540 (which may also be optional), the UE executes a client application associated with the host application executed by the host computer.

[0202] Figure 16 This is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be a reference... Figure 13 and Figure 14 The host computer, base station, and UE described herein. For the sake of simplicity in this disclosure, only the host computer, base station, and UE will be included in this section. Figure 16 Reference numerals are used in the accompanying drawings. In step 1610 of the method, the host computer provides user data. In an optional sub-step (not shown), the host computer provides user data by executing a host application. In step 1620, the host computer initiates a transmission carrying user data to the UE. Based on the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the transmission may be carried out via a base station. In step 1630 (which may be optional), the UE receives the user data carried in the transmission.

[0203] Figure 17 This is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be a reference... Figure 13 and Figure 14 The host computer, base station, and UE described herein. For the sake of simplicity in this disclosure, only the host computer, base station, and UE will be included in this section. Figure 17 Reference numerals are used in the accompanying drawings. In step 1710 (which may be optional), the UE receives input data provided by the host computer. Additionally or alternatively, in step 1720, the UE provides user data. In sub-step 1721 of step 1720 (which may be optional), the UE provides user data by executing a client application. In sub-step 1711 of step 1710 (which may be optional), the UE executes a client application that provides user data as a response to the received input data provided by the host computer. When providing user data, the executed client application may also consider user input received from the user. Regardless of the specific manner in which user data is provided, in sub-step 1730 (which may be optional), the UE initiates the transmission of user data to the host computer. In step 1740 of the method, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the host computer receives user data sent from the UE.

[0204] Figure 18 This is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be a reference... Figure 13 and Figure 14 The host computer, base station, and UE described herein. For the sake of simplicity in this disclosure, only the host computer, base station, and UE will be included in this section. Figure 18Reference numerals are used in the accompanying drawings. In step 1810 (which may be optional), the base station receives user data from the UE in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1820 (which may be optional), the base station initiates a transmission of the received user data to the host computer. In step 1830 (which may be optional), the host computer receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the base station.

[0205] Any suitable steps, methods, features, functions, or benefits disclosed herein may be performed by one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual devices. Each virtual device may include a plurality of such functional units. These functional units may be implemented via processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers and other digital hardware, including digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific digital logic, etc. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or more types of memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. The program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communication protocols and instructions for executing one or more of the techniques described herein. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry may be used to cause corresponding functional units to perform corresponding functions according to one or more embodiments of this disclosure.

[0206] Example

[0207] The following includes a set of non-limiting examples of embodiments.

[0208] 1. A method for supporting restricted proximity-based direct discovery (ProSe) in a wireless network, performed by a first network function (NF), wherein a terminal device communicates with another terminal device based on restricted ProSe direct discovery, and wherein the wireless network assigns a ProSe discovery user equipment (UE) identifier (PDUID) to the terminal device to identify the terminal device in restricted ProSe direct discovery, the method comprising: receiving (404) a request message including a UE identifier (UE ID), wherein the UE ID uniquely identifies the UE in the wireless network; generating (406) a ProSe discovery user equipment (UE) identifier (PDUID) for the UE ID based on the UE ID; and sending (408, 422) a PDUID information message to a second NF, wherein the PDUID information message includes a PDUID and an validity timer.

[0209] 2. The method according to Embodiment 1, wherein the first NF includes a policy control function (PCF) and the second NF includes a direct discovery name management function (DDNMF).

[0210] 3. The method according to embodiment 1 or 2, wherein a request message is received from a third NF, wherein the third NF sends the request message when it receives (402) a registration request from a terminal device.

[0211] 4. The method according to embodiments 1 to 3 further includes: in response to the request message, sending a response message (410) to a third NF, wherein the response message includes a PDUID, and wherein the third NF sends a non-access stratum (NAS) message including the PDUID to the terminal device (412).

[0212] 5. The method according to embodiments 1 to 4, wherein the response message includes a message delivery service message.

[0213] 6. The method according to Examples 1 to 4, wherein the PDUID is obtained by the terminal device during the registration process of the terminal device.

[0214] 7. The method according to embodiments 1 to 4, wherein the third NF includes access and mobility management functions (AMF).

[0215] 8. The method according to embodiments 1 to 7, wherein, in response to a PDUID request message sent from the second NF, a (422) PDUID information message is sent.

[0216] 9. The method according to embodiments 1 to 8, wherein the second NF receives (416) an announcement or monitoring request from the terminal device, wherein the announcement or monitoring request includes a UE ID and a restricted ProSe application user ID (RPAUID), and wherein the second NF authorizes whether the terminal device is capable of performing restricted ProSe direct discovery.

[0217] 10. The method according to embodiments 1 to 9, wherein the request message (404) includes a UE policy association establishment message.

[0218] 11. A method for supporting restricted proximity-based direct discovery (ProSe) in a wireless network, wherein a terminal device communicates with another terminal device based on restricted ProSe direct discovery, wherein the wireless network assigns a ProSe discovery user equipment (UE) identifier (PDUID) to the terminal device to identify the terminal device in restricted ProSe direct discovery, wherein a first network function (NF) maintains the PDUID for the wireless network, and wherein the method is performed by a second NF, the method comprising: receiving (416) an announcement or monitoring request from the terminal device, wherein the announcement or monitoring request includes a UE ID and a restricted ProSe application user ID (RPAUID); verifying (418) that the terminal device is authorized to perform restricted ProSe direct discovery; receiving (408, 422) a PDUID information message from the first NF, the PDUID information message including a PDUID corresponding to the UE ID; and sending (430) a response to the announcement or monitoring request from the terminal device, indicating whether the announcement or monitoring request is accepted.

[0219] 12. The method according to embodiment 11, wherein the first NF includes a policy control function (PCF) and the second NF includes a direct discovery name management function (DDNMF).

[0220] 13. The method according to embodiment 11 or 12, wherein, in response to a PDUID request message sent from the second NF to the first NF, a PDUID corresponding to the UE ID is received, wherein the PDUID request message includes the UE ID.

[0221] 14. The method according to embodiments 11 to 13, wherein the PDUID information message further includes a validity timer indicating a time period, the expiration of which causes the first NF to send another PDUID information message.

[0222] 15. The method according to embodiments 11 to 14 further includes: sending an authorization request message (424) to the ProSe application server, wherein the authorization request message includes an RPAUID; receiving an authorization response message (426) from the ProSe application server, wherein the authorization response message includes a PDUID corresponding to the RPAUID from the ProSe application server; and verifying that a PDUID received from the ProSe application server matches the PDUID before accepting a notification or monitoring request.

[0223] 16. A method for supported restricted proximity-based direct discovery (ProSe) in a wireless network, performed by a network function (NF), wherein a terminal device communicates with another terminal device based on restricted ProSe direct discovery, and wherein the wireless network assigns a ProSe discovery user equipment (UE) identifier (PDUID) to the terminal device to identify the terminal device in restricted ProSe direct discovery, the method comprising: receiving (502) a request message including a UE identifier (UE ID), wherein the UE ID uniquely identifies the UE in the wireless network; verifying (504) that the terminal device is authorized to perform restricted ProSe direct discovery; generating (504) a ProSe discovery user equipment (UE) identifier (PDUID) for the UE ID based on the UE ID; interacting (506) with a ProSe application server to register the PDUID at the ProSe application server and obtain a restricted ProSe application user ID (RPAUID) corresponding to the PDUID; and sending (508) a response message including the UE ID, PDUID, RPAUID and validity timer.

[0224] 17. The method according to embodiment 16, wherein the NF includes a direct discovery name management function (DDNMF).

[0225] 18. The method according to embodiment 16 or 17, wherein the NF maintains a mapping between the UE ID and pairs including PDUID and RPAUID for the terminal device.

[0226] 19. The method according to embodiments 16 to 18 further includes: receiving (516) an announcement or monitoring request from a terminal device, wherein the announcement or monitoring request includes a UE ID and an RPAUID; verifying (518) whether the RPAUID received from the terminal device matches an RPAUID in a mapping maintained for the terminal device; when the two RPAUIDs match, sending (524) an authorization request message to the ProSe application server, wherein the authorization request message includes an RPAUID; receiving (526) an authorization response message from the ProSe application server; and sending (530) an announcement or monitoring response to the terminal device based on the authorization response message.

[0227] 20. The method according to embodiments 16 to 19, wherein the authorization response message does not indicate a PDUID.

[0228] 21. The method according to embodiments 16 to 19 further includes: when two RPAUIDs fail to match, sending a notification or monitoring response to the terminal device based on the matching failure.

[0229] 22. The method according to embodiments 16 to 22, wherein the UE ID is one of a subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) or a subscription hidden identifier (SUCI).

[0230] 23. A network node (902) implementing a first network function to support restricted Proximity-Based Direct Discovery (ProSe) in a wireless network, wherein a terminal device communicates with another terminal device based on restricted ProSe direct discovery, and wherein the wireless network assigns a ProSe Discovery User Equipment (UE) Identifier (PDUID) to the terminal device to identify the terminal device in restricted ProSe direct discovery, the network node comprising: a processor (942); and a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (949) providing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the network node to perform the method according to embodiments 1 to 10.

[0231] 24. A network node (902) supporting restricted proximity-based service (ProSe) direct discovery in a wireless network, wherein a terminal device communicates with another terminal device based on restricted ProSe direct discovery, wherein the wireless network assigns a ProSe discovery user equipment (UE) identifier (PDUID) to the terminal device in restricted ProSe direct discovery, wherein a first network function (NF) maintains the PDUID for the wireless network, and wherein the network node implements a second NF, the network node comprising: a processor (942); and a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (949) providing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the network node to perform the method according to embodiments 11 to 15.

[0232] 25. A network node (902) implementing network functions to support restricted proximity-based direct discovery (ProSe) in a wireless network, wherein a terminal device communicates with another terminal device based on restricted ProSe direct discovery, and wherein the wireless network assigns a ProSe discovery user equipment (UE) identifier (PDUID) to the terminal device to identify the terminal device in restricted ProSe direct discovery, the network node comprising: a processor (942); and a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (949) providing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the network node to perform the method according to embodiments 16 to 22.

[0233] 26. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (949) that provides instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a network node to perform the method according to embodiments 1 to 10.

[0234] 27. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (949) that provides instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a network node to perform the method according to embodiments 11 to 15.

[0235] 28. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (949) that provides instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a network node to perform the method according to embodiments 16 to 22.

Claims

1. A method for supporting restricted proximity-based service ProSe direct discovery in a wireless network, performed by a policy control function (PCF), the method comprising: Receive (602) a request message including a User Equipment (UE) Identifier (UE ID), wherein the UE ID uniquely identifies a terminal device in the wireless network; Based on the UE ID, a ProSe discovery user equipment identifier (PDUID) is generated (604) for the UE ID, wherein the PDUID is assigned to the terminal device to identify the terminal device in the restricted ProSe direct discovery; and Send a (606) PDUID information message to the Direct Discovery Name Management Function (DDNMF), wherein the PDUID information message includes the PDUID and a validity timer indicating the validity period of the PDUID.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The request message is received from a third network function (NF), and the request message is associated with a registration request from the terminal device.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: In response to the request message, a (608) response message is sent to the third NF, wherein the response message includes the PDUID and triggers a non-access stratum NAS message including the PDUID to the terminal device.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The response message includes a message delivery service message.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The response message is sent during the registration process of the terminal device, thereby enabling the terminal device to obtain the PDUID.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein, The third NF includes the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The request message originates from the DDNMF, and the PDUID information message is sent in response to the request message sent from the DDNMF.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The request message is associated with an announcement or monitoring request received by the DDNMF from the terminal device, wherein the announcement or monitoring request includes the UE ID and the restricted ProSe application user ID, i.e., RPAUID.

9. The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, The request message includes a UE policy association establishment message.

10. A method for supporting restricted proximity-based service ProSe direct discovery in a wireless network, the method being performed by a Direct Discovery Name Management Function (DDNMF), the method comprising: Receive (702) notification or monitoring request from the terminal device, wherein the notification or monitoring request includes the user equipment UE identifier UE ID and the restricted ProSe application user ID, i.e., RPAUID; Verification (704) confirms that the terminal device is authorized to perform the restricted ProSe direct discovery; The policy control function (PCF) receives a ProSe discovery user equipment identifier (PDUID) information message (706), the PDUID information message including a PDUID corresponding to the UE ID and a validity timer indicating the validity period of the PDUID, wherein the PDUID is assigned to the terminal device to identify the terminal device in the restricted ProSe direct discovery; and Send (708) a response to the notification or monitoring request from the terminal device, indicating whether the notification or monitoring request is accepted.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The PDUID corresponding to the UE ID is received in response to a PDUID request message sent from the DDNMF to the PCF, wherein the PDUID request message includes the UE ID.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The expiration of the validity timer causes the PCF to send another PDUID information message.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising: Send an authorization request message (724) to the ProSe application server, wherein the authorization request message includes the RPAUID received in the notification or monitoring request; and Receive (726) an authorization response message from the ProSe application server, wherein the authorization response message includes a PDUID corresponding to the RPAUID based on the ProSe application server; and Before accepting the notification or monitoring request, verify (728) that the PDUID received from the ProSe application server matches the PDUID received from the PCF.

14. A network node (902) configured to implement a policy control function (PCF) to support restricted proximity-based ProSe direct discovery in a wireless network, the network node comprising: A processor (942) and a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (949) providing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the network node to perform: Receive (602) a request message including a User Equipment (UE) Identifier (UE ID), wherein the UE ID uniquely identifies a terminal device in the wireless network; Based on the UE ID, a ProSe discovery user equipment identifier (PDUID) is generated (604) for the UE ID, wherein the PDUID is assigned to the terminal device to identify the terminal device in the restricted ProSe direct discovery; and Send a (606) PDUID information message to the Direct Discovery Name Management Function (DDNMF), wherein the PDUID information message includes the PDUID and a validity timer indicating the validity period of the PDUID.

15. The network node according to claim 14, wherein, The request message is received from a third network function (NF), and the request message is associated with a registration request from the terminal device.

16. The network node according to claim 15, further comprising: In response to the request message, a (608) response message is sent to the third NF, wherein the response message includes the PDUID and triggers a non-access stratum NAS message including the PDUID to the terminal device.

17. The network node according to claim 16, wherein, The response message includes a message delivery service message.

18. A network node (902) configured to support restricted ProSe direct discovery of a proximity-based service in a wireless network by implementing Direct Discovery Name Management Function (DDNMF), the network node comprising: A processor (942) and a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (949) providing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the network node to perform: Receive (702) notification or monitoring request from the terminal device, wherein the notification or monitoring request includes the user equipment UE identifier UE ID and the restricted ProSe application user ID, i.e., RPAUID; Verification (704) confirms that the terminal device is authorized to perform the restricted ProSe direct discovery; The policy control function (PCF) receives a ProSe discovery user equipment identifier (PDUID) information message (706), the PDUID information message including a PDUID corresponding to the UE ID and a validity timer indicating the validity period of the PDUID, wherein the PDUID is assigned to the terminal device to identify the terminal device in the restricted ProSe direct discovery; and Send (708) a response to the notification or monitoring request from the terminal device, indicating whether the notification or monitoring request is accepted.

19. The network node (902) according to claim 18, wherein, The PDUID corresponding to the UE ID is received in response to a PDUID request message sent from the DDNMF to the PCF, wherein the PDUID request message includes the UE ID.

20. The network node (902) according to claim 18, wherein, The expiration of the validity timer causes the PCF to send another PDUID information message.

21. The network node (902) according to claim 18, wherein, This causes the network node to further execute: Send an authorization request message (724) to the ProSe application server, wherein the authorization request message includes the RPAUID received in the notification or monitoring request; Receive (726) an authorization response message from the ProSe application server, wherein the authorization response message includes a PDUID corresponding to the RPAUID based on the ProSe application server; and Before accepting the notification or monitoring request, verify (728) that the PDUID received from the ProSe application server matches the PDUID received from the PCF.

22. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (949) providing instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause a network node to implement policy control functions to support restricted proximity-based ProSe direct discovery in a wireless network, the network node being caused to perform: Receive (602) a request message including the User Equipment (UE) identifier (UE ID), wherein, The UE ID uniquely identifies the terminal device in the wireless network; Based on the UE ID, a ProSe discovery user equipment identifier (PDUID) is generated (604) for the UE ID, wherein the PDUID is assigned to the terminal device to identify the terminal device in the restricted ProSe direct discovery; and Send a (606) PDUID information message to the Direct Discovery Name Management Function (DDNMF), wherein the PDUID information message includes the PDUID and a validity timer indicating the validity period of the PDUID.

23. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (949) according to claim 22, wherein, The request message is received from a third network function (NF), and the request message is associated with a registration request from the terminal device.

24. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (949) according to claim 22, wherein, The network node is then instructed to perform the following further action: In response to the request message, a (608) response message is sent to the third NF, wherein the response message includes the PDUID and triggers a non-access stratum NAS message including the PDUID to the terminal device.

25. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (949) according to claim 24, wherein, The response message includes a message delivery service message.

26. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (949) providing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a network node to support restricted proximity-based ProSe direct discovery in a wireless network by implementing a Direct Discovery Name Management (DDNMF) function, the network node being caused to perform: Receive a notification or monitoring request (702) from the terminal device, wherein, The notification or monitoring request includes the User Equipment UE Identifier (UE ID) and the Restricted ProSe Application User ID (RPAUID). Verification (704) confirms that the terminal device is authorized to perform the restricted ProSe direct discovery; The policy control function (PCF) receives a ProSe discovery user equipment identifier (PDUID) information message (706), the PDUID information message including the PDUID corresponding to the UE ID and a validity timer indicating the validity period of the PDUID, wherein the PDUID is assigned to the terminal device to identify the terminal device in the restricted ProSe direct discovery; as well as Send (708) a response to the notification or monitoring request from the terminal device, indicating whether the notification or monitoring request is accepted.

27. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (949) according to claim 26, wherein, The PDUID corresponding to the UE ID is received in response to a PDUID request message sent from the DDNMF to the PCF, wherein the PDUID request message includes the UE ID.

28. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (949) according to claim 26, wherein, The expiration of the validity timer causes the PCF to send another PDUID information message.

29. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (949) according to claim 26, wherein, The network node is then instructed to perform the following further action: Send an authorization request message (724) to the ProSe application server, wherein the authorization request message includes the RPAUID received in the notification or monitoring request; Receive (726) an authorization response message from the ProSe application server, wherein the authorization response message includes a PDUID corresponding to the RPAUID based on the ProSe application server; and Before accepting the notification or monitoring request, verify (728) that the PDUID received from the ProSe application server matches the PDUID received from the PCF.

Images