User agreed federated learning, i.e., web service (fLaaS) method

Abstract

A method and apparatus for supporting artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) operations is provided herein. A network node may receive a request to subscribe to a notification indicating agreement to AIML operation supporting service enhancement provided by one or more wireless transmit receive units (WTRUs). The network node may receive a registration request message including an indication to provide the WTRU with agreement to AI / ML operation supporting at least one type of service enhancement and a service capability container indicating one or more service capabilities of the WTRU. The network node may send a registration response message indicating that an agreement state associated with the WTRU is applicable to one or more applications. The network node may transmit a notification message indicating agreement provided by the randomly selected WTRU for AI / ML operation that supports service enhancement for at least one of the one or more applications.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 338,734, filed on May 5, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] Member selection may be an important step in a federated learning (FL) training operation. In many cases, an artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) application may direct requests to multiple wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs). For example, if the 5G network has to check or verify whether a large number of WTRUs can participate in the application layer AI / ML training operation, resource waste may occur. The AI / ML application may select one or more WTRUs from a larger group of WTRUs. In such cases, the selection of members for AI / ML operations (such as FL) may need to meet one or more requirements for diversity and ultimately node efficiency. In contrast to inference tasks where an application client on the WTRU side may be running and using the AI / ML process to provide output, the training task may be considered a background task, meaning that it may not require the WTRU to actively perform the inference task. For the training step, the AI / ML operation may not necessarily require a specific WTRU, especially for WTRU group-based training. Summary of the invention

[0004] Provided herein is a method and apparatus for supporting artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) operations. A network node may receive a request to subscribe to a notification indicating consent provided by one or more wireless transmit receive units (WTRUs) to support service enhanced AIML operations. The network node may receive a registration request message including an indication of the WTRU providing consent to support at least one type of service enhanced AI / ML operations and a service capability container indicating one or more service capabilities of the WTRU. The network node may send a registration response message indicating that the consent state associated with the WTRU is applicable to one or more applications. The network node may transmit a notification message indicating consent provided by a randomly selected WTRU to support service enhanced AI / ML operations for at least one of the one or more applications. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] A more detailed understanding may be obtained from the following description given by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate like elements, and in which:

[0006] Figure 1Ais a system diagram illustrating an example communication system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented;

[0007] Figure 1B is an example of an embodiment in which Figure 1A A system diagram of an example wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) for use within the illustrated communication system;

[0008] Figure 1C is an example of an embodiment in which Figure 1A a system diagram of an example Radio Access Network (RAN) and an example Core Network (CN) used within the illustrated communication system;

[0009] Figure 1D is an example of an embodiment in which Figure 1A A system diagram of another example RAN and another example CN used within the illustrated communication system;

[0010] Figure 2 is a message flow diagram illustrating an example of a voluntary request / offer for artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) support; and

[0011] Figure 3 is a message flow diagram illustrating another example procedure for a WTRU to voluntarily support AI / ML operations. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] Figure 1A 1 is a diagram illustrating an example communication system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communication system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc. to multiple wireless users. The communication system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through sharing of system resources (including wireless bandwidth). For example, the communication system 100 may employ one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero tail unique word discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (ZT-UW-DFT-S-OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block filtered OFDM, filter bank multi-carrier (FBMC), etc.

[0013] like Figure 1AAs shown, the communication system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, a radio access network (RAN) 104, a core network (CN) 106, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110 and other networks 112, but it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d (any of which may be referred to as a station (STA)) may be configured to send and / or receive wireless signals and may include user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscription-based unit, a pager, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smart phone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fi device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or automated process chain environment), a consumer electronic device, a device operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, etc. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d may be interchangeably referred to as a UE.

[0014] The communication system 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the CN 106, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNB), a Home Node B, a Home evolved Node B, a next generation Node B such as a gNode B (gNB), a new radio (NR) Node B, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. While the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0015] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 104, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), a relay node, etc. The base station 114a and / or the base station 114b may be configured to send and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). These frequencies may be in a licensed spectrum, an unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrums. A cell may provide coverage of wireless services to a specific geographic area, which may be relatively fixed or may change over time. The cell may be further divided into cell sectors. For example, a cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Therefore, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, i.e., one transceiver for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology and may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to send and / or receive signals in a desired spatial direction.

[0016] The base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0017] More specifically, as noted above, the communication system 100 may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, etc. For example, the base station 114a in the RAN 104 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), that may use Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) to establish the air interface 116. WCDMA may include communication protocols, such as High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High Speed ​​Downlink (DL) Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High Speed ​​Uplink (UL) Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0018] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) that may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or Advanced LTE (LTE-A) and / or Advanced LTE Pro (LTE-APro).

[0019] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology (such as NR radio access) that may establish the air interface 116 using NR.

[0020] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may together implement LTE radio access and NR radio access, for example using the dual connectivity (DC) principle. Thus, the air interface utilized by the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions transmitted to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., eNBs and gNBs).

[0021] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi)), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), etc.

[0022] Figure 1AThe base station 114b in the may be, for example, a wireless router, a Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or an access point, and may utilize any suitable RAT to facilitate wireless connectivity in a local area, such as a business location, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a road, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology (such as IEEE 802.15) to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR, etc.) to establish a picocell or a femtocell. As Figure 1A As shown, the base station 114 b may have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Therefore, the base station 114 b may not need to access the Internet 110 via the CN 106.

[0023] The RAN 104 may be in communication with the CN 106, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have different quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as different throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, etc. The CN 106 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, prepaid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform high-level security functions, such as user authentication. Although not described in detail in the accompanying drawings, the CN 106 may be configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. Figure 1A Although not shown in the figure, it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 and / or the CN 106 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104, which may utilize NR radio technology, the CN 106 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) that employs GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0024] The CN 106 may also act as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include a circuit-switched telephone network that provides plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), the User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and / or the Internet Protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP Internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired communication networks and / or wireless communication networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 or a different RAT.

[0025] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communication system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks via different wireless links). Figure 1A The illustrated WTRU 102c may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with the base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0026] Figure 1B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. Figure 1B As shown, the WTRU 102 may include, among other things, a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0027] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, etc. The processor 118 may perform signal decoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. Although Figure 1B The processor 118 and the transceiver 120 are depicted as separate components, but it is understood that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0028] The send / receive element 122 may be configured to send a signal to a base station (e.g., base station 114a) or receive a signal from the base station by an air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the send / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to send and / or receive an RF signal. In an embodiment, the send / receive element 122 may be a transmitter / detector configured to send and / or receive, for example, IR, UV or visible light signals. In another embodiment, the send / receive element 122 may be configured to send and / or receive both RF signals and optical signals. It should be understood that the send / receive element 122 may be configured to send and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0029] Although the transmit / receive element 122 Figure 1B 1 as a single element, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[0030] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate signals to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and to demodulate signals received by the transmit / receive element 122. As noted above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. For example, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.11.

[0031] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to and may receive user input data from a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, and / or a display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in any type of suitable memory, such as a non-removable memory 130 and / or a removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in a memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0032] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134, and may be configured to distribute and / or control power to other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, etc.

[0033] The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to or in lieu of the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) over the air interface 116 and / or determine its location based on the timing of signals received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0034] The processor 118 may also be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software modules and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality, and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an electronic compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photos and / or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands-free headset, module, a frequency modulation (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an Internet browser, a virtual reality and / or augmented reality (VR / AR) device, an activity tracker, etc. The peripheral device 138 may include one or more sensors. The sensor may be one or more of the following: a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a Hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, an orientation sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor; a geographic location sensor, an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, a humidity sensor, etc.

[0035] The WTRU 102 may include a full-duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with specific subframes for both UL (e.g., for transmission) and DL (e.g., for reception)) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous. The full-duplex radio may include an interference management unit for reducing and / or substantially eliminating self-interference via signal processing performed by hardware (e.g., a choke) or via a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or via the processor 118). In an embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include a half-duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with specific subframes for both UL (e.g., for transmission) or DL ​​(e.g., for reception)) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous.

[0036] Figure 1C 1 is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 in accordance with an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ an E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0037] The RAN 104 may include evolved Node-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of evolved Node-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The evolved Node-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the evolved Node-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, the evolved Node-B 160a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to and / or receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a.

[0038] Each of the evolved Node Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, etc. Figure 1C As shown, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another via an X2 interface.

[0039] Figure 1C The illustrated CN 106 may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, a serving gateway (SGW) 164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway (PGW) 166. Although the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it should be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0040] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the evolved Node-Bs 162a, 162b, 162c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during an initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, etc. The MME 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0041] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the evolved Node-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface. The SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164 may perform other functions, such as anchoring the user plane during inter-evolved Node-B handovers, triggering paging when DL data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing the context of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like.

[0042] The SGW 164 may be connected to the PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0043] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices. For example, the CN 106 may include, or may be in communication with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that acts as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired networks and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0044] Although the WTRU Figures 1A to 1D Although described as wireless terminals, it is contemplated that in certain representative embodiments, such terminals may (eg, temporarily or permanently) use a wired communication interface with a communication network.

[0045] In a representative embodiment, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0046] A WLAN in infrastructure basic service set (BSS) mode may have an access point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (STA) associated with the AP. The AP may have access or an interface to a distribution system (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic to and / or carries traffic away from the BSS. Services originating from outside the BSS and leading to the STA may be reached by the AP and may be delivered to the STA. Services originating from the STA and leading to a destination outside the BSS may be transmitted to the AP to be delivered to the corresponding destination. Services between STAs within the BSS may be transmitted by the AP, for example, wherein the source STA may transmit services to the AP, and the AP may deliver services to the destination STA. Services between STAs within the BSS may be considered and / or referred to as point-to-point services. Point-to-point services may be transmitted between the source STA and the destination STA (e.g., directly between them) using a direct link setup (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use 802.11e DLS or 802.11z tunnel DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and STAs within or using the IBSS (eg, all STAs in the STA) may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS communication mode may sometimes be referred to herein as an "ad hoc" communication mode.

[0047] When using the 802.11ac infrastructure operating mode or a similar operating mode, the AP may send beacons on a fixed channel (such as a primary channel). The primary channel may be a fixed width (e.g., a 20 MHz wide bandwidth) or a dynamically set width. The primary channel may be an operating channel of the BSS and may be used by the STA to establish a connection with the AP. In certain representative embodiments, carrier sense multiple access / collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) may be implemented, for example, in an 802.11 system. For CSMA / CA, a STA (e.g., each STA) (including the AP) may listen to the primary channel. If the primary channel is listened / detected and / or determined to be busy by a particular STA, the particular STA may back off. One STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any given time in a given BSS.

[0048] High throughput (HT) STAs may communicate using a 40 MHz wide channel, for example, via a combination of a primary 20 MHz channel and adjacent or non-adjacent 20 MHz channels to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[0049] Very high throughput (VHT) STA can support 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz and / or 160MHz wide channels. 40MHz channels and / or 80MHz channels can be formed by combining continuous 20MHz channels. 160MHz channels can be formed by combining 8 continuous 20MHz channels, or by combining two non-continuous 80MHz channels (this can be called 80+80 configuration). For 80+80 configuration, after channel coding, the data can pass through a segment parser that can divide the data into two streams. Each stream can be processed by inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) and time domain processing separately. These streams can be mapped to two 80MHz channels, and data can be sent by the transmitter STA. At the receiver of the receiver STA, the above-mentioned operation for the 80+80 configuration can be reversed, and the combined data can be transmitted to the medium access control (MAC).

[0050] 802.11af and 802.11ah support operating modes below 1GHz. Channel operating bandwidths and carriers are reduced in 802.11af and 802.11ah relative to those used in 802.11n and 802.11ac. 802.11af supports 5MHz, 10MHz, and 20MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.11ah supports 1MHz, 2MHz, 4MHz, 8MHz, and 16MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.11ah may support meter type control / machine type communication (MTC), such as MTC devices in macro coverage areas. MTC devices may have certain capabilities, such as limited capabilities, including support for (e.g., only support for) certain bandwidths and / or limited bandwidths. MTC devices may include batteries with battery life above a threshold (e.g., to maintain very long battery life).

[0051] WLAN systems that can support multiple channels and channel bandwidths (such as 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11af, and 802.11ah) include channels that can be designated as primary channels. The primary channel may have a bandwidth equal to the maximum common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be set and / or limited by a STA (which supports the minimum bandwidth operating mode) from all STAs operating in the BSS. In the example of 802.11ah, for STAs (e.g., MTC-type devices) that support (e.g., only support) a 1MHz mode, the primary channel may be 1MHz wide, even if the AP and other STAs in the BSS support 2MHz, 4MHz, 8MHz, 16MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and / or network allocation vector (NAV) settings may depend on the state of the primary channel. If the primary channel is busy, for example, because a STA (which only supports a 1MHz operating mode) is transmitting to the AP, all available bands may be considered busy even if most of the available bands remain idle.

[0052] In the United States, the available frequency band for 802.11ah is 902MHz to 928MHz. In South Korea, the available frequency band is 917.5MHz to 923.5MHz. In Japan, the available frequency band is 916.5MHz to 927.5MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11ah is 6MHz to 26MHz, depending on the country code.

[0053] Figure 1D1 is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 in accordance with an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ NR radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0054] The RAN 104 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, the gNBs 180a, 180b may utilize beamforming to send signals to and / or receive signals from the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a may, for example, use multiple antennas to send wireless signals to and / or receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, gNB 180a may transmit multiple component carriers to WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on unlicensed spectrum, while the remaining component carriers may be on licensed spectrum. In an embodiment, gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement coordinated multi-point (CoMP) technology. For example, WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from gNB 180a and gNB 180b (and / or gNB 180c).

[0055] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with parameter sets that may be scalable. For example, OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframes or Transmission Time Intervals (TTIs) of varying or scalable lengths (e.g., containing varying numbers of OFDM symbols and / or varying absolute time lengths over time).

[0056] The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be configured to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in a standalone configuration and / or a non-standalone configuration. In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c while not accessing other RANs (e.g., such as the eNodeBs 160a, 160b, 160c). In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may use one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c as mobility anchors. In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using signals in an unlicensed band. In a non-standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate / connect with the gNB 180a, 180b, 180c while also communicating / connecting with another RAN, such as the eNode-B 160a, 160b, 160c. For example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement the DC principle to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c and one or more eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c substantially simultaneously. In a non-standalone configuration, the eNode-B 160a, 160b, 160c may act as a mobility anchor for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the gNB 180a, 180b, 180c may provide additional coverage and / or throughput for serving the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0057] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be associated with a specific cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in UL and / or DL, support of network slicing, interworking between DC, NR, and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data towards a user plane function (UPF) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information towards an access and mobility management function (AMF) 182a, 182b, etc. Figure 1D As shown, gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c may communicate with each other via an Xn interface.

[0058] Figure 1DThe illustrated CN 106 may include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one session management function (SMF) 183a, 183b, and possible data networks (DNs) 185a, 185b. Although the aforementioned elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it should be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0059] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 104 via the N2 interface and may act as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c, support of network slicing (e.g., handling of different protocol data unit (PDU) sessions with different requirements), selecting a specific SMF 183a, 183b, management of registration areas, termination of non-access stratum (NAS) signaling, mobility management, etc. The AMF 182a, 182b may use network slicing to customize CN support for the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c based on the type of services utilized by the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c. For example, different network slices may be established for different use cases, such as services relying on ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) access, services relying on enhanced massive mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services for MTC access, etc. The AMF 182a, 182b may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, and / or non-3GPP access technologies, such as WiFi.

[0060] The SMF 183a, 183b may be connected to the AMF 182a, 182b in the CN 106 via the N11 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may also be connected to the UPF 184a, 184b in the CN 106 via the N4 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may select and control the UPF 184a, 184b, and configure the traffic routing through the UPF 184a, 184b. The SMF 183a, 183b may perform other functions, such as managing and allocating UE IP addresses, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy implementation and QoS, providing DL data notification, etc. The PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP-based, Ethernet-based, etc.

[0061] The UPF 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 104 via the N3 interface, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The UPF 184, 184b may perform other functions, such as routing and forwarding packets, enforcing user plane policies, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering DL packets, providing mobility anchoring, etc.

[0062] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may include or may communicate with an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that acts as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired networks and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. In one embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to the DNs 185a, 185b via the UPFs 184a, 184b via the N3 interfaces to the UPFs 184a, 184b and the N6 interfaces between the UPFs 184a, 184b and the local DNs 185a, 185b.

[0063] Given that Figures 1A to 1D as well as Figures 1A to 1D Corresponding to the description of the present invention, one or more or all of the functions described herein with reference to one or more of the following items may be performed by one or more simulation devices (not shown): WTRU102a to 102d, base station 114a to 114b, evolved Node B 160a to 160c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNB180a to 180c, AMF 182a to 182b, UPF 184a to 184b, SMF 183a to 183b, DN 185a to 185b and / or any other device described herein. The simulation device may be one or more devices configured to mimic one or more or all of the functions described herein. For example, the simulation device may be used to test other devices and / or simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0064] The simulation device may be designed to implement one or more tests of other devices in a laboratory environment and / or in an operator network environment. For example, one or more simulation devices may perform one or more functions or all functions while being fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network in order to test other devices within the communication network. One or more simulation devices may perform one or more functions or all functions while being temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The simulation device may be directly coupled to another device for the purpose of testing and / or performing tests using over-the-air wireless communications.

[0065] One or more simulation devices can perform one or more (including all) functions without being implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, the simulation device can be used in a test scenario in a test laboratory and / or a non-deployed (e.g., testing) wired and / or wireless communication network to implement testing of one or more components. One or more simulation devices can be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communication via RF circuits (e.g., which may include one or more antennas) can be used by the simulation device to send and / or receive data.

[0066] This document describes motivations for users to voluntarily provide WTRU resources for application layer AI / ML operations or other services.

[0067] In exchange for the WTRU user providing his or her consent and thereby participating in or volunteering for service enhancing operations (such as operations that provide AI / ML FL support), the WTRU user may need some motivation, incentive, or some benefit to participate in such activities.

[0068] Some advantages, incentives, benefits or other motivating factors for participation are as follows. Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) may provide privacy protections for WTRUs when participating in this activity. MNOs may provide incentives to encourage WTRUs to voluntarily provide AI / ML support. Such compensation may take the form of discounts on specific services, access to "sponsored" connectivity services, etc. The WTRU may gain new expertise or increase its expertise in supporting AI / ML operations. It should be noted that the operations described herein may not necessarily require the participation of a specific WTRU (especially for WTRU group-based training).

[0069] Described herein are components for conveying a user's desire to voluntarily provide WTRU resources. The WTRU and / or the user who has decided to voluntarily provide WTRU resources may provide additional information to inform the network that they are willing or able to provide assistance to enhance the service (e.g., in FL and other AI operations). When a WTRU with appropriate capabilities is present in an area, the WTRU may already be exchanging data with other applications. If the WTRU knows that the network (i.e., one or more devices in the network) or a server requires AI / ML FL support, the WTRU may voluntarily provide assistance to the network / server for that operation. For example, the WTRU may provide its consent to help the network optimize services from which the user may benefit. The terms "consent" and "voluntary" are used interchangeably herein.

[0070] When certain services (e.g., AI / ML or FL) are supported, the WTRU may be made aware of certain services that may be popular with the WTRU resources. If some of these services are being used in the vicinity of the user or WTRU, the user and / or WTRU may choose to subscribe to services such as AI / ML event notifications, for example, if the user allows or agrees.

[0071] A user and / or the user's WTRU may express such consent to assist / support services provided by applications running in 3GPP 5GS (e.g., AI / ML or FL training operations), and may convey its consent to provide assistance to the 5G network.

[0072] The WTRU's expression of willingness or otherwise to assist may be dynamic in some cases. In some cases, it may not be fixed or static; for example, the consent may be provided on a subscription basis. The WTRU's participation may be subject to basic requirements or capabilities. For example, if certain requirements or capabilities (e.g., battery power, location, processing power, link quality, etc.) are not met or satisfied, the WTRU may not participate or may not volunteer or consent. The elements of various solutions are described in more detail in the following paragraphs.

[0073] Various acronyms as used herein may be defined as follows:

[0074] 5GS: 5G System

[0075] AF: Application Function

[0076] AI: Artificial Intelligence

[0077] AI / ML: Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning

[0078] AMF: Access and Mobility Management Function

[0079] FL: Federated Learning

[0080] ML: Machine Learning

[0081] MNO: Mobile Network Operator

[0082] NAS: Non-Access Stratum

[0083] PCF: Strategy and Charge Control Function

[0084] PDU: Protocol Data Unit

[0085] SMF: Session Management Function

[0086] SMS: Short Message Service

[0087] UDM: Unified Data Management

[0088] UPF: User Plane Function

[0089] UE: User Equipment

[0090] WTRU: Wireless Transmit / Receive Unit

[0091] It should be noted that various systems and functions such as AF, AMF, SMF, UPF or UDM may be implemented in software or instructions executed by a circuit (e.g., integrated circuit, FPGA, etc.) or processor located at a network node or device such as a server, computing platform or WTRU. These systems and functions may be described as performing various tasks and procedures, but should be understood to be interchangeable with software or processors that perform such various tasks and procedures.

[0092] Furthermore, while various actions may be described as being performed by a user, it should be understood that such actions may be performed by a WTRU. In some cases, the terms "user" and / or "WTRU" may be used interchangeably. For example, a "user's" expression of "consent" to provide assistance to the network for AI / ML operations may be reflected in a message sent by the WTRU indicating that the user of the WTRU has agreed to provide such information. The "decision" to "consent" or "voluntarily" provide assistance to the network for AI / ML operations may be made by the user, or by software or logic implemented by the WTRU, for example, of the user. Thus, in some examples, as used herein, the terms "consent" or "voluntarily" may be used to refer to situations in which software or hardware implemented in the WTRU may independently determine to express such consent or volunteer to provide assistance for AI / ML operations. Similarly, the terms "consent" or "voluntarily" may also be used to refer to situations in which the user of the WTRU decides to provide consent or volunteer to provide assistance for AI / ML operations, and an indication of such consent or voluntary decision is provided via their WTRU. In one example, the user may provide consent or volunteering by providing input via a user interface, which causes the WTRU to transmit a message to the network on behalf of the user's consent, or indicating the user's decision to consent or volunteer. It should also be noted that for various aspects of the embodiments described herein regarding the location of the user or the location of the WTRU, the user and their WTRU may be co-located in some cases. In other cases, the user may be operating the WTRU remotely, and therefore their location (e.g., geographic proximity, serving cell, tracking area, etc.) may be different.

[0093] The embodiments described herein may address at least three different requirements for wireless systems. For example, based on user consent, operator policy, and regulatory requirements, the 5G system may be able to disclose information (e.g., information about candidate WTRUs) to an authorized third party to assist the third party in determining the members of a group of WTRUs (e.g., WTRUs of the FL group). The 5G system may be able to provide event alerts to authorized third parties, for example, along with predicted times of events. Such alerts may be related to traffic congestion or movement of WTRUs into / out of different geographic areas. Based on operator policy, the 5G system may be able to provide components that allow authorized third parties to monitor resource utilization of network services associated with the third party.

[0094] In addition, the embodiments described herein may address various aspects related to key issues such as those raised by standard setting organizations (such as the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)). For example, the issue of disclosing 5G Core Network (5GC) information to authorized third parties for application layer AI / ML operations may be addressed. The 5GC may need to disclose different types of auxiliary information to the AF for AI and / or ML operations. The embodiments described herein may address whether to disclose auxiliary information and / or events from the 5GS to the AF, which auxiliary information and / or events to disclose from the 5GS to the AF, and / or as a prediction of WTRU and / or network conditions and performance (e.g., location, QoS, load, congestion, etc.). For WTRU-related information, user consent may be assumed. Therefore, at least one issue addressed may be how the 5GS assists the AI / ML AF in determining available resources within one or more WTRUs at a specific location and at a specific time for specific application layer AI / ML operations while protecting user privacy.

[0095] Another key issue addressed may be providing 5GS assistance for federated learning (FL) operations. The embodiments described herein may describe whether and how 5GS can provide assistance to AF and WTRU for AF and WTRU to manage FL operations and model distribution / redistribution (i.e., FL member selection).

[0096] Embodiments may address assistance for selecting WTRUs for FL operations. Some embodiments may address whether, how, and / or which information provided by the 5GC to the AF may assist the AF in selecting and managing a set of WTRUs to be part of FL operations. Some embodiments may address whether, how, and / or which information the 5GC needs to assist the AF in selecting and managing a set of WTRUs to be part of FL operations. Thus, at least one issue addressed may be how the 5GS assists in selecting federated learning (or any other application layer AI / ML operation) members while maintaining a balance between system load and application layer AI / ML operation efficiency.

[0097] Some solutions proposed to the above problems and issues may involve any of the following steps, actions or events.It should be noted that although various solutions suggested or disclosed herein may be described.

[0098] In some solutions, the AF may subscribe to event notifications from the 5GS to disclose WTRUs that have provided user consent to participate in specific network-driven enhanced services (such as AI / ML FL operation support). Event notifications may

[0099] In some solutions, based on prior agreements with the MNO and possibly with the ASP, the WTRU may provide its consent to participate in the service enhancement operation. The WTRU may provide consent using existing NAS-based procedures (or other logically equivalent procedures) (such as a Mobility Registration Request) when triggered by a network event. Examples of network events may include a change in location that triggers the WTRU to transmit a Mobility Registration Request, a change in the WTRU's capabilities, a change in the WTRU's protocol parameters, or a change in the set of network slices that the WTRU is allowed to use. In some solutions, the WTRU may provide consent in response to an application layer event or when triggered by an application layer event or when downloading data related to a new service enhancement application.

[0100] In some solutions, the 5GS may notify the AF of a WTRU that has expressed its desire to support a service enhancement procedure by declaring its consent, for example via a NAS-based procedure or via a logically equivalent procedure.

[0101] In some solutions, based on or in response to a notification from the 5GS, the AF using an application layer mechanism may contact the WTRU that has expressed its consent.

[0102] Triggers that may prompt a WTRU to voluntarily consent to support AI / ML FL training are described herein. A WTRU or a user of the WTRU may be given an option, such as during a procedure or message exchange that provides initial WTRU configuration, to opt in or opt out of participating in service enhancements for services that may benefit the user of the WTRU. For example, a WTRU or a user of the WTRU may benefit from an application whose data is stored (e.g., preloaded or postloaded) in the WTRU, which in turn benefits from services provided by the network. The user's consent (i.e., an explicit indication of the user's consent) may be stored separately in association with each application based on a consent ID. For example, the user's consent may be stored in the UDM as part of the WTRU subscriber record. The user's consent may be revoked or restored (e.g., deactivated or reactivated) at any time. A user may declare or express their desire to participate in service enhancements by, for example, providing their consent during a registration request procedure. The WTRU may convey the user's consent to participate in service enhancements using a message (e.g., a UL NAS TRANSPORT message or another logical equivalent).

[0103] The initial configuration in the UDM may be static. The initial configuration may indicate that the WTRU is allowed to provide consent to participate in service enhancements. The WTRU or user may need to activate such participation (e.g., by expressing consent) to be considered a resource for a particular service operation. Likewise, if the WTRU or user has expressed consent, the WTRU or user may revoke that consent at any time, however this does not mean that the WTRU or user is no longer allowed to participate in service enhancements.

[0104] The AMF may verify (e.g., in the subscriber record) whether the WTRU is allowed to voluntarily perform service enhancement by providing its consent. In some cases, the AMF may do so by checking access and mobility subscription data that has been received, accessed, or stored by the UDM or by checking the PCF. For example, a new policy may be introduced to associate the WTRU with a service enhancement.

[0105] A user or WTRU may download an application that may benefit from application layer AI / ML operations or another service. If the application that may benefit from AI / ML operations is managed by an ASP that has a business relationship or other arrangement with the MNO, the ASP may provide the MNO with a list of subscribers that are registered at the application layer level and may be authorized to provide service enhancements, for example, in a particular area of ​​interest, at a particular time, and / or even for a particular S-NSSAI / DNN combination. Alternatively or additionally, the ASP may indicate whether it is willing to receive notifications of WTRUs that have expressed consent to participate in service enhancements (e.g., by using a particular group ID), without identifying the particular WTRU.

[0106] The AF may subscribe to an event notification, e.g., via the NEF or directly to the UDM, indicating the user's consent to participate in a particular service enhancement. The AF may indicate in the subscription request whether the notification is for a specific WTRU or for a WTRU associated with a group ID. As part of the notification event, the UDM may provide the AF with one or more addresses of the WTRUs that have declared their consent to participate in the service enhancement of the associated AF.

[0107] It should be noted that while the ASP and WTRU may negotiate services simply by enabling applications and by having the user of the WTRU assert his or her consent through the MNO, the ASP may benefit from 5GS support which may provide transport paths specifically tailored for the services the ASP wants to deliver.

[0108] As described above, the WTRU may voluntarily participate in service enhancements by expressing its consent, such as when the WTRU enters a specific geographic area (which may be identified by GPS coordinates or a specific TA). In some cases, the WTRU's expression of consent to participate in service enhancements may be triggered by procedures that occur at the application layer. For example, when a user launches an application that may benefit from service enhancements (such as a video application that may employ AI / ML functionality), the WTRU may express consent. The application client in the WTRU may also trigger the activation or expression of user consent, for example, after the user of the WTRU has completed an application layer registration procedure. When the WTRU declares its consent, it may provide information (e.g., application ID, operating system (OS) ID, and / or AI / ML operation type) to support service enhancements (e.g., application layer AI / ML operations). The WTRU may transmit an indication of its consent during a mobility registration update or in a message such as a UL NAS TRASNPORT message. The AMF may update access and mobility subscriber data in the UDM. Whether the WTRU declares its consent through a registration procedure or a UL NAS TRANSPORT procedure (or another logically equivalent procedure) may be specified in the access and mobility policy.

[0109] The WTRU may revoke its consent dynamically at any time, for example, explicitly based on a direct user command, or implicitly due to expiration of a duration or when the WTRU leaves a particular geographic area. Likewise, the operator may update the subscriber record in the UDM at any time, which may determine whether the WTRU is allowed to declare its consent to the service enhancement.

[0110] In some cases, if the AF subscribes to UDM event notifications indicating that the user of the WTRU agrees to participate in service enhancement, the UDM may notify the AF accordingly when the WTRU has declared its consent or when the WTRU has revoked its consent.

[0111] Using 3GPP procedures that may enable the WTRU to request network capability information in the form of one or more event notifications, the WTRU may subscribe to service enhancement availability or network event notifications, which may be, for example, network slice congestion information event notifications. The WTRU may receive a notification (i.e., provided via one or more messages) indicating that a service enhancement is available or that one or more network events have occurred. In some cases, to prevent high signaling load, for example, due to a service becoming available, the WTRU may receive one or more notifications that are piggybacked on other procedures. For example, the notification may be delivered as part of a message such as a Registration Accept message or a PDU Session Establishment Accept message.

[0112] Based on or in response to user interaction, user feedback or user input, the WTRU may declare its consent or its user consent by updating its user consent status (i.e., applicable / not applicable) upon receiving a service enhancement notification. Thus, when relevant service enhancement procedures are available, such as 5GS support available for FL operation, the WTRU may be notified and the WTRU may update its consent status.

[0113] A service flow for agreeing to a voluntary protocol is described herein. Although the service flow described herein may illustrate discrete messages exchanged between discrete network functions, it should be well understood by those skilled in the art that the information carried by the illustrated messages may be carried in other types of messages and between other network entities.

[0114] Figure 2 is a message flow diagram illustrating an example of a procedure for a WTRU to voluntarily, request or propose to participate in AI / ML supported operations. Figure 2 As shown at 201 in FIG. 1 , messages may be exchanged between network functions to enable the AF to receive notifications about WTRUs that wish to participate in or support service operations provided by the AF. For example, as shown at 201, the AF may transmit a request message to subscribe to event notifications related to a particular WTRU or any WTRU associated with a particular group ID. The request message may be transmitted to, for example, the UDM, or as shown at Figure 2 As shown, the request message may be transmitted to the NEF, which may then forward the request message to the UDM. The request message may identify a specific service or application (e.g., AI / ML FL) and / or may indicate that one or more WTRUs have expressed consent to participate in the service operation (e.g., AI / ML FL). The request may include parameters such as a WTRU identifier (e.g., an IP address or a Global Public Subscription Identifier (GPSI) associated with one or more WTRUs), a group ID (e.g., if the request is targeted at a group of WTRUs belonging to a specific group associated with the group ID), and / or an application ID for identifying a specific application for which the AF intends to receive consent notifications. The AF may subscribe to event disclosures through the UDM to receive information about the WTRU consent voluntary status, such as whether one or more WTRUs have provided consent, whether one or more WTRUs are allowed to provide consent, and / or whether the WTRU has modified (e.g., activated, deactivated) its consent voluntary status.

[0115] The request message may indicate an area of ​​interest, which may identify, for example, an area in which the AF is interested in receiving notifications about volunteering WTRUs. The request message may also indicate a notification window that defines a time period in which the AF is interested in volunteering, or a time window in which the AF prefers to receive notifications to which it subscribes. The request may include a randomization flag. For example, the AF may provide information to the UDM that enables random selection of WTRUs that have provided or will provide their consent to participate in a particular service enhancement operation (taking into account, for example, the time window and / or area of ​​interest). Based on the presence of the randomization flag, the UDM may utilize a bias reduction algorithm that ensures randomness in the selection of volunteers based on parameters provided by the AF.

[0116] The UDM that has received the request message may send a response message to the AF, or Figure 2 As shown, a response message is transmitted to the NEF, which may forward the response message to the AF. For example, the response message may confirm receipt of the request message. The response message may indicate that the AF has successfully subscribed to notifications about the consent status of one or more WTRUs, or in some cases, the response message may indicate that the AF has not successfully subscribed to such notifications.

[0117] like Figure 2 As shown at 202 in the example of , the WTRU may be registered with the network and may have expressed consent to participate in service enhancement operations.

[0118] The WTRU may determine to renew its consent to participate in service enhancement operations if one or more conditions are met, such as the WTRU entering a geographic location, and / or due to application layer operations. Service enhancements may provide improvements in the performance of specific tasks of an application (e.g., improved video performance), using AI / ML training and inference and user data to perform these service enhancements.

[0119] The WTRU may communicate its consent through a mobility registration procedure. The WTRU may send a registration message that may indicate the type of service enhancement it provides consent for and / or the validity period for which the consent is valid. The WTRU may send a registration message to the network (e.g., a base station or another network entity implementing functionality such as an AMF), such as Figure 2 . The WTRU may provide an indication of its capabilities in a service capability container, which may be interpreted based on the type of service enhancement. For example, the WTRU may be interested in running an application that requires analytics, and if the WTRU wants to run, for example, a video application, then by using the analytics, the performance of the video application may be enhanced. The WTRU may express its consent to use the service enhancement by including the service capability container in one or more messages transmitted to the network. For example, the service capability container may be included in a registration message transmitted by the WTRU to the network.

[0120] exist Figure 2 In the example shown, the AMF may relay the service enhancement parameters to the UDM to indicate that the WTRU wishes to assert its consent at 205. In the illustrated scenario, it is assumed that the WTRU activates its consent or modifies its consent.

[0121] As shown at 206, the UDM may transmit a confirmation message to the AMF to confirm the provision / approval and storage of context information regarding the WTRU's voluntary consent. In the confirmation message, the UDM may include indications of different enhancement types that the WTRU has been authorized to voluntarily consent to. The UDM may include indications of regions of interest and / or time windows for which the WTRU is authorized to voluntarily consent. The regions of interest and / or time windows indicated in the confirmation message may not necessarily be the same regions of interest and / or time windows provided by the WTRU / AMF in a previous step. For example, the regions of interest and / or time windows indicated in the confirmation message may be a subset of the regions of interest and time windows previously provided by the WTRU / AMF. The confirmation message may include an indication of the activation of the WTRU's consent for one or more applications (e.g., applications X and Y). For example, the confirmation message may include application IDs associated with applications X and Y.

[0122] As shown at 207, the AMF may transmit a registration accept message to the WTRU. In addition to the authorized authorization service enhancement type, the message may also include an indication of confirmation of consent to the voluntary, and the validity period of the voluntary. The message may also include a list of different application IDs that the WTRU is authorized to voluntarily consent to.

[0123] As shown at 208, the WTRU notifies the upper layer of the consent to be activated. The WTRU may update parameters for performing application layer functions based on the activation of its consent. For example, the WTRU may be configured (or reconfigured) to provide assistance or report information (e.g., training data) to the network to support AI / ML service operations. The WTRU may be configured (or reconfigured) to be contacted or receive requests for service operations from the network (e.g., AF).

[0124] At 209, the UDM may selectively select, based on the provided randomization information, one or more parameters including service enhancement type, time window, or area of ​​interest to issue a request for one or more WTRUs (i.e., including Figure 2). For example, the UDM may selectively choose to issue a consent notification for one or more WTRUs whose consent is applicable or provided during a time window indicated by the AF and / or a WTRU present within an area of ​​interest indicated by the AF. The UDM may selectively issue a consent notification for one or more WTRUs whose indicated service enhancement capabilities allow participation in AI / ML operations. The UDM may selectively issue a consent notification to a specific application based on the type of service enhancement to which one or more WTRUs have agreed. The UDM may update stored data indicating service enhancement consent for one or more WTRUs and / or trigger (via the NEF) the sending of an event public notification to the AF. The UDM may transmit the notification to the AF, as shown at 210; and the NEF may relay the public notification to the AF, as shown at 211.

[0125] As shown at 212, the AF may determine whether a WTRU or a group of WTRUs may be included as one or more members, for example based on a specific application and based on WTRU capabilities (e.g., capabilities provided in a service capability container). If the AF decides to add the WTRU as a participant in current or future service operations, the AF may contact the WTRU using the WTRU client address. As shown at 213, the AF may exchange services with one or more WTRUs for service enhancement (e.g., AI / ML assisted video enhancement application services).

[0126] Figure 3 is a message flow diagram illustrating another example procedure for a WTRU to voluntarily support AI / ML operations. The WTRU may register with the network and exchange messages / data with the network. As shown at 301, a PDU session may have been established and the WTRU may be exchanging data with the network.

[0127] As shown at 302, the WTRU may determine whether to volunteer for an AI / ML type operation. The WTRU may make such a determination periodically or in response to an event occurring or a trigger condition being satisfied. Examples of conditions that trigger this decision are further described in detail elsewhere herein. The WTRU may communicate its proposal to the volunteer, for example, to the 5GC. The proposal may be provided to the 5GC, for example, to the AMF via a NAS MM message, as shown at 303, or via another logically equivalent message.

[0128] The AMF may decapsulate the NAS message or a logically equivalent message conveying the WTRU's voluntary proposal and forward it to the NEF, as shown at 303. In the forwarded message, the WTRU may announce its voluntary consent and / or its AI / ML capabilities. The WTRU may announce its consent and / or its AI / ML capabilities within a specific period of time. The WTRU may provide some information about the training it agreed to. For example, the WTRU may indicate the type of operation, the type of data it supports (voice, video, text, etc.), and / or the maximum strength (e.g., bit rate) it is willing or able to support.

[0129] As shown at 304, the NEF may coordinate with the PCF to verify whether there is an active AI / ML enhanced AF session and use information provided by the WTRU (possibly in addition to information from the UDM and / or UDR) to decide the information for the WTRU. The information may include, for example, an appropriate time window for which the WTRU may volunteer, and / or one or more types of applications for which the WTRU may volunteer to provide AI / ML support. The AMF may verify with policy voluntary consent rules to assist in AI / ML AF selection and WTRU voluntary selection (e.g., by applying anonymity requirements / preferences / incentives / fairness). Such verification may be performed substantially as described in other paragraphs herein.

[0130] At 305, the NEF may transmit voluntary information to the UDM, which may then be stored as voluntary consent information. Figure 3 As shown at 306 in , the NEF may provide volunteer information to one or more AI / ML AFs to obtain feedback from them. One or more AFs may respond to the NEF, for example, by indicating through feedback one or more WTRUs that may be used as volunteers for a particular application. For example, the feedback may indicate a preferred WTRU or a list of WTRUs that will be used as volunteers. If there are multiple candidate applications and / or training sessions in which the WTRU can participate, the network may transmit volunteer information to multiple AI / ML FL AFs and provide the WTRU with a selection list of which application and / or session to participate. The WTRU may then decide which application and / or session to volunteer to participate in. In some embodiments, the network may decide which FL AF the WTRU will be associated with to obtain the volunteer opportunity.

[0131] The AI / ML FL application may confirm with the AF whether it accepts the voluntary offer from the WTRU. Figure 3In the example shown, the WTRU is approved by the AI / ML application to participate in the FL session. Therefore, as shown at 307, the AI / ML AF may prepare AI / ML session information and parameters for the WTRU. Alternatively, the WTRU may not approve the WTRU to participate in the FL session. Alternatively or additionally, the AI / ML AF may have requirements that must be met for the WTRU to participate in the FL session. In any case, the AI / ML service function may issue a confirmation of the WTRU's voluntary proposal, as shown at 308. The confirmation message may include information indicating whether the WTRU is approved to participate in the FL session. In some cases, the confirmation message may indicate the confirmation / pre-approval to the network via the NEF. The confirmation message may include a PDU session establishment / modification request to the WTRU, for example, to change the current PDU session.

[0132] The NEF having received the confirmation message from the AF may update one or more voluntary policies or compensations. As further shown at 308, the NEF may provide the PCF with information related to the voluntary consent selection.

[0133] As shown at 309, the confirmation and PDU session request may be forwarded to the selected SMF (eg, to the serving SMF, or to a new SMF if reselection is performed).

[0134] As shown at 310, the SMF may forward the message to the AMF, which may transmit the message to the WTRU via a NAS message or another logical equivalent.

[0135] The WTRU may receive an acknowledgement and a PDU session modification request from the network as shown at 311. For example, in the absence of any failure conditions, the WTRU may approve the request. The WTRU may then perform the PDU session modification and begin participating in FL training using the agreed rules and / or parameters.

[0136] In some cases, the WTRU may wish to establish a new PDU session for FL voluntary purposes. In such cases, the voluntary and session establishment procedures may be performed in the same procedure. The WTRU may trigger a PDU session establishment for voluntary AI / ML services. During the PDU session establishment, the SMF and / or PCF may contact the AF associated with the AI / ML enhancement to notify the AF of the voluntary information of the WTRU and retrieve the required QoS level that must be met for the WTRU to be allowed to join the AF's FL training. When the WTRU is not allowed to join the AF's FL training based on feedback from the AF, the SMF / PCF may reject the PDU session establishment request.

[0137] Methods for coordinating voluntary services are described herein. In some methods, the AF may provide information to the UDM to enable random selection of WTRUs that provide their consent to participate in a particular service enhancement. This information may take into account time windows and possibly area of ​​interest information. The AF function may determine these parameters based on any number of factors or conditions.

[0138] UDM can use bias reduction algorithms (e.g., introducing randomness in the selection of volunteers according to parameters provided by the AF). In addition, UDM can use policies to control traffic peaks. UDM can control traffic peaks by limiting the amount of traffic used for specific service operations (such as federated learning for AI / ML applications).

[0139] The PCF may provide policies related to voluntary consent. The PCF may generate and / or manage rules to control the traffic of a particular application (while, for example, randomly selecting volunteers and / or performing unbiased selection).

[0140] Voluntary modes related to privacy are described herein. When supporting AI / ML FL applications voluntarily, one or more modes may be considered. In some modes, anonymous participation may be used. For example, anonymous participation may be ensured by providing consent associated with an application ID or group ID, which may not require a WTRU identifier. In such modes, the network may need to ensure that the identity of the WTRU is not provided to the AI / ML AF.

[0141] Some modes may involve non-anonymous participation, and the voluntary WTRU / user identity may be known to the AI / ML AF. In such scenarios, authentication / authorization regarding voluntary activities may be initiated or occur from the AI / ML AF, or the 5GC may provide the WTRU / user identity to the AI / ML AF.

[0142] Privacy may be desired from the user (or WTRU) perspective or imposed as a local regulatory requirement or a requirement from certain AI / ML applications. Depending on their policy, some AI / ML applications (and even some FL applications) may require participants to be identified for AI / ML activities. This may be a criterion for selecting the right AI / ML AF and voluntary participants. The PCF voluntary policy may be formulated taking into account information about anonymity preferences and additionally the network may use such preferences together with the AI / ML AF requirements, for example, to map the WTRU to the appropriate application.

[0143] Although features and elements are described above in specific combinations, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that each feature or element may be used alone or in any combination with other features and elements. In addition, the methods described herein may be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware incorporated in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of computer-readable media include electronic signals (sent via a wired or wireless connection) and computer-readable storage media. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), registers, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media (such as built-in hard disks and removable disks), magneto-optical media, and optical media (such as CD-ROM disks and digital versatile disks (DVDs)). A processor associated with software may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for a WTRU, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, or any host computer.

Claims

1. A network node, comprising: a processor configured to receive a request to subscribe to a notification indicating consent provided by one or more wireless transmit receive units (WTRUs) to participate in artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) operations to support service enhancement for at least one application, the request to subscribe to the notification comprising a randomization tag that enables random selection of at least one of the WTRUs for which a notification message is to be transmitted; The processor is configured to receive a registration request message from a WTRU, the registration request message including an indication for the WTRU to provide consent to participate in AI / ML operations supporting at least one type of service enhancement, a service capability container indicating one or more service capabilities of the WTRU, and an address associated with the WTRU; the processor being configured to transmit a registration response message to the WTRU, the registration response message indicating that a consent state associated with the WTRU is applicable to one or more applications, wherein the one or more applications utilize the at least one type of service enhancement, and wherein the one or more applications utilize service enhancements for which the indicated service capabilities of the WTRU allow the WTRU to engage in AI / ML operations; The processor is configured to randomly select the WTRU based on the randomization marker; The processor is configured to transmit a notification message indicating a consent provided by the randomly selected WTRU to participate in AI / ML operations supporting service enhancement for at least one of the one or more applications, and wherein the notification message includes the address associated with the WTRU.

2. The network node of claim 1 , wherein the registration response message includes a list of applications associated with the WTRU to which the consent state applies.

3. The network node of claim 1 , wherein the request to subscribe to notifications comprises an indication of a first time period during which the AI / ML operation is to be performed or notifications are to be transmitted, wherein the registration request message comprises an indication of a second time period during which the consent state is valid; and wherein the WTRU is randomly selected on the condition that the first time period and the second time period overlap.

4. The network node of claim 1 , wherein the request to subscribe to notifications includes an indication of an area of ​​interest, and wherein the processor is configured to transmit the notification message conditional on the randomly selected WTRU being within the area of ​​interest.

5. The network node of claim 1 , wherein the request to subscribe to notifications comprises a group identifier associated with a group of WTRUs including the WTRU, and wherein the address associated with the WTRU is the group identifier.

6. The network node of claim 1 , further comprising a memory device configured to store information indicating the consent status for the one or more applications associated with the WTRU.

7. A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), the wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) comprising: processor; and Transceiver; the processor and the transceiver configured to transmit a registration request message including an indication for the WTRU to provide consent to participate in artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) operations supporting at least one type of service enhancement, a service capability container indicating one or more service capabilities of the WTRU and an address associated with the WTRU; the processor and the transceiver being configured to receive a registration response message indicating that a consent state associated with the WTRU is applicable to one or more applications and indicating a time period for which the consent state associated with the WTRU is applicable, wherein the one or more applications utilize the at least one type of service enhancement, and wherein the one or more applications utilize service enhancements for which the indicated service capabilities of the WTRU allow the WTRU to engage in AI / ML operations; The processor and the transceiver are configured to receive, from a network node, a message initiating a service for supporting AI / ML operations of at least one of the one or more applications on the condition that the time period to which the consent state associated with the WTRU applies has not elapsed.

8. The WTRU of claim 7, wherein the registration response message includes a list of applications associated with the WTRU to which the consent state applies.

9. The WTRU of claim 7, wherein the registration request message is transmitted conditional upon the WTRU entering a geographic area.

10. The WTRU of claim 9, wherein the processor and the transceiver are configured to receive configuration information associated with a service enhancement, the configuration information indicating an area of ​​interest associated with one or more applications, wherein the area of ​​interest at least partially overlaps with the geographic area.

11. The WTRU of claim 7, wherein the address associated with the WTRU is a group identifier associated with a group of WTRUs.

12. The WTRU of claim 7, wherein prior to transmitting the registration request message, the consent state associated with the WTRU is not applicable to the one or more applications.

13. A network node, comprising: a processor configured to transmit a request to subscribe to a notification indicating consent provided by one or more wireless transmit receive units (WTRUs) to participate in an artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) operation that supports service enhancement for at least one application, the request to subscribe to the notification comprising a randomization tag that enables random selection of at least one of the WTRUs for which notification messages are to be received, wherein the request to subscribe to the notification comprises an indication of a time period during which the AI / ML operation is to be performed or during which the notification message is to be transmitted, The processor is configured to receive the notification message, conditional upon the time period not having elapsed, the notification message indicating consent provided by the randomly selected WTRU to participate in AI / ML operations supporting service enhancement for at least one application, wherein the notification message includes a service capability container indicating one or more service capabilities of the randomly selected WTRU, and wherein the notification message includes an address associated with the randomly selected WTRU, The processor is configured to send a message initiating a service for supporting AI / ML operations of at least one of the one or more applications to the randomly selected WTRU using the address associated with the randomly selected WTRU included in the notification message.

14. The network node of claim 13, wherein the notification message includes an indication of another time period during which the consent provided by the randomly selected WTRU to participate in the AI / ML operation is valid.

15. The network node of claim 13, wherein the request to subscribe to notifications includes an indication of an area of ​​interest, and wherein the notification message is received conditional on the randomly selected WTRU being within the area of ​​interest.

16. The network node of claim 13, wherein the request to subscribe to notifications includes a group identifier associated with a group of WTRUs including the WTRU, and wherein the address associated with the WTRU is the group identifier.

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