Method for enhancing user equipment routing policy, communication device and storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides a method for enhancing a user equipment routing policy, a communication device and a storage medium. A method for enhancing a user equipment routing policy includes: receiving, by a processor of a device, information of an application associated with one or more environmental requirements; selecting, by the processor, a User Equipment Routing Policy (URSTP) rule from a list of URSTP rules, wherein the selected URSTP rule includes one or more descriptors that match the one or more eco-requirements; and determining, by the processor, a routing of traffic for the application between the apparatus and the wireless network for a data session based on one or more parameters included in a route selection descriptor (RSD) of the selected URSP rule. According to the invention, environmental protection can be promoted.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates generally to mobile communications, and more particularly, to an enhanced user equipment (UE) route selection policy (URSP) with green incentive for environmental protection. Background Art

[0002] Unless otherwise indicated, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

[0003] To encourage the adoption of renewable electricity (or "green" electricity), emerging carbon taxes / fees (e.g., $10+ USD per ton of carbon dioxide (CO2)) are being implemented globally to increase the cost of conventional electricity (or "grey" electricity). In response to this trend, leading companies are now pushing their supply chains to neutralize or reduce carbon footprints in manufacturing and transportation, and new businesses in carbon credits and renewable energy certificate trading are growing rapidly.

[0004] The information / communications technology (ICT) industry has been observed to be one of the largest consumers of electricity. The ICT industry currently accounts for an estimated 2-3% of global electricity consumption and is expected to increase to approximately 8-21% by 2030. Therefore, the technology industry must consider not only how to reduce electricity consumption but also transition to cleaner energy sources. However, quantifying and subsequently reducing electricity consumption is not an easy task as there are many factors that contribute to the electricity consumption of network-based mobile applications, including: (i) power usage of mobile devices running applications; (ii) infrastructure that transmits application messages to base stations over radio links; (iii) cell towers shared by multiple operators and optical fibers that connect cell towers to the Internet backbone network owned by various Internet service providers (ISPs); and (iv) data centers that run application logic in cloud platforms shared by different businesses. In addition to measuring the overall impact of these components to determine the total electricity usage, it is also important to derive the carbon intensity of energy consumption to determine the carbon footprint of network elements (e.g., hardware and / or software) when they are put into use. Electricity may come from different energy sources (e.g., natural gas, coal, nuclear, wind, and solar) and have different levels of carbon emissions. In particular, due to the high variability and unpredictability of renewable energy sources (e.g., wind and solar), the carbon intensity of the power grid (i.e., the average carbon emissions per unit of energy consumption) varies greatly over time and location. Therefore, the challenge for the ICT industry to reduce carbon emissions lies in how to design signaling frameworks and / or scheduling strategies for applications with environmental requirements in mobile communications to take into account the temporal and spatial dimensions of energy sources.

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to provide appropriate solutions to solve the above problems. Summary of the invention

[0006] The following summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. That is, the following summary is provided to introduce the concepts, key points, benefits, and advantages of the novel and non-obvious techniques described in the present invention. Selected implementations are further described in the detailed description below. Therefore, the following summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0007] The embodiment of the present invention proposes a method for enhancing the routing selection strategy of a user device, comprising: receiving information of an application associated with one or more environmental protection requirements by a processor of a device; selecting a URSP rule from a list of URSP rules of a user device routing selection strategy, wherein the selected URSP rule contains one or more descriptors matching the one or more environmental protection requirements; and determining, by the processor, a route between the device and a wireless network for a service of the application used by a data session based on one or more parameters contained in a routing selection descriptor RSD of the selected URSP rule. By utilizing the present invention, environmental protection can be promoted.

[0008] An embodiment of the present invention provides a communication device, comprising: a transceiver, configured to wirelessly communicate with a wireless network during operation; and a processor, communicatively coupled to the transceiver, so that during operation, the processor performs the following operations: receiving information of an application associated with one or more environmental protection requirements; selecting a URSP rule from a URSP rule list, wherein the selected URSP rule contains one or more descriptors matching the one or more environmental protection requirements; and determining, based on one or more parameters contained in the RSD of the selected URSP rule, a route for a data session for the service of the application between the device and the wireless network.

[0009] An embodiment of the present invention proposes a method for enhancing a user equipment routing selection strategy, comprising: a processor of a first network entity receives a network analysis related to ecological rating information from a second network entity; the processor adjusts the priority of one or more RSDs in a URSP rule, wherein the RSD includes one or more relay service codes RSC selected based on the ecological rating information; and the processor updates one or more parameters of the URSP rule.

[0010] The embodiment of the present invention provides a storage medium storing a program, wherein when the program is executed, a communication device executes the method for enhancing a user equipment routing selection strategy of the present invention.

[0011] It is worth noting that although the description provided herein may be in the context of certain radio access technologies, networks, and network topologies, such as LTE, LTE Advanced, LTE Advanced Pro, 5G, NR, IoT, NB-IoT, IIoT, B5G, and 6G, the proposed concepts, schemes, and any variations / derivatives thereof may be implemented in, for, and by other types of radio access technologies, networks, and network topologies. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the examples described herein.

[0012] By utilizing the present invention, environmental protection can be promoted. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 is an example scenario of a communication environment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 2 This is an example scenario of TD content that enhances URSP rules according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 3 This is an example scenario of enhancing the content of URSP rules according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 4 This is an example scenario of RSD content that enhances URSP rules according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 5 This is an example scenario of enhancing URSP rule content according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 6 is an example communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 7 is an example process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 8 is an example process according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The present invention discloses detailed embodiments and implementations of the claimed subject matter. However, it should be understood that the invented embodiments and implementations are merely illustrations of the claimed subject matter that can be implemented in various forms. Moreover, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and should not be interpreted as being limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations set forth in the present invention. On the contrary, providing these exemplary embodiments and implementations is to make the description of the present invention comprehensive and complete, and to fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art. In the following description, the details of known features and technologies may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments and implementations.

[0022] Overview

[0023] Embodiments of the present invention relate to various techniques, methods, schemes and / or solutions related to enhanced URSP with green incentives for environmental protection. According to the present invention, a variety of possible solutions can be implemented individually or in combination. That is, although these possible solutions may be described separately below, two or more of these possible solutions may be implemented in one combination or in other combinations.

[0024] Figure 11 is an example scenario 100 of a communication environment according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which various solutions and schemes of the present invention can be implemented. Scenario 100 includes UE 110 wirelessly communicating with network 120 through at least one terrestrial network node 122 and / or at least one non-terrestrial network node 124 (e.g., satellite), wherein the terrestrial network node 122 may be, for example, a base station (BS), such as an evolved Node-B (eNB), a next generation node-B (gNB), or a transmission / reception point (TRP) or a (wireless-fidelity) access point (AP), and the network 120 may be, for example, a wireless network including a non-terrestrial network (NTN) and a TN. For example, the terrestrial network node 122 may form a TN service cell to wirelessly communicate with the UE 110, or the terrestrial network node 122 and / or the non-terrestrial network node 124 may form an NTN service cell to wirelessly communicate with the UE 110. In some implementations, network 120 may be a 4G / 5G / B5G / 6G network, and UE 110 may be a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, or a notebook computer. Alternatively, network 120 may be an IoT / NB-IoT / IIoT network, and UE 110 may be an IoT device, such as an NB-IoT UE or an enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) UE (e.g., a bandwidth-reduced low complexity (BL) UE or a coverage enhancement (CE) UE). In network 120, each network component, such as a radio access network (RAN) component (e.g., a cell formed by ground network nodes 122 and / or non-ground network nodes 124) and a core network (CN) component (e.g., a network slice or a data network (name), etc.), may have a different eco-rating score. For example, some network nodes may use more renewable / green energy sources and therefore have a higher eco-rating score, while some network nodes may use more non-renewable / grey energy (e.g., grid electricity) sources and therefore have a lower eco-rating score. In addition, the network 120 may include a core network including multiple network entities, which may be implemented as software and / or hardware in one or more network nodes (e.g., computing devices / servers).For example, if the network 120 is a 5G system (5G system, 5GS), the core network entity may include access and mobility function (AMF), session management function (SMF), policy control function (PCF), unified data management (UDM), access and mobility function (AMF) and network data analytics function (NWDAF), etc. If the network 120 is a 4G system (4G system, 4GS), the core network entity may include a mobility management entity (MME), a serving gateway (S-GW), a packet data network gateway (P-GW) and a home subscriber server (HSS), etc. In such a communication environment, as described below, the UE 110, the network 120, the ground network node 122 and / or the non-ground network node 124 may implement various schemes related to the enhanced URSP with green incentives for environmental protection according to the content of the present invention. It is worth noting that although various proposed solutions may be described separately or individually, in actual implementation, some or all of the proposed solutions may be used in combination or implemented in other ways. Of course, each proposed solution can be used or implemented in other ways separately or individually.

[0025] Electricity / energy has a carbon intensity depending on where / when / how it is consumed and the source from which it is generated (e.g., solar energy has a lower carbon intensity and fossil fuels have a higher carbon intensity). In the real world, the availability of sustainable / renewable / green energy may vary significantly over time in different locations. Intensity can be referred to as a ratio with a numerator and a denominator. Ratios may provide useful information when considering how to design, develop, deploy and operate green networks. For simplicity, in the context of the present invention, the term "eco-rating" is used to accommodate the total amount and ratio concepts regarding environmental impact. Specifically, an eco-rating is a factor that takes into account environmental impact calculations. For example, an eco-rating score can be a carbon intensity / efficiency / emission / footprint level (of energy / resource consumption), which can be further viewed as a factor for each service, each subscriber, each UE, each unit (e.g., byte) or each network element (e.g., each BS, each CN element, or each application server, etc.) of data transmission / reception. Generally, a high Eco-Rating score means less environmental impact or is greener (e.g., a better Eco-Rating or a higher Carbon Efficiency Rating) and more sustainable (e.g., a lower carbon intensity (of energy / resource consumption) / efficiency / emissions / footprint level). A low Eco-Rating score means more environmental impact or is less green (e.g., a worse Eco-Rating or a lower Carbon Efficiency Rating) and less sustainable (e.g., a higher carbon intensity (of energy / resource consumption) / efficiency / emissions / footprint level).

[0026] It should be noted that other terms that represent similar or identical green (i.e., environmentally friendly) concepts can be used as alternatives to the "eco-rating" term in the present invention. For example, energy efficiency can be used as an alternative to eco-rating, where high energy efficiency means less environmental impact (i.e., high eco-rating or more green), while low energy efficiency means more environmental impact (i.e., low eco-rating or less green). Energy consumption can also be used as an alternative to eco-rating, where low energy consumption means less environmental impact (i.e., high eco-rating or more green), while high energy consumption means more environmental impact (i.e., low eco-rating or less green). Green factors can also be used as alternatives to eco-ratings, where high green factors mean less environmental impact (i.e., high eco-rating or more green), while less green factors mean more environmental impact (i.e., low eco-rating or less green). Carbon intelligence or carbon awareness can be used to describe methods designed to achieve less environmental impact (i.e., high eco-rating or greener). Using more renewable / clean energy also means high eco-rating or greener.

[0027] In 5G NR, UE policies may include URSP and access network discovery and selection policy (ANDSP). UE policies may be delivered to the UE by the PCF. The PCF is responsible for network policies to manage network behavior. The PCF obtains subscription information from the UDM. The PCF interfaces with the AMF to manage mobility contexts and with the SMF to manage session contexts. The PCF also plays a key role in the architecture that provides network slicing and roaming. The PCF triggers the URSP, enabling the UE to determine how to handle a particular application in an existing or new protocol data unit (PDU) session context. Typically, the URSP may include a list of URSP rules. UE policies may also be pre-configured in the UE. The UE shall apply the pre-configured policy only if it has not received a policy of the same type from the PCF. However, in the current 5G NR framework, the URSP does not take into account environmental impact (e.g., represented by an eco-rating).

[0028] In view of the above, the present invention proposes some schemes, which relate to an enhanced URSP with green incentives for environmental protection. Under certain schemes of the present invention, a new descriptor (referred to herein as a green descriptor) may be introduced in the traffic descriptor (TD) or route selection descriptor (RSD) of each URSP rule. Specifically, the green descriptor may include a preference for data networks (e.g., represented by a data network name (DNN)), network slices (e.g., represented by single-network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI)) or data sessions (e.g., PDU sessions) with higher eco-rating scores, and / or a threshold value representing a preference for data networks, network slices or data sessions with eco-rating scores higher than or equal to a threshold. Therefore, the URSP rule evaluation will take into account the environmental impact (e.g., represented by the eco-rating), thereby making network resource allocation and utilization more environmentally friendly or more carbon-smart / aware.

[0029] In the case where the green descriptor is introduced in the TD, when the upper layer (e.g., the application layer) requests to consider the ecological rating information of the network (e.g., the upper layer can indicate the environmental protection requirements containing the ecological rating target / threshold as a preference when requesting the network connection of the application), the UE can check the green descriptor in the TD to determine whether the TD matches the environmental protection requirements provided by the upper layer. If matched, the UE uses / selects the RSD containing the URSP rule of the TD to determine the parameters of the existing data session (e.g., PDU session) or the new data session (e.g., PDU session) to be established for the application. The UE (e.g., the non-access stratum (NAS) layer) can provide the upper layer with information of the existing data session that matches the routing selection (e.g., PDU address), or can provide the upper layer with information of the new data session that is successfully established (e.g., PDU address). Otherwise, if there is no TD match for any URSP rule, the UE can notify the upper layer of the failure or use the UE local configuration.

[0030] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is an example scenario 200 of TD content according to an embodiment of the present invention that enhances URSP rules. Figure 2 As shown, an additional green descriptor (indicated by a gray background) is introduced as a TD component into each URSP rule. Specifically, the green descriptor matches the information / requirements provided by the upper layer or application when requesting a network with certain environmental requirements (e.g., preferably a DNN or S-NSSAI with higher energy efficiency, and / or preferably running at or above a certain eco-rating threshold).

[0031] Figure 3is an example scenario 300 of the content of the enhanced URSP rule according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in 310, the first URSP rule includes a TD with a green descriptor corresponding to the environmental protection requirements of the application "App1". Specifically, the green descriptor indicates that a DNN or S-NSSAI with higher energy efficiency is preferred, and / or indicates an eco-rating threshold, that is, a DNN or S-NSSAI with an eco-rating score higher than or equal to this threshold is preferred. In addition, the RSD of the first URSP rule indicates the S-NSSAI and DNN corresponding to the environmental protection requirements. That is, the first URSP rule associates the application "App1", the connection capabilities "INTERNET" and "SUPL", and the green descriptors "yes" and / or "50" with DNN_1_Green_50, S-NSSAI-a-Green-50 on non-3GPP access. As such, this enforces the following routing policy: when "App1" requests a network connection with the connection capability "INTERNET" (i.e., the network connection should support Internet access) or "SUPL" (i.e., the network connection should support secure user plane location (SUPL) service) and the green descriptor "yes" and / or "50", the UE establishes (if not already established) a PDU session over the non-3GPP access through DNN_1_Green_50 and S-NSSAI-a-Green-50, and then the UE routes the traffic of "App1" through this PDU session. As shown in 320, the second URSP rule includes a TD with a green descriptor indicating that the environmental protection requirement does not need to be considered, which enforces the following routing policy: when "App1" requests a network connection with the connection capability "INTERNET" or "SUPL", the UE establishes (if not already established) a PDU session over the non-3GPP access through DNN_1 and S-NSSAI-a, and then the UE routes the traffic of "App1" through this PDU session.

[0032] In the case where the green descriptor is introduced in the RSD, when the RSD is selected / used / utilized, the UE can use the green descriptor in the RSD to determine parameters (e.g., requesting a data session (e.g., a PDU session) with higher energy efficiency or eco-rating score, and / or giving priority to running at a certain eco-rating threshold value) for sending a request message (e.g., a PDU session establishment request) to the network when establishing a data session based on the green descriptor in the RSD. In one example, when the network receives the parameters in the request message, the network can determine whether these parameters can be met / accepted / conformed, and if they can be met / accepted / conformed, reply with an acceptance message; if they cannot be met / accepted / conformed, reply with a rejection message. If the UE receives a rejection message, the next URSP rule or the next RSD can be evaluated accordingly. In another example, the network may always accept the request message and reply with the eco-rating score of the data session to the UE so that the UE can decide whether to use this data session based on the eco-rating score. In addition, or optionally, the network can update the eco-rating score of the data session to the UE (periodically) through a session modification process, and the UE can re-evaluate the URSP rule when the eco-rating score of the data session is updated. Alternatively, the UE may use the green descriptor in the RSD to determine parameters of an existing data session (e.g., parameters in a PDU Session Establishment Accept) (e.g., requesting a data session with a higher energy efficiency or eco-rating score, and / or giving priority to running at a level above or equal to a certain eco-rating threshold) to match the green descriptor in the RSD. The UE (e.g., NAS layer) may provide information (e.g., PDU address) of an existing data session that matches the routing green descriptor to the upper layer, or may provide information (e.g., PDU address) of a successfully established new data session to the upper layer.

[0033] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is an example scenario 400 of RSD content according to an embodiment of the present invention that enhances URSP rules. Figure 4 As shown, an additional green descriptor (indicated by a gray background) is introduced as an RSD component for each URSP rule. Specifically, the green descriptor can determine the information provided by the UE when requesting a network with some environmental requirements (e.g., requesting a PDU session with higher energy efficiency or eco-rating score, and / or giving priority to running above or equal to a certain eco-rating threshold). The UE can provide these relevant parameters in the request message (e.g., PDU session establishment request) sent to the network when establishing a PDU session.

[0034] Figure 5is an example scenario 500 of enhancing URSP rule content according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in 510, the first URSP rule includes an RSD with a green descriptor corresponding to the environmental protection requirements of the application "App1". Specifically, the green descriptor indicates that a DNN or S-NSSAI with higher energy efficiency is preferred, and / or indicates that a DNN or S-NSSAI with an eco-rating score greater than or equal to an eco-rating threshold is preferred. That is, the first URSP rule associates the application "App1" and the connection capabilities "INTERNET" and "SUPL" with DNN_1, S-NSSAI-a and green descriptors "yes" and / or "50" on non-3GPP access. As such, this enforces the following routing policy: when "App1" requests a network connection with the connection capability "INTERNET" or "SUPL", the UE establishes (if not already established) a PDU session with DNN_1 and S-NSSAI-a and green descriptors "yes" and / or "50" on the non-3GPP access, and then the UE routes the traffic of "App1" through this PDU session. As shown in 520, the second URSP rule includes an RSD with a green descriptor indicating that the environmental protection requirement does not need to be considered, which enforces the following routing policy: when "App1" requests a network connection with the connection capability "INTERNET" or "SUPL", the UE establishes (if not already established) a PDU session with DNN_1 and S-NSSAI-a on the non-3GPP access, and then the UE routes the traffic of "App1" through this PDU session.

[0035] Under certain schemes of the present invention, the PCF (or another network entity with similar functions) may receive network analytics related to eco-rating information from a network data analytics function (NWDAF) (or another network entity with functions such as collecting data from the core network and providing analysis to support network automation, closed-loop operation, self-healing, experience improvement and reporting) so that it can use the eco-rating information to select a relay service code (RSC), adjust RSD priority, and update the URSP. Specifically, the PCF may select at least one network slice, one DNN, one data session type, one session and service continuity (SSC) mode, and one access type as one RSC or one combination of RSCs in the URSP rule for an application. The PCF may adjust the RSD priority in the URSP based on the eco-rating information / statistics / prediction / score of the entire RSD. The PCF may update the URSP in one or more network slice selection policies, DNN selection policies, (PDU) session type policies, SSC mode selection policies, access type preferences, and priorities for each RSD. Additionally, or alternatively, the PCF may subscribe to network analysis notifications from the NWDAF related to eco-rating information.

[0036] Illustrative Embodiments

[0037] Figure 6 6 is an example communication system 600 according to an embodiment of the present invention, including an example communication device 610 and an example network device 620. The communication device 610 and the network device 620 can perform various functions to implement the schemes, techniques, processes and methods described herein related to enhanced URSP with green incentives for environmental protection, including the above-mentioned scenarios / schemes and processes 700 and 800 described below.

[0038] The communication device 610 may be part of an electronic device, where the electronic device may be a UE, such as a portable or mobile device, a wearable device, a wireless communication device, or a computing device. For example, the communication device 610 may be implemented in a smart phone, a smart watch, a personal digital assistant, an electronic control unit (ECU) in a vehicle, a digital camera, or a computing device such as a tablet, a laptop, or a notebook. The communication device 610 may also be part of a machine type device, which may be an Internet of Things (IoT), a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), an enhanced machine type communication (eMTC), an industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) user equipment, such as a fixed or stationary device, a home device, a roadside unit (RSU), a wired communication device, or a computing device. For example, the communication device 610 may be implemented in a smart thermostat, a smart refrigerator, a smart door lock, a wireless speaker, or a home control center. Alternatively, the communication device 610 may be implemented in the form of one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips, such as but not limited to one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more reduced-instruction set computing (RISC) processors, or one or more complex-instruction set computing (CISC) processors. The communication device 610 may include Figure 6 The communication device 610 may also include one or more other components that are not related to the solution proposed in the present invention (for example, an internal power supply, a display device and / or a user interface device), but for the sake of brevity, these components of the communication device 610 are not shown in the figure. Figure 6 is not shown in the figure and is not described below.

[0039] The network device 620 may be part of an electronic device, which may be a network node, such as a satellite, a BS, a small base station, a router, or a gateway of an IoT network. For example, the network device 620 may be implemented in an eNB / gNB / TRP in a satellite or a 4G / 5G / B5G / 6G, NR, IoT, NB-IoT, or IIoT network. Alternatively, the network device 620 may be implemented in the form of one or more IC chips, such as but not limited to one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more RISC or CISC processors. The network device 620 may include Figure 6The network device 620 may further include one or more other components that are not related to the solution proposed in the present invention (e.g., an internal power supply, a display device, and / or a user interface device), but for the sake of brevity, these components of the network device 620 are not shown in the figure. Figure 6 is not shown in the figure and is not described below.

[0040] On the one hand, each of the processor 612 and the processor 622 can be implemented in the form of one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more CISC processors. That is, even if the singular term "a processor" is used here to refer to the processor 612 and the processor 622, each of the processor 612 and the processor 622 may include multiple processors in some implementations and may include a single processor in other implementations according to the content of the present invention. On the other hand, each of the processor 612 and the processor 622 can be implemented in the form of hardware (and optionally, firmware) containing electronic components, wherein the electronic components are, for example and not limited to, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors and / or one or more variable capacitors, which are configured and arranged to achieve specific purposes according to the content of the present invention. In other words, at least in some implementations, the processor 612 and the processor 622 are used as special-purpose machines specially designed, configured and arranged to perform specific tasks related to the enhanced URSP with green incentives for environmental protection in the device (e.g., represented by the communication device 610) and the network node (e.g., represented by the network device 620) according to various embodiments of the present invention.

[0041] In some implementations, the communication device 610 may also include a transceiver 616 coupled to the processor 612 and capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some implementations, the transceiver 616 may wirelessly communicate with different types of UEs and / or wireless networks of different radio access technologies (RATs). In some implementations, the transceiver 616 may be equipped with multiple antenna ports (not shown), for example, four antenna ports. That is, the transceiver 616 may be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communications. In some implementations, the network device 620 may also include a transceiver 626 coupled to the processor 622. The transceiver 626 may include a transceiver capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some implementations, the transceiver 626 may wirelessly communicate with different types of UEs of different RATs. In some implementations, the transceiver 626 may be equipped with multiple antenna ports (not shown), for example, four antenna ports. That is, the transceiver 626 may be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas for MIMO wireless communication.

[0042] In some implementations, the communication device 610 may also include a memory 614 coupled to the processor 612, which can be accessed by the processor 612 and store data (e.g., URSP rules). In some implementations, the network device 620 may also include a memory 624 coupled to the processor 622, which can be accessed by the processor 622 and store data (e.g., URSP rules). Each of the memory 614 and the memory 624 may include some type of random-access memory (RAM), such as dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), thyristor RAM (T-RAM), and / or zero-capacitor RAM (Z-RAM). Alternatively or additionally, each of the memory 614 and the memory 624 may include a read-only memory (ROM) type such as a mask ROM, a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), and / or an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM). Alternatively or additionally, each of the memory 614 and the memory 624 may include a non-volatile random-access memory (NVRAM), such as flash memory, solid-state memory, ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), and / or phase change memory.

[0043] Each of the communication device 610 and the network device 620 may be a communication entity capable of communicating with each other using various schemes proposed according to the present invention. For the purpose of illustration and not limitation, the following provides a description of the capabilities of the communication device 610 as a UE and the network device 620 as a RAN / CN network node (e.g., satellite / BS or AMF / UPF) in processes 700 and 800.

[0044] Illustrative Process

[0045] Figure 7is an example process 700 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Process 700 may represent a portion or all of aspects of implementing the various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods described above. More specifically, process 700 may represent aspects of the proposed concepts and schemes related to enhanced URSP with green incentives for environmental protection. Process 700 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as shown in one or more blocks 710, 720, and 730. Although shown as discrete blocks, the various blocks of process 700 may be divided into more blocks, merged into fewer blocks, or deleted, depending on the desired implementation. In addition, the blocks / sub-blocks of process 700 may be arranged in a manner such that: Figure 7 700. The process 700 may be performed in the order shown, or may be performed in a different order. In addition, one or more blocks / sub-blocks of process 700 may be performed iteratively. Process 700 may be implemented by or in communication device 610 and communication device 620 and any variation thereof. For purposes of illustration and not limitation, process 700 will be described below in the context of communication device 610 as a UE and network device 620 as a network node (e.g., AMF / UPF). Process 700 may start from block 710.

[0046] At 710 , process 700 may involve processor 612 of communication device 610 implemented in or as a UE receiving information of applications associated with one or more environmental requirements. Process 700 may continue from 710 to 720 .

[0047] At 720 , process 700 may involve processor 612 selecting a URSP rule from the URSP rule list, wherein the selected URSP rule contains one or more descriptors that match the one or more environmental requirements. Process 700 may continue from 720 to 730 .

[0048] At 730, process 700 may involve processor 612 determining, based on one or more parameters contained in the RSD of the selected URSP rule, that traffic for the data session be routed between communication device 610 and the wireless network.

[0049] In some embodiments, one or more descriptors may be included in the TD of a selected URSP rule, or in the RSD.

[0050] In some embodiments, one or more descriptors may include at least one of the following: an indication that data networks, network slices, or data sessions with higher eco-rating scores are preferred; and a threshold, wherein data networks, network slices, or data sessions with eco-rating scores greater than or equal to the threshold are preferred.

[0051] In certain embodiments, the eco-rating score may indicate at least one of: energy efficiency level, energy consumption level, carbon intensity, carbon efficiency, carbon emissions or carbon footprint level, and renewable or clean energy level.

[0052] In some embodiments, the data session may be an existing data session that matches the RSD of the selected URSP rule.

[0053] In some embodiments, the process 700 may further involve the processor 612 sending a data session establishment request message to the network device 620 through the transceiver 616 based on the RSD of the selected URSP rule. In addition, the process 700 may involve the processor 612 receiving a data session establishment accept message from the network device 620 through the transceiver 616, wherein the data session establishment accept message includes information of the data session.

[0054] In some embodiments, the data session setup accept message may include an eco-rating score associated with the data session. Additionally, process 700 may further involve processor 612 determining whether to use the data session based on the eco-rating score in the data session setup accept message.

[0055] In some embodiments, the process 700 may further involve the processor 612 receiving a data session modification request message from the network device 620 via the transceiver 616, wherein the data session modification request message indicates an updated eco-rating score associated with the data session. In addition, the process 700 may involve the processor 612 reselecting a URSP rule from the URSP rule list, wherein the reselected URSP rule includes one or more descriptors matching the one or more environmental requirements.

[0056] Figure 8 is an example process 800 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Process 800 may represent a portion or all of aspects of implementing the various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods described above. More specifically, process 800 may represent aspects of the proposed concepts and schemes related to enhanced URSP with green incentives for environmental protection. Process 800 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as shown in one or more blocks 810-830 in the figure. Although shown as discrete blocks, the various blocks of process 800 may be divided into more blocks, merged into fewer blocks, or deleted, depending on the desired implementation. In addition, the blocks / sub-blocks of process 800 may be arranged in a manner such that: Figure 8800 may be performed in the order shown, or may be performed in a different order. In addition, one or more blocks / sub-blocks of process 800 may be performed iteratively. Process 800 may be implemented by or in network device 620 and another network device and any variation thereof. For purposes of illustration and not limitation, process 800 will be described below in the context of network device 620 as a first network entity (e.g., UPF), another network device (not shown) as a second network entity (e.g., NWDAF), and communication device 610 as a UE. Process 800 may start from block 810.

[0057] At 810, process 800 may involve processor 622 of network device 620 implemented in or as a first network entity receiving, via transceiver 626, network analysis related to eco-rating information from a second network entity. Process 800 may continue from 810 to 820.

[0058] At 820 , process 800 may involve processor 622 adjusting a priority of one or more RSDs in the URSP rule, wherein the RSDs include one or more RSCs selected based on the eco-rating information. Process 800 may continue from 820 to 830 .

[0059] At 830, process 800 may involve processor 622 updating one or more parameters of the URSP rules.

[0060] In some embodiments, process 800 may further involve processor 622 subscribing to network analysis notifications related to eco-rating information from the second network entity.

[0061] In some embodiments, one or more RSCs may include at least one of: a network slice, a DNN, a data session (e.g., a PDU session) type, an SSC mode, and an access type (e.g., indicating 3GPP access or non-3GPP access).

[0062] In certain embodiments, the eco-rating information may include an eco-rating score indicating at least one of: an energy efficiency level, an energy consumption level, a carbon intensity, carbon efficiency, carbon emissions or carbon footprint level, and a renewable or clean energy level.

[0063] Additional Notes

[0064] The subject matter described in the present invention sometimes shows different components included in or connected to different other components. But it should be understood that these depicted architectures are only examples, and in fact many other architectures that realize the same function can be implemented. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components that realize the same function is effectively "associated", so that the desired function is realized. Therefore, regardless of the architecture or intermediate components, any two components that are combined to realize a specific function in the present invention can be regarded as "associated" to each other, so that the desired function is realized. Similarly, any two components so associated can also be regarded as "operationally connected" or "operationally coupled" to each other to realize the desired function, and any two components that can be so associated can also be regarded as "operationally couplable" to each other to realize the desired function. Specific examples of coupling in operation include but are not limited to physically matching and / or physically interactive components and / or wirelessly interactive and / or wirelessly interactive components and / or logically interactive and / or logically interactive components.

[0065] Further, with respect to any plural and / or singular terms used in the present invention, those skilled in the art may convert from plural to singular and / or from singular to plural when appropriate for content and / or application. For the sake of clarity, various singular / plural interchangeability may be explicitly described in the present invention.

[0066] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in general, the terms used in the present invention and, in particular, in the appended claims (e.g., the bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended to be "open" terms, e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to", the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least", the term "comprising" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to", etc. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such a recitation, such intent is absent. For example, to aid understanding, the appended claims may include the use of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more". However, the use of such phrases should not be interpreted as implying that a claim recitation, by the introduction of the indefinite article "a" or "an", will include any particular claim of such introduced claim recitation to embodiments that include only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and an indefinite article such as "a" or "an", for example, "a and / or an" should be interpreted as meaning "at least one" or "one or more", and the same applies to the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. Furthermore, even if a specific number of an introduced claim enumeration is explicitly recited, one skilled in the art will recognize that such enumeration should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number, e.g., a basic enumeration of "two enumerations" means at least two enumerations or two or more enumerations without other modifiers. Furthermore, where a convention similar to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, such interpretation is generally intended in the sense that one skilled in the art will understand this convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" would include, but is not limited to, systems having A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc.). Where a convention similar to "at least one of A, B, or C, etc." is used, such interpretation is generally intended in the sense that one skilled in the art will understand this convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" would include, but is not limited to, systems having A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc.). Those skilled in the art will also understand that any transitional words and / or phrases that actually represent two or more optional items, whether in the specification, claims or drawings, should be understood to include the possibility of one, any or both of these items. For example, the phrase "A or B" will be understood to include the possibility of "A" or "B" or "A and B".

[0067] As can be seen from the above, it can be understood that various embodiments of the present invention have been described for illustrative purposes, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the various embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not meant to be restrictive, and the true scope and spirit are determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing a user equipment routing selection strategy, comprising: Receiving, by a processor of the device, information of an application associated with one or more environmental requirements; Selecting, by the processor, a URSP rule from a user equipment routing selection policy URSP rule list, wherein the selected URSP rule includes one or more descriptors matching the one or more environmental protection requirements; as well as Routing of traffic for the application for the data session between the device and the wireless network is determined by the processor based on one or more parameters contained in a routing descriptor RSD of the selected URSP rule.

2. The method for enhancing the user equipment routing selection policy as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more descriptors are contained in a service descriptor TD of the selected URSP rule, or in the RSD.

3. The method for enhancing user equipment routing selection strategy as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more descriptors include at least one of the following: an indication that a data network, network slice, or data session having a higher eco-rating score is preferred; and A threshold indicates that data networks, network slices, or data sessions with an ecological rating score higher than or equal to the threshold are preferentially selected.

4. The method for enhancing user equipment routing selection strategy as claimed in claim 3, wherein the ecological rating score indicates at least one of the following: Energy efficiency level; Energy consumption levels; Carbon intensity, carbon efficiency, carbon emissions or carbon footprint levels; and Renewable or clean energy levels.

5. The method for enhancing the user equipment routing selection policy as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data session is an existing data session that matches the RSD of the selected URSP rule.

6. The method for enhancing user equipment routing selection strategy as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: Sending, by the processor, a data session establishment request message to a network node of the wireless network based on the RSD of the selected URSP rule; as well as A data session establishment accept message is received by the processor from the network node, wherein the data session establishment accept message includes information of the data session.

7. The method for enhancing user equipment routing selection strategy as claimed in claim 6, wherein the data session establishment acceptance message includes an eco-rating score associated with the data session, and the method further comprises: The processor determines whether to use the data session based on the eco-rating score in the data session establishment acceptance message.

8. The method for enhancing user equipment routing selection strategy as claimed in claim 7, further comprising: receiving, by the processor, a data session modification request message from the network node, wherein the data session modification request message indicates an updated eco-rating score associated with the data session; as well as The processor reselects a URSP rule from the URSP rule list, wherein the reselected URSP rule includes one or more descriptors matching the one or more environmental requirements.

9. A communication device, comprising: a transceiver for wirelessly communicating with a wireless network during operation; as well as A processor is communicatively coupled to the transceiver such that during operation, the processor performs the following operations: Receiving information about an application associated with one or more environmental requirements; selecting a URSP rule from the list of URSP rules, wherein the selected URSP rule contains one or more descriptors that match the one or more environmental requirements; and Traffic for the data session for the application is routed between the device and the wireless network based on one or more parameters contained in the RSD of the selected URSP rule.

10. The communication device of claim 9, wherein the one or more descriptors are included in a traffic descriptor TD of the selected URSP rule, or in the RSD.

11. The communication device of claim 9, wherein the one or more descriptors include at least one of the following: an indication that a data network, network slice, or data session having a higher eco-rating score is preferred; and A threshold indicates that data networks, network slices, or data sessions with an ecological rating score higher than or equal to the threshold are preferentially selected.

12. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the eco-rating score indicates at least one of the following: Energy efficiency level; Energy consumption levels; Carbon intensity, carbon efficiency, carbon emissions or carbon footprint levels; and Renewable or clean energy levels.

13. The communication device of claim 9, wherein the data session is an existing data session that matches the RSD of the selected URSP rule.

14. The communication device of claim 9, wherein during operation, the processor further performs the following operations: Sending, by the processor, a data session establishment request message to a network node of the wireless network based on the RSD of the selected URSP rule; and A data session establishment accept message is received from the network node through the transceiver, wherein the data session establishment accept message includes information of the data session.

15. The communication device of claim 14, wherein the data session establishment accept message includes an eco-rating score associated with the data session, and the processor, during operation, further performs the following operations: Whether to use the data session is determined based on the eco-rating score in the data session establishment accept message.

16. The communication device of claim 15, wherein during operation, the processor further performs the following operations: receiving, by the transceiver, a data session modification request message from the network node, wherein the data session modification request message indicates an updated eco-rating score associated with the data session; and A URSP rule is reselected from the URSP rule list, wherein the reselected URSP rule contains one or more descriptors matching the one or more environmental requirements.

17. A method for enhancing a user equipment routing selection strategy, comprising: receiving, by a processor of the first network entity, network analysis related to eco-rating information from the second network entity; adjusting, by the processor, a priority of one or more RSDs in a URSP rule, wherein the RSDs include one or more relay service codes RSCs selected based on the eco-rating information; as well as One or more parameters of the URSP rule are updated by the processor.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising: The processor subscribes to network analysis notifications related to the ecological rating information from the second network entity.

19. The method for enhancing user equipment routing selection strategy as claimed in claim 17, wherein the one or more RSCs include at least one of the following: Network slicing; Data network name; Data session type; Session and service continuity modes; and Access type.

20. The method for enhancing user equipment routing selection strategy of claim 17, wherein the ecological rating information includes an ecological rating score indicating at least one of the following: Energy efficiency level; Energy consumption levels; Carbon intensity, carbon efficiency, carbon emissions or carbon footprint levels; and Renewable or clean energy levels.

21. A storage medium storing a program, wherein when the program is executed, the communication device executes the steps of the method for enhancing the routing selection strategy of a user equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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