Charging method and device for terminal analysis data acquisition and provision in wireless communication system

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a 5G or 6G communication system for supporting a higher data transmission rate. The present disclosure proposes a method for managing charging of transmission of related data when collecting state and analysis data from or providing state and analysis data to a terminal in a mobile communication system, the present disclosure can be applied to situations such as when a telecom operator intends to collect user and network data or utilize the user and network data by providing the user and network data to a terminal to improve terminal and network performance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wireless communication system, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for applying charging when providing or collecting data or analysis results to a UE in a wireless communication system. Background Art

[0002] The 5G mobile communication technology defines a wide frequency band, enabling high transmission rates and new services, which can be achieved not only in the "sub-6 GHz" frequency band such as 3.5 GHz, but also in the "above-6 GHz" frequency band called mmWave, including 28 GHz and 39 GHz. In addition, the 6G mobile communication technology (referred to as the ultra-5G system) has been considered to be implemented in the terahertz frequency band (e.g., 95 GHz to 3 THz frequency band) in order to achieve a transmission rate fifty times faster than the 5G mobile communication technology and an ultra-low latency of one-tenth of the 5G mobile communication technology.

[0003] At the beginning of the development of 5G mobile communication technology, in order to support services and meet the performance requirements related to enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), and massive machine-type communication (mMTC), there has been continuous standardization regarding: beamforming and massive MIMO for reducing radio wave path loss and increasing radio wave transmission distance in mmWave, parameter sets (e.g., operating multiple subcarrier spacings) for supporting dynamic operations for efficient utilization of mmWave resources and time slot formats, initial access technologies for supporting multi-beam transmission and broadband, the definition and operation of BWP (bandwidth part), new channel coding methods such as LDPC (low-density parity-check) codes for large data transmission and polarization codes for highly reliable transmission of control information, L2 preprocessing, and network slicing for providing dedicated networks dedicated to specific services.

[0004] Currently, in view of the services to be supported by the 5G mobile communication technology, there has been continuous discussion on the improvement and performance enhancement of the initial 5G mobile communication technology, and there has been physical layer standardization regarding the following technologies: V2X (vehicle-to-everything) for assisting autonomous vehicle driving determination based on information about the position and status of a vehicle sent by the vehicle and for enhancing user convenience, NR-U (new radio unlicensed) for system operation aiming to comply with various regulatory requirements in the unlicensed frequency band, NR UE power saving, non-terrestrial network (NTN) as UE-satellite direct communication for providing coverage in areas where communication with the ground network is unavailable, and positioning.

[0005] In addition, there has been continuous standardization of air interface architectures / protocols for the following technologies: Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) for supporting new services through interoperability and integration with other industries, IAB (Integrated Access and Backhaul) for providing nodes for network service area expansion by supporting wireless backhaul links and access links in an integrated manner, mobility enhancements including conditional handover and DAPS (Dual Active Protocol Stack) handover, and two-step random access (two-step RACH in NR) for simplifying the random access process. There is also continuous standardization of the 5G baseline architecture for combining network function virtualization (NFV) and software-defined networking (SDN) technologies (e.g., service-based architecture or service-based interface), and the system architecture / service of mobile edge computing (MEC) for receiving services based on UE location.

[0006] As the 5G mobile communication system is commercialized, the exponentially growing connected devices will be connected to the communication network, and accordingly, enhanced functions and performance of the 5G mobile communication system and integrated operation of the connected devices are expected to be necessary. For this purpose, new research related to extended reality (XR) has been arranged to effectively support AR (augmented reality), VR (virtual reality), MR (mixed reality), etc., and to improve 5G performance and reduce complexity by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), AI service support, metaverse service support, and drone communication.

[0007] In addition, such development of the 5G mobile communication system will be the basis for not only developing new waveforms for providing coverage in the terahertz band for 6G mobile communication technology, multi-antenna transmission technologies such as full-dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas and massive antennas, metasurface-based lenses and antennas for improving the coverage of terahertz band signals, high-dimensional spatial multiplexing technologies using OAM (orbital angular momentum), high-dimensional spatial multiplexing technologies of RIS (reconfigurable intelligent surface), full-duplex technologies for improving the frequency efficiency of 6G mobile communication technology and enhancing the system network, AI-based communication technologies for realizing system optimization and internalizing end-to-end AI support functions from the design stage by utilizing satellites and AI (artificial intelligence), and next-generation distributed computing technologies for realizing services with a complexity exceeding the limitations of UE operation capabilities by leveraging ultra-high-performance communication and computing resources.

[0008] Meanwhile, when a wireless communication system provides network status and analysis information requested by a UE to improve the performance of the UE's applications or collect the UE's status data, there is a need for a method for applying charges to the transmission and use of the network status and analysis information. Summary of the Invention

[0009] Technical Problem

[0010] The present invention provides a method for charging for the transmission and use of network status and analysis information requested by a UE when a wireless communication system provides the network status and analysis information, so as to improve the performance of applications of the UE.

[0011] In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a method for charging for the transmission and use of status information or analysis results even when a wireless communication system intends to collect status information or analysis results from a UE.

[0012] Technical solution

[0013] To solve the above problems, a method for a terminal in a wireless communication system includes: determining to request auxiliary data for improving the performance of an application, sending a message requesting the auxiliary data to a Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) entity according to the determination, the message including at least a Data Collection Application Function (DCAF) address; and receiving the auxiliary data from the NWDAF entity via a DCAF entity determined based on the DCAF address.

[0014] A method for a Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) entity in a wireless communication system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure may include: receiving a message requesting auxiliary data in a case where a terminal determines to request auxiliary data for improving the performance of an application, the message including at least a Data Collection Application Function (DCAF) address, generating auxiliary data based on a request from the terminal, and sending the auxiliary data via a DCAF entity determined based on the DCAF address.

[0015] A terminal in a wireless communication system includes a transceiver and a controller, the controller being configured to determine to request auxiliary data for improving the performance of an application, sending a message requesting the auxiliary data to a Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) entity via the transceiver according to the determination, the message including at least a Data Collection Application Function (DCAF) address, and receiving the auxiliary data from the NWDAF entity via a DCAF entity determined based on the DCAF address.

[0016] A Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) entity in a wireless communication system according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure may include a transceiver and a controller, the controller being configured to receive a message requesting auxiliary data via the transceiver in a case where a terminal determines to request auxiliary data for improving the performance of an application, the message including at least a Data Collection Application Function (DCAF) address, generating auxiliary data based on a request from the terminal, and sending the auxiliary data via a DCAF entity determined based on the DCAF address, via the transceiver.

[0017] Advantages of the present invention

[0018] According to an embodiment of the present invention, when a wireless communication system provides network status and analysis information requested by a UE to improve the performance of an application of the UE, the network status and analysis information can be effectively transmitted, and charging for the effective use of the network status and analysis information is applied.

[0019] In addition, according to another embodiment of the present invention, even when the wireless communication system intends to collect status information or analysis results from the UE, the status information or analysis results can be transmitted and charging for the effective use of the network status and analysis information is applied. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 The structure of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0021] Figure 2 The general operations for collecting data from a UE in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are shown.

[0022] Figure 3 The signaling process of a wireless communication system for configuring charging information during the process of collecting data from a UE according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0023] Figure 4 The signaling process of a wireless communication system for configuring charging information during the process of collecting data from a UE according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0024] Figure 5 The signaling process of a wireless communication system for configuring charging information during the process of providing network status and analysis data to a UE according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0025] Figure 6 The signaling process of a wireless communication system for configuring charging information during the process of providing network status and analysis data to a UE according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0026] Figure 7 The signaling process of a wireless communication system for configuring charging information during the process of providing network status and analysis data to a UE according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0027] Figure 8 It is a block diagram showing components of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 9 It is a block diagram showing components of a network entity according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, when a detailed description of known technology related to the present invention may obscure the gist of the present invention, its detailed description will be omitted. In addition, the following terms are defined in consideration of the functions in the present invention, and the following terms may be interpreted in different ways by the intention or practice of the user and the operator. Therefore, their definitions should be interpreted based on the content throughout the specification.

[0030] According to the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, various advantages and features of the present invention and the methods for achieving these advantages and features will become apparent. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described below, but can be implemented in various different forms. These exemplary embodiments are provided only to make the present disclosure complete and to allow those skilled in the art to fully recognize the scope of the present disclosure, and the present disclosure will be defined by the scope of the claims. Throughout the specification, the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0031] The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for supporting various services in a wireless communication system. Specifically, the present disclosure describes a technique for supporting an improvement in the performance of split computing by managing requests for communication session information received from a UE and an application server using split computing in a wireless communication system and providing necessary status information.

[0032] In the following description, for ease of description, terms for identifying connected nodes, terms for referring to network entities or network functions (NFs), terms for referring to messages, terms for referring to interfaces between network entities, terms for referring to various types of identification information, etc. are provided. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the terms described below, and other terms referring to objects having equivalent technical meanings may be used.

[0033] For ease of the following description, the present invention uses terms and names defined in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project Long Term Evolution (3GPP LTE) and 5G standards. However, the present invention is not limited to the above terms and names, and can be equivalently applied to systems following other standards.

[0034] For ease of the following description, the names of NFs (e.g., AMF, SMF, NSSF, etc.) are used for the targets that exchange information for access control and status management. However, even when the NFs are actually implemented as instances (AMF instances, SMF instances, NSSF instances, etc., respectively), the embodiments of the present invention can be equally applied.

[0035] Figure 1Shows the system architecture of 5GS according to an embodiment of the present invention. The 5G core network (or 5GC) may consist of an AMF 120, an SMF 135, a UPF 130, a PCF 140, a UDM 145, an NSSF 160, an NWDAF 165, an N3F, etc.

[0036] The UE 100 can access the 5G core network through the radio access network base station 110. The access network base station 110 can support 3GPP access networks (e.g., NR, E-UTRA, etc.) or non-3GPP access networks (e.g., WiFi, etc.) types. The UE 100 can be connected to the AMF 120 through the N2 interface and to the UPF 130 through the N3 interface via the base station 110. In addition to the base station, the base station 110 can also be referred to as an "access point (AP)", an "eNode B (eNB)", a "fifth-generation node (5G node)", a "gNode B (gNB)", or other terms with equivalent technical meanings. The non-3GPP function (N3F) is a network function (NF) that operates as the N2 interface and N3 interface terminals of the UE 100 accessing through a non-3GPP access network (e.g., WiFi, etc.) not defined by 3GPP. The N3F can process N2 control plane signaling and N3 user plane packets.

[0037] The Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 120 is a network function (NF) that manages the wireless network access and mobility of a UE. The Session Management Function (SMF) 135 is an NF that manages sessions for a UE, and session information includes QoS information, charging information, and information regarding packet processing. The User Plane Function (UPF) 130 is an NF that processes user traffic (user plane traffic) and is controlled by the SMF 135. The Policy Control Function (PCF) 140 is an NF that manages the operator policies for providing services in a wireless communication system. The User Data Management (UDM) 145 is an NF that stores and manages the subscriber information of a UE (UE subscription). The Unified Data Repository (UDR) (not shown) is an NF that stores and manages data. The UDR can store UE subscription information and provide the UE subscription information to the UDM. In addition, the UDR can store operator policy information and provide the operator policy information to the PCF. The Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) 165 is an NF that provides analysis information for the operation of a 5G system. The NWDAF 165 can collect data from other NFs or Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) that make up the 5G system, analyze the collected data, and provide the analysis results to other NFs. The Network Slice Admission Control Function (NSACF) 180 is an NF that monitors and controls the number of registered UEs and sessions of a network slice that is the target of network slice admission control (NSAC). The NSACF 180 stores configuration information regarding the maximum number of registered UEs and the maximum number of sessions for each network slice.

[0038] Hereinafter, for ease of description, the targets that exchange information for access control and state management will be collectively described as NFs. However, even when an NF is actually implemented as an instance (an AMF instance, an SMF instance, an NSSF instance, etc., respectively), the embodiments disclosed in the present invention can be similarly applied.

[0039] In the present disclosure, an instance may refer to a specific state in which an NF exists in the form of software code, and the instance may be executed by allocating physical and / or logical resources from a computing system so as to execute the functions of the NF in a physical computing system such as a specific computing system existing on a core network. Thus, an AMF instance, an SMF instance, and an NSSF instance may each refer to a state in which they can be used by allocating physical and / or logical resources from a specific computing system existing on the core network to execute AMF, SMF, and NSSF operations. Thus, existing physical AMF, SMF, and NSSF entities, as well as AMF instances, SMF instances, and NSSF instances (which can be allocated and use physical and / or logical resources from a specific computing system existing on the network to execute AMF, SMF, and NSSF operations) can perform the same operations. Thus, in an embodiment of the present invention, matters described as NFs (AMF, SMF, UPF, NSSF, NRF, SCP, etc.) may be replaced with NF instances, or conversely, matters described as NF instances may be replaced with NFs and applied. Similarly, matters described as network slices in an embodiment of the present invention may be replaced with network slice instances, or conversely, matters described as network slice instances may be replaced with network slices and applied.

[0040] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in a 5G system defined by 3GPP, a network slice may be referred to as a single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI). The S-NSSAI may be composed of a slice / service type (SST) value and a slice differentiator (SD) value. The SST may indicate the characteristics of the service supported by the slice (e.g., eMBB, IoT, URLLC, V2X, etc.). The SD may be a value used as an additional identifier for a specific service called the SST.

[0041] The NSSAI may be composed of one or more S-NSSAIs. Examples of the NSSAI may include a configured NSSAI stored in the UE, a requested NSSAI requested by the UE, an allowed NSSAI determined by an NF of the 5G core network (e.g., AMF, NSSF, etc.) that the UE is allowed to use, a subscribed NSSAI subscribed by the UE, etc., but are not limited to the above examples.

[0042] The UE 100 can be connected to the access network and registered in the 5G system simultaneously. Specifically, the UE 100 can access the base station 110 to perform the UE registration process with the AMF 120. During the registration process, the AMF 120 can determine the allowed slices (allowed NSSAI) available to the UE accessing the base station 110 and allocate the determined allowed slices to the UE 100. The UE can select a specific slice and configure the PDU session for communicating with the actual application server. One PDU session can include one or more Quality of Service (QoS) flows, and each QoS flow can provide different transmission performances required for each application service by configuring different QoS parameters.

[0043] Figure 2 Shows a general operation for collecting data from a UE in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0044] In step 0, when it is determined that data needs to be collected from a UE in the wireless communication system, the NWDAF can select any Data Collection Application Function (DCAF) designated for data collection and request data collection from the UE. In this case, the DCAF can be selected by the NWDAF considering the location of the UE, the type of information to be collected, the network load, etc. The request can be sent from the NWDAF to the DCAF. The DCAF can use the application signaling message to send the NWDAF request content to the UE.

[0045] In step 1, the UE can perform the data collection requested by the mobile communication system.

[0046] In step 2, the UE can send the collected data to the DCAF. For example, the UE can send the collected data to the designated DCAF via the UPF of the user plane's transmission path.

[0047] In step 3, the DCAF can send the data collected by the UE received from the UE to the NWDAF. In this case, when there is no trust relationship between the NWDAF and the DCAF, the data can be sent via the NEF. The NWDAF can analyze the data collected from the UE from which the data has been received and perform additional operations by utilizing the analysis results to improve the performance of the UE and the network. In the above process, considering several conditions related to the UE, the DCAF can be arbitrarily selected by the NWDAF, and thus, the address of the DCAF collected and sent by the UE can be changed. Therefore, a charging method that can be applied when sending the collected data considering the change of the DCAF's address is required.

[0048] Figure 3 Shows a signaling process of a wireless communication system for configuring charging information during the process of collecting data from a UE according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] In step 1, the network function that requests analysis data in the network of the mobile communication system can be a consumer NF of the NWDAF 350, and the consumer NF can request data analysis of the user UE from the NWDAF 350.

[0050] In step 2, the NWDAF 350 that has received the analysis request can execute a data collection request process that collects the requested data for analysis from NFs on the network for the analysis requested by the consumer NF. Specifically, the NWDAF 350 can decide whether data needs to be collected from the UE.

[0051] In step 3, the NWDAF 350 can send a message requesting to collect data from the UE 300 through the AMF 310 (depending on the implementation, the SMF 320 can also be used). The message requesting data collection can include information such as the UE identifier (UE ID), the IP address (or Ethernet address) and TCP (or UDP) port information of the DCAF 360 to be used when sending the data collected by the UE, the list of data to be collected, the collection time interval, and the reporting period. In this case, the NWDAF 350 can select an appropriate DCAF 360 considering the current location of the UE 300, the network load, the type and period of the data to be collected, etc. Therefore, information about the selected DCAF 360 can be included in the data collection request message.

[0052] In step 4, the NWDAF 350 can send a message providing data collection information to the PCF 330 so that the PCF 330 can use the information about the DCAF 360 to establish a charging policy for data transmission for the UE. The message providing data collection information includes information about the DCAF 360 specified by the NWDAF to receive the data collected by the UE in step 3. The message can include the UE identifier (UE ID) specified for data collection, information about the traffic filter for sending the collected data to the DCAF, traffic characteristic information, etc. The traffic filter information can include the IP address (or Ethernet address) and TCP (or UDP) port information of the DCAF 360 to be used when sending the data collected by the UE, the application identifier (ID), the application type, etc. In addition, the traffic characteristic information can include information about the expected data rate, the allowed delay, etc. When a specific UE specified by the UE identifier generates traffic that maps to the traffic filter from the received information, the PCF 330 can establish a charging policy to collect separate charging data for the corresponding traffic.

[0053] In step 5, the UE 300 may perform the process of collecting data according to the data collection request in step 3 and establishing a data transmission path to be used for sending the data to the DCAF 360. The UE 300 may perform a PDU session modification process with the SMF 320 to create a new PDU session to be used for sending the collected data to establish a data transmission path, or request a new QoS flow to be used for sending the collected data of the existing PDU session. The PDU session creation request message or the PDU session modification request message may include the IP address (or Ethernet address) of the DCAF 360 and TCP (or UDP) port information, etc., for use when sending the data collected by the UE 300 received in step 3 as traffic filter information to be applied to the newly requested QoS flow.

[0054] In step 6, the SMF 320 may perform the process of configuring a new QoS flow to be used for sending the data collected by the UE 300 to the DCAF 360 by creating a new PDU session or modifying an existing PDU session according to the request of the UE 300. The SMF 320 may request the quality of service policy and charging rules to be applied to the QoS flow from the PCF 330 to configure the QoS flow. The message requesting the quality of service policy and charging rules may include the traffic filter information, UE identifier, etc., received in the session creation or modification request message of the UE 300 in step 5. The PCF 330 that has received the UE identifier, traffic filter information, etc. from the SMF 320 may identify that the traffic filter information is mapped to the traffic filter received from the NWDAF in step 4, and in response to the message requesting the quality of service policy and charging rules of the SMF 320, send the quality of service policy and charging rules established in step 4 to the SMF 320. The charging rules included in the response message may include the IP address (or Ethernet address) of the DCAF 360 and TCP (or UDP) port information, application identifier, application type, etc. to be used when sending the data collected by the UE 300 as traffic filter information for selecting the traffic to which charging is to be applied, and include information such as the maximum allowable transmission rate and maximum allowable delay based on the expected data transmission rate as the quality of service policy. The SMF 320 may send the charging rules received from the PCF 330 to the UPF (not shown) to request the UPF to detect the traffic in which the UE 300 sends the data to the DCAF 360 and use the detected traffic to measure the transmission volume.

[0055] In step 7, the UE 300 may send the collected data to the DCAF 360 specified in step 3 via the PDU session and QoS flow configured in step 5. The DCAF 360 may send the received data to the NWDAF 350. The NWDAF 350 may apply the data collected from the UE 300 to generate analysis results requested by the consumer NF.

[0056] In step 8, the SMF 320 may collect charging data (total transmission time, total transmission data size, etc.) measured from the UPF (not shown) from the UPF (not shown) by applying the charging rules configured by the PCF 330 in step 6.

[0057] In step 9, the SMF 320 may send the collected charging data to the charging server (CHS) 370 specified by the PCF 330. The charging server 370 may apply separate charging to the traffic used by the UE 300 to send the collected data to the network based on the charging data.

[0058] Figure 4 A signaling procedure of a wireless communication system for configuring charging information during the process of collecting data from a UE according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0059] In step 1, the network function that requests analysis data in the network of the mobile communication system may be a consumer NF of the NWDAF 450, and the consumer NF may request data analysis of the user UE from the NWDAF 450.

[0060] In step 2, the NWDAF 450 that has received the analysis request may execute a data collection request process that collects the data requested for analysis from the NFs on the network for the analysis requested by the consumer NF. Specifically, the NWDAF 450 may decide whether it is necessary to collect data from the UE 400.

[0061] In step 3, the NWDAF 450 may send a message requesting to collect data from the UE to the DCAF 460 to collect data from the UE 400. In this case, the NWDAF 450 may select an appropriate DCAF 460 considering the current location of the UE 400, network load, type and period of data to be collected, etc. The request message may include information such as UE identifier (UE ID), list of data to be collected, collection time interval, and reporting period. The DCAF 460 that has received the request message for data collection of the UE 400 from the NWDAF 450 may consider the current location of the UE, load of each DCAF 460, type and period of data to be collected, etc. to finally determine the DCAF 460 to be used in the data collection process of the UE, and include information about the selected DCAF 460 in the response message to the request of the NWDAF 450. According to an embodiment, the DCAF 460 that has received the request message may determine another DCAF 460 more suitable for use in the data collection process of the UE 400. For example, the DCAF 460 that has received the request message may be a default DCAF. The default DCAF may determine any DCAF to be used in the data collection process of the UE. For example, the response message sent to the NWDAF 450 may include information such as UE identifier (UE ID), IP address (or Ethernet address) and TCP (or UDP) port information of the DCAF to be used when sending the data collected by the UE 400 (finally selected by the DCAF), list of data to be collected, collection time interval, and reporting period.

[0062] In step 4, the NWDAF 450 may send a Provide Data Collection Information message including the information about the DCAF 460 received by the NWDAF 450 in step 3 to the PCF 430, so that the PCF 430 can use the information about the DCAF 460 to establish a charging policy for data transmission of the UE. The message may include the UE identifier (UE ID) specified for data collection, information about the traffic filter for sending the collected data to the DCAF, traffic characteristic information, etc. The traffic filter information may include the IP address (or Ethernet address) and TCP (or UDP) port information of the DCAF 460 to be used when sending the data collected by the UE 400, application identifier (ID), application type, etc. In addition, the traffic characteristic information may include information about the expected data rate, allowed delay, etc. When a specific UE specified by the UE identifier generates traffic mapped to the traffic filter from the received information, the PCF 430 may establish a charging policy to collect separate charging data for the corresponding traffic.

[0063] In step 5, the DCAF 460 may send a message to the application client of the UE 400 requesting to collect status data from the UE 400. The request message may include information such as the IP address (or Ethernet address) and TCP (or UDP) port information of the DCAF to be used when sending the data collected by the UE 400, a list of data to be collected, a collection time interval, and a reporting period.

[0064] In step 6, the UE 400 may perform a process of collecting data according to the data collection request in step 5 and establishing a data transmission path to be used for sending the data to the DCAF 460. The UE 400 may execute a PDU session modification process with the SMF to create a new PDU session to be used for sending the collected data to establish a data transmission path, or request a new QoS flow to be used for sending the collected data of an existing PDU session. The PDU session creation request message or the PDU session modification request message may include the IP address (or Ethernet address) and TCP (or UDP) port information of the DCAF 460, etc., to be used when sending the data collected by the UE 400 received in step 5 as traffic filter information to be applied to the newly requested QoS flow.

[0065] In step 7, the SMF 420 may perform a process of configuring a new QoS flow to be used to send data collected by the UE 400 to the DCAF 460 by creating a new PDU session or modifying an existing PDU session according to a request from the UE 400. The SMF 420 may request from the PCF 430 the quality of service policy and charging rules to be applied to the QoS flow to configure the QoS flow. The message requesting the quality of service policy and charging rules may include traffic filter information, UE identifier, etc. received in the session creation or modification request message of the UE 400 in step 6. The PCF 430 that has received the UE identifier and traffic filter information, etc. from the SMF 420 may identify that the traffic filter information is mapped to the traffic filter received from the NWDAF 450 in step 4. The PCF 430 may send to the SMF 420 the quality of service policy and charging rules established in step 4 in response to the message requesting the quality of service policy and charging rules of the SMF 420. The charging rules included in the response message may include the IP address (or Ethernet address) and TCP (or UDP) port information of the DCAF to be used at the time of transmission, the data collected by the UE 400, the application identifier (ID), the application type, etc. as traffic filter information for selecting the traffic to which charging is to be applied. In addition, the quality of service policy may include information such as the maximum allowable transmission rate and the maximum allowable delay based on the expected data transmission rate. The SMF 420 may send the charging rules to a UPF (not shown) to request the UPF to detect traffic, where the UE 400 sends the data collected to the DCAF 460, and use the detected traffic to measure the transmission volume.

[0066] In step 8, the UE 400 may send the collected data to the DCAF 460 specified in step 5 through the PDU session and QoS flow configured in step 6. The DCAF 460 may send the received data to the NWDAF 450, and the NWDAF 450 may apply the data collected from the UE 400 to generate the analysis results requested by the consumer NF.

[0067] In step 9, the SMF 420 may collect charging data (total transmission time, total transmission data size, etc.) measured from a UPF (not shown) from the UPF (not shown) by applying the charging rules configured by the PCF 430 in step 7.

[0068] In step 10, the SMF 420 may send the collected charging data to the charging server (CHS) 470 specified by the PCF 430, and the charging server 470 may apply separate charging to the traffic used by the UE 400 to send the collected data to the network based on the charging data.

[0069] Figure 5 A signaling procedure of a wireless communication system for configuring charging information in the process of providing network status and analysis data to a UE according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0070] In step 1, the UE 500 may decide to request network status information and analysis information from the network to improve the performance of an application.

[0071] In step 2, the UE 500 may send a message requesting the provision of network status data and analysis data to the NWDAF 550 through the AMF 510 (the SMF 520 may also be used depending on the implementation). The message requesting the provision of data may include information such as a UE identifier (UE ID), the IP address (or Ethernet address) and TCP (or UDP) port information of the DCAF 560 to be used when the UE 500 receives data from the network, a list of data to be requested, an analysis time interval, and a reporting period. In this case, the UE 500 may select an appropriate DCAF 560 based on the DCAF selection information pre-provided by the DCAF 560 or a specific application, considering its current location, network load, the type and period of data to be collected, etc. In addition, information about the selected DCAF 560 may be included in the data provision request message.

[0072] In step 3, the NWDAF 550 may send a message providing data exposure information to the PCF 530, and the message providing data exposure information includes information about the DCAF 560 specified in the message requesting data provision from the UE 500 in step 2, so that the PCF 530 can use the information about the DCAF 560 to establish a charging policy for the traffic of sending network status and analysis data to the UE. The message may include the UE 500 identifier (UE ID) requesting data provision, traffic filter information for specifying the traffic of sending network status and analysis information from the DCAF 560 to the UE 500, traffic characteristic information, etc. The traffic filter information may include the IP address (or Ethernet address) and TCP (or UDP) port information of the DCAF 560 to be used when sending network status and analysis data to the UE 500, an application identifier (ID), an application type, etc. In addition, the traffic characteristic information may include information about an expected data rate, an allowed delay, etc. When a specific UE specified by the UE identifier sends and receives traffic mapped to the traffic filter from the received information, the PCF 530 may establish a charging policy to collect separate charging data for the corresponding traffic.

[0073] In step 4, the UE 500 may perform a process of establishing a data transmission path, which will be used to receive network status and analysis data via the DCAF 560 in step 2. The UE 500 may perform a PDU session modification process with the SMF 520 to create a new PDU session to be used for receiving data to establish the data transmission path, or request a new QoS flow to be used for sending the data collected by the existing PDU session. The PDU session creation request message or the PDU session modification request message may include the IP address (or Ethernet address) of the DCAF 560 and TCP (or UDP) port information sent by the UE 500 in step 2, etc., as traffic filter information to be applied to the newly requested QoS flow.

[0074] In step 5, the SMF 520 may perform a process of configuring a new QoS flow to be used for sending network status and analysis data to the UE by creating a new PDU session or modifying an existing PDU session according to the UE's request. The SMF 520 may request the service quality policy and charging rules to be applied to the QoS flow from the PCF 530 to configure the QoS flow. The message requesting the service quality policy and charging rules may include traffic filter information, UE identifier, etc. received in the session creation or modification request message of the UE 500 in step 4. The PCF 530 that has received the UE identifier, traffic filter information, etc. from the SMF 520 may identify that the traffic filter information is mapped to the traffic filter received from the NWDAF 550 in step 3, and in response to the message requesting the service quality policy and charging rules of the SMF 520, send the service quality policy and charging rules established in step 3 to the SMF 520. The charging rules included in the response message may include the IP address (or Ethernet address) and TCP (or UDP) port information of the DCAF to be used by the UE 500 to receive network status and analysis data, application identifier, application type, etc. as traffic filter information for selecting the traffic to which charging is to be applied, and include information such as the maximum allowable transmission rate and the maximum allowable delay based on the expected data transmission rate as the service quality policy. The SMF 520 may send the charging rules received from the PCF 530 to the UPF (not shown) to request the UPF to detect the traffic of the data that the UE 500 will collect and send to the DCAF 560, and use the detected traffic to measure the transmission volume.

[0075] In step 6, the UE 500 can receive network status and analytics data (analyzed by an NWDAF etc.) via the PDU session through the DCAF 560 specified in step 2 and the QoS flow configured in step 4. The NWDAF 550 can send the analyzed data to the DCAF 560. The UE 500 can utilize the data received from the DCAF 560 to improve the performance of the applications of the UE 500.

[0076] In step 7, the SMF 520 can collect charging data (total transmission time, total transmission data size, etc.) measured from the UPF (not shown) from the UPF (not shown) by applying the charging rules configured by the PCF 530 in step 5.

[0077] In step 8, the SMF 520 can send the collected charging data to the charging server (CHS) 570 specified by the PCF 530. The charging server 570 can apply a separate charge to the traffic used by the UE 500 to receive network status and analytics data based on the charging data.

[0078] Figure 6 A signaling procedure of a wireless communication system for configuring charging information in the process of providing network status and analytics data to a UE according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0079] In step 1, the UE 600 can decide to request network status information and analytics information from the network in order to improve the performance of the application.

[0080] In step 2, the application of the UE 600 can send a message requesting the provision of network status data and analytics data to the DCAF 660. The message requesting the provision of data can include information such as a UE identifier (UE ID), the IP address (or Ethernet address) and TCP (or UDP) port information of the DCAF 660 to be used when the UE 600 receives data from the network, a list of data to be requested, an analytics time interval, and a reporting period. In this case, the UE 600 can select an appropriate DCAF 660 based on DCAF selection information pre-provided by the DCAF 660 or a specific application, considering its current location, network load, the type and period of data to be collected, etc. In addition, information about the selected DCAF 660 can be included in the data provision request message.

[0081] In step 3, the DCAF 660 that has received the message requesting the provision of network status data and analysis data from the UE 600 can send the message requesting the provision of network status and analysis data to the NWDAF 650. Alternatively, the DCAF 660 can directly request network status information from an NF such as the NEF (not shown). The request message sent from the DCAF 660 to the NWDAF 650 can include information such as the IP address (or Ethernet address) and TCP (or UDP) port information of the DCAF 660, the UE identifier (UE ID) received from the UE in step 2, the list of data to be provided, the analysis time interval, and the reporting period.

[0082] In step 4, the NWDAF 650 can send the provided data exposure information message received from the DCAF 660 in step 3, which includes information about the DCAF 660 specified by the UE 600 for data provision, to the PCF 630, so that the PCF 630 can use the information about the DCAF 660 to establish a charging policy for the traffic for sending network status and analysis data to the UE 600. The message can include the UE identifier (UE ID) that requested the data provision, the traffic filter information for specifying the traffic for sending network status and analysis information from the DCAF 660 to the UE 600, the traffic characteristic information, etc. The traffic filter information can include the IP address (or Ethernet address) and TCP (or UDP) port information of the DCAF 660 to be used when sending network status and analysis data to the UE 600, the application identifier (ID), the application type, etc. In addition, the traffic characteristic information can include information about the expected data rate, the allowed delay, etc. When a specific UE specified by the UE identifier sends and receives traffic mapped to the traffic filter from the received information, the PCF 630 can establish a charging policy to collect separate charging data for the corresponding traffic.

[0083] In step 5, the UE 600 can perform a process of establishing a data transmission path to be used for receiving network status and analysis data through the DCAF 660 specified in step 2. The UE 600 can perform a PDU session modification process with the SMF to create a new PDU session to be used for receiving data to establish the data transmission path, or request a new QoS flow to be used for sending the data collected in the existing PDU session. The PDU session creation request message or the PDU session modification request message can include the IP address (or Ethernet address) and TCP (or UDP) port information of the DCAF 660 sent by the UE 600 in step 2, etc., as the traffic filter information to be applied to the newly requested QoS flow.

[0084] In step 6, the SMF 620 can perform the process of configuring a new QoS flow to be used to send network status and analysis data to the UE 600 by creating a new PDU session or modifying an existing PDU session according to the request of the UE 600. The SMF 620 can request from the PCF 630 the quality of service policies and charging rules to be applied to the QoS flow to configure the QoS flow. The message requesting the quality of service policies and charging rules can include traffic filter information, UE identifiers, etc. received in the session creation or modification request message of the UE600 in step 5. The PCF 630 that has received the UE identifier, traffic filter information, etc. from the SMF 620 can identify that the traffic filter information is mapped to the traffic filter received from the NWDAF 650 in step 4, and in response to the message requesting the quality of service policies and charging rules of the SMF 620, send the quality of service policies and charging rules established in step 4 to the SMF 620. The charging rules included in the response message can include the IP address (or Ethernet address) and TCP (or UDP) port information of the DCAF 660 that the UE is to use to receive network status and analysis data, application identifier (ID), application type, etc. as traffic filter information for selecting the traffic to which charging is to be applied, and include information such as the maximum allowable transmission rate and the maximum allowable delay based on the expected data transmission rate as the quality of service policy. The SMF620 can send the charging rules received from the PCF 630 to the UPF (not shown) to request the UPF to detect the traffic, where the UE600 sends the collected data to the DCAF 660, and use the detected traffic to measure the transmission volume.

[0085] In step 7, the UE 600 can receive network status and analysis data (analyzed by the NWDAF, etc.) through the PDU session via the DCAF 660 specified in step 2 and the QoS flow configured in step 5. The NWDAF 650 can send the analyzed data to the DCAF 660, and the UE 600 can use the data received from the DCAF 660 to improve the performance of the UE's applications.

[0086] In step 8, the SMF 620 can collect charging data (total transmission time, total transmission data size, etc.) measured by the UPF (not shown) from the UPF (not shown) by applying the charging rules configured by the PCF 630 in step 5.

[0087] In step 9, the SMF 620 can send the collected charging data to the charging server (CHS) 670 specified by the PCF 630. The charging server 670 can apply separate charging to the traffic used by the UE to receive network status and analysis data based on the charging data.

[0088] Figure 7 A signaling procedure of a wireless communication system for configuring charging information in the process of providing network status and analysis data to a UE is shown, according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0089] In step 1, the UE 700 may decide to request network status information and analysis information from the network in order to improve the performance of the application.

[0090] In step 2, the application of the UE 700 may send a message requesting to provide network status data and analysis data to the DCAF 760. The message requesting to provide data may include information such as a UE identifier (UE ID), the IP address (or Ethernet address) and TCP (or UDP) port information of the DCAF 760 to be used when the UE 700 receives data from the network, a list of data to be requested, an analysis time interval, and a reporting period. In this case, the UE 700 may consider its current location, network load, type and period of data to be collected, etc., and select an appropriate DCAF 760 based on the DCAF selection information pre-provided by the DCAF 760 or a specific application. In addition, information about the selected DCAF 760 may be included in the data providing request message.

[0091] Alternatively, the DCAF 760 may directly request network status information from the NF through the NEF (not illustrated), etc. The request message sent from the DCAF 760 to the NWDAF 750 may include information such as the IP address (or Ethernet address) and TCP (or UDP) port information of the DCAF 760, the UE identifier (UE ID) received from the UE 700 in step 2, a list of data to be provided, an analysis time interval, and a reporting period.

[0092] In step 3, the UE 700 may perform a process of establishing a data transmission path to be used for receiving network status and analysis data through the DCAF 760 specified in step 2. The UE 700 may perform a PDU session modification process with the SMF to create a new PDU session to be used for receiving data to establish a data transmission path, or request a new QoS flow to be used for sending data collected from an existing PDU session. The PDU session creation request message or the PDU session modification request message may include the IP address (or Ethernet address) and TCP (or UDP) port information of the DCAF sent by the UE 700 in step 2, etc., as traffic filter information to be applied to the newly requested QoS flow. In addition, information such as a list of network status and analysis data requested by the UE 700, an analysis time interval, and a reporting period may be included.

[0093] In step 4, the SMF 720 may send network status and analysis data information and the DCAF information requested by the UE 700 to the NWDAF 750. The message may include the IP address (or Ethernet address) and TCP (or UDP) port information of the DCAF 760 received from the UE, as well as information such as a list of network status and analysis data requested by the UE 700, the analysis time interval, and the reporting period.

[0094] In step 5, the NWDAF 750 may send the provide data exposure information message received from the SMF 720 in step 4 to the PCF 730. The provide data exposure information message includes information about the DCAF 760 specified by the UE 700 to be used for data provision, so that the PCF 730 can use the information about the DCAF 760 to establish a charging policy for the traffic of sending network status and analysis data to the UE 700. The message may include the UE identifier requesting data provision, traffic filter information for specifying the traffic for sending network status and analysis information from the DCAF 760 to the UE 700, traffic characteristic information, etc. The traffic filter information may include the IP address (or Ethernet address) and TCP (or UDP) port information of the DCAF 760 to be used when sending network status and analysis data to the UE 700, the application identifier (ID), the application type, etc. In addition, the traffic characteristic information may include information about the expected data rate, the allowed delay, etc. When a specific UE specified by the UE identifier sends and receives traffic mapped to the traffic filter from the received information, the PCF 730 may establish a charging policy to collect separate charging data for the corresponding traffic.

[0095] In step 6, the SMF 720 can perform the process of configuring a new QoS flow for sending network status and analysis data to the UE 700 by creating a new PDU session or modifying an existing PDU session according to the session creation or modification request of the UE 700 received in step 3. The SMF 720 can request the quality of service policy and charging rules to be applied to the QoS flow to configure the QoS flow from the PCF 730. The message requesting the quality of service policy and charging rules can include traffic filter information, UE identifier, etc. received through the session creation or modification request message of the UE 700 in step 3. The PCF 730 that has received the UE identifier, traffic filter information, etc. from the SMF 720 can identify that the traffic filter information is mapped to the traffic filter received from the NWDAF 750 in step 5, and in response to the message requesting the quality of service policy and charging rules of the SMF 720, send the quality of service policy and charging rules established in step 5 to the SMF 720. The charging rules included in the response message can include the IP address (or Ethernet address) and TCP (or UDP) port information of the DCAF 760 that the UE 700 is to use to receive network status and analysis data, application identifier (ID), application type, etc. as traffic filter information for selecting the traffic to which charging is to be applied, and include information such as the maximum allowable transmission rate and the maximum allowable delay based on the expected data transmission rate as the quality of service policy. The SMF 720 can send the charging rules received from the PCF 730 to the UPF (not shown) to request the UPF to detect the traffic, where the UE 700 sends the collected data to the DCAF 760, and use the detected traffic to measure the transmission volume.

[0096] In step 7, the SMF 720 can send a response message to the UE 700, which notifies that a new QoS flow has been created through the creation or modification of the PDU session requested by the UE 700.

[0097] In step 8, the UE 700 can receive network status and analysis data (analyzed by the NWDAF, etc.) through the DCAF 760 specified in step 2 via the PDU session and QoS flow configured in steps 3 - 7. The NWDAF 750 can send the analyzed data to the DCAF 760. The UE 700 can utilize the data received from the DCAF 760 to improve the performance of the applications of the UE 700.

[0098] In step 9, the SMF 720 can collect the charging data (total transmission time, total transmission data size, etc.) measured by the UPF (not shown) from the UPF (not shown) by applying the charging rules configured by the PCF 730 in step 5.

[0099] In step 10, the SMF 720 may send the collected charging data to a charging server (CHS) 770 specified by the PCF 730. The charging server 700 may apply separate charging to the traffic by which the UE receives network status and analysis data based on the charging data.

[0100] Through the various disclosures as described above, the present invention relates to a method for allowing pre - configuration of charging information from a step of accepting a request for collecting or providing UE - related status and analysis information.

[0101] Meanwhile, Figure 8 is a diagram showing the structure of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0102] Referring to Figure 8 , the terminal may include a transceiver 810, a controller 820, and a storage 830. In the present invention, the controller may be defined as a circuit or an application - specific integrated circuit or at least one processor.

[0103] The transceiver 810 may send signals to other network entities and receive signals from other network entities. The transceiver 810 may, for example, receive a message requesting data collection from a network entity.

[0104] The controller 820 may control the overall operation of the terminal according to the embodiments proposed in the present invention. For example, the controller 820 may control the signal flow between each block to perform operations according to the above - mentioned flowchart. Specifically, the controller 820 may control to collect data according to a data collection request according to an embodiment of the present invention and establish a data transmission path to be used for sending the collected data.

[0105] The storage 830 may store at least one of the information sent and received through the transceiver 810 and the information generated through the controller 820. For example, the storage 830 may store the collected data.

[0106] Meanwhile, Figure 9 is a block diagram showing components of a network entity according to an embodiment of the present invention. The network entity may be any network entity for applying charging when providing or collecting data or analysis results to / from a UE according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, the network entity may be a network data analysis function (NWDAF) entity or a data collection application function (DCAF) entity.

[0107] Referring to Figure 9 , the network entity may include a transceiver 910, a controller 920, and a storage 930. In the present invention, the controller may be defined as a circuit or an application - specific integrated circuit or at least one processor.

[0108] The transceiver 910 can send signals to other network entities and receive signals from other network entities. For example, the transceiver 910 can send a message requesting to collect data from the UE. Alternatively, the transceiver 910 can receive the data collected from the UE.

[0109] The controller 920 can control the overall operation of the network entity according to the embodiments proposed in the present invention. For example, the controller 920 can control the signal flow between each block to perform operations according to the above flow chart. Specifically, the controller 920 can control to send a data collection request according to an embodiment of the present invention, and send a message including information of another network entity designated for data collection.

[0110] The storage 930 can store at least one of the information sent and received through the transceiver 910 and the information generated through the controller 920. For example, the storage 930 can store the collected data.

[0111] The embodiments of the present invention described in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are only specific examples provided for the purpose of easily describing the technical content of the present invention and helping to understand the present invention, rather than limiting the scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains that other modifications based on the technical idea of the present invention can be implemented in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for a terminal in a wireless communication system, the method comprises: determining to request auxiliary data for improving the performance of an application; sending a message requesting auxiliary data to a Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) entity according to the determination, the message at least including a Data Collection Application Function (DCAF) address; and receiving auxiliary data from the NWDAF entity via a DCAF entity determined based on the DCAF address.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the message is sent via an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) entity, wherein the message further includes at least one of an identifier of the terminal, port information, information about a list of requested data, analysis time interval information, and reporting period information.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprises: sending a request message for requesting to generate or modify a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session to a Session Management Function (SMF) entity, wherein the request message for requesting to generate or modify a PDU session includes a DCAF address.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the case that the message for requesting auxiliary data including the DCAF address is sent from the application layer to the DCAF entity, the message for requesting auxiliary data including the DCAF address is sent to the NWDAF entity via the DCAF entity.

5. A method for a Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) entity in a wireless communication system, comprises: receiving a message requesting auxiliary data in the case that a terminal determines to request auxiliary data for improving the performance of an application, the message at least including a Data Collection Application Function (DCAF) address; generating auxiliary data based on the request from the terminal; and sending the auxiliary data via a DCAF entity determined based on the DCAF address.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the message is received via an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) entity, wherein the message further includes at least one of an identifier of the terminal, port information, information about a list of requested data, analysis time interval information, and reporting period information.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprises: sending a Provide Data Exposure Information message including the DCAF address to a Policy Control Function (PCF) entity to establish a charging policy for the traffic for sending the auxiliary data.

8. A terminal in a wireless communication system, the terminal comprises: a transceiver; and a controller configured to determine to request auxiliary data for improving the performance of an application, according to the determination, sending a message requesting auxiliary data to a Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) entity via the transceiver, the message at least including a Data Collection Application Function (DCAF) address, and receiving auxiliary data from the NWDAF entity via a DCAF entity determined based on the DCAF address.

9. The terminal according to claim 8, wherein the message is sent via an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) entity, and Wherein, the message further includes at least one of an identifier of the terminal, port information, information about a data list of the request, analysis time interval information, and reporting period information.

10. The terminal according to claim 8, Wherein, The controller is further configured to send a request message for requesting generation or modification of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session to a Session Management Function (SMF) entity, Wherein, the request message for requesting generation or modification of a PDU session includes a DCAF address.

11. The terminal according to claim 8, Wherein, In a case where the message for requesting auxiliary data including a DCAF address is sent from an application layer to a DCAF entity by the terminal, the message for requesting auxiliary data including a DCAF address is sent to a NWDAF entity via the DCAF entity.

12. A Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) entity in a wireless communication system, Comprising: A transceiver; And A controller configured to, in a case where a terminal determines to request auxiliary data for improving performance of an application, receive a message for requesting auxiliary data through the transceiver, the message including at least a Data Collection Application Function (DCAF) address, Generate auxiliary data based on a request from the terminal, and Send the auxiliary data through the transceiver via a DCAF entity determined based on the DCAF address.

13. The NWDAF entity according to claim 12, Wherein, The message is received via an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) entity, and Wherein, the message further includes at least one of an identifier of the terminal, port information, information about a data list of the request, analysis time interval information, and reporting period information.

14. The NWDAF entity according to claim 12, Wherein, The controller is further configured to send a message providing data exposure information including a DCAF address to a Policy Control Function (PCF) entity to establish a charging policy for traffic for sending auxiliary data.

15. The NWDAF entity according to claim 12, Wherein, When the message for requesting auxiliary data including a DCAF address is sent from an application layer of a UE to a DCAF entity, the message for requesting auxiliary data including a DCAF address is received via the DCAF entity.

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