Method for providing remote service from one user equipment to another, and user equipment

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for providing remote services from one user equipment (UE) to another UE. According to the method, a connection between the remote UE (1) and the relay UE (2) is initialized using a first communication channel (3), and remote services are provided by the relay UE (2) to the remote UE (1) using a second communication channel (4). The invention also relates to a corresponding remote UE (1) and a relay UE (2).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for providing remote services from one user equipment to another user equipment. The present invention further relates to a corresponding remote user equipment and a corresponding relay user equipment. Background Art

[0002] Many user devices frequently use remote services, and such use is expected to increase in the future. However, if the user device is located in or operating in an area with underserved and / or poor coverage for network access, using remote services may be difficult or impossible. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for providing remote services, which overcomes the above-mentioned problems, i.e. providing remote services to user equipment even in underserved and / or poorly covered areas. Another object of the present invention is to provide a corresponding remote user equipment and a corresponding relay user equipment.

[0004] The objects of the invention are solved by the subject-matter of the independent claims, wherein further embodiments are incorporated in the dependent claims.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for providing remote services from one user equipment (UE) to another UE is provided. In this context, the user equipment can be any type of user equipment, such as a vehicle, a mobile device, a drone, a robot, an aerial platform, an unmanned vehicle, a roadside unit, and / or an intelligent infrastructure unit.

[0006] According to the method, a connection between a remote UE and a relay UE is initialized using a first communication channel. In this context, the remote UE may be any type of UE, and the relay UE is a UE that is configured to relay a remote service, in particular to forward data assigned to the remote service from the remote UE to another device and to forward data assigned to the remote service from the other device to the remote UE. In some cases, for example, when the relay UE has sufficient computing and / or energy resources, the relay UE may also be able to provide the remote service itself. When the connection has been initialized, the remote service is provided to the remote UE by the relay UE using a second communication channel.

[0007] In this way, even if the remote UE has no network access or only weak network access, it can receive remote services via the relay UE.Thus, the relay UE increases the area in which remote services can be provided to the remote UE.

[0008] According to embodiments, remote services include computing, artificial intelligence, storage, caching, infotainment, map data, software updates, streaming, gaming, augmented reality, and / or extended reality. In this context, software updates may include software updates for applications, functions, middleware, operating systems, and / or firmware. Thus, a wide variety of remote services may be provided to user devices.

[0009] According to an embodiment, the relay UE is a vehicle, a mobile device, a drone, a robot (e.g., agriculture, logistics, transportation), an aerial platform, an unmanned vehicle, a roadside unit, and / or an intelligent infrastructure unit. The intelligent infrastructure unit can be an intelligent traffic light and / or a traffic light in a tunnel, a street light, an electronically controlled road sign, a guide column, a construction site monitoring unit, or an industrial facility.

[0010] According to an embodiment, the step of initializing the connection comprises receiving, by the relay UE, a service catalogue from the network remote service provider RSP and / or the UE RSP. These service catalogues may have to be requested by the relay UE in order to be sent by the network RSP and / or the UE RSP and then received by the relay UE. The request and / or sending of the service catalogue may be performed via a service advertisement / discovery channel. The service catalogue comprises a list of offered remote services, in particular quality of service characteristics of the offered remote services. An example of remote services offered that may differ from one another in terms of their quality of service characteristics is map data: the quality of this data may differ, for example, in terms of resolution and / or in terms of the up-to-dateness of the map. Other examples of quality of service characteristics are guaranteed bit rate and / or delay tolerance.

[0011] The relay UE then indicates the provided remote services via the first communication channel. In this context, "indication" may refer to broadcasting and / or sending. In particular, the remote services may be indicated as a consolidated service catalog. In the consolidated service catalog, services provided by multiple network RSPs and / or UE RSPs may be combined.

[0012] Further, the remote UE replies to the relay UE via the first communication channel requesting a remote service or a group of remote services.

[0013] Furthermore, the relay UE indicates to the remote UE a second communication channel to be used for the remote service.

[0014] Since the set of available RSPs may change over time, and even the services provided by the respective RSPs may change over time, the relay UE may continue to receive service catalogs from the RSPs and update the merged service catalog if the provided remote services change. In this case, the relay UE will indicate the updated provided remote services.

[0015] According to an embodiment, the step of initializing the connection includes requesting a UE-to-UE remote service or a group of remote services by the remote UE via the first communication channel. In particular, the request may be sent to multiple relay UEs, or the request may be published in a request database accessible by multiple relay UEs.

[0016] The relay UE receives a service catalogue from the network RSP and / or the UE RSP. These service catalogues may have to be requested by the relay UE in order to be sent by the network RSP and / or the UE RSP and then be received by the relay UE. The request and / or sending of the service catalogue may be performed via a service advertisement / discovery channel. The service catalogue comprises a list of offered remote services and in particular also quality of service characteristics of the offered remote services. An example of which offered remote services may differ from one another in terms of their quality of service characteristics is map data: the quality of this data may differ, for example, with respect to resolution and / or with respect to the up-to-dateness of the map. Other examples of quality of service characteristics are guaranteed bit rate and / or delay tolerance.

[0017] If the relay UE can provide the requested remote service, it replies to the remote UE via the first communication channel that the requested remote service can be provided.

[0018] Furthermore, the relay UE indicates to the remote UE a second communication channel to be used for the remote service.

[0019] According to an embodiment, the second communication channel is different from the first communication channel. For example, a communication channel that provides a long distance but has only a limited data rate can be used as the first communication channel, while a communication channel that provides a good data rate but only allows a limited communication range can be used as the second communication channel. One advantage of using two different communication channels as the first communication channel and the second communication channel is that information sent via the first communication channel does not cause congestion on the second communication channel.

[0020] According to an embodiment, the second communication channel being different from the first communication channel comprises: the first communication channel and the second communication channel using different radio technologies, different radio resources, different frequency spectra, different carriers and / or different operators.

[0021] Alternatively, the first communication channel and the second communication channel may be the same. This is particularly useful when only one communication channel is available for communication between the relay UE and the remote UE.

[0022] According to an embodiment, the second communication channel is a communication channel from one UE to another UE, in particular a sidelink channel in a mobile network, more particularly but not limited to a 5G or 6G network, WiFi, Bluetooth, a non-terrestrial network and / or a low-power wide area network. Although these networks are often used, it is emphasized that the method is not limited to a specific network.

[0023] According to an embodiment, a communication channel from one UE to another UE uses a frequency range or a portion of a frequency range allocated to a mobile network operator (MNO) of a remote UE and / or a relay UE. Alternatively, in particular, if no frequency range or a portion of a frequency range allocated to a remote UE or a relay UE is available, a communication channel from one UE to another UE may use a frequency range or a portion of a frequency range allocated to an MNO other than the MNO of the remote UE and the relay UE. In the latter case, the relay UE may act as an intermediary to handle local resource management and ensure quality of service. Further alternatively, in particular, if no frequency range or a portion of a frequency range allocated to an MNO is available, an unlicensed frequency range or a portion of an unlicensed frequency range may be used for a communication channel from one UE to another UE.

[0024] According to an embodiment, when the frequency range or portion of the frequency range used by the communication channel from one UE to another UE is not allocated to the MNO of the remote UE and the MNO of the relay UE, a spectrum sharing, leasing, and / or roaming agreement is used. This is necessary to allow the remote UE and / or relay UE to operate within the frequency range or portion of the frequency range. The spectrum sharing, leasing, and / or roaming agreement enables the relay UE to change and / or extend the frequency range or portion of the frequency range used by the communication channel from one UE to another UE.

[0025] Further, resource usage policies and configurations for using the additional radio resources are derived from spectrum sharing, leasing and / or roaming agreements. The relay UE is provided by the MNO and is therefore configured with such resource usage policies and configurations for using the additional radio resources when operating outside of network coverage.

[0026] According to an embodiment, radio resource and service usage between one UE and another UE is regularly monitored and recorded, and the load of the second communication channel is determined by the relay UE. Furthermore, the relay UE regularly estimates future service demand based on the service usage records. In particular, this can be performed using intelligent algorithms and / or artificial intelligence.

[0027] The relay UE further determines, based on the determined load of the second communication channel and / or estimated future service demand, whether the frequency range, or portion of the frequency range, used for the communication channel from one UE to another UE meets a congestion criterion. The congestion criterion may be that a predetermined portion of available radio resources is occupied, or that a predetermined portion of available radio resources is predicted to be occupied in the future. If it is determined that the frequency range, or portion of the frequency range, used for the communication channel from one UE to another UE meets the congestion criterion, the frequency range, or portion of the frequency range, used for communication from one UE to another UE is changed. In this context, "changing" may mean completely changing, but preferably also means expanding. When the frequency range, or portion of the frequency range, is expanded, the previous frequency range, or portion of the frequency range, may be retained for remote UEs already connected to the relay UE, while the new frequency range, or portion of the frequency range, may be available for new remote UEs. The change in the frequency range, or portion of the frequency range, may be performed by triggering a request for additional radio resources between the one UE and the other UE to the relay UE's MNO. This triggering may be dynamic, such that a first trigger causes a subsequent trigger, particularly between MNOs.

[0028] In certain circumstances, such as when operating outside of network coverage or when a request to the MNO fails or no additional resources are granted, and it is determined that the frequency range or portion of a frequency range used by the communication channel from one UE to another UE meets congestion criteria, the relay UE may determine to change the communication channel from one UE to another UE to an unlicensed frequency range or a portion of an unlicensed frequency range, or to an alternative radio technology based on current and estimated service demand.

[0029] Furthermore, the relay UE receives a reply from the MNO indicating a resource usage policy and configuration for using the additional radio resources. Based on the reply received from the MNO, the relay UE then determines whether the additional radio resources between the one UE and the other UE are sufficient based on current and estimated service requirements. If the additional radio resources between the one UE and the other UE are insufficient based on current and estimated service requirements, the relay UE indicates to selected UEs via the first communication channel that remote services will be provided via another second communication channel. Specifically, the selected UEs are grouped based on the remote services being used.

[0030] Through the above-described resource management, remote services can be optimally provided to a large number of remote UEs.

[0031] According to an embodiment, communication resources, quality of service (QoS) requirements of remote services, and / or data flows from one UE to another are managed locally by the relay UE. In this context, QoS requirements can be requirements of application-layer services and can relate to bandwidth, latency, and / or priority. Managing communication resources includes, among other things, data prioritization, resource allocation, scheduling, and mapping application-layer services to communication resources.

[0032] According to another aspect of the present invention, a remote user equipment (UE) is provided. In this context, the remote UE can be any type of user equipment, such as a vehicle, mobile device, drone, robot, aerial platform, unmanned vehicle, roadside unit and / or smart infrastructure unit.

[0033] The remote UE is configured to initialize a connection with the relay UE using a first communication channel; and receive a remote service from the relay UE using a second communication channel.

[0034] In this way, even if the remote UE has no network access or only weak network access, it can receive remote services via the relay UE.Thus, the relay UE increases the area in which remote services can be provided to the remote UE.

[0035] Further embodiments and advantages correspond to those given in the above description.

[0036] According to another aspect of the present invention, a relay user equipment (UE) is provided. In this context, a relay UE can be any UE configured to relay a remote service, in particular, to forward data assigned to the remote service from a remote UE to another device and vice versa. In some cases, for example, when the relay UE has sufficient computing and / or energy resources, the relay UE may also be able to provide the remote service itself.

[0037] The relay UE is configured to initialize a connection with a remote UE using a first communication channel and to provide a remote service to the remote UE using a second communication channel.

[0038] In this way, even if the remote UE has no network access or only weak network access, it can receive remote services via the relay UE.Thus, the relay UE increases the area in which remote services can be provided to the remote UE.

[0039] Further embodiments and advantages correspond to those given in the above description.

[0040] According to an embodiment, the relay UE regularly monitors and records the radio resources and service usage between one UE and another UE, and determines the load of the second communication channel. The relay UE also regularly estimates future service demand based on the service usage record. This estimation can be performed using an intelligent algorithm or artificial intelligence. The relay UE then determines whether the frequency range or a portion of the frequency range used by the second communication channel meets the congestion criterion based on the determined load of the second communication channel and / or the estimated future service demand. The congestion criterion can be that a predetermined portion of the available radio resources is occupied, or that a predetermined portion of the available radio resources is predicted to be occupied in the future.

[0041] If the frequency range or a portion of the frequency range used by the second communication channel meets the congestion criterion, the frequency range or a portion of the frequency range used for the second communication channel is changed, in particular by triggering a request for additional radio resources between one UE and another UE to the mobile network operator (MNO) of the relay UE. The relay UE then receives a reply from the MNO indicating a resource usage policy and configuration for using the additional radio resources. Based on the reply received from the MNO, it is then determined whether these additional radio resources between one UE and another UE are sufficient based on current and estimated service requirements. If the additional radio resources between one UE and another UE are insufficient based on current and estimated service requirements, the relay UE indicates to the selected UE via the first communication channel that a remote service will be provided via another second communication channel. In particular, the selected UEs are grouped / grouped based on the remote service used.

[0042] Further, the relay UE manages radio resources and data flow between one UE and another UE based on quality of service and service characteristics.

[0043] Through the above-described resource management, remote services can be optimally provided to a large number of remote UEs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] These and other aspects of the invention will become apparent and be further elucidated with reference to the embodiments described by way of example in the following description and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0045] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing an architecture for remote services;

[0046] Figure 2 A flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method for providing remote services; and

[0047] Figure 3 A flow chart illustrating another embodiment of a method for providing remote services.

[0048] In the figures, elements corresponding to elements already described may have the same reference numerals.Examples, embodiments or optional features, whether or not indicated as non-limiting, should not be construed as limiting the invention as claimed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] Figure 1 The architecture for remote services is shown. A remote user equipment (UE) 1 communicates with a relay UE 2 via a first communication channel 3 and a second communication channel 4. Here, the first communication channel 3 is used to initialize the connection between the remote UE 1 and the relay UE 2, and the second communication channel 4 is used by the relay UE 2 to provide remote services to the remote UE 1.

[0050] Remote UE 1 may be any type of user equipment, such as a vehicle, mobile device, drone, robot, aerial platform, unmanned vehicle, roadside unit, and / or intelligent infrastructure unit. Relay UE 2 may also be any type of user equipment, as long as it is configured to relay remote services, in particular, to forward data assigned to remote services from remote UE 1 to another device and to forward data assigned to remote services from another device to the remote UE.

[0051] The second communication channel 4 may be different from the first communication channel 3. For example, a communication channel that provides a long communication distance but has only a limited data rate may be used as the first communication channel 3, while a communication channel that provides a good data rate but only allows for a limited communication range may be used as the second communication channel 4. One advantage of using two different communication channels as the first communication channel 3 and the second communication channel 4 is that information sent via the first communication channel 3 does not cause congestion on the second communication channel 4. The second communication channel 4 may be different from the first communication channel 3 in that the first communication channel 3 and the second communication channel 4 use different radio technologies, different radio resources, different frequency spectra, different carriers, and / or different operators.

[0052] Alternatively, the first communication channel 3 and the second communication channel 4 may be the same. This is particularly useful when only one communication channel is available for communication between the relay UE 2 and the remote UE 1 .

[0053] Further, the relay UE 2 communicates with a remote service provider (RSP) 5. These RSPs may be a network RSP 5.1 and / or a UE RSP 5.2, and provide remote services to the remote UE 1 via the relay UE 2.

[0054] Figure 2A flow chart of an embodiment of a method for providing remote services is shown. An RSP 5 sends 10 a service catalogue to a relay UE 2, the service catalogue comprising a list of offered remote services and quality of service characteristics of the offered remote services. The relay UE 2 receives 11 the service catalogue, combines 12 the offered services into a consolidated service catalogue, and indicates 13 the offered remote services to the remote UE 1 via a first communication channel 3. The remote UE 1 receives 14 the consolidated service catalogue and replies 15 to the relay UE 2 with a request for the remote services. The relay UE 2 receives 16 the request and indicates 17 a second communication channel 4 to the remote UE 1. The remote UE 1 receives 18 the indication. The remote services are then provided 19 via the second communication channel 4.

[0055] Figure 3 A flow chart of another embodiment of a method for providing a remote service is shown. A remote UE 1 requests 20 a remote service via a first communication channel 3. A relay UE 2 receives 21 the request. Further, an RSP 5 sends 10 a service catalog to the relay UE 2, the service catalog comprising a list of offered remote services and quality of service characteristics of the offered remote services. The relay UE 2 receives 11 the service catalog. The relay UE 2 then determines 22 whether the requested remote service can be provided by the RSP 5. Further, the relay UE 2 replies 23 to the remote UE 1 that the service can be provided and indicates a second communication channel 4. The remote UE 1 receives 24 the reply and the indication of the second communication channel 4.

[0056] Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, by studying the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. The fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not mean that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0057] Reference Signs List

[0058] 1 Remote UE

[0059] 2 Relay UE

[0060] 3 First communication channel

[0061] 4 Second communication channel

[0062] 5 RSP

[0063] 5.1 Network RSP

[0064] 5.2UE RSP

[0065] 10Send

[0066] 11 Receive

[0067] 12 combinations

[0068] 13 Instructions

[0069] 14 Receive

[0070] 15 replies

[0071] 16 Receive

[0072] 17 Instructions

[0073] 18 Receive

[0074] 19Provide remote services

[0075] 20 requests

[0076] 21 Receive

[0077] 22 OK

[0078] 23 Replies

[0079] 24 reception

Claims

1. A method for providing a remote service from one user equipment (UE) to another UE, the method comprising: Initializing a connection between a remote UE (1) and a relay UE (2) using a first communication channel (3); as well as The remote services are provided by the relay UE (2) to the remote UE (1) using a second communication channel (4).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein These remote services include computing, artificial intelligence, storage, caching, infotainment, map data, software updates, streaming, gaming, augmented reality, and / or extended reality.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The relay UE (2) is a vehicle, a mobile device, a drone, a robot, a high-altitude platform, an unmanned vehicle, a roadside unit and / or an intelligent infrastructure unit.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The steps to initiate a connection include: Receiving, by the relay UE (2), a service catalogue from a network teleservice provider RSP (5.1) and / or a UE RSP (5.2), said service catalogue comprising a list of offered teleservices and in particular also quality of service characteristics of the offered teleservices; Indicating, by the relay UE (2) via the first communication channel (3), the remote services provided, in particular as a consolidated service catalogue; The remote UE (1) replies to the relay UE (2) via the first communication channel (3) to request remote service; and The relay UE (2) indicates the second communication channel (4) to the remote UE (1).

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The steps to initiate a connection include: Requesting a remote service by the remote UE (1) via the first communication channel (3); Receiving, by the relay UE (2), a service catalogue from a network teleservice provider RSP (5.1) and / or a UE RSP (5.2), said service catalogue comprising a list of offered teleservices and in particular also quality of service characteristics of the offered teleservices; The relay UE (2) replies to the remote UE (1) via the first communication channel (3) that the requested remote service can be provided; and The relay UE (2) indicates the second communication channel (4) to the remote UE (1).

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The second communication channel (4) is different from the first communication channel (3).

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The second communication channel (4) is different from the first communication channel (3) in that the first communication channel (3) and the second communication channel (4) use different radio technologies, different radio resources, different spectrums, different carriers and / or different operators.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein The second communication channel (4) is a communication channel from one UE to another UE, in particular a sidelink channel in a mobile network, more particularly but not limited to a 5G or 6G network, WiFi, Bluetooth, a non-terrestrial network and / or a low power wide area network.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The communication channel from one UE to another UE uses a frequency range or a portion of a frequency range allocated to the mobile network operator MNO of the remote UE (1) and / or the relay UE (2), a frequency range or a portion of a frequency range allocated to an MNO other than the MNO of the remote UE (1) and the relay UE (2), or an unlicensed frequency range or a portion of an unlicensed frequency range.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: Spectrum sharing, leasing and / or roaming agreements are used when the frequency range or part of the frequency range used by the communication channel from one UE to another is not allocated to the MNO of the remote UE (1) and the MNO of the relay UE (2).

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, further comprising: The relay UE (2) periodically monitors and records radio resources and service usage between one UE and another UE, and determines a load of the second communication channel (4); The relay UE (2) periodically estimates future service demand based on service usage records; Determining, by the relay UE (2), whether the frequency range or a portion of the frequency range used by the communication channel from one UE to another UE meets a congestion criterion based on the determined load of the second communication channel (4) and / or the estimated future service demand; as well as In response to determining that the frequency range or the portion of the frequency range used by the communication channel from one UE to another UE meets the congestion criterion: changing a frequency range or a part of a frequency range used for communication from one UE to another UE, in particular by triggering a request for additional radio resources between one UE and another UE to the MNO of the relaying UE (2); receiving, by the relay UE (2), a response from the MNO indicating a resource usage policy and configuration for using additional radio resources; determining, by the relay UE (2), based on the reply received from the MNO, whether the additional radio resources between one UE and another UE are sufficient based on current and estimated service demands; as well as In response to determining that these additional radio resources between one UE and another UE are insufficient based on current and estimated service demand, it is indicated via the first communication channel (3) to selected UEs that these remote services are to be provided via another second communication channel (4), the selected UEs being grouped in particular based on the remote services used.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein The communication resources from one UE to another, the quality of service (QoS) requirements of these remote services and / or the data flows are managed locally by the relay UE (2).

13. A remote user equipment UE (1), configured to: Initializing a connection with the relay UE (2) using a first communication channel (3); and A second communication channel (4) is used to receive remote services from the relay UE (2).

14. A relay user equipment UE (2), configured to: initializing a connection with a remote UE (1) using a first communication channel (3); and A remote service is provided to the remote UE (1) using a second communication channel (4).

15. The relay UE (2) according to claim 14, further configured to: Regularly monitoring and recording radio resources and service usage between one UE and another UE, and determining a load of the second communication channel (4); Periodically estimate future service needs based on service usage records; as well as determining whether a frequency range or a portion of a frequency range used by the second communication channel (4) meets a congestion criterion based on the determined load of the second communication channel (4) and / or the estimated future service demand; and In response to determining that the frequency range or a portion of the frequency range used by the second communication channel (4) meets the congestion criterion: changing the frequency range or a part of the frequency range used for the second communication channel (4), in particular by triggering a request for additional radio resources between one UE and another UE to the mobile network operator MNO of the relay UE (2); receiving a response from the MNO indicating a resource usage policy and configuration for using additional radio resources; determining, based on the reply received from the MNO, whether the additional radio resources between the one UE and the other UE are sufficient based on current and estimated service demand; and In response to determining that the additional radio resources between one UE and another UE are insufficient based on current and estimated service demand, indicating to selected UEs via the first communication channel (3) that the remote services are to be provided via another second communication channel (4), the selected UEs being grouped in particular based on the remote services used; and Radio resources and data flows between one UE and another UE are managed based on the quality of service and service characteristics.

Images