Support for anticipated resource management between slices

Abstract

The invention relates to support for expected resource management between slices, and proposes a method comprising receiving, by a first device, a first message comprising a request for predicted user equipment (UE) traffic per cell for a second device. The first apparatus determines predicted UE traffic per cell of the second apparatus, and sends a second message to the second apparatus, the second message including a report of the predicted UE traffic per cell.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments relate generally to wireless networks, and more particularly to support for prospective resource management between slices. Background Art

[0002] Actions that may be used to perform resource management between slices in the Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) include actions used for load balancing in the event that network capacity is reduced due to energy saving actions (e.g., offloading to other frequency layers (inter-frequency handover) or cell activation). However, such actions may incur costs (e.g., in terms of energy consumption and / or temporary service interruption for the UEs involved) and may be subject to delays to allow the required load balancing actions to be performed.

[0003] If most of the resources of the NG-RAN node are allocated to slices that require resource isolation, this may result in additional demand for resource allocation among other supported slices that are not affected by resource isolation. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method includes receiving, by a first device, a first message including a request for a predicted user equipment (UE) traffic per cell for a second device. The first device determines the predicted UE traffic per cell for the second device and sends a second message to the second device, the second message including a report of the predicted UE traffic per cell.

[0005] In one aspect of the method, the first message is received from the second device.

[0006] In one aspect of the method, the second message includes a report of predicted UE traffic per cell per network slice.

[0007] In one aspect of the method, the predicted UE traffic per cell is traffic incoming to the first device and destined for the second device.

[0008] In an aspect of the method, the first message includes a request for predicted UE traffic for at least a first UE of the one or more UEs.

[0009] In an aspect of the method, the first message includes a request for predicted UE traffic for a specified time period, and wherein the second message includes an average amount of predicted UE traffic per cell averaged over the specified time period.

[0010] In one aspect of the method, the first message includes a request for predicted UE traffic for a specific time.

[0011] In an aspect of the method, the first message includes a request for predicted UE traffic for a cell list, and wherein the second message includes predicted UE traffic for cells indicated by the cell list.

[0012] In one aspect of the method, the first message includes a request for predicted UE traffic for a slice list, and wherein the second message includes predicted UE traffic for slices indicated by the slice list.

[0013] In one aspect of the method, predicting UE traffic includes traffic throughput.

[0014] In one aspect of the method, the method further includes: receiving, by the second device, a second message from the first device, the second message including a report of predicted UE traffic per cell; and performing load balancing between cells based on the received report of predicted UE traffic per cell.

[0015] In one aspect of the method, the method also includes: receiving, by the second device, a second message from the first device, the second message including a report of predicted UE traffic per cell per slice; and performing a slice reconfiguration or remapping action based on the received report of predicted UE traffic per cell.

[0016] In one aspect of the method, the first message includes a request for predicted UE traffic for at least a first UE among one or more UEs, wherein the second message includes predicted UE traffic for the first UE for a first cell of a second device, and wherein the second device estimates the traffic demand of the first UE if the first UE enters the first cell of the second device based on the predicted UE traffic for the first UE.

[0017] In one aspect of the method, the first device is a first network node controlling a first set of cells and the second device is a second network node controlling a second set of cells, and wherein at least one cell of the first set of cells is a neighbor cell of at least one cell of the second set of cells.

[0018] In one aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least perform any of the aforementioned methods.

[0019] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a processor-readable medium stores instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a device, cause the device to at least perform any of the aforementioned methods.

[0020] According to some aspects, the subject matter of the independent claims is provided. Further aspects are defined in the dependent claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0022] Figure 1 is a diagram of an example embodiment of wireless networking between a network system and a user equipment (UE) according to one illustrative aspect of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 2 is a diagram of example components of a network system according to one illustrative aspect of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 3 is a diagram of an example network implementing reporting of per-slice traffic predictions among nodes according to one illustrative aspect of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 4 is a diagram of an example network implementing per-slice traffic prediction among nodes according to one illustrative aspect of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 5 is a diagram of an example embodiment of signals and operations within an NG-RAN according to one illustrative aspect of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 6 is a diagram of an example embodiment of signals and operations among a UE, a gNB-CU-CP, and a gNB-CU-UP according to one illustrative aspect of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 7 is a diagram of an example embodiment of signals and operations within an NG-RAN according to another illustrative aspect of the present disclosure; and

[0029] Figure 8 is a diagram of an example embodiment of components of a UE or network device according to one illustrative aspect of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed aspects. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the various aspects can be practiced without one or more of these specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures associated with transmitters, receivers, or transceivers are not shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the various aspects.

[0031] Reference throughout this specification to "one aspect" or "an aspect" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that aspect is included in at least one aspect. Thus, the phrases "in one aspect" or "in an aspect" appearing throughout this specification are not necessarily referring to the same aspect. Furthermore, in one or more aspects, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner.

[0032] The embodiments described in the present disclosure may be implemented in wireless networking devices, such as, but not limited to, devices utilizing Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM, 2G), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), General Packet Radio Service (GRPS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS, 3G) based on basic Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, Enhanced LTE (eLTE), 5G New Radio (5G NR), 5G Advanced, 6G (and beyond), and 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6), among other wireless networking systems. The term "eLTE" herein refers to the evolution of LTE connected to a 5G core. LTE is also known as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (EUTRA) or Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN).

[0033] This disclosure may use the term "serving network device" to refer to a network node or network device (or a portion thereof) that serves a UE. As used herein, the terms "send to," "receive from," and "cooperate with" (and variations thereof) include communications that may or may not involve passing through one or more intermediate devices or nodes. The term "acquire" (and variations thereof) includes acquiring in a first instance or reacquiring after a first instance. The term "connect" may refer to a physical connection or a logical connection.

[0034] This disclosure uses 5G NR as an example of a wireless network, and may use a smartphone and / or an augmented reality headset as an example of a UE. This disclosure is intended and should be understood that such examples are merely illustrative, and that this disclosure is applicable to other wireless networks and user devices.

[0035] Figure 1is a diagram depicting an example of wireless networking between a network system 100 and a user equipment (UE) 150. The network system 100 may include one or more network nodes 120, one or more servers 110, and / or one or more network devices 130 (e.g., test devices). The network node 120 will be described in more detail below. As used herein, the term "network device" may refer to any component of the network system 100, such as a server 110, a network node 120, a network device 130, any (multiple) components of the foregoing, and / or any other (multiple) components of the network system 100. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to, devices that implement 5G NR aspects, etc. The present disclosure describes embodiments related to 5G NR and embodiments involving aspects defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). However, it is contemplated that embodiments related to other wireless networking technologies are within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0036] The following description provides further details of an example of a network node. In a 5G NR network, a gNodeB (also referred to as a gNB) may include, for example, a node that provides New Radio (NR) user plane and control plane protocol terminations to a UE and is connected to a 5G Core (5GC) via an NG interface, for example in accordance with 3GPP TS 38.300 V16.6.0 (2021-06) Section 3.2, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0037] The gNB supports various protocol layers, such as Layer 1 (L1) - physical layer, Layer 2 (L2), and Layer 3 (L3).

[0038] NR's Layer 2 (L2) is split into the following sublayers: Medium Access Control (MAC), Radio Link Control (RLC), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), and Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), where for example: oThe physical layer provides transport channels to the MAC sublayer; oMAC sublayer provides logical channels to RLC sublayer; oRLC sublayer provides RLC channels to PDCP sublayer; The oPDCP sublayer provides radio bearer to the SDAP sublayer; The oSDAP sublayer provides quality of service (QoS) flows to the 5GC; o Control channels include the Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) and the Physical Control Channel (PCCH).

[0039] Layer 3 (L3) includes Radio Resource Control (RRC), for example according to 3GPP TS 38.300 V16.6.0 (2021-06) section 6, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0040] The gNB Central Unit (gNB-CU) includes, for example, hosting the radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) protocol logical nodes for a gNB, or hosting the RRC and PDCP protocol logical nodes for an en-gNB. The gNB-CU controls the operation of one or more gNB distributed units (gNB-DUs). The gNB-CU terminates the F1 interface with the gNB-DUs. The gNB-CU may also be referred to herein as a CU, central unit, centralized unit, or control unit.

[0041] The gNB distributed unit (gNB-DU) includes logical nodes such as the radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layers of a hosted gNB or en-gNB, and its operation is partially controlled by the gNB-CU. A gNB-DU supports one or more cells. A cell is supported by only one gNB-DU. The gNB-DU terminates the F1 interface with the gNB-CU. The gNB-DU may also be referred to herein as a DU or distributed unit.

[0042] As used herein, the term "network node" may refer to any one of a gNB, a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU or any combination thereof. A RAN (Radio Access Network) node or a network node (such as, for example, a gNB, a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU or a portion thereof) may be implemented using, for example, a device having at least one processor and / or at least one memory having processor-readable instructions ("program") configured to support and / or provide and / or process functionalities and / or features related to the CU and / or DU, and / or at least one protocol (sub) layer (e.g., layer 2 and / or layer 3) of the RAN (Radio Access Network). Different functional splits between central units and distributed units are possible. This will be discussed below in conjunction with Figure 8 Examples of such devices and components are described.

[0043] The gNB-CU and gNB-DU components can, for example, be co-located or physically separated. The gNB-DU can even be further split into two components, such as one component including processing equipment and one component including antennas. The central unit (CU) can also be referred to as a baseband unit / radio equipment controller / cloud-RAN / virtual-RAN (BBU / REC / C-RAN / V-RAN), open-RAN (O-RAN), or a portion thereof. The distributed unit (DU) can also be referred to as a remote radio head / remote radio unit / radio equipment / radio unit (RRH / RRU / RE / RU), or a portion thereof. Hereinafter, in various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, a network node supporting at least one of the central unit functionality or layer 3 protocols of a radio access network can be, for example, a gNB-CU. Similarly, a network node supporting at least one of the distributed unit functionality or layer 2 protocols of a radio access network can be, for example, a gNB-DU.

[0044] A gNB-CU can support one or more gNB-DUs. A gNB-DU can support one or more cells and can therefore support a serving cell for a user equipment (UE) or a candidate cell for handover, dual connectivity, and / or carrier aggregation, among other procedures.

[0045] User equipment (UE) 150 may be or include a wireless or mobile device, a device having a radio interface for interacting with a RAN (Radio Access Network), a smart phone, a vehicle-mounted device, an IoT device, or an M2M device, as well as other types of user equipment. Such a UE 150 may include: at least one processor; and at least one memory including program code; wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the device to perform at least certain operations, such as an RRC connection to the RAN. Examples of components of the UE may be combined with Figure 8 In an embodiment, the UE 150 may be configured to generate a message (e.g., including a cell ID) to be sent to the RAN via radio (e.g., to reach and communicate with a serving cell). In an embodiment, the UE 150 may generate, send, and receive an RRC message containing one or more RRCPDUs (packet data units). Those skilled in the art will understand the RRC protocol and other procedures that the UE may perform.

[0046] Continue to refer Figure 1In the example of a 5G NR network, the network system 100 provides one or more cells that define the coverage area of ​​the network system 100. As described above, the network system 100 may include a gNB of the 5G NR network, or may include any other device configured to control radio communications and manage radio resources within a cell. As used herein, the term "resource" may refer to radio resources, such as resource blocks (RBs), physical resource blocks (PRBs), radio frames, subframes, time slots, subbands, frequency regions, subcarriers, beams, etc. In an embodiment, the network node 120 may be referred to as a base station.

[0047] Figure 1 The example is provided and only the network system 100 and the UE 150 are described. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the network system 100 includes Figure 1 Components not shown, and it will be understood that other user devices may communicate with the network system 100.

[0048] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A block diagram of example components of a network system 100 is shown. A 5G NR network may be described as an example of a network system 100, and it is intended that aspects described below may also apply to other types of network systems. The network system may be based on Figure 1 2 and 3. UE 150 communicates with network system 100 via radio access network 225 by operating the signals and connections shown in . Furthermore, the network system can be divided into user plane components and functions and control plane components and functions, as shown and described herein. Unless otherwise specified, the terms "component," "function," and "service" are used interchangeably herein and may refer to instructions executed by one or more processors and implemented by the instructions.

[0049] The following describes example functionality of the components. The example functionality is illustrative only, and it should be understood that additional operations and functionality can be performed by the components described herein. Furthermore, connections between components can be virtual connections via service-based interfaces, allowing any component to communicate with any other component. In this way, any component can act as a service "producer," providing network functionality to any other component acting as a service "consumer."

[0050] For example, a core network 210 is described in the control plane of the network system. The core network 210 may include an authentication server function (AUSF) 211, an access and mobility function (AMF) 212, and a session management function (SMF) 213. The core network 210 may also include a network slice selection function (NSSF) 214, a network open function (NEF) 215, a network repository function (NRF) 216, and a unified data management function (UDM) 217. The UDM may include a unified data repository (UDR) 224.

[0051] Additional components and functions of the core network 210 may include application function 218, policy control function (PCF) 219, network data analysis function (NWDAF) 220, analysis data repository function (ADRF) 221, management data analysis function (MDAF) 222, and operation and management function (OAM) 223.

[0052] The user plane includes UE 150, radio access network (RAN) 225, user plane function (UPF) 226 and data network (DN) 227. RAN 225 may include Figure 1 In conjunction with one or more components described above, such as one or more network nodes. However, the RAN 225 may not be limited to such components. The UPF 226 provides connectivity for data transmitted through the RAN 225. For example, the DN 226 identifies services from a service provider, Internet access, and third-party services.

[0053] AMF 212 handles connectivity and mobility tasks. AUSF 211 receives authentication requests from AMF 212 and interacts with UDM 217 to authenticate and verify network responses for successful authentication. SMF 213 performs packet data unit (PDU) session management and manages session context with UPF 226.

[0054] The NSSF 214 can select a network slice instance (NSI) and determine the allowed network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI). This selection and determination is used to set up the AMF 212 to provide services to the UE 150. The NEF 215 protects third-party access to network services to create dedicated network services. The NRF 216 acts as a repository for storing network functions to allow the functions to register and discover each other.

[0055] The UDM 217 generates authentication vectors for use by the AUSF 211 and ADM 212 and provides user identification processing. The UDM 217 may be connected to the UDR 224, which stores data associated with authentication, applications, etc. The AF 218 provides application services (e.g., streaming services, etc.) to users. The PCF 219 provides policy control functionality. For example, the PCF 219 may assist with network slicing and mobility management, as well as provide quality of service (QoS) and charging functions.

[0056] NWDAF 220 collects data (e.g., from UE 150 and network systems) to perform network analysis and leverages this analysis to provide insights into functions in service provisioning. ADRF 221 allows for the storage, retrieval, and removal of data and analysis by consumers. MDAF 222 provides additional data analysis services for network functions. OAM 223 provides provisioning and management processing functions to manage elements in or connected to the network (e.g., UE 150, network nodes, etc.).

[0057] Figure 2 are merely examples of components of a network system, and variations thereof are contemplated to be within the scope of this disclosure. In an embodiment, a network system may include Figure 2 Other components not shown in FIG. In an embodiment, the network system may not include Figure 2 In an embodiment, components and connections may be made using Figure 2 Such and other embodiments are contemplated to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0058] This document describes a method for improving the ability of NG-RAN nodes to perform anticipatory resource management between slices by exchanging expected / forecasted traffic information between NG-RAN nodes, with further details provided below. A node can predict traffic that it is expected to handle and that is destined for one of its neighboring nodes.

[0059] In various embodiments, a node may predict traffic based on UEs affected by mobility actions related to handover or dual connectivity. These mobility actions may be triggered by node predicted traffic, or may be predicted to be triggered by a node and have a neighboring node as the destination. In various embodiments, predicted traffic information may be determined based on a specific network slice. In various embodiments, predicted traffic information may be obtained and reported at a cell-level granularity. In various embodiments, predicted traffic information may be obtained and reported at a slice-level granularity per cell. In various embodiments, predicted traffic information may be obtained and reported at a node-level granularity.

[0060] A node can measure its own incoming traffic from different network nodes and can use this information to assess the accuracy or confidence of artificial intelligence / model learning (AI / ML) traffic predictions provided by its neighboring nodes.

[0061] In various embodiments, a node may have the ability to measure or predict traffic flow and exchange information with neighbors about the measured traffic flow, incoming traffic toward the network node, or predicted traffic flow. The node can then allocate resources accordingly to accommodate the incoming traffic flow. In various embodiments, an NG-RAN node may internally determine whether to reallocate some of its slice resources to address an overload scenario, for example, if the incoming traffic forecast exceeds the currently allocated resources for a particular network slice. In various embodiments, an NG-RAN node may anticipate resource management between slices, ensuring that the required resources are available when needed.

[0062] In various embodiments used herein, the terms gNB-DU, gNB-CU-CP, and gNB-CU-UP may also be understood to cover ng-eNB-DU, ng-eNB-CU-CP, and ng-eNB-CU-UP, respectively. Similarly, in various embodiments, the term F1 (corresponding to the F1 interface within the split gNB architecture) may be understood to cover the term W1 (corresponding to the W1 interface within the split ng-eNB architecture).

[0063] This document describes signaling to enable a node (e.g., an NG-RAN node) to request reports from one or more of its neighbors about the traffic that the neighboring node is sending or predicted to send to the requesting node. The traffic is generated by UEs affected by mobility actions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity). Those mobility actions may be triggered by the reporting node, or may be predicted to be triggered by the reporting node, and the requesting node is the target or predicted target for those mobility actions (e.g., the reporting node is the source node in the case of a handover, or the secondary node in the case of dual connectivity). The predicted traffic information may be determined based on a specific network slice.

[0064] In various embodiments, the requesting node may request the predicted incoming traffic information at a cell-level granularity. In this case, the reporting node may estimate the current traffic per cell within a set of cells from which the reporting node collects traffic information. The reporting node may then estimate the number of handovers from the set of cells to the cell of the requesting node. The number of handovers may be based on the known trajectories of the UEs in the set of cells, the number of UEs in the set of cells, statistical patterns, historical data, etc. The reporting node may perform a per-cell prediction of the requesting device and thereby obtain a predicted number of handovers for each cell. Based on the predicted number of handovers and the current traffic, the reporting node may predict per-cell traffic information for the requesting node.

[0065] In this case, the requesting node may include timing information in the request to define the time configuration at which the traffic prediction must occur. If a time is included in the configuration, the predicted traffic should be predicted by the reporting node at a specific time in the future. If a time interval (window) is included in the configuration, the reporting node may average the predicted traffic over the requested time window. In various embodiments, the reporting node may calculate or measure the evolution of the predicted traffic over the indicated time window and report to the requesting node over the indicated time interval (window).

[0066] The NG-RAN node may also receive predicted incoming traffic information at UE-level granularity. In this case, the reporting node may provide predicted incoming traffic information per slice and per cell predicted to be visited by the UE that is affected by the mobility action from the reporting node to the requesting node. In various embodiments, the requesting node may, with the help of this information, anticipate resource reservations in the first visited cell in the requesting node (the target cell of the mobility action) and in further predicted visited cells included in the UE's predicted trajectory.

[0067] As used herein, communication with a radio access network (RAN) may refer to and mean communication with a portion of the RAN, such as a network node (e.g., DU and / or CU) or another portion of the RAN. As used herein, communication with a core network may refer to and mean communication with one or more services / applications of the core network, such as an AMF or another service of the core network.

[0068] As used herein, the terms "first" and "second," etc., may refer to the first or second instance of a message sent / received by a component (e.g., a UE, a device, etc.) or by the first or second component in a sequence of components being described. Therefore, the terms are used in a non-limiting manner and may refer to any message, operation, device, component, etc.

[0069] According to the brief description, Figure 3 FIG. 3 is a diagram of an example network 300 implementing per-slice traffic prediction reporting among nodes according to one illustrative aspect of the present disclosure. Figure 3 As shown, a plurality of nodes (Node A, Node B, Node C, Node D) operating in respective cells communicate with each other.

[0070] from Figure 3As can be seen in FIG, node B requests and receives information about predicted incoming traffic from node C and node D. Node B can use the information that the traffic originated from node C or node D to determine the portion of traffic that will be further forwarded to node A. In various embodiments, node A requests the predicted incoming traffic to node A through node B per slice, and node B uses input from node C and node D to provide the predicted incoming traffic to node A through node B.

[0071] Figure 4 4 is a diagram of an example network 400 implementing per-slice traffic prediction among nodes according to one illustrative aspect of the present disclosure. To avoid issues with cascaded request signaling in a link-to-peer network, each network node reports to its neighbors the predicted traffic volume that is expected to be handed off by the network node to its neighbors.

[0072] For example, node A reports the predicted traffic per slice to be switched from node A to node B to node B. Node B reports the predicted traffic per slice to be switched from node B to node A to node A, reports the predicted traffic per slice to be switched from node B to node C to node C, and reports the predicted traffic per slice to be switched from node B to node D to node D. Node C reports the predicted traffic per slice to be switched from node C to node B to node B, and node D reports the predicted traffic per slice to be switched from node D to node B to node B.

[0073] Figure 5 is a diagram of an example embodiment of signals and operations within an NG-RAN according to one illustrative aspect of the present disclosure. In various embodiments, Figure 5 The components depicted in Figure 1 and Figure 2 It should be understood that the described signals may have associated operations, and the described operations may have associated signals.

[0074] like Figure 5As shown, for example, NG-RAN node 1 may request a report from a neighboring NG-RAN node 2 regarding predicted traffic volume expected to cross NG-RAN node 2's cell and arrive at NG-RAN node 1's cell. In this request, NG-RAN node 1 may also include a list of its own cells for which it wishes to know the predicted incoming traffic volume. In various embodiments, these cells are the target cells for the predicted incoming traffic volume. NG-RAN node 1 may alternatively include a corresponding list of source cells in NG-RAN node 2 for the traffic volume. If the request sent by NG-RAN node 1 does not include any cell list, NG-RAN node 2 may determine the cells to which the predicted traffic volume will be sent. NG-RAN node 1 may alternatively or additionally request information regarding the total traffic volume in NG-RAN node 2. In various embodiments, the request by NG-RAN node 1 may also include a list of slices for which it wishes to receive the predicted traffic volume. In this case, the request may be for the predicted traffic volume per slice per cell. In various embodiments, a data collection request message (eg, as introduced in 3GPP TS 38.423 Release 18) may be used to request predicted traffic from neighboring nodes.

[0075] A node receiving a request may confirm or deny such a request if it cannot provide a prediction.

[0076] In various embodiments, at operation 501, NG-RAN node 1 sends a measurement configuration request message to NG-RAN node 2, and NG-RAN node 2 receives the measurement configuration request message. In various embodiments, the measurement configuration request message includes one or more of the following: NG-RAN 1 measurement ID, cell list, slice list, node level, measurement configuration, and / or predicted time. In various embodiments, the measurement configuration request message may include a bitmap including the predicted traffic volume at the mth bit. In various embodiments, some of the information included in the measurement configuration request message may be optional.

[0077] At operation 502, NG-RAN node 2 sends a measurement configuration response message to NG-RAN node 1, and NG-RAN node 1 receives the measurement configuration response message. In various embodiments, the measurement configuration response message includes one or more of the following: NG-RAN 1 measurement ID, NG-RAN 2 measurement ID, and / or a failed reporting characteristics bitmap. In various embodiments, some of the information included in the measurement configuration response message may be optional.

[0078] At operation 503, NG-RAN node 2 may determine predicted traffic per slice and / or per cell at NG-RAN node 2 arriving at NG-RAN node 1 for a UE to be handed over from NG-RAN node 2 to NG-RAN node 1, and / or for a UE for which NG-RAN node 2 is or will become a MN and NG-RAN node 1 is or will become a SN (e.g., dual connectivity).

[0079] At operation 504, NG-RAN node 2 sends a measurement report to NG-RAN node 1, and NG-RAN node 1 receives the measurement report. In various embodiments, the measurement report includes one or more of the following: predicted traffic volume at NG-RAN node 2 arriving at NG-RAN node 1, predicted traffic volume per slice and per cell, predicted traffic volume for handover UEs, and predicted traffic volume for UEs in dual connectivity. In other examples, the predicted traffic volume at NG-RAN node 2 arriving at NG-RAN node 1 is reported as a whole per slice for NG-RAN node 2, for handover UEs, and for UEs in dual connectivity. NG-RAN node 1 can then determine the predicted incoming traffic volume per slice and per cell based on the traffic information already available in NG-RAN node 1.

[0080] exist Figure 5 In the various embodiments described in, a node receiving a request may confirm or reject such a request if it cannot provide a prediction. The node receiving the request then determines all traffic incoming to the node and destined for the cell of the requesting node. In order to obtain the predicted traffic coming to itself from all of its neighbors, the node may use different methods. In various embodiments, the node receiving the request may request the predicted traffic coming to itself from each of its neighbors. The predicted traffic may be measured per slice. In various embodiments, the node receiving the request may predict the incoming traffic itself by utilizing trajectories reported from its neighbors across its cell. In various embodiments, the node receiving the request may predict the incoming traffic itself by utilizing predicted trajectories reported from its neighbors across its cell.

[0081] In various embodiments, a node receiving a request for predicted traffic may be triggered to begin measuring the predicted traffic. In various embodiments, a node may maintain a prediction of the traffic traversing its cell to each of its neighbors, so that when a request for predicted traffic is received, the node can immediately respond to the request. The predicted traffic may be at a per-cell, per-slice granularity. The predicted traffic may also be measured per-UE.

[0082] The predicted traffic per cell may be one or more of the following aspects: predicted throughput measurement in UL and / or DL ​​direction; predicted data volume over a period of time.

[0083] In various embodiments, traffic prediction may also be performed at a granularity of per cell and per slice.

[0084] A node requesting predicted traffic from one or more neighboring NG-RAN nodes to itself can ultimately measure the actual measured incoming traffic from handover operations initiated by the neighboring nodes to its cells. In various embodiments, this information can be used at the node to assess the accuracy or confidence of the predicted traffic provided by the neighboring nodes.

[0085] In various embodiments, the measured traffic per cell may be one or more of the following aspects: throughput measurement in UL and / or DL ​​direction; amount of data over a period of time.

[0086] In various embodiments, the flow rate may also be measured at a granularity of per cell per slice.

[0087] A node may request predicted traffic on a per-node granularity from its neighbors. In various embodiments, the request may include a set of cells and a set of slices or a request for node-level traffic. If the request involves a set of cells and / or slices, the measurement report may include predicted traffic information per requested cell and / or slice. NG-RAN node 2 reports the traffic arriving at NG-RAN node 1 separately for UEs handed over from NG-RAN node 2 to NG-RAN node 1, and reports the traffic arriving at NG-RAN node 1 for UEs served in dual connectivity (NG-RAN node 2 is or becomes MN, NG-RAN node 1 is or becomes SN).

[0088] Figure 5 The operations are illustrative only, and variations thereof are contemplated within the scope of this disclosure. In an embodiment, the operations may include Figure 5 Other operations not shown in FIG. In an embodiment, the operation may not include Figure 5 In an embodiment, each operation shown in Figure 5 Such and other embodiments are contemplated to be within the scope of this disclosure. One skilled in the art will appreciate that although various example components are described as performing various functions, other components may also perform Figure 5 Those functions described in .

[0089] Figure 6 is a diagram of an example embodiment of signals and operations among a UE, a gNB-CU-CP, and a gNB-CU-UP according to one illustrative aspect of the present disclosure. In various embodiments, Figure 6 The components depicted in Figure 1 and 2It should be understood that the described signals may have associated operations, and the described operations may have associated signals.

[0090] like Figure 6 As shown, the gNB-CU-CP requests traffic or predicted traffic information related to one or more UE contexts from the gNB-CU-UP. The gNB-CU-UP determines the amount of measured or predicted traffic and reports the requested information to the gNB-CU-CP. A slice list may be included in the request message, and the measured or predicted traffic may be reported per slice.

[0091] For example, at operation 601, the gNB-CU-CP sends a measurement configuration request message to the gNB-CU-UP, and the gNB-CU-UP receives the measurement configuration request message. In various embodiments, the measurement configuration request message includes one or more of the following: a gNB-CU-CP measurement ID, a measurement configuration, a reporting period, and / or a predicted time. In various embodiments, the measurement configuration request message includes a bitmap including an nth bit for measurement traffic and an mth bit for predicted traffic.

[0092] At operation 602, the gNB-CU-UP sends a measurement configuration response message to the gNB-CU-CP, and the gNB-CU-CP receives the measurement configuration response message. In various embodiments, the measurement configuration response message may include one or more of the following: a gNB-CU-CP measurement ID, a gNB-CU-UP measurement ID, and / or a failure characteristics bitmap. In various embodiments, operations 601 and 602 may be measurement configurations.

[0093] At operation 603, the gNB-CU-CP sends a bearer context establishment request message to the gNB-CU-UP, and the gNB-CU-UP receives the bearer context establishment request message. In various embodiments, the bearer context establishment request message may include one or more of the following: an E1AP UE ID, a data collection ID, a gNB-CU-CP measurement ID, and a gNB-CU-UP measurement ID.

[0094] At operation 604, a context is created for the UE in the CU-UP and traffic is started. In various embodiments, operations 603 and 604 may be measurement collection triggers.

[0095] At operations 605 and 606, the gNB-CU-UP sends a measurement report to the gNB-CU-CP, and the gNB-CU-CP receives the measurement report. In various embodiments, the measurement report may include one or more of the following: a gNB-CU-CP measurement ID, a gNB-CU-UP measurement ID, per-slice per-UE measurements, and / or predicted traffic. In various embodiments, operations 605 and 606 may be measurement reports.

[0096] Figure 6 The operations are illustrative only, and variations thereof are contemplated within the scope of this disclosure. In an embodiment, the operations may include Figure 6 Other operations not shown in FIG. In an embodiment, the operation may not include Figure 6 In an embodiment, each operation shown in Figure 6 Such and other embodiments are contemplated to be within the scope of this disclosure. One skilled in the art will appreciate that although various example components are described as performing various functions, other components may also perform Figure 6 Those functions described in .

[0097] Figure 7 is a diagram of an example embodiment of signals and operations within an NG-RAN according to another illustrative aspect of the present disclosure. In various embodiments, Figure 7 The components depicted in Figure 1 and 2 It should be understood that the described signals may have associated operations, and the described operations may have associated signals.

[0098] like Figure 7 As shown, the NG-RAN node receives the predicted incoming traffic information per slice at UE level granularity as part of the predicted UE trajectory information transmitted during handover preparation. This information can be included in the XnAP Handover Request message based on OAM configuration or on a per-signaling request.

[0099] At operation 701 , the NG-RAN node 2 determines a predicted UE trajectory and a corresponding predicted UE traffic per slice per predicted visited cell.

[0100] At operation 702, NG-RAN node 2 sends a handover request to NG-RAN node 1, and NG-RAN node 1 receives the handover request. In various embodiments, the handover request may include a predicted UE trajectory and corresponding predicted UE traffic per slice per predicted visited cell.

[0101] Figure 7The operations are illustrative only, and variations thereof are contemplated within the scope of this disclosure. In an embodiment, the operations may include Figure 7 Other operations not shown in FIG. In an embodiment, the operation may not include Figure 7 In an embodiment, each operation shown in Figure 7 Such and other embodiments are contemplated to be within the scope of this disclosure. One skilled in the art will appreciate that although various example components are described as performing various functions, other components may also perform Figure 7 Those functions described in .

[0102] As described above, various message transmissions may be used in various embodiments. For example, in various embodiments, an XnAP measurement report may be sent. In various embodiments, this message is sent by an NG-RAN node to NG-RAN node 1 to report predicted traffic (e.g., NG-RAN node 2 → NG-RAN node 1). The following table illustrates an example XnAP measurement report according to an embodiment.

[0103] The following table shows an example E1AP measurement report according to various embodiments. In various embodiments, this message is sent by the gNB-CU-UP to the gNB-CU-CP to report the results of the requested measurement (e.g., gNB-CU-UP → gNB-CU-CP). Range Boundary explain maxnoofUEReports The maximum number of UEs included in the message. The value is 512. maxnoofSlicesInUE The maximum number of slices supported by the UE. The value is 8.

[0104] The following table shows a table implementation for including predicted traffic in the XnAP cell-based UE trajectory prediction IE (eg, in the XnAP handover request message).

[0105] The following table shows the predicted trajectory cell information. Range Boundary explain maxnoofSlicesInUE The maximum number of slices supported by the UE. The value is 8.

[0106] Operations are described below from the perspective of an apparatus, which in various embodiments may include an NG-RAN node, a gNB-CU-CP, or a gNB-CU-UP. From such a perspective, a method may include receiving, by a first apparatus, a first message including a request for a predicted user equipment (UE) traffic per cell for a second apparatus. The first apparatus determines a predicted UE traffic per cell for the second apparatus, and sends a second message to the second apparatus, the second message including a report of the predicted UE traffic per cell.

[0107] Now refer to Figure 8 , a block diagram of example components of a UE or network device (e.g., a RAN or core network) is shown. The device includes electronic storage 810, a processor 820, a network interface 840, and a memory 850. The various components can be communicatively coupled to each other. The processor 820 can be and can include any type of processor, such as a single-core central processing unit (CPU), a multi-core CPU, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a system on a chip (SoC), or any other type of processor. The memory 850 can be a volatile type of memory, such as RAM, or a non-volatile type of memory, such as NAND flash memory. The memory 850 includes processor-readable instructions that are executable by the processor 820 to cause the device to perform various operations, including those mentioned herein, such as Figures 3 to 7 The operations described in .

[0108] Electronic storage 810 can be and include any type of electronic memory for storing data, such as a hard drive, a solid-state drive, an optical disk, and / or other non-transitory computer-readable media, as well as other types of electronic memory. Electronic storage 810 stores processor-readable instructions for causing the device or configured to cause the device to perform its operations, and also stores data associated with such operations, such as data related to the 5G NR standard and other data. Network interface 840 can implement wireless networking technologies such as 5G NR and / or other wireless networking technologies.

[0109] Figure 8 The components shown in the figure are merely examples, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that the device includes other components not shown, and may include multiple components of any of the components shown. Such and other embodiments are contemplated to be within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, a transmitter and a receiver may be included as components for transmitting and receiving signals.

[0110] Other embodiments of the present disclosure include the following embodiments.

[0111] Example 1.1. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving, by a first device, a first message comprising a request for predicted user equipment (UE) traffic per cell for a second device; means for determining, by the first device, a predicted UE traffic per cell of the second device; and Means for sending, by the first apparatus to the second apparatus, a second message comprising a report of predicted UE traffic per cell.

[0112] Example 1.2. The apparatus of Example 1.1, wherein the first message is received from the second apparatus.

[0113] Example 1.3. An apparatus according to Example 1.1 or 1.2, wherein the second message includes a report of predicted UE traffic per cell per network slice.

[0114] Example 1.4. The apparatus of Example 1.1 or 1.2, wherein the predicted UE traffic per cell is traffic incoming to the first apparatus and destined for the second apparatus.

[0115] Example 1.5. The apparatus of any of Examples 1.1 to 1.4, wherein the first message comprises a request for predicted UE traffic for at least a first UE of the one or more UEs.

[0116] Example 1.6. An apparatus according to any of Examples 1.1 to 1.5, wherein the first message includes a request for predicted UE traffic for a specified time period, and wherein the second message includes an average amount of predicted UE traffic per cell averaged over the specified time period.

[0117] Example 1.7. The apparatus of any of Examples 1.1 to 1.6, wherein the first message comprises a request for predicted UE traffic for a specific time.

[0118] Example 1.8. The apparatus of any of Examples 1.1 to 1.7, wherein the first message comprises a request for predicted UE traffic for a cell list, and wherein the second message comprises predicted UE traffic for cells indicated by the cell list.

[0119] Example 1.9. An apparatus according to any of Examples 1.1 to 1.8, wherein the first message includes a request for predicted UE traffic for a slice list, and wherein the second message includes predicted UE traffic for a slice indicated by the slice list.

[0120] Embodiment 1.10. The apparatus of any of Examples 1.1 to 1.9, wherein the predicted UE traffic comprises traffic throughput.

[0121] Example 1.11. The apparatus of any of Examples 1.1 to 1.10, further comprising: means for receiving, by the second device, from the first device, a second message comprising a report of predicted UE traffic per cell; and Means for performing load balancing between cells based on received reports of predicted UE traffic per cell.

[0122] Example 1.12. The apparatus of Example 1.11, further comprising: means for receiving, by the second apparatus from the first apparatus, a second message comprising a report of predicted UE traffic per cell per slice; and Means for performing slice reconfiguration or remapping actions based on received reports of predicted UE traffic per cell.

[0123] Example 1.13. An apparatus according to any of Examples 1.1 to 1.12, wherein the first message includes a request for predicted UE traffic for at least a first UE of one or more UEs, wherein the second message includes predicted UE traffic for the first UE for a first cell of the second apparatus, and wherein the second apparatus estimates the traffic demand of the first UE if the first UE enters the first cell of the second apparatus based on the predicted UE traffic for the first UE.

[0124] Example 1.14. An apparatus according to any of Examples 1.1 to 1.13, wherein the first apparatus is a first network node controlling a first group of cells and the second apparatus is a second network node controlling a second group of cells, and wherein at least one cell of the first group of cells is a neighboring cell of at least one cell of the second group of cells.

[0125] Example 2.1 A method comprises: receiving a first message by a first device, the first message including a request for predicted user equipment (UE) traffic per cell for a second device; determining, by the first device, the predicted UE traffic per cell for the second device; and sending, by the first device, a second message to the second device, the second message including a report of the predicted UE traffic per cell.

[0126] Example 2.2 The method of Example 2.1, wherein the first message is received from the second device.

[0127] Example 2.3 The method of Example 2.1 or 2.2, wherein the second message includes a report of predicted UE traffic per cell per network slice.

[0128] Example 2.4 The method of Example 2.1 or 2.2, wherein the predicted UE traffic per cell is traffic incoming to the first device and destined for the second device.

[0129] Example 2.5 The method of any of Examples 2.1 to 2.4, wherein the first message includes a request for predicted UE traffic for at least a first UE of the one or more UEs.

[0130] Example 2.6 The method of any of Examples 2.1 to 2.5, wherein the first message includes a request for predicted UE traffic for a specified time period, and wherein the second message includes an average amount of predicted UE traffic per cell averaged over the specified time period.

[0131] Example 2.7 The method of any of Examples 2.1 to 2.6, wherein the first message includes a request for predicted UE traffic for a specific time.

[0132] Example 2.8 The method of any of Examples 2.1 to 2.7, wherein the first message includes a request for predicted UE traffic for a cell list, and wherein the second message includes predicted UE traffic for cells indicated by the cell list.

[0133] Example 2.9 The method of any one of Examples 2.1 to 2.8, wherein the first message includes a request for predicted UE traffic for a slice list, and wherein the second message includes predicted UE traffic for a slice indicated by the slice list.

[0134] Example 2.10 The method of any one of Examples 2.1 to 2.9, wherein the predicted UE traffic includes traffic throughput.

[0135] Example 2.11 The method according to any one of Examples 2.1 to 2.10 also includes: receiving a second message by the second device from the first device, the second message including a report of predicted UE traffic per cell; and performing load balancing between cells based on the received report of predicted UE traffic per cell.

[0136] Example 2.12 According to the method of Example 2.11, it also includes: receiving a second message by the second device from the first device, the second message including a report of predicted UE traffic per cell per slice; and performing a slice reconfiguration or remapping action based on the received report of predicted UE traffic per cell.

[0137] Example 2.13 A method according to any one of Examples 2.1 to 2.12, wherein the first message includes a request for predicted UE traffic for at least a first UE of one or more UEs, wherein the second message includes predicted UE traffic for the first UE for a first cell of the second device, and wherein the second device estimates the traffic demand of the first UE if the first UE enters the first cell of the second device based on the predicted UE traffic for the first UE.

[0138] Example 2.14. The method of any of Examples 2.1 to 2.13, wherein the first apparatus is a first network node controlling a first set of cells, and the second apparatus is a second network node controlling a second set of cells, and wherein at least one cell of the first set of cells is a neighboring cell of at least one cell of the second set of cells.

[0139] Example 2.15 A device comprises: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least perform: receiving a first message by the first device, the first message including a request for predicted user equipment (UE) traffic per cell for a second device; determining, by the first device, the predicted UE traffic per cell for the second device; and sending a second message by the first device to the second device, the second message including a report of the predicted UE traffic per cell.

[0140] Example 2.16 An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least perform the method according to any one of Examples 2.1 to 2.14.

[0141] Example 2.17 A processor-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of an apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least perform the method according to any one of Examples 2.1 to 2.14.

[0142] The embodiments and aspects disclosed herein are examples of the present disclosure and may be embodied in various forms. For example, although certain embodiments herein are described as separate embodiments, each embodiment herein may be combined with one or more other embodiments herein. The specific structural and functional details disclosed herein should not be interpreted as restrictive, but rather as the basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching those skilled in the art to employ the present disclosure in various ways in almost any appropriately detailed structure. Throughout the description of the drawings, the same reference numerals may refer to similar or identical elements.

[0143] The phrases "in one aspect," "in an aspect," "in various aspects," "in some aspects," or "in other aspects" may each refer to one or more of the same or different aspects according to the present disclosure. The phrase "plurality" may refer to two or more.

[0144] In various embodiments, the terms "first message" and "second message," as well as any subsequent messages, may refer to any messages sent or received in sequence and are not necessarily limited to any particular message.

[0145] The phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” “in various embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” or “in other embodiments” may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments according to the present disclosure. Phrases of the form “A or B” mean “(A), (B), or (A and B).” Phrases of the form “at least one of A, B, or C” mean “(A); (B); (C); (A and B); (A and C); (B and C); or (A, B, and C).”

[0146] Any of the methods, programs, algorithms, or codes described herein can be converted to or expressed as a programming language or computer program. As used herein, the terms "programming language" and "computer program" each include any language for specifying instructions to a computer, and include, but are not limited to, the following languages ​​and their derivatives: assembler, basic, batch files, BCPL, C, C++, C++, Delphi, Fortran, Java, JavaScript, machine code, operating system command languages, Pascal, Perl, PL1, Python, scripting languages, Visual Basic, the metalanguage that specifies the program itself, and all first, second, third, fourth, fifth, or higher generation computer languages. Databases and other data schemas and any other metalanguages ​​are also included. There is no distinction between languages ​​that interpret, compile, or use both compilation and interpretation methods. There is no distinction between the compiled version and the source version of a program. Therefore, when referring to a program, a programming language can exist in more than one state (such as source code, compiled, object code, or linked), and this refers to any and all of these states. Reference to a program may include the actual instructions and / or the intention of these instructions.

[0147] Although various aspects of the present disclosure have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, this is not intended to be limited thereto, as the disclosure is intended to be as broad in scope as the art will allow, and the specification is to be read accordingly. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as illustrative of particular aspects. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for communication, comprising: receiving, by a first device, a first message including a request for predicted user equipment (UE) traffic per cell for a second device; determining, by the first device, a predicted UE traffic per cell of the second device; The first device sends a second message to the second device, where the second message includes the report of the predicted UE traffic per cell. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first message is received from the second device.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second message includes a report of predicted UE traffic per cell per network slice. 4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the predicted UE traffic per cell is traffic incoming to the first device and destined for the second device. 5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first message comprises a request for predicted UE traffic for at least a first UE among one or more UEs.

6. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first message comprises a request for predicted UE traffic for a specified time period, and wherein the second message comprises an average amount of the predicted UE traffic per cell averaged over the specified time period.

7. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first message comprises a request for predicted UE traffic for a specific time.

8. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first message comprises a request for predicted UE traffic for a cell list, and wherein the second message comprises the predicted UE traffic for cells indicated by the cell list.

9. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first message includes a request for predicted UE traffic for a slice list, and wherein the second message includes the predicted UE traffic for the slice indicated by the slice list.

10. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the predicted UE traffic comprises traffic throughput.

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