Method for determining virtual topology of wireless bridge

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for determining a virtual topology of a wireless bridge of a communication system within a time-sensitive network, the wireless bridge handling a set of user equipments, the communication system further comprising a centralized network configuration node, the method comprises the following steps: constructing a virtual topology of a wireless network bridge and providing the virtual topology of the wireless network bridge to a centralized network configuration node, wherein the virtual topology comprises a first side for processing uplink communications, a second side for processing downlink communications, and at least one user plane function ring network bridge connected to the first side and the second side. The invention also relates to a corresponding communication system and to a corresponding computer program.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure pertains to the telecommunications sector.

[0002] This disclosure relates more specifically to a method, communication system, and computer program for determining the virtual topology of wireless bridges in a communication system within a time-sensitive network. Background Technology

[0003] This disclosure aims to integrate wireless bridges into time-sensitive networks in a way that better represents the ability of wireless bridges to perform UE-UE communication over base stations.

[0004] European patent application EP 22306171.4, filed on August 2, 2022, defines a 5GS TSN model for data flow transmission between a terminal station on the UPF side (NW-TT) and a terminal station on the UE side (DS-TT). It does not cover the case of data flow between two UEs, where a data flow consists of a UL trunk and a DL trunk.

[0005] According to state-of-the-art methods, a bridge model can typically be modified to enable communication between specific ports by adding connections between them.

[0006] However, under the current circumstances, the 5GS TSN model disclosed in EP 22306171.4 is not designed to specifically depict UE-to-UE communication through one or more base stations.

[0007] Due to structural issues, adding such a connection according to the above-mentioned existing technology method would be undesirable, as it would cause high jitter and poor performance.

[0008] Therefore, it is necessary to determine a new wireless bridge model, which requires:

[0009] - Allows the UE to perform UE-to-UE communication through one or more base stations.

[0010] - Limit transmission jitter,

[0011] -Optimize wireless performance and capacity, and

[0012] - Even when packets are presented only in TDMA mode, multiplexing of wireless communication is beneficial. Summary of the Invention

[0013] This disclosure improves upon this situation.

[0014] A method is proposed for determining the virtual topology of a wireless bridge in a time-sensitive network communication system, wherein the wireless bridge handles a group of P user equipments (UEs), and the communication system further includes a centralized network configuration node.

[0015] The method includes constructing a virtual topology of the wireless bridge and providing the virtual topology of the wireless bridge to the central network configuration node.

[0016] -The virtual topology includes a first side (UL) for processing uplink communication, a second side (DL) for processing downlink communication, and at least a user plane function (UPF) ring bridge connecting the first side and the second side.

[0017] The proposed virtual topology allows UE-UE communication via one or more base stations, particularly due to the UPF ring bridge connecting the first and second sides. The proposed virtual topology is more accurate for representing 5G systems integrated into TSN networks, as in 5G systems all UE-UE communication is transmitted via the User Plane Function (UPF) of the core network. The separation of the two sides allows for optimized time transmission, as UE-UE communication can be performed in two separate steps: first, packets are sent from the source to the UPF ring bridge, and then packets are sent from the UPF ring bridge to the receiver.

[0018] For example, a User Plane Function (UPF) ring bridge may include:

[0019] - Provides the first port for access to the core network side (NW-TT),

[0020] - Provides a second port for access to the first side (UL).

[0021] - Provides a third port for access to the second side (DL).

[0022] - A unidirectional internal link from the second port to the first port.

[0023] - A unidirectional internal link from the first port to the third port, and

[0024] - A one-way internal link from the second port to the third port.

[0025] This topology of the UPF ring bridge allows UE-CN communication to be represented by an internal link from the second port to the first port, CN-UE communication to be represented by an internal link from the first port to the third port, and UE-UE communication to be represented by an internal link from the second port to the third port.

[0026] For example, the first side (UL) may include a multiplexer (Mux), the second side (DL) may include a demultiplexer (Demux), and the virtual topology may include a corresponding radio communication transmission bridge on each side.

[0027] Multiplexers integrated into radio communication transmission bridges allow for optimization of the radio performance and capacity of uplink tributaries in UE-to-CN and UE-to-UE communications. This allows multiplexed wireless communications to benefit even when packets are presented solely in TDMA mode. Similarly, demultiplexers integrated into radio communication transmission bridges allow for optimization of the radio performance and capacity of downlink tributaries in CN-to-UE and UE-to-UE communications.

[0028] For example, a multiplexer (Mux) may include a first port providing access to a User Plane Function (UPF) ring bridge, Mul second ports providing access to a radio communication transmission bridge on a first side (UL), and Mul unidirectional internal links, each from a corresponding one of the Mul second ports to the first port. Similarly, a demultiplexer (Demux) may include a first port providing access to a UPF ring bridge, Mdl second ports providing access to a radio communication transmission bridge on a second side, and Mdl unidirectional internal links, each from the first port to a corresponding one of the Mdl second ports. In the context of this invention, a “unidirectional link” from A to B is a link with a finite delay in the specified direction (which may also be referred to as the “desired direction” or “favorable direction,” i.e., for sending packets from A to B) and an infinite or very high finite delay in the opposite direction (i.e., for sending packets from B to A). This definition can be applied to any unidirectional link mentioned in this document, such as one or more or all of the unidirectional internal links applied to a user plane function ring bridge, and / or one or more or all of the unidirectional internal links applied to a multiplexer. Each unidirectional link may optionally be a so-called "perfect" unidirectional link, which is defined as a link having a delay that is substantially equal to zero in the desired direction and a delay that is infinite or a very high finite value in the opposite direction. A delay that is "substantially equal to zero" is less than or equal to a very small finite value. As a non-limiting example, a "very small finite value" may be in the range of 0 to 10 nanoseconds, preferably in the range of 0 to 1 nanosecond, more preferably in the range of 0 to 1 picosecond, while a "very high finite value" may be the maximum value authorized on the interface with the controller, typically a few seconds.

[0029] For example, a wireless bridge may have Mul independent transport channels for uplink communication and Mdl independent transport channels for downlink communication. Multiple transport channels are referred to as "independent" when the communication performance provided by any of these transport channels is not affected by coexisting traffic through any of the other transport channels. In this regard, independent transport channels may, for example, each connect to a corresponding UE cluster in a set of independent UE clusters, wherein such independent UE clusters are defined such that the communication performance provided to UEs belonging to one cluster is not affected by traffic to or from any UE belonging to another cluster.

[0030] For example, a radio communication transmission bridge on the first side may include Mul first ports providing access to a multiplexer (Mux), Mp second ports providing access to a user equipment, and Mul unidirectional internal links from one of the Mp second ports to one of the Mul first ports. A radio communication transmission bridge on the second side may include Mdl first ports providing access to a demultiplexer (Demux), Mp second ports providing access to a user equipment, and Mdl unidirectional internal links from one of the Mdl first ports to one of the Mp second ports. The Mul unidirectional internal links and the Mdl unidirectional internal links may be associated with a delay that at least represents a radio transmission delay.

[0031] For example, a virtual topology may include virtual splitters extending on both sides, with a multiplexer on the first side and a demultiplexer on the second side.

[0032] For example, a virtual topology may include transmission bridges extending on both sides, and a corresponding radio communication transmission bridge on each side.

[0033] A communication system within a time-sensitive network is also proposed, comprising a wireless bridge that handles a group of P user equipments (UEs), and a centralized network configuration node configured to construct a virtual topology for the wireless bridge and provide the virtual topology to the central network configuration node. The virtual topology includes a first side (UL) for handling uplink communication, a second side (DL) for handling downlink communication, and a ring bridge with at least user plane function (UPF) connected to the first and second sides.

[0034] A computer program comprising instructions is also proposed, which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods described above.

[0035] Other features, details and advantages will be shown in the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0036] [ Figure 1 ]

[0037] Figure 1 It is a known representation of a time-sensitive network or "TSN network" as defined in the prior art.

[0038] [ Figure 2 ]

[0039] Figure 2 It is a TSN bridge model as defined in the prior art, which shows the known latency calculation between two terminal stations via a TSN bridge.

[0040] [ Figure 3 ]

[0041] Figure 3 It shows that according to Figure 2 The TSN bridge model has gate openings and packet propagation along the data path, as known from the prior art.

[0042] [ Figure 4 ]

[0043] Figure 4 This is the existing technology representation of a 5G TSN bridge.

[0044] [ Figure 5 ]

[0045] Figure 5 It is the existing technology representation of a 5G TSN bridge within a TSN network.

[0046] [ Figure 6 ]

[0047] Figure 6 It is a 5G TSN bridge model for NW-TT-DS-TT communication proposed in European patent application EP 22306171.4.

[0048] [ Figure 7 ]

[0049] Figure 7 Two different data paths between user equipment connected via a wireless TSN bridge are shown according to an embodiment.

[0050] [ Figure 8 ]

[0051] Figure 8 A modified version of the model proposed in European patent application EP 22306171.4 according to the embodiment is depicted. Figure 8 The use of this model is further illustrated here. Figure 7 The data path described in the calculation corresponds to the latency of the data flow.

[0052] [ Figure 9 ]

[0053] Figure 9 The following is shown in the implementation method according to Figure 8 The model described in the text represents possible TSN scheduling.

[0054] [ Figure 10 ]

[0055] Figure 10 A TSN bridge model according to an implementation method is shown.

[0056] [ Figure 11 ]

[0057] Figure 11 The following is shown in the implementation method according to Figure 11 The model described in the text represents possible TSN scheduling.

[0058] [ Figure 12 ]

[0059] Figure 12 Another TSN bridge model according to an implementation method is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0060] Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) is a set of standards developed by the Time-Sensitive Networking Task Group of the IEEE 802.1 working group. Its goal is to provide a complete real-time communication solution with deterministic Quality of Service (QoS).

[0061] To achieve guaranteed end-to-end latency in transmitting packets between the speaker and the receiver, it is necessary to rely on a predetermined data path or route and the scheduling of the operation of network elements along the path.

[0062] A TSN network connects terminal stations (ES) together. Terminal stations are devices located at the edge of a TSN network and can communicate with each other through the TSN network. A terminal station typically includes a speaker (102) that acts as a source or transmitter of a data stream and a listener (104) that acts as a receiver or destination of the data stream.

[0063] TSN networks also include, for example, Figure 1 The components shown.

[0064] Different service categories with different priorities can coexist on a TSN network. Each service category may have specific requirements, such as in terms of available bandwidth and / or end-to-end latency. Therefore, data flow requirements are advertised by the terminal stations to a centralized user configuration system denoted as CUC (180), which is a system configured to discover terminal stations, their capabilities and user requirements, configure latency-optimized TSN features, and send these TSN features to a centralized network configuration node (denoted as CNC (190)). The aforementioned TSN features may include, for example, TSN data flow requirements and TSN network topology.

[0065] TSN networks also rely on one or more TSN bridges (100). A TSN bridge is a switching device that enables communication between any number of speakers and listeners over a TSN network. Packets arriving at one port (ingress) of a bridge can be routed to another port (egress) with a bounded delay. Packets are buffered at an egress port until the port is opened after the time strobe window table.

[0066] Based on TSN characteristics received from the CNC and further based on information received from TSN bridges, a time gating window is determined through calculations performed by the CNC. The CNC discovers the physical topology of the TSN network by communicating with the TSN bridges and gaining their ability to further schedule packets among devices. More specifically, the information received by the CNC from different TSN bridges may include egress and ingress port identifiers, service categories and QoS indicators, such as routing delays in the form of minimum and maximum delays for each port pair.

[0067] The CNC can then calculate the scheduler (i.e., transmission time) of intermediate bridges between TSN terminal stations, as well as the control parameters of the time-aware shaping (TAS) of different bridges, and routing decisions such as bridge selection. These calculations are performed to meet the requirements of TSN data flow.

[0068] A TSN bridge relays packets from one port to another based on some parameters specific to each port pair, represented by the internal links. These parameters are typically: correlated delay (i.e., which depends on the payload and can be considered as the reciprocal of the instantaneous throughput of the link) and independent delay (i.e., the fixed delay for each packet transmission).

[0069] In a centralized implementation of a TSN network, these parameters are provided to the CNC, which collects information on the network link topology and capacity, as well as data flow requirements. After defining the data paths used to send packets from one terminal station to another via bridges in the TSN network, the CNC calculates the scheduling of gate openings for packets flowing from one ES to another, while ensuring their transmission delays. To do this, the CNC calculates the cumulative delay from the egress port to the egress port of two consecutive bridges along the data path, where the egress port is defined as the output port of the bridge along the packet flow direction of the path (while the ingress port is the bridge input port).

[0070] In practice, for each bridge port, packets are buffered and sent sequentially when the gate is open. Therefore, time multiplexing is inherent to each bridge port, while concurrent transmission is possible between two different ports of a TSN bridge.

[0071] By convention, in the current TSN standard, when a stream flows through a TSN bridge, the end-to-end delay is calculated by considering the aggregated delays of the transmission links between previous bridges (external links) on the path and the bridge's internal links between input ports (ingress) and output ports (exgress). In a typical TSN network, these aggregated delays are considered in the Central Scheduler (CNC), which guarantees no packet collisions on the transmission links in the time domain.

[0072] Figure 2 Several consecutive bridges (100) are depicted on the data path associated with a given data flow. Following the flow direction, the data path passes through these bridges. The entry port, and then through the bridge The exit port (200) is then connected via a bridge. The ingress port (204) is then connected via a bridge. The exit port (202) then goes through another bridge. The entry port (206), and so on.

[0073] A directional port pair is defined as a pair of (ingress, egress) ports along a data path. It is important to note that ports are typically bidirectional, resulting in unbalanced capacity for internal links flowing in one or the other direction. Therefore, a port pair can be represented as two independent port pairs with opposite orientations.

[0074] exist Figure 2 In the example, bridge The ingress port (204) and the bridge The exit port (202) forms a directional port pair whose orientation follows the data flow and therefore from the bridge The exit port (200) to the bridge The exit port (202).

[0075] Considering the aforementioned directional port pairs, by the bridge The provided related delay It is a network bridge The exit port (200) and bridge The delay between the inlet port (204) and the bridge corresponding to the cable bandwidth (labeled Dc) The ingress port (204) and the bridge The corresponding bridge between the exit ports (202) The sum of the internal bandwidth delays.

[0076] Still considering the aforementioned directional port pairs, the bridge Provided independent latency It corresponds to a bridge. The latency of the internal mechanism is independent of bandwidth.

[0077] Furthermore, each outgoing port of a bridge is associated with a transmission delay (labeled TxPropagationDelay) in the cable connecting it to the corresponding incoming port of another bridge. This is particularly relevant for connecting bridges. The exit port (202) and the bridge The cable at the inlet port (206).

[0078] Aggregating or summing all the above delays allows the calculation of the end-to-end delay of communication between two terminal stations via a continuous bridge, based on the represented data path.

[0079] Figure 3 An example of a bridge gate opening schedule that can be defined by a CNC to propagate packets along the data path is shown. This example schedule is suitable for implementing time-guaranteed packet transmission.

[0080] First time interval It can be configured for use in bridges The first door (302) is opened at the exit port (200). This allows access from the bridge. Send packets of size P. Then, in a second time interval consecutive to the first time interval... After that, on the internet bridge A packet of size P is received at the exit port (202). Third time interval It can be configured for use in bridges The exit port (202) opens a second gate (304). This allows packets of size P to pass through the bridge. Send to the next network element.

[0081] As previously mentioned, end-to-end delay is calculated by considering the aggregated delay of the transmission links between the previous bridge (external link) on the path and the internal links between the bridge's input (ingress) and output (exgress) ports. This is described in the 802.1QCC standard as: "Length-dependent delay typically includes the time for receiving and storing each octet of a frame, and this time depends on the link speed of the ingress port. For example, if the ingress port operates at 1 Gb / s, both dependentDelayMin and dependentDelayMax can return 8000. If there is an internal communication mechanism within the bridge's architecture (i.e., in a repeater), the time of that mechanism is added to the frame-dependent delay. For example, if a 100 Mb / s serial link connects the ingress and egress ports, the previous example with a 1 Gb / s link speed could return 88000 for dependentDelayMin and dependentDelayMax."

[0082] Figure 4 This represents a TSN wireless bridge model for 5GS according to existing technology. A TSN wireless bridge model is a virtual topology of network elements that behave as actual bridges when integrated into a TSN network. 5GS is an example of such an element. In existing methods of integrating a 5G system (5GS) into a TSN network, 5GS is represented or declared to the CNC (190) as a regular TSN bridge (400) with a one-to-many topology including ports / gates, wherein the bridge (400) has one NW (network) port (410) and two DS (device-side) ports (412, 414). Figure 5 The document provides a more complete view of the internal structure of a 5G TSN bridge, describing the main components of the 5G core network (CN) and radio access network (RAN).

[0083] In the context of a one-to-many bridge, the bottleneck lies in the external transport link, on which a TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) strategy is applied as a result of CNC scheduling. This does not affect performance once the capacity of the internal links significantly exceeds that of the transport links. However, when the bridge has the ability to use internal links simultaneously, the convention of considering aggregation delays causes performance degradation. In reality, even if the bridge's internal links can be used simultaneously, they are actually used sequentially due to the TDMA on the input transport links.

[0084] This situation arises when considering 5G TSN bridges, where internal link capacity is correlated with radio transmission capacity, which is typically worse than the input link capacity dependent on wired Ethernet. By using existing technical models and representing 5GS as a one-to-many topology, a TDMA strategy is applied to all packets flowing through the 5G TSN bridge. Unfortunately, TDMA is generally not the optimal multiplexing scheme for wireless networks because other multiplexing dimensions can be utilized without performance loss, such as frequency (using several subbands in the frequency domain), space (using multiple antennas), and site (frequency reuse between several non-interfering sites). Therefore, the existing technical definition of the 5G TSN bridge model fails to utilize the multiplexing capabilities of 5GS, resulting in suboptimal performance.

[0085] European patent application EP 22306171.4 has proposed a 5GS TSN bridge model that allows for improved 5GS bridge performance, such as increasing the number of supported TSN data streams and / or reducing the guaranteed latency of TSN data streams flowing through the 5GS bridge. Figure 6 As shown, EP 22306171.4 describes a wireless bridge model for DS-TT-UPF-DS-TT data streams, in other words, for transmitting data streams between terminal stations on the UPF side (NW-TT) and UE side (DS-TT). UEs can receive packets from or send packets to the TSN network. This bridge model for downlink and uplink allows the utilization of multiplexing dimensions by grouping UE packets into independent clusters. A cluster is defined such that the communication performance provided to UEs belonging to one cluster is unaffected by traffic to or from any UE belonging to another cluster. The bridge model includes a multiplexing / demultiplexing block B' (600), which includes an NW-TT port (602) and Mcl DS-side ports (604, 606) corresponding to the number of multiplexing dimensions (i.e., the number of possible parallel transmissions of 5GS). The model also includes a main block B (420) having Mcl NW-side ports (410, 420) and Mp DS-TT ports (412, 422). Each NW-side port is connected to a corresponding port in the DS-side ports (604, 606) of the multiplexing / demultiplexing block. Each DS-TT port is associated with a corresponding UE in a group of Mp UEs processed by the wireless bridge and Mcl independent internal channels. Each internal channel connects the NW-side port to multiple DS-TT ports associated with UEs belonging to the same cluster.

[0086] In a 5G system, one or more terminal stations connected to a UE can send packets to another terminal station connected to another UE. This communication can be direct communication from one UE to another (referred to as a sidelink in 3GPP), or it can be divided into two steps: an uplink step, where the UE sends packets to the 5G base station; and a downlink step, where the base station or another base station sends packets to the destination UE. Data is transmitted from one base station to another through the core network. In 5G, each base station has a scheduler that manages the uplink and downlink steps to avoid radio interference and optimize communication timing.

[0087] EP 22306171.4 does not cover the case of data flow between two UEs, where a data flow consists of UL trunk and DL trunk, but only covers one-way communication (UL or DL).

[0088] An update is needed to expand the wireless bridge model so that it also supports DS-TT-DS-TT communication.

[0089] An example of this communication is... Figure 7 Provided by China. Figure 7 This represents a 5GS bridge comprising one NW-TT / UPF, two base stations BS1 and BS2, and four UE / DS-TT devices. Three of the UE / DS-TT devices (UE1, UE2, and UE3) are connected to the first base station BS1, and the last one (UE4) is connected to the second base station BS2. Further illustration shows two UE / DS-TT communications: a first data stream (702) from UE1 to UE2, and a second data stream (704) from UE4 to UE3. Note that both data streams (702 and 704) pass through the UPF.

[0090] To add UE-to-UE communication capability Figure 6 The 5G TSN bridge model described in [the document] is now presented in this document as follows: Figure 8 Modifications are described in the diagram. For example, a delayed connection can be added between DS-TT ports (412, 414) connected to the same NW-side port (410) of the main block (400) for communication between UEs belonging to the same cluster. A connection with null delay can also be added between DS-side ports (604, 606) of the demultiplexing block (600) to allow communication between UEs belonging to different clusters and connected to DS-TT ports (416, 422) that are not connected to the same NW-side port of the main block (400).

[0091] As mentioned earlier, the link between bridges / devices is bidirectional. Bridge ports have ingress (input) and egress (output) connections. Inside the bridge, the two ports are connected as follows: Ingress port i is connected to egress port j, forming a connection labeled... The capability / delay of the directional ports is ij. The inlet port j is connected to the outlet port i, forming a configuration labeled as... The capability / latency of the directional port to ji, It can be different .

[0092] The first communication (802) is represented as a communication from a first terminal station ES1 to a second terminal station ES2. ES1 is connected to a first DS-TT port (412). ES2 is connected to a second DS-TT port (414). This can correspond to, for example, two UEs attached to the same base station. The scenario. Then, the communication delay provided to the CNC for port pairs (412, 414). This can correspond to the first total delay of the uplink transmission from the first DS-TT port (412) to the base station BS1 and the downlink transmission from BS1 to the second DS-TT port (414).

[0093] The second communication (804) is represented as a communication from the fourth terminal station ES4 to the third terminal station ES3. ES3 is connected to the third port (416). ES4 is connected to the fourth port (422). The third DS-TT port (416) is connected to the first NW side port (410), while the fourth DS-TT port (422) is connected to a different second NW side port (420). This can correspond to, for example, two UEs attached to different base stations. BS2 scenario. Then, the communication latency provided to the CNC. This can correspond to the second total delay (labeled as) of the uplink transmission from the fourth DW-TT port (422) to the second NW-side port (420). The second total delay (labeled as) of the downlink transmission from the first NW-side port (410) to the third DW-TT port (416) and the second total delay of the downlink transmission. This communication can be completed in two steps: first, the uplink step, and then the downlink step.

[0094] When only the first communication (802) is considered, the first total delay declared to the CNC correctly represents the transmission time by taking into account the uplink capacity and frame duration, as well as the downlink capacity and frame duration. The same is true when only the second communication (804) is considered: the second total delay declared to the CNC correctly represents the transmission time by taking into account the uplink capacity and frame duration, as well as the downlink capacity and frame duration.

[0095] Figure 9 It shows the use of Figure 8 The timetable (900) for opening and closing the door at base station BS1 in the exemplary scenario of the model shown in the figure.

[0096] When considering that two communications are activated simultaneously, and because Figure 8 The model shown in the diagram allows the CNC to choose to open the communication gates for the first communication (802) and the second communication (804) simultaneously or close to each other. However, in practice, the same base station cannot be used for both the first communication (802) and the second communication (804) simultaneously without affecting transmission time. Therefore, at least one of the first total delay and the second total delay declared to the CNC cannot be guaranteed. It must be noted that the same problem may occur when scheduling the first communication between the first terminal station ES1 and the second terminal station ES2, and the second communication between the third terminal station ES5 and the fourth terminal station ES3. More generally, due to the structure of the wireless TSN bridge model, using Figure 8 The wireless TSN bridge model shown in the figure may lead to contention at the base station due to scheduling DS-TT-DS-TT communication at the CNC.

[0097] For communication between two UEs handled by the same BS, the delay in notifying the CNC should not be less than the sum of the uplink (UL) delay and the downlink (DL) delay. This is necessary to preserve the link between the two UEs for communication throughout the transmission time.

[0098] This document presents an example of a UL / DL wireless TSN bridge model suitable as a 5GS model in a TSN network, which allows UE-to-UE communication and exhibits the same performance as the unidirectional UL or DL ​​TSN bridge disclosed in EP 22306171.4.

[0099] like Figure 10 and Figure 12 As shown, the proposed wireless UL / DL TSN bridge model includes a first side (1) for handling uplink (UL) communication, a second side (2) for handling downlink (DL) communication, and a user plane function (UPF) ring bridge (1020) connected to the first side and the second side.

[0100] The UPF ring bridge (1020) comprises three internal directional links: a first internal link for communication from the first side (1) to the NW-TT, a second internal link for communication from the NW-TT to the second side (2), and a third internal link for communication from the first side (1) to the second side (2). The UPF ring bridge (1020) allows for better utilization of the 5G system. All communication passes through the UPF ring bridge (1020), similar to how all communication actually handled by 5GS passes through the User Plane Function (UPF), which is one of the central components of the core system architecture.

[0101] Figure 10 and Figure 12 The communication links depicted are directional communication links: UL / DL links must be used exclusively for UL / DL communication. This functionality is communicated through the declared delay for each communication link. In its privileged orientation, the link has a declared delay equal to zero or equal to the transmission delay, while in its unprivileged orientation, the link has a declared delay equal to infinity. Figure 10 In the diagram, the delay in the direction of the arrow link is equal to the transmission delay, and the delay in the opposite direction is equal to infinity. and .

[0102] The delay of the three internal links of the UPF ring bridge (1020) is set to infinity in the undesired direction and to zero in the desired direction because the element is considered perfect.

[0103] The first side (1) is configured in UL mode: all internal communication links in the first side (1) are unidirectional and directed from the terminal station side to the UPF ring bridge side. For this purpose, an infinite delay can be set for DL ​​mode communication, which is not desirable in the first side (1).

[0104] The second side (2) is configured in DL mode: all internal communication links in the second side (2) are unidirectional and directed from the UPF ring bridge side to the terminal station side. For this purpose, unlimited capacity / delay can be set for UL mode communication, which is not desirable in the second side (2).

[0105] The first side (1) may also include a multiplexer combined with the first radio communication transmission bridge. Similarly, the second side (2) may also include a demultiplexer combined with the second radio communication transmission bridge. The multiplexer and demultiplexer are each similar to Figure 6 The multiplexing / demultiplexing blocks (600) each include NW-side ports and M DS-side ports, which correspond to the number of multiplexing dimensions, i.e. the number of possible parallel transmissions of 5GS in the corresponding communication mode. For the multiplexer, it is UL, and for the demultiplexer, it is DL.

[0106] like Figure 10 As shown, the proposed wireless UL / DL TSN bridge model can also include an uplink / downlink (UL / DL) splitter (1010), which comprises a multiplexer and a demultiplexer. The multiplexer forms one half of the UL / DL splitter, and the demultiplexer forms the other half. Figure 10As shown, the wireless UL / DL TSN bridge model may also include a transmission bridge (1000), which comprises two halves formed by a first radio communication transmission bridge and a second radio communication transmission bridge, respectively. Therefore, the 5GS can declare itself to the CNC (190) as a combination of three bridges: a UPF ring bridge (1020), a UL / DL splitter (1010), and a transmission bridge (1000).

[0107] Alternatively, 5GS can declare itself to CNC (190) as such Figure 12 The combination of the five bridges shown is: a first radio communication transmission bridge (1002), a multiplexer (1012), a UPF ring bridge (1020), a demultiplexer (1014), and a second radio communication transmission bridge (1004).

[0108] The proposed wireless UL / DL TSN bridge model avoids competition for UE-UE communication via the base station, while exhibiting the same performance as the unidirectional UL or DL ​​TSN bridge disclosed in EP 22306171.4 for communication between the UE and the core network.

[0109] By splitting all transmission delays in the UL tributary with a first delay and the DL tributary with a second delay, time transmission is optimized. Then, any UE can send a first packet as the UL tributary for first communication, and immediately afterwards be available to receive a second packet as the DL tributary for second communication.

[0110] The behavior of the proposed wireless UL / DL TSN bridge model is not ambiguous for 5GS. When considering both the first communication (802) and the second communication (804), as... Figure 11 The timeline (1100) shown can be prepared by the CNC (190), in which, due to the bottleneck at the UPF ring bridge (1020), UL packets are first sent through the first side (1), and then DL packets are sent through the second side (2). Therefore, the proposed model discloses to the CNC that UE-to-UE communication actually goes through the UPF, so the CNC (190) can take this feature into account.

Claims

1. A method for determining the virtual topology of a wireless bridge in a communication system within a time-sensitive network, the wireless bridge processing a set of... The communication system also includes a centralized network configuration node and a user equipment. The method includes constructing a virtual topology of the wireless bridge and providing the virtual topology of the wireless bridge to the central network configuration node. in, The virtual topology includes a first side for handling uplink communication, a second side for handling downlink communication, and at least one user plane functional ring bridge connected to the first side and the second side.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The user plane function ring network bridge includes: - Provides the first port for access to the core network side. - Provide a second port for access to the first side. - Provides a third port for access to the second side. - A unidirectional internal link from the second port to the first port. - A unidirectional internal link from the first port to the third port, and - A one-way internal link from the second port to the third port.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: A unidirectional internal link has a delay equal to zero or a very small value in the favorable direction.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: - The first side includes a multiplexer. - The second side includes a demultiplexer, and - The virtual topology includes a corresponding radio communication transmission bridge on each side.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The multiplexer includes a first port providing access to the user plane function ring network bridge and, on the first side, providing access to the radio communication transmission bridge. A second port, and Each unidirectional internal link originates from the aforementioned... The corresponding port in the second port is connected to the first port, and The demultiplexer includes a first port providing access to the user plane function ring network bridge and a second port providing access to the radio communication transmission bridge. A second port, and There are unidirectional internal links, each unidirectional internal link from the first port to the... One of the corresponding second ports.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein, The wireless bridge has features for uplink communication. One independent transmission channel and for downlink communication Each independent transmission channel.

7. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein: The radio communication transmission bridge on the first side includes a component that provides access to the multiplexer. A first port provides access to the user equipment. A second port and Each unidirectional internal link originates from the aforementioned... One of the second ports to the One of the first ports, - The radio communication transmission bridge on the second side includes a component that provides access to the demultiplexer. A first port provides access to the user equipment. A second port and Each unidirectional internal link originates from the aforementioned... One of the first ports to the One of the second ports, and - One-way internal link and Each unidirectional internal link is associated with a delay that represents at least the radio transmission delay.

8. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein, The virtual topology includes a virtual splitter extending on both sides, with the multiplexer included on the first side and the demultiplexer included on the second side.

9. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein, The virtual topology includes a transmission bridge that extends on both sides and includes a corresponding radio communication transmission bridge on each side.

10. A communication system within a time-sensitive network, the communication system comprising a wireless bridge for processing a group of P user devices, the communication system further comprising a centralized network configuration node, the communication system being configured to construct a virtual topology of the wireless bridge and provide the virtual topology of the wireless bridge to the centralized network configuration node, wherein, The virtual topology includes a first side for handling uplink communication, a second side for handling downlink communication, and at least one user plane functional ring bridge connected to the first side and the second side.

11. A computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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