Method and device for performance measurement function protocol message filling in mobile communication

Abstract

Various solutions are described for performance measurement function protocol (PMFP) message padding for user equipment and network devices in mobile communications. The apparatus may generate a first PMFP message. The first PMFP message may include a first fill value field. The device may encode the first padding value field using a random value. The apparatus may send a first PMFP message to a network node.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This invention is a part of a non-provisional application claiming priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 63 / 587,171, filed October 2, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates generally to mobile communications, and more specifically to the filling of performance measurement function protocol (PMFP) messages for user equipment and network devices in mobile communications. Background Technology

[0004] Unless otherwise stated in this invention, the methods described in this section are not prior art to the claims listed below, and are included in this section but are not acknowledged as prior art.

[0005] Access Traffic Steering, Switching, and Splitting (ATSSS) is a feature of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard that supports traffic control across multiple access points, including 3GPP access (e.g., fifth-generation (5G) cellular networks) and non-3GPP access (e.g., WiFi networks). For example, an ATSSS-enabled user equipment (UE) can perform access performance measurements to determine how to allocate traffic between 3GPP and non-3GPP access points. Round-trip time (RTT) measurement messages are sent between the UE and the user plane function (UPF). How to generate and process such messages more efficiently is a crucial issue in ATSSS-enabled communication systems. Summary of the Invention

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

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to propose a solution or scheme to address the aforementioned problem of Performance Measurement Function Protocol (PMFP) message stuffing related to user equipment (UE) and network devices in mobile communications.

[0008] In one aspect, a method may include: a device generating a first PMFP message. The first PMFP message may include a first padding value field. The method may further include: the device encoding the first padding value field using a random value. The method may further include: the device sending the first PMFP message to a network node.

[0009] In one aspect, an apparatus includes: a transceiver that wirelessly communicates with a network node during operation. The apparatus may further include: a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver. During operation, the processor can perform operations including generating a first PMFP message. The first PMFP message may include a first padding value field. The processor may also perform the following operations: encoding the first padding value field using a random value. The processor may also perform the following operations: transmitting the first PMFP message to the network node via the transceiver.

[0010] Alternatively, one method may include a network node generating a first PMFP message. The first PMFP message may include a first padding value field. The method may further include the network node encoding the first padding value field using a random value. The method may also include the network node sending the first PMFP message to the UE.

[0011] It is worth noting that although the description provided in this invention may be based on certain wireless access technologies, networks, and network topologies, such as LTE, LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, 5G, NR, 5G-Advanced, Internet of Things (IoT), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Beyond 5G (B5G), and 6th Generation (6G), the proposed concepts, schemes, and any variations / derivatives thereof can be applied to other types of wireless access technologies, networks, and network topologies. Therefore, the scope of this invention is not limited to the examples described herein. Attached Figure Description

[0012] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this invention. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. It should be noted that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, as in actual implementations some components may be shown out of proportion to clearly illustrate the concepts of the invention.

[0013] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating example scenarios of communication environments in which various solutions and schemes of the present invention can be implemented.

[0014] Figure 2 is a diagram showing the fill information element (IE) of a Performance Measurement Function Protocol (PMFP) message according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 4 is an example process diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 5 is a process diagram illustrating another example according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0018] This invention discloses detailed embodiments and implementations of the claimed subject matter. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments and implementations are merely illustrative of the claimed subject matter, which can be embodied in various forms. The invention can be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations set forth herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments and implementations are provided so that the description of the invention will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the following description, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments and implementations.

[0019] Overview

[0020] The embodiments of this invention relate to various techniques, methods, schemes, and / or solutions for PMFP message stuffing in mobile communications, so as to avoid unnecessary consumption of computing resources by user equipment (UE) and network nodes during the PMFP process, thereby improving operational efficiency. According to this invention, multiple possible solutions can be implemented individually or in combination. That is, although these possible solutions will be described separately below, two or more of them can be implemented in some combination.

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating example communication environment scenarios where various solutions and schemes of the present invention can be implemented. In scenario 100, UE 110 and user plane function (UPF) 120 can support Access Traffic Steering, Switching and Splitting (ATSSS) functionality. The ATSSS function supports multiple access protocol data unit (PDU) connectivity services, which can exchange PDUs between UE 110 and data network 130 by simultaneously using 3GPP access network 140 and non-3GPP access network 150. The multiple access PDU connectivity service is implemented by establishing multiple access PDU sessions. That is, the PDU session can have user plane resources on both 3GPP access network 140 and non-3GPP access network 150. In one embodiment, the 3GPP access network 140 may include one or more base stations (e.g., gNB / eNB) that provide radio access to the UE 110 via various 3GPP radio access technologies (RATs) (including but not limited to 6G, 5G, 4G, and 3G / 2G); while the non-3GPP access network 150 may include access points (APs) that provide radio access to the UE 110 via non-3GPP RATs (e.g., WiFi).

[0022] In one embodiment, the PMFP procedure is performed between performance measurement function (PMF) 115 in UE 110 and PMF 125 in UPF 120 to measure the performance between PMF 115 and PMF 125. For example, UE 110 and UPF 120 can send PMFP messages to each other to measure the round-trip time (RTT) of user data packets exchanged between UE 110 and UPF 120. The PMFP message can be a PMFP echo request message or a PMFP echo response message. If the upper layer requests a PMFP message of a specific length, a padding scheme should be used to increase the length of the PMFP message. Figure 2As shown, the information element (IE) 200 is included in the PMFP message, wherein the IE 200 includes an information element identifier (IEI) 210, a padding length field 220, and a padding value field 230. In this embodiment, the padding value field 230 of the IE 200 is encoded with a random value. For example, this random value is a non-zero random value. In other words, the sending entity (i.e., the entity sending the PMFP message, which could be UE 110 or UPF 120) can allocate memory for the padding value field 230 without setting any initial value. This avoids wasting computational resources by encoding the padding value field with a specific value.

[0023] In one embodiment, when UE 110 needs to measure the round-trip time (RTT) of user data packet exchange between itself and UPF 120, UE 110 can initiate an RTT measurement procedure. A PMFP echo request message is generated accordingly. This PMFP echo request message may contain a padding IE (e.g., padding IE 200). UE 110 encodes the padding value field of the padding IE with a random value (e.g., a non-zero random value) and then sends the PMFP echo request message to UPF 120. Upon receiving the PMFP echo request message from UE 110, UPF 120 can generate a PMFP echo response message corresponding to the received PMFP echo request message. The PMFP echo response message may also contain a padding IE (e.g., padding IE 200), where the padding value field of the padding IE is encoded by UPF 120 as an arbitrary value (e.g., a non-zero random value). UPF 120 sends the PMFP echo response message to UE 110. UE 110 can ignore the fill value field of the received PMFP echo response message.

[0024] In another embodiment, UPF 120 may also initiate an RTT measurement procedure, including generating a PMFP echo request message and sending it to UE 110. The PMFP echo request message generated by UPF 120 may contain a padding IE (e.g., padding IE 200) with a padding value field encoded as a random value (e.g., a non-zero random value). Upon receiving the PMFP echo request message from UPF 120, UE 110 generates a corresponding PMFP echo response message, encoding the padding value field of the PMFP echo response message with an arbitrary value (e.g., a non-zero random value), and sends the PMFP echo response message to UPF 120. It should be noted that UPF 120 may omit the padding value field in the PMFP echo response message.

[0025] Exemplary Implementation

[0026] Figure 3 illustrates an example communication system 300 comprising at least one example communication device 310 and one example network device 320 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Both the communication device 310 and the network device 320 can perform various functions to implement the schemes, techniques, processes, and methods related to PMFP message filling in mobile communications described in this invention, including the scenarios / schemes described above and processes 400 and 500 described below.

[0027] The communication device 310 may be part of an electronic device, which may be a UE (User Equipment), such as a portable or mobile device, a wearable device, a wireless communication device, or a computing device. For example, the communication device 310 may be implemented in a smartphone, smartwatch, personal digital assistant, digital camera, or computing device (e.g., tablet, laptop). The communication device 310 may also be part of a machine-type device, which may be an IoT, NB-IoT, or IIoT device, such as a fixed or non-mobile device, a home appliance, a wired communication device, or a computing device. For example, the communication device 310 may be applied to a smart thermostat, a smart refrigerator, a smart door lock, a wireless speaker, or a home control center. Alternatively, the communication device 310 may be implemented as one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more reduced-instruction-set computing (RISC) processors, or one or more complex-instruction-set computing (CISC) processors. The communication device 310 may include at least some of the components shown in FIG3, such as processor 312. The communication device 310 may also include one or more other components unrelated to the proposed embodiments of the present invention (e.g., internal power supply, display device and / or user interface device), and therefore, for the sake of brevity, such components of the communication device 310 are not shown in FIG3 and will not be described below.

[0028] Network device 320 may be a network entity supporting one or more network functions (NFs). These network functions include, but are not limited to, access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), unified data management (UDM), and user plane function (UPF). Alternatively, network device 320 may be a base station and / or a UPF. Network device 320 may include at least some of the components shown in FIG3, such as processor 322. Processor 322 may also include a protocol stack and a set of control function modules and circuitry. Network device 320 may also include one or more other components unrelated to the proposed scheme of this invention (e.g., internal power supply, display device, and / or user interface device). Therefore, for the sake of brevity, such components of network device 320 are not shown in FIG3 and will not be described below.

[0029] In one aspect, both processor 312 and processor 322 may be implemented as one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more CISC processors. That is, although the present invention uses the singular term "processor" to refer to processor 312 and processor 322, according to the present invention, processor 312 and processor 322 may include multiple processors in some embodiments and a single processor in other embodiments. On the other hand, both processor 312 and processor 322 may be implemented in hardware (and optionally firmware), whose electronic components include, but are not limited to, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors, and / or one or more varactor diodes, configured and arranged according to the present invention to achieve a specific purpose. In other words, in at least some embodiments, processor 312 and processor 322 are both dedicated machines designed, arranged, and configured to perform specific tasks in devices (e.g., communication device 310) and networks (e.g., network device 320) according to various embodiments of the present invention.

[0030] In some embodiments, the communication device 310 may further include a transceiver 316 coupled to the processor 312, which is capable of wirelessly sending and receiving data. In some embodiments, the communication device 310 may further include a memory 314 coupled to the processor 312, which can be accessed by the processor 312 and stores data therein.

[0031] In some embodiments, network device 320 may further include a memory 324 coupled to processor 322, which can be accessed by processor 322 and stores data therein. Therefore, communication device 310 and network device 320 can communicate wirelessly via transceiver 316 and transceiver 326, respectively.

[0032] For ease of explanation and without limitation, the functions of communication device 310 and network device 320 will be described below through processes 400 and 500. Communication device 310 is implemented within the UE or as a UE, while network device 320 is implemented within the communication network or as a network node of the communication network.

[0033] Exemplary process

[0034] Figure 4 illustrates an example process 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Process 400 can be an example implementation of the above-described scenario / scheme, whether partially or fully implemented, and is related to the filling of PMFP messages in mobile communication. Process 400 can represent one aspect of the functional implementation of communication device 310. Process 400 can include one or more operations, actions, or functions, as shown by one or more modules 410, 420, and 430 in the figure. Although the modules shown in the figure are discrete, the individual modules of process 400 can be further subdivided, merged, or deleted according to the desired implementation. Furthermore, the individual modules of process 400 can be executed in the order shown in Figure 4, or in other orders. Process 400 can be implemented by communication device 310 or any suitable UE or machine type device. For ease of explanation and without limitation, process 400 will be described below using communication device 310 as an example of UE. Process 400 can begin with block 410.

[0035] At block 410, process 400 may include processor 312 of communication device 310 generating a first PMFP message. The first PMFP message may include a first padding value field. Process 400 may proceed from block 410 to block 420.

[0036] At block 420, process 400 may include processor 312 encoding the first padding value field using a random value. Process 400 may proceed from block 420 to block 430.

[0037] At block 430, process 400 may include processor 312 sending a first PMFP message to a network node (e.g., network device 320) via transceiver 316.

[0038] In some embodiments, process 400 may further include processor 312 receiving a second PMFP message from a network node via transceiver 316. The second PMFP message corresponds to the first PMFP message and includes a second padding value field. Alternatively, process 400 may include processor 312 ignoring the second padding value field.

[0039] In some implementations, the second padding value field is encoded by the network node with an arbitrary value.

[0040] In some implementations, the second padding value field is encoded by the network node using a non-zero random value.

[0041] In some embodiments, the first PMFP message is a PMFP echo request message, and the second PMFP message is a PMFP echo response message.

[0042] In some embodiments, the first PMFP message is a PMFP echo response message, and the second PMFP message is a PMFP echo request message.

[0043] In some embodiments, the communication device 310 is used to encode a non-zero random value for the first padding value field.

[0044] Figure 5 Another example process 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Process 500 may be an example implementation of the above-described scenario / scheme, whether partially or fully implemented, involving the filling of PMFP messages in mobile communications. Process 500 may represent one aspect of the functional implementation of network device 320. Process 500 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions, as shown by one or more modules 510, 520, and 530 in the figures. Although the modules shown in the figures are discrete, the individual modules of process 500 may be further subdivided, merged, or deleted depending on the desired implementation. Furthermore, the individual modules of process 500 may be executed in the order shown in Figure 5, or in other orders. Process 500 may begin with block 510.

[0045] At block 510, process 500 may include processor 322 of network device 320 generating a first PMFP message. The first PMFP message may include a first padding value field. Process 500 may proceed from block 510 to block 520.

[0046] In block 520, process 400 may include processor 322 encoding the first padding value field with a random value. Process 500 may proceed from block 520 to block 530.

[0047] In block 530, process 500 may include processor 322 sending a first PMFP message to UE (e.g., communication device 310) via transceiver 326.

[0048] In some implementations, process 500 may also include processor 322 receiving a second PMFP message from the UE via transceiver 326. The second PMFP message corresponds to the first PMFP message and includes a second padding value field. Alternatively, process 400 may include processor 322 ignoring the second padding value field.

[0049] In some implementations, the UE encodes the second padding value field with arbitrary values.

[0050] In some implementations, the UE encodes the second padding value field with a non-zero random value.

[0051] In some implementations, the first PMFP message is a PMFP echo request message, and the second PMFP message is a PMFP echo response message.

[0052] In some implementations, the first PMFP message is a PMFP echo response message, and the second PMFP message is a PMFP echo request message.

[0053] In some implementations, the random value used by network device 320 to encode the first padding value field is a non-zero random value.

[0054] Supplementary Explanation

[0055] The subject matter described in this invention sometimes illustrates different components contained within or connected to other components. It should be understood that the depicted architecture is merely an example, and many other architectures that achieve the same functionality can actually be implemented. Conceptually, any arrangement of components achieving the same function is effectively “associated” to achieve the desired function. Therefore, regardless of the architecture or intermediate components, any two components of this invention combined to achieve a specific function can be considered “associated” with each other to achieve the desired function. Similarly, any two such associated components can also be considered “operationally connected” or “operationally coupled” to achieve the desired function, and any two components that can be suchly associated can also be considered “operationally coupled” to achieve the desired function. Specific examples of operationally coupled components include, but are not limited to: physically mating and / or physically interacting components and / or wirelessly interacting components and / or logically interacting and / or logically interactable components.

[0056] Furthermore, regarding the extensive use of any plural and / or singular terms in this invention, those skilled in the art can, depending on the context and / or application, convert from plural to singular and / or from singular to plural. For clarity, various singular / plural interchanges can be explicitly described in this invention.

[0057] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that, generally, the terminology used in this invention, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., the text of the appended claims), generally means "open" terms (e.g., the term "comprising" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," etc.). Those skilled in the art will also understand that if a particular number of claims is intentionally enumerated, this intention will be explicitly listed in the claims, and if such enumeration is absent, this intention will not exist. For example, to aid understanding, the appended claims may include the use of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" that enumerate the claims. However, the use of such phrases should not be interpreted as implying that the introduction of the indefinite article "a" or "an" by a claim list limits any particular claim containing such an introduced claim list to an embodiment containing only one such list, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrase "one or more" or "at least one" and an indefinite article (such as "a" or "an"). (For example, "a" and / or "an" should be interpreted as meaning "at least one" or "one or more"); the same applies to the use of definite articles used to introduce claim lists. Furthermore, even when a specific number of introduced claim lists is explicitly listed, those skilled in the art will recognize that such a list should be interpreted as meaning at least the number listed (e.g., in the absence of other modifiers, an unmodified list of "two lists" means at least two lists, or two or more lists). Furthermore, in cases where the convention of "at least one of A, B, and C" is used, this interpretation generally means, as those skilled in the art will understand, that "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having A alone, having B alone, having C alone, having A and B together, having A and C together, having B and C together, and / or having A, B, and C together. In cases where the convention of "at least one of A, B, or C" is used, this interpretation generally means, as those skilled in the art will understand, that "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having A alone, having B alone, having C alone, having A and B together, having A and C together, having B and C together, and / or having A, B, and C together. Those skilled in the art will also understand that any transitional words and / or phrases that actually present two or more alternatives, whether in the specification, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibility of including one, any, or both of these items. For example, the phrase “A or B” would be understood to include the possibility of “A” or “B” or “A and B”.

[0058] Based on the foregoing, it will be understood that various embodiments of the invention have been described for illustrative purposes, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, the various embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting, and the true scope and spirit are indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising: The device's processor generates a first performance measurement function protocol (PMFP) message, wherein the first PMFP message includes a first padding value field; The processor encodes the first padding value field with a random value; and The processor sends the first PMFP message to the network node.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The processor receives a second PMFP message from the network node, wherein the second PMFP message corresponds to the first PMFP message and includes a second padding value field; and The processor ignores the second fill value field.

3. The method as described in claim 2, wherein, The second fill value field is encoded by the network node using arbitrary values.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein, The second padding value field is encoded by the network node using a non-zero random value.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein, The first PMFP message is a PMFP echo request message, and the second PMFP message is a PMFP echo response message.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein, The first PMFP message is a PMFP echo response message, and the second PMFP message is a PMFP echo request message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, The random value is a non-zero random value.

8. An apparatus comprising: A transceiver that enables wireless communication during operation; as well as A processor, communicatively coupled to the transceiver, enables the processor to perform the following operations during operation: Generate a first performance measurement function protocol (PMFP) message, wherein the first PMFP message contains a first padding value field; Encode the first fill value field with a random value; and The first PMFP message is sent to the network node via the transceiver.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein, During operation, the processor further performs the following operations: A second PMFP message is received from the network node via the transceiver, wherein the second PMFP message corresponds to the first PMFP message and includes a second padding value field; and Ignore the second fill value field.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein, The second fill value field is encoded by the network node using arbitrary values.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein, The first PMFP message is a PMFP echo request message, and the second PMFP message is a PMFP echo response message.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein, The first PMFP message is a PMFP echo response message, and the second PMFP message is a PMFP echo request message.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein, The random value is a non-zero random value.

14. A method comprising: The processor of the network node generates a first performance measurement function protocol (PMFP) message, wherein the first PMFP message contains a first padding value field; The processor encodes the first padding value field with a random value; The processor sends the first PMFP message to the user equipment (UE).

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: The processor receives a second PMFP message from the UE, wherein the second PMFP message corresponds to the first PMFP message and includes a second padding value field; as well as The processor ignores the second fill value field.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, The second fill value field is encoded by the UE using any value.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein, The second fill value field is encoded by the UE using a non-zero random value.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein, The first PMFP message is a PMFP echo request message, and the second PMFP message is a PMFP echo response message.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein, The first PMFP message is a PMFP echo response message, and the second PMFP message is a PMFP echo request message.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein, The random value is a non-zero random value.

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