Determining energy consumption by a radio access network

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to determining energy consumption by a radio access network. A method of a radio access network, comprising: collecting one or more measurements related to energy consumption of the RAN, performing an analysis of the collected one or more measurements, and performing one or more operations to reduce energy consumption of the RAN.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to wireless networks, and more specifically to methods and apparatus for determining the energy consumption of a radio access network (RAN) of a wireless network. Background Technology

[0002] Energy consumption is a significant contributor to the operating costs of wireless networks. Reducing the energy consumption of wireless networks is crucial for promoting global sustainability goals and requirements, as well as lowering their operating costs. Wireless network operators aim to reduce energy consumption even as network traffic demand increases.

[0003] Acquiring and utilizing energy consumption information for wireless networks to identify high energy consumption is important for improving the energy efficiency of wireless networks.

[0004] Improvements in energy consumption measurement and its utilization are desired to improve the energy efficiency of wireless networks. Summary of the Invention

[0005] According to one aspect of the embodiments, a method for a radio access network (RAN) is provided. The method includes: collecting one or more measurements related to the energy consumption of the RAN, performing analysis of the collected one or more measurements, and performing one or more operations to reduce the energy consumption of the RAN.

[0006] The method may include: receiving a request or command to collect one or more measurements related to energy consumption, and performing collection in response to the request or command. Such a request or command may include an indication of one or more measurements related to energy consumption.

[0007] Performing analysis may include using one or more measurements to determine anomalies related to energy consumption. The method may include reporting the energy consumption-related anomalies to a network entity used for at least one of the core network, Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM), RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC), another RAN node, and / or another entity to perform further actions to reduce energy consumption. Reporting anomalies may include identifying components exhibiting abnormal energy consumption.

[0008] This method may include: sharing the analysis of measurements with one or more other entities.

[0009] The collection of one or more measurements, the analysis of the collected one or more measurements, and the identification of one or more operations to be performed can be performed at a RAN node. The method may also include sharing the analysis of one or more measurements with at least one other RAN node.

[0010] Performing actions to reduce energy consumption may include reconfiguring and enabling or disabling one or more functions at the RAN.

[0011] Collecting one or more measurements may include collecting one or more of the following measurements: for all user equipment (UE); per UE; per UE group; per packet data unit (PDU) session; per network slice; per cell; per RAN protocol function; per network; and / or per sub-network.

[0012] Collecting one or more measurements may include collecting measurements related to energy consumption for at least one of the following: region, time interval, percentile relative to a previous measurement, or comparison with a previous measurement, anomaly criteria, and / or baseline criteria.

[0013] Performing analysis may include comparing one or more collected measurements with a threshold or with one or more previously collected measurements.

[0014] Performing one or more operations may include providing alerts to the core network and one or both of Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM).

[0015] Performing one or more operations to reduce energy consumption at the RAN may include one or more of the following: reducing energy consumption per cell, reducing energy consumption per RAN node, reducing energy consumption per user equipment (UE), reducing energy consumption per PDU session, and reducing energy consumption per tracking area (TA).

[0016] Performing one or more operations may be in response to one or more of the following: a change in the energy state of a given cell; a change in the number of active cells; a load measurement of one of the following: a cell, tracking area (TA), central cell (CU), distributed cell (DU), functional block, or physical resource block (PRB) usage threshold; or a status identified by OAM.

[0017] According to another aspect, a method for accessing a radio network is provided. The method includes: at the RAN, collecting one or more measurements related to energy consumption; performing analysis on the collected one or more measurements; identifying anomalies related to energy consumption; and based on the analysis, providing alarm indications to at least one of the core network and Operation, Administration and Maintenance (OAM), RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC), another RAN node, and / or another entity.

[0018] Performing analysis may include comparing one or more measurements with a threshold or with one or more previously collected measurements to identify anomalies.

[0019] The method may include: receiving a request or command to collect one or more measurements related to energy consumption, and wherein collection is performed in response to receiving the request or command to collect one or more measurements related to energy consumption.

[0020] Receiving a request or command may include receiving it from OAM, and the method includes providing a response to OAM based on the collected measurements.

[0021] Receiving a request or command may include receiving a Next Generation (NG) setup response message from the Access and Mobility Function (AMF), and methods may include providing the AMF with the results of analysis using Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) messages.

[0022] The method may include: sending an initial user equipment (UE) message or an uplink non-access stratum (NAS) transmission message to the access and mobility function (AMF), and receiving a request or command including: receiving one of a UE context creation request message, a UE context modification request message, or a downlink NAS transmission message, wherein the downlink NAS transmission message includes information related to the analysis of one or more collected measurements.

[0023] The method may include: sending an initial user equipment (UE) message or an uplink non-access stratum (NAS) transmission message to the core network, and receiving a request or command including: receiving a downlink NAS transmission message, the downlink NAS transmission message including: information related to the analysis of one or more collected measurements, and the method further includes: sending a report based on the analysis.

[0024] Receiving requests or commands includes receiving downlink non-access stratum (NAS) messages from the session management function (SMF) via the AMF. The downlink non-access stratum (NAS) messages include information related to the analysis of one or more collected measurements.

[0025] The request may include: indications of one or more measurements related to energy consumption.

[0026] Reporting abnormal conditions can include identifying components with abnormal energy consumption.

[0027] Collecting one or more measurements includes collecting one or more of the following measurements: for all user equipment (UE); per UE; per UE group; per packet data unit (PDU) session; per network slice; per cell; per RAN protocol function; per network; and / or per sub-network.

[0028] Collecting one or more measurements may include collecting measurements related to energy consumption for at least one of the following: region, time interval, percentile relative to a previous measurement, or comparison with a previous measurement, anomaly criteria, and / or baseline criteria.

[0029] The method may include performing one or more operations to reduce energy consumption at the RAN.

[0030] Abnormal conditions may include one or more of the following: changes in the energy state of a given cell; changes in the number of active cells; threshold load measured in one of the following: cell, tracking area (TA), central cell (CU), distributed cell (DU), functional block, or physical resource block (PRB) usage threshold; or conditions identified by OAM.

[0031] According to another aspect of the embodiments, a radio access network (RAN) node includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, wherein the instructions are executable by the at least one processor to cause the RAN node to perform any of the methods described above.

[0032] According to another aspect of the embodiments, a radio access network (RAN) includes: a plurality of RAN nodes, the RAN including: a controller configured to perform a method.

[0033] According to another aspect of the embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon for execution by at least one processor of a radio access network (RAN) to cause the processor to perform any of the methods described above.

[0034] According to another aspect of the embodiments, a computer program includes instructions, wherein when executed by at least one processor of a radio access network (RAN), the computer program causes the RAN to perform a method. Attached Figure Description

[0035] Embodiments of this disclosure will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a portion of a communication network according to an embodiment.

[0037] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a radio access network (RAN) for a communication network according to an embodiment.

[0038] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating components such as a controller for an embodiment.

[0039] Figure 4This is a flowchart illustrating an example method according to an embodiment.

[0040] Figures 5 to 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation in the method according to an embodiment.

[0041] Figures 8 to 13 This is a schematic diagram illustrating operations in an example method according to an embodiment.

[0042] Figures 14 to 16 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation in the method according to an embodiment.

[0043] Figures 17 to 22 This is a schematic diagram illustrating operations in an example method according to an embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0044] For simplicity and clarity, reference numerals may be repeated in the accompanying drawings to indicate corresponding or similar elements. Numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of the examples described herein. The examples may be practiced without these details. In other instances, well-known methods, processes, and components are not described to avoid obscuring the examples. This description should not be considered as limiting the scope of the examples described herein.

[0045] This disclosure relates to a radio access network (RAN) and a method for using a radio access network (RAN). The method includes: collecting one or more measurements related to the energy consumption of the RAN; performing analysis of the collected one or more measurements; identifying one or more operations to be performed based on the analysis to reduce the energy consumption of the RAN; and performing one or more operations to reduce the energy consumption of the RAN.

[0046] First refer to Figure 1 The illustration shows a portion of a communication network 100 (also referred to herein as a wireless network) according to an embodiment, which is configured to enable communication with a user equipment (UE).

[0047] Communication network 100 includes radio access network (RAN) nodes 106 and 108, which together provide a RAN, such as 5G-RAN (also referred to as Next Generation (NG)-RAN) or a future generation RAN, such as 6G-RAN (e.g., a RAN operating according to a future generation radio access technology, such as 6G). In this example, only two radio access network (RAN) nodes 106 and 108 are illustrated. However, a RAN includes many RAN nodes (also referred to as base stations), and when the RAN is NG-RAN, the RAN nodes can be, for example, gNodeBs (gNBs). RAN 106 includes control plane connections to network functions 110 (such as Access and Mobility Functions (AMF)) of core network 114 to facilitate communication between UE 102 and other network functions of core network 114 (such as network function 112 of core network 114).

[0048] Core network 114 also includes a Network Data Analysis Function (NWDAF) 116 used to collect data from network functions 110 and 112. Although in Figure 1 Only two network functions are illustrated, but the core network includes many network functions not shown. Network function 110 may be the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) as described above. Network function 112 represents other suitable network functions. Such other network functions include Session Management Function (SMF), Policy Control Function (PCF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Network Openness Function, Application Function, and other service functions. NWDAF 116 can obtain data from the Operation, Management and Maintenance (OAM) system 118 of the communication network. The data obtained from the OAM system 118 can be used to improve the energy efficiency of the communication network, or to improve network performance, or the data obtained from the OAM system 118 can be externally exposed by the core network 114 to third-party applications (e.g., applications outside the core network 114).

[0049] UE 102 communicates with the core network 114 via a RAN node (such as RAN node 106 or RAN node 108) through a control plane connection to the network function. Therefore, depending on the location of UE 102, the connection between UE 102 and the core network 114 is established via either RAN node 106 or RAN node 108, which has a control plane connection to the network function 110. Similarly, depending on the location of UE 104, UE 104 communicates with the core network 114 via either RAN node 106 and network function 110 or via RAN node 108 and network function 110.

[0050] exist Figure 1In the example shown, RAN nodes 106 and 108 can be connected (e.g., may have control plane connections) to the same network function 110, such as an AMF. Alternatively, RAN nodes 106 and 108 can be connected (e.g., may have control plane connections) to different network functions (e.g., different AMFs).

[0051] In one example, core network 114 is a 5G core network (5GC), in other words, a core network operating based on fifth-generation radio access technology as described in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard for new radios, commonly referred to as the "3GPP 5G standard." The connection between UE 102 or UE 104 and the control plane of AMF 110 via the RAN node of the RAN is called the N1 interface, and UEs accessing AMF 110 through this connection (e.g., UE 102 or UE 104) are said to operate in N1 mode. In another example, core network 114 is a 6G core network, in other words, a core network operating according to sixth-generation communication technology.

[0052] The core network 114 has a service-based architecture and includes multiple network functions, including control plane (CP) network functions (NF) and user plane (UP) network functions. The control plane (CP) network functions include Access and Mobility Function (AMF) 110 and several other functions (not shown), such as Trusted Application Function (AF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Bonding Support Function (BSF), Network Open Function (NEF), Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF), Policy Control Function, Session Management Function (SMF), Unified Data Repository (UDR), Unified Data Management (UDM), Charging Function (CHF), Network Repository Function (NRF), and Network Data Analysis Function (NWDAF) 116. The user plane network functions include User Plane Functions (UPF).

[0053] The functions of the CP and UP network functions of the core network are well known to those skilled in the art, and therefore are not shown or described in detail herein.

[0054] OAM system 118 manages a communication network or one or more elements within the communication network, namely RAN nodes or core network functions. OAM entity 118 can also acquire data from the elements of the communication network and use the acquired data to monitor the performance of the communication network, and to detect or determine faults or anomalies in the communication network, including, for example, detecting or determining whether packet loss has occurred in the communication network, or detecting or determining whether there are problems related to the connectivity between the UE and the communication network. When faults and anomalies are detected or determined by OAM system 118, OAM system 118 can also provide warnings or alarms. OAM system 118 can also correct or resolve any detected or determined anomalies or performance problems, for example, by rerouting data via the communication network or by replacing elements of the communication network. Elements of the communication network (e.g., RAN nodes and / or communication network functions) can be replaced or maintained by performing maintenance activities, connecting or disconnecting one or more elements within the communication network, or providing policies such as instructing redirection or relocation to another element for interaction.

[0055] As indicated, the RAN collects one or more measurements related to the RAN's energy consumption. For example, a RAN node may collect one or more measurements related to its own energy consumption, or it may collect one or more measurements related to the energy consumption of another RAN node. The collection of one or more measurements related to the energy consumption of another RAN node by a RAN node may be performed by the RAN node requesting the other RAN node to provide one or more measurements via the Xn interface between the RAN nodes. Similarly, data collection used to generate data related to RAN node analyses, and the resulting RAN node-related analyses and / or the opening of data used to generate analyses, can be performed via the Xn interface. Furthermore, one or more measurements related to the RAN's energy consumption may be collected from the RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) of the RAN, and this collection may be performed via an interface such as the E2 interface described in the Open RAN (ORAN) standard (O-RAN.WG3.E2AP: "O-RAN WG-3 Near Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller and E2 Interface"). Similarly, data collection for generating RAN node-related analyses and the opening of the resulting RAN node-related analyses may be performed via the E2 interface. The openness of the analysis includes, for example, providing the analysis to another entity via an E2 interface. The data used to generate the analysis is referred to herein as the analysis input, and the generated RAN-related analysis is referred to herein as the analysis output.

[0056] refer to Figure 2The example shown is a RAN node with a segmented architecture, where the functionality of the RAN node (e.g., eNB or gNB) is segmented among the various entities. Figure 2 The RAN node shown includes: three radio units (RUs) 202, 204, and 206 (also known as remote radio heads (RRHs)), three distributed units (DUs) 208, 210, and 212, and a centralized unit (CU) 214 that controls the operation of the three DUs 208, 210, and 212. Each corresponding DU 208, 210, and 212 is connected to RUs 202, 204, and 206 via a fronthaul connection. Each corresponding DU 208, 210, and 212 is also connected to CU 214 via a midhaul or F1 interface, and CU 214 can be connected to the core network (e.g., core network 114) via a backhaul connection.

[0057] Each corresponding RU 202, 204, 206 converts radio signals sent to and from the antenna into digital signals for transmission over the packet network, processes the digital front-end (DFE) and lower PHY layer, and includes digital beamforming functionality. Each corresponding DU is a logical entity (e.g., software) hosted and running on a server located near one of RU 202, 204, 206. CU 214 is a logical entity (e.g., software) hosted and running on a server. CU 214 may be hosted and running on its own server, or it may be hosted and running on the same server hosting and running DU 208, 210, 212 located near RU 202, 204, 206. Based on the functional partitioning between DU 208, 210, 212 and CU 214, each DU 208, 210, 212 respectively includes a subset of the functions of the RAN node (e.g., eNB or gNB), and CU 214 includes other functions of the RAN node that are not included in the subsets of functions of DU 208, 210, 212. In some implementations, DU 208, 210, 212 may include a subset of the layers of the protocol stack of the RAN node, and CU 214 may include other layers of the protocol stack that are not included in the subsets of layers of DU 208, 210, 212. For example, in some implementations, DU 208, 210, 212 may include: the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, and the Physical (PHY) layer for the protocol stack of the RAN node, while CU 214 may include layers of the protocol stack of the RAN node above the RLC layer, such as the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, and the Internet Protocol (IP) layer.

[0058] Figure 3This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a device or component such as a controller for a RAN node (e.g., a gNB) according to an embodiment. Although example embodiments of device 300 are shown and discussed below, other embodiments of device 300 may be used to implement the examples disclosed herein, which may include components different from those shown. Figure 3 A single example of each element of device 300 is shown, but multiple instances of one or all elements can be successfully implemented.

[0059] Device 300 includes one or more processors 302, such as a central processing unit (CPU), microprocessor, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), application-specific logic circuit, graphics processing unit (GPU), tensor processing unit, neural processing unit, dedicated artificial intelligence processing unit, hardware accelerator, quantum processor, or any other suitable processing circuitry system or combination thereof. The one or more processors 302 are collectively referred to herein as processor 302.

[0060] Device 300 also includes one or more memories 304, collectively referred to as "memory 304", which may include volatile or non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory, random access memory (RAM) and / or read-only memory (ROM)), or any other suitable memory circuitry. Non-transitory memory 304 may store instructions for execution by processor 302. Instruction 306, when executed by processor 302, causes device 300 to perform... Figure 4 The method or process of action or operation. The device 300 may also include one or more network interfaces 308 for connecting the device 300 (i.e., the RAN node) to the core network.

[0061] In addition to memory 304, device 300 may also include one or more electronic storage units (not shown), such as solid-state drives, hard disk drives, disk drives, and / or optical disk drives. In some examples, one or more data and / or software modules may be provided by external memory (e.g., an external drive that is wired or wirelessly connected to device 300), or may be provided by transient or non-transitory computer-readable media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include RAM, ROM, erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, CD-ROM, or other portable storage. Electronic storage units and / or external memory may be used in conjunction with memory 304 to store data, retrieve stored data, and cache data.

[0062] The components of device 300 can communicate with each other via a bus.

[0063] Figure 4This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a RAN method according to an embodiment. The method can be performed by RAN nodes (such as...) Figure 1 The CU of RAN node 106 or RAN node 108 shown Figure 2 The method is performed as shown in the diagram. Alternatively, the method can be performed by a RAN controller (such as the RIC discussed herein). The method shown includes procedures 402 to 410. However, the method may include additional or fewer procedures, and other procedures may occur in any suitable order. Figure 4 The method is described as being performed by the RAN (e.g., RIC). This method can be performed by a single RAN node or by several RAN nodes in communication. Therefore, the method is performed by a RAN node or by several RAN nodes, and references to RAN in this description are intended to include one or more RAN nodes.

[0064] The RAN can be configured to include information indicating one or more measurements related to energy consumption to be collected by the RAN. The RAN is configured to collect one or more measurements related to RAN energy consumption. These measurements may include RAN energy consumption for one or more of the following: measurements indicating energy consumption when the RAN serves all UEs in the RAN's coverage area; or measurements indicating RAN energy consumption per UE (e.g., for each UE among all UEs served by the RAN) when the RAN serves all UEs in the RAN's coverage area; measurements indicating RAN energy consumption when serving a group of UEs; measurements indicating RAN energy consumption for each Packet Data Unit (PDU) session via the RAN; measurements indicating RAN energy consumption for each network slice supported by the RAN; measurements indicating RAN energy consumption for each cell provided by the RAN; measurements indicating RAN energy consumption for each Quality of Service (QoS) flow via the RAN; measurements indicating energy consumption for RAN protocol functions; and / or measurements indicating energy consumption of a RAN subnetwork comprising a set of RAN nodes.

[0065] Therefore, one or more measurements related to the RAN's energy consumption (also referred to as energy consumption measurements) can be performed with sufficient granularity, i.e., with specific details to facilitate the identification of RAN components with high energy consumption, or RAN functions with high energy consumption, or energy-intensive services provided by the communication network via the RAN, or any combination thereof. In other words, one or more measurements related to the RAN's energy consumption help identify RAN components, RAN functions, or energy-intensive services provided via the RAN.

[0066] RAN can be configured to collect one or more measurements at a specific time, at multiple specific times, or for a time interval, and can be regular or based on any suitable factors.

[0067] Alternatively, the RAN can be configured to collect one or more measurements in response to a request received from the core network (e.g., core network 114), from the RAN's RIC, or from the OAM system (e.g., OAM system 118) to collect measurements related to RAN energy consumption. The request to collect measurements related to RAN energy consumption may include an indication of one or more RAN energy consumption-related measurements to be collected.

[0068] At 402, the collection of one or more measurements related to RAN energy consumption is initiated. As indicated, collection may be initiated at regular time intervals, at specific times, or in response to the detection of a specific event at the RAN (such as high total RAN energy consumption). Alternatively, the RAN may receive a request to collect one or more measurements related to RAN energy consumption. Such a request may be received from the core network (e.g., core network 114), from the RAN's RIC, or from the OAM. In response to the initiation of the collection of one or more measurements related to RAN energy consumption, the method continues at 404.

[0069] Such a configuration or request includes an identifier of the energy consumption-related measurements to be collected from the RAN, the parameters of the measurements, one or more operations to be performed based on the analysis of the collected energy consumption-related measurements relative to the parameters of the measurements, and parameters of the one or more operations to be performed, referred to herein as operation parameters, including: Identification of measurements related to RAN energy consumption: for example, per UE, per UE group, per PDU session, per network slice, per cell, per RAN protocol function, based on region, based on time interval, percentile relative to previous measurement or comparison with previous measurement, anomaly criteria including thresholds, intervals, percentiles, etc., and other criteria such as last measurement collection time, value, etc. Instructions for operations to be performed by the RAN: for example, storage, reporting, issuing alarms, reconfiguration, etc.; and Parameters or characteristics related to the operations to be performed by the RAN: such as storage characteristics (duration, location, encoding, etc.), reporting characteristics (periodic, immediate, upon release, upon event occurrence, etc.), and alarm characteristics (threshold, percentile, critical level, etc.).

[0070] At 404, the RAN collects one or more measurements related to RAN energy consumption. As indicated, one or more measurements related to RAN energy consumption may include RAN energy consumption for one or more of the following: RAN energy consumption measurements when the RAN serves all UEs of a User Equipment (UE) within the RAN's coverage area; or RAN energy consumption measurements per UE (e.g., for each UE among all UEs served by the RAN) when the RAN serves all UEs within the RAN's coverage area; RAN energy consumption measurements when serving a group of UEs; RAN energy consumption measurements for each Packet Data Unit (PDU) session via the RAN; RAN energy consumption measurements for each network slice supported by the RAN; RAN energy consumption measurements for each cell provided by the RAN; RAN energy consumption measurements for each Quality of Service (QoS) flow via the RAN; RAN protocol function energy consumption measurements; and / or RAN subnetwork energy consumption measurements that include a set of RAN nodes.

[0071] In this example, the RAN is configured to perform an analysis at 406 of at least one of one or more measurements related to the RAN's energy consumption. This analysis may include, for example, comparing the collected measurements to a threshold or corresponding threshold to identify high energy consumption or abnormal energy use of the RAN.

[0072] Based on the analysis at point 406, and based on the analysis of one or more measurements related to RAN energy consumption at point 406, an operation to be performed to reduce RAN energy consumption is identified at point 408. One or more operations to be performed may be identified in response to determining that one or more measurements meet or exceed a threshold, or in response to identifying abnormal energy consumption of a RAN component, or any abnormal condition related to RAN energy consumption. Therefore, an operation to reduce RAN energy consumption may be identified in response to a change in the energy state of a given RAN cell, a change in the number of active cells provided by the RAN, or load measurements of a RAN cell, RAN tracking area (TA), RAN node distributed unit (DU), or physical resource block (PRB) usage threshold. Alternatively, an operation to be performed may be identified based on conditions identified by OAM. The operation to be performed may be continued measurement, reporting, or providing alarm indications, or any combination thereof.

[0073] At 408, an operation to reduce energy consumption will be performed. This reduction may include one or more of the following: reducing the energy consumption of one or each cell of the RAN, reducing the energy consumption of each RAN node, reducing the energy consumption of each tracking area (TA) of the RAN, and / or reducing the energy consumption of each registered area (RA).

[0074] The identified actions to be performed to reduce energy consumption may include enabling or disabling RAN functions. For example, beams provided by RAN cells or RAN nodes may be turned on or off, or one or more mobility, access, and session resource parameters used for UE or PDU sessions may be reconfigured. Alternatively or additionally, the identified actions to be performed may include reporting an anomalous condition to one or both of the core network and the Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) system in response to determining that one or more measurements meet or exceed a threshold. This anomalous condition may include an indication of abnormal energy usage by RAN components. This anomalous condition may be reported as an alarm to notify the core network or OAM of the anomalous condition in one or both of the core network and OAM to perform actions to reduce RAN energy consumption.

[0075] The operation marked at 408 is performed at 410 to reduce RAN energy consumption.

[0076] In an example where a request is received at the RAN to collect one or more measurements related to energy consumption, Figure 4 The method may also include providing a response to the request. This response may include one or more measurements collected, and the core network or OAM, or both, may perform analysis on the measurements. Therefore, measurements may be sent to one or both of the core network and the Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) system to cause network entities to perform actions that reduce RAN energy consumption. Alternatively or additionally, the response to the request may include the results of an analysis performed at the RAN at point 406. One or both of the core network and the Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) system may perform another analysis or may perform actions that reduce RAN energy consumption.

[0077] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a process for initiating the collection of one or more energy consumption measurements in a RAN node via configuration, according to one example. According to one example, Figure 5 The process shown includes: operations performed by the RAN nodes, and messages sent between the RAN nodes (such as RAN 106 node) and the RIC 500 and / or OAM system 118.

[0078] At position 502, the RAN node is configured to collect one or more measurements related to the RAN's energy consumption. The RAN node can be configured using an OAM 118 or RIC 500. The RAN node can be configured at position 502 with the following settings: the measurements to be collected, the parameters of the measurements, the parameters used to report the results, and the actions to be performed by the RAN node based on the analysis. An example of such a measurement is referenced above. Figure 4 Mention. The RAN can be configured to collect measurements, for example, by OAM or by RIC. The RAN can be configured to collect one or more measurements related to RAN energy consumption for the following: per UE served by the RAN, per group of UEs served by the RAN, per PDU session via the RAN, per network slice supported by the RAN, per cell provided by the RAN, per RAN protocol layer, per RAN protocol layer function, based on region, based on time interval, based on percentiles of indications relative to or compared with previous measurements, based on such as the last measurement collection time, previous measurement value, or other criteria.

[0079] RAN can also be configured to perform the above reference. Figure 4 The analysis identifies one or more actions to be performed by the RAN to reduce RAN energy consumption, and implements or executes the identified actions. Additionally, the RAN can be configured to store data, report data, and provide alarm indications based on parameters. For example, the configuration may include storing the duration, location, and encoding of collected measurements. The RAN can be configured to report data periodically, immediately, or in response to detected events. Alarm indications can be provided based on thresholds, percentiles, critical levels, and any other parameters.

[0080] Based on the configuration, at 504, the RAN collects measurements related to the RAN's energy consumption. These measurements are in addition to other data collected by the RAN, including data indicating the reference signal received power (RSRP) and data indicating the signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR).

[0081] Other data collected by the RAN includes any combination of the following, for example: Data indicating the RAN's energy source; Data indicating the energy status of the RAN; Indicates weather data at RAN; Indicates humidity data at RAN; Data indicating the temperature of the RAN hardware; Indicates data about the RAN's HVAC system. Data for the frequency band indicating RAN operation; For each protocol layer of the RAN: i. The amount of data at the RAN's protocol data layer; and ii. Data indicating the time spent at the protocol layer iii. Data indicating the functions used within the protocol layer of the RAN. iv. Data indicating the time spent by each function within the RAN protocol layer. v. Data indicating the criticality of each function within the RAN protocol layer (e.g., data indicating whether a function is critical to the operation of the RAN node and / or data indicating the services provided to (multiple) UEs). vi. Data indicating the number of UEs per protocol layer per function of the RAN (e.g., not all functions are applied to all UEs, such as PDCP replication). Data indicating the location of the UE; Data indicating QoS requirements for the UE; Instructs the RAN to apply new service data, such as computers, ML training, storage at the CN, and storage at the RAN. i. Data volume, indicating the CPU load of the RAN, and the time spent applying a new service; Data indicating the number of UEs served by the RAN; Data indicating the UE status of each UE served by the RAN.

[0082] At point 506, based on measurements related to the RAN's energy consumption, the RAN determines whether to initiate an operation. The RAN may initiate an operation, for example, in response to one or more of the following: Detect changes in the energy state of a given cell in the RAN. Activation of RAN cells, Deactivation of RAN cells

[0083] Add a new cell provided by the RAN, remove a cell provided by the RAN. Load for the RAN cell Tracking Area Identifier (TAI) / or Distributed Unit (DU) Physical resource block (PRB) usage thresholds, etc.

[0084] OAM defines one or more conditions that can be enabled or disabled at a specific time.

[0085] Optionally, based on the operation to be performed at 502 and the operational characteristics configured in the RAN node, at 508, measurements related to the RAN's energy consumption may be sent to the RAN's RIC and / or at 510 to the OAM system (e.g., OAM system 118). One or more measurement and energy policy information collected by the RAN may be sent to the RAN's RIC and / or OAM system (e.g., OAM system 118). Alternatively, analysis or summaries of one or more measurements, indications of anomalies in the RAN, or alarms from the RAN to the RAN's RIC and / or OAM system (e.g., OAM system 118).

[0086] At point 512, the RAN utilizes one or more collected measurements to perform one or more operations to reduce RAN energy consumption. Furthermore, the RIC or OAM system can utilize one or more collected measurements to reduce RAN energy consumption. For example, one or more measurements can be used for energy-saving or efficiency policy performance monitoring, energy consumption troubleshooting, RAN optimization or reconfiguration, negotiated QoS degradation, enabling, or any other suitable operation to reduce RAN energy consumption.

[0087] Now for reference Figure 6 It illustrates a schematic diagram of the operation of a process including the transmission of messages between one or more RAN nodes (such as RAN node 106) and core network 114, according to another example.

[0088] exist Figure 6 In the example, the RAN receives a request or command from the core network to collect one or more measurements related to the RAN's energy consumption. The request or command includes an identifier of the measurement to be collected, the parameters of the measurement, the operation to be performed based on the analysis, and the operation parameters, including:

[0089] For each UE, each UE group, each PDU session, each network slice, each cell, each RAN protocol function, based on region, based on time interval, percentile relative to previous measurement or comparison with previous measurement, including anomaly criteria such as threshold, interval, percentile, etc., and other criteria such as last measurement collection time, value, etc., identify the measurements to be collected that are related to energy consumption. Instructions for the operations to be performed by the RAN node: for example, storage, reporting, issuing alarms, reconfiguration, etc.; and Operational characteristics: such as storage characteristics (duration, location, encoding, etc.), reporting characteristics (periodic, immediate, upon release, upon event occurrence, etc.), and alarm characteristics (threshold, percentile, critical level, etc.).

[0090] Therefore, in Figure 6In this process, the RAN receives requests or commands from the CN, instead of... Figure 5 The example is pre-configured to collect measurements.

[0091] The components described and shown as 604, 606, and 612 are similar to Figure 5 As shown in the diagram and the aforementioned 504, 506, and 512, these components will not be described in detail again.

[0092] exist Figure 6 In the example, at point 608, the RAN sends a measurement response and indication to the core network. The response includes information related to the action to be performed, which is indicated in a request or command from the CN via point 602, specifying the action and its characteristics. For example, the response may include measurements related to the RAN's energy consumption. Collected measurement and energy policy information may be sent, or the collected measurements may be analyzed or summarized, along with anomaly indications or alarm indications.

[0093] exist Figure 6 In this case, RAN-core network interactions can occur on the control plane via existing or new messages (i.e., between RAN nodes and AMF), or via user plane messages using new GTP-U header extension fields, and / or new path management messages.

[0094] refer to Figure 7 Another example illustrates the operation of a process that includes sending messages between one or more RAN nodes (such as RAN node 106) and OAM 118.

[0095] exist Figure 7 In the example, the RAN receives a request or command from the OAM. This request or command is similar to the request or command from core network 602 described above.

[0096] Therefore, in Figure 7 In this context, RAN originates from OAM instead of... Figure 6 In the example, the CN receives requests or commands.

[0097] The components described and shown as 704, 706, and 712 are similar to Figure 6 As shown in the diagram and the aforementioned 604, 606, and 612, these components will not be described in detail again.

[0098] exist Figure 7In the example, at 708, the RAN sends a measurement response / instruction to the OAM. At 702, the response includes the action to be performed, indicated in a request or command message from the OAM, via the action to be performed and the action characteristics. For example, the response may include measurements related to the RAN's energy consumption. Collected measurements and energy policy information may be sent, or the collected measurements may be analyzed or summarized along with anomaly indications or alarm indications.

[0099] Figures 8 to 13 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of operation in a method according to an embodiment.

[0100] Figure 8 The diagram illustrates messages transmitted between one or more RAN nodes (such as RAN node 106), core network 114, and OAM 118. In this example, the NWDAF of the core network is configured to generate analysis based on data acquired from OAM 802. Measurements include those related to RAN energy consumption. NWDAF data collection from OAM is performed as described in Clauses 6.3-6.21 of TS 23.288. Interactions between NWDAF and OAM, and between OAM and RAN, extend to additional energy consumption-related measurements, as referenced above. Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 Detailed Description. At 804, NWDAF requests data collection from OAM. At 806, if OAM does not yet have the data requested by CN, OAM sends a request / command to RAN, and at 808, RAN collects measurements, and at 810, sends a response to OAM. At 812, OAM sends a data collection response, including measurements related to energy consumption at RAN, to NWDAF.

[0101] Figure 9 The diagram illustrates messages sent between a RAN node (such as RAN node 106) and the core network 114. In this example, the RAN node sends an NG Establish Request message to the AMF of the core network 902 to exchange application-level data. In response to 902, at 904, the AMF sends an NG Establish Response message, which in this example includes, for example... Figure 6The energy consumption measurement information is shown in the request / command. At 906, the RAN collects one or more measurements related to the RAN's energy consumption. In this example, one or more actions performed by the RAN to reduce RAN energy consumption include instructions to report or send alarms. At 904, the RAN uses the New Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) message, Energy Consumption Measurement Report, to send one or more energy consumption measurements collected by the RAN node, which include information related to the energy consumption measurement information indicated in the request or command message from the CN. The energy consumption information at 904 includes the above reference. Figure 6 The contents described in reference 608 include, for example, measurements related to energy consumption of the RAN node, energy policy information applied at the RAN node, or analysis or summaries of collected measurements, and anomaly indications or alarm indications detected by the RAN node.

[0102] Figure 10 The diagram illustrates messages exchanged between one or more RAN nodes (such as RAN node 106) and the core network 114. For the purposes of this example, a user equipment (UE) attempts to register or update its registration. At 1002, the RAN sends an initial UE message or an uplink non-access stratum (NAS) delivery message to the AMF. At 1004, the AMF sends a UE context creation request message, a UE context modification request message, or a downlink NAS delivery message to the RAN, which includes (with optional parameters) energy consumption measurement information, as referenced above. Figure 6 As described in section 602. At 1006, the RAN collects measurements. In this example, one or more actions to be performed to reduce RAN energy consumption include reporting or sending alarm indications. At 1008, the RAN utilizes the New Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) message to report energy consumption measurements, which includes as referenced above. Figure 6 Refer to the content described in reference 608.

[0103] Figure 11 The example illustrates messages exchanged between one or more RAN nodes (such as RAN node 106) and the core network 114. For the purposes of this example, a User Equipment (UE) attempts to establish a PDU session. At 1102, the RAN sends an uplink NAS delivery message to the AMF. At 1104, the AMF sends a downlink NAS delivery message to the RAN, which includes energy consumption measurement information (with optional parameters), as referenced above. Figure 6As described in section 602 (which can be initiated / added by the Session Management Function (SMF)). At 1106, the RAN collects measurements related to energy consumption. In this example, one or more actions to be performed to reduce RAN energy consumption include reporting or sending alarm indications. At 1108, the RAN uses one of the following to send as referenced above. Figure 6 The content described in section 608: 1108(a) New Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) message, energy consumption measurement report; 1108(b) New GPRS Tunneling Protocol User Plane (GTP-U) Extension Header Field on User Plane (UP); or 1108(c) New GTP-U Path Management Message, Energy Consumption Measurement Notification on UP.

[0104] Figure 12 The example illustrates messages exchanged between one or more RAN nodes (such as RAN node 106) and the core network 114. In this example, at 1202, the SMF detects a trigger, either locally configured or indicated by another core network function (CN NF) (e.g., AMF, PCF, NWDAF, etc.), to receive measurements related to the RAN's energy consumption from the RAN. At 1204, the SMF sends a downlink NAS message (PDU session modification command) to the RAN via the AMF, which includes energy consumption measurement information (with optional parameters), as referenced above. Figure 6 As described in section 602. At 1206, the RAN collects measurements related to energy consumption. At 1208, the RAN uses one of the following to transmit data as referenced above. Figure 6 The content described in reference 608: a) New Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) messages, energy consumption measurement reports; b) The new GPRS Tunneling Protocol User Plane (GTP-U) extension header field on the User Plane (UP); or c) New GTP-U path management message, energy consumption measurement notification on UP.

[0105] Figure 13 The example illustrates messages exchanged between one or more RAN nodes (such as RAN node 106) and the core network 114. In this example, the SMF detects a trigger, either through local configuration or by instruction from another core network function (CN NF) (e.g., AMF, PCF, NWDAF, etc.), to receive measurements related to RAN energy consumption from the RAN. At 1302, the AMF sends a new NGAP message, a RAN energy consumption measurement request, or a RAN energy consumption measurement command, which includes (with optional parameters) energy consumption measurement information, as referenced above. Figure 6 As described in section 602. At 1304, the RAN collects measurements related to energy consumption. In this example, one or more actions to be performed to reduce RAN energy consumption include reporting or sending alarm indications. At 1306, the RAN utilizes a new NGAP message, energy consumption measurement reports, which include those referenced above. Figure 6 The content described in 608.

[0106] Now for reference Figure 14 The diagram illustrates, according to an example, the operation of a process including the transmission of messages between one or more RAN nodes (such as RAN node 106) and RIC 500 and / or OAM 118.

[0107] The RAN is configured at 1402 to collect one or more measurements related to RAN energy consumption. This configuration includes: the measurements to be collected, the parameters of the measurements, the parameters used to report the results, and the operations performed based on the analysis. An example of such a measurement is referenced above. Figure 4 Mention. The RAN can be configured to collect measurements, for example, via OAM or via RIC. The RAN can be configured to collect energy consumption-related measurements for each UE, per UE group, per PDU session, per network slice, per cell, per RAN protocol function, based on region, based on time interval, percentile relative to previous measurements or indication of comparison with previous measurements, or based on other criteria (e.g., last measurement collection time, value, or other criteria).

[0108] The RAN is also configured to perform analyses and generate analytical information. This analysis can be hierarchical, allowing the RAN to perform analyses sent to the core network for further analysis. The RAN can be configured to perform one or more analyses, including different analysis types such as anomalies or statistical contrast predictions, and can be configured for filtering (e.g., sampling ratio and / or energy type).

[0109] Furthermore, the RAN can be configured to store data, report data, and / or provide alarm indications based on parameters. For example, the configuration may include the duration, location, and encoding of collected measurements. The RAN can be configured to report data periodically, immediately, or in response to detected events. Alarm indications can be provided based on thresholds, percentiles, critical levels, and any other parameters.

[0110] At 1404, based on this configuration or based on a command or request from another RAN node, the RAN collects measurements related to energy consumption. For example, refer to... Figure 5 The measurement of 504 was described above.

[0111] At point 1406, the RAN performs analysis using measurements and generates analyses. Based on the collected measurements, the RAN output provides statistics or predictions of energy consumption or abnormal energy consumption. The RAN may also provide additional information related to abnormal energy consumption, including the services or platform resources used, and may include the identifier of the component consuming the most energy, and any or all of the services, functions, or platform resources used.

[0112] At point 1408, the RAN can send the generated analysis to the RIC or OAM. This can be an exchange or open sharing of high-consumption diagnostic information, or it can be hidden for data privacy.

[0113] At 1410, any combination of RAN, RIC, or OAM can utilize analytics and / or collected measurements. At 1412, analytics are used to perform one or more actions to reduce energy consumption. Analytics can be used for any suitable purpose, such as one or a combination of the following: energy-saving / efficiency policy performance monitoring, energy consumption troubleshooting, network optimization / reconfiguration (which may include enabling or disabling function migration), negotiated QoS degradation, opening, etc.

[0114] Now for reference Figure 15 It illustrates a schematic diagram of the operation of a process including the transmission of messages between one or more RAN nodes (such as RAN node 106) and core network 114, according to another example.

[0115] exist Figure 15 In the example, the RAN receives a request or command from the core network to collect one or more measurements related to RAN energy consumption and performs analysis on the collected measurements. The request or command includes the identifier of the measurement to be collected, the parameters of the measurement, the operation to be performed based on the analysis, and the operation parameters, as shown in the reference. Figure 6 As mentioned. Therefore, as referenced Figure 6 As described, the request or command sent to the RAN is similar to 602 and also includes information related to the analysis. This analysis can be hierarchical, causing the RAN to perform analyses sent to the core network for further analysis. Requests and commands can include analysis types (such as anomaly or statistical contrast prediction) and can include information for filtering (e.g., sampling rate and / or energy type, etc.).

[0116] At position 1504, based on requests and commands from the core network, the RAN collects measurements related to energy consumption. For example, refer to... Figure 5 The 504 is described above as a measurement of this type.

[0117] At point 1506, the RAN performs analysis using measurements and generates an analysis. The RAN can also provide additional information related to abnormal energy consumption, including the services or platform resources used, and may include the identifier of the component consuming the most energy, and any one or all of the services, functions, or platform resources used.

[0118] At point 1508, the RAN sends the generated analytics to the core network. This can be an exchange or open sharing of high-consumption diagnostic information, or it can be hidden for data privacy. For example, the exchange can occur via the control plane (CP) through existing or new N2 procedures, or via the user plane (UP) through new GTP-U header extension fields and / or new path management messages.

[0119] At point 1510, the RAN or core network, or both, may utilize analytics and / or collected measurements. The analytics may be used to perform (multiple) actions to reduce energy consumption. The analytics can be used for any suitable purpose, such as one or a combination of the following: energy-saving / efficiency policy performance monitoring, energy consumption troubleshooting, network optimization / reconfiguration (which may include enabling or disabling function migration), negotiated QoS degradation, opening, etc. Therefore, the RAN may perform analytics and may report, for example, indications of anomalous conditions to the core network, enabling the core network to perform actions to reduce energy consumption.

[0120] Now for reference Figure 16 It shows a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a process involving the transmission of messages between one or more RAN nodes (such as RAN node 106) and OAM 118, according to another example.

[0121] exist Figure 16 In the example, the RAN receives a request or command from the OAM to collect one or more measurements related to RAN energy consumption and performs an analysis of the collected measurements. The request or command includes the identifier of the measurement to be collected, the parameters of the measurement, the operation to be performed based on the analysis, and the operation parameters, as shown in the reference. Figure 6 As mentioned. Therefore, as referenced Figure 6 As described, the requests and commands sent to the RAN are similar to 602 and also include information related to the analysis. This analysis can be hierarchical, causing the RAN to perform analyses sent to the core network for further analysis. Requests and commands can include analysis types (such as anomaly or statistical contrast prediction) and can include information for filtering (e.g., sampling rate and / or energy type, etc.).

[0122] At point 1604, based on commands or requests from the OAM, the RAN collects measurements related to energy consumption. For example, refer to... Figure 5504 is described above as such a measurement.

[0123] At point 1606, the RAN performs analysis using measurements and generates an analysis. The RAN can also provide additional information related to abnormal energy consumption, including the services or platform resources used, and may include the identifier of the component consuming the most energy, and any one or all of the services, functions, or platform resources used.

[0124] At point 1608, the RAN sends the generated analysis to the OAM. This could be an exchange or open sharing of high-consumption diagnostic information, or it could be hidden for data privacy.

[0125] At point 1610, the RAN or OAM, or both, may utilize analytics and / or collected measurements. Analytics can be used for any suitable purpose, such as one or a combination of the following: energy-saving / efficiency policy performance monitoring, energy consumption troubleshooting, network optimization / reconfiguration (which may include enabling or disabling function migration), negotiated QoS degradation, opening, etc. Therefore, the RAN can perform analytics and may report, for example, indications of anomalous conditions to the core network, enabling the core network to take actions to reduce energy consumption.

[0126] Figures 17 to 22 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of operation in a method according to an embodiment. Figures 17 to 22 The message sent between one or more RAN nodes (such as RAN node 106), core network 114, and OAM 118 is shown.

[0127] Figures 17 to 22 Similar to Figures 8 to 13 However, in Figures 17 to 22 In the example, information related to the analysis of one or more measurements of energy consumption is included in the request or command illustrated in the message flow. Additionally, the RAN reports or provides analysis or information related to the analysis performed by the RAN. Information related to the performed analysis may be provided in addition to, or may be provided in lieu of, one or more measurement results.

[0128] refer to Figure 17 1702, 1704, 1706, 1708, 1710, and 1712 are similar. Figure 8The parameters are 802, 804, 806, 808, 810, and 812. However, in 1702, the NWDAF of the core network is configured to generate an analysis based on data obtained from OAM 118, which includes an analysis of one or more measurements related to energy consumption from the RAN. At 1704, the NWDAF requests the analysis from the OAM, also referred to herein as data analysis, and at 1706, the OAM sends a request / command to the RAN, which includes a request for data analysis. At 1708, the RAN collects measurements and performs the analysis. At 1710, a response is sent to the OAM. At 1712, the OAM sends the analysis of one or more measurements related to energy consumption at the RAN to the NWDAF.

[0129] Similarly, Figure 18 The 1802, 1804, 1806 and 1808 are similar Figure 9 Numbers 902, 904, 906, and 908. However, in Figure 18 In this example, the AMF sends an NG setup response message, which includes an analytics enable flag and data analytics-related information. At position 1806, the RAN collects measurements related to RAN power consumption and performs analysis. The RAN utilizes the New Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) message to provide the data analytics.

[0130] Figure 19 The illustration shows messages transmitted between one or more RAN nodes 106 (such as RAN nodes) and the core network 114. For the purposes of this example, a User Equipment (UE) attempts to register or update its registration. At 1902, the RAN sends an Initial UE message or an Uplink Non-Access Stratum (NAS) Transmission message to the AMF. At 1904, the AMF sends a UE Context Creation Request message, a UE Context Modification Request message, or a Downlink NAS Transmission message to the RAN, which includes energy consumption data analysis information (with optional parameters). At 1906, the RAN collects measurements and performs analysis. In this example, at 1908, the RAN uses a New Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) message to send a report including the data analysis.

[0131] Figure 20 The diagram illustrates messages transmitted between one or more RAN nodes (such as RAN node 106) and the core network 114. At 2002, the RAN sends an initial UE message or an uplink non-access stratum (NAS) transmission message to the CN. At 2004, the CN sends a downlink NAS transmission message to the RAN, which includes energy consumption data analysis information (with optional parameters). At 2006, the RAN collects measurements and performs analysis. The RAN uses one of the following to send a report including the data analysis: 2008(a) New Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) message, Energy Consumption Measurement Report; 2008(b) New GPRS Tunneling Protocol User Plane (GTP-U) Extension Header Fields on User Plane (UP); or 2008(c) New GTP-U Path Management Message, Energy Consumption Measurement Notification on UP.

[0132] Figure 21 The diagram illustrates messages transmitted between one or more RAN nodes (such as RAN node 106) and the core network 114. In this example, at 2102, the SMF detects a trigger, either locally configured or by instruction from another core network function (CN NF) (e.g., AMF, PCF, NWDAF, etc.), to receive measurements related to the RAN's energy consumption from the RAN. At 2104, the SMF sends a downlink NAS message (PDU session modification command) to the RAN via the AMF, which includes energy consumption data analysis information (with optional parameters). At 2106, the RAN collects the measurements and performs analysis. The RAN uses one of the following to send a report including the data analysis: c) New Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) messages, energy consumption measurement reports; d) The new GPRS Tunneling Protocol User Plane (GTP-U) extension header field on the User Plane (UP); or e) New GTP-U path management message, energy consumption measurement notification on UP.

[0133] Figure 22 The diagram illustrates messages transmitted between one or more RAN nodes (such as RAN node 106) and the core network 114. At 2202, the AMF sends a new NGAP message, a RAN energy consumption analysis request, or a RAN energy consumption analysis command, which includes (with optional parameters) energy consumption data analysis information. At 2206, the RAN collects measurements and performs analysis. At 2206, the RAN sends a report including the data analysis.

[0134] Furthermore, the analysis can be initiated from the NWDAF, for example, based on a subscription to include, for example, a newly deployed RAN node, a newly registered UE, a newly established PDU session, or any combination thereof. Other network functions of the core network can initiate requests or commands sent to the RAN on behalf of the NWDAF.

[0135] refer to Figures 8 to 13 and Figures 17 to 22 In the example shown, the measurement (such as energy consumption measurement or analysis for the entire RAN or per area) is not associated with the UE because the measurement is not a service provided to the UE. Figure 8, Figure 9 , Figure 13 , Figure 17 , Figure 18 and Figure 22 The examples shown can be non-UE-related, supporting energy consumption measurement or analysis across the entire RAN or per region.

[0136] Other measurements are associated with the UE because they are measurements of services provided to one or more UEs. Figure 8 , Figure 13 , Figure 17 and Figure 22 The examples shown can be associated with a UE and support measurements per UE, per UE group, per PDU session, per slice, per region (all UEs in the region), the entire RAN (all UEs), etc. Figure 10 and Figure 19 The example shown can be associated with a UE to support per-UE measurements. Figure 11 , Figure 12 , Figure 20 and Figure 22 The examples shown can be associated with a UE, supporting measurements per UE and per PDU session.

[0137] As used in this disclosure, according to certain embodiments of this disclosure, the term "circuit system," as used herein, for example in processing circuit systems, logic circuit systems, or memory circuit systems, may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) a hardware circuit implementation only (such as an implementation in an analog and / or digital circuit system only) and (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware; and (ii) any portion of a hardware processor and software (including a digital signal processor), the software and memory working together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions; and (iii) hardware circuitry and / or a processor, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, which requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but which may be absent when the software is not required for operation. This definition of circuit system applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claim. As another example, as used in this disclosure, the term circuit system also covers an implementation of hardware circuitry or a processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of hardware circuitry or a processor and its (or its) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term "circuit system" also covers (for example, and if applicable to certain claim elements) baseband integrated circuits for mobile devices or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices or other computing or networking devices.

[0138] The scope of the claims should not be limited to the preferred embodiments set forth in the examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the entire specification. While the examples described herein relate to wireless communication utilizing 5G radio access technology or 5G networks, the methods described herein can also be implemented using 6G radio access technology or 6G networks.

Claims

1. A method for a radio access network (RAN), the method comprising: Collect one or more measurements related to the energy consumption of the RAN; Perform analysis on the one or more measurements collected, and based on the analysis, identify one or more operations to be performed to reduce the energy consumption of the RAN; as well as Perform one or more of the operations to reduce the energy consumption of the RAN.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising: Receive a request or command to collect one or more measurements related to energy consumption, and perform the collection in response to the request or command to collect one or more measurements related to energy consumption.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the request or command comprises: Indications of one or more of the measurements related to energy consumption.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the analysis comprises: The one or more measurements mentioned above are used to determine abnormal conditions related to energy consumption.

5. The method according to claim 4, comprising: The network entity that reports the energy consumption-related anomaly to at least one of the core network, Operation, Administration and Maintenance (OAM), RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC), another RAN node, and / or another entity, in order to perform another operation to reduce energy consumption; as well as The reported abnormal conditions include: identifying components with abnormal energy consumption.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the following: The method includes: The analysis of the measurements is shared with one or more other entities; The method further includes collecting the one or more measurements, performing the analysis of the one or more collected measurements, and identifying the one or more operations to be performed at a RAN node, and sharing the analysis of the one or more measurements with at least one other RAN node. Performing the operation to reduce energy consumption includes: reconfiguring and enabling or disabling one or more functions at the RAN; Collecting one or more measurements includes collecting one or more of the following measurements: For all user equipment (UE); per UE; Each UE group; Session per Packet Data Unit (PDU); Each network slice; Each community; Per-RAN protocol function; Each network; and / or Each sub-network; or Collecting one or more measurements includes collecting measurements related to energy consumption for at least one of the following: region, time interval, percentile relative to a previous measurement, or comparison with a previous measurement, anomaly criteria, and / or baseline criteria.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the analysis comprises: Compare the collected one or more measurements with a threshold or with one or more previously collected measurements; Performing one or more of the operations includes providing alert indications to the core network and one or both of Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM).

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the following: Performing one or more of the operations to reduce energy consumption at the RAN includes one or more of the following: reducing energy consumption per cell, reducing energy consumption per RAN node, reducing energy consumption per user equipment (UE), reducing energy consumption per PDU session, and reducing energy consumption per tracking area (TA); The execution of one or more of the above operations is in response to one or more of the following: The change in the energy state of a given cell; Changes in the number of active communities; Load measurement for one of the following: cell, tracking area (TA), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), functional block, or physical resource block (PRB) usage threshold; or Status of OAM labeling.

9. A method for a radio access network (RAN), the method comprising: At the RAN, one or more measurements related to energy consumption are collected; Perform analysis on the one or more measurements collected and identify anomalies related to energy consumption; as well as Based on the analysis, an alert indication is provided to at least one of the core network and Operation, Management and Maintenance (OAM), RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC), another RAN node, and / or another entity.

10. A radio access network (RAN) node, comprising: At least one processor; At least one memory storing instructions, wherein the instructions are executable by the at least one processor to cause the RAN node to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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