User equipment found to provide a service of interest

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for enabling user equipment discovery in a telecommunications network. For this purpose, the system and methods can access user equipment (UE) records, wherein corresponding records can identify the UE and indicate that the UE is configured to provide one or more services, and enable an application server to discover UEs configured to provide services of interest by: i) receiving a discovery request from the application server, wherein the discovery request indicates the service of interest; ii) searching records for UEs matching the service of interest to obtain search results; and iii) providing the search results to the application server. This enables the application server to discover one or more UEs capable of providing services of interest to the application server.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to systems and computer-implemented methods for enabling user equipment discovery in telecommunications networks. The invention also relates to user equipment and computer-implemented methods for execution at the user equipment, application servers and computer-implemented methods for execution at the application servers, and computer-readable media comprising data representing instructions for causing a processor system to perform any computer-implemented method. Background Technology

[0002] In today's telecommunications environment, services extend beyond traditional voice and internet offerings. Modern telecommunications networks have integrated a wide variety of services to meet evolving user needs, such as video streaming, augmented reality, and Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity.

[0003] While traditionally entities within telecommunications networks (such as (edge) application servers) provide this service to user equipment (UEs), an increasing number of UEs are themselves capable of providing services to other entities. That is, UEs are increasingly equipped with significant processing, communication, and sensing capabilities that allow them to offer novel services to other entities.

[0004] For example, consider a scenario where an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle experiences a sensor malfunction, thus impairing its ability to safely continue its journey. The vehicle can be connected to a control center via a telecommunications network, where a human operator can be on standby to assist in such an emergency. It is conceivable that the human operator could access an application that reconstructs one or more views of the malfunctioning vehicle's surroundings based on sensor data from nearby vehicles. Using such an application, the human operator could remotely maneuver the malfunctioning vehicle to a safe location. In this scenario, the control center could utilize sensor data from nearby vehicles through a sensor data sharing service provided by the vehicle.

[0005] There are efforts to standardize services provided by the UE. For example, in the automotive sector, so-called V2X (Vehicle to Everything) services are defined, which may include “CA – Cooperative Awareness”, “VRU – Vulnerable Road User”, and “CP – Cooperative Perception”. Examples of these V2X services are a larger set of services identified by Intelligent Transportation System-Application Identifier (ITS-AID) values ​​[1]. Another example of services that the UE may provide to other entities includes services identified by slice / service type (SST) values ​​as specified in [2].

[0006] References [1] ETSI TS 102 965V2.1.1 (2021-11), Intelligent Transport Systems(ITS); Application Object Identifier (ITS-AID); Registration; Release 2 [2] 3GPP TS 23.501V18.1.0 (2023-03), Technical Specification, 3rdGeneration Partnership Project; System architecture for the 5G System (5GS); R. 18. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Although discovery mechanisms exist that allow UEs to discover application servers that provide specific services, the inventors have considered that there is currently a lack of suitable mechanisms that allow application servers to discover UEs that can provide services of interest to the application server.

[0008] In a first aspect of the invention, a system for enabling user equipment discovery in a telecommunications network is provided. The system may include: - Network interface to telecommunications network; - The processor subsystem, which can be configured to: - Access records for user devices, wherein the corresponding records can identify the user device and identify that the user device can be configured to provide one or more services; - Through the network interface, the application server can be configured to provide services to user devices of interest via the following discovery: Receive a discovery request from the application server, where the discovery request may indicate services of interest; Search results are obtained by searching user device records that match services of interest, wherein non-empty search results may include identifiers of user devices configured to provide services of interest; and Provide search results to the application server.

[0009] In another aspect of the invention, a computer-implemented method for enabling user equipment discovery in a telecommunications network is provided. This method may include: - Access records for user devices, wherein the corresponding records can identify the user device and identify that the user device is configured to provide one or more services; - Enables the application server to be configured to provide services to user devices of interest through the following discovery: Receive a discovery request from the application server, where the discovery request may indicate services of interest; Search results are obtained by searching user device records that match services of interest, wherein non-empty search results may include identifiers of user devices configured to provide services of interest; and Provide search results to the application server.

[0010] In another aspect of the invention, an apparatus is provided that can be configured as a user equipment in a telecommunications network. The apparatus may include: - Network interface to telecommunications network; - A processor subsystem that can be configured to provide one or more services to a network entity via a network interface; The processor subsystem may be further configured to register with the system by sending a registration request to a system configured to enable user equipment discovery, wherein the registration request may indicate that the user equipment is configured to provide one or more services.

[0011] In another aspect of the invention, a computer-implemented method is provided, executed at a user equipment in a telecommunications network, wherein the user equipment can be configured to provide one or more services to a network entity via a network interface. The method may include: - The user equipment can be configured to provide one or more of one or more services for registration with a system configured to enable user equipment discovery, thereby obtaining one or more selected services; and - Register with the system by sending a registration request that can specify one or more selected services.

[0012] In another aspect of the invention, an application server is provided, which may include: - Network interface to telecommunications network; - The processor subsystem, which can be configured to: - Send a discovery request to a system configured to enable user equipment discovery, wherein the discovery request may indicate a service of interest, and the system may be configured to search records for user equipment that matches the service of interest to obtain search results; - Receive search results from the system, where the search results may include identifiers of user devices configured to provide services of interest; - Request the user equipment to provide the service of interest based on the user equipment's identifier; and - Utilize services of interest provided by the user's device.

[0013] In another aspect of the invention, a computer-implemented method is provided for execution at an application server in a telecommunications network. The method may include: - Send a discovery request to a system configured to enable user equipment discovery, wherein the discovery request may indicate a service of interest, and the system may be configured to search records for user equipment that matches the service of interest to obtain search results; - Receive search results from the system, where the search results may include identifiers of user devices configured to provide services of interest; - Request the user equipment to provide the service of interest based on the user equipment's identifier; and - Utilize services of interest provided by the user's device.

[0014] In another aspect of the invention, a temporary or non-temporary computer-readable medium is provided, comprising data representing a computer program, the computer program including instructions for causing a processor system to perform any of the methods described herein.

[0015] The above measures involve a system that can be configured to enable user equipment (UE) to be discovered, an application server that can be configured to use the system to discover user equipment, and user equipment that can be configured to register with the system to enable its discovery.

[0016] To enable entities such as application servers to discover the UE, the system can be configured to access a collection of records related to the UE. These records can represent data structures that can be organized in any suitable form, such as a database. Different records may belong to different UEs. Records for a UE can identify the UE, for example, by including or referencing identifiers of the user equipment, such as IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity), IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity), GUTI (Globally Unique Temporary UE Identity), etc. The record can further identify one or more services that the UE can be configured to provide. For example, if the UE is configured to provide VX2 services 'CA' and 'CP', the record can identify these services, for example, by listing the ITS-AID values ​​for these services. The system can maintain the records because it can read-write access to them, and in some embodiments, the system can also host the records. Thus, in some embodiments, the records can be stored internally by the system, while in other embodiments, the records can be stored externally but can be read-write accessible to the system, for example, via a network interface or another type of data interface.

[0017] The system can be configured to enable an application server to discover UEs that provide certain services to the application server. These services may also be referred to elsewhere as '(one or more) services of interest'. For this purpose, the system can be configured to receive a discovery request from the application server indicating a service of interest. In some embodiments, the discovery request may include an identifier of the service of interest, while in other embodiments, the discovery request may contain information that allows the system to determine the service of interest, for example, by including a description of the service of interest.

[0018] Based on a discovery request, the system can search records for user devices (UEs) that are interested in a service to match one or more services stored in the corresponding records. In some embodiments, the system can operate according to a request-response model. In such embodiments, the system can search records directly in response to a discovery request. In other embodiments, the system can operate according to a subscription model. In such embodiments, the discovery request can be a subscription request to a discovery, which may also be referred to as a 'discovery subscription request'. In response to such a subscription request, the system can perform searches repeatedly, for example periodically, or in response to changes in the records. After performing a search, search results can be obtained. If no UE providing a service of interest is found, the search results can be empty. However, if such a UE is found, the search results can identify the UE via its identifier. It will be understood that if more than one UE is found during a search, the search results can list each or more of the found UEs.

[0019] The search results, including one or more identifiers of one or more UEs, can then be provided to the application server so that the application server can request one or more UEs to provide services of interest. This may involve, for example, the application server establishing a session with a specific UE and then utilizing the services of interest provided by the UE. When operating under a request-response model, the search results can be provided as a response to a discovery request, and when operating under a subscription model, the search results can be provided to the application server as a notification.

[0020] It will be understood that the application server may, but does not need to, utilize services provided by the UE. For example, if more than one UE is identified in the search results, the application server may utilize only the services provided by one UE or a subset of UEs. Similarly, in some embodiments, the application server may apply additional criteria to the UEs identified in the search results of the discovery request to determine whether and / or from which UE the services of interest are utilized.

[0021] User equipment (UAE) itself can be configured to register with a system. This registration may involve the UAE sending a registration request to the system. This registration request can take various forms and typically allows the system to identify the UAE and which one or more services the UAE can provide. For this purpose, the registration request may include identifiers of one or more services or descriptions of one or more services.

[0022] The aforementioned measures can enable application servers and similar entities to discover UEs capable of providing certain types of services or services. The application server can select one or more service types to establish criteria for discovering and thus identifying user equipment. For example, in a scenario where a malfunctioning vehicle is remotely moved to a safe location, the application server can seek to combine user equipment configured for certain V2X (vehicle-to-everything) services, as the application server can access sensor data collected by the user equipment through such services. By accordingly identifying the service of interest and requesting the system to search its records for UEs capable of providing one or more of the service of interest via a discovery request, the application server can discover and thus identify only user equipment configured for one or more of such services. Therefore, the application server is only informed of user equipment relevant to the application server.

[0023] The following embodiments may relate to systems that enable user equipment discovery, but may also represent corresponding limitations in the devices and application servers and any of the described computer implementations of the methods.

[0024] In this embodiment, the processor subsystem can be configured to enable the user equipment to register with the system by: - Receive a registration request from the user equipment, wherein the registration request indicates that the user equipment is configured to provide one or more services; and - Establish a record for the user device based on the registration request.

[0025] User equipment can register with the system by sending a registration request. In response to such a registration request, the system can then generate a record for the user equipment. The record can be generated based on information contained in the registration request. For example, if the registration request contains an identifier of one or more services that the user equipment is configured to provide, the system can include the identifier in the corresponding record.

[0026] In an embodiment, the processor subsystem can be configured to enable the user equipment to update one or more services identified in the user equipment's records. For example, the user equipment can add services to its records and / or remove services from its records via an update message request system. This allows the user equipment to keep its records up-to-date.

[0027] In an embodiment, the processor subsystem can be configured to include service license levels for services in a record for the user equipment, where the service license level indicates the level of service that the user equipment is permitted to use. Specific types of services can be provided at different levels. For example, for a cooperative sensing type of service, the user equipment may either make its raw sensor data available only, or it may analyze and label the raw sensor data, for example, to detect pedestrians, and make the labeled sensor data available. These different service levels can typically relate to service quality, such as in terms of service quality outcomes (e.g., the quality of the sensor data provided) or the quality of delivery of service outcomes (e.g., latency or frequency). The reason for distinguishing between service levels is that providing services at higher service levels may require more resources from the user equipment, such as in processing power, network utilization, etc., which may result in various other costs, such as increased power consumption, reduced battery life, etc. Therefore, the user equipment may want to control at which level services are provided, or may in some cases only be able to provide services at specific service levels. Thus, the user equipment may only be allowed to utilize services at specific service levels or multiple such service levels. By being enabled to register such service license levels with the system, the application server can be notified in advance (e.g., before attempting to utilize the service). In this way, in addition to the service itself, the service license level can also be used as an additional criterion, such as to restrict discovery to only UEs that are allowed to provide services at a certain service level, or to enable the application server to know the service license level of the discovered UE in advance and to allow the application server to make decisions on the use of the service based on the service license level.

[0028] In this embodiment, the discovery request from the application server may further indicate the required service license level, and the processor subsystem may be configured to search records for user equipment (UEs) that match the service of interest and the required service license level. While a UE may only allow the service to be utilized at one or more service levels, the application server may have requirements regarding service levels. Such requirements may, for example, specify a minimum service level. By being able to specify the required service license level in the discovery request, the required service license level can be used as an additional criterion in the search. Therefore, the application server can only notify UEs that are both able to provide the service of interest and able to provide the service of interest at the service level required by the application server. This avoids identifying UEs that cannot provide services at the required service level to the application server.

[0029] In an embodiment, the processor subsystem can be configured to include only user devices that have consented to provide services of interest to the application server in the search results provided to the application server. It is recognized that while a UE may be theoretically capable of providing the service, it may have reasons not to consent. For example, if a UE has low battery capacity, it may refuse to provide services to the application server to avoid further shortening battery life. Another example is that the UE may be roaming on the accessed network and may refuse to provide services due to connectivity costs. Yet another example is that the UE may be experiencing a sensor malfunction, and due to this malfunction, it may need to refuse to provide sensor-related services. Yet another example is that the UE's user refuses to give consent for privacy reasons. Yet another example is that no contractual agreement has been established with the application server to utilize the services provided by the UE. Therefore, the system can determine whether a user device consents to provide services of interest and can include only user devices that have given such consent in the search results. This prevents UEs that are capable of providing services of interest to the application server but currently do not consent from being offered those services.

[0030] In this embodiment, the processor subsystem can be configured to determine whether the user device agrees to provide the application server with services of interest by: - Enables user devices to register and / or unregister consent in records; or - In response to a user device being identified in search results, the user device's consent is checked via message exchange.

[0031] The UE can indicate consent to the system by registering and / or deregistering such consent. This allows the UE to dynamically deregister consent, for example, while roaming, when the battery is depleted below the minimum battery level, and dynamically register consent, for example, when returning to the home network or connecting to power. Alternatively, the system can request consent from the UE if and when the UE has already been identified in a search query. By requesting such consent before returning the search query to the application server, it may not be necessary for the UE to maintain the current state of consent registered with the system, as the system can request the UE to indicate consent or dissent on an "on-demand" basis.

[0032] In this embodiment, the processor subsystem can be configured to enable the user equipment to deregister with the system by: - Receive a logout request from the user equipment; and - Delete, disable, or flag records of user devices based on a logout request.

[0033] For example, when a UE is expected to be unable or unwilling to provide its service for a longer period of time, it may be desirable for the UE to be able to deregister from the system. The measures described above enable the system to process such registration requests and thus update its record set accordingly.

[0034] In an embodiment, the processor subsystem can be configured to search for records of another UE configured to provide the service of interest or an alternative service and identify that other UE to the application server when a user equipment previously identified to the application server stops providing the service of interest. After the UE has been identified to the application server and, in some cases, after service utilization has begun, the UE can stop providing service. For example, the UE may suffer a sensor malfunction, which could prevent the UE from continuing to provide sensor-related services. Other examples that may cause a UE to stop providing service include battery depletion, loss of connectivity, storage depletion, processing capacity depletion, overheating, etc. In cases where, for example, the UE notifies the system of such service termination directly or via the application server, the system can search for an alternative UE capable of providing the same or at least a similar type of service and, if found, identify the alternative UE to the application server. This allows the application server to continue its operation with some degree of continuity.

[0035] In an embodiment, the discovery request from the application server may further indicate a geographic location, and the processor subsystem may be configured to include only user devices located or estimated to be located near the geographic location in the search results provided to the application server. Geographic location can be used as one of the criteria for the application server to determine from which user device a service of interest will be utilized. For example, geographic location can determine the relevance of service results. That is, in the above example where a disabled vehicle is remotely maneuvered to a safe location, only sensor data from nearby vehicles might be relevant to the application involved in the remote maneuver. Another example is that geographic location may affect the delivery of search results, for example, in terms of wait time. By being able to specify a geographic location and by having the system consider geographic location in its searches, geographic location can be used as an additional criterion for discovering user devices beyond the service level.

[0036] In an embodiment, the processor subsystem can be configured to determine the location of a user equipment (UE) in response to it being identified in search results, for example, by requesting the UE's location from a location management network function or core network function based on the UE's identifier. The system can determine the UE's location to use the geographic location provided by the application server as a criterion for UE discovery. However, since the UE's location may change, for example due to mobility, the system can determine the location on an "on-demand" basis, i.e., when the UE is actually identified in the search results. This ensures, at least to some extent, that the UE's location is up-to-date.

[0037] In an embodiment, the processor subsystem may be configured to include one or more services that the user equipment is configured to provide by recording at least one of the following in a record for the user equipment: - Service identifiers, such as the vertical application layer (VAL) service ID; - Service type, such as slice / service type (SST) value or intelligent transportation system application identifier (ITS-AID) value.

[0038] In this embodiment, the system can be implemented using application functions of a telecommunications network.

[0039] In an embodiment, the system can be implemented as a network function, such as an application function, in the Service Enabler Architecture Layer (SEAL) of a telecommunications network.

[0040] In this embodiment, the application server may be a vertical application layer (VAL) server.

[0041] In an embodiment, the application server may be configured to, for example, stream data to and / or from user devices in real time or near real time.

[0042] In this embodiment, the application server can be configured to consume sensor data collected by the user equipment. In other words, the application server can stream sensor data collected by the user equipment from the user equipment.

[0043] In this embodiment, the application server may be part of the user equipment. Thus, the application server can be an internal component of the user equipment and can be configured to utilize services of interest provided by other user equipment.

[0044] In another aspect of the invention, a telecommunications network is provided, which includes a system for enabling user equipment discovery as described in this specification. The telecommunications network may be a mobile network.

[0045] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that two or more of the above embodiments, implementations and / or aspects of the present invention can be combined in any manner deemed useful.

[0046] Modifications and alterations can be made by those skilled in the art based on this description to any system or device (e.g., server, network function, user equipment, etc.), computer-implemented method, and / or computer program, corresponding to or contrary to the modifications and alterations described in another of these systems or devices, computer-implemented methods, and / or computer programs. Attached Figure Description

[0047] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent and will be illustrated with reference to the embodiments described below. In the figures, Figure 1 The illustration shows a semi-autonomous vehicle, representing a user equipment of a telecommunications network and exhibiting sensor malfunctions, which is guided to a safe location by the vehicle control center based on sensor data from nearby vehicles. Figure 2 It shows Figure 1 Example sequence diagram; Figure 3 The diagram illustrates a sequence of events in which an application server uses a UE discovery management system to discover one or more target UEs configured to provide a certain type of service, and further illustrates how the application server then utilizes that service. Figure 4 The sequence diagram is shown, in which the UE discovery management system checks whether the target UE agrees to have the service utilized by the application server and then identifies the target UE only to the application server; Figure 5 The sequence diagram shows a UE instructing the UE discovery management system that it wishes to no longer be discoverable; Figure 6 The present specification illustrates that any entity described herein may be an exemplary system, including but not limited to application servers, UE discovery management systems, and user equipment configured to provide services; Figure 7 A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing data is shown; Figure 8 An exemplary data processing system is shown.

[0048] It should be noted that items with the same reference numerals in different figures have the same structural features and functions, or the same signals. Since the function and / or structure of such items have already been explained, it is unnecessary to repeat this explanation in the detailed description.

[0049] Reference Symbol List The following list of references and abbreviations is provided to aid in the interpretation of the drawings and should not be construed as limiting the claims. 3GPP-NS 3GPP Network System 5GC 5G core AF Application Functions APP SVR Application Server DTS Digital Twin Service SEAL Service Enabler Architecture Layer UE User Equipment UE-DM User Equipment Discovery Management UE-T Target User Equipment VAL Vertical Application Layer VAL SVR Vertical Application Layer Server 1-32 Messages / Steps 100 Telecommunications Network 120 Internet 140 Vehicle Control Center 200 system 210 Network Interface 220 Processor Subsystem 230 Data storage devices 300 Non-transitory computer-readable media 310 stored data 400 3GPP network system 410 5G core 420 Application Functions 430 User Equipment Discovery Management 440 Service Enabler Architecture Layer 450-452 User Equipment 455 Target User Equipment 470 Vertical Application Layer 480 Vertical Application Layer Servers 490 Digital Twin Services 1000 Exemplary Data Processing Systems 1002 processor 1004 Memory Element 1006 System Bus 1008 Local Memory 1010 High-capacity storage device 1012 Input Device 1014 Output device 1016 Network Adapter 1018 Applications. Detailed Implementation

[0050] The following embodiments are described in the context of a 5G telecommunications network conforming to one or more ETSI NFV and related standards. Mechanisms for discovering user equipment (UEs) configured to provide one or more services in such a 5G telecommunications network are also specifically described below. However, the concepts described in the following embodiments can be equally applied to any other type of telecommunications network, such as telecommunications networks conforming to another standard that provides UEs with the ability to provide one or more services, such as 6G or next-generation standards.

[0051] The following embodiments may relate to systems and methods for enabling user equipment discovery in a telecommunications network. For this purpose, the system and methods may be configured to access records of user equipment, wherein corresponding records identify the user equipment and indicate that the user equipment is configured to provide one or more services. The system and methods enable an application server to discover user equipment configured to provide services of interest by: receiving a discovery request from the application server, wherein the discovery request indicates a service of interest; searching records for user equipment matching the service of interest to obtain search results, wherein non-empty search results include identifiers of user equipment configured to provide services of interest; and providing the search results to the application server. Note that the system may also be referred to elsewhere in this specification as a UE discovery management system, or abbreviated or simply as UE-DM. The functionality of UE-DM may also be implemented as one or more network functions. Thus, the following embodiments may also refer to UE discovery management functions.

[0052] Referring to the diagram, these and other aspects of the system operation and methodological steps can be further clarified.

[0053] Figure 1 One of many scenarios in which embodiments of the system and method can be employed is illustrated. In this scenario, a telecommunications network 100 (e.g., a 5G network including a network core 5GC) is shown to provide connectivity to multiple autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles representing user equipment (UEs) of the telecommunications network 100. In the following, references to UEs and to devices or vehicles representing UEs are used interchangeably unless otherwise stated. Vehicles may include sensors, for example, to enable autonomous driving functionality. However, one of the vehicles, UE1, may have sensor malfunctions, which could impair its autonomous driving functionality.

[0054] Vehicle UE1 can report its sensor malfunction to vehicle control center 140 via telecommunications network 100, and vehicle control center 140 can be connected to telecommunications network 100 via Internet 120. At vehicle control center 140, a human operator can be on standby to provide assistance if the vehicle experiences a malfunction. In response to vehicle UE1 reporting its sensor malfunction, the human operator can attempt to take over control of vehicle UE1 and navigate it to a safe location, where vehicle UE1 can remain until assistance to repair the malfunctioning sensor arrives. To enable safe remote control and navigation of vehicle UE1, telemetry data in the form of sensor data can be obtained from vehicle UE1 itself, for example, from its remaining active sensors, but also from nearby vehicles UE2, UE3. Sensor data can be provided by the UE to the Digital Twin Service (DTS) in the form of a service (e.g., a cooperative sensing service). The Digital Twin Service can operate on the application server SVR. Figure 1In the example, the application server can be a vertical application layer (VAL) server, as explained elsewhere in this specification. The Digital Twin Service (DTS) can create a digital twin of vehicle UE1 based on, for example, telemetry data from vehicle UE1 and nearby vehicles UE2 and UE3, through which vehicle UE1 can be controlled.

[0055] In this scenario, the application server may need to be able to first discover nearby vehicles in order to utilize services provided by those nearby vehicles, such as the aforementioned collaborative sensing service. That is, while the application server may become aware of vehicle UE1 based on vehicle UE1 reporting a sensor malfunction, the application server may typically not know which UEs are near vehicle UE1, and in particular, which of these nearby UEs are configured to and able to provide sensor data to its digital twin service.

[0056] Figure 2 It shows Figure 1 Sequence diagram of the example. In this example and in the following examples, a system is shown that is configured to enable an application server to discover UEs configured for a selected type of service (e.g., service of interest). This system may also be referred to as a UE discovery management system, or abbreviated as UE-DM system and simply as UE-DM. In this example, UE-DM is shown to be implemented by one or more network functions, namely by one or more application functions (AFs) that are part of the SEAL (Service Enabler Architecture Layer) layer [3] (see “Further References” at the end of this specification). However, this is merely exemplary, as UE-DM may also be implemented by one or more AFs independent of such a SEAL layer or by other types of network functions. Therefore, UE-DM may but does not have to be implemented by one or more AFs that may but do not have to be part of the SEAL layer.

[0057] exist Figure 2 In the subsequent diagrams, the messages and steps can be numbered, with the same numbering used in the accompanying descriptions of the sequence diagrams. Note that for the purpose of providing an overall overview, Figure 2 Sequence diagrams can omit many messages or steps. In the following text, brief descriptions of messages or steps are given in quotation marks.

[0058] 1. The vehicle stops, sends a warning message about the malfunctioning sensor, and sends its location. One or more sensors (such as cameras) of vehicle UE1 may malfunction, which could trigger vehicle UE1 to brake safely at the roadside and cause vehicle UE1 to send a warning message to the Digital Twin Service (DTS). The warning message may include the location of vehicle UE1.

[0059] 2. Discover nearby vehicles that can provide sensor data to the digital twin service.The Digital Twin Service (DTS) can subscribe to the UE-DM to provide sensor data to enrich the road map used by the DTS and enable remotely driven nearby vehicles. This subscription can trigger the UE-DM to check certain characteristics of the vehicles, such as their available service types (e.g., the type of available sensor data), location, direction, speed, etc. In this example, this might cause the UE-DM to identify vehicles UE2 and UE3 as being able to provide services of interest to the DTS and being near vehicle UE1.

[0060] 3. Consume sensor data from one or more selected vehicles. After UE-DM has been used to discover vehicle UE2 and UE3, the Digital Twin Service (DTS) can begin consuming sensor data, for example, by streaming it via telecommunications networks.

[0061] 4. The digital twin service is terminated after a vehicle with malfunctioning sensors is remotely driven to a safe location. "After vehicle UE1 has been remotely driven to a safe location, the digital twin service for vehicle UE1 can be stopped."

[0062] In the example above, the digital twin service is an example of an application seeking to utilize one or more services of interest provided by the UE.

[0063] The expectation of discovering user devices (UEs) configured to provide one or more services of interest exists not only in the scenarios described above, but also in a variety of other scenarios, such as when a fire department wants to stream sensor data from a UE near a fire. As explained elsewhere, such UE discovery can include not only the ability to provide services of interest, but may also additionally or alternatively include other criteria, such as the UE being located in a specific geographic area. Another exemplary scenario could be a road monitoring application, which might want to discover sensor data that provides information about road conditions so that the road monitoring application can detect vehicles in unsafe road conditions.

[0064] Continuing with reference to the service of interest, note that such service can be identified to the UE-DM in various ways by the requesting entity (e.g., an application server). For example, a description of the service of interest may be provided. In some embodiments, the service of interest may be identified by an identifier, which may take the form of numbers or alphanumeric numbers. For example, as also explained in the background section, in the automotive field, V2X (Vehicle to Everything) services are defined, which may include “CA – Cooperative Awareness,” “VRU – Vulnerable Road User,” and “CP – Cooperative Perception.” These V2X services are examples of a larger set of services identified by Intelligent Transportation System-Application Identifier (ITS-AID) values ​​[1], which can be used by the requesting entity to identify the service of interest to the UE-DM. Another example of a service identifier includes slice / service type (SST) values ​​as specified in [2]. In this regard, note that references in this specification to UE “support” service identifiers and / or service types are to be understood as meaning that the UE supports services identified by service identifiers and / or service types. Serve .

[0065] Figure 3 This diagram illustrates a sequence in which an application server uses the UE Discovery Management System (UE-DM) to discover one or more target UEs configured to provide a certain type of service, and further illustrates how the application server subsequently utilizes that service. In this example and elsewhere, the selection steps can be performed by an application running on the application server, and thus these steps are inherently also performed by the application server. Therefore, references to application server and application are used interchangeably throughout this specification and elsewhere.

[0066] Figure 3 The messages and steps in the process may include the following: 11. One or more UEs (UE-T) may establish a session and register with the UE discovery management system via the 3GPP network system (also referred to as 3GPP-N). As part of the registration, one or more UEs may advertise their service capability information to the system, which may include, for example, supported service types and / or service identifiers.

[0067] 12. The application server (VAL server in this example and the following examples) may send a request to the UE discovery management system to discover UEs that support a list of one or more service types and / or service identifiers.

[0068] 13. The UE discovery management system can respond to discovery requests using a list of UEs. For example, by listing service types and / or service identifiers, the list can contain the corresponding UE and the identifiers of the services supported by each UE.

[0069] 14. The application server can select one or more UEs from the list received in step 13, and can request the UE discovery management system to contact and request the selected UEs to establish a session with the application server. These selected UEs may also be referred to as target UEs UE-T. Note that step 11 is only shown to be performed by these target UEs. However, it will be understood that typically (many) more UEs register with the UE discovery management system.

[0070] 15. The UE selected by the application server in step 14 can initiate a direct session with the application server and subsequently provide the application server with data of the selected service type and / or service identifier.

[0071] In some embodiments, the application server may desire or require a service license level. The service license level can be indicated in the discovery request. About Figure 3 As shown and referenced Figure 3 The described embodiments may be modified in the following ways: exist Figure 3 In step 11 of the embodiment, when the UE registers with the UE discovery management system, the UE may additionally declare a service license level available for each service it can provide. Examples of service license levels include, but are not limited to: Terms like "advanced" and "standard" indicate different quality levels or service ranges that can be provided. Specific sensors (such as cameras) can provide different types of data, such as low-level data (e.g., "raw data") or higher-level data (e.g., "object-level data"). exist Figure 3 In step 12 of the embodiment, the application server may include, for example, the desired service license level for each requested service in the discovery request sent to the UE discovery management system.

[0072] In some embodiments, location information may be included in the discovery request, for example, to request the discovery of a UE in a specific geographic area or near a specific geographic location.

[0073] about Figure 3 As shown and referenced Figure 3 The described embodiments may be modified in the following ways: exist Figure 3In step 12 of the embodiment, the application server may send a request to the UE discovery management system to retrieve a list of UEs that support a given list of service types and service identifiers. Furthermore, the application server may include filtering criteria, such as those using location information, to discover UEs that provide services in or near a specific geographic area. exist Figure 3 After step 12 of the embodiment, the UE discovery management system can, for example, retrieve the current or recent location information of the selected target UE from the location management network function in the SEAL layer or from one or more 5G core network functions, and based on this location information, determine which(s) of the UEs meet the geographical criteria. Then, in Figure 3 In step 13 of the embodiment, the UE discovery management system can return a list of UEs that meet both service and geographic criteria to the application server.

[0074] Figure 4 The sequence diagram shows that the UE discovery management system can check whether the target UE agrees to the application server using the service, and can only identify the target UE to the application server at that time.

[0075] Figure 4 The messages and steps may include the following, where further reference is needed. Figure 3 Example. Steps 21 and 22 can respectively correspond to Figure 3 Steps 11 and 12 of the embodiment. In step 23, the UE discovery management system may check the user consent of each target UE that supports one or more services requested by the application server. In step 24, the target UE can reply to the UE discovery management system whether the user agrees to be requested to consume the service by the application server. Steps 25-27 can correspond to Figure 3 Steps 15-17 of the embodiment, with the exception that the list of UEs identified in the response to the application server in step 25 may only include UEs that have already given consent in step 24.

[0076] Note that embodiments where the application server requests the service license level can be related to... Figure 4 The embodiment combination is as follows. In step 23, the UE discovery management system can check whether the UE agrees to provide services at the requested service license level, and in step 24, the corresponding target UE can reply whether it agrees to the service to be utilized by the application server at the requested service license level.

[0077] Figure 5 The diagram shows a sequence in which a UE can indicate to the UE discovery management system that it wishes to no longer be discoverable.

[0078] Figure 5 The messages and steps in the process may include the following: 31. One or more target UEs UE-T may send a request to the UE discovery management system to deregister from the discovery service provided by the UE discovery management system. 32. The UE discovery management system can deregister (one or more) target UEs and can respond to the UEs by confirming the request.

[0079] In another embodiment, after the target UE deregisters from the UE discovery management system, the UE discovery management system can trigger an automatic rediscovery process to discover alternative UEs that can provide services equivalent to those previously requested by the application server. These alternative UEs can be provided by the UE discovery management system as replacements for the application server. Such embodiments may involve... Figure 5 Steps 31 and 32 of the embodiment, followed by Figure 3 Steps 13-15 of the embodiment.

[0080] Generally, the functionality described in this specification can refer to the functionality of one or more network functions implemented in a corresponding telecommunications network, such as by a network node or network node system. This allows one or more network functions to be made available in the telecommunications network, thereby establishing the corresponding functionality within the telecommunications network.

[0081] Figure 6System 200 is shown, which may represent a system for enabling user equipment discovery in a telecommunications network, such as a UE discovery management system as also described elsewhere in this specification. System 200 may include a network interface 210 for network data communication. Network interface 210 may be, for example, a wired communication interface to a fixed (e.g., non-mobile) portion of a mobile telecommunications network, such as an Ethernet-based or fiber-optic interface. Alternatively, network interface 210 may be a wireless communication interface. In some other examples, system 200 may be a subsystem of a larger system (e.g., a supersystem implementing several network functions). In this case, network interface 210 may be an internal interface of the supersystem, such as a virtual, software-based network interface. System 200 may further include a processor subsystem 220, which may be configured, for example by hardware design or software, to perform the operations described herein, provided that these operations relate to the entity embodied by the processor system, such as the aforementioned system configured to enable user equipment discovery in a telecommunications network. In particular, processor subsystem 220 may be configured to perform actions belonging to a UE discovery management system, as referenced in [reference to...] Figure 1-5 As well as elsewhere in this specification.

[0082] Generally, processor subsystem 220 can be implemented by a single central processing unit (CPU), such as an x86 or ARM-based CPU, but it can also be implemented by a combination or system of such a CPU and / or other types of processing units. In embodiments where system 200 is distributed across different entities, such as different servers, processor subsystem 220 can also be distributed across, for example, the CPUs of these different servers. Also... Figure 6 As shown, system 200 may include a data storage device 230 for storing data, such as a hard disk drive, a solid-state drive, or an array of such hard disks and / or solid-state drives. In some examples, system 200 may be implemented by a network node or a system of network nodes.

[0083] exist Figure 6 In an alternative embodiment of system 200, system 200 may represent a user equipment or a device representing a user equipment, as described in this specification. Examples of such devices include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, tablet devices, computers, smart glasses, or IoT devices such as robots, connectivity-enabled vehicles, etc. In this case, network interface 210 may represent a radio access network interface to a mobile network, and processor subsystem 220 may be configured, for example by hardware design or software, to perform the operations described in this specification, as long as these operations involve the entity embodied by the processor system, such as a user equipment or device.

[0084] exist Figure 6In an alternative embodiment of system 200, system 200 may represent an application server as described in this specification. Therefore, processor subsystem 220 may be configured, for example by hardware design or software, to perform the operations described in this specification, provided that these operations involve the application server. In such an embodiment, network interface 210 may be of the same type as previously described for a UE discovery management system.

[0085] Generally, each entity described in this specification may be embodied as an apparatus or device, or embodied in an apparatus or device. The apparatus or device may include one or more (micro)processors executing appropriate software. The processor(s) of the corresponding entity may be embodied by one or more of these (micro)processors. The software implementing the functionality of the corresponding entity may have been downloaded and / or stored in the corresponding one or more memories, such as in volatile memory like RAM or in non-volatile memory like flash memory. Alternatively, the processor(s) of the corresponding entity may be implemented in the apparatus or device as programmable logic, such as as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). Any input and / or output interfaces may be implemented by the corresponding interfaces of the apparatus or device. Typically, each functional unit of the corresponding entity may be implemented as a loop or circuit. The corresponding entity may also be implemented in a distributed manner, for example, involving different apparatuses or devices.

[0086] Note that any method described in this specification, such as any method described in any claim, can be implemented on a computer as a computer-implemented method, implemented in dedicated hardware, or implemented as a combination of both. Instructions for a computer, such as executable code, may be stored on a computer-readable medium 300, for example, in the form of a series of machine-readable physical symbols 310 and / or as a series of elements having different electrical (e.g., magnetic) or optical properties or values, such as... Figure 7 As shown in the diagram. Executable code can be stored in a temporary or non-temporary manner. Examples of computer-readable media include memory devices, optical storage devices, integrated circuits, servers, online software, etc. Figure 7 The memory card 300 is shown as an example.

[0087] Figure 8This is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary data processing system 1000 that may be used in the embodiments described herein. Such a data processing system includes the data processing entities described herein, including but not limited to systems configured to enable user equipment discovery, means of representing user equipment, and application servers. The data processing system 1000 may include at least one processor 1002 coupled to a memory element 1004 via a system bus 1006. Thus, the data processing system may store program code in the memory element 1004. Furthermore, the processor 1002 may execute program code accessed from the memory element 1004 via the system bus 1006. In one aspect, the data processing system may be implemented as a computer suitable for storing and / or executing program code. However, it should be understood that the data processing system 1000 may be implemented in the form of any system including a processor and memory capable of performing the functions described herein. The memory element 1004 may include one or more physical memory devices, such as local memory 1008 and one or more mass storage devices 1010. Local memory may refer to random access memory or (one or more) other non-persistent memory devices that are typically used during the actual execution of the program code. The mass storage device can be implemented as a hard disk drive, solid-state drive, or other persistent data storage device. The data processing system 1000 may also include one or more cache memories (not shown) that provide temporary storage for at least some program code to reduce the number of times program code is otherwise retrieved from the mass storage device 1010 during execution.

[0088] Input / output (I / O) devices, depicted as input device 1012 and output device 1014, may optionally be coupled to the data processing system. Examples of input devices include, but are not limited to, microphones, keyboards, pointing devices such as mice, game controllers, Bluetooth controllers, VR controllers, and gesture-based input devices. Examples of output devices include, but are not limited to, monitors or displays, speakers, etc. The input and / or output devices may be coupled to the data processing system directly or via an intermediate I / O controller. Network adapter 1016 may also be coupled to the data processing system to enable it to be coupled to other systems, computer systems, remote network devices, and / or remote storage devices via an intermediate non-public or public network. The network adapter may include a data receiver for receiving data transmitted to the data receiver by the system, device, and / or network, and a data transmitter for transmitting data to the system, device, and / or network. Wireless devices, modems, cable modems, and Ethernet cards are examples of different types of network adapters that can be used with the data processing system 1000.

[0089] like Figure 8As shown, memory element 1004 can store application 1018. It should be understood that data processing system 1000 can further execute an operating system (not shown) that facilitates the execution of the application. The application, implemented in the form of executable program code, can be executed by data processing system 1000, for example, by processor 1002. In response to executing the application, the data processing system can be configured to perform one or more operations, which will be described in further detail herein.

[0090] For example, data processing system 1000 may represent a system for enabling user equipment discovery in a telecommunications network as described in this specification. In this case, application 1018 may represent an application that, when executed, configures data processing system 1000 to perform functions described with reference to the system. In another example, data processing system 1000 may represent an embodiment of user equipment or an embodiment of a user equipment apparatus as described in this specification. In this case, application 1018 may represent an application that, when executed, configures data processing system 1000 to perform functions described with reference to user equipment and / or apparatus. In another example, data processing system 1000 may represent an embodiment of an application server as described in this specification. In this case, application 1018 may represent an application that, when executed, configures data processing system 1000 to perform functions described with reference to the application server.

[0091] This specification can be read as follows: A system and method are provided for enabling user equipment discovery in a telecommunications network. For this purpose, the system and method can access user equipment (UE) records, wherein the corresponding records can identify the UE and indicate that the UE is configured to provide one or more services, and enable an application server to discover UEs configured to provide services of interest by: i) receiving a discovery request from the application server, wherein the discovery request indicates the service of interest; ii) searching records for UEs matching the service of interest to obtain search results; and iii) providing the search results to the application server. In this way, the application server is able to discover one or more UEs capable of providing services of interest to the application server.

[0092] It should be noted that the above embodiments are illustrative and not limiting of the invention, and those skilled in the art will be able to devise many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

[0093] In the claims, any reference marks placed between parentheses should not be construed as limiting the claims. The use of the verb "comprising" and its variations does not exclude the presence of elements or stages other than those described in the claims. The article "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. Expressions such as "at least one" when preceding a list or group of elements indicate the selection of all elements or any subset of elements from that list or group. For example, the expression "at least one of A, B, and C" should be understood to include only A, only B, only C, both A and B, both A and C, both B and C, or all of A, B, and C. The invention can be implemented by hardware comprising several different elements and by a suitably programmed computer. In device claims enumerating several components, several of these components can be implemented by one and the same piece of hardware. The fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used advantageously.

[0094] Further References [3] 3GPP TS 23.434 V18.4.1 (2023-03), Technical Specification, 3rdGenerationPartnership Project; Service Enabler Architecture Layer for Verticals - Functional Architecture and Information Flows; Release 18.

Claims

1. A system for enabling user equipment discovery in a telecommunications network, comprising: - Network interface to the telecommunications network; - The processor subsystem is configured as follows: - Access records of user equipment, wherein the corresponding records identify the user equipment and indicate that the user equipment is configured to provide one or more services; - Through the network interface, the application server can be configured to provide services of interest to user devices via the following discovery: - Receive a discovery request from the application server, wherein the discovery request indicates the service of interest; - Search the records for user devices that match the service of interest to obtain search results, wherein non-empty search results include identifiers of user devices configured to provide the service of interest; as well as - Provide the search results to the application server.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein, The processor subsystem is configured to enable user equipment to register with the system by: - Receive a registration request from a user equipment, wherein the registration request indicates that the user equipment is configured to provide one or more services; as well as - Establish a record for the user equipment based on the registration request.

3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The processor subsystem is configured to include a service license level for a service in a record for the user equipment, wherein the service license level indicates the service level at which the user equipment is permitted to use the service.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein, The discovery request from the application server further indicates the required service license level, and wherein the processor subsystem is configured to search the records for user devices that match the service of interest and the required service license level.

5. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The processor subsystem is configured to include only user devices that agree to provide the application server with the services of interest in the search results provided to the application server.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein, The processor subsystem is configured to determine whether the user device agrees to provide the service of interest to the application server by: - Enables the user equipment to register and / or unregister consent in the records used by the user equipment; or - In response to the user device being identified in the search results, the consent of the user device is checked via message exchange.

7. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The processor subsystem is configured to enable the user equipment to log off to the system via the following: - Receive a logout request from the user equipment; and - Based on the cancellation request, delete, disable, or flag records for the user equipment.

8. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, The processor subsystem is configured to, when a user equipment previously identified by the application server stops providing the service of interest, search for the record for another UE configured to provide the service of interest or an alternative service, and identify the other UE to the application server.

9. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, The discovery request from the application server further indicates a geographic location, and the processor subsystem is configured to include only user devices located or estimated to be located near the geographic location in the search results provided to the application server.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein, The processor subsystem is configured to: determine the location of the user equipment in response to identifying the user equipment in the search results, for example by requesting the location of the user equipment from a location management network function or a core network function based on the user equipment's identifier.

11. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein, The processor subsystem is configured to include in the records for the user equipment one or more services that the user equipment is configured to provide by recording at least one of the following: - Service identifiers, such as the vertical application layer (VAL) service ID; - Service type, such as slice / service type (SST) value or intelligent transportation system application identifier (ITS-AID) value.

12. An apparatus configured as a user equipment in a telecommunications network, comprising: - Network interface to the telecommunications network; - A processor subsystem configured to provide one or more services to a network entity via the network interface; The processor subsystem is further configured to register with the system by sending a registration request to a system configured to enable user equipment discovery, wherein the registration request indicates that the user equipment is configured to provide the one or more services.

13. An application server, comprising: - Network interface to telecommunications network; - The processor subsystem is configured as follows: - Send a discovery request to a system configured to enable user equipment discovery, wherein the discovery request indicates a service of interest, and wherein the system is configured to search records for user equipment that matches the service of interest to obtain search results; - Receive the search results from the system, wherein the search results include an identifier of a user device configured to provide the service of interest; - Based on the identifier of the user equipment, request the user equipment to provide the service of interest; as well as - Utilize the service of interest provided by the user equipment.

14. A computer-implemented method for enabling user equipment discovery in a telecommunications network, comprising: - Access records of user equipment, wherein the corresponding records identify the user equipment and indicate that the user equipment is configured to provide one or more services; - Enables the application server to be configured to provide services to user devices of interest through the following discovery: - Receive a discovery request from the application server, wherein the discovery request indicates the service of interest; - Search the records for user devices that match the service of interest to obtain search results, wherein non-empty search results include identifiers of user devices configured to provide the service of interest; as well as - Provide the search results to the application server.

15. A computer-implemented method for execution at a user equipment in a telecommunications network, wherein the user equipment is configured to provide one or more services to a network entity via the network interface, the method comprising: - Select one or more of the one or more services that the user equipment is configured to provide for registration with a system configured to enable user equipment discovery, thereby obtaining one or more selected services; as well as - Register with the system by sending a registration request to the system indicating one or more selected services.

16. A computer-implemented method for execution at an application server in a telecommunications network, comprising: - Send a discovery request to a system configured to enable user equipment discovery, wherein the discovery request indicates a service of interest, and wherein the system is configured to search records for user equipment that matches the service of interest to obtain search results; - Receive the search results from the system, wherein the search results include an identifier of a user device configured to provide the service of interest; - Based on the identifier of the user equipment, request the user equipment to provide the service of interest; as well as - Utilize the service of interest provided by the user equipment.

17. A temporary or non-temporary computer-readable medium comprising data representing a computer program, said computer program including instructions for causing a processor system to perform the method according to any one of claims 14 to 16.

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