Network functionality and method for extended management of user segments using NF group IDs

Abstract

A technique for extended management of user segments by NF group ID is provided. Method (100) in the first NF may include receiving notification from the second NF of a change in the mapping between NF group IDs and UE identification information stored in the second NF (S102). Method (200) in the second NF may include sending notification to the first NF of the change in the mapping between NF group IDs and UE identification information stored in the second NF (S202) when the mapping change has occurred in the second NF.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to the field of communication networks, and more particularly, to techniques for extended management of user segments by network function (NF) group IDs.

Background Art

[0002] According to the description in 3GPP TS23.501 V17.5.0, for some network functions (e.g., HSS (Home Subscriber Server), UDM (Unified Data Management)) having access to subscription data, the NRF (NF Repository Function) may need to resolve the NF group ID corresponding to the subscriber identifier. If the NRF does not locally store the set / range of configuration mapping identification information for the NF group ID, the NRF can retrieve the NF group ID corresponding to a specific subscriber identifier from the UDR (User Data Repository) using the Nudr_GroupIDmap_Query service operation.

[0003] Thus, first, the NF consumer can perform a discovery operation using the UE identification information, and the NRF will return only the NF group ID in the discovery result if the mapping between the UE identification information and the NF group ID is provided by the UDR. Then, the NF consumer can later perform the discovery of the target NF producer (e.g., UDM, PCF (Policy Control Function), AUSF (Authentication Service Function)) using the NF group ID instead of the UE identification information (e.g., SUPI (Subscription Permanent Identifier)). The corresponding NF group ID can also be transferred between specific NF consumers (e.g., source AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) and target AMF).

[0004] In the case of delegated discovery, the SCP (Service Communication Proxy) interacts with the NRF to perform the discovery and may obtain discovery results as discovery input, which have an NF group ID corresponding to the UE identifier extracted from the UDR.

[0005] References [1] 3GPP TS29.510 V17.7.0; [2] 3GPP TS23.501 V17.5.0; [3] 3GPP TS23.502 V17.5.0; [4] 3GPP TS29.504 V17.8.0. [Overview of the project]

[0006] Based on current 3GPP specifications such as 3GPP TS29.504 V17.8.0, the Nudr_GroupIDmap service allows an NF consumer in a UDR (i.e., an NRF or SCP) to retrieve a mapping between a given subscriber ID and the NF group ID (NF type + group ID) that handles it. However, it is currently not possible for an NF consumer to subscribe to changes to such mappings in a UDR, or to be notified of such changes in a UDR. Furthermore, when a mapping between UE identification information and NF group IDs is provided by a UDR, the NRF provides the NF group ID to the NF consumer without the UE identification information (e.g., SUPI) range in the discovery result. If there is a change to the mapping between UE identification information and NF group IDs in a UDR, which may be triggered by O&M (operation and maintenance) by the operator, the NRF or SCP cannot be notified of the change in mapping, and furthermore, cannot even update the NF consumer via the NRF or other NFs. As a result, NF consumers / SCPs will send service requests to the wrong NF producers.

[0007] A mechanism is needed to notify NF consumers / NRF / SCPs of mapping changes in UDRs, which is not yet specified in the current 3GPP standard. For example, it would be useful for NF consumers to subscribe to such mappings in UDRs, and therefore, when the mapping changes, the UDR would send a notification of the mapping change to the NF consumer.

[0008] In some embodiments, the method in the first NF may include at least one of receiving notification from the second NF of a change in the mapping between NF group IDs and UE identification information stored in the second NF, and / or updating the mapping information stored in the first NF in response to receiving notification from the second NF of a change in the mapping between NF group IDs and UE identification information stored in the second NF.

[0009] In some embodiments, the method in the first NF includes sending a subscription request to the second NF to subscribe to notifications of changes in the mapping between NF group identifiers (IDs) and UE identification information stored in the second NF.

[0010] In some embodiments, the method in the second NF may include sending a notification to the first NF of the change in the mapping between the NF group ID and UE identification information stored in the second NF when the mapping change is made in the second NF.

[0011] In some embodiments, the method in the second NF may include receiving a subscription request from the first NF to subscribe to notifications of changes in the mapping between NF group identifiers (IDs) and UE identification information stored in the second NF.

[0012] In some embodiments, the method in the NF consumer may include sending a discovery request to the NRF containing UE identification information corresponding to a UE request from the UE, and receiving a discovery response from the NRF containing an NF group ID mapped to the UE identification information and additional information. The additional information may indicate a mapping source that provides a mapping between the NF group ID and the UE identification information.

[0013] In some embodiments, the method in the NRF may include receiving a discovery request from an NF consumer that has UE identification information corresponding to a UE request from a UE, and sending a discovery response to the NF consumer that includes an NF group ID mapped to the UE identification information and additional information.

[0014] In some embodiments, the network function (NF) may be implemented to include a processor and memory coupled to the processor. The memory may contain instructions that can be executed by the processor, thereby enabling the NF to operate to perform any of the above-described operations.

[0015] In some embodiments, a non-temporary computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor of the NF, cause the NF to perform an operation corresponding to one of the methods described above.

[0016] In some embodiments, a computer program comprising instructions that, when executed on at least one processor of the NF, causes the NF to perform an operation corresponding to one of the methods described above.

[0017] In some embodiments, a carrier comprising the above-mentioned computer program, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal, or a computer-readable medium.

[0018] Embodiments of this disclosure provide the possibility that an NF consumer / SCP / NRF may subscribe to or be notified of a mapping change from a UDR, and thus previously stored UE identification information and NF group IDs may be updated. The NF consumer / SCP can then utilize the new mapping to perform discovery to find the correct target NF producer to handle the service request. Otherwise, the NF consumer / SCP would need to perform discovery with the UE identification information to find the correct NF instance for each service request, or after the NF consumer receives a failure response, depending on additional implementation logic.

[0019] These and other purposes, features, and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent upon reading the embodiments for carrying out the invention described below in view of the drawings briefly described below. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0020] [Figure 1] This flowchart shows exemplary methods in a first NF of a communication network (e.g., 5GC) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This flowchart shows exemplary methods in a second network function (NF) of a communication network (e.g., 5GC) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] This flowchart shows exemplary methods in an NF consumer of a communication network (e.g., 5GC) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] This flowchart shows exemplary methods in the NRF of a communications network (e.g., 5GC) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] This figure shows an exemplary subscribe / notification procedure flow according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] This figure shows a flow diagram of an exemplary discovery procedure according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 7A] A diagram showing the flow of an exemplary directional communication procedure between an NF consumer, an NRF, and a UDR according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 7B] A diagram showing the flow of an exemplary directional communication procedure between an NF consumer, an NRF, and a UDR according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 8A] A diagram showing the flow of an exemplary indirect communication procedure between an NF consumer, an SCP, an NRF, and a UDR according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 8B] A diagram showing the flow of an exemplary indirect communication procedure between an NF consumer, an SCP, an NRF, and a UDR according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] A schematic block diagram of a network node implementing NFs of a communication network (e.g., 5GC) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] A diagram showing a communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] A diagram showing a UE according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] A diagram showing a network node according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] A diagram showing a host computing system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] A block diagram of a virtualized environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments of the present disclosure can be virtualized. [Figure 15] A diagram showing communication between a host computing system, a network node, and a UE via multiple connections according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] Next, the embodiments briefly summarized above will be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings. These descriptions are provided as examples to those skilled in the art to illustrate the subject matter and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the subject matter to the embodiments described herein. More specifically, examples demonstrating the operation of various embodiments in accordance with the advantages described above are provided below.

[0022] In general, all terms used herein should be interpreted according to their ordinary meanings in the relevant technical field unless a different meaning is explicitly given and / or implied by the context in which the term is used. All references to one (a / an) / the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc. should be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of that element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc., unless otherwise expressly stated. No step of any method and / or procedure disclosed herein needs to be performed in the strict order disclosed unless the step is expressly described as following or preceding another step, and / or if it is implicit that a step must follow or precede another step. Any feature of any embodiment disclosed herein may, in any case, be applied to any other embodiment, where appropriate. Similarly, any advantage of any embodiment may be applied to any other embodiment, and vice versa. Other purposes, features, and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent from the following description.

[0023] Furthermore, the following terms will be used throughout the explanation given below. • Radio Access Node: As used herein, “radio access node,” “radio network node,” or “radio access network node” is any node in a radio access network of a cellular communication network that operates to transmit and / or receive signals wirelessly. Some examples of radio access nodes include, but are not limited to, base stations (e.g., New Radio (NR) base stations (gNBs) in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5th Generation (5G) NR network, or Extended or Evolved Node B (eNBs) in the 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) network), high-power or macro base stations, low-power base stations (e.g., micro base stations, pico base stations, home eNBs, etc.), relay nodes, network nodes that implement a functional part of a base station (e.g., a network node that implements a gNB central unit, or a network node that implements a gNB distributed unit), or network nodes that implement a functional part of any other type of radio access node. • Core Network Nodes: As used herein, “core network nodes” refer to any type of node in the core network. Some examples of core network nodes include, for example, Mobility Management Entities (MMEs), Serving Gateways (SGWs), and Packet Data Network Gateways (P-GWs). Core network nodes may also be nodes that implement specific core network functions (NFs), such as Access and Mobility Management Functions (AMFs), Session Management Functions (SMFs), User Plane Functions (UPFs), and Service Capability Exposure Functions (SCEFs). • Network node: As used herein, “network node” refers to any node that is part of the core network of a communications network (for example, the core network node described above). Functionally, a network node is a device that is configured, set up, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with wireless or wired devices and / or with other network nodes or devices in the communications network to enable and / or provide wireless or wired access to communications devices and / or to perform other functions in the communications network (for example, administration). • Node: As used herein, the term “node” (without prefix) can be any type of node capable of operating in or with a communications network (including the RAN and / or core network), including a radio access node (or equivalent term), a core network node, or a communications device.

[0024] It should be noted that the descriptions provided herein focus on 3GPP communication systems, and therefore, 3GPP terminology or terminology similar to 3GPP terminology will generally be used. However, the concepts disclosed herein are not limited to 3GPP systems. Other radio systems, including but not limited to, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Global Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Ultra-Mobile Broadband (UMB), and GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), may also benefit from the concepts, principles, and / or embodiments described herein.

[0025] Furthermore, the functions and / or operations described herein as being performed by a communication device or network node may be distributed across multiple communication devices and / or network nodes.

[0026] The current 3GPP standard does not yet specify a mechanism for notifying NF consumers / NRF / SCPs of mapping changes in the UDR. As a result, if any mapping changes occur in the UDR, NF consumers / SCPs may send service requests to the wrong NF producers by using older, previously known mappings from the UDR. For example, a UE may send a 5GC initial registration to the AMF, and the AMF may discover the UDM serving the UE (via the NRF). When the NRF receives the UDM discovery for the UE, it may examine the UDM NF profile, which contains only the UDM GID (Group Identifier) ​​and no UE range. Thus, the NRF queries the UDR to obtain the UDM GID provisioned for the UE. When the UDR returns the UDM GID for the requested UE, the NRF may search for a UDM profile whose GID (in udmInfo) matches the GID obtained from the UDR. The NRF may then respond to the AMF with the UDM profile found for the GID. The AMF may store UDM profiles and their GIDs as part of the UE mobility management context created after registering a UE with a selected UDM from its GIDs. Later, the operator may change the provisioned GID for the UE in the UDR, and the UDR mapping UE->UDM GID will change in that case. The new UDM GID identifies a different UDM pool to serve the UE. When the AMF needs to update the UE registration in the UDM, the AMF selects a UDM from the UDM GIDs stored in the UE context. The selected UDM belongs to a UDM pool (the previous UDM GID) that no longer serves the UE because the UE has been moved to a different UDM pool / GID, i.e., the mapping stored in the UDR for UE->GID has changed, but neither the NRF nor the AMF is aware of this. As a result, service requests may be sent to the wrong NF producer, for example, and the UE may need to retry the service request, which can lead to long latency and a poor user experience.

[0027] As can be observed, there are no changes to the UDR group IDs in the UDM / UDR NF profiles stored in the NRF, and therefore no notification from the NRF that the UE->UDM GID mapping has changed. In fact, there is currently no mechanism to notify NF consumers (e.g., AMF) of changes in the mapping (provisioned per UE), for example, to inform them that a UE is now served by a different pool of UDMs. The mapping provided by the UDR (data provisioned for each UE) is indeed per UE+NF type->GID (for the requested UE+NF type), but the Nudr_GroupIDmap service in the UDR only provides query behavior, so the same could happen for PCF GID mapping, HSS GID mapping, etc.

[0028] A technique for extended management of user segments by NF group ID is provided according to embodiments of this disclosure. For example, a subscribe / notify service operation may be added to the Nudr_GroupIDmap service, as specified in 3GPP TS29.504 V17.8.0. The UDR can then notify the NF Consumer / SCP / NRF of a change in the mapping of UE identification information to NF group IDs in the UDR. The NF Consumer / SCP / NRF can then update the previously stored mapping of UE identification information to NF group IDs based on that notification. The NF Consumer / SCP can then use the new mapping to perform discovery to find the correct target NF producer to handle the service request. Otherwise, the NF Consumer / SCP would need to perform discovery with the UE identification information to find the correct NF instance for each service request, or after the NF Consumer receives a failure response, depending on additional implementation logic.

[0029] Figures 1 and 2 are flowcharts illustrating exemplary methods in the first and second NFs of a communication network (e.g., 5GC), respectively, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0030] Referring to Figure 1, method 100 in the first NF may include operation S102 of receiving notification from the second NF of a change in the mapping between NF group IDs and UE identification information stored in the second NF. In this way, the first NF can know that the mapping between NF group IDs and UE identification information has changed and can then notify other NF consumers of the change in mapping. Additional or alternative, method 100 may further include operation S104 of updating the mapping information stored in the first NF in response to receiving notification from the second NF of a change in the mapping between NF group IDs and UE identification information stored in the second NF, as shown in the dashed block.

[0031] For example, the first NF may include an NF consumer, NRF, or SCP, and the second NF may include a UDR.

[0032] In some embodiments, the changes may include one or more changes to one or more mappings between NF group IDs and UE identification information for one or more NF types. For example, a UDR may aggregate multiple changes to the mappings into a single notification.

[0033] In some embodiments, the notification is - A list of UE identifiers or ranges of UE identifiers whose mapping has been changed, - The NF group ID whose mapping has been changed, - NF types with changed mappings It may include.

[0034] In some embodiments, the first NF may send a subscription request to the second NF to subscribe to notifications of changes to the mapping stored in the second NF. The subscription request is - The callback URI that the first NF receives notification from the second NF, - Subscription terms that indicate one or more mappings between NF group IDs and UE identification information that should be monitored for changes for one or more NF types. It may include.

[0035] The subscription terms are: - The mapping between NF group IDs and UE identification information should be monitored for changes, NF group ID and - The list of UE identification information ranges, whose mapping to NF group IDs should be monitored for changes, - List of subscription identifiers and It may include one or more of the following.

[0036] In some embodiments, the subscription request is - The NF instance ID of the first NF, - The subscription ID for the newly created resource, which was set as absent in the subscription request, - The validity period, which indicates the time instance after which the subscription will become invalid. This further includes one or more of the following.

[0037] Furthermore, for example, an NF Consumer / NRF / SCP may aggregate more mappings between NF group IDs and UE identification information for one or more NF types into a single subscription to avoid creating a huge number of subscriptions in the UDR.

[0038] In some embodiments, a first NR may receive a subscription response from a second NF to a subscription request, the subscription response may include a subscription ID for the newly created resource. In some embodiments, the subscription response may further include an expiration time, indicating the time instance at which the subscription becomes invalid. With respect to the subscription ID and expiration time, the first NF may perform actions such as subscription renewal, refresh, or deletion, for example, if the NF group ID in the subscribed mapping changes or if the expiration time is reached.

[0039] In some embodiments, method 100 may further include sending a discovery request to the NRF having UE identification information corresponding to a UE request from the UE, and receiving a discovery response from the NRF including an NF group ID mapped to the UE identification information and additional information. The additional information may indicate a mapping source that provides a mapping between the NF group ID and the UE identification information.

[0040] In some embodiments, the mapping source is - When the mapping between NF group ID and UE identification information is provided locally by the NRF, the NRF and, - When the UDR provides the mapping between the NF group ID and UE identification information, the UDR ID and It may be possible to show one of them.

[0041] In some embodiments, when a discovery response is received in which the mapping source indicates the UDR ID of the UDR that provides a mapping between NF group IDs and UE identification information, the first NF may send a subscription request to the UDR, as a second NF, to subscribe to notifications of changes to the mapping stored in the UDR by using the indicated UDR ID.

[0042] In some embodiments, if a notification indicates that the UE identification information has been moved to a mapping with a different NF group ID, the first NF may send a separate subscription request to the second NF to subscribe to notifications of mapping changes with respect to the other NF group ID.

[0043] Referring to Figure 2, method 200 in the second NF may include operation S202, which sends a notification to the first NF of the change in the mapping between the NF group ID and UE identification information stored in the second NF when a mapping change is made in the second NF.

[0044] In some embodiments, the second NF may receive a subscription request from the first NF to subscribe to notifications of changes to mappings stored in the second NF, and send a subscription response to the first NF for the subscription request. The subscription response may include a subscription ID for the newly created resource. In some embodiments, the subscription response may further include an expiration time, indicating the time instance at which the subscription subsequently becomes invalid.

[0045] In some embodiments, if a notification indicates that the UE identification information has been moved to a mapping with a different NF group ID, the second NF may receive a separate subscription request from the first NF to subscribe to notifications of mapping changes with respect to the different NF group ID.

[0046] Figures 3 and 4 are flowcharts illustrating exemplary methods in an NF consumer and NRF of a communications network (e.g., 5GC) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0047] Referring to Figure 3, the method 300 in the NF consumer may include operation S302, which sends a discovery request to the NRF containing UE identification information corresponding to a UE request from the UE, and operation S304, which receives a discovery response from the NRF containing an NF group ID mapped to the UE identification information and additional information. The additional information may indicate a mapping source that provides a mapping between the NF group ID and the UE identification information.

[0048] In some embodiments, the mapping source is - When the mapping between NF group ID and UE identification information is provided locally by the NRF, the NRF and, - When the UDR provides the mapping between the NF group ID and UE identification information, the UDR ID and It may be possible to show one of them.

[0049] In some embodiments, when an NF consumer receives a discovery response in which the mapping source indicates the UDR ID of a UDR that provides a mapping between NF group IDs and UE identification information, the NF consumer may send a subscription request to the UDR to subscribe to notifications of changes in the mapping between NF group IDs and UE identification information stored in the UDR by using the indicated UDR ID.

[0050] Next, referring to Figure 4, Method 400 in NFR, corresponding to Method 300, may include Operation S402, which receives a discovery request from an NF consumer that has UE identification information corresponding to a UE request from a UE, and Operation S404, which sends a discovery response to the NF consumer that includes an NF group ID mapped to the UE identification information and additional information.

[0051] The methods in NF Consumer / SCP, NRF, and UDR have been described so far. Below, exemplary flows of interactions between them, according to various embodiments of this disclosure, will be described with reference to Figures 5 to 8B.

[0052] Figure 5 shows an exemplary subscribe / notification procedure flow according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. While Figure 5 shows the procedure being carried out between an NF consumer and a UDR, Figure 5 is also applicable to procedures between an NRF or SCP and a UDR.

[0053] As shown in Figure 5, in step 1, the NF consumer may send a subscription request to the UDR, Nudr_GroupIDmap_Subsribe(NotificationUri,{NF type,{NF group ID,[UE identification information]}}), to subscribe to notifications of changes to the mapping information stored in the UDR. This subscription request is sometimes called a subscription creation request. More specifically, if the mapping is provided by the UDR, the NF consumer may send a subscription request with an information element SubData to the UDR to be notified of updates to the mapping due to a newly introduced service operation. Here, SubData may be defined as follows:

[0054] Type: SubData Table 1: Definitions for Type SubData TIFF2026517588000002.tif159170

[0055] Type: NfGroupIDMap Table 2: Definitions for Type NfGroupIDMap TIFF2026517588000003.tif37170

[0056] Type: MappingIdentity Table 3: Definitions for Type MappingIdentity TIFF2026517588000004.tif43170

[0057] In step 2, in response to a subscription request, the UDR may send the NF consumer a subscription response, Nudr_GroupIDmap_Subscribe, which may include a subscription ID and validity period as defined in Table 1. With respect to the subscription ID and validity period, the NF consumer may perform actions such as subscription renewal, refresh, or deletion, for example, if the NF group ID in the subscribed mapping changes or if the validity period is reached.

[0058] In step 3, if the mapping between the UE identification information and the corresponding NF producer's NF group ID is changed in the UDR, for example, by O&M by the operator, the UDR may update the mapping information. Then, in step 4, the UDR may send a notification of the mapping change to the NF consumer. The notification may be in the form of Nudr_GroupIDmap_Notify({NF type,{UE identification information,NF group ID}}). The information element NfGroupIdMapNotification included in the notification may be defined as follows:

[0059] Type: NfGroupIdMapNotification Table 4: Definitions for Type NfGroupIdMapNotification TIFF2026517588000005.tif42170

[0060] In step 5, upon receiving notification of a mapping change from the UDR, the NF consumer may refresh / update the corresponding mapping information between the UE identification information and the NF group ID stored locally in the NF consumer.

[0061] Optionally, the NF consumer may send a notification response to the UDR in step 6. For example, the notification response may inform the UDR that the notification of the mapping change was successfully received / not received. In another example, the notification response may inform that the mapping update was completed in step 5.

[0062] In this way, the subscribe / notification behavior can be introduced into the Nudr_GroupIDmap service, and thus SCP / NRF / NF consumers can be notified of mapping changes that occur in the UDR and update the corresponding context.

[0063] NF Consumers / NRFs / SCPs should note that, to avoid creating a massive number of subscriptions in the UDR, two or more mappings between NF Group IDs and UE Identifiers for one or more NF types may be aggregated into a single subscription. Additionally, the UDR may aggregate multiple mapping changes into a single notification to reduce signaling overhead.

[0064] Figure 6 shows the flow of an exemplary discovery procedure between an NF consumer and an NRF according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Unlike conventional discovery procedures in which the NRF returns only the NF group ID in the discovery response, when the mapping between UE identification information and NF group IDs is provided by the UDR, the NRF may include additional information in the discovery response to inform the NF consumer of the mapping source that provides the mapping information. Specifically, as shown in Figure 6, in step 1, the NF consumer may send a discovery request Nnrf_NFDiscovery_Request to the NRF along with the UE identification information corresponding to the request from the UE. Then, in step 2, the NRF may send a discovery response Nnrf_NFDiscovery_Request response(...,groupMappingInfo) to the NF consumer, which includes the NF group ID in the NFProfile of the NF instance, as well as additional information groupMappingInfo indicating, for example, the corresponding UDR instance as the source that provides the mapping information. The additional information groupMappingInfo may be added and specified in SearchResult in 3GPP TS29.510 V17.7.0, section 6.2.6.2.2.

[0065] Type: SearchResult Table 6.2.6.2.2-1: Definition of Type SearchResult TIFF2026517588000006.tif63170

[0066] Type: GroupIdMappingInfo Table 5: Definitions for Type GroupIdMappingInfo TIFF2026517588000007.tif78170 Table 6: Definitions for Type MappingSource Enumeration: MappingSource TIFF2026517588000008.tif27170

[0067] By including such additional information in the NF discovery response from the NRF to the NF consumer, the NF consumer can know that the mapping between UE identification information and NF group IDs is provided by the UDR and the corresponding UDR instance. This may enable the NF consumer to subscribe to notifications of mapping changes, as introduced above in Figure 5. Thus, the NF consumer can be aware of mapping changes to UE identification information and apply the corresponding updates.

[0068] Further details will be given with reference to Figures 7A to 8B, which show two different scenarios that can be separated as follows. - Direct communication between an NF consumer, an NRF, and a UDR, according to various embodiments of this disclosure, in which the mapping between UE identification information ranges and NF group IDs is provided by the UDR. Note that this is similar to the direct communication scenario and is therefore also applicable to indirect communication without delegated discovery, which is not illustrated in the figures. - Indirect communication between NF consumers and SCPs, NRFs, and UDRs, as per various embodiments of this disclosure, including delegated discovery by SCPs. Similarly, mappings between UE identification information ranges and NF group IDs are provided by UDRs.

[0069] The prerequisites for these diagrams are that (as step 0) the NF producer (nf-instance-1) registers itself with the NRF with NF group ID 1, and that the mapping between UE identification information and NF group ID is provided by the UDR. Scenario 1 of direct communication will be explained first by referring to Figures 7A and 7B.

[0070] Scenario 1: Direct Communication In step 1, the NF consumer receives a request from the UE.

[0071] In step 2, the NF consumer performs discovery about the NF producer via the NRF by sending an Nnrf_NFDiscovery_Request with UE identification information (e.g., SUPI) corresponding to the received UE request as the query factor.

[0072] In step 3, the NRF retrieves the NF group ID mapping and the corresponding NF type for the requested UE from the UDR.

[0073] In step 4, the UDR response to the NRF, the entered UE identification information, and the provisioned NF group ID by NF type are provided.

[0074] In step 5, the NRF returns the NFProfile of the NF producer (nf-instance-1), including NF group ID 1, which corresponds to the NF producer (nf-instance-1), to the NF consumer. The NRF also provides the NF consumer with additional information about the repository of mappings between UE identification information from the UDR and NF group IDs. This also includes the corresponding UDR instance (e.g., UDR ID). The inclusion of additional information is explained above with respect to Figure 6. Note that this is applicable to the following discovery response to the NF consumer.

[0075] In step 6, the NF consumer subscribes the NFR to the NF producer (nf-instance-1) to change the NFProfile.

[0076] In step 7, the NF consumer performs discovery using the UDR instances returned from step 5 to find UDR instances that provide a mapping between UE identification information and NF group IDs.

[0077] In step 8, the NF consumer subscribes to the UDR to receive notifications of changes to the mapping information stored in the UDR for NF group ID 1. The subscription is described above with respect to Figure 5.

[0078] Next, the NF consumer continues to handle subsequent requests. In step 9, the NF consumer receives subsequent requests from the UE.

[0079] In step 10, the NF consumer sends an Nnrf_NFDiscovery_Request message to the NRF with the NF group ID, i.e., NF group ID 1.

[0080] Step 11 involves an NRF response to an NF consumer with the NF Profile of the target NF producer (nf-instance-1).

[0081] If the NF consumer has a locally available cache of the NFProfile for the target NF producer (nf-instance-1), steps 10 and 11 may be skipped.

[0082] In step 12, the NF consumer selects a target NF producer (nf-instance-1) based on the discovery results, sends a service request to the NF producer (nf-instance-1), and then receives a service response from the NF producer (nf-instance-1).

[0083] In step 13, the operator updates the network deployment by adding a new NF producer of the same type (nf-instance-2) with NF group ID 2, to which the UE identification information is newly mapped in place of the previous NF group ID 1.

[0084] In step 14, the provisioned mapping information in the UDR is updated to provide a new mapping between UE identification information and NF group ID for subsequent requests from the NRF.

[0085] In step 15, since the NF consumer subscribed to the UDR in step 8 to receive notifications of changes to the mapping information stored in the UDR, the UDR notifies the NF consumer via Nudr_GroupIDmap_Notify of the mapping change, that the UE identification information has been removed from the previously subscribed NF group ID1 and moved to NF group ID2.

[0086] In step 16, upon receiving a notification, the NF consumer updates its mapping between UE identification information and NF group ID according to the information elements contained in the notification.

[0087] Next, in step 17, a new request from the UE is received by the NF consumer.

[0088] In step 18, if the NF consumer does not have a subscription to the UDR to know the new NF group ID (i.e., NF group ID 2) to which the UE is to be moved, it sends a new discovery request to the NRF that still has the UE identification information.

[0089] In step 19, the NRF retrieves the NF group ID mapping and the corresponding NF type for the requested UE from the UDR.

[0090] In step 20, the UDR response to the NRF, the entered UE identification information, and the provisioned NF group ID by NF type are provided.

[0091] Here, if there is corresponding mapping information cached in the NRF, either by synchronization through a subscribe / notification operation between the NRF and UDR (as explained with reference to Figure 5) or by a local cache, steps 19 and 20 may be skipped.

[0092] In step 21, NRF returns to the NF consumer the NF Profile of the NF producer (nf-instance-2), which includes NF group ID2 in its NF Profile.

[0093] In step 22, the NF consumer subscribes to the UDR to receive notifications of the change in the mapping information for the new NF group ID in the UDR, i.e., NF group ID 2.

[0094] In step 23, based on the discovery results, the NF consumer sends a service request to NF producer (nf-instance-2) instead of the previous NF producer (nf-instance-1), which has NF group ID 1.

[0095] Subsequently, in steps 24-27, the NF consumer finds the target NF producer (nf-instance-2) for the corresponding UE and uses NF group ID 2 to communicate with the target NF producer (nf-instance-2). Steps 24-27 are similar to steps 9-12, except that NF group ID 1 is changed to NF group ID 2 and NF producer (nf-instance-1) is replaced with NF producer (nf-instance-2).

[0096] Next, Scenario 2 of indirect communication with delegated discovery will be explained first by referring to Figures 8A and 8B.

[0097] Scenario 2: Indirect communication with delegated discovery In step 1, the NF consumer receives a request from the UE.

[0098] In step 2, the NF consumer sends a service request to the SCP containing UE identification information corresponding to the UE request.

[0099] In step 3, the SCP queries the mapping between the NF group ID and the UE identification information from the UDR, based on the UE identification information received in the service request.

[0100] In step 4, the UDR returns mapping information corresponding to the UE identification information to the SCP.

[0101] In step 5, upon receiving the mapping information, or as soon as the mapping information is received, the SCP subscribes the UDR to receive notifications of changes in the mapping information in the UDR with respect to the current NF group ID (i.e., NF group ID 1). This may be similar to the subscription described above with reference to Figure 5.

[0102] In Step 6, the SCP conducts a discovery to find the target NF producer with NF Group ID 1, which is mapped from the UE identification information.

[0103] In step 7, NRF returns the NFProfile of the target NF producer (nf-instance-1) to SCP.

[0104] In step 8, the SCP forwards the service request to the target NF producer (nf-instance-1). The target NF producer (nf-instance-1) handles the service request and sends a service response to the SCP.

[0105] In step 9, the SCP forwards the service response to the NF consumer that initiated the service request.

[0106] Next, the NF consumer continues to handle subsequent requests from the UE. In step 10, the subsequent requests from the UE are received by the NF consumer.

[0107] In step 11, the NF consumer sends a service request to the SCP.

[0108] If no corresponding information for the target NF producer (nf-instance-1) exists in the SCP cache, the SCP performs a discovery about the target NF producer in steps 12 and 13. Otherwise, if there is corresponding information for the target NF producer (nf-instance-1) cached in the SCP, steps 12 and 13 may be skipped.

[0109] In step 12, the SCP sends a discovery request to the NRF for a target NF producer with an NF group ID, namely NF group ID 1.

[0110] In step 13, NRF returns the NFProfile of the NF producer (nf-instance-1) to the SCP.

[0111] In step 14, the SCP forwards the service request to the target NF producer (nf-instance-1). The target NF producer (nf-instance-1) then handles the service request and sends a service response.

[0112] In step 15, the SCP forwards the service response to the NF consumer that initiated the service request.

[0113] In step 16, the operator updates the network deployment by adding a new NF producer of the same type (nf-instance-2) with NF group ID 2, to which the UE identification information is newly mapped instead of the previous NF group ID 1.

[0114] In step 17, the provisioned mapping information in the UDR is also updated.

[0115] In step 18, since the SCP subscribed to the UDR in step 5 to receive notifications of changes to the mapping information stored in the UDR, the UDR notifies the SCP of the mapping change via Nudr_GroupIDmap_Notify.

[0116] In step 19, the SCP updates the mapping between UE identification information and NF group IDs in accordance with the notification from the UDR.

[0117] In step 20, subsequent requests from the UE are received by the NF consumer.

[0118] In step 21, the NF consumer sends a subsequent service request to the SCP.

[0119] If there is no subscription to the UDR to know the new NF group ID to which the UE is being moved (i.e., NF group ID 2), steps 22-24 are performed.

[0120] In step 22, the SCP queries the mapping information between the NF group ID and the UE identification information from the UDR based on the UE identification information received in the subsequent service request.

[0121] In step 23, the UDR returns mapping information corresponding to the UE identification information to the SCP.

[0122] In step 24, as soon as or upon receiving the mapping information, the SCP subscribes to notifications of changes to the mapping information in the UDR with respect to the new NF group ID (i.e., NF group ID 2).

[0123] In step 25, the SCP sends a discovery request to the NRF about the target NF producer with the new NF group ID returned from step 23 (i.e., NF group ID 2).

[0124] In step 26, NRF returns the NFProfile of the NF producer (nf-instance-2) to the SCP.

[0125] In step 27, the SCP forwards the service request to the target NF producer. The target NF producer handles the service request and sends a service response.

[0126] In step 28, the SCP forwards the service response to the NF consumer that initiated the service request.

[0127] Subsequently, in steps 29-34, the SCP uses NF group ID 2 to forward the target NF producer for the corresponding UE and to communicate with the target NF producer (nf-instance-2). Steps 29-34 are similar to steps 10-15, except that NF group ID 1 is changed to NF group ID 2 and NF producer (nf-instance-1) is replaced with NF producer (nf-instance-2).

[0128] Figure 9 is a schematic block diagram of a network node implementing an NF of a communication network (e.g., 5GC) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Network node 900 includes a processor 910 and a memory 920 coupled to the processor 910. The memory 920 may contain instructions that can be executed by the processor 910, thereby enabling network node 900 to operate to perform the operations of the procedure described earlier, for example, with reference to Figures 1 and 5, when implementing a first NF (e.g., an NF consumer, SCP, or NRF). More specifically, the memory 920 may contain instructions that can be executed by the processor 910, thereby enabling network node 900 implementing a first NF to operate to receive notification from a second NF (e.g., a UDR) of a change in the mapping between NF group IDs and UE identification information stored in the second NF.

[0129] Alternatively, memory 920 may contain instructions executable by processor 910, thereby enabling network node 900 to operate when implementing a second NF (e.g., UDR) to perform the operations of the procedure previously described with reference to Figures 2 and 5. More specifically, memory 920 may contain instructions executable by processor 910, thereby enabling network node 900 implementing a second NF to operate to send a notification to the first NF of a change in the mapping between the NF group ID and UE identification information stored in the second NF when a mapping change occurs in the second NF.

[0130] Alternatively, memory 920 may contain instructions executable by processor 910, thereby enabling network node 900 to operate when implementing an NF consumer, for example, to perform the operations of the procedure previously described with reference to Figures 3 and 6. More specifically, memory 920 may contain instructions executable by processor 910, thereby enabling network node 900 implementing an NF consumer to operate by sending a discovery request to the NRF with UE identification information corresponding to a UE request from the UE, and receiving a discovery response from the NRF containing an NF group ID mapped to the UE identification information and additional information. The additional information indicates a mapping source that provides a mapping between the NF group ID and the UE identification information.

[0131] Alternatively, memory 920 may contain instructions executable by processor 910, thereby enabling network node 900 to operate when implementing NRF, for example, to perform the operations of the procedure previously described with Figures 4 and 6. More specifically, memory 920 may contain instructions executable by processor 910, thereby enabling network node 900 implementing NRF to receive discovery requests from NF consumers containing UE identification information corresponding to UE requests from UEs, and to send discovery responses to NRF consumers containing NF group IDs mapped to UE identification information and additional information. The additional information indicates a mapping source that provides a mapping between NF group IDs and UE identification information.

[0132] The processor 910 may be a single CPU (Central Processing Unit), but it may also have two or more processing units. For example, the processor may include a general-purpose microprocessor, an instruction set processor, and / or a dedicated microprocessor such as an associated chipset, and / or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The processor may also have board memory for caching purposes.

[0133] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product in the form of non-volatile or volatile memory, such as a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, and a hard drive. The computer program product also includes a computer program. The computer program includes code / computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor 910, cause the network node 900 to perform, for example, the operations of the procedure described earlier with Figures 1 to 8B.

[0134] The above computer programs may be contained within a medium, such as a carrier which may be an electronic signal, an optical signal, a wireless signal, or a computer-readable medium.

[0135] Various embodiments have been described so far. In the proposed solution, when the mapping between UE identification information and NF group IDs is changed in the UDR, the NF consumer / SCP / NRF can receive notification of the mapping change, apply the corresponding update to the mapping information, and utilize the updated mapping between UE identification information and NF group IDs for discovery, which is not possible under the current 3GPP specification. Furthermore, the NF consumer can directly send NF service requests to the correct NF producer, i.e., - If there is no corresponding notification for the new mapping, additional discovery by UE identification information to the NRF, then to the UDR. - Additional failure handling based on application errors reported by NF producers who served the UE before the change. This eliminates the need to retry NF service requests.

[0136] In general, the proposed solutions may support the corresponding use cases, improve the user experience, and, for example, avoid increasing the latency of procedures (general registration or handover procedures within 5GC).

[0137] Various embodiments have been described herein with respect to methods, apparatus, devices, computer-readable media, and receivers, but those skilled in the art will readily understand that such methods can be embodied in various systems, communication devices, computing devices, control devices, apparatus, non-temporary computer-readable media, and the like through various combinations of hardware and software.

[0138] Figure 10 shows an example of a communication system 1000 according to several embodiments. Concepts of the present disclosure may be applied in the communication system 1000. In this example, the communication system 1000 includes a communication network 1002 which includes an access network 1004 such as a radio access network (RAN) and a core network 1006 which includes one or more core network nodes 1008. The access network 1004 includes one or more access network nodes (one or more of which may generally be referred to as network nodes 1010), such as network nodes 1010a and 1010b, or any other similar Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points. Network nodes 1010 facilitate direct or indirect connections of user equipment (UEs), such as by connecting UEs 1012a, 1012b, 1012c, and 1012d (one or more of which may generally be referred to as UEs 1012) to the core network 1006 over one or more radio connections.

[0139] Exemplary wireless communication over a wireless connection involves transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for transmitting information without using wires, cables, or other material conductors. Furthermore, in different embodiments, the communication system 1000 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that can facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals, whether via a wired or wireless connection. The communication system 1000 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, wireless network, and / or other similar types of systems.

[0140] UE1012 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including a wireless device configured, set up, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network node 1010 and other communication devices. Similarly, network node 1010 is configured, capable, set up, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with UE1012 and / or with other network nodes or devices in communication network 1002 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in communication network 1002.

[0141] In the illustrated example, the core network 1006 connects network node 1010 to one or more hosts, such as host 1016. These connections may be direct or indirect, via one or more intermediate networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 1006 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 1008) structured with hardware and software components. The characteristics of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UE, network nodes, and / or hosts, and therefore their descriptions are generally applicable to the corresponding components of core network node 1008. An exemplary core network node includes one or more functions from among a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscriber Identifier Decryption Function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protected Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or User Plane Function (UPF). Various embodiments of this disclosure may implement the SMF and AMF, and the methods therein, in the core network node.

[0142] Host 1016 may be owned or under the control of a service provider other than the operator or provider of the access network 1004 and / or the communication network 1002, and may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. Host 1016 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include data collection services such as extracting and compiling live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data on various ambient conditions detected by multiple UEs, analytical functions, social media, functions for controlling or possibly interacting with remote devices, functions for alarms and surveillance centers, or any other such functions performed by the server.

[0143] In various embodiments, the core network node 1008 may implement network functions (NFs) of the communication system or network 900. In other words, the NFs may be located in or coupled to the core network 1006. Such NFs may be configured to perform operations corresponding to the exemplary methods described above.

[0144] Overall, the communication system 1000 in Figure 10 enables connectivity between the UE, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, including, but not limited to, any other suitable wireless communication standards, such as GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future-generation standard (e.g., 6G), wireless local area network (WLAN) standards such as the IEEE 802.11 standard (WiFi), and / or any other suitable wireless communication standards such as global interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, near-field communications (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or LoRa and Sigfox, or any low-power wide area network (LPWAN) standards.

[0145] In some examples, the communication network 1002 is a cellular network implementing 3GPP standardized features. Therefore, the communication network 1002 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices connected to the communication network 1002. For example, the communication network 1002 may provide ultra-high reliability low latency communication (URLLC) services to some UEs while providing extended mobile broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or also provide massive machine-type communication (mMTC) / massive IoT services to further UEs.

[0146] In some examples, UE1012 is configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, the UE may be designed to transmit information to access network 1004 on a predetermined schedule when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to a request from access network 1004. Furthermore, the UE may be configured to operate in single, multi-RAT, or multi-standard modes. For example, the UE may operate with one or a combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio), and LTE, i.e., configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Enhanced UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio-Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0147] In this example, the hub 1014 communicates with the access network 1004 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE1012c and / or 1012d) and a network node (e.g., network node 1010b). In some examples, the hub 1014 may be a controller, a router, a content source and content analysis device, or any other communication device described herein with respect to the UE. For example, the hub 1014 may be a broadband router that enables access to the core network 1006 for the UE. In another example, the hub 1014 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UE. The commands or instructions may be received from the UE, network node 1010, or by executable code, scripts, processes, or other instructions in the hub 1014. In yet another example, the hub 1014 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, can perform data analysis or other processing. In yet another example, the hub 1014 may be a content source. For example, with respect to a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker, or other media distribution device, the hub 1014 can retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via network nodes, which the hub 1014 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In yet another example, the hub 1014 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UE, particularly when one or more of the UEs are low-energy IoT devices.

[0148] Hub 1014 may have always-on / persistent or intermittent connections to network node 1010b. Hub 1014 may also enable different communication methods and / or schedules between Hub 1014 and UEs (e.g., UE 1012c and / or 1012d), and between Hub 1014 and the core network 1006. In other examples, Hub 1014 connects to the core network 1006 and / or one or more UEs via wired connections. Furthermore, Hub 1014 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider on the access network 1004 and / or another UE via a direct connection. In some scenarios, a UE may establish a wireless connection with network node 1010 while still being connected via wired or wireless connections through Hub 1014. In some embodiments, Hub 1014 may be a dedicated hub, i.e., a hub whose primary function is to route communications from the UE to network node 1010b and from network node 1010b to the UE. In other embodiments, the hub 1014 may be a non-dedicated hub, i.e., a device that can operate to route communication between the UE and the network node 1010b, but can also operate as a communication start and / or end point for several data channels.

[0149] Figure 11 shows UE1100 in several embodiments. As used herein, UE refers to a device that is capable of, configured, and / or operable of communicating wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of UEs include, but are not limited to, smartphones, mobile phones, cell phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, gaming consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback devices, wearable terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablets, laptop computers, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), and vehicle-mounted or vehicle-embedded / integrated wireless devices. Other examples include any UE identified by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UEs, machine-type communications (MTC) UEs, and / or enhanced MTC (eMTC) UEs.

[0150] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication by implementing 3GPP standards for sidelink communication, dedicated short-range communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE does not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the associated device. Instead, a UE may represent a device (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller) that is intended to be sold to or operated by a human user, but may not be associated with a particular human user, or may not be associated with a particular human user in the first place. Alternatively, a UE may represent a device (e.g., a smart electricity meter) that is not intended to be sold to or operated by an end user, but may be associated with or operate for the benefit of a user.

[0151] The UE1100 includes processing circuitry 1102 operably coupled via bus 1104 to an input / output interface 1106, a power supply 1108, memory 1110, a communication interface 1112, and / or any other components, or any combination thereof. Some UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 11. The level of integration between components may vary from UE to UE. Furthermore, some UEs may include multiple instances of components, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, and receivers.

[0152] The processing circuit 1102 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine capable of executing instructions stored in memory 1110 as a machine-readable computer program. The processing circuit 1102 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.), programmable logic with appropriate firmware, a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP) with appropriate software, one or more stored computer programs, a general-purpose processor, or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuit 1102 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0153] In this example, the input / output interface 1106 may be configured to provide an input device, an output device, or one or more interfaces to one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of output devices include speakers, sound cards, video cards, displays, monitors, printers, actuators, emitters, smart cards, other output devices, or any combination thereof. Input devices may allow a user to capture information to the UE1100. Examples of input devices include touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive displays, cameras (e.g., digital cameras, digital video cameras, webcams, etc.), microphones, sensors, mice, trackballs, directional pads, trackpads, scroll wheels, smart cards, etc. A presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor for detecting user input. Sensors may include, for example, an accelerometer, gyroscope, tilt sensor, force sensor, magnetometer, light sensor, proximity sensor, biosensor, or any combination thereof. Output devices may use the same type of interface port as input devices. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide input and output devices.

[0154] In some embodiments, the power supply 1108 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources may be used, such as an external power source (e.g., an electrical outlet), a photovoltaic device, or a battery. The power supply 1108 may further include a power circuit for distributing power from the power supply 1108 itself and / or from an external power source via an interface such as an input circuit or power cable. Distributing power may, for example, be for charging the power supply 1108. The power circuit may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modifications to the power from the power supply 1108 to make that power suitable for each component of the UE 1100 to which it is supplied.

[0155] Memory 1110 may be memory, or configured to contain memory, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, etc. In one example, memory 1110 may include one or more application programs 1114, such as an operating system, a web browser application, a widget, a gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 1116. Memory 1110 may store any of a variety of operating systems or combinations of operating systems for use by UE 1100.

[0156] Memory 1110 may be configured to include several physical drive units, such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disk (HD-DVD) optical disk drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-ray optical disk drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disk drive, external mini dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external microDIMM SDRAM, smart card memory such as a tamper-proof module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) containing one or more subscriber identification modules (SIMs) such as USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may be, for example, an embedded UICC (eUICC), an integrated UICC (iUICC), or a removable UICC commonly known as a "SIM card". Memory 1110 may enable UE 1100 to access instructions, application programs, etc., stored in temporary or non-temporary memory media, to offload data, or to upload data. Products such as products utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as memory 1110 or within memory 1110, and memory 1110 may be a device-readable storage medium or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0157] The processing circuit 1102 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other networks using a communication interface 1112. The communication interface 1112 may comprise one or more communication subsystems, including or communicatively coupled to an antenna 1122. The communication interface 1112 may include one or more transceivers used for communication, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or network node in the access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 1118 and / or receiver 1120 suitable for providing network communication (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency-allocated, etc.). Furthermore, the transmitter 1118 and receiver 1120 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 1122), and may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively, may be implemented separately.

[0158] In the embodiments shown, the communication functions of the communication interface 1112 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine location, other similar communication functions, or any combination thereof. The communication may be implemented in accordance with one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMAX, Ethernet, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), etc.

[0159] Regardless of the sensor type, the UE may provide the output of data captured by the UE's sensors to network nodes via a wireless connection through the UE's communication interface 1112. The data captured by the UE's sensors may be communicated to network nodes via another UE through a wireless connection. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if reporting detected temperature), in response to a triggering event (e.g., an alarm is sent when humidity is detected), in response to a request (e.g., a user-initiated request), random (e.g., to equalize the load from reports from several sensors), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0160] As another example, the UE may include an actuator, motor, or switch relating to a communication interface configured to receive radio input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received radio input, the state of the actuator, motor, or switch may change. For example, the UE may include a motor that adjusts the control surface or rotor of a drone in flight according to the received input, or a robotic arm that performs a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0161] A UE, in the form of an Internet of Things (IoT) device, can be a device for use in one or more application areas, which include, but are not limited to, urban wearable technology, augmented industrial applications, and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such IoT devices are devices that are connected refrigerators or freezers, TVs, connected lighting devices, energy meters, robotic vacuum cleaners, voice-controlled smart speakers, home security cameras, motion detectors, thermostats, smoke detectors, door / window sensors, flood / humidity sensors, electric door locks, connected doorbells, air conditioning systems such as heat pumps, autonomous vehicles, surveillance systems, weather monitoring devices, vehicle parking monitoring devices, electric vehicle charging stations, smartwatches, fitness trackers, head-mounted displays for augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR), wearables for haptic augmentation or perceptual augmentation, water sprinklers, animal or product tracking devices, sensors for monitoring plants or animals, industrial robots, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and any kind of medical device such as a heart rate monitor or remotely controlled surgical robot, or devices embedded in them. The UE in the form of an IoT device comprises circuitry and / or software according to the intended application of the IoT device, in addition to the other components described with respect to the UE1100 shown in Figure 11.

[0162] In another specific example, in an IoT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurement and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurement to another UE and / or network node. In this case, the UE could be an M2M device, which is sometimes called an MTC device in a 3GPP context. In one specific example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, the UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, bus, truck, ship, and airplane, or other equipment capable of monitoring its operational status and / or reporting on its operational status, or performing other functions related to its operation.

[0163] In practice, any number of UEs can be used together for a single use case. For example, the first UE may be the drone itself, or integrated within the drone, providing the drone's speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to the second UE, which is the remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (for example, by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone's speed. The first and / or second UEs may also include two or more of the functions described above. For example, the UE may have sensors and actuators and handle the communication of data about both the speed sensor and the actuator.

[0164] Figure 12 shows a network node 1200 according to several embodiments. The RAN nodes of this disclosure may be implemented together with the network node 1200. A network node refers to a device that is configured, set up, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with UEs in a communication network and / or with other network nodes or devices. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points) and base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, node B, evolved node B (eNB), and NR node B (gNB)).

[0165] Base stations can be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, in other words, the base station's transmit power level), and are therefore sometimes called femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations, depending on the amount of coverage they provide. A base station can be a relay node or relay donor node that controls relays. Network nodes may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station, such as a centralized digital unit and / or remote radio unit (RRU), sometimes called a remote radio head (RRH). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna-integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station are sometimes called nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0166] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmit point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, MSR equipment such as multi-standard radio (MSR) BS, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base station transceiver stations (BTSs), transmit points, transmit nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordinated entities (MCEs), operation and maintenance (O&M) nodes, operation support system (OSS) nodes, self-organizing network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., evolved serving mobile location centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or drive test minimization (MDTs).

[0167] Network node 1200 includes a processing circuit 1202, a memory 1204, a communication interface 1206, and a power supply 1208. Network node 1200 can be assembled from multiple physically distinct components (e.g., node B components and RNC components, or BTS components and BSC components), each of which may have its own respective components. In some scenarios where network node 1200 has multiple distinct components (e.g., BTS components and BSC components), one or more of the distinct components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple node Bs. In such a scenario, each unique node B-RNC pair may, in some cases, be considered a single distinct network node. In some embodiments, network node 1200 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 1204 for different RATs), and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 1210 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 1200 may also include multiple sets of various indicated components for different wireless technologies, such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), or Bluetooth wireless technologies, which are integrated into the network node 1200. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or sets of chips, and other components within the network node 1200.

[0168] The processing circuit 1202 may include one or more combinations of microprocessors, controllers, microcontrollers, central processing units, digital signal processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, or any other suitable computing devices, resources, or combinations of hardware, software, and / or encoded logic, which are capable of operating to provide network node 1200 functionality, either on its own or in combination with other network node 1200 components such as memory 1204.

[0169] In some embodiments, the processing circuit 1202 includes a system-on-a-chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuit 1202 includes one or more of the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit 1212 and the baseband processing circuit 1214. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit 1212 and the baseband processing circuit 1214 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units such as radio and digital units. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuit 1212 and the baseband processing circuit 1214 may be on the same chip or set of chips, board, or unit.

[0170] Memory 1204 may include, but is not limited to, any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including persistent storage, solid memory, remote-mount memory, magnetic media, optical media, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., flash drive, compact disc (CD), or digital video disc (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-temporary device-readable and / or computer-executable memory device for storing information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuit 1202. Memory 1204 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including other instructions, that may be executed by the processing circuit 1202 and utilized by the network node 1200, including applications that include one or more computer programs, software, logic, rules, code, and tables. Memory 1204 may be used to store calculations performed by the processing circuit 1202 and / or data received via the communication interface 1206. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 1202 and the memory 1204 are integrated.

[0171] Communication interface 1206 is used in wired or wireless signaling and / or data between network nodes, access networks, and / or UEs. As shown, communication interface 1206 includes (one or more) ports / (one or more) terminals 1216 for sending and receiving data to and from the network, for example, over a wired connection. Communication interface 1206 also includes a wireless front-end circuit 1218, which is coupled to or, in some embodiments, may be part of antenna 1210. The wireless front-end circuit 1218 includes a filter 1220 and an amplifier 1222. The wireless front-end circuit 1218 may be connected to antenna 1210 and processing circuit 1202. The wireless front-end circuit may be configured to adjust signals communicated between antenna 1210 and processing circuit 1202. The wireless front-end circuit 1218 may receive digital data to be sent to other network nodes or UEs via the wireless connection. The wireless front-end circuit 1218 can convert digital data into a radio signal with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of the filter 1220 and / or amplifier 1222. The radio signal can then be transmitted via the antenna 1210. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 1210 can collect a radio signal, which is then converted into digital data by the wireless front-end circuit 1218. The digital data can then be passed to the processing circuit 1202. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0172] In some alternative embodiments, the network node 1200 does not include a separate radio front-end circuit 1218; instead, the processing circuit 1202 includes the radio front-end circuit and is connected to the antenna 1210. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or part of the RF transceiver circuit 1212 is part of the communication interface 1206. In yet another embodiment, the communication interface 1206, as part of a radio unit (not shown), includes one or more ports or terminals 1216, the radio front-end circuit 1218, and the RF transceiver circuit 1212, and the communication interface 1206 communicates with a baseband processing circuit 1214, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0173] Antenna 1210 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and / or receive radio signals. Antenna 1210 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuit 1218 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, Antenna 1210 is separate from the network node 1200 and can be connected to the network node 1200 through an interface or port.

[0174] The antenna 1210, the communication interface 1206, and / or the processing circuit 1202 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain acquisition operations as described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from the UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 1210, the communication interface 1206, and / or the processing circuit 1202 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations as described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals may be transmitted to the UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment.

[0175] Power supply 1208 provides power to various components of network node 1200 in a form suitable for each component (for example, at the voltage and current levels required for each respective component). Power supply 1208 may further include, or be coupled to, a power management circuit for supplying power to the components of network node 1200 to perform the functions described herein. For example, network node 1200 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., a power grid, an electrical outlet) via an input circuit or interface such as an electrical cable, thereby the external power source powers the power circuit of power supply 1208. As a further example, power supply 1208 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack connected to or integrated into the power circuit. The battery may provide backup power in the event of an external power failure.

[0176] Embodiments of network node 1200 may include additional components other than those shown in Figure 12 to provide several aspects of the network node's functionality, including any of the functions described herein and / or functions necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, network node 1200 may include user interface equipment for enabling information input to and output from network node 1200. This may enable a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for network node 1200.

[0177] In various embodiments, the network node 1200 may be configured to perform operations carried out by the network node, network functions (NF), and application functions (AF) in the exemplary methods or procedures described above.

[0178] Figure 13 is a block diagram of host 1300, which may be one embodiment of host 1016 in Figure 10, according to various aspects described herein. Host 1300 as used herein may be a variety of combinations of hardware and / or software, or comprise a variety of combinations of hardware and / or software, including standalone servers, blade servers, cloud implementation servers, distributed servers, virtual machines, containers, or processing resources in a server farm. Host 1300 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0179] The host 1300 includes a processing circuit 1302 operably coupled to an input / output interface 1306, a network interface 1308, a power supply 1310, and memory 1312 via a bus 1304. Other embodiments may include other components. The features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices in previous figures, such as Figures 11 and 12, and therefore their descriptions are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the host 1300.

[0180] Memory 1312 may include one or more computer programs, each containing one or more host application programs 1314 and data 1316, the data 1316 of which may include user data, for example, data generated by the UE for host 1300, or data generated by host 1300 for the UE. Embodiments of host 1300 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. Host application programs 1314 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Multipurpose Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of the UE (e.g., handsets, desktop computers, wearable display systems, heads-up display systems). The host application program 1314 may also provide user authentication and license checks, and may periodically report health, route, and content availability to a central node, such as a device in the core network or a device at the edge of the core network. Thus, host 1300 may select and / or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for the UE. The host application program 1314 may support various protocols, such as HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), and Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH).

[0181] Figure 14 is a block diagram showing a virtualized environment 1400 in which functions implemented by several embodiments can be virtualized. In this context, virtualization means creating a virtual version of an apparatus or device, which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices, and networking resources. The virtualization used herein may apply to any device or its components described herein and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components, executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtualized environments 1400 hosted by one or more hardware nodes, such as network nodes, UEs, core network nodes, or hardware computing devices acting as hosts. Furthermore, in embodiments in which the virtual nodes do not require wireless connectivity (e.g., core network nodes or hosts), the nodes may be fully virtualized.

[0182] Application 1402 (which may alternatively be referred to as a software instance, virtual appliance, network function, virtual node, virtual network function, etc.) runs in a virtualized environment 1400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0183] Hardware 1404 includes processing circuits, memory for storing software and / or instructions executable by the hardware processing circuits, and / or other hardware devices described herein, such as network interfaces and input / output interfaces. The software is executed by the processing circuits to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1406 (also called hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), providing VM1408a and 1408b (one or more of which may commonly be referred to as VM1408), and / or may implement any of the functions, features, and / or benefits described with respect to some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1406 may present VM1408 with a virtual operating platform that looks like networking hardware.

[0184] VM1408 features virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interfaces, and virtual storage, and may be powered by the corresponding virtualization layer 1406. Different embodiments of the virtual appliance 1402 may be implemented on one or more of the VM1408s, and the implementation may be carried out in different ways. Hardware virtualization is referred to as network function virtualization (NFV) in several contexts. NFV can be used to consolidate many types of network equipment onto industry-standard high-volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which may reside in data centers and customer premises equipment.

[0185] In the context of NFV, VM1408 can be a software implementation of a physical machine, where programs run as if they were running on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each VM1408 and its portion of the hardware 1404 on which it runs, whether that hardware is dedicated to the VM and / or shared by that VM with other VMs in the VM, form a separate virtual network element. Furthermore, in the context of NFV, the virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions running in one or more VM1408s on the hardware 1404, and corresponds to application 1402.

[0186] Hardware 1404 may be implemented in a standalone network node with general or specific components. Hardware 1404 may implement some functions through virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1404 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes cooperate and are managed via management and orchestration 1410, which oversees the lifecycle management of applications 1402. In some embodiments, hardware 1404 is coupled to one or more radio units, each including one or more transmitters and one or more receivers, which may be coupled to one or more antennas. The radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more suitable network interfaces and may be used in combination with virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or base station. In some embodiments, some signaling may be provided using a control system 1412, which may be used alternatively for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0187] In various embodiments, the virtualization environment 1400 may be configured to host the various network functions (NFs) and application functions (AFs) described above. In other words, these NFs and AFs may be implemented in their respective virtual nodes 1402 based on the underlying hardware 1404. Each of these virtual nodes 1402 may be configured to perform the various exemplary methods or procedures described above.

[0188] Figure 15 shows a communication diagram of host 1502 communicating with UE 1506 via network node 1504 over a partial wireless connection, according to several embodiments. Next, exemplary implementations of various embodiments of the UE (such as UE 1012a in Figure 10 and / or UE 1100 in Figure 11), network nodes (such as network node 1010a in Figure 10 and / or network node 1200 in Figure 12), and hosts (such as host 1016 in Figure 10 and / or host 1300 in Figure 13), as described in the previous paragraph, will be described with reference to Figure 15.

[0189] Similar to host 1300, embodiments of host 1502 include hardware such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. Host 1502 also includes software that is stored in or accessible by host 1502 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that may be capable of operating to serve a remote user, such as UE 1506 connected via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1550 extending between UE 1506 and host 1502. When serving a remote user, the host application may provide user data transmitted using the OTT connection 1550.

[0190] Network node 1504 includes hardware that enables network node 1504 to communicate with host 1502 and UE 1506. The connection 1560 may be direct or pass through a core network (similar to core network 1006 in Figure 10) and / or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public networks, private networks, or hosted networks. For example, the intermediate network could be a backbone network or the internet.

[0191] UE1506 includes hardware and software that is stored in or accessible by UE1506 and executable by the UE's processing circuitry. The software includes client applications, such as a web browser or operator-specific “app,” which may be capable of operating to serve human or non-human users through UE1506, with the support of host 1502. On host 1502, the running host application may communicate with the running client application via an OTT connection 1550 that terminates at UE1506 and host 1502. When serving a user, the UE's client application may receive request data from the host's host application and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1550 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The UE's client application may interact with the user to generate user data that the UE's client application provides to the host application via the OTT connection 1550.

[0192] The OTT connection 1550 may extend via connection 1560 between host 1502 and network node 1504, and via wireless connection 1570 between network node 1504 and UE 1506, in order to provide a connection between host 1502 and UE 1506. Connections 1560 and wireless connection 1570, which the OTT connection 1550 may provide, are depicted abstractly to illustrate communication between host 1502 and UE 1506 via network node 1504, without explicit reference to intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages through these devices.

[0193] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection 1550, in step 1508, host 1502 provides user data, which may be done by running a host application. In some embodiments, the user data relates to a specific human user interacting with UE 1506. In other embodiments, the user data relates to UE 1506 sharing data with host 1502 without explicit human interaction. In step 1510, host 1502 initiates a transmission to carry user data toward UE 1506. Host 1502 may initiate a transmission in response to a request sent by UE 1506. The request may be triggered by human interaction with UE 1506 or by the operation of a client application running on UE 1506. The transmission may proceed through network node 1504 in accordance with the teachings of embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step 1512, the network node 1504 transmits the user data carried in the transmission initiated by host 1502 to UE 1506, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1514, UE 1506 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be done by a client application running on UE 1506 related to a host application run by host 1502.

[0194] In some examples, UE1506 runs a client application that provides user data to host 1502. User data may be provided in response to or in reaction to data received from host 1502. Thus, in step 1516, UE1506 may provide user data, which may be done by running a client application. When providing user data, the client application may further consider user input received from the user via the input / output interface of UE1506. Regardless of the particular format in which the user data is provided, UE1506 initiates a transmission of the user data to host 1502 via network node 1504 in step 1518. In step 1520, in accordance with the teachings of embodiments described throughout this disclosure, network node 1504 receives user data from UE1506 and initiates a transmission of the received user data to host 1502. In step 1522, host 1502 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by UE1506.

[0195] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to UE 1506 by using an OTT connection 1550 in which the wireless connection 1570 forms the final segment. More precisely, embodiments described herein can provide a new service operation in which the NEF can request the UDM to delete a authorization related to a service-specific parameter provisioning request, for example, before the validity period for that authorization expires. Upon receiving such a request, the UDM can be released and stopped monitoring updates regarding the resources related to that authorization. This avoids wasting UDM resources (e.g., signaling, processing, storage, etc.) and facilitates more efficient operation of the 5GC. These increases in efficiency improve the delivery of OTT services over the 5GC, thereby increasing the value of such OTT services to both end users and service providers.

[0196] In an exemplary scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by host 1502. As another example, host 1502 may process audio and video data that may be extracted from the UE for use in creating maps. As yet another example, host 1502 may collect and analyze real-time data to help control vehicle congestion (e.g., control traffic signals). As yet another example, host 1502 may store surveillance video uploaded by the UE. As yet another example, host 1502 may store or control access to media content, such as video, audio, VR or AR, which host 1502 can broadcast, multicast, or unicast to the UE. As yet another example, host 1502 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time-constrained electrical loads to balance generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as compiling diagrams etc. from data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, extracting, storing, analyzing, and / or transmitting data.

[0197] In some embodiments, measurement procedures may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency, and other factors, which are improved by one or more embodiments. Further optional network functions may be provided for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1550 between host 1502 and UE 1506 in response to variations in measurement results. Measurement procedures and / or network functions for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in software and hardware of host 1502 and / or UE 1506. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in relation to other devices through which the OTT connection 1550 passes, and the sensors may participate in the measurement procedures by supplying values ​​of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or values ​​of other physical quantities that the software can calculate or estimate the monitored quantities of. Reconfiguring the OTT connection 1550 may include message formatting, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc., and the reconfiguration does not require a direct change in the operation of network node 1504. Such procedures and functions are known and practiced in the art. In some embodiments, the measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling by host 1502 to facilitate measurements such as throughput, propagation time, and latency. The measurements may be implemented in which software causes messages, particularly empty or "dummy" messages, to be sent using the OTT connection 1550 while monitoring propagation time, errors, etc.

[0198] The foregoing is merely an illustration of the principles of this disclosure. In view of the teachings herein, various modifications and alterations of the embodiments described will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it will be understood that a number of systems, configurations, and procedures not expressly shown or described herein, but which embody the principles of this disclosure and thus fall within the spirit and scope of this disclosure, can be devised by those skilled in the art. Various embodiments can be used together and interchangeably with one another, as should be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0199] The term "unit" as used herein may have its usual meaning in the field of electronics, electrical devices, and / or electronic devices, and may include, for example, electrical and / or electronic circuits, devices, modules, processors, memories, logical solids and / or individual devices, computer programs or instructions, etc., for performing their respective tasks, procedures, calculations, outputs, and / or display functions, such as those described herein.

[0200] Any suitable step, method, feature, function, or benefit disclosed herein may be implemented through one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual devices. Each virtual device may comprise several of these functional units. These functional units may be implemented via processing circuits, which may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers, and other digital hardware, which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), dedicated digital logic, etc. The processing circuits may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or more types of memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. The program code stored in memory may include program instructions for executing one or more communication and / or data communication protocols, and instructions for performing one or more of the techniques described herein. In some implementations, the processing circuits may be used to cause each functional unit to perform the corresponding function according to one or more embodiments of the Disclosure.

[0201] As described herein, devices and / or apparatus may be represented by semiconductor chips, chipsets, or (hardware) modules comprising such chips or chipsets, but this does not exclude the possibility that the functionality of the device or apparatus may be implemented as a software module, such as a computer program or computer program product, comprising executable software code portions for or running on a processor, instead of being implemented in hardware. Furthermore, the functionality of a device or apparatus may be implemented by any combination of hardware and software. A device or apparatus may also be considered as an assembly of multiple devices and / or apparatus, whether functionally cooperating with each other or independent of each other. Moreover, devices and apparatus may be implemented distributed across a system, as long as the functionality of the device or apparatus is maintained. Such and similar principles are considered to be known to those skilled in the art.

[0202] Unless otherwise specified, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as they would ordinarily be understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs. Terms used herein should be interpreted as having the meanings of those terms in the context of this specification and the related art, and not in an ideal or overly formal sense unless expressly provided herein.

[0203] Furthermore, some terms used in this disclosure, including in the specification and drawings, may be used synonymously in some instances (for example, “data” and “information”). It should be understood that while these terms (and / or other terms that may be synonymous with each other) may be used synonymously in this specification, there may be instances where such words are not intended to be used synonymously. Furthermore, unless prior art knowledge is expressly incorporated herein by reference above, the entirety of the prior art knowledge is expressly incorporated herein. All referenced publications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Claims

1. A method (100) in a first network function (NF), The second NF receives notification of a change in the mapping between the NF group identifier (ID) and UE identification information stored in the second NF (S102), In response to receiving notification from the second NF of a change in the mapping between the NF group ID and UE identification information stored in the second NF, the mapping information stored in the first NF is updated (S104). A method (100) comprising at least one of the following.

2. The method according to claim 1 (100), wherein the modification includes one or more modifications to one or more mappings between an NF group ID and UE identification information for one or more NF types.

3. The aforementioned notice is, - A list of UE identification information or ranges of UE identification information whose mapping has been changed, - The NF group ID whose mapping has been changed, - NF type with the above mapping changed and The method according to claim 1 or 2 (100), including the method according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A method in the first network function (NF), Sending a subscription request to the second NF to subscribe to notifications of changes in the mapping between the NF group identifier (ID) and UE identification information stored in the second NF. Methods that include...

5. The aforementioned subscription request is - A callback URI in which the first NF receives the notification from the second NF, - Subscription terms that specify one or more mappings between NF group IDs and UE identification information that should be monitored for changes with respect to one or more NF types. The method according to claim 4, including the method described in claim 4.

6. The aforementioned subscription terms are: - The mapping between NF group IDs and UE identification information should be monitored for changes, NF group IDs and - A list of UE identification information ranges whose mapping to NF group IDs should be monitored for changes, - List of subscription identifiers and The method according to claim 5, comprising one or more of the above.

7. The aforementioned subscription request is - The NF instance ID of the first NF, - The subscription ID for the newly created resource, which was set as absent in the aforementioned subscription request, - The validity period and the time instance at which the aforementioned subscription becomes invalid. The method according to claim 5 or 6, further comprising one or more of the above.

8. Receiving a subscription response to the subscription request from the second NF. It further includes, The aforementioned subscription response includes a subscription ID for the newly created resource. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 7.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the subscription response further includes an expiration time indicating a time instance in which the subscription subsequently becomes invalid.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the first NF includes an NF consumer, an NRF, or a service communications proxy (SCP), and the second NF includes a UDR.

11. If the notification indicates that the UE identification information has been moved to a mapping with another NF group ID, send another subscription request to the second NF to subscribe to notifications of the mapping change with respect to the other NF group ID. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising:

12. A method (200) in a second network function (NF), When a mapping change is made in the second NF, a notification of the change in the mapping between the NF group identifier (ID) and UE identification information stored in the second NF is sent to the first NF (S202). Method (200), including.

13. The aforementioned notice is, - A list of UE identification information or ranges of UE identification information whose mapping has been changed. - The NF group ID whose mapping has been changed, or - NF type with the aforementioned mapping changed The method according to claim 12 (200), including the method according to claim 12.

14. A method in the second network function (NF), Receiving a subscription request from the first NF to subscribe to notifications of changes in the mapping between the NF group identifier (ID) and UE identification information stored in the second NF. Methods that include...

15. Sending a subscription response to the subscription request to the first NF. It further includes, The aforementioned subscription response includes a subscription ID for the newly created resource. The method according to claim 14.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the subscription response further includes an expiration time indicating a time instance in which the subscription subsequently becomes invalid.

17. If the notification indicates that the UE identification information has been moved to a mapping with another NF group ID, the first NF will receive another subscription request to subscribe to notifications of the change in the mapping with respect to the other NF group ID. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, further comprising:

18. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein the first NF includes an NF consumer, an NRF, or a service communications proxy (SCP), and the second NF includes a UDR.

19. A method (300) in NF consumer, Sending a discovery request containing UE identification information corresponding to a UE request from a UE to the NF Repository function (NRF) (S302), The NRF receives a discovery response from the NRF that includes the NF group ID mapped to the UE identification information and additional information (S304). Includes, The aforementioned additional information indicates a mapping source that provides a mapping between the NF group ID and the UE identification information. Method (300).

20. The aforementioned mapping source is - When the mapping between the NF group ID and the UE identification information is provided locally by the NRF, the NRF and, - When the mapping between the NF group ID and the UE identification information is provided by the User Data Repository (UDR), the UDR ID and The method according to claim 19 (300), which shows one of the following.

21. The method according to claim 20 (300), when the discovery response is received (S304) in which the mapping source indicates the UDR ID of a UDR that provides the mapping between the NF group ID and the UE identification information, the NF consumer sends a subscription request to the UDR to subscribe to notifications of changes in the mapping between the NF group ID and the UE identification information stored in the UDR by using the indicated UDR ID.

22. A method (400) in the NF repository function (NRF), Receiving a discovery request from an NF consumer that contains UE identification information corresponding to a UE request from a UE (S402), Sending a discovery response to the NF consumer, which includes the NF group ID mapped to the UE identification information and additional information (S404) Includes, The aforementioned additional information indicates a mapping source that provides a mapping between the NF group ID and the UE identification information. Method (400).

23. The aforementioned mapping source is - When the mapping between the NF group ID and the UE identification information is provided locally by the NRF, the NRF and, - When the mapping between the NF group ID and the UE identification information is provided by the User Data Repository (UDR), the UDR ID and The method according to claim 22 (400), which shows one of the following.

24. The first network function (NF) (900), Processor (910), The memory (920) is coupled to the processor (910) and A first NF (900) comprising, wherein the memory (900) includes instructions that can be executed by the processor (910), thereby enabling the first NF (900) to perform an operation corresponding to any of the methods described in any one of claims 1 to 11.

25. The second network function (NF) (900) is, Processor (910), The memory (920) is coupled to the processor (910) and A second NF (900) comprising, wherein the memory (920) includes instructions that can be executed by the processor (920), thereby enabling the second NF (900) to perform an operation corresponding to any one of the methods described in any one of claims 12 to 18.

26. NF Consumer (900), Processor (910), The memory (920) is coupled to the processor (910) and An NF consumer (900) comprising, wherein the memory (920) includes instructions that can be executed by the processor (910), thereby enabling the NF consumer (900) to perform an operation corresponding to any of the methods (300) described in any one of claims 19 to 21.

27. NF repository function (NRF) (900), Processor (910), The memory (920) is coupled to the processor (910) and An NRF (900) comprising, wherein the memory (920) includes instructions that can be executed by the processor (910), thereby enabling the NRF (900) to operate to perform an operation corresponding to either method (400) described in claim 22 or 23.

28. A non-temporary computer-readable medium for storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor (910) of a first network function (NF) or a second NF or an NF consumer or NF repository function (NRF), cause the first network function (NF) or the second NF or the NF consumer or NF repository function (NRF) to perform an operation corresponding to any of the methods described in any one of claims 1 to 11, any of the methods described in any one of claims 12 to 18, any of the methods described in any one of claims 19 to 21 (300), or any of the methods (400) described in claim 22 or 23.

29. A computer program comprising instructions, when executed by a processor (910) of a first network function (NF) or a second NF or NF consumer or NF repository function (NRF), causing the first NF or the second NF or the NF consumer or the NRF to perform an operation corresponding to any method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, any method according to any one of claims 12 to 18, any method according to any one of claims 19 to 21 (300), or any method (400) described in claim 22 or 23.

30. A carrier comprising the computer program described in claim 29, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a wireless signal, or a computer-readable medium.

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