Communication equipment and communication methods

Abstract

To provide member user equipment (UE) selection assistance taking operators into consideration.SOLUTION: A communication device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a communication unit that receives a request including identification information of a target member terminal regarding the acquisition of selection support information for member terminals participating in the operation of a specific application, and a control unit that identifies an operator to which the terminal identified by the identification information included in the request belongs.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a communication apparatus and a communication method in a mobile communication system. [Background Art]

[0002] In the standard for the 5th generation mobile communication system (5G) developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP (registered trademark)), which is a standardization project for mobile communication systems, a Network Exposure Function (NEF) is specified for exposing Network Functions (NF) of a core network to the outside (see, for example, Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] In addition, in the 3GPP standards, utilization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Machine Learning (ML) technology for control and management of networks / devices is under consideration. For example, in Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2 mentioned above, a service is specified in which the 5G Core Network (5GC) supports selection of User Equipment (UE) (member UE) for AI operation for an application server outside the 5G Core Network (5GC). [Prior Art Documents] [Non-Patent Documents]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] 3GPP TS 23.501 V18.4.0 (2023-12) “System architecture for the 5G System (5GS); Stage 2 (Release 18)” [Non-Patent Document 2] 3GPP TS 23.502 V18.4.0 (2023-12) “Procedures for the 5G System (5GS); Stage 2 (Release 18)” [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0005] The member UE selection support function allows for the selection of a suitable UE for AI operation with the cooperation of 5GC. However, the existing member UE selection support function does not take into account the operator to which the UE belongs, which may lead to bias in the information used for AI operation.

[0006] Inappropriate member UE selection may result in certain UEs experiencing high load due to AI operations, reduced communication throughput for certain operators due to AI-related reporting, or application servers being unable to perform AI operations properly, making it difficult to provide appropriate services.

[0007] Therefore, one of the objectives of this disclosure is to provide a communication device and communication method that can provide member UE selection support that takes the operator into consideration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A communication device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a communication unit that receives a request including information identifying a target member terminal for obtaining information that assists in selecting member terminals to participate in the operation of a specific application, and a control unit that identifies the operator to which the terminal identified by the information included in the request belongs. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to one aspect of this disclosure, it is possible to provide member UE selection support that takes the operator into consideration. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows an example of the procedure for the existing member UE selection support function. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an example of a schematic configuration of a system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the schematic functional configuration of each device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of a schematic hardware configuration of each device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of the first step of the member UE selection support function according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an example of a second step of the member UE selection support function according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In this specification and in the drawings, elements that can be similarly described are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations can be omitted.

[0012] In this disclosure, text enclosed in parentheses () may indicate an explanation of the preceding text (e.g., a spelling explanation), a paraphrase, a specific example, or supplementary information. Similarly, text enclosed in square brackets ([]) may be interpreted as part of the overall meaning of the text, or as excluding (ignoring) the brackets. Note that parentheses () and square brackets ([]) may also be used for purposes / meanings other than those described above.

[0013] In this disclosure, "A / B" and "at least one of A and B" may be interpreted as mutually exclusive. In this disclosure, "A / B / C" may mean "at least one of A, B, and C".

[0014] In this disclosure, NF may include, for example, at least one of the following: • Application Function (AF) (for example, a function that implements an application server outside the 5G Core Network (5GC)), • Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) (for example, a function to manage UE registration, location, etc.) • Data Network (DN) (for example, a function that enables data networks outside of 5GC), • Location Management Function (LMF) (for example, a function for controlling communication related to location information services) • Non-3GPP Inter-Working Function (N3IWF) (for example, the ability to connect untrusted non-3GPP access networks with 5GC), • Network Exposure Function (NEF) (for example, a function that provides an external application interface for the 5GC's NF service) • Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) (for example, a function to select a network slice) • Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) (for example, a function to analyze network data) • Maintenance, Administration and Maintenance (Management) (OAM) (for example, a function that provides means for maintenance and operation management) • Policy Control Function (PCF) (a function that controls, for example, the quality and policies of data transfer paths) • Session Management Function (SMF) (for example, a function for managing sessions) ·Trusted Non-3GPP Gateway Function (TNGF) (for example, a function that connects a trusted non-3GPP access network to a 5GC), ·Trusted WLAN Interworking Function (TWIF) (for example, a function that connects a trusted non-3GPP access network to a 5GC for 5G non-compatible UEs via a wireless local area network (Local Area Network (LAN))), ·(Radio) Access Network ((R)AN) (for example, a function that provides a radio access network), ·User Equipment (UE) (for example, a function that allows a user to access network services via a radio interface), ·Unified Data Management (UDM) (for example, a function for storing / managing subscriber information, UE authentication information, etc.), ·Unified Data Repository (UDR) (for example, a function that manages authentication / authorization based on subscriber information), ·User Plane Function (UPF) (for example, a function that transmits user data packets).

[0015] It should be noted that these are merely examples, and it is naturally understood that NFs other than these are also covered in the present disclosure.

[0016] <Problem Analysis> In 3GPP standards, utilization of Artificial Intelligence (Artificial Intelligence (AI)) / Machine Learning (Machine Learning (ML)) technology for control and management of networks / devices is under consideration.

[0017] AI / ML operations include, for example, operations related to federated learning. Federated learning corresponds to distributed learning performed using a server and a large number of clients in a network, and may include at least one of the following steps: Each client reports its computing resources to the server. The server provides the selected client with a global AI model (the model to be trained). Each selected client trains a global AI model and a local AI model based on its own data. Each selected client reports the parameters of its local AI model to the server. The server combines the reported local AI models to update the global AI model and provides the updated global AI model to one or more clients (e.g., all clients).

[0018] In associative learning, since the client does not directly send its own data to the server, it is possible to train the AI ​​model while keeping highly confidential data confidential. On the other hand, it is preferable that the client is selected considering factors such as the client's communication environment.

[0019] Non-patent documents 1 and 2 described above specify a service in which the 5G Core Network (5GC) assists application servers outside the 5GC in selecting User Equipment (UEs) (Member UEs) for AI operations. A Member UE is a UE that may participate in (or be used in) the operation of a particular application (e.g., an AI operation). Here, a Member UE may, for example, be a client of the federated learning described above.

[0020] Figure 1 shows an example of the procedure for the existing member UE selection support function.

[0021] In step S101, AF subscribes to member UE selection assistance information by sending the first Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_subscribe request, which includes a list of target member UEs and member UE filtering criteria (hereinafter also simply referred to as filtering criteria). Note that subsequent Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_subscribe requests do not need to include a list of target member UEs (the filtering criteria may be updated by including only the filtering criteria).

[0022] The list of target member UEs may be a list of Generic Public Subscription Identifiers (GPSIs) or a list of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. The IP addresses may be Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4) addresses or Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) prefixes. The filtering criteria may also include Quality of Service (QoS), the current / past location of the UEs, the orientation of the UEs, the distance between UEs, service experience, etc.

[0023] In step S102, the NEF interacts with other NFs of the [selected] 5GCs based on the filtering criteria above and collects data (information) corresponding to each UE in the list above.

[0024] In step S103, the NEF derives a list of candidate UEs that satisfy the filtering criteria based on the data corresponding to each of the above-mentioned UEs that it has collected. The candidate UEs are selected from the UEs included in the list of target member UEs.

[0025] In step S104, the NEF sends an Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_Notify request to the AF that includes at least the above list of candidate UEs.

[0026] The AF may select member UEs to be used for AI actions (e.g., federative learning) by considering the UEs included in the above list of candidate UEs, and control said AI actions.

[0027] As described above, the member UE selection support function, with the cooperation of 5GC, allows for the selection of a suitable UE for AI operation. However, the procedure of the existing member UE selection support function does not take into account the operator to which the UE belongs (hereinafter also referred to as the affiliated operator), so there is a risk that inappropriate member UE selection will occur. For example, when using the above procedure, candidate UEs will only be selected from the same operator, and all member UEs used in the final AI operation will belong to the same operator, which may lead to a bias in the information used for the AI ​​operation.

[0028] Furthermore, if the target member UE in step S101 includes a UE that does not belong to the operator of the 5GC, even though this UE will not be derived as a candidate UE, unnecessary communication with the NF of the 5GC occurs in step S102, wasting the computation / communication resources of the 5GC.

[0029] Inappropriate member UE selection may result in certain UEs experiencing high loads due to federated learning training, certain operators experiencing reduced communication throughput due to federated learning parameter reporting, or the AF being unable to perform proper federated learning, making it difficult to provide appropriate services.

[0030] Therefore, the inventors conceived of a communication device and communication method to provide member UE selection support that takes the operator into consideration.

[0031] <System Configuration> Figure 2 shows an example of a schematic configuration of a system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. System 1 includes an application server 10, a network function (NF) server 20, a base station (BS) 30, user equipment (UE) 40, and an application programming interface (API) server 50. System 1 may also be called a wireless communication system, an information communication system, etc.

[0032] System 1 is, for example, a system that conforms to a 3GPP Technical Specification (TS). More specifically, for example, System 1 may be a system that conforms to a TS for a 5th generation mobile communication system (5G) or New Radio (NR).

[0033] System 1 is not limited to this example and may include systems utilizing Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 6th generation mobile communication system (6G), xth generation mobile communication system (xG (where x is, for example, an integer or decimal)), New Radio (NR), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM®), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi®), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX®), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-WideBand (UWB), Bluetooth®, and other wireless communication methods, as well as next-generation systems that are extended, modified, created, or defined based on these.

[0034] In other words, terms related to 5G in this disclosure can be interpreted as terms related to other technologies / systems. Furthermore, when such interpretations are made, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that, for example, NF can be interpreted as having a similar function (or a device having a similar function) to the NF of 5G.

[0035] In System 1, UE40 receives wireless communication services using Network (NW) 2000 / 2001. NW2000 and 2001 correspond to cellular networks that UE40 can connect to, respectively. UE40 may be able to connect only to NW2000, only to NW2001, or to both NW2000 and 2001.

[0036] Hereinafter, NW2000 and 2001 will also be referred to as the first cellular network and the second cellular network, respectively. The telecommunications carrier (which may also be called an operator, carrier, administrator, etc.) of the second cellular network is different from the telecommunications carrier of the first cellular network. In this disclosure, the telecommunications carrier and operator A of the first cellular network may be interpreted as each other. Similarly, in this disclosure, the telecommunications carrier and operator B of the second cellular network may be interpreted as each other.

[0037] In this disclosure, cellular network may be interpreted as mobile network, wireless communication network, 5G core network (5GC), [3GPP] access network, etc. 5GC may include, for example, an optical fiber network. In this disclosure, 5GC, network, physical network, and core network may be interpreted as interchangeable.

[0038] In System 1, the communication link going to (receiving) BS30 and going out of (transmitting) UE40 may be called the uplink (UL), and the communication link going out of (transmitting) BS30 and going to (receiving) UE40 may be called the downlink (DL).

[0039] The application server 10 is a server that executes, manages, provides, and controls the AI ​​operations of a specific application. The application server 10 may, for example, be a server for federative learning as described above (a server that provides a global AI model to a client or updates the global AI model by combining it with reported local AI models).

[0040] The application server 10 may fall under the above-mentioned AF as defined for the 5G Core Network (5GC). In this disclosure, the application server 10, application, AF, etc., are interchangeable. Note that the application server 10 belongs to a network outside of 5GC.

[0041] The NF server 20 provides at least one of the functions of the NF described above. Figure 2 shows an NF server 20 providing an AMF, an NF server 20 providing an SMF, an NF server 20 providing a UPF, and so on. In this disclosure, the NF server 20 and NFs (e.g., AMF, NEF, NSSF, PCF, SMF, etc.) are interchangeable.

[0042] In this disclosure, some or all of the NF servers 20 that normally exist within a network may exist outside of that network. Furthermore, an NF server 20 located outside a network (e.g., NW2000 or NW2001) may provide NF / wireless communication services within that network by communicating with an NF server 20 within that network.

[0043] BS30 provides a Radio Access Network (RAN) to UE40. An area on the Radio Access Network where wireless communication is possible is also called a cell. In this disclosure, BS and (Radio) Access Network ((R)AN) may be used interchangeably.

[0044] BS30 is, for example, a gNB. The gNB provides NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE and is connected to 5GC via the NG interface. BS30 may also be an en-gNB. The en-gNB provides NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE and operates as a secondary node in E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0045] UE40 connects to the first cellular network / second cellular network via BS30. UE40 may be a mobile device (mobile communication terminal) such as a smartphone, tablet, or wearable device, or it may be a fixed communication terminal. UE40 may be a device mounted on a moving object (e.g., a vehicle), the moving object itself, or a device included in the moving object (held by a person riding in the moving object).

[0046] The UE40 may use (or have installed) separate Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs) / Embedded SIMs (eSIMs) for Operator A and Operator B. Furthermore, the UE40 may switch connections to different networks by switching the Access Point Name (APN) configuration profile.

[0047] UE40 may perform actions related to the AI ​​operation of a specific application of the application server 10 described above (e.g., training / data collection / measurement / testing / reporting related to the AI ​​operation [for the model]). UE40 may, for example, be a client for federative learning described above (a client that trains a local AI model based on a global AI model provided by the server, or reports the parameters of the trained local AI model to the server).

[0048] The API server 50 provides an API for making the 5GC services (NF, particularly control NF) accessible from the outside. Through this API, for example, a service provider that is not a telecommunications carrier can request and obtain information about the location / state of the UE40 when providing services related to the UE40 using telecommunications, or specify the quality of service (such as communication speed) for the UE40. The API server 50 may belong to a network outside the first cellular network / second cellular network. In this disclosure, the API server 50 and the API are interchangeable.

[0049] Furthermore, the API server 50 may receive a request from the application server 10 for a service operation related to subscribing to member UE selection support information. The API server 50 may also send a request for a service operation related to subscribing to member UE selection support information to the NEF of the first cellular network / second cellular network.

[0050] Furthermore, the API server 50 may receive a request for service operation regarding member UE selection support information from the NEF of the first cellular network / second cellular network. The API server 50 may also send a request for service operation regarding member UE selection support information to the application server 10.

[0051] In this disclosure, “subscribe” may be interpreted as “obtain,” “receive periodically,” “register,” “join,” “use,” etc. Also in this disclosure, “request for subscription to Member UE selection assistance information” may be interpreted as “request to subscribe to Member UE selection assistance information.” Also in this disclosure, “report” may be interpreted as “send,” “notify,” “suggest,” etc.

[0052] Any device shown in Figure 2 may be called a network node, node, server, [wired / wireless] communication device, information processing device, etc. Furthermore, the lines between devices in Figure 2 represent logical connections and do not necessarily have to be physically connected directly (they may be connected indirectly via another device).

[0053] <Configuration of each device> Examples of the configurations of each device (application server 10, NF server 20, BS30, UE40, and API server 50) according to the embodiments of this disclosure will be described below.

[0054] <<Functional Configuration>> Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the schematic functional configuration of each device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, the application server 10 includes a control unit 110, a communication unit 120, an input / output unit 130, and a storage unit 140.

[0055] Furthermore, NF Server 20, BS30, UE40, and API Server 50 may have a similar functional configuration. For this reason, in Figure 3, the functional block codes corresponding to each device are also shown, with the largest digit of the code representing each device (for example, for BS30, the largest digit of "30", which is "3") replaced with "1". The following description will focus on the functional blocks related to Application Server 10, but it should be understood that the same description applies to the other devices.

[0056] This example primarily shows the functional blocks of the characteristic parts of this embodiment, and each device may also have other functional blocks necessary for other processes. Furthermore, the configuration may omit some functional blocks.

[0057] The control unit 110 controls the application server 10 and provides various functions. For example, the control unit 110 may control communication with other devices via the communication unit 120. The control unit 110 may also acquire information necessary for processing based on information received via the communication unit 120. The control unit 110 may also be called the processing unit.

[0058] The communication unit 120 communicates (transmits / receives) with other devices via wired / wireless connections. The communication unit 120 may obtain information from the received signal and output it to the control unit 110, or it may convert information input from the control unit 110 into a signal and transmit it. The communication unit 120 may also be called a transmitting unit, receiving unit, transceiver unit, etc.

[0059] The input / output unit 130 may include an input unit that accepts input through human operation. The input unit may be connected to a predetermined device, storage medium, etc., and accept data input. The input unit may output the input result to, for example, the control unit 110.

[0060] Furthermore, the input / output unit 130 may include an output unit that outputs data, content, etc., in a format perceptible to humans. The output unit may include a display unit that displays images, an audio output unit that outputs sound, and the like.

[0061] The memory unit 140 stores (holds) various information that the application server 10 uses for processing. The control unit 110 may instruct the memory unit 140 to read or write data.

[0062] <<Hardware Configuration>> Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the schematic hardware configuration of each device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Each device comprises an antenna 910, a radio frequency (RF) circuit 920, a processor 930, a network interface 940, an input / output device 950, a memory 960, and a storage device 970.

[0063] For example, the control unit X10 (X=1, 2, 3, 4, 5; the same applies hereafter) described above may be implemented by a processor 930. The communication unit X20 may be implemented by an antenna 910 / RF circuit 920 / network interface 940. The input / output unit X30 may be implemented by an input device / output device 950. The storage unit X40 may be implemented by a memory 960 / storage 970.

[0064] The hardware configuration of each device may include one or more of the elements shown in Figure 4, or it may be configured without some of the elements. For example, UE40 may not have a network interface 940.

[0065] Antenna 910 converts a signal into radio waves and radiates the radio waves into space. Antenna 910 also receives radio waves in space and converts the radio waves into signals. Multiple antennas 910 may be mounted, or they may include a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna, or they may include a single antenna for transmitting and receiving. Antenna 910 may include a directional antenna, or it may include multiple antenna elements.

[0066] The RF circuit 920 performs analog processing on the signals transmitted and received via the antenna 910. The RF circuit 920 may include filters (e.g., high-frequency filters, low-pass filters), amplifiers, modulators, frequency synthesizers, analog-to-digital conversion circuits, digital-to-analog conversion circuits, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) / Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) processing circuits, and the like.

[0067] The RF circuit 920 may perform amplification, filtering, and demodulation to a baseband signal on the received radio frequency band signal and output it to the processor 930. The RF circuit 920 may also perform modulation to a radio frequency band, filtering, and amplification on the baseband signal input from the processor 930 and transmit the radio frequency band signal via the transmitting and receiving antenna 910. The RF circuit 920 may also perform physical layer processing (for example, processing of lower-level functions of the physical layer), and may perform beamforming processing such as analog beamforming and digital beamforming.

[0068] The processor 930 may control the entire device. The processor 930 may read programs (program code), software (software modules), data, etc., from the storage 970 into the memory 960 and perform various processes according to these. For example, the processor 930 may execute and control an operating system (OS) program loaded into the memory 960.

[0069] The processor 930 may consist of a central processing unit (CPU) that includes interfaces with peripheral devices, control units, arithmetic units, registers, etc. The processor 930 may also include a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and the like.

[0070] The processor 930 may perform digital processing of signals transmitted and received via the antenna 910 and the RF circuit 920. This digital processing may include processing at the physical layer (e.g., processing of higher-level functions of the physical layer), processing at layers above the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and processing such as modulation, demodulation, coding, decoding, and scrambling. The processor 930 also processes signals transmitted and received via the network interface 940.

[0071] The processor 930 may include multiple processors or it may be a single processor. The multiple processors may include a baseband processor that performs the digital processing and one or more processors that perform other processing (e.g., overall control).

[0072] The network interface 940 may be, for example, a network adapter, which is connected to an external network via a wired connection and performs signal transmission and reception.

[0073] The RF circuit 920, baseband processor, and network interface 940 may be configured as an integrated unit. The RF circuit 920, baseband processor, and network interface 940 may also be referred to as a network controller, network card, or communication module.

[0074] The input / output device 950 includes input devices that accept input from the outside (e.g., keyboards, mice, microphones, switches, buttons, sensors, etc.), output devices that output to the outside (e.g., displays, speakers, light-emitting diode (LED) lamps, etc.), and devices that integrate these (e.g., touch panels).

[0075] Memory 960 is a computer-readable non-temporary recording medium that stores programs executed by the processor 930, parameters related to those programs, and various other information. Memory 960 may include at least one of Read Only Memory (ROM), Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM), (Electrically EPROM (EEPROM)), Random Access Memory (RAM), and flash memory. All or part of memory 960 may be contained within the processor 930. Memory 960 may also be called registers, cache, main memory, etc.

[0076] Storage 970 is a computer-readable, non-temporary recording medium that stores various types of information. Storage 970 may include, for example, at least one of the following: flexible disks, floppy disks, magneto-optical disks (e.g., Compact Disc ROM (CD-ROM)), digital multipurpose disks, Blu-ray® disks), removable disks, hard disk drives (HDDs), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., Solid State Drives (SSDs)). Storage 970 may also be called auxiliary storage.

[0077] Furthermore, each device, such as the processor 930 and the memory 960, may be connected by a bus for communicating information. A single bus may be used within the device, or different buses may be used between the devices.

[0078] Furthermore, BS30 may be separated into three elements: a Radio Unit (RU), a Distributed Unit (DU), and a Central Unit (CU). The RU implements RF processing and lower-level physical layer functions. The DU implements higher-level physical layer functions, MAC layer functions, and Radio Link Control (RLC) layer functions. The CU implements Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer functions.

[0079] In this disclosure, BS30 may include a single device that implements all the functions of RU, DU, and CU, or it may include multiple devices, each implementing some of the functions of RU, DU, and CU.

[0080] Furthermore, other devices in this disclosure may also be implemented by multiple devices located physically separately from each other. Conversely, multiple different devices in this disclosure (for example, two or more of the application server 10, NF server 20, BS30, and API server 50) may be implemented as a single device.

[0081] Furthermore, all or part of the devices described herein may mean logical devices implemented by virtual machines, containers, Docker, etc., or physical devices that operate such logical devices.

[0082] <Example of operation> The following describes examples of the operation of each device / function according to the embodiments of this disclosure. The communication methods (wireless communication methods, control methods) described below may be applied to the system 1 described above.

[0083] In the following descriptions of this disclosure, reference numerals may be omitted. For example, UE in the following descriptions may mean UE40.

[0084] In the following description, each device / function may be interpreted as one or more functional blocks (e.g., control unit 110, communication unit 120) or hardware configuration (e.g., RF circuit 920, processor 930) within the device / function.

[0085] The following embodiments may be used to assist in the selection of member UEs for federative learning, or to assist in the selection of member UEs used in any AI operation (UEs that perform training / data collection / measurement / testing / reporting [for the model] related to that AI operation). Furthermore, the following embodiments show, but are not limited to, examples in which the list of target member UEs includes the UEs of operators A and B. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the following embodiments cover cases in which the target member UEs include only the UE of operator B, or include UEs of three or more operators.

[0086] <<First step of the Member UE selection support function>> Figure 5 shows an example of the first step of the member UE selection support function according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0087] In step S201, the AF sends the first Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_subscribe request to operator A's NEF, which includes a list of target member UEs, filtering criteria, etc. Operator A may be one of the preferred operators described later, or it may be selected by the AF based on certain rules (for example, it may be randomly selected from among the connectable operators).

[0088] In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the list of target member UEs may include at least one of the following UE information for identifying a UE: • GPSI, ·Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI), • IP address (e.g., IPv4 address, IPv6 address, IPv6 prefix), • MAC address, External Group Identifier, • Internal Group Identifier • Information indicating the region / area where the UE is located [currently, in the past, or in the future] (for example, this may be called area information, etc.) • Any other identifier to identify the UE (e.g., the UE's phone number itself or information related to the phone number (e.g., Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number (MSISDN))).

[0089] The above region / area may be indicated by at least one of the following: a range of latitude and longitude [from a reference point], distance [from a reference point], geographical area, tracking area (TA), or it may be predefined in the AF / [operator A / B's] NEF. The information indicating the above region / area may include at least one of the following: a reference point, a range of latitude and longitude [from a reference point], distance [from a reference point], an address / shape indicating the geographical area, a list of TA identifiers (Tracking Area Identity (TAI)), a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) ID, or an area identifier (Identifier (ID)) predefined in the AF / [operator A / B's] NEF. The above reference point may be pre-configured in the AF / [operator A / B's] NEF, or it may be the current location of the UE.

[0090] Furthermore, the information indicating the above region / area may include information about the time at which the UE is located in that region / area. The above time may be identified based on at least one of the following: start time, end time, duration from the start time, period, offset [of the period from a specific time]. The unit of time may be expressed as, for example, seconds, minutes, hours, etc. For example, the UE information may indicate a UE that is located (or was located or will be located in) the region / area indicated by the information indicating the above region / area [at the time indicated by the information indicating the above time]. If this UE is selected as a member UE, that UE may perform actions related to AI operation in that region / area [at that time].

[0091] Furthermore, if the UE information is an external (proprietary) ID different from the ID (e.g., GPSI) of the 3GPP domain (under 5GS management), the AF / NEF may have information regarding the mapping (correspondence) between the 3GPP domain ID and the external ID. In this disclosure, UE information may be interpreted as UE information converted to a 3GPP domain ID by the NEF or another NF.

[0092] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the list of target member UEs, the list of candidate UEs, and the list of final candidate UEs described later do not have to be in list format, but may be any information (for example, information in array format, vector format, etc.). In other words, "list" in this embodiment may be read interchangeably with information, identification information, specific information, etc. Note that "list" in this embodiment may include one or more values ​​that indicate an individual UE (for example, one IP address), or one or more values ​​that indicate multiple UEs (for example, a range of IP addresses, the area information described above).

[0093] In step S202, Operator A's NEF identifies the operator to which each UE (each target member UE) identified by the above list belongs. The identification of the operator to which a UE belongs may be based on at least one of the following: If you know the UE's phone number itself or information related to the phone number (e.g., Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number (MSISDN)), you can query the server that provides the phone number database / service (e.g., the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) database). If you know the UE's IP address, you can query a database / service server that provides information about the domain (e.g., a Domain Name System (DNS) server, a WHOIS server). • Local settings (for example, settings for the correspondence between the above UE information and the operator), • Notification from AF.

[0094] The above local settings may include, for example, a setting that assumes that there is always a specific operator (e.g., Operator B) among the affiliated operators. Also, the above notification from AF may include, for example, information specifying a specific operator (e.g., Operator B) in the Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_subscribe request in step S201 (e.g., information indicating that the target member UE includes that specific operator among its affiliated operators). Operator A's NEF may determine that some UEs (e.g., UEs that cannot be identified by other means) belong to these specific operators.

[0095] The above-mentioned database / service [the server providing it] may be located within Operator A's 5GC or outside of Operator A's 5GC.

[0096] Furthermore, the identification of the operator belonging to the UE may be performed by any NF of operator A, in addition to / from operator A's NEF. In the following steps, operator A's NEF may be interpreted as the NF used to identify the operator belonging to the UE.

[0097] In this example, we will proceed under the assumption that, as a result of identifying the affiliated operators, the list of target member UEs in step S201 includes Operator A's UE (which may also be called the first UE) and Operator B's UE (which may also be called the second UE). In the following explanation, affiliated operators other than Operator A (the operator itself) and Operator B may be read interchangeably.

[0098] In step S203, Operator A's NEF sends an Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_subscribe request to Operator B's NEF, which includes a list of target member UEs, filtering criteria, etc. This list of target member UEs may be the list of target member UEs from step S201 that includes only Operator B's UEs, or it may be the list of target member UEs from step S201.

[0099] If the list of target member UEs in step S203 is a list of target member UEs for operator B only, the communication overhead between operators A and B can be reduced compared to using the list of target member UEs in step S201 as is, and the time required to derive the list of candidate UEs in step S205 described later can be sped up (because the number of exchanges with 5GC's NF is reduced).

[0100] The filtering criteria in step S203 may be the same as or different from the filtering criteria in step S201 (for example, the filtering criteria in step S201 may be adjusted for operator B by operator A's NEF (or any NF) [taking into account operator B's communication load, cost, etc.]).

[0101] In step S204, Operator A's NEF interacts with the appropriate 5GC NFs of Operator A based on specific filtering criteria to obtain data corresponding to each UE identified by the list of target member UEs in step S201 (or the list of target member UEs for Operator A only), and derives a list of candidate UEs for Operator A that satisfy the filtering criteria. The list of candidate UEs for Operator A includes the UE information described above for identifying candidate UEs for Operator A that satisfy the filtering criteria.

[0102] The specific filtering criteria in step S204 may be the same as or different from the filtering criteria in step S201 (for example, Operator A's NEF (or any NF) may be a filtering criterion that is an adjusted version of the filtering criteria in step S201 for Operator A).

[0103] In step S205, the NEF of operator B interacts with the appropriate 5GC NFs of operator B based on the filtering criteria of step S203 to obtain data corresponding to each UE identified by the list of target member UEs in step S203, and derives a list of candidate UEs of operator B that satisfy the filtering criteria. The list of candidate UEs of operator B includes the UE information described above for identifying candidate UEs of operator B that satisfy the filtering criteria.

[0104] In step S206, Operator B's NEF sends an Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_Notify request to Operator A's NEF that includes at least the list of candidate UEs of Operator B.

[0105] In step S207, Operator A's NEF derives a list of candidate UEs to report to AF (hereinafter also referred to as the "list to be reported," the "final candidate UE list," etc.) based on the list of candidate UEs for Operator A and the list of candidate UEs for Operator B. The final candidate UE list includes the UE information described above for identifying the candidate UEs for Operator A and the candidate UEs for Operator B. One or more final candidate UE lists may be derived.

[0106] A list of final candidate UEs may include all or some of the candidate UEs for operator A and operator B. For example, the NEF for operator A may derive the list of final candidate UEs based on at least one of the following conditions (rules): • Prioritize a specific operator (which may also be called a priority operator). • Balance the interactions between each operator. • Consider the communication load on each operator. Consider the communication costs for each operator. • Consider the renewable energy utilization rate of each operator [for communications]. • Consider the energy efficiency (EE) of each operator [for communication]. This may be the EE as defined in 3GPP TS 28.310, TS 28.554, etc., for example, 5GC EE. • The average / highest / lowest computing resources of one or more UEs for each operator (e.g., Central Processing Unit (CPU) / Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) performance, amount of available storage (memory, etc.), battery level).

[0107] For example, Operator A's NEF may control its settings to prioritize the inclusion of UEs belonging to operators whose communication load / cost is below a threshold (or whose renewable energy utilization / energy efficiency is above a threshold) in the list of final candidate UEs. Alternatively, Operator A's NEF may control its settings to exclude UEs belonging to operators whose communication load / cost is above a threshold (or whose renewable energy utilization / energy efficiency is below a threshold or who are not a preferred operator) from the list of final candidate UEs.

[0108] Furthermore, the rule of "balancing each operator" mentioned above may also mean that the operators to which each UE belongs are roughly equal. Here, "roughly equal" may mean that the ratio of the number of UEs per operator in the list of final candidate UEs to the total number of UEs in the list of final candidate UEs is exactly the same for all operators or falls within a difference of a threshold (e.g., 1%).

[0109] For example, if the list of target member UEs in step S201 identifies that the UEs belong to operators A and B only, then including 50.5% of the UEs belonging to operator A and 49.5% of the UEs belonging to operator B in the final candidate UE list above may be interpreted as a balance between the operators.

[0110] Furthermore, a maximum number of candidate UEs [per operator or total for all operators] that can be included in the list of final candidate UEs may be specified or set. Operator A's NEF may select candidate UEs to include in the list [based on at least one of the above conditions (rules)] so that the number of candidate UEs included in the list of final candidate UEs does not exceed the maximum number. This enables efficient member UE selection (with a low computational load on the AF), for example, by further narrowing down the member UEs from a preferred maximum number of candidate UEs (e.g., 100).

[0111] Information regarding the threshold values ​​mentioned above (each threshold value may be different), the conditions mentioned above (for example, which conditions are used to derive the list of final candidate UEs), and the maximum number mentioned above may be specified from AF to operator A's NEF (for example, by the Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_subscribe request in step S201), or may be stored in operator A's NEF beforehand depending on the operator's settings.

[0112] Operator A's NEF may receive data related to the above conditions (such as communication load status / cost / renewable energy utilization rate, UE computing resources, etc.) from at least one of the following: AF, API server, Operator B's NEF, Operator A's arbitrary NF, etc.

[0113] If multiple lists of the above final candidate UEs are derived, each of these lists may correspond to one or more combinations of the above conditions. For example, the first list may consider only the communication load of each operator, while the second list may consider both the communication load of each operator and the communication cost.

[0114] Furthermore, Operator A's NEF may determine which operators to send the Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_subscribe request to in step S203, taking the above conditions into consideration. For example, Operator A's NEF does not need to send an Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_subscribe request to operators to whom it is determined, based on the above conditions, that the UE will not be included in the list of final candidate UEs.

[0115] In step S208, Operator A's NEF sends an Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_Notify request to the AF that includes at least the above list of final candidate UEs (which may be simply referred to as the list of candidate UEs as input to Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_Notify).

[0116] The above Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_Notify request (or the above list of final candidate UEs) may also include information to identify the corresponding operator for at least one candidate UE.

[0117] Furthermore, for UEs connected to both Operator A and Operator B via dual SIM, etc., they may be included in the list of candidate UEs for Operator A and the list of candidate UEs for Operator B. In this case, Operator A's NEF may include in the Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_Notify request (or the list of final candidate UEs) both information indicating that this UE is a candidate UE for Operator A (i.e., this candidate UE corresponds to Operator A) and information indicating that this UE is a candidate UE for Operator B (i.e., this candidate UE corresponds to Operator B), or it may include only one of these pieces of information. In the former case, the AF can be left to determine which is more suitable as a member UE, and in the latter case, for example, the size of the list of candidate UEs can be reduced.

[0118] In addition, in the example in Figure 5, if there is no change in the target member UE, it is not necessary to notify the target member UE in each Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_subscribe.

[0119] Note that the names Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_subscribe and Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_Notify in the example in Figure 5 may be changed. Also, Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_subscribe may be interpreted as a service action related to subscribing to member UE selection assistance information, and Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_Notify may be interpreted as a service action related to reporting member UE selection assistance information. Member UE selection assistance information may mean at least a list of final candidate UEs.

[0120] According to the first procedure described above, for example, even if the AF does not know in advance which operators each target member UE belongs to, it can appropriately select member UEs from multiple operators to participate in the AI ​​operation (such as federative learning).

[0121] <<Second step of the Member UE selection support function>> Figure 6 shows an example of the second step of the member UE selection support function according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Unless otherwise specified, the contents described in the first step of Figure 5 may be used similarly.

[0122] In step S301, AF sends the initial Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_subscribe request to the API, which includes a list of target member UEs, filtering criteria, etc.

[0123] In step S302, the API identifies the operator to which each UE (each target member UE) identified by the list above belongs. The identification of the operator to which a UE belongs may be performed in the same way as in step S202 above, so the explanation will not be repeated (note that the terms used in the explanation may be interpreted as appropriate. For example, the NEF of operator A in step S202 may be interpreted interchangeably with that of the API).

[0124] In this example, we will proceed assuming that, as a result of identifying the operators, the list of target member UEs in step S301 includes the UEs of operator A and operator B.

[0125] In step S303, the API sends an Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_subscribe request to operator A's NEF, which includes a list of target member UEs, filtering criteria, etc. This list of target member UEs may be the list of target member UEs from step S301 that only includes operator A's UEs, or it may be the list of target member UEs from step S301.

[0126] Note that the filtering criteria in step S303 may be the same as or different from the filtering criteria in step S301 (for example, the API may adjust the filtering criteria in step S301 for operator A [considering operator A's communication load, cost, etc.]).

[0127] In step S304, the API sends an Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_subscribe request to operator B's NEF, which includes a list of target member UEs, filtering criteria, etc. This list of target member UEs may be the list of target member UEs from step S301 that only includes operator B's UEs, or it may be the list of target member UEs from step S301.

[0128] Note that the filtering criteria in step S304 may be the same as or different from the filtering criteria in step S301 (for example, the API may adjust the filtering criteria in step S301 for operator B [considering operator B's communication load, cost, etc.]).

[0129] In step S305, Operator A's NEF interacts with the appropriate 5GC NFs of Operator A based on the filtering criteria of step S303 to obtain data corresponding to each UE identified by the list of target member UEs in step S303, and derives a list of candidate UEs of Operator A that satisfy the above filtering criteria.

[0130] In step S306, the NEF of operator B interacts with the appropriate NF of operator B's 5GCs based on the filtering criteria of step S304 to obtain data corresponding to each UE identified by the list of target member UEs in step S304, and derives a list of candidate UEs of operator B that satisfy the filtering criteria.

[0131] In step S307, the NEF of operator A sends an Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_Notify request to the API that includes at least the list of candidate UEs of operator A.

[0132] In step S308, the NEF of operator B sends an Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_Notify request to the API that includes at least the list of candidate UEs for operator B.

[0133] In step S309, the API derives a list of candidate UEs (the list to be reported, the list of final candidate UEs) to report to the AF based on the list of candidate UEs for operator A and the list of candidate UEs for operator B. The derivation of the list of final candidate UEs may be carried out in the same manner as in step S207 above, so the explanation will not be repeated (note that the terms used in the explanation may be interpreted as appropriate. For example, the NEF of operator A in step S207 may be interpreted as being interchangeable with that of the API).

[0134] In step S310, the API sends an Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_Notify request to the AF that includes at least the above list of final candidate UEs (which may be simply referred to as the list of candidate UEs as input to Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_Notify).

[0135] According to the second procedure described above, for example, even if the AF does not know in advance which operators each target member UE belongs to, the API can appropriately select member UEs to participate in the AI ​​operation (such as federated learning) by appropriately subscribing to member UE selection support information for multiple operators.

[0136] <Note> The following invention is added with respect to one embodiment of this disclosure. [Note 1] A communication unit that receives requests (e.g., Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_subscribe requests) that include specific information about the target member terminal, regarding the acquisition of information to assist in selecting member terminals to participate in the operation of a specific application, A communication device (for example, an NF server 20 (NEF) or API server 50 of operator A) having a control unit that identifies the operator to which the terminal identified by the specific information included in the request belongs. [Note 2] The communication device described in Appendix 1, wherein the control unit, when it knows information related to the telephone number of the terminal, identifies the operator to which the terminal belongs by querying a database or server that provides telephone number services. [Note 3] The control unit, if the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the terminal is known, is a communication device according to Appendix 1 or Appendix 2 that identifies the operator to which the terminal belongs by querying a database or server providing domain information. [Note 4] The communication unit is a communication device according to any one of the appendices 1 to 3, which transmits a second request (e.g., an Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_subscribe request) to the Network Exposure Function (NEF) of the specific operator to which the terminal belongs, containing specific information about the target member terminals related to the acquisition, which is only for the specific operator (e.g., operator B) to which the terminal belongs. [Note 5] The control unit is a communication device according to any one of the appendices 1 to 4, which derives identification information for candidate member terminals for one operator (for example, operator A) when multiple terminals identified by the identification information included in the request each belong to different operators. [Note 6] The communication device described in Appendix 5 (for example, Operator A's NEF) is a server that provides the Network Exposure Function (NEF) of one of the aforementioned operators. [Note 7] The communication device according to any one of the appendices 1 to 3 (or appendices 1 to 6), wherein, when multiple terminals identified by the specific information included in the request each belong to different operators, the communication unit sends a second request (e.g., an Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_subscribe request) containing specific information of target member terminals belonging only to one operator (e.g., operator A) to the Network Exposure Function (NEF) of the said operator, and sends a third request (e.g., an Nnef_MemberUESelectionAssistance_subscribe request) containing specific information of target member terminals belonging only to the said operator (e.g., operator B) to the said NEF of the said operator. [Note 8] A communication device described in Appendix 7 (e.g., API server 50) that provides an application interface for enabling external access to the services of the 5th generation mobile communication system Core Network (5GC). [Note 9] When multiple terminals identified by the specific information included in the request belong to different operators, the communication unit provides specific information for the candidate member terminals for one operator (e.g., Operator A) and for the candidate member terminals for the other operator (e.g., Operator B). identification A communication device according to any one of Annex 1 to 8, which, based on the information, takes into account at least one of the communication load status, cost, and renewable energy utilization rate of each operator, to derive identification information (e.g., a list of final candidate UEs) of candidate member terminals to be reported. [Note 10] The specific information included in the request is a list of target member terminals (for example, a list containing information on one or more UEs) as described in any of the communications devices described in Appendix 1 to Appendix 9. [Note 11] The member terminal is a communication device described in any of the appendices 1 to 10, which is a member terminal for federated learning. [Note 12] The steps include receiving a request that includes information identifying a target member terminal, regarding the acquisition of information to assist in selecting member terminals to participate in the operation of a specific application, A communication method for a communication device, comprising the step of identifying the operator to which the terminal identified by the specific information included in the request belongs. [Note 13] The communication method according to Appendix 12, which, if information related to the telephone number of the terminal is known, includes the step of identifying the operator to which the terminal belongs by querying a database or server that provides telephone number services. [Note 14] The communication method according to Appendix 12 or Appendix 13, which, if the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the terminal is known, further includes the step of identifying the operator to which the terminal belongs by querying a database or server that provides domain information. [Note 15] A communication method according to any one of the appendices 12 to 14, comprising the step of sending a second request to the Network Exposure Function (NEF) of the specific operator to which the terminal belongs, which includes information identifying a target member terminal of that specific operator to which the terminal belongs, relating to the acquisition of the aforementioned. [Note 16] A communication method according to any one of the appendices 12 to 15, which includes a step of deriving identification information for candidate member terminals for one of the operators when multiple terminals identified by the identification information included in the request each belong to a different operator. [Note 17] The communication method described in Appendix 16, which is a server that provides the Network Exposure Function (NEF) functionality of one of the operators. [Note 18] A communication method according to any one of the appendices 12 to 14 (or appendices 12 to 17), which includes the steps of: sending a second request containing the identification information of target member terminals of only one operator to the Network Exposure Function (NEF) of the operator concerned with the acquisition, when multiple terminals identified by the identification information included in the aforementioned request each belong to different operators; and sending a third request containing the identification information of target member terminals of only the other operator concerned with the acquisition to the NEF of the other operator concerned. [Note 19] The communication method described in Appendix 18 is a server that provides an application interface to enable external access to the services of the 5th generation mobile communication system Core Network (5GC). [Note 20] A communication method according to any one of the appendices 12 to 19, which, when multiple terminals identified by the identification information included in the request each belong to different operators, has the step of deriving the identification information of candidate member terminals to be reported finally, based on the identification information of candidate member terminals for one operator and the identification information of candidate member terminals for the other operator, taking into account at least one of the communication load status, cost and renewable energy utilization rate of each operator. [Note 21] The specific information included in the request is a communication method described in any of the appendices 12 to 20, which is a list of target member terminals. [Note 22] The aforementioned member terminal is a member terminal for federated learning, and the communication method is as described in any of the appendices 12 to 21.

[0137] <Variation> In addition, terms used in this disclosure and terms necessary for understanding this disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meaning.

[0138] In this disclosure, terms such as apparatus, circuit, device, section, and unit are interchangeable.

[0139] The information, parameters, etc., described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, relative values ​​from a given value, or corresponding other information. For example, wireless resources may be indicated by a given index.

[0140] The names used for parameters and other elements in this disclosure are not restrictive in any way. Furthermore, mathematical formulas and other elements that use these parameters may differ from those explicitly disclosed in this disclosure.

[0141] The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of the various different techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0142] Input and output information and signals may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or managed using a management table. Input and output information and signals may be overwritten, updated, or appended to. Output information and signals may be deleted. Input information and signals may be transmitted to other devices.

[0143] Any information described in this disclosure (e.g., information about any parameters / variables) may be communicated between any devices in this disclosure. Furthermore, communication of information is not limited to the manner / embodiments described in this disclosure and may be carried out by other means.

[0144] Furthermore, notification of the specified information (for example, notification that "X is the case") is not limited to explicit notification, but may also be made implicitly (for example, by not providing notification of the specified information or by providing notification of other information).

[0145] Software should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, procedures, functions, and so on, whether they are called software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or by any other name.

[0146] Furthermore, software, instructions, information, etc., may be transmitted and received via a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using at least one of wired technology (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)) and wireless technology (such as infrared or microwave), then at least one of these wired and wireless technologies is included in the definition of a transmission medium.

[0147] In this disclosure, terms such as "Base Station (BS)", "wireless base station", "relay station", "fixed station", "NodeB", "eNB (eNodeB)", "gNB (gNodeB)", "access point", "Transmission Point (TP)", "Reception Point (RP)", "Transmission / Reception Point (TRP)", "panel", "cell", "sector", "cell group", "carrier", and "component carrier" may be used interchangeably.

[0148] In this disclosure, terms such as "Mobile Station (MS)," "user terminal," "User Equipment (UE)," and "terminal" may be used interchangeably.

[0149] Any device in this disclosure may also be called a server, device, transmitter, receiver, wireless communication device, information processing device, etc., and these terms may be interchangeable. Any device in this disclosure may be a device mounted on a moving object, a device contained within a moving object (held by a person riding in the moving object), or the moving object itself. Such moving objects include, but are not limited to, vehicles, transport vehicles, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, connected cars, excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders, dump trucks, forklifts, trains, buses, handcarts, rickshaws, ships and other watercraft, airplanes, rockets, satellites, drones, multicopters, quadcopters, balloons, and items mounted on them. Such moving objects may also be autonomous / autonomous. In this disclosure, a moving object may also be interchangeable with a non-moving object (for example, a non-moving object that a person can ride in).

[0150] Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be used individually, in combination, or switched between during execution. Furthermore, the processing procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc., of each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be rearranged in order, provided they are consistent. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present various step elements in an exemplary order and are not limited to that specific order.

[0151] In this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based solely on" unless otherwise specified. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based solely on" and "based at least on."

[0152] Any reference to elements using the designations “first,” “second,” etc., as used in this disclosure does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient way to distinguish between two or more elements. Accordingly, the references to the first and second elements do not imply that only two elements may be employed or that the first element must precede the second element in any way.

[0153] As used in this disclosure, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” and any variations thereof mean any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are “connected” or “coupled” with each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. The coupling or connection between elements may be via at least one of wired and wireless connections.

[0154] In this disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "combine" may be interpreted similarly to "different."

[0155] Where the terms “include,” “including,” and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms are intended to be inclusive, as is the term “comprising.” Furthermore, the term “or” as used in this disclosure is not intended to mean exclusive OR.

[0156] In this disclosure, if articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, this disclosure may include the fact that the noun following these articles is plural.

[0157] In this disclosure, words such as "decision," "judgment," "determination," "selection," "specification," "calculation," "calculation," "processing," "derivation," "search," "confirmation," "assumption," and "expectation" may be interpreted as interchangeable.

[0158] In this disclosure, terms such as "less than or equal to," "less than," "greater than or equal to," "more than," and "equal to" may be interpreted interchangeably. In addition, in this disclosure, terms meaning "good," "bad," "big," "small," "high," "low," "early," "slow," "wide," and "narrow" may be interpreted interchangeably, not limited to the positive, comparative, and superlative degrees. In addition, in this disclosure, terms meaning "good," "bad," "big," "small," "high," "low," "early," "slow," "wide," and "narrow" may be interpreted interchangeably, not limited to the positive, comparative, and superlative degrees, by adding "i-th" (where i is any integer) to the expression (for example, "highest" may be interpreted interchangeably with "i-th highest").

[0159] In this disclosure, "of," "for," "regarding," "related to," and "associated with" may be interpreted as being interchangeable.

[0160] Although the invention described herein has been explained in detail above, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the invention described herein is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The descriptions herein are illustrative and not intended to be restrictive in any way to the invention described herein.

Claims

1. A communication unit that receives a request containing information identifying a target member terminal, regarding the acquisition of information assisting in the selection of member terminals participating in the operation of a specific application, A communication device having a control unit that identifies the operator to which the terminal identified by the specific information included in the request belongs.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit, if it knows information related to the telephone number of the terminal, identifies the operator to which the terminal belongs by querying a database or server that provides telephone number services.

3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein, if the control unit knows the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the terminal, it identifies the operator to which the terminal belongs by querying a database or server that provides domain information.

4. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit transmits a second request to the Network Exposure Function (NEF) of the specific operator to which the terminal belongs, which includes specific information regarding the acquisition of target member terminals of the specific operator to which the terminal belongs.

5. The communication device according to claim 4, wherein the control unit derives identification information for candidate member terminals for one of the operators when the multiple terminals identified by the identification information included in the request each belong to a different operator.

6. The communication device according to claim 5, which is a server that provides the Network Exposure Function (NEF) of the aforementioned one operator.

7. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein, when the multiple terminals identified by the specific information included in the request each belong to different operators, the communication unit transmits a second request to the Network Exposure Function (NEF) of one operator, which includes specific information of target member terminals of only one operator, relating to the acquisition, and transmits a third request to the NEF of the other operator, which includes specific information of target member terminals of only the other operator, relating to the acquisition.

8. The communication device according to claim 7, which is a server that provides an application interface for enabling external access to the services of the 5th generation mobile communication system Core Network (5GC).

9. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, when a plurality of terminals identified by the specific information included in the request each belong to different operators, the communication unit derives the specific information of candidate member terminals to be reported, based on the specific information of candidate member terminals for one operator and the specific information of candidate member terminals for the other operator, taking into consideration at least one of the communication load status, cost and renewable energy utilization rate of each operator.

10. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the specific information included in the request is a list of the target member terminals.

11. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the member terminal is a member terminal for federated learning.

12. The steps include receiving a request that includes information identifying a target member terminal, regarding the acquisition of information to assist in selecting member terminals to participate in the operation of a specific application, A communication method for a communication device, comprising the step of identifying the operator to which the terminal identified by the specific information included in the request belongs.

13. The communication method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of identifying the operator to which the terminal belongs by querying a database or server providing telephone number services if information related to the telephone number of the terminal is known.

14. The communication method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of identifying the operator to which the terminal belongs by querying a database or server providing domain information, if the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the terminal is known.

15. The communication method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of sending a second request to the Network Exposure Function (NEF) of the specific operator to which the terminal belongs, which includes specific information regarding the acquisition of the target member terminals of the specific operator to which the terminal belongs.

16. The communication method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of deriving identification information for candidate member terminals for one of the operators when multiple terminals identified by the identification information included in the request each belong to different operators.

17. The communication method according to claim 16, wherein the server provides the Network Exposure Function (NEF) of the aforementioned one operator.

18. The communication method according to claim 12, further comprising the steps of: when multiple terminals identified by the identification information included in the request each belong to different operators, a second request containing identification information of target member terminals of only one operator relating to the acquisition is sent to the Network Exposure Function (NEF) of the said one operator; and a third request containing identification information of target member terminals of only the other operator relating to the acquisition is sent to the NEF of the said other operator.

19. The communication method according to claim 18, wherein the server provides an application interface for enabling external access to the services of the 5th generation mobile communication system Core Network (5GC).

20. A communication method according to any one of claims 12 to 19, further comprising the step of deriving the final reporting of candidate member terminal information for a member terminal based on the identification information of a candidate member terminal for one operator and the identification information of a candidate member terminal for the other operator, taking into consideration at least one of the communication load status, cost and renewable energy utilization rate of each operator, when a plurality of terminals identified by the identification information included in the request each belong to different operators.

21. The communication method according to any one of claims 12 to 19, wherein the specific information included in the request is a list of the target member terminals.

22. The communication method according to any one of claims 12 to 19, wherein the member terminal is a member terminal for federated learning.

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