Network node and control method

Abstract

A network node according to the present invention includes a reception unit that receives information indicating priority related to a VNFC (Network Function Virtualization Component), and a control unit that determines a VNFC that may be stopped, on the basis of the priority. When a failure occurs in a certain VNFC, the control unit terminates the VNFC that may be stopped and performs healing of the certain VNFC.

Description

Network node and control method

[0001] The present invention relates to a network node and a control method in a communication system.

[0002] 3GPP (registered trademark) (3rd Generation Partnership Project) is currently studying a wireless communication system called 5G or NR (New Radio) (hereinafter, the wireless communication system will be referred to as "5G" or "NR") in order to achieve a larger system capacity, a higher data transmission speed, and a lower latency in wireless sections. Various wireless technologies are being studied for 5G to meet the requirements of achieving a throughput of 10 Gbps or more while keeping latency in wireless sections to 1 ms or less.

[0003] In NR, a network architecture including 5GC (5G Core Network) corresponding to EPC (Evolved Packet Core), which is the core network in the network architecture of LTE (Long Term Evolution), and NG-RAN (Next Generation - Radio Access Network) corresponding to E-UTRAN (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network), which is the RAN (Radio Access Network) in the network architecture of LTE, is being considered (for example, Non-Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 2).

[0004] 3GPP TS 23.501 V18.0.0(2022-12)3GPP TS 23.502 V18.0.0(2022-12)

[0005] When network function virtualization (NFV) is applied to a virtualized radio access network (vRAN), there is a component that can become a single point of failure (SPoF). If a failure occurs in this component, there is a possibility that the service will not function at all.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and aims to improve fault tolerance when applying Network Function Virtualization (NFV) to a virtualized Radio Access Network (vRAN).

[0007] According to the disclosed technology, a network node is provided which includes a receiving unit that receives information indicating priority related to VNFC (Network Function Virtualization Component), and a control unit that determines a VNFC that may be stopped based on the priority, and when a failure occurs in a certain VNFC, the control unit terminates the VNFC that may be stopped and heals the certain VNFC.

[0008] The disclosed technology can improve fault tolerance when applying network function virtualization (NFV) to a virtualized radio access network (vRAN).

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of a communication system. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of a communication system in a roaming environment. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of NFV. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of vRAN. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an example of LCM in vRAN in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of LCM in vRAN in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an example of VNFC deployment in vRAN in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of VNFC deployment in vRAN in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of the functional configuration of a base station 10 in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an example of the functional configuration of a terminal 20 in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of the hardware configuration of a base station 10 and a terminal 20 in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a vehicle 2001 in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described below is an example, and the embodiment to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the following embodiment.

[0011] In the operation of the wireless communication system according to the embodiment of the present invention, existing technology is used as appropriate. However, the existing technology is, for example, the existing LTE, but is not limited to the existing LTE. Furthermore, the term "LTE" used in this specification has a broad meaning including LTE-Advanced, and systems subsequent to LTE-Advanced (e.g., NR), or wireless LAN (Local Area Network), unless otherwise specified.

[0012] Furthermore, in the embodiments of the present invention, "configuring" radio parameters and the like may mean that predetermined values ​​are pre-configured, or that radio parameters notified from the network node 30 or the terminal 20 are set.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication system. As shown in Fig. 1, the communication system is composed of a UE, which is a terminal 20, and multiple network nodes 30. Hereinafter, it is assumed that one network node 30 corresponds to each function, but multiple functions may be realized by one network node 30, or multiple network nodes 30 may realize one function. Furthermore, the "connection" described below may be a logical connection or a physical connection.

[0014] The RAN (Radio Access Network) is a network node 30 having a radio access function, which may include a base station 10, and is connected to a UE, an AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function), and a UPF (User plane function). The AMF is a network node 30 having functions such as terminating the RAN interface, terminating the NAS (Non-Access Stratum), registration management, connection management, reachability management, and mobility management. The UPF is a network node 30 having functions such as a PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session point to the outside that interconnects with a DN (Data Network), packet routing and forwarding, and user plane QoS (Quality of Service) handling. The UPF and the DN constitute a network slice. In the wireless communication network according to the embodiment of the present invention, multiple network slices may be configured.

[0015] The AMF is connected to the UE, RAN, SMF (Session Management function), NSSF (Network Slice Selection Function), NEF (Network Exposure Function), NRF (Network Repository Function), UDM (Unified Data Management), AUSF (Authentication Server Function), PCF (Policy Control Function), and AF (Application Function). The AMF, SMF, NSSF, NEF, NRF, UDM, AUSF, PCF, and AF are network nodes 30 that are mutually connected via interfaces based on their respective services, Namf, Nsmf, Nnssf, Nnef, Nnrf, Nudm, Nausf, Npcf, and Naf.

[0016] The SMF is a network node 30 having functions such as session management, UE IP (Internet Protocol) address allocation and management, DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) function, ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) proxy, and roaming function. The NEF is a network node 30 having a function of notifying other NFs (Network Functions) of capabilities and events. The NSSF is a network node 30 having functions such as selecting a network slice to which a UE connects, determining an allowed NSSAI (Network Slice Selection Assistance Information), determining an NSSAI to be set, and determining an AMF set to which a UE connects. The PCF is a network node 30 having a function of controlling network policies. The AF is a network node 30 having a function of controlling application servers. The NRF is a network node 30 having a function of discovering NF instances that provide services. The UDM is a network node 30 that manages subscriber data and authentication data. The UDM is connected to a UDR (User Data Repository) that stores the data.

[0017] Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication system in a roaming environment. As shown in Fig. 2, the network is composed of a UE, which is a terminal 20, and multiple network nodes 30. Hereinafter, it is assumed that one network node 30 corresponds to each function, but multiple functions may be realized by one network node 30, or multiple network nodes 30 may realize one function. Furthermore, the "connection" described below may be a logical connection or a physical connection.

[0018] The RAN is a network node 30 having a radio access function, and is connected to the UE, the AMF, and the UPF. The AMF is a network node 30 having functions such as RAN interface termination, NAS termination, registration management, connection management, reachability management, and mobility management. The UPF is a network node 30 having functions such as a PDU session point to the outside that interconnects with the DN, packet routing and forwarding, and user plane QoS handling. The UPF and the DN constitute a network slice. In the wireless communication network according to the embodiment of the present invention, multiple network slices are constructed.

[0019] The AMF is connected to the UE, RAN, SMF, NSSF, NEF, NRF, UDM, AUSF, PCF, AF, and SEPP (Security Edge Protection Proxy). The AMF, SMF, NSSF, NEF, NRF, UDM, AUSF, PCF, and AF are network nodes 30 that are interconnected via respective service-based interfaces, Namf, Nsmf, Nnssf, Nnef, Nnrf, Nudm, Nausf, Npcf, and Naf.

[0020] The SMF is a network node 30 having functions such as session management, UE IP address allocation and management, DHCP function, ARP proxy, and roaming function. The NEF is a network node 30 having a function of notifying other NFs of capabilities and events. The NSSF is a network node 30 having functions such as selecting a network slice to which a UE connects, determining an allowed NSSAI, determining a configured NSSAI, and determining an AMF set to which a UE connects. The PCF is a network node 30 having a function of controlling network policies. The AF is a network node 30 having a function of controlling application servers. The NRF is a network node 30 having a function of discovering NF instances that provide services. The SEPP is a non-transparent proxy that filters control plane messages between PLMNs (Public Land Mobile Networks). The vSEPP shown in FIG. 2 is a SEPP in the visited network, and the hSEPP is a SEPP in the home network.

[0021] As shown in Figure 2, a UE is in a roaming environment connected to a RAN and an AMF in a Visited PLMN (VPLMN). The VPLMN and a Home PLMN (HPLMN) are connected via a vSEPP and an hSEPP. The UE can communicate with a UDM in the HPLMN via the AMF in the VPLMN, for example.

[0022] Here, when applying Network Function Virtualization (NFV) to a virtualized Radio Access Network (vRAN), resource management methods are being studied. Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of NFV.

[0023] In NFV, operations such as healing and scaling are defined. As shown in FIG. 3, these operations are based on the assumption that the resource pool and virtual resources are under the same conditions. In the example shown in FIG. 3, VNFs (Virtual Network Functions) with the same SLA (Service Level Agreement) and a uniform NFVI (NFV Infrastructure) are assumed. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the NFVI is composed of a network (NW) and a PC server, and the VNF includes a VNFC (VNF Component) in an active (Act) state or a standby (Sby) state.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, when a failure occurs in VNFC-Sby#1, healing is possible using VNFC-Sby#1 included in another VNF.

[0025] On the other hand, in vRAN, there is no redundant configuration, and there is a single point of failure (SPoF) where the service does not work at all if a specific resource is not normal, such as processing related to the anchor band or processing related to the paging channel.

[0026] 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of vRAN. In FIG. 4, the base station 10A uses VNFC-Act#1, which performs processing related to the U-Plane band via a switch and a PC server. The base station 10B uses VNFC-Act#1, which performs processing related to the anchor band via a switch and a PC server.

[0027] In a vRAN, as shown in Fig. 4, the configuration of NFVI may differ for each server, and the importance of each component in the VNF may differ. For example, processing related to the U-Plane band may have a relatively low importance or priority and may not be SPoF, while processing related to the anchor band may have a relatively high importance or priority and may be SPoF.

[0028] In the example of Fig. 4, if a failure occurs in VNFC-Act#4 that performs processing related to the anchor band, it is assumed that healing cannot be performed using VNFC-Act#5 or VNFC-Act#6 in other VNFs. In cases such as vRAN, it is necessary to understand the physical configuration, check the dependency of each component, and operate according to priority.

[0029] Therefore, a mechanism for performing recovery based on the NFVI configuration in the vRAN, the configuration of each VNF component, and connection information may be configured. Furthermore, in the current specification, only priority setting exists for each Ns instance. Therefore, under a limited amount of resources such as in a vRAN, priority may be determined for each component. Furthermore, a mechanism for limiting the number of users accommodated above a certain level may be introduced, taking into account the impact on the service of the SPoF component.

[0030] A Lifecycle Management (LCM) in the VNF may be implemented that takes into account the topology of the NFVI and the priority of the VNFC. A VNFD (VNF Descriptor) may define which VDUs (Virtual Deployment Units) require priority and / or which VDUs are prioritized. The VNFC information may be extended to enable the priorities to be stored and changed. A cooperative LCM may confirm with the Element Manager (EM) which VNFCs may be stopped.

[0031] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of LCM in a vRAN according to an embodiment of the present invention. In step S101, NFV-MANO (Management and Orchestration) refers to a VNFD in which the priority of a VDU is defined. In step S102, NFV-MANO refers to extended VNFC information that enables priority storage and modification. In step S103, NFV-MANO confirms with the EM which VNFCs may be stopped by coordinated lifecycle processing (Coordinate LCM). In step S104, when a failure occurs in a VNFC with a higher priority, NFV-MANO terminates the VNFC that may be stopped and heals the VNFC with a higher priority. Note that the resources of the stopped VNFC may be used to heal the VNFC with a higher priority.

[0032] 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an LCM in a vRAN according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the vRAN illustrated in FIG. 6, an EM and / or a Network Function Management Function (NFMF) may set a priority for the NFV-MANO. For example, the EM / NFMF may set a priority for each VNFC in the NFV-MANO as needed.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 6, the NFV-MANO may refer to a VNFD including information indicating the priority of a VDU, or may refer to a VNFD including information indicating the priority of VNFC. The EM and / or the NFMF may set the VNFD in the NFV-MANO.

[0034] As a cooperative operation related to the lifecycle processing, the NFV-MANO may check with the EM which VNFCs have a low priority or which VNFCs may be stopped. The EM may determine the VNFCs that may be stopped based on the priority and notify the NFV-MANO. For example, the EM may decide to stop the VNFCs with a low priority, or may decide to stop the VNFCs related to the VDUs with a low priority.

[0035] Additionally, the NFV-MANO may refer to the NFVI topology and may determine the VNF, VNFC or resource that heals the VNFC that becomes the SPoF based on the NFVI topology.

[0036] Note that NFV-MANO, EM, NFMF, VNF, VNFC, PC server, etc. may be defined as network nodes 30. Furthermore, a certain network node 30 may include multiple functions. For example, EM and NFMF may be defined as one network node 30, or EM and NFV-MANO may be defined as one network node 30.

[0037] 6, VNFC-Act#3 is the SPoF component. If a failure occurs in VNFC-Act#3, NFV-MANO may terminate VNFC-ACT#5 and VNFC-ACT#6, which have been confirmed in advance as VNFCs that may be stopped and that can heal VNFC-Act#3, and may heal VNFC-Act#3 using the resources released by the termination.

[0038] Furthermore, VNFC may be deployed taking into consideration the impact on services. The VNFD may describe the impact on services when the VNFC fails. When deploying a VNFC that will be SPoF, NFV-MANO may determine whether the impact on services of the VNFC is within a threshold, and if it is greater than or equal to the threshold, may execute re-deployment.

[0039] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of VNFC deployment in a vRAN according to an embodiment of the present invention. In step S201, the NFV-MANO refers to a VNFD that describes the service impact when a VNFC fails. In step S202, when deploying a VNFC that will become SPoF, the NFV-MANO determines whether the service impact of the VNFC is equal to or greater than a threshold. If the service impact is equal to or greater than the threshold (YES in S202), the process proceeds to step S203. If the service impact is not equal to or greater than the threshold (NO in S202), the process ends. If the service impact of the VNFC that will become SPoF is not equal to or greater than the threshold, the VNFC may be deployed. In step S203, the NFV-MANO executes re-deployment of the VNFC that will become SPoF. For example, the service impact may be dispersed by increasing the number of VNFCs that will become SPoF and re-deploying them, or a VNFC that corresponds to VNFC information that brings the service impact within the threshold may be re-deployed as a VNFC that will become SPoF.

[0040] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of VNFC deployment in a vRAN according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the policy referenced by the NFV-MANO includes a threshold value for service impact. For example, the threshold value may be set for each VNF. In the example of FIG. 8, the threshold value is 1,000 subscribers. Furthermore, the VNFD referenced by the NFV-MANO may describe the service impact in the event of a VNFC failure.

[0041] 8, the VNFD describes that the service impact of VNFC-Act#3, which becomes SPoF, in the event of a failure is less than 1000 subscribers, and the VNFD describes that the service impact of VNFC-Act#4, which becomes SPoF, in the event of a failure is more than 1000 subscribers. Therefore, VNFC-Act#4, which becomes SPoF, may be relocated by NFV-MANO when it is deployed.

[0042] According to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to set a priority for a VNFC, and to increase the priority of a VNFC that becomes an SPoF. It is possible to facilitate healing when a failure occurs in a VNFC that becomes an SPoF. Furthermore, by describing the service impact when a VNFC failure occurs in the VNFD, when a VNFC that becomes an SPoF is deployed, if the service impact when a failure occurs in the VNFC that becomes an SPoF is excessive, it is possible to re-deploy the VNFC.

[0043] In other words, it is possible to improve fault tolerance when applying network function virtualization (NFV) to a virtualized radio access network (vRAN).

[0044] (Device Configuration) Next, a description will be given of an example of the functional configuration of the base station 10, network node 30, and terminal 20 that perform the processes and operations described above. The base station 10, network node 30, and terminal 20 include functions for performing the above-described embodiments. However, the base station 10, network node 30, and terminal 20 may each include only a part of the functions of the embodiments.

[0045] <Base Station 10 and Network Node 30> Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the base station 10. As shown in Fig. 9, the base station 10 has a transmitting unit 110, a receiving unit 120, a setting unit 130, and a control unit 140. The functional configuration shown in Fig. 9 is merely an example. As long as the operations according to the embodiment of the present invention can be performed, the names of the functional divisions and functional units may be any. Note that the network node 30 may have the same functional configuration as the base station 10. Furthermore, a network node 30 having multiple different functions in the system architecture may be composed of multiple network nodes 30 separated by function.

[0046] The transmitter 110 includes a function of generating a signal to be transmitted to the terminal 20 or another network node 30 and transmitting the signal by wire or wirelessly. The receiver 120 includes a function of receiving various signals transmitted from the terminal 20 or another network node 30 and acquiring, for example, information of a higher layer from the received signal.

[0047] The setting unit 130 stores preset setting information and various setting information to be transmitted to the terminal 20 in a storage device, and reads the information from the storage device as needed. The content of the setting information includes, for example, settings related to the operations described in the embodiments.

[0048] As described in the embodiments, the control unit 140 performs processing related to the operations described in the embodiments. The control unit 140 also performs processing related to communication with the terminal 20. A functional unit related to signal transmission in the control unit 140 may be included in the transmitting unit 110, and a functional unit related to signal reception in the control unit 140 may be included in the receiving unit 120.

[0049] <Terminal 20> Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the terminal 20. As shown in Fig. 10, the terminal 20 has a transmitting unit 210, a receiving unit 220, a setting unit 230, and a control unit 240. The functional configuration shown in Fig. 10 is merely an example. The names of the functional divisions and functional units may be any as long as they can perform the operations related to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] The transmitter 210 creates a transmission signal from the transmission data and transmits the transmission signal wirelessly. The receiver 220 receives various signals wirelessly and acquires higher layer signals from the received physical layer signals. The receiver 220 also has a function of receiving NR-PSS, NR-SSS, NR-PBCH, DL / UL control signals, reference signals, etc. transmitted from the network node 30.

[0051] The setting unit 230 stores various setting information received from the network node 30 by the receiving unit 220 in a storage device and reads it from the storage device as needed. The setting unit 230 also stores setting information that is set in advance. The content of the setting information is, for example, settings related to the operations described in the embodiments.

[0052] The control unit 240 performs processing related to the operations described in the embodiments as described in the embodiments. The control unit 240 also performs processing related to the capacity-enhanced cell. The signal transmission functional unit in the authentication control unit 240 may be included in the transmitting unit 210, and the signal reception functional unit in the control unit 240 may be included in the receiving unit 220.

[0053] (Hardware Configuration) The block diagrams (FIGS. 9 and 10) used to explain the above embodiments show functional blocks. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, the method for realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using a single device that is physically or logically coupled, or may be realized using two or more physically or logically separated devices that are directly or indirectly connected (for example, using wires, wirelessly, etc.) and these multiple devices. The functional block may be realized by combining software with the single device or the multiple devices.

[0054] Functions include, but are not limited to, judgment, determination, assessment, calculation, computation, processing, derivation, investigation, search, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, selection, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, consideration, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating, mapping, and assignment. For example, a functional block (component) that performs transmission is called a transmitting unit or transmitter. As mentioned above, there are no particular limitations on how these functions are implemented.

[0055] For example, the network node 30, the terminal 20, etc. according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may function as a computer that performs processing of the wireless communication method of the present disclosure. Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the base station 10 and the terminal 20 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The network node 30 may have the same hardware configuration as the base station 10. The above-described base station 10 and the terminal 20 may be physically configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, a storage device 1002, an auxiliary storage device 1003, a communication device 1004, an input device 1005, an output device 1006, a bus 1007, etc.

[0056] In the following description, the term "apparatus" can be interpreted as a circuit, a device, a unit, etc. The hardware configuration of the base station 10 and the terminal 20 may be configured to include one or more of the apparatuses shown in the drawings, or may be configured to exclude some of the apparatuses.

[0057] Each function in the base station 10 and the terminal 20 is realized by loading specified software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 1001, the memory device 1002, etc., so that the processor 1001 performs calculations, controls communication by the communication device 1004, and controls at least one of reading and writing data in the memory device 1002 and the auxiliary memory device 1003.

[0058] The processor 1001 controls the entire computer by running, for example, an operating system. The processor 1001 may be configured as a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control device, an arithmetic unit, a register, etc. For example, the above-mentioned control unit 140, control unit 240, etc. may be realized by the processor 1001.

[0059] Furthermore, the processor 1001 reads programs (program codes), software modules, data, etc. from at least one of the auxiliary storage device 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the storage device 1002 and executes various processes in accordance with the programs. The programs used are those that cause a computer to execute at least some of the operations described in the above-described embodiments. For example, the control unit 140 of the base station 10 shown in FIG. 9 may be implemented by a control program stored in the storage device 1002 and running on the processor 1001. Furthermore, for example, the control unit 240 of the terminal 20 shown in FIG. 10 may be implemented by a control program stored in the storage device 1002 and running on the processor 1001. While the above-described various processes have been described as being executed by one processor 1001, they may also be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The programs may also be transmitted from a network via a telecommunications line.

[0060] The storage device 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may be configured, for example, by at least one of a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a random access memory (RAM), etc. The storage device 1002 may also be called a register, a cache, a main memory, etc. The storage device 1002 can store executable programs (program codes), software modules, etc. for implementing a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0061] The secondary storage device 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be, for example, at least one of an optical disk such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk), a smart card, a flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic strip, etc. The above-mentioned storage medium may be, for example, a database, a server, or other appropriate medium including at least one of the storage device 1002 and the secondary storage device 1003.

[0062] The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmission / reception device) for communicating between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also referred to as, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, a communication module, etc. The communication device 1004 may be configured to include a high-frequency switch, a duplexer, a filter, a frequency synthesizer, etc. to realize at least one of frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD). For example, a transmission / reception antenna, an amplifier unit, a transmission / reception unit, a transmission path interface, etc. may be realized by the communication device 1004. The transmission / reception unit may be implemented as a transmission unit and a reception unit that are physically or logically separated.

[0063] The input device 1005 is an input device (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a switch, a button, a sensor, etc.) that receives input from the outside. The output device 1006 is an output device (e.g., a display, a speaker, an LED lamp, etc.) that outputs to the outside. Note that the input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be integrated into one device (e.g., a touch panel).

[0064] Furthermore, each device such as the processor 1001 and the storage device 1002 is connected by a bus 1007 for communicating information. The bus 1007 may be configured using a single bus, or may be configured using different buses between each device.

[0065] Furthermore, the base station 10 and the terminal 20 may be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and some or all of the functional blocks may be realized by the hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these pieces of hardware.

[0066] Fig. 12 shows an example configuration of a vehicle 2001. As shown in Fig. 12, the vehicle 2001 includes a drive unit 2002, a steering unit 2003, an accelerator pedal 2004, a brake pedal 2005, a shift lever 2006, front wheels 2007, rear wheels 2008, an axle 2009, an electronic control unit 2010, various sensors 2021 to 2029, an information service unit 2012, and a communication module 2013. Each aspect / embodiment described in the present disclosure may be applied to a communication device mounted on the vehicle 2001, and may be applied to the communication module 2013, for example.

[0067] The drive unit 2002 is configured, for example, by an engine, a motor, or a hybrid of an engine and a motor. The steering unit 2003 includes at least a steering wheel (also called a handle) and is configured to steer at least one of the front wheels and the rear wheels based on the operation of the steering wheel operated by the user.

[0068] The electronic control unit 2010 is composed of a microprocessor 2031, a memory (ROM, RAM) 2032, and a communication port (IO port) 2033. Signals are input to the electronic control unit 2010 from various sensors 2021 to 2029 provided in the vehicle 2001. The electronic control unit 2010 may also be called an ECU (Electronic Control Unit).

[0069] The signals from the various sensors 2021 to 2029 include a current signal from a current sensor 2021 that senses the current of the motor, a rotation speed signal of the front and rear wheels obtained by a rotation speed sensor 2022, an air pressure signal of the front and rear wheels obtained by an air pressure sensor 2023, a vehicle speed signal obtained by a vehicle speed sensor 2024, an acceleration signal obtained by an acceleration sensor 2025, an accelerator pedal depression amount signal obtained by an accelerator pedal sensor 2029, a brake pedal depression amount signal obtained by a brake pedal sensor 2026, a shift lever operation signal obtained by a shift lever sensor 2027, and a detection signal for detecting obstacles, vehicles, pedestrians, etc. obtained by an object detection sensor 2028.

[0070] The information service unit 2012 is composed of various devices, such as a car navigation system, an audio system, speakers, a television, and a radio, for providing various types of information such as driving information, traffic information, and entertainment information, and one or more ECUs for controlling these devices. The information service unit 2012 provides various types of multimedia information and multimedia services to the occupants of the vehicle 2001 by using information acquired from external devices via the communication module 2013, etc.

[0071] The driving assistance system unit 2030 is composed of various devices that provide functions for preventing accidents and reducing the driving burden on the driver, such as millimeter-wave radar, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), cameras, positioning locators (e.g., GNSS, etc.), map information (e.g., high-definition (HD) maps, autonomous vehicle (AV) maps, etc.), gyro systems (e.g., IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), INS (Inertial Navigation System), etc.), AI (Artificial Intelligence) chips, and AI processors, as well as one or more ECUs that control these devices. In addition, the driving assistance system unit 2030 transmits and receives various information via the communication module 2013 to realize the driving assistance function or the autonomous driving function.

[0072] The communication module 2013 can communicate with the microprocessor 2031 and components of the vehicle 2001 via the communication port. For example, the communication module 2013 transmits and receives data via the communication port 2033 to and from the drive unit 2002, steering unit 2003, accelerator pedal 2004, brake pedal 2005, shift lever 2006, front wheels 2007, rear wheels 2008, axle 2009, microprocessor 2031 and memory (ROM, RAM) 2032 in the electronic control unit 2010, and sensors 2021 to 29, which are provided in the vehicle 2001.

[0073] The communication module 2013 is a communication device that can be controlled by the microprocessor 2031 of the electronic control unit 2010 and can communicate with an external device. For example, it transmits and receives various information to and from the external device via wireless communication. The communication module 2013 may be located either inside or outside the electronic control unit 2010. The external device may be, for example, a base station, a mobile station, or the like.

[0074] The communication module 2013 transmits, via wireless communication to an external device, a current signal from the current sensor that is input to the electronic control unit 2010. The communication module 2013 also transmits, via wireless communication to an external device, the rotation speed signals of the front and rear wheels acquired by a rotation speed sensor 2022, the air pressure signals of the front and rear wheels acquired by an air pressure sensor 2023, the vehicle speed signal acquired by a vehicle speed sensor 2024, the acceleration signal acquired by an acceleration sensor 2025, the accelerator pedal depression amount signal acquired by an accelerator pedal sensor 2029, the brake pedal depression amount signal acquired by a brake pedal sensor 2026, the shift lever operation signal acquired by a shift lever sensor 2027, and detection signals for detecting obstacles, vehicles, pedestrians, etc. acquired by an object detection sensor 2028, all of which are input to the electronic control unit 2010.

[0075] The communication module 2013 receives various information (traffic information, traffic signal information, vehicle distance information, etc.) transmitted from external devices and displays it on the information service unit 2012 provided in the vehicle 2001. The communication module 2013 also stores the various information received from the external devices in a memory 2032 that can be used by the microprocessor 2031. Based on the information stored in the memory 2032, the microprocessor 2031 may control the drive unit 2002, steering unit 2003, accelerator pedal 2004, brake pedal 2005, shift lever 2006, front wheels 2007, rear wheels 2008, axles 2009, sensors 2021 to 2029, etc. provided in the vehicle 2001.

[0076] (Summary of embodiment) As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a network node that includes a receiving unit that receives information indicating priority levels related to VNFC (Network Function Virtualization Component), and a control unit that determines a VNFC that may be stopped based on the priority level, and when a failure occurs in a certain VNFC, the control unit terminates the VNFC that may be stopped and heals the certain VNFC.

[0077] With the above configuration, it is possible to set a priority to VNFC and increase the priority of VNFC that becomes SPoF. It is possible to facilitate healing when a failure occurs in VNFC that becomes SPoF. In other words, it is possible to improve fault tolerance when applying network function virtualization (NFV) to a virtualized radio access network (vRAN).

[0078] When a failure occurs in a certain VNFC, the control unit may heal the certain VNFC by using resources released by terminating the VNFC that may be stopped through common lifecycle processing. With this configuration, it is possible to set a priority to the VNFC and to increase the priority of the VNFC that becomes SPoF. It is possible to facilitate healing when a failure occurs in the VNFC that becomes SPoF.

[0079] The control unit may determine VNFC that may be stopped based on a priority set for each VDU (Virtual Deployment Unit). With this configuration, priority can be set for VNFC, and the priority of VNFC that becomes SPoF can be increased. This makes it possible to easily heal when a failure occurs in VNFC that becomes SPoF.

[0080] The control unit may determine whether to deploy or rearrange a certain VNFC based on a service impact when a failure occurs in the certain VNFC. With this configuration, by describing the service impact when a failure occurs in the VNFC in the VNFD, when deploying a VNFC that becomes SPoF, if the service impact when a failure occurs in the VNFC that becomes SPoF is excessive, the VNFC can be rearranged.

[0081] The control unit may execute relocation of the certain VNFC when a service impact when a failure occurs in the certain VNFC is equal to or greater than a threshold. With this configuration, by describing the service impact when a failure occurs in the VNFC in the VNFD, when relocating a VNFC that serves as SPoF, if the service impact when a failure occurs in the VNFC that serves as SPoF is excessively large, the VNFC can be relocated.

[0082] Furthermore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a control method in which a network node executes the following procedures: a procedure of receiving information indicating priorities related to VNFCs (Network Function Virtualization Components); a procedure of determining VNFCs that may be stopped based on the priorities; and a procedure of terminating the VNFCs that may be stopped and healing the VNFCs when a failure occurs in the VNFCs.

[0083] With the above configuration, it is possible to set a priority to VNFC and increase the priority of VNFC that becomes SPoF. It is possible to facilitate healing when a failure occurs in VNFC that becomes SPoF. In other words, it is possible to improve fault tolerance when applying network function virtualization (NFV) to a virtualized radio access network (vRAN).

[0084] (Supplementary Notes on the Embodiments) Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the disclosed invention is not limited to such embodiments, and those skilled in the art will understand various modifications, alterations, alternatives, and substitutions. While specific numerical examples have been used to facilitate understanding of the invention, unless otherwise specified, these numerical values ​​are merely examples, and any appropriate values ​​may be used. The division of items in the above description is not essential to the present invention. Two or more items may be used in combination as needed, and items described in one item may apply to items described in another item (as long as there is no contradiction). Boundaries between functional units or processing units in functional block diagrams do not necessarily correspond to physical component boundaries. The operations of multiple functional units may be physically performed by a single component, or the operations of a single functional unit may be physically performed by multiple components. The order of processing steps described in the embodiments may be reversed as long as there is no contradiction. For convenience of processing description, the network node 30 and the terminal 20 have been described using functional block diagrams. However, such devices may be realized by hardware, software, or a combination thereof. The software operated by the processor of the network node 30 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention and the software operated by the processor of the terminal 20 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention may each be stored in any suitable storage medium, such as random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), EPROM, EEPROM, registers, hard disk (HDD), removable disk, CD-ROM, database, server, or the like.

[0085] Furthermore, the notification of information is not limited to the aspects / embodiments described in the present disclosure, and may be performed using other methods. For example, the notification of information may be performed by physical layer signaling (e.g., Downlink Control Information (DCI) and Uplink Control Information (UCI)), higher layer signaling (e.g., Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, Medium Access Control (MAC) signaling, broadcast information (Master Information Block (MIB) and System Information Block (SIB)), other signals, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, the RRC signaling may be referred to as an RRC message, and may be, for example, an RRC Connection Setup message, an RRC Connection Reconfiguration message, or the like.

[0086] Each aspect / embodiment described in the present disclosure may be applied to at least one of systems using LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G (4th generation mobile communication system), 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), FRA (Future Radio Access), NR (New Radio), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, UWB (Ultra-Wide Band), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or other suitable systems, and next-generation systems enhanced based on these. Furthermore, a combination of multiple systems (e.g., a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A with 5G, etc.) may also be applied.

[0087] Each aspect / embodiment described in the present disclosure may be implemented using any of the following standards: LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G (4th generation mobile communication system), 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), 6th generation mobile communication system (6G), xth generation mobile communication system (xG) (xG (x is, for example, an integer or a decimal number)), FRA (Future Radio Access), NR (new Radio), New radio access (NX), Future generation radio access (FX), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.17 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.19 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.21 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.22 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.23 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.24 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.25 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.26 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.27 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.28 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.29 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.30 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.31 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.32 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.33 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.34 ( The present invention may be applied to at least one of systems using 802.20, UWB (Ultra-Wide Band), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or other suitable systems, and next-generation systems that are extended, modified, created, or defined based on these systems. The present invention may also be applied to a combination of multiple systems (e.g., a combination of LTE and / or LTE-A with 5G).

[0088] The order of the procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc. of each aspect / embodiment described herein may be rearranged unless it is consistent. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present elements of various steps using an example order and are not limited to the particular order presented.

[0089] In this specification, a specific operation that is described as being performed by the network node 30 may also be performed by its upper node in some cases. In a network consisting of one or more network nodes including the network node 30, it is clear that various operations performed for communication with the terminal 20 may be performed by at least one of the network node 30 and another network node other than the network node 30 (for example, an MME or an S-GW, etc., are possible, but are not limited to these). Although the above example illustrates a case where there is one other network node other than the network node 30, the other network node may be a combination of multiple other network nodes (for example, an MME and an S-GW).

[0090] The information, signals, etc. described in the present disclosure may be output from a higher layer (or a lower layer) to a lower layer (or a higher layer), or may be input / output via multiple network nodes.

[0091] Input and output information may be stored in a specific location (for example, memory) or may be managed using a management table. Input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or added to. Output information may be deleted. Input information may be transmitted to another device.

[0092] In the present disclosure, the determination may be made by a value represented by one bit (0 or 1), by a Boolean value (true or false), or by a comparison of numerical values ​​(e.g., comparison with a predetermined value).

[0093] Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

[0094] Software, instructions, information, etc. may also be transmitted or received over a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), and / or wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave), then these wired and / or wireless technologies are included within the definition of transmission media.

[0095] The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0096] Note that terms described in this disclosure and terms necessary for understanding this disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meanings. For example, at least one of a channel and a symbol may be a signal (signaling). Furthermore, a signal may be a message. Furthermore, a component carrier (CC) may be called a carrier frequency, a cell, a frequency carrier, etc.

[0097] As used in this disclosure, the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably.

[0098] Furthermore, the information, parameters, etc. described in the present disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, may be expressed using relative values ​​from a predetermined value, or may be expressed using other corresponding information. For example, a radio resource may be indicated by an index.

[0099] The names used for the above-described parameters are not intended to be limiting in any way. Furthermore, the mathematical expressions using these parameters may differ from those explicitly disclosed in this disclosure. The various channels (e.g., PUCCH, PDCCH, etc.) and information elements may be identified by any suitable names, and therefore the various names assigned to these various channels and information elements are not intended to be limiting in any way.

[0100] In the present disclosure, terms such as "base station (BS)," "radio base station," "base station device," "fixed station," "NodeB," "eNodeB (eNB)," "gNodeB (gNB)," "access point," "transmission point," "reception point," "transmission / reception point," "cell," "sector," "cell group," "carrier," and "component carrier" may be used interchangeably. A base station may also be referred to by terms such as a macrocell, a small cell, a femtocell, and a picocell.

[0101] A base station can accommodate one or more (e.g., three) cells. When a base station accommodates multiple cells, the overall coverage area of ​​the base station can be partitioned into multiple smaller areas, and each smaller area can also be provided with communication services by a base station subsystem (e.g., a remote radio head (RRH)). The terms "cell" or "sector" refer to part or the entire coverage area of ​​a base station and / or base station subsystem that provides communication services within that coverage area.

[0102] In this disclosure, the terms "Mobile Station (MS)," "user terminal," "User Equipment (UE)," "terminal," and the like may be used interchangeably.

[0103] A mobile station may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other suitable terminology.

[0104] At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be referred to as a transmitting device, a receiving device, a communication device, etc. At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be a device mounted on a mobile body, the mobile body itself, etc. The mobile body may be a vehicle (e.g., a car, an airplane, etc.), an unmanned mobile body (e.g., a drone, an autonomous vehicle, etc.), or a robot (manned or unmanned). At least one of the base station and the mobile station may also include devices that do not necessarily move during communication operations. For example, at least one of the base station and the mobile station may be an IoT (Internet of Things) device such as a sensor.

[0105] Furthermore, a base station in the present disclosure may be read as a user terminal. For example, the aspects / embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to a configuration in which communication between a base station and a user terminal is replaced with communication between multiple terminals 20 (which may be called, for example, Device-to-Device (D2D) or Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X)). In this case, the terminal 20 may be configured to have the functions of the above-described network node 30. Furthermore, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" may be read as terms corresponding to terminal-to-terminal communication (for example, "side"). For example, terms such as an uplink channel and a downlink channel may be read as a side channel.

[0106] Similarly, the user terminal in the present disclosure may be read as a base station, in which case the base station may be configured to have the functions of the user terminal described above.

[0107] As used in this disclosure, the terms "determining" and "determining" may encompass a wide variety of actions. "Determining" and "determining" may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, searching, inquiring (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), ascertaining, and the like. "Determining" and "determining" may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), input, output, accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), and the like. Furthermore, "judgment" and "decision" can include regarding resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc. as having been "judged" or "decided." In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include regarding some action as having been "judged" or "decided." Furthermore, "judgment (decision)" can be interpreted as "assuming," "expecting," "considering," etc.

[0108] The terms "connected," "coupled," or any variation thereof, refer to 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" to each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. For example, "connected" may be read as "access." As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" to each other using one or more wires, cables, and / or printed electrical connections, as well as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency range, microwave range, and optical (both visible and invisible) range, as some non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples.

[0109] The reference signal may be abbreviated as RS (Reference Signal) or may be called a pilot depending on the applicable standard.

[0110] As used in this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless expressly stated otherwise. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

[0111] As used in this disclosure, any reference to an element using a designation such as "first," "second," etc. does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements. Thus, a reference to a first and a second element does not imply that only two elements may be employed or that the first element must in some way precede the second element.

[0112] The "means" in the configuration of each of the above devices may be replaced with "part," "circuit," "device," etc.

[0113] When the terms "include," "including," and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Furthermore, when the term "or" is used in this disclosure, it is not intended to be an exclusive or.

[0114] In this disclosure, where articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, the disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are in the plural form.

[0115] In the present 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 "coupled" may also be interpreted in the same way as "different."

[0116] The aspects / embodiments described in this disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched depending on the implementation. Notification of predetermined information (e.g., notification that "X is true") is not limited to explicit notification, but may be implicit (e.g., not notifying the predetermined information).

[0117] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is intended to be illustrative and does not have any limiting meaning on the present disclosure.

[0118] 10 Base station 110 Transmitter 120 Receiver 130 Setting unit 140 Control unit 20 Terminal 210 Transmitter 220 Receiver 230 Setting unit 240 Control unit 30 Network node 1001 Processor 1002 Storage device 1003 Auxiliary storage device 1004 Communication device 1005 Input device 1006 Output device 2001 Vehicle 2002 Drive unit 2003 Steering unit 2004 Accelerator pedal 2005 Brake pedal 2006 Shift lever 2007 Front wheels 2008 Rear wheels 2009 Axle 2010 Electronic control unit 2012 Information service unit 2013 Communication module 2021 Current sensor 2022 RPM sensor 2023 Tire pressure sensor 2024 Vehicle speed sensor 2025 Acceleration sensor 2026 Brake pedal sensor 2027 Shift lever sensor 2028 Object detection sensor 2029 Accelerator pedal sensor 2030 Driving assistance system unit 2031 Microprocessor 2032 Memory (ROM, RAM) 2033 Communication port (IO port)

Claims

1. A receiving unit that receives information indicating the priority of a VNFC (Network Function Virtualization Component), and a control unit that determines a VNFC that may be stopped based on the priority, wherein when a failure occurs in a certain VNFC, the control unit terminates the VNFC that may be stopped and heals the certain VNFC, and is a network node.

2. The network node according to claim 1, wherein when a failure occurs in a certain VNFC, the control unit uses the resources released by terminating the VNFC that may be stopped by common lifecycle processing to heal the certain VNFC.

3. The network node according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines a VNFC that may be stopped based on the priority set for each VDU (Virtual Deployment Unit).

4. The network node according to claim 1, wherein when a failure occurs in a certain VNFC, the control unit determines whether to place or relocate the certain VNFC based on the service impact.

5. The network node according to claim 1, wherein when the service impact when a failure occurs in a certain VNFC is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the control unit executes relocation of the certain VNFC.

6. A control method executed by a network node, comprising: a procedure for receiving information indicating the priority of a VNFC (Network Function Virtualization Component); a procedure for determining a VNFC that may be stopped based on the priority; and a procedure for terminating the VNFC that may be stopped and healing a certain VNFC when a failure occurs in the certain VNFC.