Method and apparatus for supporting mobility of terminal group in mobile edge computing system

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a 5G or 6G communication system for supporting a higher data transmission rate. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of a first edge enabler server (EES) in a mobile edge computing system may comprise the steps of: receiving, from a first edge enabler client (EEC), an edge application server (EAS) discovery request including application group profile information of a group including a terminal of the first EEC; determining a common EAS for a group including the terminal of the first EEC on the basis of the application group profile information; and setting common EAS ACR criteria used for application context relocation (ACR) with respect to the determined common EAS.

Description

Method and device for supporting terminal group mobility in a mobile edge computing system

[0001] The present invention relates to a mobile communication system and an edge computing system, and more specifically, to a method and device for ensuring mobility for a group of terminals through a mobile edge computing system.

[0002] 5G mobile communication technology defines a wide frequency band to enable fast transmission speeds and new services, and can be implemented not only in the sub-6GHz frequency band such as 3.5 gigahertz (3.5GHz), but also in the ultra-high frequency band called millimeter wave (mmWave) such as 28GHz and 39GHz ('Above 6GHz'). In addition, for 6G mobile communication technology, which is called the system after 5G communication (Beyond 5G), implementation in the terahertz band (for example, the 3 terahertz (3THz) band at 95GHz) is being considered to achieve a transmission speed that is 50 times faster than 5G mobile communication technology and an ultra-low latency time that is reduced to one-tenth.

[0003] In the early stages of 5G mobile communication technology, the goal is to support services and satisfy performance requirements for enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC), and massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC). These include beamforming and massive MIMO to mitigate path loss of radio waves in ultra-high frequency bands and increase the transmission distance of radio waves, support for various numerologies (such as operation of multiple subcarrier intervals) and dynamic operation of slot formats for efficient use of ultra-high frequency resources, initial access technology to support multi-beam transmission and wideband, definition and operation of BWP (Bidth Part), new channel coding methods such as LDPC (Low Density Parity Check) codes for large-capacity data transmission and Polar Code for reliable transmission of control information, and L2 pre-processing (L2). Standardization has been made for network slicing, which provides dedicated networks specialized for specific services, and pre-processing.

[0004] Currently, discussions are underway to improve and enhance the initial 5G mobile communication technology in consideration of the services that 5G mobile communication technology was intended to support, and physical layer standardization is in progress for technologies such as V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) to help autonomous vehicles make driving decisions and increase user convenience based on their own location and status information transmitted by vehicles, NR-U (New Radio Unlicensed) for the purpose of system operation that complies with various regulatory requirements in unlicensed bands, NR terminal low power consumption technology (UE Power Saving), Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN), which is direct terminal-satellite communication to secure coverage in areas where communication with terrestrial networks is impossible, and Positioning.

[0005] In addition, standardization of wireless interface architecture / protocols is in progress for technologies such as intelligent factories (Industrial Internet of Things, IIoT) to support new services through linkage and convergence with other industries, Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) that provides nodes for expanding network service areas by integrating wireless backhaul links and access links, Mobility Enhancement technology including Conditional Handover and Dual Active Protocol Stack (DAPS) handover, and 2-step random access (2-step RACH for NR) that simplifies random access procedures. Standardization is also in progress for system architecture / services such as 5G baseline architecture (e.g., Service-based Architecture, Service-based Interface) for grafting Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and Software-Defined Networking (SDN) technologies, and Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) that provides services based on the location of the terminal.

[0006] Once these 5G mobile communication systems are commercialized, an explosive increase in connected devices will be connected to the communication network, necessitating enhanced functionality and performance of 5G mobile communication systems and integrated operation of these connected devices. To this end, new research will be conducted on improving 5G performance and reducing complexity, supporting AI services, supporting metaverse services, and drone communications by utilizing eXtended Reality (XR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning (ML) to efficiently support Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR).

[0007] In addition, the development of these 5G mobile communication systems includes new waveforms to ensure coverage in the terahertz band of 6G mobile communication technology, multi-antenna transmission technologies such as Full Dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), Array Antenna, and Large Scale Antenna, metamaterial-based lenses and antennas to improve the coverage of terahertz band signals, high-dimensional spatial multiplexing technology using Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM), Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) technology, as well as full duplex technology to improve the frequency efficiency and system network of 6G mobile communication technology, satellite, AI (Artificial Intelligence) from the design stage and AI-based communication technology that realizes system optimization by internalizing end-to-end AI support functions, and ultra-high-performance communication and computing resources to provide services with complexity that exceeds the limits of terminal computing capabilities. It can serve as a basis for the development of next-generation distributed computing technologies that can be realized by utilizing them.

[0008] The present disclosure proposes a method and device for ensuring mobility for a group of terminals in a mobile edge computing system.

[0009] The present disclosure proposes a method and device for ensuring service continuity in a situation where some or all of the terminals change their connection to another edge application server when multiple terminals are connected to one edge application server to use the same service that is interconnected with each other.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of a first edge enabler server (EES) in a mobile edge computing system includes the steps of: receiving, from a first edge enabler client (EEC), an edge application server (EAS) discovery request including application group profile information of a group including a terminal of the first EEC; determining a common EAS for a group including a terminal of the first EEC based on the application group profile information; and setting a common EAS ACR criterion used for application context relocation (ACR) for the determined common EAS.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in a mobile edge computing system, a first edge enabler server (EES) includes a transceiver; and at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive, from a first edge enabler client (EEC), an edge application server (EAS) discovery request including application group profile information of a group including a terminal of the first EEC, determine a common EAS for a group including a terminal of the first EEC based on the application group profile information, and set a common EAS ACR criterion used for application context relocation (ACR) for the determined common EAS.

[0012] In this disclosure, service continuity can be guaranteed by supporting application relocation operations for service continuity when multiple terminals are using the same service requiring interconnection with each other.

[0013] Figure 1 illustrates the edge computing system structure and the core network interconnection structure.

[0014] FIG. 2 illustrates a procedure for provisioning common EAS (edge ​​application server) ACR (application context relocation) criteria to support mobility of a group of terminals according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] FIG. 3 illustrates a procedure for provisioning Common EAS (edge ​​application server) ACR (application context relocation) criteria to support mobility of a terminal group according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 4 illustrates the structure of a network entity according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] The operating principles of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the attached diagram. The terms described below are defined based on their functions within the present invention. These terms may vary depending on the intent or custom of the user or operator, and therefore their definitions should be determined based on the overall content of this specification.

[0018] For the same reason, some components in the attached drawings are exaggerated, omitted, or schematically depicted. Furthermore, the dimensions of each component do not entirely reflect its actual size. Identical or corresponding components in each drawing are assigned the same reference numbers.

[0019] Hereinafter, a base station (BS) is an entity that performs resource allocation of a terminal, and may be at least one of a gNode B, an eNode B, a Node B (or an xNode B (where x is an alphabet including g or e)), a wireless access unit, a base station controller, a satellite, an airborn, or a node on a network. A user equipment (UE) may include a mobile station (MS), a vehicle, a satellite, an airborn, a cellular phone, a smartphone, a computer, or a multimedia system capable of performing a communication function. In the present disclosure, a downlink (DL) is a wireless transmission path of a signal transmitted from a base station to a terminal, and an uplink (UL) is a wireless transmission path of a signal transmitted from a terminal to an air station. Additionally, a sidelink (SL) may exist, which means a wireless transmission path of a signal transmitted from a terminal to another terminal.

[0020] In addition, although LTE, LTE-A, or 5G systems may be described below as examples, embodiments of the present disclosure may also be applied to other communication systems having similar technical backgrounds or channel types. For example, this may include 5G-Advance or NR-Advance, or 6th generation mobile communication technology (6G) developed after 5G mobile communication technology (or new radio, NR), and the 5G described below may also include existing LTE, LTE-A, and other similar services. In addition, the present disclosure may be applied to other communication systems with some modifications within a range that does not significantly deviate from the scope of the present disclosure, as determined by a person having skilled technical knowledge.

[0021] At this time, it will be understood that each block of the processing flowchart drawings and combinations of the flowchart drawings can be performed by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be installed in a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing equipment, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing equipment create a means for performing the functions described in the flowchart block(s). These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer-available or computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to implement the functions in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-available or computer-readable memory can also produce a manufactured item that includes an instruction means for performing the functions described in the flowchart block(s). Since the computer program instructions may be installed on a computer or other programmable data processing device, a series of operational steps may be performed on the computer or other programmable data processing device to create a computer-executable process, and the instructions that cause the computer or other programmable data processing device to perform the steps for performing the functions described in the flowchart block(s) may also provide steps for performing the functions described in the flowchart block(s).

[0022] Additionally, each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of code that contains one or more executable instructions for performing a specific logical function(s). It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions described in the blocks may occur out of order. For example, two blocks depicted in succession may actually be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on their respective functions.

[0023] Here, the term '~ part' used in this embodiment means software or hardware components such as FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), and the '~ part' performs certain roles. However, the '~ part' is not limited to software or hardware. The '~ part' may be configured to be on an addressable storage medium or may be configured to play one or more processors. Therefore, as an example, the '~ part' includes components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, processes, functions, properties, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functions provided within the components and '~ parts' may be combined into a smaller number of components and '~ parts' or further separated into additional components and '~ parts'. Additionally, the components and '~parts' may be implemented to activate one or more CPUs within a device or secure multimedia card. In addition, in an embodiment, the '~parts' may include one or more processors.

[0024] 3GPP, responsible for cellular mobile communications standards, is standardizing a new core network architecture called 5G Core (5GC) to facilitate the evolution of 4G LTE systems to 5G systems. Compared to the Evolved Packet Core (EPC), the network core for 4G, 5GC supports the following differentiated features:

[0025] The terms used in this disclosure to refer to network entities and objects of the Edge Computing system, terms used to refer to messages, terms used to refer to identification information, and the like are provided for convenience of explanation. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the terms described below, and other terms that refer to objects with equivalent technical meanings may be used.

[0026] For convenience, the present invention uses terms and names defined in the 5G system standards, but is not limited by the terms and names, and can be equally applied to systems conforming to other standards.

[0027] In an edge computing system, a user equipment (UE) can establish a data connection to an edge data network (EDN) located close to its location to utilize low-latency or broadband services, thereby receiving edge computing services. These edge computing services can be provided through an edge hosting environment (EVE) operated by an edge enabler server (EES) of a specific edge data network, or an edge application server (EAS) running on an edge computing platform. In other words, a UE can receive edge computing services from an edge application server (EAS) closest to its location.

[0028] In one embodiment, multiple terminals may connect to a single edge application to utilize the same service requiring interconnection. In this situation, even if some terminals are located closer to another edge application server providing the same service, the terminals utilizing the interconnection service may be configured to connect to the same shared edge application server. These terminals may continuously switch connections to a nearby edge application server rather than the shared edge application server, depending on the mobility execution conditions of existing edge computing systems. A device is needed to prevent this behavior and ensure that services are received through the shared edge application server.

[0029] When multiple terminals are connected to a common edge application server to use the same service that requires interconnection with each other, application context relocation may need to be performed for some or all of the terminals using the service.

[0030] The present invention proposes a method for ensuring service continuity in a situation where multiple terminals in an edge computing system are connected to a single edge application server to utilize the same service (e.g., a multiplayer online game service) that interconnects with one another, and some or all of the terminals switch connections to other edge application servers. Specifically, the present invention proposes a method for determining and executing whether to perform relocation to another edge application server using application context information to ensure continuation of service for some terminals on the edge application server.

[0031] Figure 1 illustrates the edge computing system structure and the core network interconnection structure.

[0032] An Edge Computing system can consist of an Edge Enabler Server (EES), an Edge Configuration Server (ECS), and an Edge Enabler Client (EEC). The Edge Enabler Server (EES) configures the Edge Hosting Environment (or Edge Computing Platform) and has information about the Edge Application Server (EAS) running within the Edge Hosting Environment.

[0033] The Edge Enabler Server performs the function of negotiating with a terminal and connecting the terminal's Application Client and the Edge Application Server (EAS) within the Edge Hosting Environment. A terminal that supports an Edge Computing system may have an embedded Edge Enabler Client (EEC), and the negotiation may be performed through the mutual connection between the Edge Enabler Client (EEC) and the Edge Enabler Server (EES). The layer where the mutual connection between the Edge Enabler Client and the Edge Enabler, such as the above negotiation, is performed may be referred to as the Edge Enabling Layer. The terminals referred to in the present invention may include not only smartphones but also IoT devices and vehicles.

[0034] The Edge Configuration Server (ECS) knows the deployment information of Edge Enabler Servers (EES) and can perform the function of transmitting configuration information for using Edge Computing services to terminals. The above configuration information may include Edge Data Network connection information (e.g., DNN (Data Network Name), S-NSSAI (single-network slice selection assistance), etc.), Edge Data Network Service Area information (e.g., Cell list, List of Tracking Area, PLMN (public land mobile network) ID (identifier)), Edge Enabler Server connection information (e.g., URI (uniform resource identifier), etc.). The Edge Data Network Service Area may be an Edge Enabler Server (EES) availability area set by the Edge Enabler Server (EES). Based on this, the terminal can receive information on an Edge Enabler Server (EES) that can be accessed at a specific location. If the Edge Data Network Configuration Server can know information on an Edge Application Server (EAS) running in the Edge Hosting Environment of a specific Edge Enabler Server (EES), the terminal can also obtain the information through the Edge Enabler Client (EE).Edge Configuration Server (EAS) supports a Repository Function depending on the implementation method, which can store and manage information related to other Edge Configuration Servers (ECS) or Edge Application Servers (EAS).

[0035] An Edge Application Server (EAS) is a third-party application server that operates within an Edge Computing system. It operates on the infrastructure provided by the Edge Hosting Environment, enabling it to provide services close to the terminal, enabling ultra-low latency services.

[0036] A terminal may include an Application Client, an Edge Enabler Client (EEC) that links the Application Client with Edge Computing services, and a Mobile Terminal (MT) that connects to the mobile communications system. A terminal's Application refers to a client application provided by a third party and runs within the terminal for a specific application service. Multiple Applications may run within the terminal. At least one of these Applications can utilize multi-access edge computing (MEC) services.

[0037] The Edge Enabler Client (EEC) within a terminal refers to a client that performs the terminal-specific operations required to use Edge Computing services. It can determine which applications can use Edge Computing services and connect a network interface so that data from the terminal Application Client can be transmitted to the Edge Application Server (EAS) that provides Edge Computing services. The operations for establishing a data connection to use Edge Computing services can be performed through the 3GPP communication layer via the mobile terminal. The 3GPP communication layer refers to the layer that performs modem operations for using the mobile communication system, and is responsible for establishing a wireless connection for data communication, registering the terminal with the mobile communication system, establishing a connection for data transmission with the mobile communication system, and transmitting and receiving data.

[0038] FIG. 2 illustrates a procedure for provisioning Common EAS (edge ​​application server) ACR (application context relocation) criteria to support mobility of a terminal group according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 2, a procedure for provisioning Common EAS (edge ​​application server) ACR (application context relocation) criteria can be performed between EEC 1, EEC 2, ECS, announcing EES, and receiving EES, and in the present disclosure, EEC 1 can be referred to as a first EEC, EEC 2 can be referred to as a second EEC, the announcing EES can be referred to as a first EES, and the receiving EES can be referred to as a second EES.

[0040] In step 200, EEC 1 can send a service provisioning request to ECS including at least one of AC (application client) profile (including at least one of AC identifier, AC Type, Preferred ECSP list, EASID, AC Service Continuity Support, etc.) and Application group profile (including at least one of Application Group ID, EAS ID, Expected Group Geographical Service Area).

[0041] In one embodiment, if the request message received from EEC 1 includes an Application group profile, ECS may select an EES and EDN in which an EAS that can be selected as a Common EAS is registered and managed using the Application group profile and terminal location information. In one embodiment, the common EAS may refer to a common EAS used by a terminal group related to the Application group profile. ECS may utilize information stored in the Central Repository during the process of selecting an EES. In one embodiment, thereafter, ECS may transmit a Service provision response to EEC 1.

[0042] In step 201, EEC 1 may transmit an EAS discovery request to EES (hereinafter, announcing EES). In one embodiment, the request message may include at least one of information required for Common EAS discovery and selection, such as an EEC identifier, a terminal identifier, terminal location information, an AC profile (including at least one of AC identifier, AC Type, Preferred ECSP list, EASID, AC Service Continuity Support, etc.), and an Application group profile (including at least one of Application Group ID, EAS ID, Expected Group Geographical Service Area). In one embodiment, the Application group ID refers to information that can identify a group of terminals that use the same application service.

[0043] In addition, when EEC 1 includes an Application Group profile in the EAS discovery request, it may transmit additional information, such as an ACR criteria information request indicator, an ACR criteria offset (information that can be used to adjust ACR Criteria that can be used when Common EAS is selected, when general EAS other than Common EAS is selected, for example, service area extension information, additional DNAI list information, etc.), to the announcing EES. In one embodiment, EEC 1 may receive information, such as AC profile, Application group profile, and ACR criteria offset, from AC through at least one of AC Registration request message, ACR request request, or ACR subscribe request message over EDGE-5 interface. In one embodiment, information for adjusting ACR related criteria for Common EAS, such as ACR criteria offset, may be included in the Application Group Profile and transmitted from AC to EEC 1, and EEC 1 may provide it to the announcing EES.

[0044] In step 202, the announcing EES may perform authorization for the request transmitted by EEC 1. In one embodiment, if EEC 1 provides an Application group profile, the announcing EES may check whether the related Common EAS information and Application Group ID are available. In one embodiment, if the Common EAS information related to the Application Group Profile is available in the announcing EES, the announcing EES may decide to provide EAS information corresponding to the Common EAS information (EAS profile: including at least one of EAS address information, identifier, and EAS service area) to EEC 1.

[0045] In one embodiment, when Common EAS information related to Application Group Profile is not available in EES, announcing EES may determine EAS selectable as Common EAS by considering at least one of information provided by EEC 1, information available in announcing EES, and ECSP policy set in EES. In one embodiment, in this process, announcing EES may consider at least one of application KPI, terminal location information, and UPF-related information connected to the terminal. In one embodiment, announcing EES may set the determined EAS information as Common EAS information and store it in association with Application Group ID.

[0046] In one embodiment, the announcing EES may set Common EAS ACR (Application Context Relocation) criteria for the determined Common EAS. In one embodiment, Application Context Relocation may mean an operation of relocating an application context stored in the EAS selected as the Common EAS to the EAS to be connected when a situation arises where a connection to another EAS is required while receiving a service from the EAS selected as the Common EAS. In one embodiment, the Common EAS ACR criteria may include at least one of Common EAS ACR trigger area, Common EAS load threshold, and Common EAS ACR DNAI information. In one embodiment, the Common EAS ACR Criteria may be set to a wider range than the ACR criteria applied to the existing EAS, and may be set to correspond to the Application Group ID.

[0047] In one embodiment, the method for the Announcing EES to set the Common EAS ACR criteria may be at least one of the following. The Announcing EES may set the Common EAS ACR Criteria using the information (information such as Application Group Profile, ACR criteria offset, etc.) received from the EEC 1 in step 201. Alternatively, the Announcing EES may set the Common EAS ACR Criteria information by considering the information received from the EAS selected as the Common EAS. For example, the EA selected as the Common EAS may transmit an EAS Registration request including the Application Group Profile, ACR criteria offset, and Common EAS ACR Criteria (ACR criteria information that can be used when selected as the Common EAS set in the EAS) to the EES (announcing EES) before performing the EAS discovery procedure.

[0048] In one embodiment, the Announcing EES may also, if both Common EAS ACR Criteria related information received from EEC 1 and Common EAS are available, (1) set the Common EAS ACR Criteria on the Announcing EES itself, (2) set the Common EAS ACR Criteria using an ECSP (edge ​​computing service provider) policy set in the Announcing EES, and / or (3) provide the information received from EEC 1 to the EAS selected as the Common EAS, and in response, receive Common EAS ACR Criteria information that should be applied from the EAS and set the Common EAS ACR Criteria that should actually be applied.

[0049] In step 203, the announcing EES may transmit the EAS information selected as Common EAS in step 202 to EEC 1 in an EAS discovery response. The information provided by the announcing EES to EEC 1 may include at least one of Common EAS information, Application Group ID, and Common EAS ACR Criteria. In one embodiment, Common EAS ACR Criteria information may be provided as part of Common EAS information.

[0050] In one embodiment, EEC 1 can determine that the selected EAS is selected as the Common EAS for the group identified by the Application Group ID based on the information provided by the announcing EES. In one embodiment, when EEC 1 receives Common EAS ACR Criteria information from the announcing EES, it can use the Common EAS ACR Criteria instead of the existing ACR judgment criteria (AC profile, EAS profile, terminal location, etc.).

[0051] In one embodiment, the announcing EES may use the Common EAS ACR Criteria to determine ACR performance criteria for Common EAS. For example, the EES may determine to perform UE location or UP path change event (UP path management event) monitoring to perform ACR detection and execution using the Common EAS ACR Criteria instead of existing EAS profile information. In one embodiment, for this operation, the announcing EES may subscribe to a notification service for UE location or UP path change events by transmitting an AF request issued using the Common EAS ACR Criteria to a network function of the core network (e.g., NEF, PCF, GMLC). In addition, when the announcing EES receives DNAI (data network access identifier) ​​information as terminal location or UP path change event information from a network function of the core network, the announcing EES may compare the DNAI (data network access identifier) ​​information with the Common EAS ACR Criteria information to determine whether to perform ACR.

[0052] In step 204, the announcing EES may request that the ECS supporting the Central Repository function store the Common EAS information selected in step 202. In one embodiment, the announcing EES may request that the Common EAS information be stored in the ECS in association with the relevant Application Group Profile information, and that the Common EAS ACR Criteria be stored in the ECS. In one embodiment, the Common EAS ACR Criteria may be stored and managed in the EEC, EES, and ECS as part of the Common EAS information.

[0053] In step 205, the ECS may notify the Common EAS information to an EES other than the EES that requested the storage of the Common EAS information (hereinafter, referred to as the receiving EES). In one embodiment, the information provided by the ECS to the receiving EES may include EAS profile information (common EAS information) selected as the Common EAS and Common EAS ACR Criteria information that must be applied when accessing and receiving services from the Common EAS.

[0054] In step 206, the Receiving EES may include the Common EAS information and Common EAS ACR Criteria information received from the ECS in the EAS discovery response and provide it to EEC 2, which is different from EEC 1.

[0055] In one embodiment, the Receiving EES can perform ACR detection and execution operations using Common EAS ACR Criteria information received from the ECS.

[0056] In one embodiment, EEC 2, which performs Common EAS discovery from Receiving EES, EEC2 can redefine EAS ACR criteria for EAS service areas in the EAS profile. In one embodiment, EEC 2 can perform ACR detection and execution operations using Common EAS ACR Criteria information received from Receiving EES. In one embodiment, Receiving EES can perform operations such as AF influence on traffic routing on the core network for Common EAS identified by Common EAS information other than EAS registered to itself, and can perform traffic monitoring for Common EAS, UP path management event (e.g. DNAI change event), etc. using Common EAS ACR Criteria information.

[0057] At step 207, the Receiving EES may acknowledge that it has successfully received Common EAS information and Common EAS ACR Criteria information to the ECS.

[0058] FIG. 3 illustrates a procedure for provisioning Common EAS (edge ​​application server) ACR (application context relocation) criteria to support mobility of a terminal group according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0059] Referring to FIG. 3, a procedure for provisioning Common EAS (edge ​​application server) ACR (application context relocation) criteria can be performed between EEC 1, EEC 2, ECS, announcing EES, and receiving EES, and in the present disclosure, EEC 1 can be referred to as a first EEC, EEC 2 can be referred to as a second EEC, the announcing EES can be referred to as a first EES, and the receiving EES can be referred to as a second EES.

[0060] In step 300, EEC 1 can transmit a Service provisioning request including at least one of AC profile (which may include at least one of AC identifier, AC Type, Preferred ECSP list, EASID, and AC Service Continuity Support) and Application group profile (which may include at least one of Application Group ID, EAS ID, and Expected Group Geographical Service Area) to ECS. If the request message received from EEC 1 includes an Application group profile, ECS can select an EES and EDN in which an EAS that can be selected as Common EAS is registered and managed using the Application group profile and terminal location information. Thereafter, ECS can transmit a Service provision response including information about an EES in which an EAS that can be selected as Common EAS is registered and managed to EEC 1.

[0061] In step 301, EEC 1 may transmit an EAS discovery request to EES (hereinafter, announcing EES). In one embodiment, the request message may include at least one of information required for Common EAS discovery and selection, namely, an EEC identifier, a terminal identifier, terminal location information, an AC profile (including at least one of AC identifier, AC Type, Preferred ECSP list, EASID, and AC Service Continuity Support), and an Application group profile (including at least one of Application Group ID, EAS ID, and Expected Group Geographical Service Area). The Application group ID refers to information that can identify a group of terminals that use the same application service. In one embodiment, when EEC 1 includes an Application Group profile in an EAS discovery request, it may additionally transmit information such as an ACR criteria information request indicator, an ACR criteria offset (information that can be used to adjust the ACR Criteria when Common EAS is selected, or when a general EAS other than Common EAS is selected, e.g., service area extension information, additional DNAI list information) to the announcing EES in the EAS discovery request message.

[0062] In one embodiment, EEC 1 can receive information such as AC profile, Application group profile, ACR criteria offset from AC through AC Registration request message, ACR request request, ACR subscribe request message, etc. via EDGE-5 interface. Information for adjusting ACR related criteria for Common EAS, such as ACR criteria offset, can be included in Application Group Profile and transmitted from AC to EEC, and EEC 1 can provide it to announcing EES.

[0063] In step 302, the announcing EES may perform authorization for the request transmitted by EEC 1. In one embodiment, if EEC 1 provides an Application group profile, the announcing EES may check whether the related Common EAS information and Application Group ID are available. In one embodiment, if the Common EAS information related to the Application Group Profile is available in the announcing EES, the announcing EES may decide to provide EAS information (EAS profile: EAS address information, identifier, EAS service area) corresponding to the Common EAS information to EEC 1.

[0064] In one embodiment, when Common EAS information related to Application Group Profile is not available in the announcing EES, the announcing EES may determine an EAS selectable as Common EAS by considering at least one of information provided by EEC 1, information available in the announcing EES, and an ECSP policy set in the EES. In one embodiment, in this process, the announcing EES may consider at least one of application KPI, terminal location information, and UPF-related information connected to the terminal. In one embodiment, the announcing EES may set the determined EAS information as Common EAS information and store it in association with the Application Group ID.

[0065] In one embodiment, the announcing EES may set Common EAS ACR (Application Context Relocation) criteria for the determined Common EAS. In one embodiment, Application Context Relocation may mean an operation of relocating an application context stored in the EAS selected as the Common EAS to the connected EAS when a situation arises where a connection to another EAS is required while receiving a service from the EAS selected as the Common EAS. In one embodiment, the Common EAS ACR criteria may include Common EAS ACR trigger area, Common EAS load threshold, Common EAS ACR DNAI information, etc. In one embodiment, the Common EAS ACR Criteria may be set to a wider range than the ACR criteria applied to the existing EAS, and may be set to correspond to the Application Group ID.

[0066] In one embodiment, the method for the Announcing EES to set the Common EAS ACR criteria may be at least one of the following. The Announcing EES may set the Common EAS ACR Criteria using information received from the EEC 1 in step 301 (e.g., information such as Application Group Profile, ACR criteria offset, etc.). In one embodiment, the Announcing EES may set the Common EAS ACR Criteria information by considering information received from an EAS selected as a Common EAS. For example, the EAS selected as a Common EAS may transmit an EAS Registration request including an Application Group Profile, an ACR criteria offset, and Common EAS ACR Criteria (ACR criteria information that can be used when selected as a Common EAS set in the EAS) to the EES (announcing EES) before performing the EAS discovery procedure.

[0067] In one embodiment, the Announcing EES may also, if both Common EAS ACR Criteria-related information received from EEC 1 and Common EA are available, (1) set the Common EAS ACR Criteria on the Announcing EES itself, (2) set the Common EAS ACR Criteria using an ECSP (edge ​​computing service provider) policy set in the Announcing EES, and / or (3) provide the information received from EEC 1 to the EAS selected as the Common EAS, and in response, receive Common EAS ACR Criteria information that should be applied from the EAS and set the Common EAS ACR Criteria that should actually be applied.

[0068] In step 303, the announcing EES may transmit the EAS information selected as Common EAS in step 302 to EEC 1. The information provided by the announcing EES to EEC 1 may include at least one of Common EAS information, Application Group ID, and Common EAS ACR Criteria.

[0069] In one embodiment, EEC 1 can know that the selected EAS is selected as the Common EAS for the group identified by the Application Group ID based on the information provided by the announcing EES. In one embodiment, when EEC 1 receives Common EAS ACR Criteria information from the EES, it can use the Common EAS ACR Criteria instead of the existing ACR judgment criteria (AC profile, EAS profile, terminal location, etc.).

[0070] In one embodiment, the announcing EES may use the Common EAS ACR Criteria to determine ACR execution criteria for Common EAS. For example, the announcing EES may determine to perform UE location or UP path change event (UP path management event) monitoring to perform ACR detection and execution using the Common EAS ACR Criteria instead of existing EAS profile information.

[0071] In one embodiment, for this operation, the announcing EES can subscribe to a notification service for UE location or UP path change event by sending an AF request issued using Common EAS ACR Criteria to the network function of the core network (e.g., NEF, PCF, GMLC). In addition, when the announcing EES receives DNAI information as UE location or UP path change event information from the network function of the core network, the announcing EES can compare it with Common EAS ACR Criteria information to determine whether to perform ACR.

[0072] In step 304-1, the announcing EES can notify the Common EAS information selected in step 302 to another EES (hereinafter, the receiving EES). The announcing EES can obtain and determine the EES information to be notified of the Common EAS information from the ECS. For example, the EES deployed in the EDN (corresponding to the same DNN and DNAI list) as the EES where the Common EAS is registered can be determined as the target, or the EES deployed in or adjacent to the EAS service area in the Common EAS information can be determined. Alternatively, the announcing EES can determine the EES to be notified by considering the Common EAS ACR Criteria information of the Common EAS.

[0073] In step 304-2, the announcing EES may associate the Common EAS information and the Common EAS ACR Criteria with the relevant Application Group Profile information and notify the receiving EES. In one embodiment, the Common EAS ACR Criteria may be included as part of the Common EAS information and stored and managed in the EEC, EES, and ECS.

[0074] In step 305, the Receiving EES can store the Common EAS information and Common EAS ACR Criteria information received from the Announcing EES by associating them with the Application Group profile, and transmit a response message to the Announcing EES notifying that the information has been successfully received and stored.

[0075] In one embodiment, the Receiving EES can perform ACR detection and execution operations using the Common EAS ACR Criteria information received from the Announcing EES. In one embodiment, the Receiving EES can perform operations such as AF influence on traffic routing on the core network for a Common EAS identified by Common EAS information other than an EAS registered to the Receiving EES, and can perform traffic monitoring for the Common EAS, monitoring for UP path management events (e.g., DNAI change events), etc. using the Common EAS ACR Criteria information.

[0076] At step 306, the receiving EES may provide Common EAS information and Common EAS ACR Criteria information to EEC 2 (the EEC that sent the EAS discovery related request to the receiving EES) during the EAS discovery procedure.

[0077] In step 307, EEC2 may redefine the EAS ACR criteria for the EAS service area in the EAS profile. In one embodiment, EEC2, which has performed Common EAS discovery from the receiving EES, may perform ACR detection and execution operations using the Common EAS ACR Criteria information received from the receiving EES.

[0078] According to the description of FIGS. 2 and 3, the announcing EES receives information from the EEC and sets the Common EAS ACR Criteria, but the announcing EES may set the Common EAS ACR Criteria in advance before receiving an EAS discovery request from the EEC. For example, an EAS that can be selected as a Common EAS may transmit an EAS Registration request message to the announcing EES, and the EAS Registration request message may include at least one of the Common EAS ACR Criteria or the ACR Criteria Offset information. The announcing EES that receives at least one of the Common EAS ACR Criteria or the ACR Criteria Offset information from the EAS may set the Common EAS ACR Criteria to the information received from the EAS and provide it to the EEC through an EAS discovery response message.

[0079] Figure 4 illustrates the structure of a network entity according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0080] The network entities illustrated in FIG. 4 may include network entities mentioned in the present disclosure, such as an application client (AC), an edge enabler client (EEC), an edge configuration server (ECS), and an edge enabler server (EES).

[0081] A network entity according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include a processor (420) that controls the overall operation of the network entity, a transceiver (400) including a transmitter and a receiver, and a memory (410). Of course, the present invention is not limited to the above example, and the network node may include more or fewer components than those illustrated in FIG. 4.

[0082] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the transceiver (400) can transmit and receive signals with network entities or other network nodes. The signals transmitted and received with the network entities may include control information and data. In addition, the transceiver (400) can receive signals via a wireless channel, output them to the processor (420), and transmit the signals output from the processor (420) via the wireless channel.

[0083] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a processor (420) may control to receive, from a first edge enabler client (EEC), an edge application server (EAS) discovery request including application group profile information of a group including a terminal of the first EEC. The processor (420) may determine a common EAS for a group including a terminal of the first EEC based on the application group profile information. The processor (420) may set common EAS ACR criteria used for application context relocation (ACR) for the determined common EAS. The processor (420) may transmit an EAS discovery response including common EAS information related to the common EAS and the common EAS ACR criteria to the first EEC.

[0084] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the EAS discovery request may include an information request indicator for common EAS ACR criteria. In one embodiment, the processor (420) may control the ECS to request storage of the common EAS information and the common EAS ACR criteria. In one embodiment, the common EAS information and the common EAS ACR criteria may be transmitted to a second EES that has received a common EAS discovery request from a second EEC associated with a group including a terminal of the first EEC.

[0085] In one embodiment, the Common EAS ACR criteria may include at least one of Common EAS ACR trigger area, Common EAS load threshold, and Common EAS ACR DNAI (data network access identifier) ​​information. In one embodiment, the processor (420) may control receiving information for determining a third EES to which the common EAS information will be notified from the ECS. The processor (420) may determine the third EES to which the common EAS information will be notified based on the information for determining the third EES. The processor (420) may notify the third EES of the common EAS information and the common EAS ACR criteria.

[0086] The methods according to the embodiments described in the claims or specification of the present disclosure may be implemented in the form of hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0087] When implemented in software, a computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs (software modules) may be provided. The one or more programs stored in the computer-readable storage medium are configured for execution by one or more processors within an electronic device. The one or more programs include instructions that cause the electronic device to execute methods according to the embodiments described in the claims or specification of the present disclosure.

[0088] These programs (software modules, software) may be stored in random access memory, non-volatile memory including flash memory, read only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disc storage devices, compact disc-ROM (CD-ROM), digital versatile discs (DVDs) or other forms of optical storage devices, magnetic cassettes, or may be stored in memories formed by a combination of some or all of these. In addition, each configuration memory may include multiple copies.

[0089] Additionally, the program may be stored on an attachable storage device that is accessible via a communication network, such as the Internet, an intranet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a storage area network (SAN), or a combination thereof. Such a storage device may be connected to a device performing an embodiment of the present disclosure via an external port. Additionally, a separate storage device on the communication network may be connected to a device performing an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0090] In the specific embodiments of the present disclosure described above, components included in the disclosure are expressed in the singular or plural form, depending on the specific embodiment presented. However, the singular or plural expressions are selected to suit the presented situation for convenience of explanation, and the present disclosure is not limited to singular or plural components. Components expressed in the plural form may be composed of singular elements, or components expressed in the singular form may be composed of plural elements.

[0091] While the detailed description of the present invention has described specific embodiments, it should be understood that various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be defined not only by the scope of the claims described below, but also by equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A method of a first edge enabler server (EES) in a mobile edge computing system, A step of receiving an edge application server (EAS) discovery request including application group profile information of a group including a terminal of the first EEC from a first edge enabler client (EEC); A step of determining a common EAS for a group including a terminal of the first EEC based on the application group profile information; and A method characterized by comprising a step of setting common EAS ACR criteria used for application context relocation (ACR) for the determined common EAS.

2. In paragraph 1, A method further comprising: a step of requesting an edge configuration server (ECS) to store information about the determined common EAS and information about the common EAS ACR criteria.

3. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the EAS discovery request includes an information request indicator for common EAS ACR criteria.

4. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the common EAS ACR criterion includes at least one of a common EAS ACR trigger area, a common EAS load threshold, and a common EAS ACR DNAI (data network access identifier).

5. A method according to claim 2, characterized in that the information on the determined common EAS and the information on the common EAS ACR criteria are transmitted to the second EES that has received a common EAS discovery request from the second EEC related to the group including the terminal of the first EEC.

6. In paragraph 5, information about the determined common EAS and information about the common EAS ACR criteria are transmitted to the second EEC, and A method characterized in that the information about the determined common EAS and the information about the common EAS ACR criteria are used to reset the EAS ACR criteria of the second EEC.

7. In paragraph 1, A step of receiving information from an ECS for determining a third EES to notify information about the determined common EAS; A step of determining the third EES to which information about the common EAS will be notified based on the information for determining the third EES; and A method characterized by further comprising the step of notifying the third EES of information about the determined common EAS and information about the common EAS ACR criteria.

8. In paragraph 1, A method further comprising the step of transmitting, to the first EEC, an EAS discovery response including common EAS information related to the common EAS and the common EAS ACR criteria.

9. In the first edge enabler server (EES) in the mobile edge computing system, Transmitter and receiver; and comprising at least one processor; wherein the at least one processor comprises: Receive an edge application server (EAS) discovery request including application group profile information of a group including a terminal of the first EEC from a first edge enabler client (EEC), Determine a common EAS for a group including a terminal of the first EEC based on the above application group profile information, and A first EES characterized by being configured to set common EAS ACR criteria used for application context relocation (ACR) for the above-determined common EAS.

10. In the 9th paragraph, at least one processor, A first EES configured to request an edge configuration server (ECS) to store information about the determined common EAS and information about the common EAS ACR criteria.

11. In the 9th paragraph, the first EES characterized in that the EAS discovery request includes an information request indicator for common EAS ACR criteria.

12. A first EES in accordance with claim 9, wherein the common EAS ACR criterion comprises at least one of a common EAS ACR trigger area, a common EAS load threshold, and a common EAS ACR data network access identifier (DNAI).

13. In the 10th paragraph, the information on the determined common EAS and the common EAS ACR criteria are transmitted to the second EES that has received a common EAS discovery request from the second EEC related to the group including the terminal of the first EEC.

14. In paragraph 13, information about the determined common EAS and information about the common EAS ACR criteria are transmitted to the second EEC, and A first EES characterized in that the information about the determined common EAS and the information about the common EAS ACR criteria are used to reset the EAS ACR criteria of the second EEC.

15. In the 9th paragraph, at least one processor, Receive information for determining a third EES to notify information about the common EAS determined above from the ECS; Determining the third EES to which information about the common EAS will be notified based on the information for determining the third EES, and A first EES further characterized in that it is configured to notify information about the determined common EAS and information about the common EAS ACR criteria to the third EES.

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