Energy consumption limiting method, NEF network element, communication system and storage medium

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of mobile communications, and to an energy consumption limiting method, an NEF network element, a communication system and a storage medium. The energy consumption limiting method comprises: acquiring energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of a user group; determining maximum energy consumption information of the user group on the basis of the energy-saving service information or the energy-saving identification information; and sending subscription data to a unified data management (UDM) network element, wherein the subscription data comprises the maximum energy consumption information.

Description

Energy consumption limiting method, NEF network element, communication system and storage medium

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application is based on the application with CN application number 202311594943.7 and application date November 27, 2023, and claims its priority. The disclosed content of the CN application is hereby introduced as a whole into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to the field of mobile communications, and in particular to an energy consumption limiting method, a NEF network element, a communication system, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0004] Currently, controlling carbon emissions and improving energy efficiency are key concerns across all industries. In the communications sector, Energy Efficiency as a Service is also a key area of ​​research.

[0005] In related technologies, energy efficiency and energy-saving scenarios and functions have been supported on the Operation Administration and Maintenance (OAM) side.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] According to a first aspect of some embodiments of the present disclosure, a method for energy consumption limitation is provided, including: obtaining energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of a user group; determining the maximum energy consumption information of the user group based on the energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information; and sending contract data to a unified data management (UDM) network element, wherein the contract data includes the maximum energy consumption information.

[0008] In some embodiments, determining the maximum energy consumption information of a user group based on energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information includes: obtaining the maximum energy consumption information of the user group using preset network deployment information when the energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of the user group is obtained.

[0009] In some embodiments, the network deployment information includes at least one of size information of the user group and network service area scope information of the user group.

[0010] In some embodiments, obtaining the energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of the user group includes: obtaining the energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information from an application function (AF) network element.

[0011] In some embodiments, the user group is identified by a data network name (DNN) and single network slice assistance information (S-NSSAI), or by S-NSSAI.

[0012] According to a second aspect of some embodiments of the present disclosure, a network exposure function (NEF) network element is provided, including: an acquisition unit configured to acquire energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of a user group; a determination unit configured to determine the maximum energy consumption information of the user group based on the energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information; and a sending unit configured to send contract data to the UDM network element, wherein the contract data includes the maximum energy consumption information.

[0013] In some embodiments, the determining unit is configured to obtain the maximum energy consumption information of the user group using preset network deployment information when the energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of the user group is obtained.

[0014] In some embodiments, the network deployment information includes at least one of size information of the user group and network service area scope information of the user group.

[0015] In some embodiments, the acquiring unit is configured to acquire energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information from the AF network element.

[0016] In some embodiments, the user group is identified by DNN and S-NSSAI, or alternatively, by S-NSSAI.

[0017] According to a third aspect of some embodiments of the present disclosure, a NEF network element is provided, comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to execute the energy consumption limiting method in any embodiment of the present disclosure based on instructions stored in the memory device.

[0018] According to a fourth aspect of some embodiments of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, comprising: a NEF network element according to the aforementioned method; an AF network element, configured to send energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of a user group to the NEF network element; and a UDM network element, configured to receive and store contract data sent by the NEF network element, wherein the contract data includes maximum energy consumption information.

[0019] In some embodiments, the communication system further includes: a unified data storage (UDR) network element, wherein the UDM network element is configured to send the subscription data to the UDR network element; and the UDR network element is configured to store the subscription data.

[0020] According to a fifth aspect of some embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored. When the program is executed by a processor, the energy consumption limiting method in any embodiment of the present disclosure is implemented.

[0021] According to a sixth aspect of some embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer program is provided, comprising: instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to execute the energy consumption limiting method as described in any embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] According to a seventh aspect of some embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, comprising: instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to execute the energy consumption limitation method as described in any embodiment of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0024] The present disclosure can be more clearly understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] FIG1 is a flow chart showing some embodiments of the energy consumption limitation method disclosed herein.

[0026] FIG2 shows a block diagram of some embodiments of the NEF network element of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG3 shows a block diagram of some other embodiments of the NEF network element of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG4 shows a block diagram of some embodiments of the communication system of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG5 shows a block diagram of some other embodiments of the communication system of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG6 is a flowchart illustrating other embodiments of the energy consumption limiting method disclosed herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement of components and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0032] At the same time, it should be understood that for the convenience of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship.

[0033] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure, its application, or uses.

[0034] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0035] In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not limiting. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0036] It should be noted that like reference numerals and letters refer to like items in the following figures, and therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0037] The inventors of the present disclosure have noticed that the current core network side does not yet support energy efficiency and energy-saving scenarios and functions, so that user groups such as enterprise users cannot effectively implement energy consumption restrictions.

[0038] In view of this, the present disclosure proposes an energy consumption limitation method, thereby helping user groups to effectively implement energy consumption limitation.

[0039] Figure 1 shows a flow chart of some embodiments of the energy consumption limitation method disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the following energy consumption limitation method is executed by a NEF network element.

[0040] As shown in FIG1 , the energy consumption limiting method includes steps 110 - 130 .

[0041] In step 110, energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of the user group is obtained.

[0042] In some embodiments, energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information is obtained from the AF network element.

[0043] In some embodiments, the energy-saving service information is used to indicate that the user group supports the energy-saving service. In addition, the energy-saving service information may also include other requirements of the user group for the energy-saving service; the energy-saving identification information is only used to indicate that the user group supports the energy-saving service.

[0044] In some embodiments, the user group is identified by DNN and S-NSSAI, or alternatively, by S-NSSAI.

[0045] In some embodiments, the user group is, for example, an enterprise user. The operator may divide the user groups into the same enterprise users in the form of groups. Due to the size and business areas of the user groups, the user groups can be identified by DNN and S-NSSAI, or by S-NSSAI.

[0046] In some embodiments, the DNN and S-NSSAI are obtained from the AF network element via the NEF network element.

[0047] In some embodiments, when energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of a user group is obtained, it is considered that energy consumption restriction is required for the user group.

[0048] In some embodiments, when the energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of a user group is not obtained, it is considered that the user group does not need to be subject to energy consumption restriction.

[0049] In some embodiments, the energy-saving service information may be energy-saving service identification information.

[0050] By combining the energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information obtained from the AF network element with the size information of the user group obtained from the AF network element, the size information of the user group is mapped or converted to obtain the maximum energy consumption information of the user group.

[0051] In step 120, the maximum energy consumption information of the user group is determined according to the energy-saving service information or the energy-saving identification information.

[0052] In some embodiments, the maximum energy consumption information may be referred to as a maximum energy consumption rate.

[0053] In some embodiments, when the energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of the user group is obtained, the maximum energy consumption information of the user group is obtained using the preset network deployment information.

[0054] In some embodiments, when the energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of the user group is obtained, the maximum energy consumption information of the user group is obtained from the pre-configuration information using the preset network deployment information.

[0055] In some embodiments, when the energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of the user group is obtained, the preset network deployment information mapping or conversion is used to obtain the maximum energy consumption information of the user group from the pre-configured information.

[0056] In some embodiments, the network deployment information includes at least one of size information of the user group and network service area scope information of the user group.

[0057] In some embodiments, obtaining the maximum energy consumption information of the user group from the pre-configuration information using the network deployment information includes searching the pre-configuration information for the maximum energy consumption information corresponding to the network deployment information.

[0058] In some embodiments, the pre-configuration information includes a mapping table from network deployment information to maximum energy consumption information.

[0059] In some embodiments, the maximum energy consumption information corresponding to the network deployment information is searched from a mapping table by using a table lookup method.

[0060] The maximum energy consumption information obtained can be used as a basis or reference for energy consumption restriction of a user group during the process of restricting energy consumption.

[0061] In step 130, the subscription data is sent to the UDM network element, wherein the subscription data includes maximum energy consumption information, so that the UDM network element stores the subscription data.

[0062] In some embodiments, the UDM network element sends the subscription data to the UDR network element so that the UDR network element stores the subscription data.

[0063] In some embodiments, the subscription data may further include other group data, where the other group data is obtained from the AF network element.

[0064] By determining the maximum energy consumption information, the energy consumption information of the user group at a specified time interval is limited by the maximum energy consumption information. Some data without time-sensitive requirements can be transmitted when the network is idle, thereby reducing network congestion and other situations.

[0065] In some embodiments, the designated time may be a day.

[0066] In the energy consumption limiting method provided in the above embodiment, the energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of a user group is obtained, and network deployment information is used to determine the maximum energy consumption information of the user group. Energy consumption is then further limited on the core network side for this user group, achieving cost savings and improving energy efficiency. Furthermore, for user groups, this supports national carbon emission controls. Based on meeting service needs, operators can reach energy consumption limit agreements with user groups, reducing network deployment costs.

[0067] FIG2 shows a block diagram of some embodiments of the NEF network element of the present disclosure.

[0068] As shown in FIG2 , the NEF network element 20 includes an acquiring unit 21 , a determining unit 22 and a sending unit 23 .

[0069] The acquiring unit 21 is configured to acquire energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of a user group.

[0070] In some embodiments, the energy-saving service information is used to indicate that the user group supports the energy-saving service. In addition, the energy-saving service information may also include other requirements of the user group for the energy-saving service; the energy-saving identification information is only used to indicate that the user group supports the energy-saving service.

[0071] In some embodiments, the acquiring unit is configured to acquire energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information from the AF network element.

[0072] In some embodiments, the user group is identified by DNN and S-NSSAI, or alternatively, by S-NSSAI.

[0073] In some embodiments, the DNN and S-NSSAI are obtained from the AF network element via the NEF network element.

[0074] The determining unit 22 is configured to determine the maximum energy consumption information of the user group according to the energy-saving service information or the energy-saving identification information.

[0075] In some embodiments, the determining unit 22 is configured to obtain the maximum energy consumption information of the user group by using preset network deployment information when the energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of the user group is obtained.

[0076] In some embodiments, the determining unit 22 is configured to obtain the maximum energy consumption information of the user group from the pre-configured information using the preset network deployment information when the energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of the user group is obtained.

[0077] In some embodiments, the determining unit 22 is configured to use preset network deployment information mapping or conversion to obtain the maximum energy consumption information of the user group from the pre-configured information when the energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of the user group is obtained.

[0078] In some embodiments, the network deployment information includes at least one of size information of the user group and network service area scope information of the user group.

[0079] In some embodiments, the pre-configuration information includes a mapping table from network deployment information to maximum energy consumption information.

[0080] The sending unit 23 is configured to send the subscription data to the UDM network element, where the subscription data includes maximum energy consumption information.

[0081] In the NEF network element provided in the above embodiment, the energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of the user group is obtained, and network deployment information is used to determine the maximum energy consumption information of the user group. Energy consumption of the user group is further limited on the core network side, thereby achieving cost savings and improving energy efficiency. In addition, for user groups, this supports national carbon emission control. Based on meeting business needs, operators can reach energy consumption limit agreements with user groups, reducing network deployment costs.

[0082] FIG3 shows a block diagram of some other embodiments of the NEF network element of the present disclosure.

[0083] As shown in FIG3 , the NEF network element 30 of this embodiment includes: a memory 31 and a processor 32 coupled to the memory 31 . The processor 32 is configured to execute the energy consumption limiting method in any embodiment of the present disclosure based on instructions stored in the memory 31 .

[0084] The memory 31 may include, for example, a system memory, a fixed non-volatile storage medium, etc. The system memory may store, for example, an operating system, application programs, a boot loader, and other programs.

[0085] NEF network element 30 may also include input / output interfaces 33, a network interface 34, and a storage interface 35. These interfaces 33, 34, and 35, as well as the memory 31 and processor 32, may be connected, for example, via a bus 36. The input / output interface 33 provides a connection interface for input / output devices such as a display, mouse, keyboard, touch screen, microphone, and speakers. The network interface 34 provides a connection interface for various networked devices. The storage interface 35 provides a connection interface for external storage devices such as SD cards and USB flash drives.

[0086] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the program is capable of implementing any energy consumption limiting method of the present disclosure when executed by a processor.

[0087] FIG4 shows a block diagram of some embodiments of the communication system of the present disclosure.

[0088] As shown in Figure 4, the communication system 40 includes: a NEF network element 41, whose specific implementation method can refer to other embodiments of the present disclosure; an AF network element 42, which is configured to send energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of the user group to the NEF network element 41; and a UDM network element 43, which is configured to receive and store the contract data sent by the NEF network element 41, wherein the contract data includes maximum energy consumption information.

[0089] In the above-described embodiment, the communication system uses network deployment information to determine the maximum energy consumption of a user group by acquiring its energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information. This system then applies energy consumption limits to the user group on the core network side, thereby reducing costs and improving energy efficiency. Furthermore, for user groups, this supports national carbon emission controls. While meeting service needs, operators can reach energy consumption limit agreements with user groups, reducing network deployment costs.

[0090] Figure 5 shows a block diagram of another embodiment of the communication system of the present disclosure. Figure 5 differs from Figure 4 in that, in the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the communication system 40 further includes a UDR network element 44, wherein the UDM network element 43 is configured to send subscription data to the UDR network element 44. The UDR network element 44 is configured to store the subscription data.

[0091] FIG6 is a flowchart illustrating other embodiments of the energy consumption limiting method disclosed herein.

[0092] As shown in FIG6 , the energy consumption limiting method includes steps 610 - 670 .

[0093] In step 610, the AF network element sends a parameter creation or update request (eg, Nnef_ParameterProvision_Create / Update request) via the service-oriented interface Nnef of the NEF network element. The request includes adding energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information to the group subscription data.

[0094] In step 620, the NEF network element uses preset network deployment information mapping or conversion according to the energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information to obtain maximum energy consumption information.

[0095] In some embodiments, when the energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of the user group is obtained, the maximum energy consumption information of the user group is obtained from the pre-configuration information using the preset network deployment information.

[0096] In some embodiments, obtaining the maximum energy consumption information of the user group from the pre-configuration information using the network deployment information includes searching the pre-configuration information for the maximum energy consumption information corresponding to the network deployment information.

[0097] The maximum energy consumption information obtained can be used as a basis or reference for energy consumption restriction of a user group during the process of restricting energy consumption.

[0098] In some embodiments, the maximum energy consumption information may be configured into the UDM network element or the UDR network element through OAM.

[0099] Among them, OAM supports the calculation and statistics of energy consumption. There is an interface between the Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) network element on the core network side and OAM. This interface can be used by the core network side to obtain energy consumption data from OAM.

[0100] In step 630, the NEF network element sends a parameter creation or update request (eg, Nudm_ParameterProvision_Create / Update request) via the service interface Nudm of the UDM network element. The request includes adding the maximum energy consumption information to the group subscription data so that the UDM network element stores the maximum energy consumption information.

[0101] In step 640 , the UDM network element sends a query request (eg, Nudr_DM_Query) through the service interface Nudr of the UDR network element so that the UDR network element stores the maximum energy consumption information.

[0102] In step 645, the UDR network element returns a parameter creation or update response (eg, Nudr_ParameterProvision_Create / Update response) to the UDM network element through the service-based interface Nudr.

[0103] In step 650, the UDM network element updates the request (eg, Nudr_DM_Update) through the service interface Nudr of the UDR network element.

[0104] In step 655, the UDR network element returns a parameter creation or update response (eg, Nudr_ParameterProvision_Create / Update response) to the UDM network element through the service interface Nudr.

[0105] In step 660 , the UDM network element returns a parameter creation or update response (eg, Nudm_ParameterProvision_Create / Update response) through the service-based interface Nudm.

[0106] In step 670, the NEF network element returns a parameter creation or update response (eg, Nnef_ParameterProvision_Create / Update response) to the AF network element through the service-based interface Nnef.

[0107] In the energy consumption limiting method provided in the above embodiment, the energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of a user group is obtained, and network deployment information is used to determine the maximum energy consumption information of the user group. Energy consumption is then further limited on the core network side for this user group, achieving cost savings and improving energy efficiency. Furthermore, for user groups, this supports national carbon emission controls. Based on meeting service needs, operators can reach energy consumption limit agreements with user groups, reducing network deployment costs.

[0108] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present disclosure may take the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. Furthermore, the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable non-transient storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0109] The energy consumption limiting method, NEF network element, communication system, and storage medium according to the present disclosure have been described in detail. To avoid obscuring the concepts of the present disclosure, some details known in the art have been omitted. Based on the above description, those skilled in the art will fully understand how to implement the technical solutions disclosed herein.

[0110] The methods and systems of the present disclosure may be implemented in many ways. For example, the methods and systems of the present disclosure may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination of software, hardware, and firmware. The above order of steps for the method is for illustration only, and the steps of the method of the present disclosure are not limited to the order specifically described above unless otherwise specified. In addition, in some embodiments, the present disclosure may also be implemented as programs recorded in a recording medium, which include machine-readable instructions for implementing the methods according to the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure also covers recording media that store programs for executing the methods according to the present disclosure.

[0111] Although some specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail by way of examples, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that modifications may be made to the above embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An energy consumption limiting method, comprising: Obtain energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of a user group; Determining maximum energy consumption information of the user group according to the energy-saving service information or the energy-saving identification information; as well as The contract data is sent to a unified data management (UDM) network element, wherein the contract data includes the maximum energy consumption information.

2. The energy consumption limiting method according to claim 1, wherein: The determining the maximum energy consumption information of the user group according to the energy-saving service information or the energy-saving identification information includes: When the energy-saving service information or the energy-saving identification information of the user group is obtained, the maximum energy consumption information of the user group is obtained using preset network deployment information.

3. The energy consumption limiting method according to claim 2, wherein: The network deployment information includes at least one of scale information of the user group and network service area scope information of the user group.

4. The energy consumption limiting method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The step of obtaining the energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of the user group includes: The energy-saving service information or the energy-saving identification information is acquired from an application function AF network element.

5. The energy consumption limiting method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The user group is identified by the data network name DNN and the single network slice auxiliary information S-NSSAI, or, alternatively, by S-NSSAI.

6. A network open function NEF network element, comprising: An acquisition unit, configured to acquire energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of a user group; a determining unit configured to determine the maximum energy consumption information of the user group according to the energy-saving service information or the energy-saving identification information; as well as The sending unit is configured to send the contract data to a unified data management (UDM) network element, wherein the contract data includes the maximum energy consumption information.

7. The NEF network element according to claim 6, wherein the determining unit is configured to obtain the maximum energy consumption information of the user group by using preset network deployment information when the energy-saving service information or the energy-saving identification information of the user group is obtained.

8. The NEF network element according to claim 7, wherein: The network deployment information includes at least one of scale information of the user group and network service area scope information of the user group.

9. The NEF network element according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the acquisition unit is configured to acquire the energy-saving service information or the energy-saving identification information from an application function AF network element.

10. The NEF network element according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein: The user group is identified by the data network name DNN and the single network slice auxiliary information S-NSSAI, or, alternatively, by S-NSSAI.

11. A network open function NEF network element, comprising: Memory; and A processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the energy consumption limiting method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 based on instructions stored in the memory.

12. A communication system comprising: The NEF network element according to any one of claims 6 to 11; An application function AF network element, configured to send energy-saving service information or energy-saving identification information of a user group to the NEF network element; as well as The unified data management (UDM) network element is configured to receive and store the subscription data sent by the NEF network element, wherein the subscription data includes maximum energy consumption information.

13. The communication system according to claim 12, further comprising a unified data storage (UDR) network element, wherein: The UDM network element is configured to send the subscription data to the UDR network element; The UDR network element is configured to store the subscription data.

14. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein when the program is executed by a processor, the energy consumption limiting method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is implemented.

15. A computer program comprising: Instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to execute the energy consumption limiting method as described in any one of claims 1-5.

16. A computer program product comprising: Instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to execute the energy consumption limiting method as described in any one of claims 1-5.

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