Enhancements to the background data transfer procedure for energy efficiency

Abstract

Methods, apparatuses, and systems for an enhanced background data transfer are provided. An enhanced background data transfer procedure is provided. In the enhanced background data transfer procedure, a policy control function (PCF) transmits an energy consumption estimate request to an energy efficiency control function (EECF). The EECF transmits an energy consumption estimate response including one or more relative energy consumption values for one or more background data transfer policies. The PCF constructs one or more enhanced background data transfer policies using the one or more relative energy consumption values. The PCF may provide information about an energy consumption associated with each background data transfer policy and / or the one or more enhanced background data transfer policies including the one or more relative energy consumption values, to an application function (AF). The AF may use the enhanced background data transfer policies to minimize the energy consumption of the background data transfer.

Description

ENHANCEMENTS TO THE BACKGROUND DATA TRANSFER PROCEDURE FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCYCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 552,832, filed February 13, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND

[0002] Fifth generation communication systems (5G) provide a background data transfer procedure. The background data transfer procedure may be used to schedule upload and / or download of data between a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) and an application server (AS) at a predetermined time. However, the conventional background data transfer procedure does not consider energy consumed in the background data transfer. The conventional background data transfer procedure is inefficient and consumes excessive energy. Therefore, there is a need for an enhanced background data transfer procedure that considers energy consumed during the background data transfer.SUMMARY

[0003] In various embodiments of the present disclosure, a method performed by a policy control function (PCF) is provided. The method includes receiving, from an application function (AF), a request for a background data transfer (BDT) policy. The request includes one or more BDT parameters. The method includes determining a plurality of BDT policies based at least on the one or more BDT parameters. The method includes transmitting, to an energy efficiency control function (EECF), an energy consumption estimate request. The method includes receiving, from the EECF, an energy consumption estimate response indicative of a plurality of energy consumption values associated with the plurality of BDT policies. The method includes transmitting, to the AF, a response indicative of the plurality of BDT policies and the plurality of energy consumption values.

[0004] In an embodiment, the method comprises receiving, from the AF, an update message indicative of a BDT policy of the plurality of BDT policies. The method includes storing, in a user data repository (UDR), the BDT policy and a corresponding energy consumption value.

[0005] In an embodiment, the method includes obtaining, from a network data analytics function (NWDAF), network performance analytics information associated with the one or more BDT parameters. The method includes determining the plurality of BDT policies based at least on the network performance analytics information.

[0006] In an embodiment, the method includes receiving, from the AF, an indication for data transfer in one or more time windows associated with low energy consumption.

[0007] In an embodiment, the method includes receiving, from the AF, an indication for the BDT policy optimized to minimize a monetary cost associated with data transfer.

[0008] In an embodiment, the method includes receiving, from the AF, an indication for the BDT policy optimized to minimize an energy cost associated with data transfer.

[0009] In an embodiment, the method includes constructing a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) route selection policy (URSP) rule for one or more WTRUs associated with the BDT policy. The method includes transmitting the URSP rule to a WTRU of the one or more WTRUs.

[0010] In an embodiment, the method includes receiving, from the EECF, an energy consumption update notification indicative of change in one or more energy consumption values of the plurality of energy consumption values. The method includes transmitting, to the AF, a BDT policy negotiation request in response to receiving the energy consumption update notification.

[0011] In various embodiments of the present disclosure, an apparatus comprising a processor is provided. The processor is configured to receive, from an AF, a request for a BDT policy, wherein the request includes one or more BDT parameters. The processor is configured to determine a plurality of BDT policies based at least on the one or more BDT parameters. The processor is configured to transmit, to an EECF, an energy consumption estimate request. The processor is configured to receive, from the EECF, an energy consumption estimate response indicative of a plurality of energy consumption values associated with the plurality of BDT policies. The processor is configured to transmit, to the AF, a response indicative of the plurality of BDT policies and the plurality of energy consumption values.

[0012] In an embodiment, the processor is further configured to receive, from the AF, an update message indicative of a BDT policy of the plurality of BDT policies. The processor is configured to store, in a UDR, the BDT policy and a corresponding energy consumption value.

[0013] In an embodiment, the processor is configured to obtain, from a NWDAF, network performance analytics information associated with the one or more BDT parameters. The processor is configured to determine the plurality of BDT policies based at least on the network performance analytics information.

[0014] In an embodiment, the processor is further configured to receive, from the AF, an indication for data transfer in one or more time windows associated with low energy consumption.

[0015] In an embodiment, the processor is configured to construct a URSP rule for one or more WTRUs associated with the BDT policy. The processor is configured to transmit the URSP rule to a WTRU of the one or more WTRUs.

[0016] In an embodiment, the processor is configured to receive, from the EECF, an energy consumption update notification indicative of change in one or more energy consumption values of the plurality of energy consumption values. The processor is configured to transmit, to the AF, a BDT policy negotiation request in response to receiving the energy consumption update notification.

[0017] In an embodiment, at least one of the energy consumption update notification or the BDT policy negotiation request is indicative of one or more updated energy consumption values.

[0018] In an embodiment, the one or more BDT parameters include at least one of: a number of a plurality of WTRUs associated with a background data transfer, a volume of data transmitted associated with the background data transfer, a time window of the background data transfer, a plurality of locations of the plurality of WTRUs, a media access control (MAC) address of an application server (AS) associated with the AF, or a ratio of a quality of service (QoS) to energy consumption.

[0019] In an embodiment, the response is indicative of one or more of: the plurality of energy consumption values, one or more burst size values associated with one or more BDT policies, one or more burst times associated with the one or more BDT policies, or one or more data rate values associated with the one or more BDT policies.

[0020] In an embodiment, the energy consumption estimate response is indicative of one or more discontinuous reception (DRX) configurations.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] A more detailed understanding may be had from the following description, given by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals in the figures indicate like elements, and wherein:

[0022] FIG. 1A is a system diagram illustrating an example communications system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented;

[0023] FIG. 1 B is a system diagram illustrating an example wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment;

[0024] FIG. 1C is a system diagram illustrating an example radio access network (RAN) and an example core network (CN) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment;

[0025] FIG. 1 D is a system diagram illustrating a further example RAN and a further example CN that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment;

[0026] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process for energy aware background data transfer according to one or more embodiments; and

[0027] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for energy aware background data transfer according to one or more embodiments.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] As discussed herein, one or more abbreviations in the following (non-exhaustive) list, shown in Table 1, may be used herein.Table 1

[0029] The terms AS and AF may be used interchangeably in the description. A network function (NF) that provides energy information may be referred to as an EECF, an EESSF and / or an EEF. An NWDAF may provide the functionality that is described as being provided by the EECF.

[0030] FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating an example communications system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communications system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content, such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc., to multiple wireless users. The communications system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through the sharing of system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communications systems 100 may employ one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), singlecarrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero-tail unique-word discrete Fourier transform Spread OFDM (ZT-UW-DFT-S- OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block-filtered OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), and the like.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 1A, the communications system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, a radio access network (RAN) 104, a core network (ON) 106, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112, though it will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / orcommunicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, any of which may be referred to as a station (STA), may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and may include a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscription-based unit, a pager, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fl device, an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and 102d may be interchangeably referred to as a UE.

[0032] The com munications systems 100 may also incl ude a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the CN 106, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a NodeB, an eNode B (eNB), a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, a next generation NodeB, such as a gNode B (gNB), a new radio (NR) NodeB, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. While the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0033] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 104, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), relay nodes, and the like. The base station 114a and / or the base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). These frequencies may be in licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide coverage for a wireless service to a specific geographical area that may be relatively fixed or that may change over time. The cell may further be divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, i.e., one for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) technology and may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to transmit and / or receive signals in desired spatial directions.

[0034] The base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0035] More specifically, as noted above, the communications system 100 may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and the like. For example, the base station 114a in the RAN 104 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High-Speed Downlink (DL) Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High-Speed Uplink (UL) Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0036] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and / or LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[0037] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as NR Radio Access , which may establish the air interface 116 using NR.

[0038] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement LTE radio access and NR radio access together, for instance using dual connectivity (DC) principles. Thus, the air interface utilized by WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions sent to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., an eNB and a gNB).

[0039] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), and the like.

[0040] The base station 114b in FIG. 1A may be a wireless router, Home Node B, Home eNode B, or access point, for example, and may utilize any suitable RAT for facilitating wireless connectivity in a localized area, such as a place of business, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a roadway, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. As shown in FIG. 1A, the base station 114b may have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Thus, the base station 114b may not be required to access the Internet 110 via the CN 106.

[0041] The RAN 104 may be in communication with the CN 106, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have varying quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as differing throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, and the like. The CN 106 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, pre-paid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform high-level security functions, such as user authentication. Although not shown in FIG. 1A, it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 and / or the CN 106 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104, which may be utilizing a NR radio technology, the CN 106 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) employing a GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0042] The CN 106 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include circuit-switched telephone networks that provide plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP) and / or the internet protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired and / or wireless communications networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 or a different RAT.

[0043] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communications system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links). For example, the WTRU 102c shown in FIG. 1A may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellularbased radio technology, and with the base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0044] FIG. 1B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. As shown in FIG. 1 B, the WTRU 102 may include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138, among others. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0045] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and the like. The processor 118 may perform signal coding, data processing, power control,input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. While FIG. 1B depicts the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 as separate components, it will be appreciated that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0046] The transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit signals to, or receive signals from, a base station (e.g., the base station 114a) over the air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In an embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive IR, UV, or visible light signals, for example. In yet another embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive both RF and light signals. It will be appreciated that the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0047] Although the transmit / receive element 122 is depicted in FIG. 1B as a single element, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[0048] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate the signals that are to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and to demodulate the signals that are received by the transmit / receive element 122. As noted above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.11 , for example.

[0049] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to, and may receive user input data from, the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, any type of suitable memory, such as the non-removable memory 130 and / or the removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0050] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134, and may be configured to distribute and / or control the power to the other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or moredry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li- ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, and the like.

[0051] The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to, or in lieu of, the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information over the air interface 116 from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) and / or determine its location based on the timing of the signals being received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by way of any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0052] The processor 118 may further be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an e-compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photographs and / or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands free headset, a Bluetooth® module, a frequency modulated (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an Internet browser, a Virtual Reality and / or Augmented Reality (VR / AR) device, an activity tracker, and the like. The peripherals 138 may include one or more sensors. The sensors may be one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, an orientation sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor; a geolocation sensor, an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, a humidity sensor and the like.

[0053] The WTRU 102 may include a full duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for both the UL (e.g., for transmission) and DL (e.g., for reception) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous. The full duplex radio may include an interference management unit to reduce and or substantially eliminate self-interference via either hardware (e.g., a choke) or signal processing via a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or via processor 118). In an embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include a half-duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for either the UL (e.g., for transmission) or the DL (e.g., for reception)).

[0054] FIG. 1C is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ an E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0055] The RAN 104 may include eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMOtechnology. Thus, the eNode-B 160a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a.

[0056] Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, and the like. As shown in FIG. 1 C, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another over an X2 interface.

[0057] The CN 106 shown in FIG. 1C may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, a serving gateway (SGW) 164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway (PGW) 166. While the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0058] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 162a, 162b, 162c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during an initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like. The MME 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0059] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the eNode Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via the S1 interface. The SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164 may perform other functions, such as anchoring user planes during inter-eNode B handovers, triggering paging when DL data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing contexts of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like.

[0060] The SGW 164 may be connected to the PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0061] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices. For example, the CN 106 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0062] Although the WTRU is described in FIGS. 1A-1 D as a wireless terminal, it is contemplated that in certain representative embodiments that such a terminal may use (e.g., temporarily or permanently) wired communication interfaces with the communication network.

[0063] In representative embodiments, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0064] A WLAN in Infrastructure Basic Service Set (BSS) mode may have an Access Point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP may have access or an interface to a Distribution System (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic in to and / or out of the BSS. Traffic to STAs that originates from outside the BSS may arrive through the AP and may be delivered to the STAs. Traffic originating from STAs to destinations outside the BSS may be sent to the AP to be delivered to respective destinations. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be sent through the AP, for example, where the source STA may transmit traffic to the AP and the AP may deliver the traffic to the destination STA. The traffic between STAs within a BSS may be considered and / or referred to as peer-to-peer traffic. The peer- to-peer traffic may be sent between (e.g., directly between) the source and destination STAs with a direct link setup (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use an 802.11e DLS or an 802.11z tunneled DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an Independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and the STAs (e.g., all of the STAs) within or using the IBSS may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS mode of communication may sometimes be referred to herein as an “ad-hoc” mode of communication.

[0065] When using the 802.11ac infrastructure mode of operation or a similar mode of operations, the AP may transmit a beacon on a fixed channel, such as a primary channel. The primary channel may be a fixed width (e.g., 20 MHz wide bandwidth) or a dynamically set width. The primary channel may be the operating channel of the BSS and may be used by the STAs to establish a connection with the AP. In certain representative embodiments, Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA) may be implemented, for example in 802.11 systems. For CSMA / CA, the STAs (e.g., every STA), including the AP, may sense the primary channel. If the primary channel is sensed / detected and / or determined to be busy by a particular STA, the particular STA may back off. One STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any given time in a given BSS.

[0066] High Throughput (HT) STAs may use a 40 MHz wide channel for communication, for example, via a combination of the primary 20 MHz channel with an adjacent or nonadjacent 20 MHz channel to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[0067] Very High Throughput (VHT) STAs may support 20MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and / or 160 MHz wide channels. The 40 MHz, and / or 80 MHz, channels may be formed by combining contiguous 20 MHz channels. A 160 MHz channel may be formed by combining 8 contiguous 20 MHz channels, or by combining two noncontiguous 80 MHz channels, which may be referred to as an 80+80 configuration. For the 80+80 configuration, the data, after channel encoding, may be passed through a segment parser that may divide the data into two streams. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) processing, and time domain processing, may be done on each stream separately. The streams may be mapped on to the two 80 MHz channels, and the data may be transmitted by a transmitting STA. At the receiver of the receiving STA, the above described operation for the 80+80 configuration may be reversed, and the combined data may be sent to the Medium Access Control (MAC).

[0068] Sub 1 GHz modes of operation are supported by 802.11 af and 802.11ah. The channel operating bandwidths, and carriers, are reduced in 802.11af and 802.11ah relative to those used in 802.11n, and 802.11ac. 802.11af supports 5 MHz, 10 MHz, and 20 MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.11ah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.11ah may support Meter Type Control / Machine- Type Communications (MTC), such as MTC devices in a macro coverage area. MTC devices may have certain capabilities, for example, limited capabilities including support for (e.g., only support for) certain and / or limited bandwidths. The MTC devices may include a battery with a battery life above a threshold (e.g., to maintain a very long battery life).

[0069] WLAN systems, which may support multiple channels, and channel bandwidths, such as 802.11 n, 802.11ac, 802.11af, and 802.11ah, include a channel which may be designated as the primary channel. The primary channel may have a bandwidth equal to the largest common operating bandwidth supported by all ST As in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be set and / or limited by a STA, from among all STAs in operating in a BSS, which supports the smallest bandwidth operating mode. In the example of 802.11ah, the primary channel may be 1 MHz wide for STAs (e.g., MTC type devices) that support (e.g., only support) a 1 MHz mode, even if the AP, and other STAs in the BSS support 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 16 MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and / or Network Allocation Vector (NAV) settings may depend on the status of the primary channel. If the primary channel is busy, for example, due to a STA (which supports only a 1 MHz operating mode) transmitting to the AP, all available frequency bands may be considered busy even though a majority of the available frequency bands remains idle.

[0070] In the United States, the available frequency bands, which may be used by 802.11 ah, are from 902 MHz to 928 MHz. In Korea, the available frequency bands are from 917.5 MHz to 923.5 MHz. In Japan, the available frequency bands are from 916.5 MHz to 927.5 MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11 ah is 6 MHz to 26 MHz depending on the country code.

[0071] FIG. 1D is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ an NR radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0072] The RAN 104 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, gNBs 180a, 108b may utilize beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, the gNB 180a may transmit multiple component carriers to the WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on unlicensed spectrum while theremaining component carriers may be on licensed spectrum. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) technology. For example, WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from gNB 180a and gNB 180b (and / or gNB 180c).

[0073] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with a scalable numerology. For example, the OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframe or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of various or scalable lengths (e.g., containing a varying number of OFDM symbols and / or lasting varying lengths of absolute time).

[0074] The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be configured to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in a standalone configuration and / or a non-standalone configuration. In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c without also accessing other RANs (e.g., such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c). In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may utilize one or more of gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c as a mobility anchor point. In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using signals in an unlicensed band. In a non-standalone configuration WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with / connect to gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c while also communicating with / connecting to another RAN such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c. For example, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement DC principles to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c and one or more eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c substantially simultaneously. In the non- standalone configuration, eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may serve as a mobility anchor for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may provide additional coverage and / or throughput for servicing WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0075] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, support of network slicing, DC, interworking between NR and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data towards User Plane Function (UPF) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information towards Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 182a, 182b and the like. As shown in FIG. 1 D, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may communicate with one another over an Xn interface.

[0076] The CN 106 shown in FIG. 1D may include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one Session Management Function (SMF) 183a, 183b, and possibly a Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b. While the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0077] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 104 via an N2 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, support for network slicing (e.g., handling of different protocol data unit (PDU) sessions with different reouirements), selecting a particular SMF 183a, 183b,management of the registration area, termination of non-access stratum (NAS) signaling, mobility management, and the like. Network slicing may be used by the AMF 182a, 182b in order to customize CN support for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c based on the types of services being utilized WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. For example, different network slices may be established for different use cases such as services relying on ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) access, services relying on enhanced massive mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services for MTC access, and the like. The AMF 182a, 182b may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, and / or non-3GPP access technologies such as WiFi.

[0078] The SMF 183a, 183b may be connected to an AMF 182a, 182b in the CN 106 via an N11 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may also be connected to a UPF 184a, 184b in the CN 106 via an N4 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may select and control the UPF 184a, 184b and configure the routing of traffic through the UPF 184a, 184b. The SMF 183a, 183b may perform other functions, such as managing and allocating UE IP address, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, providing DL data notifications, and the like. A PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP based, Ethernet-based, and the like.

[0079] The UPF 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 104 via an N3 interface, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The UPF 184, 184b may perform other functions, such as routing and forwarding packets, enforcing user plane policies, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering DL packets, providing mobility anchoring, and the like.

[0080] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers. In one embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to a local DN 185a, 185b through the UPF 184a, 184b via the N3 interface to the UPF 184a, 184b and an N6 interface between the UPF 184a, 184b and the DN 185a, 185b.

[0081] In view of FIGs. 1A-1 D, and the corresponding description of FIGs. 1A-1 D, one or more, or all, of the functions described herein with regard to one or more of: WTRU 102a-d, Base Station 114a-b, eNode-B 160a-c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNB 180a-c, AMF 182a-b, UPF 184a-b, SMF 183a-b, DN 185a-b, and / or any other device(s) described herein, may be performed by one or more emulation devices (not shown). The emulation devices may be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more, or all, of the functions described herein. For example, the emulation devices may be used to test other devices and / or to simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0082] The emulation devices may be designed to implement one or more tests of other devices in a lab environment and / or in an operator network environment. For example, the one or more emulation devices mayperform the one or more, or all, functions while being fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network in order to test other devices within the communication network. The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The emulation device may be directly coupled to another device for purposes of testing and / or performing testing using over-the-air wireless communications.

[0083] The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, including all, functions while not being implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, the emulation devices may be utilized in a testing scenario in a testing laboratory and / or a non-deployed (e.g., testing) wired and / or wireless communication network in order to implement testing of one or more components. The one or more emulation devices may be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communications via RF circuitry (e.g., which may include one or more antennas) may be used by the emulation devices to transmit and / or receive data.

[0084] Fifth generation (5G) systems may support a background data transfer (BDT) feature. The BDT feature maybe used in scenarios when an application server (AS) schedules a known volume of data to be transferred to / from a device (such as but not limited to a WTRU) and the data may be transferred sometime within a desired time window. For example, a software upgrade scheduled for sometime in next week may use the BDT feature, a large amount of sensor data scheduled for uploading sometime in the next week may use the BDT feature, etc. In these examples, the desired time window may be the next week.

[0085] The AS may invoke an application programming interface (API) of a policy control function (PCF) and provide the PCF with information about the desired background data transfer. In an example, the AS may provide the PCF with a number of WTRUs that need to be involved in a transfer, an amount of data to be transferred, and an area (e.g. location or position etc.) where the WTRUs that are involved in the background data transfer are expected to be located.

[0086] When the PCF receives a BDT request from the AS, the PCF may retrieve analytics information associated with network performance from a network data analytics function (NWDAF). In an example, the PCF may obtain, from the NWDAF, the information of a level of activity that is expected in the network in the area and in the time window indicated by the AS.

[0087] The PCF may use the information obtained from the NWDAF and the information from the BDT request to construct one or more transfer policies. Each transfer policy may include a reference to one or more charging rules (i.e. an indication of a monetary cost), a recommended time window, a maximum uplink data rate, and / or a maximum downlink data rate etc.

[0088] The PCF may transmit the one or more transfer policies to the AS.

[0089] The AS may select a policy. In an example, the AS may select a transfer policy that is associated with a lowest monetary cost and / or an earliest time window.

[0090] The AS may indicate to the PCF which transfer policy was selected.

[0091] The PCF may store the selected transfer policy in a user data repository (UDR). The PCF and / or another PCF that serves any PDU session that the transfer policy applies to, may retrieve the transfer policy before the data transfer starts and may apply the transfer policy. Furthermore, the PCF that serves any WTRUs involved in the data transfer for one or more access management (AM) policies may retrieve the transfer policy and use the transfer policy to construct one or more WTRU (e.g., UE) route selection policy (URSP) rules for the WTRUs and transmit the one or more URSP rules to the WTRUs.

[0092] During the data transfer, the network may collect information about the data transfer (e.g. volume, time, bit rate, and / or applicable transfer policy etc.). In an example, one or more rules of the transfer policy might not be enforced by the network, however, the network may create one or more offline charging data records (CDRs) that record information about the data transfer and, when processing the one or more offline CDRs, determine that the transfer policy was violated and that a charging rate other than what was indicated in the transfer policy should be applied. In an example, the interaction between the PCF and the AS may take place via a network exposure function (NEF).

[0093] An energy efficiency control function (EECF) is a function that may collect information from one or more network nodes (e.g. network functions and / or base stations etc.) and provide energy consumption and / or efficiency related information based on the request from 5GC NF and / or AF etc.

[0094] The AS may request one or more BDT policies from the core network. The AS may receive the one or more transfer policies from the core network, select the transfer policy to use, and transmit a message to the core network to indicate which transfer policy was selected by the AS.

[0095] The conventional BDT feature of the 5G systems may be used for planning data transfers that are not time sensitive (e.g. software updates and / or not media streaming etc.). The conventional BDT feature may facilitate the network to recommend that the AS perform the data transfer at the time when the network is not likely to be busy and the network work resources are likely to be relatively under-utilized.

[0096] A drawback, or shortcoming, of the conventional background data transfer procedure is that the conventional background data transfer procedure is not designed to help minimize an energy consumption that is necessary to perform the data transfer. Here, the energy consumption may refer to the energy consumption of one or more 5G system nodes such as but not limited to the WTRU, the base station and / or one or more core network functions etc.

[0097] In an example, the conventional data transfer process may allow the AS to indicate how many WTRUs data needs to be transferred to, how much data needs to be transferred to each WTRU, where the WTRUs are likely to be located, and a time window of when the AS needs to perform the data transfer. However, the conventional data transfer process does not allow the AS to provide additional information that may assist the core network in constructing the one or more transfer policies that may minimize the energy consumption that is necessary to perform the data transfer.

[0098] In an example, the conventional data transfer process may involve the PCF obtaining the network performance analytics associated with the area of the network where the data transfer needs to take place and in the time window when the data transfer needs to take place. However, the conventional data transfer process may not involve the PCF determining information about the energy consumption that might be required for the data transfer.

[0099] In an example, the conventional data transfer process may not allow the PCF to provide the AS with information about the energy cost that may be associated with using a transfer policy. Thus, the AS may not able to consider the energy cost that may be associated with using the data transfer policy and therefore, may only able to select the transfer policy that is based on the charging rate and not based on an energy cost. In some examples, it may be preferred that the software upgrade and / or download take place at times that minimize the energy cost, even if selecting the transfer policy that minimizes the energy cost may result in a higher monetary charging rate.

[0100] In an example, the conventional data transfer process does not allow the PCF to provide the AS with information that may be used by the AS to minimize the energy consumption when performing a data transfer.

[0101] In various embodiments of the present disclosure, various enhancements to the background data transfer process (e.g. an enhanced background data transfer process) are provided. In one or more embodiments of the BDT process of the present disclosure, the PCF may construct one or more BDT policies (e.g. one or more enhanced BDT policies) that consider the energy consumption that may occur if each BDT policy is used. In one or more embodiments of the BDT process of the present disclosure, information about energy consumption that may be associated with each BDT policy can be provided to the AF so that the AF can, for example, minimize the energy that is consumed by one or more data transfers.

[0102] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the PCF may receive a request for a BDT policy. The request may indicate that a requester (such as but not limited to the AF) prefers a BDT policy that is optimized to minimize energy consumption that is associated with the data transfer.

[0103] The PCF may transfer an energy consumption estimate request to the EECF. The energy consumption estimate request may include one or more BDT policies. The one or more BDT policies may be determined based at least on the information received in the request for the BDT policy.

[0104] The PCF may receive an energy consumption estimate response from the EECF. The energy consumption estimate response may include a relative energy consumption value that is associated with each BDT policy.

[0105] The PCF may transmit a response to the request for the BDT policy. The response may include the one or more BDT policies. This response may further indicate an energy cost (e.g. the energy consumption value) associated with using each BDT policy of the one or more BDT policies. The response may also include a burst size for each BDT policy, a burst on time for the BDT policy, and / or a burst off time for the BDT policyetc. In an example, the response may include one or more enhanced BDT policies that include corresponding one or more energy consumption values.

[0106] The PCF may store at least one BDT policy of the one or more BDT policies in a UDR. The PCF may also store, in the UDR, the energy cost (e.g. the energy consumption value) associated with the BDT policy. The PCF may also store, in the UDR, the burst size for the BDT policy, the burst on time for the BDT policy, and / or the burst off time for the BDT policy etc.

[0107] Referring now to FIG. 2, an example process 200 for energy aware background data transfer is provided in one or more embodiments. The process 200 for energy aware background data transfer may be performed by an AF 202, a PCF 204, an EECF 206, and / or a UDR 208. The process 200 is an enhanced BDT process that considers the energy consumption that is associated with each BDT policy.

[0108] At 211 , the AF 202 invokes a BDT policy creation service of the PCF 204, i.e. Npcf_BDTPolicyControl_Create service for obtaining a BDT policy for a background data transfer. In an example, the AF 202 may use a planned data transfer with quality of service (QoS) procedure, to enable the AF 202 to negotiate a time window with one or more specific QoS requirements (i.e. planned data transfer with QoS (PDTQ) requirements). As part of the service invocation, the AF 202 provides the PCF 204 with information about the desired background data transfer. The information includes but is not limited to a number of WTRUs that will be involved in the background data transfer, volume of data that will be sent to each WTRU involved in the background data transfer, the desired time window of the background data transfer, information that indicates the area where the WTRUs that are involved in the background data transfer are expected to be located, a media access control (MAC) address of the AS and / or an internet protocol (IP) 3-tuple of the AS etc. If the AF 202 chooses a PDTQ procedure, the AF 202 may indicate a QoS to energy consumption ratio association, to signal one or more specific QoS parameter values that may be acceptable under one or more specific levels of energy consumption.

[0109] The AF 202 may also provide the PCF 204 with a value that indicates the maximum data rate that can be used to perform the data transfer. This information may be used by the network to determine how much energy may be consumed by the data transfer. The maximum data rate value may be a maximum data rate per WTRU value or an aggregated maximum data rate value, e.g., for a group of WTRUs.

[0110] The AF 202 may also indicate to the PCF 204 that the AF 202 prefers a background data transfer policy that is optimized to minimize energy consumption that is associated with the data transfer, for instance, minimizing the energy consumption per WTRU, and / or minimizing the total energy consumption for the group of WTRUs.

[0111] The AF 202 may also indicate to the PCF 204 that the AF 202 prefers a background data transfer policy that is optimized to minimize the monetary cost that is associated with the data transfer.

[0112] At 212, the PCF 204 determines background data transfer policies based on the information received from the AF 202. The PCF 204 may also interact with the NWDAF and request the networkperformance analytics information for the desired time window and the network area information that were received from the AF 202. The PCF 204 may determine a charging rate for each determined background data transfer policy.

[0113] The PCF 204 may use the maximum data rate that can be used to perform the data transfer to construct multiple BDT policies. In a non-limiting example, if the AF 202 indicates that the AF 202 prefers a BDT policy that is optimized to minimize the energy consumption that is associated with the data transfer, then the PCF 204 may construct the BDT policies that use relatively higher data rates. Using a higher data rate to perform the background data transfer may result in the background data transfer being completed more quickly and may result in the WTRU performing fewer transitions between inactive and active states. Completing the background data transfer more quickly may also allow network nodes to stay in lower power and sleep states for a longer time.

[0114] At 213, the PCF 204 may transmit an energy consumption estimate request to the EECF 206. The PCF may transmit the energy consumption estimate request when the AF 202 indicates that the AF 202 prefers a BDT policy that is optimized to minimize energy consumption that is associated with the background data transfer. The energy consumption estimate request includes the BDT policies that were determined in 212. Each BDT policy may include a reference to a charging rule (i.e. an indication of the monetary cost), a recommended time window, a maximum uplink data rate, and / or a maximum downlink data rate etc.

[0115] At 214, the EECF 206 may transmit an energy consumption estimate response to the PCF 204. The energy consumption estimate response may include one or more relative energy consumption values associated with each BDT policy. A relative energy consumption value for a BDT policy may indicate a relative estimate of how much energy may be consumed by the background data transfer if the corresponding BDT policy is used.

[0116] In an example, the EECF 206 may also provide an updated monetary cost value for each BDT policy. For example, the EECF 206 may change the monetary cost value provided by the PCF 204 based on the estimated energy consumption (e.g. the energy consumption value corresponding to the BDT policy).

[0117] In an example, the EECF 206 may recommend a burst size value for each of the policies. The burst size value may be provided by the EECF 206 when the EECF 206 recommends that the data transfer be performed in multiple bursts. The burst size represents how much data the EECF 206 recommends be transmitted at a time. The EECF 206 may provide a maximum burst size and / or a burst size recommended range, to indicate the burst size that the AF 202 should not exceed (while, in an example, the burst size may be lower than a threshold burst size), or a range of burst sizes recommended by the EECF 206. The EECF 206 may provide different burst size values for uplink and downlink directions.

[0118] The AF 202 may, if useful, determine a burst duration based on the received burst size and the maximum data rate value.

[0119] In an example, the EECF 206 may recommend a burst on time and / or a burst off time value for each BDT policy. One or more values of burst on time and / or the burst off time may be provided by the EECF 206 when the EECF 206 recommends that the data transfer be performed in multiple bursts. The burst on time represents how long data may be transmitted before an off time where no data is transferred. The burst off time represents how long data should not be transmitted before it may be transmitted again. The burst on time and / or the burst off time values may be determined using expected and / or recommended WTRU discontinuous reception (DRX) parameters (e.g. WTRU DRX on duration timer and / or inactivity timer etc.).

[0120] The EECF 206 may obtain and consider one or more WTRU connected mode DRX parameters when determining the energy consumption estimate response.

[0121] The EECF 206 may use the data analytics information received from the NWDAF to determine the relative energy consumption value that is associated with each BDT policy.

[0122] At 215, the PCF 204 transmits a BDT policy creation response, i.e. a Npcf_BDTPolicyControl_Create response to the AF 202. The response includes the BDT policies. Each BDT policy may include a value that represents the energy cost that may be associated with using the BDT policy, a burst size for the BDT policy, a burst on time for the BDT policy, and / or a burst off time for the BDT policy.

[0123] If the request of 211 was for PDTQ, then each BDT policy may indicate one or more supported QoS parameters for the BDT policy. Thus, the message may indicate the level of energy consumption that is associated with using each QoS configuration.

[0124] At 216, the AF 202 transmits a BDT policy control update, i.e. a Npcf_BDTPolicyControl_Update message to the PCF 204. The message indicates which of the BDT policies the AF 202 has selected to use. The AF 202 may use the energy cost that was indicated in each BDT policy to determine which BDT policy to select.

[0125] At 217, the PCF 204 transmits an acknowledgement of the BDT policy control update, i.e. the Npcf_BDTPolicyControl_Update to the AF 202.

[0126] At 218, the PCF 204 invokes a UDR update request, i.e. Nudr_DM_Update request service to transmit the selected BDT policy to the UDR 208. The selected BDT policy may include a value that represents the energy cost that may be associated with using the BDT policy, a burst size for the policy, a burst on time for the policy, and / or a burst off time for the policy.

[0127] At 219, the PCF 204 receives a UDR update response, i.e. a Nudr_DM_Update response from the UDR 208.

[0128] At a later time, a PCF that serves a WTRU for AM policies (e.g. the PCF 204 and / or a different PCF) may obtain the BDT policy from the UDR 208. The PCF may use the policy to build a URSP rule that may be used for the background data transfer. The time window and network area information of the BDT policy may be used by the PCF to assign the location validity and time validity criteria in a route selection descriptor (RSD) of the URSP rule. The RSD can then be used to ensure that the WTRU establishes the PDU session at a timeand location that is aligned with the BDT transfer policy. The RSD of the URSP rule may also include the burst size, burst on time, and / or burst off time etc. The WTRU may block traffic from being transmitted in the PDU session when the amount of data transmitted during a burst on time is equal to or greater than the received burst size value. The WTRU may block traffic from being transmitted in the PDU session during a burst off time.

[0129] The URSP rule may also include the energy cost associated with each RSD. The energy cost information may be sent to a graphical user interface (GUI) application that is hosted on the WTRU so that a user can be presented with the transfer time, location, and / or energy cost options etc. Thus, the user can, for example, select a time and location that is most convenient or a transfer time and location that is associated with the lowest energy cost.

[0130] The EECF 206 may have derived, at 214, one or more recommended DRX configurations for the data transfer sessions.

[0131] The EECF 206 may communicate with the UDR 208 to store the planned DRX configuration.

[0132] The RAN may use the one or more stored DRX configurations when the conditions apply (e.g., time window and location are valid etc.). The AMF may transmit the DRX configuration to the RAN when the conditions apply (e.g., time window and location are valid etc.).

[0133] At a later time, the PCF may receive a notification (e.g. an energy consumption update notification) from the EECF 206. The energy consumption update notification may indicate that the energy consumption estimates (e.g. the relative energy consumption values) that were provided for the policies may no longer be valid. The PCF may then transmit a BDT policy negotiation request, i.e. a Npcf_BDTNegotiation_Notify message to the AF 202 to indicate that the energy consumption information is no longer valid. The energy consumption update notification may be an updated energy consumption estimate indication and may include new and / or updated BDT policies i.e., each BDT policy may include an updated energy consumption value that represents the energy cost, an updated burst size for the BDT policy, an updated burst on time for the BDT policy, and / or an updated burst off time for the BDT policy etc. The AF 202 may trigger the procedure (i.e., 211) again e.g., if no new and / or updated BDT policies are received with the notification.

[0134] Referring now to FIG. 3, a flowchart illustrating an example process 300 for energy aware background data transfer is shown according to one or more embodiments. The process 300 is performed by the PCF.

[0135] At 310, the PCF receives the request for the BDT policy from the AF. The request includes the one or more BDT parameters. In an example, the PCF receives an indication for data transfer in one or more time windows associated with low energy consumption from the AF. In an example, the one or more BDT parameters include a number of WTRUs associated with the background data transfer, a volume of data transmitted associated with the background data transfer, a time window of the background data transfer, a plurality of locations of the WTRUs, the MAC address of the AS associated with the AF, and / or a ratio of QoS to energyconsumption etc. In an example, the PCF receives, from the AF, an indication for the BDT policy optimized to minimize a monetary cost associated with data transfer. For instance, the AF may indicate a preference for the BDT policy that is optimized to minimize the monetary cost. In an example, the PCF receives, from the AF, an indication for the BDT policy optimized to minimize an energy cost associated with the data transfer. For instance, the AF may indicate a preference for the BDT policy that is optimized to minimize the energy cost.

[0136] At 320, the PCF determines the BDT policies based at least on the one or more BDT parameters. In an example, the PCF obtains, from the NWDAF, the network performance analytics information associated with the one or more BDT parameters. The PCF determines the BDT policies based at least on the network performance analytics information.

[0137] At 330, the PCF transmits the energy consumption estimate request to the EECF.

[0138] At 340, the PCF receives the energy consumption estimate response from the EECF. The energy consumption estimate response is indicative of the energy consumption values associated with the BDT policies.

[0139] At 350, the PCF transmits the response to the AF. In an example, the response is indicative of the BDT policies and the energy consumption values (e.g. the relative energy consumption values). In an example, the response is indicative of the plurality of energy consumption values, one or more burst size values associated with one or more BDT policies, one or more burst times associated with the one or more BDT policies, or one or more data rate values associated with the one or more BDT policies.

[0140] In an example, the PCF receives the update message from the AF. The update message is indicative of a BDT policy of the plurality of BDT policies. The PCF stores the BDT policy and a corresponding energy consumption value in the UDR.

[0141] Although features and elements are described above in particular combinations, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that each feature or element can be used alone or in any combination with the other features and elements. In addition, the methods described herein may be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware incorporated in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of computer-readable media include electronic signals (transmitted over wired or wireless connections) and computer-readable storage media. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a register, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magnetooptical media, and optical media such as CD-ROM disks, and digital versatile disks (DVDs). A processor in association with software may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for use in a WTRU, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, or any host computer.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is Claimed:

1. A method performed by a policy control function (PCF), the method comprising: receiving, from an application function (AF), a request for a background data transfer (BDT) policy, wherein the request includes one or more BDT parameters; determining a plurality of BDT policies based at least on the one or more BDT parameters; transmitting, to an energy efficiency control function (EECF), an energy consumption estimate request; receiving, from the EECF, an energy consumption estimate response indicative of a plurality of energy consumption values associated with the plurality of BDT policies; and transmitting, to the AF, a response indicative of the plurality of BDT policies and the plurality of energy consumption values.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving, from the AF, an update message indicative of a BDT policy of the plurality of BDT policies; and storing, in a user data repository (UDR), the BDT policy and a corresponding energy consumption value.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: obtaining, from a network data analytics function (NWDAF), network performance analytics information associated with the one or more BDT parameters; and determining the plurality of BDT policies based at least on the network performance analytics information.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving, from the AF, an indication for data transfer in one or more time windows associated with low energy consumption.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving, from the AF, an indication for the BDT policy optimized to minimize a monetary cost associated with data transfer.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving, from the AF, an indication for the BDT policy optimized to minimize an energy cost associated with data transfer.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: constructing a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) route selection policy (URSP) rule for one or more WTRUs associated with the BDT policy; and transmitting the URSP rule to a WTRU of the one or more WTRUs.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more BDT parameters include at least one of:a number of a plurality of wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) associated with a background data transfer, a volume of data transmitted associated with the background data transfer, a time window of the background data transfer, a plurality of locations of the plurality of WTRUs, a media access control (MAC) address of an application server (AS) associated with the AF, or a ratio of a quality of service (QoS) to energy consumption.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the response is indicative of one or more of: the plurality of energy consumption values, one or more burst size values associated with one or more BDT policies, one or more burst times associated with the one or more BDT policies, or one or more data rate values associated with the one or more BDT policies.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy consumption estimate response is indicative of one or more discontinuous reception (DRX) configurations.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving, from the EECF, an energy consumption update notification indicative of change in one or more energy consumption values of the plurality of energy consumption values; and transmitting, to the AF, a BDT policy negotiation request in response to receiving the energy consumption update notification.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the energy consumption update notification or the BDT policy negotiation request is indicative of one or more updated energy consumption values.

13. An apparatus, comprising: a processor configured to: receive, from an application function (AF), a request for a background data transfer (BDT) policy, wherein the request includes one or more BDT parameters, determine a plurality of BDT policies based at least on the one or more BDT parameters, transmit, to an energy efficiency control function (EECF), an energy consumption estimate request, receive, from the EECF, an energy consumption estimate response indicative of a plurality of energy consumption values associated with the plurality of BDT policies, and transmit, to the AF, a response indicative of the plurality of BDT policies and the plurality of energy consumption values.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to: receive, from the AF, an update message indicative of a BDT policy of the plurality of BDT policies, and store, in a user data repository (UDR), the BDT policy and a corresponding energy consumption value.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to: obtain, from a network data analytics function (NWDAF), network performance analytics information associated with the one or more BDT parameters, and determine the plurality of BDT policies based at least on the network performance analytics information.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to: receive, from the AF, an indication for data transfer in one or more time windows associated with low energy consumption.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to: construct a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) route selection policy (URSP) rule for one or moreWTRUs associated with the BDT policy, and transmit the URSP rule to a WTRU of the one or more WTRUs.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the one or more BDT parameters include at least one of: a number of a plurality of wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) associated with a background data transfer, a volume of data transmitted associated with the background data transfer, a time window of the background data transfer, a plurality of locations of the plurality of WTRUs, a media access control (MAC) address of an application server (AS) associated with the AF, or a ratio of a quality of service (QoS) to energy consumption.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to: receive, from the EECF, an energy consumption update notification indicative of change in one or more energy consumption values of the plurality of energy consumption values, and transmit, to the AF, a BDT policy negotiation request in response to receiving the energy consumption update notification.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein at least one of the energy consumption update notification or the BDT policy negotiation request is indicative of one or more updated energy consumption values.

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