Core network for mobile communication network

Abstract

This core network for a mobile communication network comprises: a first network node configured to trigger provision processing for, in response to a sensing request received from a server, providing to the server the sensing result requested by the sensing request, the provision processing including sensing processing for collecting sensing data at a base station device; and a second network node configured to generate the sensing result on the basis of the sensing data collected by the base station device in the sensing processing. The first network node is further configured to perform processing for notifying the second network node of identification information of the server used for communication with the server.

Description

Core network of mobile communication network

[0001] The present disclosure relates to techniques for providing sensing services in mobile communication networks.

[0002] Non-Patent Document 1 discloses various use cases of sensing services in mobile communication networks. In one of the configurations disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1, a base station (BS), which is a wireless communication device, transmits a sensing signal (hereinafter referred to as a sensing signal), and a wireless device (WD) feeds back the reception result of the sensing signal to the base station, thereby allowing the mobile communication network to collect sensing data. Non-Patent Document 1 also discloses other configurations for a mobile communication network to collect sensing data. Based on the collected sensing data, the mobile communication network can detect the environment of the area where the mobile communication network provides service, such as the distribution of obstacles that obstruct the propagation of wireless signals and rainfall conditions that cause wireless signal loss.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration for providing sensing results to an application function (AF).

[0004] WO 2024 / 073925

[0005] 3GPP TR 22.837, V19.0.0, June 2023

[0006] 1 shows an outline of a sequence for providing a sensing result to an AF, which is disclosed in Patent Document 1. The AF may be implemented in a device (network node or server) inside a mobile communication network, or may be implemented in a device (server) of an external network connected to the mobile communication network, such as the Internet.

[0007] In Patent Document 1, the network function (NF) provided in the core network (CN) of the mobile communication network for managing and providing sensing services, which is described as sensing function-control (SF-C), will be referred to as sensing management function (SensMF) hereinafter. Also, in Patent Document 1, the network function (NF) provided in the CN for processing sensing data and generating sensing results, which is described as sensing function-user (SF-U), will be referred to as sensing agent function (SAF) hereinafter.

[0008] For example, when an AF wants to detect an obstacle that interferes with the radio wave environment, the position of the obstacle detected by the BS is a relative position to the BS. The SAF performs processing such as converting the relative position to the BS into a position in a coordinate system that the AF can recognize, such as latitude and longitude. In other words, the SAF performs processing to generate a result (sensing result) in an appropriate format that the AF can understand, based on the sensing data collected by the BS.

[0009] Furthermore, it is assumed that a Network Repository Function (NRF) provided in the CN stores in advance information indicating the area for which each Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) is responsible for processing. Furthermore, it is assumed that each AMF provided in the CN stores in advance information indicating the content of sensing data that can be collected by each BS located in the area for which the AMF is responsible. Furthermore, it is assumed that the NRF stores information indicating the content of sensing results that can be processed and generated by the SAF, and information indicating the content of sensing data required to obtain the sensing results. Note that the content of sensing results that the SAF can process and generate is not limited to one, and the SAF can generate sensing results with various contents.

[0010] In S1, the AF sends a sensing request to the SensMF. If the device implementing the AF is installed in a network external to the mobile communication network, communication between the AF and the device within the mobile communication network can be configured to be via the network exposure function (NEF) of the CN. The sensing request includes information indicating the content of the sensing results that the AF wants to obtain and information indicating the area from which the AF wants to obtain the sensing results. For example, the content of the sensing results that the AF wants to obtain can be the distribution of obstacles to wireless propagation in a specific area, rainfall conditions, etc.

[0011] In S2, SensMF communicates with NRF to discover the AMF responsible for the area specified in the sensing request from the AF and the SAF capable of generating the sensing results specified in the sensing request. Specifically, SensMF notifies the NRF of information indicating the area from which it wishes to collect sensing results and obtains from the NRF the identification information of the AMF responsible for that area. SensMF also notifies the NRF of the sensing results it wishes to obtain and obtains from the NRF the identification information of the SAF capable of generating the sensing results and the contents of the sensing data required to generate the sensing results.

[0012] In S3, SensMF sends a sensing request to the AMF discovered in S2. The sensing request sent to the AMF in S3 includes information indicating the sensing result to be generated, information indicating the content of sensing data to be collected by the BS, information indicating the area in which the sensing data will be collected, and identification information of the SAF to which the sensing data will be sent. The SAF to which the sensing data will be sent is the SAF discovered in S2. Based on the sensing request received from SensMF, the AMF selects a BS suitable for collecting the sensing data specified in the sensing request, and sends the sensing request to the selected BS in S4. The sensing request sent to the BS includes information indicating the content of the sensing data to be collected. In S5, the BS sends the collected sensing data to the AMF, and the AMF sends information indicating the sensing result to be generated and the sensing data to the SAF in S6.

[0013] In S7, the SAF processes the sensing data to generate a sensing result, and in S8, the SAF transmits the sensing result to the SensMF, which in turn transmits the sensing result to the AF in S9.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, in Patent Document 1, the sensing result is always transmitted to the AF via the SensMF.

[0015] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a core network of a mobile communication network includes a first network node configured to trigger a providing process for providing a sensing result requested in a sensing request received from a server to the server, the providing process including a sensing process for collecting sensing data at a base station device, and a second network node configured to generate the sensing result based on the sensing data collected by the base station device in the sensing process, wherein the first network node is further configured to perform a process for notifying the second network node of identification information of the server to be used for communication with the server.

[0016] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the same or similar elements are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0017] 1 is a sequence diagram of a process for providing sensing results. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram of a process for providing sensing results according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram of a process for providing sensing results according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram of a process for providing sensing results according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing protocols used by each NF and BS. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing protocols used by each NF and BS in an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram of a process for providing sensing results according to an embodiment. FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram of a process for providing sensing results according to an embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example configuration of a network node implementing SensMF according to some embodiments. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example configuration of a network node implementing SAF according to some embodiments.

[0018] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention as claimed, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the invention. Two or more of the features described in the embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. Furthermore, the same reference numerals are used for the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0019] <First Embodiment> In this embodiment, in response to a sensing request received from an AF (server), a SensMF (first network node) triggers a providing process for providing the AF with the sensing result requested in the sensing request. The providing process includes a sensing process for collecting sensing data at a BS. Furthermore, an SAF (second network node) generates the sensing result requested in the sensing request based on the sensing data collected by the BS in the sensing process. In this embodiment, the SAF transmits the sensing result to the AF, for example, directly, without passing through the SensMF. Therefore, the SensMF performs a process for notifying the SAF of identification information for communicating with the AF. The identification information of the AF is, for example, the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the AF or the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the AF.

[0020] 2 shows an example of a sequence for providing sensing results to an AF. Note that the processes of S10 and S11 are similar to S1 and S2 in FIG. 1 , and therefore their description will be omitted. In S12, the SensMF triggers the providing process by sending a sensing request message to the AMF (third network node) discovered in S11. The sensing request message sent to the AMF in S12 includes information indicating the content of the sensing results to be generated, information indicating the content of sensing data to be collected by the BS, information indicating the area in which the sensing data will be collected, and identification information of the SAF to which the sensing data will be sent. The identification information of the SAF is the IP address or FQDN of the SAF. Furthermore, in order to notify the SAF of the identification information of the AF via the AMF, the SensMF includes the identification information of the AF in the sensing request message sent in S12.

[0021] Based on the sensing request received from SensMF, the AMF selects a BS suitable for collecting sensing data specified in the sensing request. In S13, the AMF causes the BS to perform sensing processing by transmitting a sensing request to the selected BS. The sensing request transmitted to the BS includes information indicating the content of the sensing data to be collected by the BS. In S14, the BS transmits the collected sensing data to the AMF. In S15, the AMF transmits the sensing data from the BS to the SAF together with the identification information of the AF notified in S12 and information indicating the sensing results to be generated. As a result, the identification information of the AF is notified to the SAF. Note that the destination SAF was notified by SensMF in S12.

[0022] In S16, the SAF processes the sensing data to generate a sensing result, and in S17, transmits the sensing result to the AF based on the identification information of the AF notified in S15.

[0023] 3 shows another example of a sequence for providing sensing results to an AF. The following description will focus on differences from the sequence in FIG. 2. In S20, SensMF triggers the providing process by sending a sensing request message to the SAF discovered in S11. The sensing request message sent to the SAF in S20 includes identification information of the AMF discovered in S11, information indicating the content of the sensing result to be generated, information indicating the content of sensing data to be collected by the BS, and information indicating the area in which the sensing data will be collected. The identification information of the AMF is the IP address or FQDN of the AMF. Furthermore, SensMF notifies the SAF of the identification information of the AF by including the identification information of the AF in the sensing request message sent in S20.

[0024] In S21, the SAF sends a sensing request to the AMF indicated in the sensing request message received in S20. The sensing request includes information indicating the content of sensing data to be collected by the BS and information indicating the area in which the sensing data will be collected. The AMF executes the process of S13 based on the sensing request received in S21, and acquires the sensing data from the BS in S14. The AMF then transmits the sensing data to the SAF as a response to the sensing request received in S21 (S15). When the SAF generates sensing results in S16, it transmits the sensing results to the AF based on the AF's identification information notified in S20.

[0025] 4 shows yet another example of a sequence for providing sensing results to an AF. The following description focuses on differences from the sequence in FIG. 3. In S30, SensMF triggers the provision process by transmitting a message to the AF including the identification information of the AMF and the SAF discovered in S11, and information indicating the content of sensing data to be collected by the BS. This causes the AF to transmit a sensing request to the SAF in S31. The sensing request transmitted from the AF to the SAF includes the identification information of the AMF notified in the message in S30, information indicating the content of the sensing results to be acquired, information indicating the content of the sensing data to be collected by the BS, and information indicating the area in which the sensing data will be collected. By communicating between the AF and the SAF in S31, SensMF notifies the SAF of the identification information of the AF to which the sensing results will be transmitted. The subsequent processing is the same as that in the sequence in FIG. 3.

[0026] As described above, according to this embodiment, the SensMF does not relay the sensing result transmitted from the SAF to the AF, and therefore, the processing load on the core network for providing the sensing service can be reduced.

[0027] Second Embodiment Next, the second embodiment will be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5 , the core network (CN) employs a service-based architecture (SBA), and each NF in the CN, such as an AMF or an NRF, communicates using the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). Therefore, an IP address or an FQDN is used as identification information for each NF in the CN. Meanwhile, a BS, which is a node in the radio access network (RAN), communicates with the AMF using the Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP). NGAP is standardized by 3GPP (registered trademark). Note that NGAP uses a so-called global RAN node ID as identification information for the BS.

[0028] 1 to 4, the solid arrows indicate communication using HTTP, and the dotted arrows indicate communication using NGAP. When relaying sensing data from a BS, the AMF needs to perform protocol conversion from NGAP to HTTP.

[0029] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 , SBA is also applied to the BS. By applying SBA to the BS, each NF of the CN can communicate directly with the BS. Note that if the BS is configured with multiple units, such as a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), and a radio unit (RU), SBA is applied to at least the CU. Furthermore, if the BS employs a CUPS configuration that separates the control plane (CP) and the user plane (UP), SBA is applied to the CP unit of the BS. Therefore, if the BS employs a CUPS configuration and is configured with a CU, DU, and RU, SBA is applied to at least the CU of the CP (CU-CP). Since SBA is also applied to the BS, the IP address or FQDN of the BS is used as BS identification information.

[0030] In this embodiment, the NRF pre-stores information indicating the area where each BS collects sensing data, information indicating the content of the sensing data that can be collected by each BS, information indicating the content of the sensing results that the SAF can process and generate, and information indicating the content of the sensing data required for the SAF to generate the sensing results.

[0031] 7 shows an example of a sequence for providing sensing results to an AF. Note that the processing of S110 is the same as S1 in Fig. 1, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. In S111, the SensMF communicates with the NRF to discover, in an area specified in a sensing request from the AF, a BS that can collect sensing data necessary for the sensing result specified in the sensing request, and an SAF that can generate the sensing result specified in the sensing request.

[0032] In S112, SensMF triggers the provision process by transmitting a sensing request message to the BS discovered in S111. The sensing request message transmitted to the BS in S112 includes information indicating the content of the sensing result to be generated, information indicating the content of the sensing data to be collected by the BS, and identification information of the SAF to which the sensing data is to be transmitted. Furthermore, in order to notify the SAF of the identification information of the AF via the BS, SensMF includes the identification information of the AF in the sensing request message transmitted to the BS in S112.

[0033] In response to the sensing request message received in S112, the BS performs sensing processing to collect sensing data. In S115, the BS transmits the sensing data to the SAF indicated in the sensing request message received in S112, together with the identification information of the AF notified in the sensing request message received in S112 and information indicating the content of the sensing result to be generated. This notifies the SAF of the identification information of the AF. In S116, the SAF processes the sensing data to generate a sensing result, and in S117 transmits the sensing result to the AF notified in S115.

[0034] Figure 8 shows another example of a sequence for providing sensing results to an AF. The following description will focus on differences from the sequence in Figure 7. In S120, SensMF triggers the providing process by sending a sensing request message to the SAF discovered in S111. The sensing request message sent to the SAF in S120 includes identification information of the BS discovered in S111, information indicating the content of the sensing result to be generated, and information indicating the content of the sensing data to be collected by the BS. Furthermore, SensMF notifies the SAF of the identification information of the AF by including the identification information of the AF in the sensing request message sent to the SAF in S120.

[0035] In S121, the SAF transmits a sensing request to the BS indicated in S120, causing the BS to perform sensing processing. The sensing request transmitted to the BS in S121 includes information indicating the content of sensing data to be collected by the BS. The BS transmits the sensing data to the SAF in S115. When the SAF generates sensing results in S116, it transmits the sensing results to the AF notified in S120 in S117.

[0036] FIG. 9 shows yet another example of a sequence for providing sensing results to an AF. The following description focuses on differences from the sequence in FIG. 8. In S130, SensMF triggers the provision process by sending a message to the AF including the identification information of the BS and the SAF discovered in S111 and information indicating the content of sensing data to be collected by the BS. This causes the AF to send (redirect) a sensing request to the SAF in S131. The sensing request sent by the AF to the SAF includes information indicating the content of the sensing results to be acquired, the identification information of the BS notified in the message in S130, and information indicating the content of sensing data to be collected by the BS. By having the AF and SAF communicate in S131, SensMF notifies the SAF of the identification information of the AF to which the sensing results are to be sent. The subsequent processing is the same as that in the sequence in FIG. 7.

[0037] As described above, according to this embodiment, the SensMF does not relay the sensing results transmitted from the SAF to the AF, thereby reducing the processing load on the core network for providing the sensing service. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the AMF does not relay the sensing data collected by the BS to the SAF, thereby reducing the processing load on the core network for providing the sensing service.

[0038] In the first and second embodiments, the SensMF directly or indirectly notifies the SAF of the content of the sensing result to be generated by the SAF, in addition to the identification information of the AF to which the sensing result is to be sent. This is because there are multiple sensing result contents that can be generated by the SAF. However, if the SAF generates only one sensing result, there is no need to notify the SAF of the content of the sensing result to be generated.

[0039] In the first and second embodiments, the BS is notified of information indicating the content of the sensing data to be collected. However, if the BS can determine the content of the sensing data to be collected from the generated sensing results, it can simply notify the BS of the generated sensing results instead of the sensing data to be collected. Furthermore, regardless of the generated sensing results, if the BS collects all collectable sensing data, it can be configured to simply notify the BS that sensing will be performed.

[0040] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, the SAF that generates the sensing results is selected based on the content of the sensing results to be generated. However, a configuration may be adopted in which the SAF that generates the sensing results is selected based on the location of the SAF. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which the SAF that is close to the area where the sensing data is collected generates the sensing results. Furthermore, a configuration may be adopted in which the SAF that generates the sensing results is selected based on the distance from the area where the sensing data is collected and the content of the sensing results to be generated.

[0041] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, SensMF discovers the SAF by communicating with the NRF. This is based on the assumption that multiple SAFs are provided in the CN, but if there is only one SAF, SensMF does not need to communicate with the NRF to discover the SAF. Also, even if multiple SAFs are provided in the CN, if SensMF stores identification information for each of the multiple SAFs and information indicating their locations and the contents of the sensing results that can be generated, SensMF can select an SAF that will generate sensing results from the multiple SAFs, and therefore SensMF does not need to communicate with the NRF to discover the SAF.

[0042] <Device Configuration> Fig. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of a network node 1 that implements SensMF. The network node 1 includes, for example, one or more processors and one or more memory devices. The one or more memory devices may include volatile memory devices and non-volatile memory devices. Each functional block shown in Fig. 10 may be realized by one or more processors executing a computer program stored in the one or more memory devices.

[0043] Although the network node 1 in Fig. 10 is a single device, the network node 1 may be multiple devices that can communicate with each other. Furthermore, the network node 1 may implement other NFs in addition to SensMF. Note that Fig. 10 shows only the functional blocks necessary for understanding the present disclosure, and the network node 1 may have functional blocks other than those shown in Fig. 10.

[0044] In response to a sensing request from the AF, the trigger unit 10 triggers a providing process for providing the AF with the sensing result requested by the sensing request. Specifically, the providing process is triggered by the process of S12 in Fig. 2, the providing process is triggered by the process of S20 in Fig. 3, and the providing process is triggered by the process of S30 in Fig. 4. Also, the providing process is triggered by the process of S112 in Fig. 7, the providing process is triggered by the process of S120 in Fig. 8, and the providing process is triggered by the process of S130 in Fig. 9.

[0045] The notification unit 11 performs processing for notifying the SAF of the identification information of the AF so that the SAF can transmit the sensing result to the AF. The notification unit 11 may notify the SAF of the identification information of the AF directly, or may notify the SAF indirectly via another device. For example, the notification unit 11 may notify the SAF of the identification information of the AF by including the identification information of the AF in a message that the trigger unit 10 sends to trigger the provision processing.

[0046] 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of a network node 2 that implements the SAF. The network node 2 includes, for example, one or more processors and one or more memory devices. The one or more memory devices may include volatile memory devices and non-volatile memory devices. Each functional block shown in FIG. 11 may be realized by the one or more processors executing a computer program stored in the one or more memory devices.

[0047] Although the network node 2 in Fig. 11 is a single device, the network node 2 may be multiple devices that can communicate with each other. Furthermore, the network node 2 may implement other NFs in addition to the SAF. Note that Fig. 11 shows only the functional blocks necessary for understanding the present disclosure, and the network node 2 may have functional blocks other than those shown in Fig. 11.

[0048] When the generation unit 20 acquires the sensing data, it generates a sensing result based on the sensing data. The processing unit 21 can execute a process for acquiring the sensing data directly from the BS or from the BS via the AMF, and a process for transmitting the generated sensing result to the AF. The identification information of the AF required for transmitting the generated sensing result to the AF is notified directly from the SensMF or indirectly via another device.

[0049] Furthermore, according to the present disclosure, there are provided a computer program, and a computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program, which, when executed by one or more processors in an apparatus having one or more processors, causes the apparatus to function as the above-mentioned network node 1 or network node 2. Furthermore, according to the present disclosure, there are provided methods executed by a core network, a method executed by an apparatus implementing SensMF, a method executed by an apparatus implementing SAF, a computer program causing an apparatus having one or more processors to execute these methods, and a computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program.

[0050] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention.

[0051] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-145820, filed August 27, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A core network of a mobile communication network, comprising: a first network node configured to trigger a providing process in response to a sensing request received from a server, for providing the server with sensing results requested in the sensing request, the providing process including a sensing process of collecting sensing data at a base station device; and a second network node configured to generate the sensing results based on the sensing data collected by the base station device in the sensing process, wherein the first network node is further configured to perform a process to notify the second network node of identification information of the server to be used for communication with the server.

2. The core network according to claim 1, wherein the second network node is further configured to transmit the sensing result to the server without passing through the first network node.

3. A core network as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the first network node is further configured to trigger the sensing process by sending a message including identification information of the second network node and identification information of the server to a third network node that manages the base station device, and to notify the second network node of the identification information of the server via the third network node.

4. The core network of claim 3, wherein the third network node is configured to, in response to the message, cause the base station device to execute the sensing process to acquire the sensing data from the base station device, and notify the second network node of the server's identification information when transmitting the sensing data to the second network node.

5. A core network as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the first network node is further configured to trigger the sensing process by sending a message to the second network node including identification information of a third network node that manages the base station device and identification information of the server, and to notify the second network node of the identification information of the server.

6. The core network of claim 5, wherein the second network node is further configured to, in response to the message, cause the base station device to perform the sensing process via the third network node, and to obtain the sensing data from the base station device via the third network node.

7. The core network of claim 1, wherein the first network node is further configured to trigger the sensing process by sending a message to the server including identification information of the second network node and identification information of a third network node that manages the base station device, causing the server to communicate with the second network node, and to notify the second network node of the identification information of the server.

8. The core network according to claim 7, wherein the server is configured to communicate with the second network node in response to the message, and the second network node is further configured to, in response to communication with the server, cause the base station device to perform the sensing process via the third network node and obtain the sensing data from the base station device via the third network node.

9. A core network according to any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein the third network node is a device implementing access and mobility management functions.

10. A core network as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the first network node is further configured to trigger the sensing process by sending a message to the base station device including identification information of the second network node and identification information of the server, and to notify the second network node of the identification information of the server via the base station device.

11. The core network according to claim 10, wherein the base station device is configured to execute the sensing process in response to the message to collect the sensing data, and notify the second network node of the server's identification information when transmitting the sensing data to the second network node.

12. A core network as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the first network node is further configured to trigger the sensing process by sending a message to the second network node including identification information of the base station device and identification information of the server, and to notify the second network node of the identification information of the server.

13. The core network of claim 12, wherein the second network node is further configured to, in response to the message, cause the base station device to perform the sensing process and acquire the sensing data from the base station device.

14. A core network as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the first network node is further configured to trigger the sensing process by sending a message to the server including identification information of the second network node and identification information of the base station device to cause the server to communicate with the second network node, and to notify the second network node of the identification information of the server.

15. The core network of claim 14, wherein the server is configured to communicate with the second network node in response to the message, and the second network node is further configured to cause the base station device to perform the sensing process and acquire the sensing data from the base station device in response to communication with the server.

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