Network Function Event Reporting with Cached IE Change Detection

Solution Overview

Problem

The existing 5G telecommunication network's Service Based Architecture (SBA) faces inefficiencies in message size and network infrastructure demands due to unnecessary exchange of unchanged information elements (IEs) between Network Functions (NFs), leading to increased overhead and performance impact.

Innovation Solution

Implement event-based reporting mechanisms where Network Functions (NFs) send reporting instructions with trigger conditions and cache IE values, only including changed values in reports to reduce message size and signaling overhead.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If all information elements (IEs) are exchanged in every Nchf operation between SMF and CHF, then the receiving NF has complete information for processing, but the message size increases and signaling overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation completenessVSAvoidmessage size

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the changed IEs from the complete set of IEs and includes them in the report messages. The CHF identifies which IEs have changed compared to cached values and includes only those changed IEs in the report, thereby reducing message size while still providing the SMF with the necessary updated information for processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements preliminary action by having the CHF cache IE values from previous operations before subsequent operations occur. This caching mechanism allows the system to compare incoming IEs with cached values and determine which ones have changed, enabling selective reporting without needing to transmit all IEs each time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If all information elements (IEs) are exchanged in every Nchf operation between SMF and CHF, then the receiving NF has complete information for processing, but the signaling overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation completenessVSAvoidsignaling overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the changed IEs from the complete set of IEs and includes them in the report messages. The CHF identifies which IEs have changed compared to cached values and includes only those changed IEs in the report, thereby reducing message size while still providing the SMF with the necessary updated information for processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements preliminary action by having the CHF cache IE values from previous operations before subsequent operations occur. This caching mechanism allows the system to compare incoming IEs with cached values and determine which ones have changed, enabling selective reporting without needing to transmit all IEs each time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If the network infrastructure is expanded to handle more interactions over different interfaces in the SBA network, then the network can handle increased mobile broadband usage and new NFs, but the bandwidth requirements and infrastructure complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork capacityVSAvoidbandwidth requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the changed IEs from the complete set of IEs and includes them in the report messages. The CHF identifies which IEs have changed compared to cached values and includes only those changed IEs in the report, thereby reducing message size while still providing the SMF with the necessary updated information for processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements preliminary action by having the CHF cache IE values from previous operations before subsequent operations occur. This caching mechanism allows the system to compare incoming IEs with cached values and determine which ones have changed, enabling selective reporting without needing to transmit all IEs each time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS12425252B2Event-based reporting from a network function in a service based architecture network

Publication Date: 2025.09.23 TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)

AI summary

There is provided mechanisms for event-based reporting from a second NF to a first NF in an SBA network. A method is performed by the first NF. The method comprises sending reporting instructions of events for a session with the second NF. The reporting instructions comprise a list of triggers conditions for each of the events and information of IEs whose values are cached by the first NF for the session. Each of the trigger conditions is associated with its own set of IEs. The second NF is instructed to provide a report to the first NF when one of the trigger conditions is fulfilled at the second NF. The report comprises values of the set of IEs for the event that caused the trigger condition to be fulfilled. The second NF is instructed to include values in the report of those IEs cached by the first NF only if the values have changed compared to the cached values. The method comprises receiving, on an interface between the first NF and the second NF, the report of the event upon the trigger conditions having been fulfilled at the second NF.