CN112425227A

CN112425227A - Apparatus and method for managing network resources

Info

Publication number: CN112425227A
Application number: CN201880095567.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 埃马努伊尔·帕特欧米契拉卡斯; 安雪莉; 彭程晖; 周冁; 阿帕斯托洛斯·库萨里达斯
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-07-11
Filing date: 2018-07-11
Publication date: 2021-02-26
Anticipated expiration: 2038-07-11
Also published as: CN112425227B; WO2020011350A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a management entity for managing a plurality of network resources provided by a plurality of network slice instances in a communication network. The management entity includes: a communication interface to receive an adjustment request from a user equipment, wherein the user equipment is attached to a first network slice instance, wherein the first network slice instance provides the user equipment with a first network resource, wherein the adjustment request defines an adjustment of the first network resource; the processor is configured to determine whether the first network slice instance is capable of providing the adjusted first network resource for the user equipment.

Description

Apparatus and method for managing network resources

Technical Field

The present invention generally relates to communication networks. More particularly, the present invention relates to an arrangement for managing network resources in a communication network, in particular a management entity for managing network resources in a communication network.

Background

According to the industry's consensus, standardization and deployment of the fifth Generation (5th Generation, 5G) mobile technology will be achieved by 2020. Compared to 4G mobile telecommunications systems, 5G systems will support use cases with very diverse performance attributes, such as ultra-reliable communication for mission critical services, electronic health, public safety, real-time vehicle control, haptic internet, drone connectivity, etc. In order to support services with various requirements, the network slicing concept is expected to become one of the key components of the 5G network according to the latest protocol of the standardized forum. The network slice concept enables a service-customized network function provisioning solution that is specifically directed to vertical industry integration. Network slicing is a set of technologies used to create specialized, dedicated logical networks as services to support network service differentiation and meet the diverse requirements of the vertical industry. A Network Slice Instance (NSI) is an implementation of the network slice concept. The NSI is an end-to-end (E2E) logical network, including a set of network functions, resources, and connectivity.

Of all the 5G use cases, there are many that are used in the automotive industry. With the advent of autonomous driving capability, vehicles will connect and communicate to exchange sensor data and plan a path. Autonomous driving sets stringent performance requirements (latency, reliability, capacity) for 5G communication systems. For example, to support a wide range of vehicle-to-anything (V2X) use cases (e.g., coordinated collision avoidance, high density in-line driving, coordinated awareness of autonomous vehicles), an end-to-end delay of less than 10ms and a reliability of greater than 99.99% is required. Therefore, an understanding of how to design an NSI to support V2X communication with specific performance requirements is crucial.

The NSI may be designed and deployed based on a service-level-aggregation (SLA) between the tenant and the operator. However, after the NSI is deployed in the system, the exact system performance perceived by the terminals varies greatly due to reasons such as geographical location, environment, weather, etc. Therefore, without 100% guaranteed service, mobile networks are difficult to adapt to the diverse and stringent requirements from, for example, the vertical industry. Therefore, how to ensure that the vehicle is working properly under such conditions is a challenging problem, which can be considered as consisting of two parts: first, how to guarantee guaranteed performance end-to-end communication for V2X services (between two or more vehicles) in a highly dynamic environment; second, how to determine the required interaction between applications in V2X user equipment (V2X user equipment, V2X-UE) and the UE and/or the communication part in the cellular network to enable the terminal to modify the network requirements (especially the network slice adjustment on the V2X-UE side) to guarantee performance guaranteed end-to-end communication.

Future vehicles tend to have different modes of operation, as illustrated by the exemplary communication network 100 in fig. 1, which may be classified, for example, by automation level: mode 1 is an automatic driving mode, mode 2 is an assist driving mode, and mode 3 is a manual driving mode. Different modes of operation may invoke different in-vehicle applications such as, for example, platooning, see-through, real-time traffic maps, and the like. As shown in fig. 1, different modes of operation may be represented by state machines, the transition conditions of which depend on the system performance. For example, if the system is in a high performance state, such as where ultra-low latency and high reliability may be guaranteed, the vehicle may transition from mode 3 to mode 2 or mode 1. When system performance is low (e.g., due to traffic congestion, geographic impact, etc.), the vehicle needs to transition from mode 1 to mode 3. Therefore, in order to support V2X communication, the operation of V2X terminals is highly dependent on system performance, i.e., the performance of the network 100.

Current 4G systems do not support such operational dependencies between the system and the terminal or user equipment. Furthermore, in current 4G systems, the interaction between the terminal and the application is semi-static and does not take into account the mode of operation.

In view of the foregoing, there is a need for improved apparatuses, systems, and methods that allow for more efficient management of network resources in a communication network.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a management entity, a user equipment, and a corresponding method to allow an efficient management of network resources in a communication network.

The above and other objects are achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Further embodiments are apparent from the dependent claims, the description and the drawings.

In general, embodiments of the present invention relate to a management entity, User Equipment (UE) or terminal, and corresponding method, for managing a plurality of network resources provided by a plurality of network slice instances in a communication network in an efficient manner. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention may enable a tight cooperation between a user equipment and a communication network in order to facilitate services used at the user equipment, in particular services having critical performance requirements, such tight cooperation comprising two aspects: first, the user equipment can request information about current and/or recent performance metrics from the system (i.e. the management entity) and/or the communication system (i.e. the management entity of the cellular network) periodically sends this message to the user equipment. This enables system performance awareness. Second, according to an embodiment, the user equipment is able to send a set of customized attributes of a Network Slice Instance (NSI) to the management entity, the set of customized attributes being critical for a particular use case, and the management entity may make adjustments to the system in terms of network service provisioning for a particular terminal, which enables terminal-triggered and network-controlled network slice instance adjustments. This may result in slice adjustment and/or slice reselection.

Embodiments of the invention provide in particular the following advantages: enabling user equipment, such as a mobile terminal, to perceive real-time and/or estimated/predicted network conditions and performance, thereby enabling triggering of proactive network slice reselection and/or adjustment; and enabling the mobile network (i.e., the management entity) to adjust and/or adapt the NSI based on the actual/estimated performance requirements of the user equipment, taking into account network/slicing conditions (e.g., congestion, availability, etc.) without affecting other user equipment performance.

More particularly, according to a first aspect, the present invention relates to a management entity for managing a plurality of network resources provided by a plurality of network slice instances in a communication network. The management entity includes a communication interface to receive an adjustment request from a user equipment, wherein the user equipment is attached to a first network slice instance, wherein the first network slice instance provides a first network resource for the user equipment, wherein the adjustment request defines an adjustment of the first network resource. Further, the management entity includes a processor configured to determine whether the first network slice instance is capable of providing the adjusted first network resource for the user equipment.

The user device may include an application, e.g., a side-queue travel application, operated at least in part by the user device. Adjustment requests may also be issued by the application.

The adjustment of the first network resource may comprise Key Performance Indicator (KPI) or quality of service (QoS) parameters (e.g. delay, packet error rate, jitter, bit rate), and/or functional/protocol parameters, and/or resource parameters (e.g. spectrum/bandwidth, cloud resources).

Hence, an improved management entity is provided which allows network resources for user equipment to be adjusted in an efficient manner. In an embodiment, the management entity may be implemented by a single physical server or distributed physical servers of an operator of the communication network. Alternatively, the management entity may be implemented by a physical cloud server. According to another alternative, the management entity may be implemented as a network function of a communication network, wherein the communication interfaces and the processors are implemented as virtual communication interfaces and virtual processors of the network function.

In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the processor is configured to select a second network slice instance capable of providing the adjusted first network resource for the user equipment and attach the user equipment to the second network slice instance in case the first network slice instance is not capable of providing the adjusted first network resource for the user equipment.

In a further possible implementation of the first aspect, the communication interface is configured to provide the user equipment with information related to the second network slice instance, in particular an identifier of the second network slice instance.

In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the communication interface is further configured to notify the user equipment that the adjustment request is denied in case the first network slice instance is unable to provide the adjusted first network resource for the user equipment.

In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the communication interface is further configured to notify the user equipment that the adjustment request is approved if the first network slice instance is capable of providing the adjusted first network resource for the user equipment.

In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the processor is configured to determine the predicted performance metric based on a current performance metric associated with the first network resource provided by the first network slice instance, and wherein the communication interface is further configured to provide the user equipment with information related to the current performance metric and/or the predicted performance metric associated with the first network resource provided by the first network slice instance, in particular in response to an information request from the user equipment.

In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the processor is configured to determine the predicted performance metric based on a current performance metric associated with the first network resource provided by the first network slice instance, and the communication interface is further configured to provide the user equipment with information related to the current performance metric and/or the predicted performance metric periodically and/or based on an event (i.e., an event trigger), the current performance metric and/or the predicted performance metric being associated with the first network resource provided by the first network slice instance.

The event may be that a change in the current performance metric is greater than a threshold. Further, the communication interface may be used to provide the user equipment with information related to the current performance metrics and/or the predicted performance metrics periodically (i.e., at any predefined time interval, not limited to equidistant intervals).

In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the communication interface is configured to provide, in response to a subscription request of the user equipment, periodically and/or based on an event, the user equipment with information related to a current performance metric and/or a predicted performance metric associated with the first network resource provided by the first network slice instance.

In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the current performance metric and/or the predicted performance metric is associated with at least one radio access network, at least one transport network, and/or at least one core network of the communication network.

In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the information on the current performance metric and/or the predicted performance metric associated with the first network resource provided by the first network slice instance comprises: an identifier of the first network slice instance, in particular single network slice selection establishment information (S-NSSAI) and/or network slice selection establishment information (NSSAI); information relating to current time delay, current error rate, current jitter, current congestion level, current rate; information related to predicted delay, predicted error rate, predicted jitter, predicted congestion level, predicted rate; and/or information about a prediction reliability time window (i.e., a time window defining how long the prediction performance metric is reliable with a certain probability).

According to a second aspect, the present invention relates to a corresponding method of managing a plurality of network resources provided by a plurality of network slice instances in a communication network, wherein the method comprises: receiving an adjustment request from a user equipment, wherein the user equipment is attached to a first network slice instance of a plurality of network slice instances of a communication network, wherein the first network slice instance provides the user equipment with a first network resource of a plurality of network resources, wherein the adjustment request defines an adjustment of the first network resource provided by the first network slice instance; and in response to receiving an adjustment request from the user equipment, determining whether the first network slice instance is capable of providing the adjusted first network resource for the user equipment.

Thus, an improved method is provided which allows managing a plurality of network resources in an efficient manner.

According to a third aspect, the present invention relates to a user equipment for using a first network resource provided by a first network slice instance in a communication network, wherein the user equipment comprises a communication interface for sending an adjustment request to a management entity, wherein the management entity is for managing a plurality of network resources provided by a plurality of network slice instances in the communication network, the plurality of network slice instances comprising the first network slice instance, the plurality of network resources comprising the first network resource, wherein the adjustment request defines an adjustment of the first network resource provided by the first network slice instance.

Hence, an improved user equipment is provided which allows triggering an adjustment of network resources in an efficient manner.

In another possible implementation of the third aspect, the user equipment further comprises a processor, wherein the processor is configured to implement a state machine configured to operate the user equipment in a plurality of states including a first state and a second state, wherein operating the user equipment in the first state requires first network resources, and wherein operating the user equipment in the second state requires first network resources that are adjusted.

In another possible implementation of the third aspect, the processor is configured to trigger sending of an adjustment request to the management entity to transition from the first state to the second state.

According to a fourth aspect, the present invention relates to a corresponding method of operating a user equipment for using a first network resource provided by a first network slice instance in a communication network, wherein the method comprises: sending an adjustment request to a management entity of the communication network, wherein the management entity is configured to manage a plurality of network resources provided by a plurality of network slice instances in the communication network, the plurality of network slice instances including a first network slice instance, the plurality of network resources including the first network resource, wherein the adjustment request defines an adjustment of the first network resource provided by the first network slice instance.

Thus, an improved method is provided which allows triggering an adjustment of network resources in an efficient manner.

According to a fifth aspect, the present invention relates to a communication network comprising a plurality of network slice instances, a management entity according to the first aspect of the present invention, and a user equipment according to the third aspect of the present invention.

According to a sixth aspect, the invention relates to a computer program comprising program code for performing the method of the second aspect and/or the method of the fourth aspect when executed on a computer.

The present invention may be implemented in hardware and/or software.

Drawings

Other embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the following drawings, in which:

fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating different modes of operation of a vehicle user equipment in a wireless communication network;

fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a wireless communication network comprising a management entity according to an embodiment and a user equipment according to an embodiment;

fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram illustrating the interaction between a management entity according to an embodiment and a user equipment according to an embodiment;

fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram illustrating different operation modes of a user equipment according to an embodiment;

fig. 5 shows a flow chart illustrating state transitions of a user equipment according to an embodiment;

fig. 6 shows a diagram illustrating a signal flow between a management entity according to an embodiment and a user equipment according to an embodiment;

fig. 7 shows a diagram illustrating a signal flow between a management entity according to an embodiment and a user equipment according to an embodiment;

fig. 8A and 8B show diagrams illustrating respective signal flows between a management entity according to an embodiment and a user equipment according to an embodiment for two different network architectures;

fig. 9 shows a diagram illustrating a signal flow between a management entity according to an embodiment and a user equipment according to an embodiment;

fig. 10 shows a diagram illustrating a signal flow between a management entity according to an embodiment and a user equipment according to an embodiment;

fig. 11 shows a schematic diagram of a wireless communication network comprising a management entity according to an embodiment and a user equipment according to an embodiment;

fig. 12 shows a schematic diagram of a wireless communication network comprising a management entity according to an embodiment and a user equipment according to an embodiment;

fig. 13 shows a schematic diagram of a wireless communication network comprising a management entity according to an embodiment and a user equipment according to an embodiment;

fig. 14 shows a schematic diagram illustrating a method of managing a plurality of network resources in a communication network; and

fig. 15 shows a schematic diagram illustrating a method of operating a user equipment in a communication network.

In the figures, the same reference numerals are used for identical or at least functionally equivalent features.

Detailed Description

In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific aspects of the invention. It is to be understood that other aspects may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, as the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.

For example, it should be understood that the disclosure in connection with the described method also applies to the corresponding device or system for performing the method, and vice versa. For example, if a specific method step is described, a corresponding apparatus may comprise such units, even if the units for performing the described method step are not explicitly described or shown in the figures.

Furthermore, in the following detailed description and in the claims, embodiments are described with different functional blocks or processing units, which are connected to each other or exchange signals. It is to be understood that the invention also covers embodiments comprising additional functional blocks or processing units arranged between the functional blocks or processing units of the embodiments described below.

Finally, it should be understood that features of the various exemplary aspects described herein may be combined with each other, unless specifically noted otherwise.

Fig. 2 schematically shows components of a wireless or cellular communication network 200, i.e. a management entity 201 according to an embodiment and a user equipment or mobile terminal 231 according to an embodiment.

The management entity 201 is for managing a plurality of network resources provided by a plurality of network slice instances of the communication network 200. To this end, as shown in fig. 2, the management entity 201 comprises a communication interface 203 and a processor 205.

The user equipment 231 is attached to a first NSI of the communication network 200 and is configured to use first network resources provided by the first NSI. To this end, the user device 231 includes a communication interface 233 and a processor 235.

As will be described in further detail below, the communication interface 203 of the management entity 201 is configured to receive an adjustment request from the user equipment 231, wherein the adjustment request defines an adjustment of the first network resource provided by the first NSI, and the processor 205 of the management entity 201 is configured to determine whether the first NSI is capable of providing the adjusted first network resource for the user equipment 231.

In an embodiment, the wireless communication network 200 is a 5G network. In an embodiment, the management entity 201 may be implemented by a single physical server or distributed physical servers of a Mobile Network Operator (MNO) of the communication network 200. Alternatively, the management entity 201 may be implemented by a physical cloud server. According to another alternative, the management entity 201 may be implemented as a network function provided by the communication network 200, wherein the communication interface 203 and the processor 205 are implemented as virtual communication interfaces and virtual processors of the network function. In an embodiment, the user device 231 may be implemented as a mobile user device 231, in particular a vehicle user device 231. In an embodiment, the user device 231 may be implemented as a communication unit of a vehicle. In an embodiment, the V2X application 231a (shown in fig. 3) may run on the communication unit or on a different control unit of the vehicle terminal with which it communicates.

Further embodiments of the management entity 201 and the user device 231 will be described below. As shown in fig. 3, the embodiment of the present invention enables a tight interaction between the V2X application 231a in the mobile terminal 231 (or in communication with the mobile terminal 231) and the management entity 201 of the communication network 200 (e.g. Evolved Packet System (EPS), 5G system (5G system, 5GS)), thereby allowing to control the selection/adaptation of the NSI to ensure that the performance requirements are met. Thus, embodiments of the present invention are based on two main aspects, namely, first, the perception of system performance by the V2X application 231a and/or the user equipment 231, and second, terminal-triggered and network-controlled NSI adjustment.

As shown in step 1 of the embodiment shown in fig. 3, for the perception of system performance by the user device 231 and/or the V2X application 231a, the user device 231 may request information from the management entity 201 (referred to as the communication system 231 in fig. 3) regarding current and/or recent performance metrics associated with a plurality of NSIs provided by the communication network 200, in particular a first NSI to which the user device 231 is attached for using first network resources provided by the first NSI. According to embodiments of the present invention, these performance metrics may comprise at least one of the following information elements and/or parameters: a slice identifier (in particular S-NSSAI/NSSAI) of one or more of the plurality of NSIs (in particular the first NSI); information about current NSI and/or network performance, such as information about latency, error rate, jitter, congestion level, rate; information relating to expected performance and/or performance fluctuations, such as latency, error rate, jitter, congestion level, rate; information regarding a time window of expected performance effectiveness (e.g., 1 minute, 1 hour, etc.); and/or network analysis and/or measurements performed by a Radio Access Network (RAN) and/or a Core Network (CN) of the communication network 200.

The terminal-triggered and network-controlled NSI adjustment provided by embodiments of the present invention is illustrated by steps 2a to 2d of fig. 3. In step 2a, the user device 231 and/or V2X application sends a set of custom attributes (i.e., adjustment requests) for the NSI, which are critical to the particular use case, to the management entity 201. In step 2b, the management entity 201 receives the adjustment request. In step 2c, the management entity 231 may adapt the system in terms of network service provisioning for the particular user equipment 231 or set of user equipment including the user equipment 231 affected by this change. In step 2d, the management entity 201 may send a notification back to the user equipment with the necessary parameters.

As described above, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the user device 231 may be implemented as a vehicle user device or vehicle type user device 231, the vehicle user device or vehicle type user device 231 including in-vehicle services and capabilities to communicate with the mobile communication network 200. In embodiments, the vehicle user device 231 may be in different operating states or modes, and the in-vehicle service may only be used when the user device 231 is in a particular state. The state may be defined by, for example, a slice type (e.g., enhanced mobile bandwidth (eMBB) state, an ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) state, etc.), and/or by an application type (e.g., autonomous driving, assisted driving, manual driving). Fig. 4 shows a state machine of the user device 231 according to an embodiment, wherein the

states

401, 402, and 403 may be, for example, an autonomous driving state 401, an assisted driving state 402, and a manual driving state 403 (i.e., a non-assisted driving state).

Changing from one state to another is referred to as a state transition. According to embodiments of the present invention, the state transition of the user equipment 231 may be an active trigger or a passive trigger. An active state transition may be triggered, for example, by the user device 231 deciding to use a service requiring a different state (e.g., a state transition from manual driving to assisted driving), or by the user device 231 deciding to simply terminate the service. A passive state transition may be triggered by a change in performance of the communication network 200, in particular the first NSI provided by the communication network 200. For example, a decrease in system performance greater than a predefined threshold may trigger the user device 231 to change from an autonomous driving state to a manual driving state.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart illustrating the steps involved in state transition as implemented by an embodiment of the present invention. Before a service on the user equipment 231 is used, the user equipment 231 checks whether it is in a correct state to use the service. If not, a status change within the user equipment 231 is triggered (see step 501 of fig. 5) and the user equipment 231 requests assistance from the network 200 (more specifically the management entity 201) by means of a tuning request, as shown in step 503 of fig. 5. Based on the response of the management entity 201 to the adjustment request, the user equipment 231 will perform the required state transitions (step 507), or maintain its current state (step 509).

Thus, in an embodiment, the processor 235 of the user equipment is configured to implement a state machine for operating the user equipment 231 in a plurality of states including a first state and a second state, wherein operating the user equipment in the first state requires first network resources and wherein operating the user equipment in the second state requires first network resources that are adjusted. In an embodiment, the processor 235 of the user equipment is configured to trigger sending of an adjustment request to the management entity 201 to transition from the first state to the second state.

To facilitate state transitions of the user equipment 231, embodiments of the present invention provide for interaction between the user equipment 231 and the mobile communication network 200 (in particular the management entity 231) to verify transition conditions. The above interaction may be implemented in two different ways according to embodiments of the present invention.

A first alternative request-response model according to fig. 6 may be implemented by embodiments of the present invention. When the terminal (i.e. the user equipment 231) is in state X and wants to transition to state y, information about the capabilities of the communication network 200, in particular the first NSI provided by the communication network 200, needs to be obtained. To this end, in step 601 of fig. 6, the user equipment 231 transmits a system metric request (SMRq) message to the system (i.e., the management entity 201) to request information about current performance or recent performance of the system. In step 603 of fig. 6, the system 300, upon receiving the SMRq message, sends back a system metric response (SMRp) message containing information about the current or near-term performance of the system.

A second alternative publish-subscribe model according to that shown in figure 7 may be implemented by embodiments of the present invention. When a terminal (i.e., the user equipment 231) is in state X, the terminal transmits a system metric subscription (SMSb) message to the management entity 201 in step 701 to subscribe for information related to a specific system performance (e.g., SINR, latency, reliability, etc.). In response, the management entity 201 sends the subscribed information to the user equipment via a system metric publication (SMPb) message, as shown in

steps

703, 705, and 707 of fig. 7. A timer or event (e.g., a metric change) may trigger this action.

Thus, in an embodiment, the processor 205 of the management entity 201 is configured to determine the predicted performance metric based on a current performance metric associated with the first network resource provided by the first network slice instance, wherein the communication interface 203 of the management entity 201 is further configured to provide the user equipment 231 with information related to the current performance metric and/or the predicted performance metric (in particular in response to an information request from the user equipment 231).

In an embodiment, the processor 205 of the management entity 201 is configured to determine the predicted performance metric based on a current performance metric associated with the first network resource provided by the first network slice instance, wherein the communication interface 203 of the management entity 201 is further configured to provide the user equipment 231 with information related to the current performance metric and/or the predicted performance metric periodically and/or based on events. In an embodiment, the communication interface 203 of the management entity 201 is configured to provide the user device 231 with information related to the current performance metric and/or the predicted performance metric periodically and/or based on events in response to a subscription request of the user device 231.

In an embodiment, the current performance metric and/or the predicted performance metric is associated with at least one radio access network, at least one transport network, and/or at least one core network of the communication network 200.

In an embodiment, the information related to the current performance metric and/or the predicted performance metric comprises: an identifier of the first network slice instance, in particular S-NSSAI and/or NSSAI; information relating to current time delay, current error rate, current jitter, current congestion level, current rate; information related to predicted delay, predicted error rate, predicted jitter, predicted congestion level, predicted rate; and/or information relating to a prediction reliability time window.

As shown in

steps

811 and 813 of fig. 8A, the RAN 801 of the communication network 200 may handle SMRq/SMRp/SMSb/SMPb described above in the context of fig. 5 and 6, in case the information required by the user equipment 231 relates only to performance metrics associated with the RAN of the communication network 200. In this case, the messages are Access Stratum (AS) messages and the management entity 201 may be implemented at least in part in the RAN 801 of the communication network 200.

As shown in

steps

831 and 833 of fig. 8B, in the event that the information required by the user equipment 231 relates to performance metrics associated with the RAN and/or CN of the communications network 200, the CN 803 of the communications network 200 may process SMRq/SMRp/SMSb/SMPb messages. In an embodiment, a CN Network Function (NF) 803 may collect and data mine historical data, which may provide predictions with certain confidence intervals to provide the user equipment with the needed metrics. In this case, the SMRq, SMRp, SMSb, and SMPb messages are non-access stratum (NAS) messages, and the management entity 201 may be at least partially implemented in the CN 803 of the communication network 200, in particular as a network function of the CN 803.

As described above, embodiments of the present invention enable terminal-triggered and network-controlled system resource allocation and/or adjustment. For example, when the user equipment 231 is in a particular state (e.g., state X), it may be desirable to update the performance requirements (e.g., bandwidth). As described above, in this case, the user equipment 231 transmits an adjustment request, such as a system adjustment request (SARq) message, containing information about future performance requirements of the user equipment 231 to the management entity 231 (as shown in step 901 in fig. 9). Such requirements may include: slice-related information, such as slice type information; and/or performance related information such as latency, bandwidth, reliability, etc. This information may be provided as an exact value or a predefined index.

According to an embodiment, the management entity 201, after receiving the message, will first verify the message based on, for example, subscription information and/or slice information of the user equipment. If the SARq message is valid, the management entity 201 will perform the corresponding adjustment (see step 903 of fig. 9) and send a system adjustment response (SARp) message back to the user equipment 231 (see step 905 of fig. 9). In an embodiment, the SARp message may indicate one of the following adjustment results: (i) the success is as follows: resource allocation is adjusted according to the requirements of the user equipment 231; (ii) redirection: recommending that the user device 231 be associated with another system (in particular a network slice instance) that can meet the requirements of the user device 231; or (iii) failure: the management entity 201 rejects SARq.

Thus, in an embodiment, the processor 205 of the management entity 201 is configured to select a second network slice instance capable of providing the adjusted first network resource for the user equipment 231, and to attach the user equipment 231 to the second network slice instance, in case the first network slice instance is unable to provide the adjusted first network resource to the user equipment 231. In an embodiment, the communication interface 203 of the management entity 201 is configured to provide the user equipment 231 with information related to the second network slice instance (in particular an identifier of the second network slice instance).

In an embodiment, the communication interface 203 of the management entity 201 is further configured to notify the user equipment 231 that the adjustment request is denied in case the first network slice instance cannot provide the adjusted first network resource for the user equipment 231.

In an embodiment, the communication interface 203 of the management entity 201 is further configured to notify the user equipment 231 that the adjustment request is approved in case the first network slice instance is capable of providing the adjusted first network resource for the user equipment 231.

As described above, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the SARq message and the SARp message are NAS messages, and the SARq message and the SARp message can be processed by the management entity 231 implemented in the form of a network function of the CN 803, such as an access and mobility management function (AMF) 1001 of the CN 803 shown in fig. 10. If the adjustment request cannot be satisfied within the currently attached network slice (i.e., the first network slice), a handover from one network slice to another may be triggered without changing the AMF 1001. The corresponding steps are shown in more detail in fig. 10. In step 1011 of fig. 10, the user equipment 231 triggers the procedure by sending an adjustment request to the AMF 1001 in the form of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session modification request. In step 1012 of fig. 10, the AMF 1001 triggers (R) a PDU session modification procedure among the AN 801, the old Session Management Function (SMF) 1002, the Policy Control Function (PCF) 1006, and the Unified Data Management (UDM) 1007. However, it will be appreciated that no modification can be made to the current PDU session. Thus, in step 1013 of fig. 10, the AMF 1001 performs SMF reselection to select a new SMF 1003. Thereafter, in step 1014 of fig. 10, the AMF 1001 triggers the PDU session setup procedure between (R) AN 801, new SMF 1003, new UPF 1005, PCF 1006, and UDM 1007. Meanwhile, the AMF 1001 releases the PDU sessions on the old SMF 1002 and the old UPF 1004. Finally, in step 1015 of fig. 10, AN-specific resource modification (including PDU session modification command/ACK) is performed.

The above steps are slightly modified for the case where no adjustment can be made within the currently attached network slice instance (i.e., the first network instance). In this case, a handover from one network slice to another may be triggered without changing the current AMF 1001. More specifically, in a first step, the user equipment 231 triggers a procedure by sending a PDU session modification request to the AMF 1001. In the second step, the AMF triggers (R) a PDU session modification procedure between AN 801, old SMF 1002, PCF 1006, and UDM 1007. However, it will be appreciated that no modification can be made to the current PDU session. Thus, in the third step, the AMF 1001 attempts to perform SMF reselection, but there is no SMF that can be selected. In response thereto, in a fourth step the AMF 1001 recommends that the user equipment 231 perform a registration procedure, an AMF reselection, a separate re-registration/association procedure, or trigger an NS reselection by e.g. NSSF.

In case the adjustment can be made within the currently attached network slice, the modify PDU session modification procedure can cover this case.

With further reference to fig. 11, a management entity 201 is provided as part of the network management plane of the communication network 200, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Typically, the network management plane provides the following services: instantiation, configuration, and activation of a network slice. The adjustment request from the user equipment 231 may be handled by the network management plane if it affects not the adjustment of each terminal but the adjustment of the overall network slice. In a corresponding embodiment, the user equipment sends a SARq message to the management entity 231, the SARq message being a NAS message. After a management entity, for example implemented in the form of AMF 1001, receives the request and verifies the credentials of the user device 231, the management entity triggers the network services layer to communicate with the network management layer. The network management layer evaluates the adaptation request and may trigger the corresponding adaptation in all relevant domains (i.e. AN 801, CN 803 as shown in fig. 11) as well as in the transport network.

Fig. 12 shows another embodiment of a communication network 200 comprising a management entity 231 and a user equipment 201. In the embodiment shown in fig. 12, the management entity is an application entity, and the application entity may be an application belonging to a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), and/or a third party application, and/or a vertical application. More specifically, the management entity 201 may be part of a V2X application server, and/or a V2X application enabling server (as defined in SA6, TR 23.795), and/or an Application Function (AF) (as defined in SA2, TS 23.501). In such embodiments, the management entity 231 is used to monitor and process system metrics (actual, and/or abstract, and/or predicted) of the V2X service. As described above, when the V2X application 231a of the user device 231 determines the suitability (also referred to as a level of automation (LoA)) of the V2X state, it sends a system adjustment request to the management entity 201. The management entity 231 responds to and triggers system adjustments, in particular slice instance resource adjustments or slice instance reselections.

Fig. 13 shows another embodiment of a communication network 200 comprising a management entity 231 and a user equipment 201. In the embodiment shown in fig. 13, the management entity 201 is a network entity. More specifically, the management entity 231 may be a core network control plane (CN-CP) and/or a RAN of the communication network 200 and/or a part of a slice management system. As described above, the management entity 201 may be used to monitor and process system metrics (actual, and/or abstract, and/or predicted) of the V2X service. As described above, when the V2X application 231a of the user device 231 determines the adaptability (also referred to as LoA) of the V2X state, it sends a system adjustment request to the management entity 201. The management entity 231 responds to and triggers system adjustments, in particular slice instance resource adjustments or slice instance reselections.

Fig. 14 shows a schematic diagram illustrating a method 1400 of managing a plurality of network resources provided by a plurality of network slice instances in a communication network 200. The method 1400 comprises the following steps: step 1401, receiving an adjustment request from a user equipment 231, wherein the user equipment 231 is attached to a first network slice instance of a plurality of network slice instances, wherein the first network slice instance provides the user equipment 231 with a first network resource of a plurality of network resources, wherein the adjustment request defines an adjustment of the first network resource; and step 1403, in response to receiving the adjustment request, determining whether the first network slice instance is capable of providing the adjusted first network resources for the user equipment 231.

Fig. 15 shows a schematic diagram illustrating a method 1500 of operating a user equipment 231, the user equipment 231 being for using a first network resource provided by a first network slice instance in the communication network 200.

Method 1500 includes the following step 1501: an adjustment request is sent to a management entity 201 of the communication network 200, wherein the management entity 201 is configured to manage a plurality of network resources provided by a plurality of network slice instances in the communication network 200, the plurality of network slice instances including a first network slice instance, the plurality of network resources including a first network resource, wherein the adjustment request defines an adjustment of the first network resource.

While a particular feature or aspect of the disclosure may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations or embodiments, such feature or aspect may be combined with one or more other features or aspects of the other implementations or embodiments as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms "includes," has, "or other variants are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term" comprising. Also, the terms "exemplary," "e.g.," and "such as" are merely representative of examples, and do not indicate a best or optimal. The terms "coupled" and "connected," along with their derivatives, may be used. It will be understood that these terms may have been used to indicate that two elements co-operate or interact with each other, whether or not the elements are in direct physical or electrical contact, or are not in direct contact with each other.

Although specific aspects have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a variety of alternate and/or equivalent implementations may be substituted for the specific aspects shown and described without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specific aspects discussed herein.

Although elements in the claims below are recited in a particular sequence with corresponding reference numerals, unless the claim recitations otherwise imply a particular sequence for implementing some or all of those elements, those elements are not limited to being implemented in that particular sequence.

Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the above teachings. Of course, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that many applications of the present invention are beyond the scope of what is described herein. While the invention has been described with reference to one or more specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.

Claims

1. A management entity (201) for managing a plurality of network resources provided by a plurality of network slice instances in a communication network (200), wherein the management entity (201) comprises:

a communication interface (203) for receiving an adjustment request from a user equipment (231), wherein the user equipment (231) is attached to a first network slice instance, wherein the first network slice instance provides a first network resource for the user equipment (231), wherein the adjustment request defines an adjustment of the first network resource; and

a processor (205) configured to determine whether the first network slice instance is capable of providing the adjusted first network resource for the user equipment (231).

2. The management entity (201) of claim 1, wherein the processor (205) is configured to select a second network slice instance of the first network resource that is capable of providing the user equipment (231) with an adjustment, and to attach the user equipment (231) to the second network slice instance, in case the first network slice instance is not capable of providing the user equipment (231) with the adjusted first network resource.

3. The management entity (201) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the communication interface (203) is configured to provide the user equipment (231) with information related to the second network slice instance, in particular an identifier of the second network slice instance.

4. The management entity (201) of claim 1, wherein the communication interface (203) is further configured to notify the user equipment (231) that the adjustment request is rejected in case the first network slice instance is unable to provide the adjusted first network resource for the user equipment (231).

5. The management entity (201) of claim 1, wherein the communication interface (203) is further configured to notify the user equipment (231) that the adjustment request is approved if the first network slice instance is capable of providing the adjusted first network resource for the user equipment (231).

6. The management entity (201) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processor (205) is configured to determine a predicted performance metric based on a current performance metric associated with the first network resource provided by the first network slice instance, and wherein the communication interface (203) is further configured to provide the user equipment (231) with information related to the current performance metric and/or the predicted performance metric, in particular in response to an information request from the user equipment (231).

7. The management entity (201) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processor (205) is configured to determine a predicted performance metric based on a current performance metric associated with the first network resource provided by the first network slice instance, and wherein the communication interface (203) is further configured to provide the user equipment (231) with information related to the current performance metric and/or the predicted performance metric periodically and/or based on an event.

8. The management entity (201) of claim 7, wherein the communication interface (203) is configured to provide the user equipment (231) with information related to the current performance metric and/or the predicted performance metric periodically and/or based on events in response to a subscription request of the user equipment (231).

9. The management entity (201) of any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the current performance metrics and/or the predicted performance metrics are associated with at least one radio access network, at least one transport network, and/or at least one core network of the communication network (200).

10. The management entity (201) according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the information related to the current performance metric and/or the predicted performance metric comprises: an identifier of the first network slice instance, in particular S-NSSAI and/or NSSAI; information relating to current time delay, current error rate, current jitter, current congestion level, current rate; information related to predicted delay, predicted error rate, predicted jitter, predicted congestion level, predicted rate; and/or information relating to a prediction reliability time window.

11. A method (1400) of managing a plurality of network resources provided by a plurality of network slice instances in a communication network (200), wherein the method (1400) comprises:

receiving (1401) an adjustment request from a user equipment (231), wherein the user equipment (231) is attached to a first network slice instance of the plurality of network slice instances, wherein the first network slice instance provides the user equipment (231) with a first network resource of the plurality of network resources, wherein the adjustment request defines an adjustment of the first network resource; and

in response to receiving the adjustment request, determining (1403) whether the first network slice instance is capable of providing the adjusted first network resources for the user equipment (231).

12. A user equipment (231) for using a first network resource provided by a first network slice instance in a communication network (200), wherein the user equipment (231) comprises:

a communication interface (233) for sending an adjustment request to a management entity (201), wherein the management entity (201) is configured to manage a plurality of network resources provided by a plurality of network slice instances in the communication network (200), the plurality of network slice instances including the first network slice instance, the plurality of network resources including the first network resource, wherein the adjustment request defines an adjustment of the first network resource.

13. The user equipment (231) of claim 12, wherein the user equipment (231) further comprises a processor (235), wherein the processor (235) is configured to implement a state machine configured to operate the user equipment (231) in a plurality of states including a first state and a second state, wherein operating the user equipment in the first state requires the first network resources, and wherein operating the user equipment in the second state requires the first network resources to be adjusted.

14. The user equipment (231) according to claim 13, wherein the processor (235) is configured to trigger sending the adjustment request to the management entity (201) to transition from the first state to the second state.

15. A method (1500) of operating a user equipment (231), the user equipment (231) being for using a first network resource provided by a first network slice instance in a communication network (200), wherein the method (1500) comprises:

-sending (1501) an adjustment request to a management entity (201) of the communication network (200), wherein the management entity (201) is configured to manage a plurality of network resources provided by a plurality of network slice instances in the communication network (200), the plurality of network slice instances comprising the first network slice instance, the plurality of network resources comprising the first network resource, wherein the adjustment request defines an adjustment of the first network resource.

16. A communication network (200) comprising a plurality of network slice instances, a management entity (201) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, and a user equipment (231) according to any one of claims 12 to 14.

17. A computer program product comprising program code for performing the method (1400) according to claim 11 and/or the method (1500) according to claim 15 when the program code is executed on a computer or processor.