Patent Description:
To meet the demand for wireless data traffic having increased since deployment of <NUM> (<NUM>th-Generation) communication systems, efforts have been made to develop an improved <NUM> (<NUM>th-Generation) or pre-<NUM> communication system. Therefore, the <NUM> or pre-<NUM> communication system is also called a 'beyond <NUM> network' or a 'post LTE system'.

In the <NUM> system, hybrid FSK and QAM modulation (FQAM) and sliding window superposition coding (SWSC) as an advanced coding modulation (ACM), and filter bank multi carrier (FBMC), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), and sparse code multiple access (SCMA) as an advanced access technology have been developed.

Thus, there are various ongoing efforts to apply the <NUM> communication system to the IoT network. For example, the sensor network, machine-to-machine (M2M), machine type communication (MTC), or other <NUM> techniques are implemented by schemes, such as beamforming, multi-input multi-output (MIMO), and array antenna schemes. The above-mentioned application of the cloud radio access network (RAN) as a Big data processing technique may be said to be an example of the convergence of the <NUM> and IoT technologies.

The technical document 3GPP TR <NUM> V2. <NUM> discloses "Study on application architecture for enabling Edge Applications".

According to the disclosure, there are provided efficient communication methods and devices in an edge computing system.

According to the disclosure, there are provided communication methods and devices for selecting/determining an EDN in a computing system.

According to the disclosure, there are provided communication methods and devices for selecting/determining an edge enabler server (EES) depending on the data transmission distance in a hierarchical edge computing system.

According to an embodiment, a method of a user equipment (UE) in a communication system supporting an edge computing service using an edge data network including a first server providing, to the UE, first configuration information for application data traffic and a second server exchanging, with the UE, the application data traffic comprises transmitting a service provisioning request to a third server providing second configuration information for a connection with the first server and receiving, from the third server, a service provisioning response including network identification information related to a list of the first server or the second server in response to transmitting the service provisioning request.

According to an embodiment, a UE in a communication system supporting an edge computing service using an edge data network including a first server providing, to the UE, first configuration information for application data traffic and a second server exchanging, with the UE, the application data traffic comprises a transceiver and a processor configured to transmit, via the transceiver, a service provisioning request to a third server providing second configuration information for a connection with the first server and receive, from the third server via the transceiver, a service provisioning response including network identification information related to the first server or the second server in response to transmitting the service provisioning request.

According to an embodiment, a method of a third server providing, to a user equipment (UE), second configuration information for a connection with a first server in a communication system supporting an edge computing service using an edge data network including the first server providing, to the UE, first configuration information application data traffic and a second server exchanging, with the UE, the application data traffic comprises receiving a service provisioning request from the UE and transmitting, to the UE, a service provisioning response including network identification information related to a list of the first server or the second server in response to receiving the service provisioning request.

According to an embodiment, a third server providing, to a user equipment (UE), second configuration information for a connection with a first server in a communication system supporting an edge computing service using an edge data network including the first server providing first configuration information for application data traffic and a second server exchanging, with the UE, the application data traffic comprises a communication interface and a processor configured to receive a service provisioning request from the UE via the communication interface and transmit, to the UE via the communication interface, a service provisioning response including network identification information related to a list of the first server or the second server in response to receiving the service provisioning request.

Hereinafter, the operational principle of the disclosure is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The terms described below are ones defined considering functions in the disclosure. Since the terms may be varied according to the user's or operator's intent or custom, their definitions should be determined according to the contents throughout the disclosure.

The terms referring to network entities and objects of an edge computing system as used herein, the terms referring to messages, and the term referring to identification information are provided as an example for ease of description. Thus, the disclosure is not limited by the terms, and such terms may be replaced with other terms denoting objects with equivalent technical concept.

Although terms and names as defined in the <NUM> system standard are used herein for ease of description, embodiments of the disclosure are not limited thereto or thereby, and the same may apply likewise to systems conforming to other standards.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the disclosure are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. When making the gist of the disclosure unnecessarily unclear, the detailed description of known functions or configurations is skipped.

The electronic devices may include, for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smart phone), a portable multimedia device, a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic device is not limited to the above-listed embodiments. It may be understood that a singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the things, unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise.

As used herein, such terms as "1st" and "2nd," or "first" and "second" may be used to simply distinguish a corresponding component from another and does not limit the components in other aspect (e.g., importance or order). It may be understood that if an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to, with or without the term "operatively" or "communicatively", as "coupled with," "coupled to," "connected with," or "connected to" another element (e.g., a second element), it means that the element may be coupled with the other element directly (e.g., wiredly), wirelessly, or via a third element.

As used herein, the term "module" may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may interchangeably be used with other terms, for example, "logic," "logic block," "part," or "circuitry. " A module may be a single integral component, or a minimum unit or part thereof, adapted to perform one or more functions. According to an embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Various embodiments as set forth herein may be implemented as software (e.g., a program) including one or more instructions that are stored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory or external memory) that is readable by the electronic device. For example, a processor of the electronic device may invoke at least one of the one or more instructions stored in the storage medium, and execute it, with or without using one or more other components under the control of the processor. The storage medium readable by the electronic device may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium.

The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM) or digital video disc (DVD)-ROM), or be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) online via an application store (e.g., Play Store™), or between two user devices (e.g., smart phones) directly.

The <NUM> network technology shown in the drawings and described in the description of the disclosure refers to the standards (e.g., TS <NUM>) defined by the international telecommunication union (ITU) or 3GPP, and each of the components included in the network environment of <FIG> to be described below may mean a physical entity unit or a software or module unit capable of performing an individual function.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, electronic device may refer to various devices used by the user. For example, electronic device may mean a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station, subscriber station, remote terminal, wireless terminal, or user device. In the embodiments described below, user equipment (UE) is used as an example of the electronic device for convenience purposes.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, an access network (AN) may provide a channel for wireless communication with the electronic device. An AN may be a radio access network (RAN), a base station, an eNB, an eNodeB, a <NUM> node, a transmission/reception point (TRP), or a 5th generation NodeB (5GNB). According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a core network (CN) may manage at least one of subscriber information, mobility, access authorization, data packet traffic, or billing policy for the UE. The CN may include at least one of a user plane function (UPF) node, an access & mobility management function (AMF) node, a session management function (SMF) node, a unified data management (UDM) node, or a policy control function (PCF) node. For the functions and operations of the nodes (or entities) included in the CN, the standards (e.g., TS <NUM>) defined by the 3GPP may be referred to.

Edge computing is technology that has been provided to be able to host the service of the operator and/or a third party close to an access point, such as a base station, and reduce the end-to-end latency and load of the network to provide an efficient service. Such edge computing technology may shorten the data processing time by processing data in real time in a short distance from the site where the data is generated without transmitting the data generated from various terminals to a central cloud network (hereinafter referred to as a "central cloud"). For example, edge computing technology may be applied to technical fields, e.g., autonomous vehicles, that require rapid processing in various situations that may occur while driving. Edge computing is a concept of a network architecture that enables a cloud computing function and a service environment, and a network for edge computing may be deployed near the UE. Edge computing offers advantages, such as reduced latency, increased bandwidth, reduced backhaul traffic, and prospects for new services over cloud environments. The <NUM>- or <NUM>- or its subsequent-generation core network CN proposed by the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) may expose network information and functions to edge computing applications (hereinafter, edge applications).

The disclosure relates to technology for mobile edge computing in which the UE establishes a data connection to an EDN located close to the UE to make use of a broadband service and accesses the edge application server (EAS) driven on the edge computing platform or the edge hosting environment operated by the EES of the EDN to thereby use data services.

<FIG> is a view illustrating a configuration of a communication system supporting an edge computing network (hereinafter, an "edge computing system") according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, an EDN <NUM> includes an EAS <NUM> and an EES <NUM>. In <FIG>, an edge configuration server (ECS) <NUM> provides configuration information related to the EDN <NUM>. The EAS <NUM>, the EES <NUM>, and the ECS <NUM> interact with the core network <NUM> to provide edge computing services to the UE <NUM>. The core network <NUM> may use, e.g., a <NUM> or <NUM> or its subsequent next-generation core network. The UE <NUM> may include an application client <NUM> and an edge enabler client (EEC) <NUM>. Although not shown, the UE <NUM> may further include an edge configuration client (ECC).

The functions of each entity in <FIG> are described. The EES <NUM> provides supporting functions necessary for the EAS <NUM> and the EEC111. For example, the EES <NUM> may provide configuration information to the EEC111 to enable exchange (transmission and reception) of application data traffic between the EAS <NUM> and the application client <NUM> and provide information related to the EAS <NUM> to the EEC111. The EEC111 provides supporting functions necessary for the application client <NUM>. For example, the EEC111 retrieves configuration information to enable the exchange of application data traffic with the EAS <NUM> and provides the configuration information to the application client <NUM>, and may search for the EAS <NUM> available in the EDN.

In <FIG>, the ECS <NUM> provides a supporting function necessary for the EEC111 to connect to the EES <NUM>. For example, the ECS <NUM> may provide, e.g., service area information and network address information (e.g., uniform resource identifier (URI)) for connecting the EEC111 to the EES <NUM>. The ECS <NUM> may be deployed in the communication service provider's mobile network operator (MNO) domain or the service provider's 3rd party domain. The application client <NUM> is installed in the UE <NUM> to perform functions as a client and supports transmission and reception of application data traffic between the UE <NUM> and the EAS <NUM>. The EAS <NUM> performs functions as a server for transmitting and receiving data traffic in the EDN. Although <FIG> illustrates one EAS <NUM>, one EES <NUM>, and one ECS <NUM> for convenience, there may be a plurality of EESs/EASs/ECSs, respectively.

In <FIG>, EDGE-<NUM> to EGGE-<NUM> mean network interfaces (i.e., reference points) between entities and are described in Table <NUM> below. However, EDGE-<NUM> to EGGE-<NUM> are not limited to the descriptions in Table <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an example scenario of implementing an edge computing system according to an embodiment of the disclosure. In <FIG>, an MNO service area <NUM> indicates an example MNO domain of the communication service provider supporting an edge computing service.

The network and edge computing entities illustrated in <FIG> are described below. UPFs (e.g., UPF1, UPF2,. ) <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> serve as a gateway through for transferring packets transmitted and received by the UE <NUM>. To support an edge computing service, EESs <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> may be located near the UPFs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. The UPF may perform low-latency transmission by directly transferring data packets to edge data networks (EDNs) N1 and N2 without passing through the Internet, which is an external network. Further, the UPF may be connected to a data network connected to the Internet.

As illustrated in the configuration example of <FIG>, the edge computing system includes edge enabler servers (EES) <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, and <NUM>, an ECS <NUM>, and edge enabler clients (EEC) <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, and <NUM>. The EESS (EES) <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, and <NUM> build an edge hosting environment (or edge computing platform) and have information about the EASs <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> running in the edge hosting environment.

In <FIG>, the EESs <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, and <NUM> communicate with the UE <NUM> through an access point <NUM>, e.g., a base station, thereby connecting the application client <NUM> of the UE <NUM> with the EASs <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, and <NUM> in the edge hosting environment. The UE <NUM> supporting the edge computing system may include an EEC111, and the communication with the EESs <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, and <NUM> may be performed through interworking between the EEC111 and the EESs <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, and <NUM>. The layer where the interworking is performed may be referred to as an edge enabling layer. The UE <NUM> referred to in the disclosure may be not only a smartphone, but also an IoT device or a vehicle, as described above.

In <FIG>, the ECS <NUM> has deployment information for the edge enabler servers (EES) <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, and <NUM> and functions to transfer configuration information for using the edge computing service to the UE <NUM>. The configuration information may include at least one piece of EDN connection information (e.g., data network name or single-network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI)) (S-NSSAI is an identifier for identifying the network slice in the <NUM> system), EDN service area information (e.g., cell list, list of tracking area (TA), public land mobile network (PLMN) ID), EES connection information (e.g., URI). The configuration information may also include information indicating which layer the EDN <NUM> is present on, which includes the EES <NUM> and providing the edge computing service if the edge computing network is hierarchically configured. The layer may be determined depending on the data transmission distance between the UE <NUM> and the EDN <NUM> and may be selected based on various criteria according to the type of the service to be used by the UE, subscriber information, and network operator's policy.

In relation to a hierarchical configuration of the edge computing network, as an example, the network operator may find the EDN <NUM> (e.g., the EES and the EAS) located in the shortest distance accessible by the UPF connected with the UE <NUM> based on the core network configuration information and provide information about the found EDN <NUM> to the UE <NUM> through the ECS <NUM>. Further, there may be provided differentiated services depending on subscription levels, e.g., selecting the EDN <NUM> which is located in the shortest data transmission distance, relatively close, or relatively distant, depending on the service subscription levels. The relative distance may be set to various distances according to predetermined criteria. How to find the EDN <NUM> in the hierarchical configuration of the edge computing network may be implemented via various embodiments for finding/selecting the EES belonging to a related/preferred layer, as described below.

The EDN service areas N1 and N2 may be area in which the EES is available, as set by the EESs <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, and <NUM>. Based on this, when there are multiple EESs, the UE <NUM> may receive information about the EES accessible in a specific location from the ECS <NUM>. Further, if the ECS <NUM> may obtain information about the edge application servers (EAS) <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, and <NUM> running in the edge hosting environment of a specific EES, the UE <NUM> may obtain the corresponding EAS information through the EEC111.

The EAS <NUM> may be a third party application server running in the edge computing system and, as the EAS <NUM> runs on the infrastructure provided by the edge hosting environment and is able to provide an edge computing service in a location close to the UE <NUM>, the EAS <NUM> may provide ultra-low latency services. Information about an upper layer of a service provided by the EAS <NUM> to the UE <NUM> may be referred to as an application context. For example, when the user uses a real-time game application, all information necessary to regenerate the screen the user is currently viewing in the game and the play stage may be included in the application context. In other words, for the UE <NUM> to connect to another EAS <NUM> to seamlessly use the existing service, the application context needs to be relocated in the EAS to be newly connected. To perform the application context relocation, the EAS <NUM> capable of providing a service to the application running on the application client <NUM> of the UE <NUM> needs to be in the available state. Availability of the EAS <NUM> in the EDN may be determined depending on whether the EAS <NUM> is running in the edge hosting environment and the state of the EAS <NUM>.

The UE <NUM> may include an application client <NUM>, an EEC111 for interworking for the edge computing service for data traffic transmission/reception between the application client <NUM> and the EAS <NUM> and a device configuration (mobile terminal/termination) including a processor and a transceiver for communication in the wireless communication system. The application of the UE <NUM> is an application provided by a third party and refers to a client application that are driven in the UE <NUM> for a specific application service. Several applications may be driven in the UE <NUM>. At least one or more of these applications may use the edge computing service. The EEC111 in the UE <NUM> refers to a client that performs operations in the UE <NUM> required to use the edge computing service. The EEC111 may determine what applications may use the edge computing service and perform the operation of connecting a network interface to allow the data from the application client <NUM> to be transferred to the EAS <NUM> providing the edge computing service. The operation for establishing a data connection for using the edge computing service in the UE <NUM> may be performed in the 3GPP communication layer. The 3GPP communication layer refers to a layer that performs modem operations for using a mobile communication system. The 3GPP communication layer establishes a wireless connection for data communication, registers the UE <NUM> in the mobile communication system, establishes a connection for transmission of data to the mobile communication system, and transmits and receives data.

<FIG> is a view for describing a method for classifying EDNs according to transmission distances in a hierarchical edge computing system according to an embodiment of the disclosure. EDNs may be hierarchically configured according to the transmission distances.

Referring to <FIG>, the UE <NUM> may communicate with at least one of EDNs 150a, 150b, and <NUM> of an edge computing system through an access point <NUM>, such as a base station, and a UPF <NUM>. In this embodiment, the EDNs may be divided into a first EDN 150a which is located relatively close to the UE <NUM> and a second EDN 150b which is located relatively far from the UE <NUM>, with respect to the transmission distance from the UE <NUM>. In this case, with respect to the UE <NUM>, the first EDN 150a may be referred to as a "Front Edge," and the second EDN 150b may be referred to as a "Rear Edge. " Further, in the instant embodiment, the EDNs may be divided into a first EDN which is located relatively far from the central cloud <NUM> and a second EDN 150b which is located relatively close to the central cloud <NUM>, with respect to the transmission distance from the central cloud <NUM>. In this case, with respect to the central cloud <NUM>, the first EDN 150a may be referred to as a "Far Edge" and the second EDN 150b may be referred to as a "Near Edge. " In the embodiment of <FIG>, for convenience, the EDNs are divided into two networks depending on distances, but the EDNs may be divided into three or more networks depending on more distances. Further, there may be one or more first EDN 150a and one or more second EDN 150b depending on, e.g., regional characteristics.

<FIG> is a view for describing a method for classifying edge data networks (EDNs) using subnet information in a hierarchical edge computing system according to an embodiment of the disclosure. In <FIG>, the same method for classifying EDNs depending on transmission distances as described above in connection with <FIG> may apply to the first EDN 150a and the second EDN 150b of <FIG>.

In <FIG>, the first EDN 150a may include an EES 153a and an EAS 155a, and the second EDN 150b may include an EES 153b and an EAS 155b. The functions and operations of the EAS, EES, EEC, ECS, and EDN are identical to those described above in connection with <FIG>, and no further description thereof is given below. The description given above in connection with <FIG> may apply to the components shown in <FIG>.

The EEC111 included in the UE <NUM> of <FIG> provides supporting functions necessary for the application client <NUM>. For example, the EEC111 retrieves configuration information to enable the exchange of application data traffic with the EAS 155a, 155b, or <NUM> and provides the configuration information to the application client <NUM>, and may search for the EAS 155a, 155b, or <NUM> available in the EDN. The EEC111 may access at least one of the first EDN 150a and the second EDN 150b, or the EEC111 may simultaneously access the two EDNs. The first EDN 150a and the second EDN 150b may be connected to the 3GPP core network through different UPFs. The UE <NUM> has a current session established, and the subnet ID for the session of the UE <NUM> is determined depending on what UPF the established session has been connected. The network operator and the provider of the EESs 153a, 153b, and <NUM> may previously configure at least one (hereinafter, subnet information) of the subnet ID and subnet mask of the EES <NUM> in the EES <NUM> and register the subnet information in the ECS. In the embodiment of <FIG>, the EES subnet ID of the EES 153a located in the first EDN 150a may be, e.g., <NUM>. <NUM>/<NUM>, and the edge subnet mask may be, e.g., <NUM>. The IP address of the EES 153a may have a value between <NUM>. <NUM> and <NUM>. The edge subnet mask may be used to determine which edge subnet the corresponding IP address belongs to via a masking operation (bit-wise AND operation) on the IP address of a specific EES. In the second EDN 150b, the EES subnet ID and the edge subnet mask may also be described in the same manner.

As described above in connection with the embodiment of <FIG>, two or more EDNs may also be hierarchically configured in the embodiment of <FIG>. As a method for hierarchically configuring the edge computing system, it may be possible to use a separate EDN identifier in addition to the subnet information.

As in an embodiment according to the disclosure, EDNs may be divided and selected which are hierarchically configured in the edge computing system based on the identifier of the EDN or the subnet information of the EES. Various embodiments of selecting an EES (i.e., EDN) in a hierarchical edge computing system according to an embodiment of the disclosure are described below. A distinct subnet ID may be used for each EDN. The subnet ID may be a value set by the service provider configuring the network. In the example of <FIG>, the subnet ID corresponding to the first EDN is <NUM>. <NUM>/<NUM>, which may be used to identified whether the corresponding EDN is in the Far Edge or the Near Edge. Further, the IP address of the EAS or EES in the corresponding EDN is determined within an IP address range that may be set based on the subnet ID. For example, a value between <NUM>. <NUM> and <NUM>. <NUM> in <FIG> is set as the IP address of the EAS or EES belonging to the first EDN. Such subnet-related information may be changed by the network operator's policy or settings.

<FIG> is a view illustrating a method for an ECS to select an EES for a UE in a hierarchical edge computing system according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The embodiment of <FIG> provides a scheme for selecting an EES based on the UE subnet ID.

In operation <NUM> of <FIG>, the EES <NUM> transmits an EES registration request including the subnet information (edge subnet information) to which the EES <NUM> belongs to the ECS <NUM>. The edge subnet information includes at least one of an edge subnet ID and an edge subnet mask to which the EES <NUM> belongs. The EES registration request may also include EES connection information (e.g., fully qualified domain name (FQDN) and IP address) or EES service area information. The edge subnet information/EES connection information/EES service area may be set in the EES <NUM> by the edge computing service provider or the network operator.

Table <NUM> below shows an example configuration of an EES registration request message according to the embodiment of <FIG>.

In operation <NUM> of <FIG>, the ECS <NUM> transmits an EES registration response including the result of EES registration to the EES <NUM>.

Thereafter, in operation <NUM> of <FIG>, the EEC <NUM> in the UE transmits a provisioning request including the UE's subnet information (UE Subnet ID) to the ECS <NUM>. The UE subnet ID may be configured as a network prefix part of the UE IP address. The UE subnet ID may take the form of an IP address. The UE IP address may be set by the SMF. The value of the subnet ID of the UE is determined depending on what subnet of data network the session is set with. The UE may receive the subnet information through the 3GPP core network. For example, the subnet ID of the data network and the UPF currently connected with the UE may be carried on the protocol configuration option (PCO) to the UE from the SMF. The subnet ID may be a value set by the network operator, and the information may be a value set by the network operator in the SMF that manages the IP of the UE (the subnet ID corresponding to the UPF and the data network may be determined, and the corresponding information may be pre-configured in the SMF). The UE's subnet ID may be included and transmitted in a provisioning request as follows.

Table <NUM> below shows an example configuration of a provisioning request message according to the embodiment of <FIG>.

In operation <NUM> of <FIG>, the ECS <NUM> compares the UE subnet ID received from the UE with the edge subnet ID of the EES <NUM> that is already registered, thereby selecting an EES having the identical subnet ID.

For the comparison, an operation for identifying the edge subnet ID of the EES may be performed by applying the UE subnet mask or the edge subnet mask to the EES endpoint IP address.

In operation <NUM> of <FIG>, the ECS <NUM> transfers a provisioning response including the EES information identified to identify the EES located within the subnet to which the UE is connected through such an operation as subnet masking in operation <NUM> to the EEC <NUM> of the UE.

The EES information may include at least one of an EES IP address, EES service area information, data network name (DNN), and network slice information required for establishing a session with the EES. The EES IP address is the endpoint address of the EES from the EEC's standpoint. The EES service area is an area that may be set by the edge computing service provider and the network operator, and the EES service area may be set to provide edge computing services only within a specific area. The DNN and network slice information is information necessary for the UE to perform a session establishment request with the EES through the 3GPP network.

<FIG> is a view illustrating a method for selecting, by a UE, an EES to be accessed from an EES list provided by an ECS in a hierarchical edge computing system according to an embodiment of the disclosure. To that end, an EES list and edge subnet information are provided to the UE.

In operation <NUM> of <FIG>, the EES <NUM> transmits an EES registration request including the subnet information (edge subnet information) to which the EES <NUM> belongs to the ECS. The edge subnet information includes at least one of an edge subnet ID and an edge subnet mask to which the EES belongs. The EES registration request may also include EES connection information (e.g., FQDN and IP address) or EES service area information. The edge subnet information/EES connection information (e.g., EES endpoint address, DNN, or network slice information)/EES service area may be set in the EES <NUM> by the edge computing service provider or the network operator.

Thereafter, in operation <NUM> of <FIG>, the EEC <NUM> in the UE transmits a provisioning request including the UE's subnet information (UE subnet ID) to the ECS <NUM>. The UE subnet ID may be configured as a network prefix part of the UE IP address. The UE subnet ID may take the form of an IP address. The UE IP address may be set by the SMF. The value of the subnet ID of the UE is determined depending on what subnet of data network the session is set with. The UE may receive the subnet information through the 3GPP core network. For example, the subnet ID of the data network and the UPF currently connected with the UE may be carried on the protocol configuration option to the UE from the SMF. The UE may store the subnet information and may not include the subnet information in the provisioning request in operation <NUM>. The subnet ID may be a value set by the network operator, and the information may be a value set by the network operator in the SMF that manages the IP of the UE (the subnet ID corresponding to the UPF and the data network may be determined, and the corresponding information may be pre-configured in the SMF).

In operation <NUM> of <FIG>, the ECS <NUM> determines an EES list to be provided to the UE. For example, the ECS <NUM> may provide an EES list including all or some EESs registered in the ECS or may configure an EES list with EESs selected by applying a specific condition. As another example, the ECS <NUM> may select EESs that may be accessed by the UE using the location information for the UE. When the UE subnet information is provided in operation <NUM>, the EES list may be configured by selecting the EES having subnet information matching the UE subnet information.

In operation <NUM> of <FIG>, the ECS <NUM> transmits a provisioning response including the EES list determined in operation <NUM> and EES information for identifying the EES located in the UE-connected subnet in the list (hereinafter, EES list information) to the EEC <NUM> of the UE. The EES list information may include at least one of the edge subnet ID, edge subnet mask, EES connection information (EES endpoint address, DNN, network slice information, etc.), and EES service area which are required for session establishment with the EES. The EES endpoint address, DNN, network slice information, and EES service area are identical to those described above in connection with the embodiment of <FIG>.

Table <NUM> below shows an example configuration of a provisioning response message according to the embodiment of <FIG>.

In operation <NUM> of <FIG>, the EEC <NUM> of the UE receiving the provisioning response applies the edge subnet mask provided by the ECS <NUM> to the UE IP address to identify the UE subnet ID. The UE selects the EES <NUM> having the edge subnet ID matching the UE subnet ID from the list provided by the ECS <NUM> and attempts to connect with the EES <NUM>.

In the embodiments of <FIG>, a method for the UE to obtain UE subnet information is as follows. The SMF that manages the session of the UE may transmit the subnet ID and subnet mask information to which the UE is currently connected or connectable to the UE through the protocol configuration option. This is a method for providing via non-access stratum signaling through a 3GPP network.

In the above-described embodiments of <FIG>, instead of using the subnet of the UE and the subnet information for the EES, the data network access identifier (DNAI) information for each EES may be used to perform the following. For example, the DNAI information mapped to the EES accessible via the UPF to which the UE is currently connected may be provided through the SMF, and the DNAI information mapped to the EES may be included, instead of the subnet ID, when the provisioning request is sent from the UE to the ECS. Detailed examples are described below.

<FIG> is a view illustrating a DNAI-based EES selection method in a hierarchical edge computing system according to an embodiment of the disclosure. To that end, the EES list and edge subnet information are transmitted to the UE.

In operation <NUM> of <FIG>, the EES <NUM> transmits an EES registration request including the connection information (e.g., EES DNAI information) with UPF of the EES <NUM> to the ECS <NUM>. The EES registration request may also include EES connection information (e.g., FQDN and IP address) or EES service area information. At least one of the EES DNAI information/EES connection information (e.g., EES endpoint address, DNN, or network slice information)/EES service area may be set in the EES by the edge computing service provider or the network operator. The EES endpoint address, DNN, network slice information, and EES service area are identical to those described above in connection with the embodiment of <FIG>.

In operation <NUM> of <FIG>, the ECS <NUM> stores the received EES DNAI information and transmits an EES registration response including the result of EES registration to the EES <NUM>.

Thereafter, in operation <NUM> of <FIG>, the UE transmits a provisioning request including UE DNAI information to the ECS <NUM>. To that end, the UE may perform the following operation before transmitting the provisioning request. The EEC <NUM> in the UE receives DNAI information for the data network in which the session is established through the UE-connected UPF from the 3GPP core network. To that end, the SMF may perform the operation of carrying the DNAI of the data network to which the UE is currently connected, over the protocol configuration option to the UE. The UE may store the so-obtained DNAI information in the UE and may not include the DNAI information in the provisioning request of operation <NUM> of <FIG>.

In operation <NUM> of <FIG>, the ECS <NUM> determines an EES list to be provided to the UE. For example, the ECS <NUM> may provide an EES list including all or some EESs registered in the ECS or may configure an EES list with EESs selected by applying a specific condition. When the UE DNAI information is received in operation <NUM>, the EES having the same DNAI information as the UE DNAI may be selected, or an EES list composed of EESs having a DNAI value related to a UPF close to the UPF corresponding to the UE DNAI may be configured. In the network configuration, the EES access priorities may be marked in the EES list in the order of being closer to the UPF corresponding to the UE DNAI. As another example, when the UE DNAI information is not received in operation <NUM>, the ECS <NUM> may select EESs that may be accessed by the UE using the location information for the UE, application information within the UE, UE ID, or UE connectivity information.

In operation <NUM> of <FIG>, the ECS <NUM> transmits a provisioning response including EES information (the EES list determined in operation <NUM>) for identifying the EES located in the UE-connected subnet in the EES list (EES list information) to the UE. The EES list information may include at least one of the EES DNAI information, EES connection information (EES endpoint address, DNN, network slice information, etc.), and EES service area.

In operation <NUM> of <FIG>, the UE receiving the provisioning response compares the DNAI received via the non-access-stratum (NAS) message from the 3GPP core network (SMF) and the EES DNAI information and EES connection information provided by the ECS <NUM>, selects a matching EES, and attempts to connect to the EES <NUM>.

As another embodiment, a method for performing operations without transmitting the UE DNAI information from the EEC <NUM> to the ECS <NUM> as in the embodiment of <FIG> is as follows. The ECS <NUM> may obtain the DNAI value (this DNAI value is identical to the DNAI that the UE receives via the 3GPP NAS signaling in the embodiment of <FIG>) mapped to the UPF/data network connected with the UE using the network exposure service of the 3GPP core network. The ECS <NUM> may identify/compare the DNAI value obtained via the 3GPP core network with the DNAI obtained from the EES <NUM>, select (determine) the EES <NUM> where the UE is to connect, and provide the selected (determined) EES connection information to the UE via the provisioning response.

<FIG> is a view illustrating another method for selecting, by a UE, an EES to be accessed from an EES list provided by an ECS in a hierarchical edge computing system according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

In operation <NUM> of <FIG>, the EES <NUM> transfers an EES registration request including information (hereinafter, layer information) about the layer where the EES <NUM> is installed/configured via an EES registration procedure to the ECS <NUM>. For example, the layer information may include information about the layer where the EES <NUM> is installed in the EES connection information or may use a separate indication to include the far/near edge indicator (or the indicator indicating the EDN of the corresponding layer among the first EDN to the nth EDN divided into n layers), as a front edge/rear edge differentiator or the far edge/near edge described above in connection with the embodiments of <FIG> in the registration request and transfer the same to the ECS.

In operation <NUM> of <FIG>, the ECS <NUM> stores the layer information received from the EES <NUM> and transmits an EES registration response including the result of the registration to the EES <NUM>.

Thereafter, in operation <NUM> of <FIG>, the UE provides the ECS <NUM> with a provisioning request including UE preference for far/near edge (which may also be denoted by other various terms, such as preferred EDN information, preferred layer information, or preferred EES information) or a security credential obtained via an authentication procedure. The UE preference information may be set in various ways according to the UE type (e.g., smartphone, vehicle, or drone) or subscriber information. For example, in the case of a high mobility-type UE, the UE preference information may be set with the near edge/rear edge described above in connection with the embodiment of <FIG>. Alternatively, the UE preference information may be set according to the subscriber information for the user of the UE (e.g., for premium subscribers, selects far edge/front edge).

In operation <NUM> of <FIG>, the ECS <NUM> receiving the provisioning request may identify, e.g., the UE preference information or security credential, compare the provisioning request with, e.g., the service level that may be provided to the UE, and determine what layer of EES <NUM> the UE is provided a service through. For example, for service differentiation, the ECS <NUM> may select an EES in the far edge (front edge) if the UE subscriber is a premium service user. Alternatively, the ECS <NUM> may select an EES that may be connected to the corresponding UPF in the shortest transmission distance using the UPF and data network information to which the UE is currently connected. Alternatively, an EES may be selected based on information in the application client profile provided from the UE (e.g., mobility required to be guaranteed, application type, key performance indicator (KPI) requirement, etc.).

In operation <NUM> of <FIG>, the ECS <NUM> transmits a provisioning response including the selected/determined EES connection information to the UE.

In another embodiment, as in the embodiment of <FIG>, the UE may receive the EES information (including the far edge indication) and EES list where the UE is currently connectible from the ECS <NUM> without transmitting UE preference information through the provisioning request of operation <NUM> and may then perform the EES selection operation.

Although techniques for configuring a hierarchical edge computing network depending on data transmission distances have been described above according to embodiments of the disclosure, other various criteria, such as network load, service provider's policy, and type of edge computing service, then the data transmission distance may be adopted for configuring a hierarchical edge computing network.

Although techniques for selecting an EES are described above according to embodiments, if the ECS is hierarchically present, a method for selecting an ECS may also be performed in the same or similar manner. Further, the EASs connected to the EES may also be hierarchically installed/configured, and the method of using, e.g., the subnet ID, subnet mask, DNAI, and UE preference according to the disclosure may also be applicable to EAS selection. The subnet ID and DNAI information according to the disclosure may correspond to geographic UE location information and, instead of the UE location information, may be used in edge computing system-related procedures.

<FIG> is a view illustrating a configuration of a UE according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The UE may include a processor <NUM> and a transceiver <NUM> that may perform wireless communication according to a predetermined communication scheme in a communication system supporting the above-described edge computing service. The processor <NUM> may control the operation of the transceiver <NUM> and may overall control the device to receive an edge computing service according to the scheme described above in connection with the embodiments of <FIG> using the program (application client (EEC)) installed/stored in the UE.

For example, in a communication system supporting an edge computing service using an EDN including a first server (EES) providing first configuration information for transmission/reception of application data traffic to/from the UE and a second server (EAS) transmitting/receiving application data traffic to/from the UE, the UE may include a transceiver <NUM> and a processor <NUM> configured to transmit a service provisioning request to a third server (ECS) providing second configuration information for connection with the first server (EES) via the transceiver and receive a service provisioning response including network identification information (e.g., DNAI list information for the first server (EES) or the second server (EAS) capable of providing a service to the UE) related to the first server (EES) or the second server (EAS) from the third server (ECS) via the transceiver <NUM> in response to the service provisioning request.

<FIG> is a view illustrating a configuration of a server according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The server of <FIG> may include a processor <NUM> and a communication interface <NUM> that may perform wired/wireless communication according to a predetermined communication scheme in a communication system supporting the above-described edge computing service. The processor <NUM> may control the operation of the communication interface <NUM> and may overall control the device to receive an edge computing service according to the scheme described above in connection with the embodiments of <FIG> using the program (EAS, EES, or ECS) installed/stored in the server. The server of <FIG> may be at least one of an EAS, EES, and ECS.

For example, in a communication system supporting an edge computing service using an EDN including a first server (EES) providing first configuration information for transmitting/receiving application data traffic to/from the UE and a second server (EAS) transmitting/receiving application data traffic to/from the UE, a third server (ECS) providing the UE with second configuration information for connection with the first server (EES) may include a communication interface <NUM> and a processor <NUM> configured to receive a service provisioning request from the UE via the communication interface <NUM> and transmit a service provisioning response including network identification information related to the second server or the third server to the UE via the communication interface <NUM> in response to the service provisioning request.

Claim 1:
A method of a user equipment, UE, including an edge enabler client, EEC, in a communication system supporting an edge computing service using an edge data network including an edge enabler server, EES, and an edge application server, EAS, exchanging, with the UE, application data traffic, the method comprising:
transmitting (<NUM>), by the EEC, a service provisioning request to an edge configuration server, ECS, providing configuration information for a connection with the EES; and
receiving (<NUM>), by the EEC from the ECS, a service provisioning response including information of one or more data network access identifiers, DNAIs, associated with the EES in response to transmitting the service provisioning request,
wherein the information of the one or more DNAIs is mapped to the EES accessible via a user plane function, UPF.