PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-12028753-B2
Application Number: US-202117249705-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Selection of edge application server

Abstract:
Methods and devices for selecting an edge application server (EAS) to service a user equipment (UE). One exemplary method incudes determining that a current protocol data unit (PDU) session of an application being executed by a UE is being serviced by a first EAS, determining that the first EAS is no longer suitable to service the application, selecting a second EAS to service the application and instructing the UE to use the second EAS for future PDU sessions for the application.

Claims:
What is claimed: 
     
       1. A method, comprising:
 at an application function (AF) of a cellular core network: 
 determining that an application being executed by a user equipment (UE) is being serviced by a first edge application server (EAS), wherein the determining that the first EAS is no longer suitable to service the application is based on receiving a notification from a first network function; 
 determining that the first EAS is no longer suitable to service the application; and 
 transmitting a request to a second network function, wherein the request is configured to trigger EAS relocation for the UE from the first EAS to a second EAS. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the determining that the first EAS is no longer suitable to service the application is based on determining a vendor for an EAS for the application has changed. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the determining that the first EAS is no longer suitable to service the application is based on determining one of the first EAS is experiencing congestion, the first EAS is experiencing an outage, or the first EAS is undergoing periodic maintenance. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the determining that the first EAS is no longer suitable to service the application is based on the UE reporting periodic measurement data related to the first EAS, wherein the measurement data comprises one of an average, a maximum or a minimum round trip time (RTT) over a time window for packets being exchanged between the UE and the first EAS. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 sending, to a network component, a message indicating the second EAS is to service the application. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 prior to selecting the second EAS, sending a capability inquiry message to the second EAS; 
 receiving, from the second EAS, a response to the capability inquiry message, the response comprising capability information for the second EAS, 
 wherein the selecting the second EAS is based at least on the capability information. 
 
     
     
       7. A method, comprising:
 at a cellular core network: 
 determining that a current protocol data unit (PDU) session of an application being executed by a user equipment (UE) is being serviced by a first edge application server (EAS); 
 determining that the first EAS is no longer suitable to service the application, wherein the determining that the first EAS is no longer suitable to service the application is based on receiving a notification from a first network function; 
 transmitting, by an application function (AF), a request to a second network function, wherein the request is configured to trigger EAS relocation for the UE from the first EAS to a second EAS; and 
 instructing the UE to use the second EAS for future PDU sessions for the application. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 instructing the UE to update the current PDU session to use the second EAS, wherein the instructing the UE to use the second EAS for future PDU sessions for the application and the instructing the UE to update the current PDU session to use the second EAS is based on at least two different messages sent to the UE. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the instructing is based on a message comprising one of a rule for accessing EASs or a message updating the EAS IP address. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the determining that the first EAS is no longer suitable to service the application comprises monitoring a first service link to the first EAS in the cellular network, and wherein selecting the second EAS is based on at least monitoring at least a second service link to the second EAS in the cellular network. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 buffering an application state between the application and the first EAS; and 
 servicing the application via the second EAS, wherein a switch from the first EAS to the second EAS is based on at least the buffered application state. 
 
     
     
       12. A cellular core network, comprising:
 an application function (AF) configured to determine that a current protocol data unit (PDU) session of an application being executed by a user equipment (UE) is being serviced by a first edge application server (EAS), determine that the first EAS is no longer suitable to service the application, and transmit a request to a first core network function, wherein the determining that the first EAS is no longer suitable to service the application is based on receiving a notification from a second core network function and wherein the request is configured to trigger EAS relocation for the UE from the first EAS to a second EAS; and 
 a third core network function configured to instruct the UE to use the second EAS for future PDU sessions for the application. 
 
     
     
       13. The cellular network of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a fourth core network function configured to instruct the UE to update the current PDU session to use the second EAS. 
 
     
     
       14. The cellular network of  claim 12 , wherein the AF determines the first EAS is no longer suitable to service the application based on at least a message received from the UE indicating that the first EAS is no longer suitable to service the application, wherein the message is based on the UE comparing measurements of link quality to a rule for accessing EASs that is provided to the UE by the cellular network. 
     
     
       15. The cellular network of  claim 12 , wherein the AF determines the first EAS is no longer suitable to service the application based on receiving monitoring information related to a first service link to the first EAS in the cellular network. 
     
     
       16. The cellular network of  claim 12 , wherein the AF selects the second EAS based on, at least, monitoring information related to a second service link to the second EAS in the cellular network. 
     
     
       17. The cellular network of  claim 12 , wherein the AF is further configured to, send, prior to selecting the second EAS, a capability inquiry message to the second EAS, and receive, from the second EAS, a response to the capability inquiry message, the response comprising capability information for the second EAS, wherein the selecting the second EAS is based at least on the capability information. 
     
     
       18. A method, comprising:
 at a user equipment (UE): 
 receiving, from a network to which the UE is connected, a rule related to accessing an edge application server (EAS), wherein the rule comprises a minimum link quality for a connection between the UE and the EAS; 
 monitoring a link quality for the connection between the UE and the EAS; and 
 when the link quality is below the minimum link quality defined in the rule, sending a message to the network to initiate an EAS relocation procedure, wherein the EAS relocation procedure comprises a switch from a first EAS to a second EAS based on at least a buffered application state. 
 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 18 , wherein the minimum link quality is based on a quality of service guaranteed to the UE for an application being executed by the UE that is using the EAS. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 18 , wherein monitoring the link quality includes measuring a round trip time (RTT) between the UE and the EAS.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Edge computing refers to performing computing and data processing at the network where the data is generated. This allows performance to be optimized and latency to be minimized. Edge computing is a distributed approach where data processing is localized. In edge computing infrastructures, edge application servers (EAS) may be deployed near the sites of applications. 
     A user equipment (UE) may connect to a first EAS based on, for example, the application (s) running on the UE and the UEs location. However, at a later time, there may be circumstances where the UE should no longer be connected to the first EAS. These circumstances may include, but are not limited to, the EAS being congested, the EAS being in an outage condition, a change in the data network access identifier (DNAI) of the UE, a change in the currently executing applications of the UE, UE moving from one location to another, etc. 
     When these circumstances occur, there is a need to determine whether the UE should switch from the first EAS to a different EAS and to which different EAS the UE should switch. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to some exemplary embodiments, a method is performed by a first network component. The method includes determining that an application being executed by a user equipment (UE) is being serviced by a first edge application server (EAS), determining that the first EAS is no longer suitable to service the application and selecting a second EAS to service the application. 
     Further exemplary embodiments include a method performed at a cellular network. The method includes determining that a current protocol data unit (PDU) session of an application being executed by a user equipment (UE) is being serviced by a first edge application server (EAS), determining that the first EAS is no longer suitable to service the application, selecting a second EAS to service the application and instructing the UE to use the second EAS for future PDU sessions for the application. 
     Still further exemplary embodiments include a cellular network having a plurality of network components. A first network component is configured to determine that a current protocol data unit (PDU) session of an application being executed by a user equipment (UE) is being serviced by a first edge application server (EAS), determine that the first EAS is no longer suitable to service the application and select a second EAS to service the application. A second network component is configured to instruct the UE to use the second EAS for future PDU sessions for the application. 
     In additional exemplary embodiments a method is performed by a user equipment (UE). The method includes receiving, from a network to which the UE is connected, a rule related to accessing an edge application server (EAS), wherein the rule comprises a minimum link quality for a connection between the UE and the EAS, monitoring a link quality for the connection between the UE and the EAS and when the link quality is below the minimum link quality defined in the rule, sending a message to the network to initiate an EAS relocation procedure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    shows an exemplary network arrangement according to various exemplary embodiments described herein. 
         FIG.  2 A  shows a first exemplary arrangement of an edge computing architecture that includes accessing edge application servers (EASs) via Uplink (UL) classifiers (CL) and Branching Points (BP) according to various exemplary embodiments described herein. 
         FIG.  2 B  shows a second exemplary arrangement of an edge computing architecture that does not include accessing EASs via UL CL/BP according to various exemplary embodiments described herein. 
         FIG.  3    shows an exemplary signaling diagram showing an application function (AF) initiated EAS relocation according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG.  4    shows an exemplary signaling diagram showing EAS relocation that is initiated based on UE input according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG.  5    shows an exemplary signaling diagram showing updating UE Route Selection Policy (URSP) rules for an active PDU session during EAS relocation according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG.  6    shows an exemplary signaling diagram showing an application function (AF) assisted EAS relocation according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG.  7    shows an exemplary signaling diagram showing the AF determining the capabilities of an EAS to assist in EAS relocation according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG.  8    shows an exemplary user equipment (UE) according to various exemplary embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and the related appended drawings, wherein like elements are provided with the same reference numerals. The exemplary embodiments describe various exemplary embodiments for determining whether an edge application server (EAS) relocation should be performed and selecting a new EAS if EAS relocation is to be performed. 
     The exemplary embodiments are described with regard to a UE. However, reference to a UE is merely provided for illustrative purposes. The exemplary embodiments may be utilized with any electronic component that may establish a connection to a network and is configured with the hardware, software, and/or firmware to exchange information and data with the network. Therefore, the UE as described herein is used to represent any electronic component. 
     In addition, the exemplary embodiments are described with regard to a 5G New Radio (NR) cellular network. However, reference to a 5G NR network is merely provided for illustrative purposes. The exemplary embodiments may be utilized with any network that implements the functionalities described herein for edge computing. Therefore, the 5G NR network as described herein may represent any network that includes the functionalities associated with edge computing. 
       FIG.  1    shows a network arrangement  100  according to the exemplary embodiments. The network arrangement  100  includes a UE  110 . Those skilled in the art will understand that the UE  110  may be any type of electronic component that is configured to communicate via a network, e.g., mobile phones, tablet computers, smartphones, phablets, embedded devices, wearable devices, Cat-M devices, Cat-M1 devices, MTC devices, eMTC devices, other types of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc. An actual network arrangement may include any number of UEs being used by any number of users. Thus, the example of a single UE  110  is only provided for illustrative purposes. 
     The UE  110  may communicate with one or more networks. In the example of the network configuration  100 , the networks with which the UE  110  may wirelessly communicate are a 5G New Radio (NR) radio access network (5G NR-RAN)  120 , an LTE radio access network (LTE-RAN)  122  and a wireless local access network (WLAN)  124 . However, the UE  110  may also communicate with other types of networks and the UE  110  may also communicate with networks over a wired connection. Therefore, the UE  110  may include a 5G NR chipset to communicate with the 5G NR-RAN  120 , an LTE chipset to communicate with the LTE-RAN  122  and an ISM chipset to communicate with the WLAN  124 . 
     The 5G NR-RAN  120  and the LTE-RAN  122  may be portions of cellular networks that may be deployed by cellular providers (e.g., Verizon, AT&amp;T, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc.). These networks  120 ,  122  may include, for example, base stations (Node Bs, eNodeBs, HeNBs, eNBS, gNBs, gNodeBs, macrocells, microcells, small cells, femtocells, etc.) that are configured to send and receive traffic from UEs that are equipped with the appropriate cellular chip set. The WLAN  124  may include any type of wireless local area network (WiFi, Hot Spot, IEEE 802.11x networks, etc.). Further details of the 5G NR-RAN  120  will be provided below. 
     The base stations (e.g., the gNB  120 A, the eNB  122 A) may include one or more communication interfaces to exchange data and/or information with camped UEs, the corresponding RAN, the cellular core network  130 , the internet  140 , etc. Those skilled in the art will understand that any association procedure may be performed for the UE  110  to connect to the 5G NR-RAN  120 . For example, as discussed above, the 5G NR-RAN  120  may be associated with a particular cellular service provider where the UE  110  and/or the user thereof has a contract and credential information (e.g., stored on a SIM card). Upon detecting the presence of the 5G NR-RAN  120 , the UE  110  may transmit the corresponding credential information to associate with the 5G NR-RAN  120 . More specifically, the UE  110  may associate with a specific cell (e.g., the gNB  120 A of the 5G NR-RAN  120 ). As mentioned above, the use of the 5G NR-RAN  120  is for illustrative purposes and any type of network may be used. 
     In addition to the networks  120 ,  122  and  124  the network arrangement  100  also includes a cellular core network  130 , the Internet  140 , an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)  150 , and a network services backbone  160 . The cellular core network  130  may be considered to be the interconnected set of components that manages the operation and traffic of the cellular network. The cellular core network  130  also manages the traffic that flows between the cellular network and the Internet  140 . The IMS  150  may be generally described as an architecture for delivering multimedia services to the UE  110  using the IP protocol. The IMS  150  may communicate with the cellular core network  130  and the Internet  140  to provide the multimedia services to the UE  110 . The network services backbone  160  is in communication either directly or indirectly with the Internet  140  and the cellular core network  130 . The network services backbone  160  may be generally described as a set of components (e.g., servers, network storage arrangements, etc.) that implement a suite of services that may be used to extend the functionalities of the UE  110  in communication with the various networks. 
       FIG.  2 A  shows a first exemplary architecture arrangement  200  of an edge computing architecture that includes accessing edge application servers (EASs) via Uplink (UL) classifiers (CL) and Branching Points (BP) according to various exemplary embodiments described herein. The following will provide a general overview of the various components of the exemplary architecture arrangement  200 . However, specific operations performed by the components with respect to the exemplary embodiments will be described in greater detail below when describing the exemplary embodiments. It should also be understood that the components of exemplary architecture arrangement  200  may reside in various physical and/or virtual locations as described above with respect to  FIG.  1   . These locations may include, within the access network (e.g., within the 5G NR-RAN  120 ), within the core network  130 , as a separate component outside of the locations described with respect to  FIG.  1   , etc. 
     In addition, in  FIG.  2 A , the various components are shown as being connected via connections labeled Nx (e.g., N1, N2, N3, N6, N9, etc.). Those skilled in the art will understand that each of these connections (or interfaces) are defined in the 3GPP Specifications. The exemplary architecture arrangement  200  is using these connections in the manner in which they are defined in the 3GPP Specifications. Furthermore, while these interfaces are termed connections throughout this description, it should be understood that these interfaces are not required to be direct wired or wireless connections, i.e., the interfaces may communicate via intervening hardware and/or software components. To provide an example, the UE  110  exchanges communications with the gNB  120 A. However, in the architecture arrangement  200  the UE  110  is shown as having a connection to the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF)  230  within the core network  130 . This connection or interface is not a direct communication link between the UE  110  and the AMF  230 , but is a connection that is facilitated by intervening hardware and software components. Thus, throughout this description the terms “connection” and “interface” may be used interchangeably to describe the Nx interfaces between the various components. 
     The architecture arrangement  200  includes the UE  110  and the access network (AN)  120  (e.g., the 5G NR-RAN  120 ). The AN  120  is connected to a first User Plane Function (UPF)  205 . The UPF  205  performs various functions within the core network  130  including packet routing and forwarding. In this example, the UPF  205  includes the UL CL/BP functionality. In general, the UL CL functionality may refer to providing destination based multihoming for load balancing, while BP may refer to forwarding UL traffic to different PDU Session Anchors (PSA). The first UPF  205  is further connected to a second UPF  210  and a third UPF  215 . The second UPF  210  and third UPF  215  include the PSA functionality. The third UPF  215  connects to the data network (DN)  220 . 
     In this exemplary embodiment, the second UPF  210  connects to the local EASs  225 . Those skilled in the art will understand that the EAS  225  may comprise one or more EASs as will be described in greater detail below. In addition, those skilled in the art will understand that a network may include one or more additional UPFs (not shown) that each connect to one or more additional EASs (not shown). 
     In addition to the connections described above, the UE  110  and the AN  120  may also be connected to the AMF  230 . The AMF  230  is generally responsible for mobility management in the 5G NR-RAN  120 . For example, the AMF  230  may be responsible for managing handovers between gNBs. The UPFs  205 - 215  may also include a connection to a Session Management Function (SMF)  235 . The SMF  2325  may be generally responsible for creating, updating and removing Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions for UEs. 
     The exemplary architecture arrangement  200  further includes a Network Exposure Function (NEF)  240 . The NEF  240  is generally responsible for securely exposing the services and capabilities provided by 5G NR-RAN  120  network functions. The exemplary architecture arrangement  200  further includes a Positioning Calculation Function (PCF)  245 . The PCF  245  is generally responsible for determining the position of the UE  110 . The exemplary architecture arrangement  200  also further includes an application function (AF)  250 . The AF  250  may be considered a logical element that provides session related information. 
       FIG.  2 B  shows a second exemplary architecture arrangement  260  of an edge computing architecture that does not include accessing EASs via UL CL/BP according to various exemplary embodiments described herein. Thus, in this exemplary architecture arrangement  260 , there is no UPF that includes the UL CL/BP functionality (e.g., the UPF  205  of  FIG.  2 A ). In the exemplary architecture arrangement  260 , the AN  120  is connected to the UPF  270  that includes the PSA functionality. The UPF  270  is connected to the DN  275  that includes the EASs  280 . Similar to the architecture arrangement  200 , those skilled in the art will understand that the DN  275  may comprise one or more EASs  280  and that a network may include one or more additional UPFs (not shown) that each connect to one or more additional DNs having one or more EASs (not shown). The remaining components are the same as was described with respect to the architecture arrangement  200  and will not be described again. 
     The arrangements  200  and  260  as shown and described with reference to  FIGS.  2 A and  2 B , respectively, are intended to provide two exemplary arrangements of edge computing architecture in which the exemplary embodiments may be implemented. However, it should be understood that there may be other edge computing architectures with which the exemplary embodiments may be implemented. Further, as described above, the description related to  FIGS.  2 A and  2 B  is only intended to provide a general overview of the components in the various arrangements. Exemplary operations performed by the components in implementing the exemplary embodiments will be provided below. 
       FIG.  3    shows an exemplary signaling diagram  300  showing an application function (AF) initiated EAS relocation according to various exemplary embodiments.  FIG.  3    will be described with regard to the network arrangement  100  of  FIG.  1    and the architecture arrangements  200  and  260  of  FIGS.  2 A and  2 B , respectively. In this exemplary embodiment, the AF initiates the procedure to change the EAS of a UE. 
     Prior to discussing the signaling in  FIG.  3   , the specific components performing the signaling will be described. Starting from the left, a general description of the UE  110 , the AMF  230 , the SMF  235 , the PCF  245  and AF  250  was provided above, and these components are generally the same with respect to the architecture arrangements  200  and  260 . In this exemplary embodiment, the UPF is labeled as the UPF  210  of architecture arrangement  200  that connects to the EASs  225 . However, the UPF may also be the UPF  270  of architecture arrangement  260  that connects to the DN  275  comprising the EASs. That is, with respect to this exemplary embodiment, the operations and signaling described with respect to signaling diagram  300  may be performed within the architecture arrangement  200 , the architecture arrangement  260  or any other edge computing architecture that may implement the exemplary embodiments. 
     In this example, there are two EASs, EAS  225   a  and EAS  225   b . It may be considered that the EAS  225   a  is the EAS to which the UE  110  is currently connected and the EAS  225   b  is the target EAS. Again, to be consistent with the example started above, the EASs are labeled with the reference numeral related to the architecture arrangement  200 . However, as described above, the exemplary embodiments are also applicable to the architecture arrangement  260  and could have been labeled with the reference numerals of that architecture. 
     In addition, throughout the description of this signaling diagram  300  and the other signaling diagrams described herein, the messages passed between the various components may be labeled with specific message names/types. For example, in signaling diagram  300 , the message names/types Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer and UE Configuration Update Command are used. In the description, the information carried by these messages and the function of the messages are described. Thus, while there are references to specific message names/types, it should be understood that any message name/type may be used for the purpose of conveying the information and function as described herein. 
     In  305 , it is shown that the UE  110  is registered with the 5G NR-RAN  120 . As part of this registration, the details of the EAS to which the UE  110  should connect (e.g., EAS  225   a ) may be shared with the UE  110  via UE Route Selection Policy (URSP) rules. The URSP rules generally inform the UE  110  about information relating to services and/or applications. This information may include rules that may be used to determine the identity of the EAS that the UE  110  should use. For example, the UE  110  may be executing an application and the URSP rules may indicate the EAS to which the UE  110  should connect when executing the application. Those skilled in the art will understand that there may be multiple factors/rules that are evaluated to determine the EAS to which the UE  110  will connect. For example, in addition to the application, the USRP rules may also include a rule concerning location of the UE  110  when selecting an EAS. In another exemplary embodiment, the EAS to which the UE  110  should connect may be shared via a domain name system (DNS) resolution. For example, when the UE  110  connects to a particular domain, the domain may indicate the EAS to which the UE  110  should connect to interact with the domain. In any event, at  305  it may be considered that the UE  110  is currently connected to the EAS  225   a.    
     In  310 , the AF  250  may determine that the EAS for the UE  110  should change from EAS  225   a  to EAS  225   b . In  FIG.  3 ,  310    indicates that the reason for the change is that an application has changed the EAS server vendor from EAS  225   a  to EAS  225   b . However, there may be other reasons to initiate the change of EASs. For example, the EAS  225   a  may be experiencing congestion or an outage, the EAS  225   a  may be undergoing periodic maintenance, etc. In one exemplary embodiment, the UE  110  may provide feedback to the AF  250  indicating the service currently being received from the EAS  225   a . This feedback may be used by the AF  250  to determine if the EAS is experiencing any conditions that warrant a change in EASs. In another exemplary embodiment, the EAS  225   a  may provide periodic feedback to the AF  250  (e.g., every 3-5 minutes) as to the status (e.g., congestion) of the EAS  225   a . Thus, it should be understood that the AF  250  may initiate the change of EAS for any reason that has been defined as a reason for changing EASs. 
     In  315 , the AF  250  may send a notification to the PCF  245  that the server credentials for an application should be changed (e.g., from EAS  225   a  to EAS  225   b ). The EAS change may be directed to a single UE (e.g., UE  110 ) or may be directed to a group of UEs (e.g., UEs currently executing the application in question). In  320 , the PCF  245  may forward the new URSP rules to the AMF  230 . In this example, the new USRP rules may be forwarded via a Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer. However, the exemplary embodiments are not limited to this type of message. 
     In  325 , the AMF  230  may send a UE Configuration Update Command to the UE  110 . The Update Command will include the new USRP rules and may also include the IP address for the new EAS (e.g., EAS  225   b ). In  330 , the UE  110  may send a UE Configuration Update Complete message to the AMF  230  indicating that the UE  110  is now configured with the updated URSP rules regarding the new EAS. In  335 , the AMF  230  may notify the PCF  245  that the UE  110  has been updated with new URSP rules regarding the change in EAS. In this example, the notification may be provided via a Namf_N1MessageNotify. However, the exemplary embodiments are not limited to this type of message. 
     Thus, in the exemplary signaling diagram  300  of  FIG.  3   , the AF  250  is the component that initiates the change of EAS for the UE  110 . The operations of signaling diagram  300  may be used to initiate the change of EASs for future PDU sessions, e.g., PDU sessions that are established after the EAS relocation has occurred. An example of operations relating to current PDU sessions will be described in greater detail below with respect to  FIG.  5   . 
       FIG.  4    shows an exemplary signaling diagram  400  showing EAS relocation that is initiated based on UE input according to various exemplary embodiments.  FIG.  4    will be described with regard to the network arrangement  100  of  FIG.  1    and the architecture arrangements  200  and  260  of  FIGS.  2 A  and  2 B, respectively. In this exemplary embodiment, the EAS relocation is initiated based on input received from the UE  110 . 
     The components shown in the signaling diagram  400  are the same as the components shown in the signaling diagram  300 , including, starting from the left, the UE  110 , the AMF  230 , the SMF  235 , the PCF  245 , the UPF  210 , the current EAS  225   a , the target EAS  225   b  and the AF  250 . General descriptions of these components were provided above, and they will not be described again except with respect to the exemplary operations performed by these components in signaling diagram  400 . Again, while some of the components are labeled with the reference numerals related to architecture arrangement  200 , the exemplary embodiments may also be implemented in the architecture arrangement  260 . 
     In  405 , it is shown that the UE  110  is registered with the 5G NR-RAN  120  and it may be considered that the UE  110  is currently connected to the EAS  225   a  based on the URSP rules with which the UE  110  is currently configured. The operations of  405  are similar to the operations of  305  of signaling diagram  300  and will not be described again. 
     In  410 , the UE  110  may send periodic measurement information to the AF  250 . The measurement information is related to the connection between the UE  110  and the current EAS  225   a . In one exemplary embodiment, the measurement information includes an average, minimum and maximum round trip time (RTT) for packets to be received from the EAS  225   a  in a particular time window. However, the UE  110  may send other types of measurement information to the AF  250  concerning the connection between the UE  110  and the EAS  225   a.    
     In  415 , the AF  250  evaluates the measurement data received from the UE  110  to determine if the EAS for the UE  110  should be switched. In one exemplary embodiment where the measurement data includes the RTT data, the AF  250  may determine whether the RTT data indicates that the Quality of Service (QOS) that is guaranteed for the UE  110  can be satisfied. If the measurement data indicates that the QoS cannot be satisfied, the AF  250  may then initiate a change in the EAS for the UE  110  (e.g., from EAS  225   a  to EAS  225   b ). 
     If the change is initiated, in  420 , the AF  250  may send a notification to the PCF  245  that the server credentials for the UE  110  should be changed (e.g., from EAS  225   a  to EAS  225   b ). In  425 , the PCF  245  may forward the new URSP rules to the AMF  230 . In  430 , the AMF  230  may send a UE Configuration Update Command to the UE  110 . The UE Configuration Update Command will include the new USRP rules and may also include the IP address for the new EAS (e.g., EAS  225   b ). In  435 , the UE  110  may send a UE Configuration Update Complete message to the AMF  230  indicating that the UE  110  is now configured with the updated URSP rules regarding the new EAS. In  440 , the AMF  230  may notify the PCF  245  that the UE  110  has been updated with new URSP rules regarding the change in EAS. The operations associated with the signaling  420 - 440  were described briefly because the operations are generally similar to the corresponding operations associated with signaling  315 - 335  of  FIG.  3   . 
     Thus, in the exemplary signaling diagram  400  of  FIG.  3   , the UE  110  provides feedback in the form of measurement data to the AF  250  with regard to the connection between the UE  110  and the current EAS  225   a . The AF  250  then determines whether to initiate a change in EAS for the UE  110  based on this measurement data. Similar to the operations of signaling diagram  300 , the operations of signaling diagram  400  may be used to initiate the change of EASs for future PDU sessions, e.g., PDU sessions that are established after the EAS relocation has occurred. An example of operations relating to current PDU sessions will be described in greater detail below with respect to  FIG.  5   . 
       FIG.  5    shows an exemplary signaling diagram  500  showing updating UE Route Selection Policy (URSP) rules for an active PDU session during EAS relocation according to various exemplary embodiments.  FIG.  5    will be described with regard to the network arrangement  100  of  FIG.  1    and the architecture arrangements  200  and  260  of  FIGS.  2 A and  2 B , respectively. As described above, the signaling diagrams  300  and  400  are related to operations that may be more appropriate for future PDU sessions with respect to EAS relocation. The signaling diagram  500  will describe operations and signaling that may be related to a currently active PDU session during EAS relocation. In this exemplary embodiment, the URSP rules relating to an active PDU session may be updated during EAS relocation. Again, while some of the components are labeled with the reference numerals related to architecture arrangement  200 , the exemplary embodiments may also be implemented in the architecture arrangement  260 . 
     The components shown in the signaling diagram  500  are the same as the components shown in the signaling diagrams  300  and  400 , including, starting from the left, the UE  110 , the AMF  230 , the SMF  235 , the PCF  245 , the UPF  210 , the current EAS  225   a , the target EAS  225   b  and the AF  250 . General descriptions of these components were provided above, and they will not be described again except with respect to the exemplary operations performed by these components in signaling diagram  500 . 
     The operations and signaling associated with  505 - 535  are generally the same as the operations and signaling associated with  305 - 335  of signaling diagram  300  and will not be repeated. However, it should be understood that these operations and signaling  505 - 535  will generally have the same result as described above for  305 - 335 , e.g., future PDU sessions for the UE  110  will be serviced by the new EAS  225   b.    
     However, in addition to accounting for future PDU sessions, the signaling diagram  500  also accounts for current PDU sessions. When the PCF  245  receives the updated URSP rules in  515 , the PCF  245  may also determine if the UE  110  has a currently active PDU session utilizing EAS  225   a . If there is a currently active PDU session, in  540 , the PCF  245  may send the updated URSP rules to the SMF  235 . In  545 , the SMF  235  may send the updated URSP rules to the UE  110  via a PDU Session Modification Command that includes the IP address of the new EAS (e.g., EAS  225   b ). 
     In  550 , the currently active PDU session is pushed from the current EAS  225   a  to the new EAS  225   b . When the modification is complete, e.g., the current PDU session has been moved from the EAS  225   a  to the EAS  225   b , in  555 , the UE  110  may send a message to the SMF  235  to indicate that the session modification has been completed. In  560 , the SMF  235  may then report to the PCF  245  that the session modification for the UE  110  has been completed. 
     In this exemplary embodiment, because the SMF  235  has sent a PDU Session Modification Command, the current PDU session may be modified to switch the current PDU session from the EAS  225   a  to the EAS  225   b . Thus, at the completion of the signaling diagram  500 , the UE  110  has switched both the current PDU sessions and any future PDU sessions to the new EAS  225   b.    
       FIG.  6    shows an exemplary signaling diagram  600  showing an application function (AF) assisted EAS relocation according to various exemplary embodiments.  FIG.  6    will be described with regard to the network arrangement  100  of  FIG.  1    and the architecture arrangements  200  and  260  of  FIGS.  2 A and  2 B , respectively. In this exemplary embodiment, the AF assists the procedure to change the EAS of a UE. 
     Prior to discussing the signaling in  FIG.  6   , the specific components performing the signaling will be listed. Starting from the left, general descriptions of the UE  110 , the AF  250 , the NEF  240 , and the SMF  235  have been provided above and will not be repeated. Unlike the previous examples, this signaling diagram is labeled with reference numerals relating to the architecture arrangement  260  to illustrate that the exemplary embodiments described herein may be implemented in any architecture arrangement of the edge computing network. When describing the architecture arrangement  260  above, it was described that the UPF  270  may be one or more UPFs with each connected to a DN having one or more EASs. Thus, in this exemplary embodiment, it may be considered that there are two UPFs, UPF/PSA 1   270   a  and UPF/PSA 2   270   a  that are each connected to a separate DN having an EAS, DN 1 /EAS 1   280   a  and DN 2 /EAS 2   280   b , respectively. It may be considered that the UE  110  is initially connected to the UPF/PSA 1   270   a  and the corresponding DN 1 /EAS 1   280   a . The UPF/PSA 2   270   b  and the corresponding DN 2 /EAS 2   280   b  may be considered the target. Thus, in this exemplary embodiment, it may be considered that the current EAS is part of a first data network and the target EAS is part of a second data network. However, this is not a requirement. The current EAS and the target EAS may be part of the same data network. 
     In  605 , it may be considered that the UE  110  is registered with the 5G NR-RAN  120  and is currently connected to the DN 1 /EAS 1   280   a  based on the URSP rules with which the UE  110  is currently configured. The operations of  605  are similar to the operations of  305  of signaling diagram  300  and will not be described again. It may also be considered that the latency requirements for packets between the UE  110  and the DN 1 /EAS 1   280   a  are currently satisfied. In  610 , periodic latency measurements or RTT between the UE  110 , UPF/PSA 1   270   a  and the DN 1 /EAS 1   280   a  for the currently executed application are performed. In one exemplary embodiment, the periodic latency measurements are performed for the N6 connection between the UPF/PSA 1   270   a  and the DN 1 /EAS 1   280   a . However, other latency measurements may also be performed. These latency measurements may be reported to the current UPF/PSA 1   270   a.    
     At  615 , it may be considered that there is a link problem with the DN 1 /EAS 1   280   a  as identified by the latency measurements that are reported to the UPF/PSA 1   270   a . As described above there are many types of issues that may be characterized as a link problem, e.g., congestion, overload, quality monitoring, maintenance, etc. Again, the exact issue with the DN 1 /EAS 1   280   a  is not relevant, the only relevance is that the UPF/PSA 1   270   a  has identified an issue with the current link. In  620 , the UPF/PSA 1   270   a  will inform the SMF  235  of the abnormal condition with the DN 1 /EAS 1   280   a  link. 
     In  625 , the SMF  235  will send a monitoring request to the NEF  240  that will then send an event exposure request related to the monitoring request to the AF  250  in  630 . As described above, the NEF  240  is generally responsible for securely exposing services and capabilities. Thus, the event exposure is one of the functionalities provided by the NEF  240 . The monitoring request is to determine if there is another available EAS that the UE  110  may use for the currently executing application. 
     Thus, in  635 , in response to the monitoring request exposed by the NEF  240 , the AF  250  will monitor the UPF to EAS service link via the NEF  240  and the SMF  235 . In the example of signaling diagram  600 , this monitoring is shown as monitoring the available service link  640  between the UPF/PSA 2   270   b  and the corresponding DN 2 /EAS 2   280   b . However, those skilled in the art will understand that the monitoring may include any number of UPF to EAS service links to locate an acceptable candidate for EAS relocation. The monitoring may include the same type of latency measurements described for the current UPF/PSA 1   270   a  to DN 1 /EAS 1   280   a  service link. In some exemplary embodiments, the monitoring may be processed via Nnef/Nsmf/N4 data requests, e.g., the latency measurements may be performed based on the data requests. In  645 , a link status report for the UPF/PSA 2   270   b  to DN 2 /EAS 2   280   b  service link is reported to the AF  250  via the SMF  235  and NEF  240 . 
     It may be considered that the UPF/PSA 2   270   b  to DN 2 /EAS 2   280   b  service link is acceptable for the currently executing application of the UE  110 . Thus, in  650 , a data notification buffer request is exchanged between the SMF  235  and the target UPF/PSA 2   270   b . The purpose of the buffer request is to store the state of the application between the current UPF/PSA 1   270   a  and DN 1 /EAS 1   280   a  for service continuity for the executing application as shown in  655 . 
     In  660 , the AF  250  sends a request to the SMF  235  for an EAS relocation from the current DN 1 /EAS 1   280   a  to the target DN 2 /EAS 2   280   b . As described above, because there is link monitoring in this exemplary embodiment, the request may include the movement of the data traffic and for continued monitoring of the target UPF/PSA 2   270   b  to DN 2 /EAS 2   280   b  service link. In  665 , the SMF  235  sends a message to the AF  250  accepting the relocation request and in  670 , the SMF  235  informs the NEF  240  of the traffic update. 
     In  675 , the UPF/PSA 2   270   b  informs the SMF  235  of the updated policies related to the new UPF. The message  675  is similar to the message  540  described with reference to signaling diagram  500 . The SMF  235  may then, in  680 , send a PDU Session Modification  680  to the UE  110 . The PDU Session Modification  680  is similar to the PDU Session modification message  545  described with reference to signaling diagram  500 . Thus, the signaling diagram  600  relates to changing a current PDU session for the application similar to the signaling diagram  500 . 
     Because the application state was buffered in  655 , when the data communications are resumed in  685 , the data traffic for the application may resume from the previous state in the application. In  690 , the application is in synchronization with the target DN 2 /EAS 2   280   b  and the monitoring of the UPF/PSA 2   270   b  to DN 2 /EAS 2   280   b  service link may continue for the duration of the DN 2 /EAS 2   280   b  serving as the EAS for the executing application of the UE  110 . 
     Thus, in the exemplary signaling diagram  600  of  FIG.  6   , the AF  250  assists in EAS relocation. This assistance is based on the latency measurements between the UE, the UPF and the EAS. When the latency measurements indicate an issue with the current EAS service link, the AF monitors other available service links and selects an appropriate link to service a currently executing application of the UE. In this exemplary embodiment, the EAS relocation may be performed for a current PDU session. 
       FIG.  7    shows an exemplary signaling diagram  700  showing the AF  250  determining the capabilities of an EAS  225  to assist in EAS relocation according to various exemplary embodiments. Again, the components are labeled with the reference numerals related to architecture arrangement  200 , but the exemplary embodiments may also be implemented in the architecture arrangement  260 . 
     In several of the examples provided above, the AF  250  determines or assists in the EAS relocation. The signaling diagram  700  may be used to assist the AF  250  in determining whether an EAS is a candidate for EAS relocation. For example, not all EASs will have the hardware and/or software capabilities to serve as the EAS for a particular application being executed on the UE  110 . An example of types of applications that may require very high processing power and throughput may be virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) applications. The signaling diagram  700  allows the AF  250  to poll the EASs to determine if an individual EAS satisfies the hardware and/or software capabilities of the currently executing application. 
     In  705 , the AF  250  sends an EAS capability inquiry to an EAS  225 . The EAS capability inquiry  705  may include a general inquiry for the EAS  225  to provide all capabilities or may also include a specific request for one or more capabilities related to a currently executing application. In  710 , the EAS  225  returns an EAS capability information response to the AF  250 . The AF  250  may then determine whether the EAS  225  is a candidate EAS for EAS relocation based on the required capabilities for the executing application. Those skilled in the art will understand that the signaling in  FIG.  7    may be performed between the AF  250  and any number of available EASs. 
     The 3GPP Standard TS 23.503, v.15.8.0, Tables 6.6.2.1-1, 6.6.2.1-2, and 6.6.2.1-3 describe the structure of the URSP rules. The following describes an exemplary URSP rule that may be added to the existing URSP rules. The purpose of the exemplary rule is to guarantee a QoS for EASs. The manner of guaranteeing the QoS may be to define a minimum link quality metric to a rule for the route selection validation criteria. For example, if such a URSP rule were implemented, the UE, based on RTT measurements, may determine that the minimum link quality metric is not being satisfied. Thus, since the URSP rule is being violated, the UE may request the AF to initiate EAS relocation. In another exemplary embodiment, the UE may provide periodic link quality measurements to any network component (e.g., UPF, SMF, PCF, AF, etc.) and the network component may then initiate the EAS relocation based on the link quality measurements, if needed. 
       FIG.  8    shows an exemplary user equipment (UE)  110  according to various exemplary embodiments. The UE  110  will be described with regard to the network arrangement  100  of  FIG.  1   . The UE  110  may represent any electronic device and may include a processor  805 , a memory arrangement  810 , a display device  815 , an input/output (I/O) device  820 , a transceiver  825 , and other components  830 . The other components  830  may include, for example, a SIM card, an embedded SIM (eSIM), an audio input device, an audio output device, a battery that provides a limited power supply, a data acquisition device, ports to electrically connect the UE  110  to other electronic devices, etc. 
     The processor  805  may be configured to execute a plurality of engines of the UE  110 . For example, the engines may include a link quality metric (LQM) engine  835 . The LOM engine  835  may manage when the UE  110  requests the network (e.g., the 5G NR-RAN  120 ) for an EAS relocation. As described above, the network may provide the UE  110  with a rule or set of rules regarding EAS operation (e.g., URSP rule(s)). One of these rules may include a minimum link quality for an EAS connection. The UE  110  may monitor the link quality and when the link quality falls below the minimum link quality (e.g., violates the rule), the UE  110  may send a request to the network for EAS relocation. This functionality of the UE  110  LQM engine  835 . 
     The above referenced engine each being an application (e.g., a program) executed by the processor  805  is only exemplary. The functionality associated with the engine may also be represented as a separate incorporated component of the UE  110  or may be a modular component coupled to the UE  110 , e.g., an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include input circuitry to receive signals and processing circuitry to process the signals and other information. The engines may also be embodied as one application or separate applications. In addition, in some UEs, the functionality described for the processor  805  is split among two or more processors such as a baseband processor and an applications processor. The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of a UE. 
     The memory arrangement  810  may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UE  110 . The display device  815  may be a hardware component configured to show data to a user while the I/O device  820  may be a hardware component that enables the user to enter inputs. The display device  815  and the I/O device  820  may be separate components or integrated together such as a touchscreen. The transceiver  825  may be a hardware component configured to establish a connection with the 5G NR-RAN  120 , the WLAN  122 , etc. Accordingly, the transceiver  825  may operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels (e.g., set of consecutive frequencies). 
     The above described various exemplary embodiments of EAS relocation scenarios. As described above, some of these scenarios include AF assisted EAS relocation. In addition to the examples provided above, there may be other scenarios for AF assisted EAS relocation. In a first example, the AF may be informed that the currently executing application has changed an EAS vendor. In a second example, the AF may inform the 5G NR-RAN that the EAS has changed for one or more UEs based on a geographical area and the 5G NR-RAN may then inform the UEs of the new EAS. There may be many other scenarios related to EAS relocation as these are merely provided as some examples. 
     Although this application described various embodiments each having different features in various combinations, those skilled in the art will understand that any of the features of one embodiment may be combined with the features of the other embodiments in any manner not specifically disclaimed or which is not functionally or logically inconsistent with the operation of the device or the stated functions of the disclosed embodiments. 
     Those skilled in the art will understand that the above-described exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any suitable software or hardware configuration or combination thereof. An exemplary hardware platform for implementing the exemplary embodiments may include, for example, an Intel x86 based platform with compatible operating system, a Windows OS, a Mac platform and MAC OS, a mobile device having an operating system such as iOS, Android, etc. In a further example, the exemplary embodiments of the above described method may be embodied as a program containing lines of code stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium that, when compiled, may be executed on a processor or microprocessor. 
     It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the present disclosure, without departing from the spirit or the scope of the disclosure. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure cover modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalent.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20210310
Publication Date: 20240702
Grant Date: 20240702
Priority Date: 20200313
Inventors: MATOLIA, ROHIT R.
PRABHAKAR, ALOSIOUS PRADEEP
SIVALOGANATHAN, Jathurshun
KISS, KRISZTIAN
XING, LONGDA
SADIQUE, MOHAMMED
NIMMALA, SRINIVASAN
VENKATARAMAN, VIJAY
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04W28/18", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W24/08", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W28/0967", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W76/19", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W76/25", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L67/51", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L67/10", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/36", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/30", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W28/24", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L69/40", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W4/50", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W76/25", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W76/19", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W28/18", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W28/0967", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W24/08", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W28/24", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 74870600