CN115426614A

CN115426614A - Electronic device, method and storage medium for communication system

Info

Publication number: CN115426614A
Application number: CN202110598698.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 崔焘
Original assignee: Sony Group Corp
Current assignee: Sony Group Corp
Priority date: 2021-05-31
Filing date: 2021-05-31
Publication date: 2022-12-02
Also published as: CN117397259A; WO2022253059A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an electronic device, a method, and a storage medium for a communication system. Embodiments related to network slice capability sharing and V2X service use cases are described. In an embodiment, a network-side electronic device may receive a control message from a first electronic device of a service group regarding a service and send a downlink communication for the service group to a second electronic device of the service group based on the control message. The service group includes a plurality of electronic devices in close geographic proximity.

Description

Electronic device, method and storage medium for communication system

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to communication devices and communication methods, and in particular to techniques for network slice capability sharing and Vehicle to Everything (V2X) communication.

Background

The 5G network provides network connection characteristics adapted to requirements of different fields, and capacity improvement and transformation of various industries are promoted. The different demands on the connectivity characteristics of the various industries present challenges to 5G networks. For example, different industries have different requirements for characteristics such as latency, mobility, network coverage, connection density, etc. The network slice is considered as a key technology of the 5G network side, and can flexibly and quickly schedule and allocate network resources, which is helpful for meeting the differentiated requirements of 5G applications.

As one of the most important characteristics of a 5G network, the end-to-end network slicing capability can flexibly and dynamically allocate and release required network resources to different requirements in the whole network, thereby reducing cost and improving benefits. It is desirable to make fully reasonable use of network slices.

V2X is an important technology for realizing the Internet of vehicles. V2X can serve secure class information transmission on the one hand and can be used to transmit non-secure class In-Vehicle information, such as In-Vehicle Entertainment (In-Vehicle) information, including but not limited to video, gaming, virtual reality VR, teleworking, and online education, on the other hand. Vehicle-mounted entertainment information downloading and interaction belong to the category of information services of the Internet of vehicles. Such scenarios have continuous large bandwidth requirements, and therefore require network devices to have large data storage capacity, and individual scenarios also have certain requirements on time delay.

Disclosure of Invention

A first aspect of the present disclosure relates to a network-side electronic device. The electronic device includes processing circuitry configured to: receiving a control message about a service from a first electronic device of a service group; and transmitting downlink communications for the service group to a second electronic device of the service group based on the control message. The service group includes a plurality of electronic devices in close geographic proximity.

A second aspect of the present disclosure relates to a terminal-side first electronic device. The first electronic device includes processing circuitry configured to: sending a control message regarding the service to a second electronic device, wherein the second electronic device is a master device for uplink communication of the service group; and receiving a service-related downlink transmission from a third electronic device, wherein the third electronic device is a master device for downlink communication for the service group. The first to third electronic devices all belong to the same service group, the service group includes a plurality of electronic devices in close geographic proximity, and the master device is determined based on the network slice selection assistance information.

A third aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a method for communication. The method includes receiving a control message regarding a service from a first electronic device of a service group; and transmitting downlink communications for the service group to a second electronic device of the service group based on the control message. The service group includes a plurality of electronic devices in close geographic proximity.

A fourth aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a method for communication. The method includes sending a control message regarding a service to a second electronic device, wherein the second electronic device is a master device for uplink communication of a service group; and receiving a service-related downlink transmission from a third electronic device, wherein the third electronic device is a master device for downlink communication for the service group. The first to third electronic devices all belong to the same service group, the service group includes a plurality of electronic devices in close geographic proximity, and the master device is determined based on the network slice selection assistance information.

A fifth aspect of the present disclosure relates to a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, perform operations of a method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

A sixth aspect of the present disclosure relates to a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

The above summary is provided to summarize some exemplary embodiments to provide a basic understanding of various aspects of the subject matter described herein. Accordingly, the above-described features are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description, which, when taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses preferred embodiments.

Drawings

A better understanding of the present disclosure may be obtained when the following detailed description of the embodiments is considered in conjunction with the following drawings. The same or similar reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and together with the detailed description, serve to explain the principles and advantages of the disclosure. Wherein:

fig. 1 illustrates an example block diagram of a communication system in accordance with an embodiment of this disclosure.

Fig. 2 illustrates an example structure of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3A illustrates an example electronic device for a network side in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3B illustrates an example electronic device for a terminal device side in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

Fig. 4A illustrates example operations for determining a downlink master device in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4B illustrates example operations for determining an uplink master device in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 illustrates example operations for determining a downlink and/or uplink master device in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 illustrates example operations for downlink and/or uplink communications by a master device in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.

Fig. 7-9 illustrate example operations for sharing network slices within a service group in a V2X scenario according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates example operations for requesting and providing resources among vehicles in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 11 illustrates an example method for communication in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

Fig. 12 illustrates another example method for communication in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

Fig. 13 illustrates an example block diagram of a computer that can be implemented as a terminal device or a network device in accordance with an embodiment of this disclosure.

While the embodiments described in this disclosure may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the embodiments to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Detailed Description

Representative applications of various aspects of the apparatus and methods according to the present disclosure are described below. These examples are described merely to add context and aid in the understanding of the described embodiments. It will thus be apparent to one skilled in the art that the embodiments described below may be practiced without some or all of the specific details. In other instances, well known process steps have not been described in detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the described embodiments. Other applications are possible, and aspects of the disclosure are not limited to these examples.

Example of a communication System

Fig. 1 illustrates an example block diagram of a communication system in accordance with an embodiment of this disclosure. It should be understood that fig. 1 illustrates only one of many types and possible arrangements of communication systems; the features of the present disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of systems as desired.

As shown in fig. 1, the communication system 100 includes base stations 120A, 120B and

terminals

110A, 110B to 110N. The base station and the terminal may be configured for uplink and downlink communication over a Uu interface. The base stations 120A, 120B may be configured to communicate with a network 130 (e.g., a core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunications network such as a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and/or the internet). Thus, the base stations 120A, 120B may facilitate communication between the terminals 110A-110N and/or between the terminals 110A-110N and the network 130. Further, the terminal devices 110A to 110N may perform direct link communication within an effective communication range through the PC5 interface.

In fig. 1, the coverage areas of the base stations 120A, 120B may be referred to as cells. A base station operating in accordance with one or more cellular communication techniques may provide continuous or near-continuous communication signal coverage to terminals 110A-110N over a wide geographic area.

As shown in fig. 1, the communication system 100 includes a cloud 150 and a Mobile Edge Computing node (MEC) 140. The cloud 150 may provide services such as IaaS, paaS, and SaaS for the terminal devices through a connection to the network 130. To provide the service, the cloud 150 may store resources related to various applications and perform corresponding operational operations. The cloud 150 may be configured to send application resources to end devices if conditions are met, or to distribute resources to the MEC140 for storage in advance. MEC140 may further communicate the resources to end devices that meet the requirements. MEC140 is typically located at the edge of the network and therefore may help achieve low latency, low power consumption, and highly reliable transmission.

In the present disclosure, the base station may be a 5G NR base station, such as a gNB and ng-eNB. The gNB may provide NR user plane and control plane protocols terminating with the terminal equipment; the ng-eNB is a node defined for compatibility with the 4G LTE communication system, which may be an upgrade of an evolved node B (eNB) of the LTE radio access network, providing an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) user plane and control plane protocols terminating with the UE. Further, examples of base stations may include, but are not limited to, the following: at least one of a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) and a Base Station Controller (BSC) in a GSM system; at least one of a Radio Network Controller (RNC) and a Node B in a WCDMA system; access Points (APs) in WLAN, wiMAX systems; and a corresponding network node in a communication system to be or under development. Part of the functions of the base station herein may also be implemented as an entity having a control function for communication in D2D, M2M, and V2X communication scenarios, or as an entity playing a role in spectrum coordination in cognitive radio communication scenarios.

In the present disclosure, a terminal device may have all the breadth of its usual meaning, for example, the terminal device may be a Mobile Station (MS), a User Equipment (UE), or the like. The terminal device may be implemented as a device such as a mobile phone, a handheld device, a media player, a computer, a laptop, a tablet, a vehicle unit or a vehicle or almost any type of wireless device. In some cases, the terminal device may communicate using multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, the terminal device may be configured to communicate using one or more of GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, wiMAX, LTE-A, WLAN, NR, bluetooth, and the like. It should be understood that the embodiments described in this disclosure are applicable to any type of terminal device.

In the present disclosure, a 5G network may assign one or more network slice instances to a terminal device. A network slice is a logical subnet that serves a specific business or user's needs by selecting, configuring, combining functions in a service-based architecture. For example, a network slice may be composed of a radio network, a transport network, and a core network sub-slice. End-to-end network slicing allows flexible allocation of network resources and may meet the quality of service requirements of different Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Different network slices differ in the supported functional features and network function optimizations.

In the present disclosure, network slicing capabilities may be shared between terminal devices. For example, terminal device a may not be assigned a network slice instance due to factors such as not accessing or not supporting a 5G network. The terminal device a may establish a direct link with the terminal device B to which the network slice instance has been allocated, and utilize the network slice capability of the terminal device B through the direct link.

In the present disclosure, terminal devices may be grouped based on service information. For example, a plurality of terminal devices in close geographic proximity may be divided into the same service group. The plurality of terminal devices may be within the coverage area of the same base station or a neighboring base station. For a specific service, the base station or the network may regard the service group as a whole, and implement the service for the whole group of terminal devices only through communication with some terminal devices in the service group, thereby saving the communication load of the Uu interface. Network slicing capabilities may be shared among terminal devices of a service group to meet quality of service requirements for the entire service group.

In the present disclosure, for a specific service, a terminal device may perform a communication procedure with the network 130 through a base station via a Uu interface and/or with other terminal devices via a PC5 interface. The specific service may be a data service requiring a large bandwidth and a large amount of storage, such as a media information service (including an in-vehicle entertainment information service in a V2X scenario). In an embodiment, based on the loads of the Uu interface and the PC5 interface and the storage location of the service resource, the manner in which the terminal device obtains the service may be determined, as described in detail below.

Fig. 2 illustrates an example structure of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The system 200 includes 3GPP LTE/4G and 5G network functionality. The network functions may be implemented as discrete network elements on dedicated hardware, as software instances running on dedicated hardware, or as virtualized functions instantiated on a suitable platform (e.g., dedicated hardware or cloud infrastructure).

The Evolved Packet Core (EPC) of the LTE/4G network contains protocols and reference points defined for each entity. The Core Network (CN) entities may include a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 222, a serving gateway (S-GW) 224, and a paging gateway (P-GW) 226.

In NG networks, the control plane and the user plane are separate, which may allow independent scaling and allocation of resources for each plane. The UE 202 may connect to a Radio Access Network (RAN) 210 and to a NG-RAN 230 (gNB) or an Access and Mobility Function (AMF) 242.RAN 210 may be an eNB. The NG core network may contain a number of network functions in addition to the AMF 242. UE 202 can generate, encode, and possibly encrypt uplink transmissions to RAN 210 and/or gNB230, and decode (and decrypt) downlink transmissions from RAN 210 and/or gNB230 (with RAN 210/gNB230 reversed).

The network functions may include a User Plane Function (UPF) 246, a Session Management Function (SMF) 244, a Policy Control Function (PCF) 232, an Application Function (AF) 248, an authentication server function (AUSF) 252, and a User Data Management (UDM) 228. The various elements are connected by the NG reference point shown in fig. 2.

The AMF 242 may provide UE-based authentication, authorization, mobility management, and the like. The AMF 242 may be independent of the access technology. SMF 244 may be responsible for session management and IP address assignment for UE 202. SMF 244 may also select and control UPF 246 for data transfer. SMF 244 may be associated with a single session of UE 202 or multiple sessions of UE 202. That is, the UE 202 may have multiple 5G sessions. A different SMF may be assigned to each session. Using different SMFs may allow each session to be managed separately. Thus, the functionality of each session may be independent of each other. The UPF 226 can connect with a data network and the UE 202 can communicate with the data network, the UE 202 transmitting uplink data to the data network or receiving downlink data from the data network.

AF 248 may provide information about the packet flow to PCF 232, which PCF 232 is responsible for policy control to support the desired QoS. PCF 232 may set mobility and session management policies for UE 202. To this end, PCF 232 may use the packet flow information to determine an appropriate policy for proper operation of AMF 242 and SMF 244. The AUSF 252 may store data for UE authentication. UDM 228 may similarly store UE subscription data.

The gNB230 may be a standalone gNB or a non-standalone gNB, e.g., operating in Dual Connectivity (DC) mode as a booster controlled by the eNB210 over an X2 or Xn interface. At least some of the functionality of the EPC and NG CN may be shared (or separate components may be used for each of the shown combined components). The eNB210 may be connected with an MME 222 of the EPC through an S1 interface and with an SGW 224 of the EPC 220 through an S1-U interface. The MME 222 may connect with the HSS 228 over an S6a interface, while the UDM connects to the AMF 242 over an N8 interface. The SGW 224 may interface with the PGW 226 (via S5-C with control plane PGW-C and via S5-U with user plane PGW-U) via an S5 interface. The PGW 226 may serve as an IP anchor for data over the internet.

The NG CN, as described above, may include AMF 242, SMF 244, and UPF 246, among others. eNB210 and gNB230 may communicate data with SGW 224 of EPC 220 and UPF 246 of NG CN. If the N26 interface is supported by the EPC 220, the MME 222 and the AMF 242 may be connected via the N26 interface to provide control information between the MME 222 and the AMF 242. In some embodiments, when gNB230 is a standalone gNB, the 5G CN and EPC 220 may be connected via an N26 interface.

Example electronic device/electronic apparatus

Fig. 3A illustrates an example electronic device for a network side in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The electronic device 300 shown in fig. 3A may include various units to implement embodiments for network slice capability sharing and/or V2X services according to the present disclosure. In an example, the electronic device 300 comprises a first control unit 302 and a first transceiving unit 304. Various operations described below in connection with the network devices or network functions may be implemented by the units 302-304 or other possible units of the electronic apparatus 300.

In an embodiment, the electronic apparatus 300 may receive a control message regarding a service from a first electronic device of a service group through the first transceiving unit 304. For example, the service group may include N terminal devices 110A to 110N that are geographically close, and the control message regarding the service may be transmitted by the terminal device 110A (i.e., the first electronic device). In an embodiment, the first control unit 302 of the electronic apparatus 300 may transmit downlink communication for the service group to the second electronic device of the service group based on the control message. For example, a downlink communication for the service group may be sent to terminal device 110B (i.e., the second electronic device) for forwarding by terminal device 110B to other members of the service group.

The selection of communication with the first and second electronic devices above may be related to the network slice assigned by each member of the service group, as described in detail below. In an embodiment, the above first electronic device and second electronic device may be different or the same electronic device.

In some embodiments, the electronic apparatus 300 may be implemented at the chip level, or may also be implemented at the device level by including other external components (e.g., wired or wireless links). The electronic apparatus 300 may operate as a whole machine as a communication device, for example, a network device such as an AMF.

Fig. 3B illustrates an example electronic device for a terminal device side in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. The electronic device 350 shown in fig. 3B may include various units to implement embodiments for network slicing capability sharing and/or V2X services according to the present disclosure. In this example, the electronic device 350 includes a second control unit 352 and a second transceiving unit 354. Various operations described below in connection with the terminal device may be implemented by units 352 through 354 of electronic device 350, or possibly other units.

In an embodiment, the first electronic device 350 is geographically close to the second and third electronic devices, which are divided into the same service group. The electronic device 350 may transmit a control message regarding the service to the second electronic device, which is a master device for uplink communication of the service group, via the second transceiving unit 354 under the control of the second control unit 352. In an embodiment, the electronic device 350 may receive a downlink transmission related to a service from a third electronic device via the second transceiving unit 354, wherein the third electronic device is a master device for downlink communication of a service group. In an embodiment, the master device may be determined based on network slice selection assistance information, as described in detail below.

In some embodiments, the electronic device 350 may be implemented at the chip level, or may also be implemented at the device level by including other external components (e.g., radio links, antennas, etc.). The electronic device 350 may operate as a complete machine as a communication device, such as a user device, an on-board unit, or a vehicle configured with communication capabilities.

It should be noted that the above units are only logic modules divided according to the specific functions implemented by the units, and are not used to limit the specific implementation manner, and may be implemented in software, hardware or a combination of software and hardware, for example. In actual implementation, the above units may be implemented as separate physical entities, or may also be implemented by a single entity (e.g., a processor (CPU or DSP, etc.), an integrated circuit, etc.). Processing circuitry may refer, among other things, to various implementations of digital, analog, or mixed signal (a combination of analog and digital) circuitry for performing functions in a computing system. The processing circuitry may include, for example, circuitry such as an Integrated Circuit (IC), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), portions or circuits of an individual processor core, an entire processor core, an individual processor, a programmable hardware device such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and/or a system including multiple processors.

Service group partitioning

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, terminal devices may be grouped based on service information. A service group may include a plurality of terminal devices of a particular feature. For example, the terminal devices may be using the same application, using the same resource content, or requiring the same or similar quality of service (QoS). Multiple terminal devices in close geographic proximity may be divided into the same service group.

The service group division operation may be performed by the electronic device 300. For example, the service information may include application type information, which may include video, games, virtual reality VR, tele-office or online education, and so on. In an embodiment, a plurality of electronic devices of the same application type may be divided into the same service group. The service information may include resource content information, which may include video, documents, etc. of a particular service resource. In an embodiment, a plurality of electronic devices with the same resource content may be divided into the same service group. The service information may include resource size information, which may reflect a specific size or a range of resources. In an embodiment, a plurality of electronic devices with the same or similar resource size may be divided into the same service group. The service information may include QoS class information. In an embodiment, a plurality of electronic devices having the same or similar QoS levels may be divided into the same service group.

For a specific service, the network device or the network function may regard the service group as a whole, and implement the service for the whole group of terminal devices only through communication with some terminal devices in the service group, thereby saving the communication load of the Uu interface.

Network slicing capability sharing

Different Network slices may be identified with a Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI). The network may provide one or more network slice instances for the terminal device via the access network. The number of simultaneous connections per network slice instance of the terminal device is limited by the number of S-NSSAIs in the NSSAI requested or allowed.

The S-NSSAI identifies a network Slice, and is composed of a Slice/Service Type (SST) and a Slice Differnient (SD). SSTs are used to identify the functional features and services of the intended slice, and SDs may be used to supplement the differentiation of multiple slices within the same SST. The S-NSSAI can have a standard or non-standard value, with only one standardized SST value, no SD value, of the S-NSSAI standard values. The S-NSSAI non-standard value may comprise SST and SD values, or one non-standardized SST value without an SD value. NSSAI is a collection of S-NSSAIs. There may be, for example, 8S-NSSAIs in the allowed and requested NSSAIs sent in signaling messages between the terminal device and the network. The network selects a service AMF, a network slice type and a network slice instance for the terminal equipment according to a request NSSAI message sent by the terminal equipment.

Based on the requested NSSAI and subscription information, the core network may select a network slice instance that serves the terminal device, including control plane and user plane network functions corresponding to the network slice instance. Standardized SST values, which provide a means for establishing global interoperability of slices, are listed in the table below.

Type of slice	SST value	Characteristics of
			eMBB	1	Slice is suitable for processing 5G enhanced mobile broadband
URLLC	2	Slicing for handling ultra-reliable low-latency communications
			MIoT	3	The section is suitable for processing the large-scale Internet of things
V2X	4	Slicing for handling V2X services

As described above, a service group may include a plurality of terminal devices that are geographically close. Individual terminal devices may not be assigned network slices due to, for example, not accessing or supporting a 5G network. In addition, terminal devices may be assigned different network slice types. For example, onboard units equipped for multiple vehicles traveling on the road may each be assigned a V2X network slice, whereas only some of the onboard units of the vehicles are assigned an eMBB network slice or only some of the onboard units of the vehicles are assigned a URLLC network slice. In an embodiment, the eMBB network slice or URLLC network slice may be used for an entire service group, enabling sharing of the eMBB network slice or URLLC network slice within the entire service group. In this way, vehicles in the service group that do not have an eMBB network slice or URLLC network slice or any other network slice assigned may also use enhanced mobile broadband or ultra-reliable low latency communication.

Fig. 4A illustrates example operations for determining a downlink master device in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The example operation 400A may be performed by the electronic device 300.

As shown in fig. 4A, at 402a, the electronic device 300 obtains network slice selection assistance information (e.g., NSSAI, S-NSSAI) for each terminal equipment of the service group. At 404a, based on the network slice selection assistance information, the electronic apparatus 300 determines a master device for downlink communication of the service group. For example, in case the service is a media (e.g. entertainment information) service involving mass data transfer, a terminal device of the service group assigned with an eMBB network slice (e.g. SST value of 1) may be selected as a master device for downlink communication. At 406a, the electronic apparatus 300 conducts downlink communication with a plurality of terminal devices of a service group through the master device. Specifically, taking the media service as an example, the electronic device 300 may send the service resources of the entire service group to the main control device, and the main control device forwards the corresponding service resources to each terminal device. Additionally, at 406a, the electronic apparatus 300 may signal to the selected terminal device that it is to be the master device for downlink communication of the service group.

Fig. 4B illustrates example operations for determining an uplink master device in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The example operation 400B may be performed by the electronic device 300.

As shown in fig. 4B, at 402B, the electronic device 300 obtains network slice selection assistance information (e.g., NSSAI, S-NSSAI) for each terminal equipment of the service group. At 404b, based on the network slice selection assistance information, the electronic apparatus 300 determines a master device for uplink communication of the service group. For example, in a service scenario such as VR games or online education, it is required to transmit operation or control instructions of a game player or a trainee through an uplink in a reliable and timely manner. Accordingly, a terminal device of the service group to which a URLLC network slice (e.g., SST value of 2) is allocated may be selected as a master device for uplink communication. At 406b, the electronic apparatus 300 receives uplink communications from a plurality of terminal devices of the service group through the master device. Specifically, taking the VR game as an example, the electronic apparatus 300 may obtain operation or control instructions of a plurality of terminal devices of the entire service group from a message received from the master device. Additionally, at 406b, the electronic apparatus 300 may signal to the selected terminal device that it is to be the master device for uplink communication of the service group.

In the description of fig. 4A and 4B, the selection of the master device is merely an example. Different terminal devices may be selected as master devices for uplink and downlink communications based on the specific requirements of the different services and the type of network slice to which each terminal device is assigned.

Fig. 5 illustrates example operations for determining a downlink and/or uplink master device in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The example operation 500 may be performed by multiple terminal devices 510-530 of a service group through negotiation.

As shown in fig. 5, at 502, respective network slice selection assistance information (e.g., NSSAI, S-NSSAI) is exchanged between

terminal devices

510, 520, and 530. At 504, based on the network slice selection assistance information, the terminal device 520 determines itself to be a master device for downlink and/or uplink communications for the service group. For example, in the case where the service is a media (e.g., entertainment information) service and the terminal device 520 is assigned an eMBB network slice (e.g., SST value of 1), the terminal device 520 is determined to be a master device for downlink communication. For another example, in a case where the service is a VR game and the terminal device 520 is allocated a URLLC network slice (e.g., SST value of 2), the terminal device 520 is determined to be a master device for uplink communication. At 506 and 506', terminal device 520 informs the other

terminal devices

510 and 530 through the PC5 interface that it will be the master device for downlink and/or uplink communication for the service group.

Fig. 6 illustrates example operations for downlink and/or uplink communications by a master device in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure. The example operation 600 may be performed by a plurality of terminal devices 610 through 630 of a service group.

As shown in fig. 6, at 602, a master device 620 receives a downlink communication from a network. Taking a media service as an example, the downlink communication may include service resources of the entire service group. At 604 and 604', the master device 620 forwards the respective downlink communications (e.g., the respective service resources) to the respective terminal devices.

As shown in fig. 6, at 606 and 606', master device 620 receives uplink communications from

terminal devices

610 and 630. Taking VR games as an example, the uplink communication may include respective game operation or control instructions to be transmitted by the

terminal devices

610 and 630. At 608, the master device 620 aggregates the uplink communications of the terminal devices and forwards them to the network.

In the example of fig. 6, the same terminal device 620 acts as a master device for both the uplink and downlink. It should be understood that the master devices for the uplink and downlink may be served by different terminal devices.

Use case: vehicle-mounted information service

Grouping or formation class scenarios are typical scenarios for V2X communication, including vehicle formation travel and collaborative fleet management. In the present disclosure, multiple vehicles may share network slicing capabilities within a service group or formation, thereby enabling wide bandwidth, low latency, high reliability communication services.

Fig. 7 illustrates example operations for sharing a network slice within a service group in a V2X scenario according to embodiments of the disclosure. The example operations 700 may be understood in conjunction with the specific scenarios depicted in fig. 8 and 9.

In the example of fig. 7, the vehicles 1 to 3 may be vehicles that are stationary or moving. The vehicles 1 to 3 are divided into the same service group at least due to the proximity of geographical locations. It is understood that in the case of vehicle movement, the vehicles 1 to 3 may be in the same service group for a longer period of time as long as the speed and the movement trajectory generally coincide. The vehicles 1 to 3 may be equipped with on-board units, respectively. In this example, vehicle 1 is assigned an eMBB network slice and is therefore determined to be the master of the downlink transmission; vehicle 2 is assigned a URLLC network slice and is therefore determined to be the master of the uplink transmission. The entertainment information resources for the service group are stored in the cloud.

As shown in fig. 7, at 702, each vehicle sends an entertainment information request to the cloud over a network. At 704, in response to the entertainment information request and based on the master device that vehicle 1 transmits for the downlink, the cloud transmits the corresponding entertainment information resource to vehicle 1 over the downlink. Upon receiving the downlink transmission, vehicle 1 identifies the infotainment to be forwarded to the other vehicle and transmits the infotainment to vehicle 2 and vehicle 3 via the PC5 interface at 704' and 704", respectively. The above-described operations may be understood in conjunction with the specific scenarios described in FIG. 8.

As shown in fig. 7, at 706' and 706", based on vehicle 2 being the master of the uplink transmission, vehicle 1 and vehicle 3, respectively, send service-related operation and/or control instructions to vehicle 2 via the PC5 interface. Upon collecting the operation and/or control instructions of the plurality of vehicles of the service group, the vehicle 2 as a master device transmits the operation and/or control instructions of the service group members to the cloud through an uplink. Thereafter, the cloud may respond to the operation and/or control instructions of the service group members, and the specific operation may be similar to the operations of 704 through 704 ″. The above-described operations may be understood in conjunction with the specific scenarios described in FIG. 9.

In the example of fig. 7, vehicle 3 may not be assigned a network slice due to, for example, not accessing or supporting a 5G network. In general, depending on the network conditions, the communication service quality of the vehicle 3 cannot always be guaranteed. In this example, via direct link communication with other vehicles, vehicle 3 may take advantage of the network slicing capabilities of other vehicles, such that its own communication quality of service is enhanced to some extent.

In the present disclosure, V2X supports the transfer of non-secure classes of In-Vehicle information, such as In-Vehicle Entertainment (In-Vehicle) information, in addition to secure class information transfer. This can meet the needs of people using applications such as video, games, virtual reality VR, tele-office or online education during riding.

Such information services often involve the storage and transmission of service resources for large data volumes. The service resource may be, for example, a movie, a teaching courseware, etc. According to a specific implementation, the service resources may be stored in the cloud, or distributed and stored at the MEC device. For example, the storage of specific service resources at different MEC devices may be configured or adjusted according to the usage of the user, so that the MEC may provide the service resources for the user in most cases (i.e., may not provide the service due to lack of service resources). Accordingly, the vehicle may obtain service resources from the cloud or MEC device over the network through the Uu interface. In an embodiment, the cloud or MEC device may provide the service resource and also provide stored information of other resources, so that the vehicle may request the resource of interest. Alternatively or additionally, the vehicle may share service resources with other vehicles within communication range of the direct link through the PC5 interface. The service resource can be stored locally and persistently or temporarily in the vehicle, and the sharing mode can reduce the transmission load through the Uu interface. In an embodiment, the vehicle may provide the service resource and also provide stored information of other resources, facilitating other vehicles to request the resource of interest.

FIG. 10 illustrates example operations for requesting and providing resources among vehicles in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The example operations 1000 may be performed by a plurality of electronic devices 350, drive test units RSUs, and MEC devices.

As shown in fig. 10, at 1002, the vehicle 1 sends an entertainment information request, such as via unicast or multicast, to a drive test unit (RSU) that has established a direct link via a PC5 interface. In general, the entertainment information request may include at least one of a vehicle ID, a resource type, a resource size, or request timing information. For example, asset types may include video streams, games, music, and so forth. The resource size may range from 10M to 10G. The request timing information may indicate a reservation time of the resource, e.g. a certain video stream is intended to be acquired after 10 minutes.

At 1004, the RSU broadcasts a request for entertainment information from vehicle 1 over the PC5 interface to other vehicles that have established a direct link. The vehicle 2 receiving the entertainment information request forwards it further via the PC5 interface, for example by unicast or multicast, as indicated at 1004', 1004 ".

The vehicle receiving the request for entertainment information may determine whether the requested entertainment information resource is stored in the local storage device. It should be understood that the local storage may comprise the storage of the vehicle or on-board unit itself or a storage coupled through an expansion interface. The entertainment information resources may be stored persistently or temporarily in a storage device. If the determination is true, the corresponding vehicle transmits a response message to the vehicle 1 through the RSU. In fig. 10, the vehicle 3 determines that the requested entertainment information resource is stored in the local storage device. Thus, at 1006, 1006', and 1006", vehicle 3 transmits response information to the entertainment information request to vehicle 1 via vehicle 2 and the RSU over the PC5 interface. In general, the response information may include at least one of a vehicle ID, a resource type, a resource size, or delivery timing information. For example, the delivery timing information may indicate a time at which the service provider expects the push service. In an embodiment, this time may be used for comparison with the time in the request timing information, a match indicating that vehicle 2 may provide resources at the time desired by vehicle 1.

Since the vehicle 3 is not within communication range of the PC5 interface of the vehicle 1, the vehicle 3 sends the requested entertainment information to the MEC device that has established a connection at 1008. At 1010, entertainment information is transmitted to the vehicle 1 via the MEC device.

Where there are no other vehicles or resources available within communication range, forwarding the infotainment request and the infotainment resources through the RSU and the vehicle is useful here. This allows a greater range of vehicles to respond to service requests, i.e., expands the range of service resource providers.

Service resource distribution and coordination

As mentioned above, the storage of specific service resources at different MEC devices may be configured or adjusted according to the usage of the user, so that the MEC devices may provide service resources for the user in most cases. In this way, MEC equipment is not unable to provide services due to lack of service resources.

In an embodiment, the locally stored data of the MEC is distributed from the cloud or the core network, and the quality of the stored data (for example, HD, 4K, 8K, etc. in the case of video) and the amount of resources are statistically obtained through the core network algorithm, so as to provide local low-latency infotainment services. To ensure that MEC local data is updated quickly, in one example, MEC periodically feeds back request frequency information of local resources to the core network, which calculates the resources to be allocated or updated. In another example, request frequency information for resources may be computed and counted locally by the MECs and coordinated among the MECs to allocate resources. By doing so, resources that are relatively frequently used are more likely to be stored at the MEC for responding to subsequent service requests with greater likelihood.

In the case of vehicle or terminal device grouping, the network device may distribute information of the service group and the master device to the MEC, such that the MEC associates resource content serving the master device with a plurality of devices of the service group. In this way, the resource content serving the master device is considered to be used by the plurality of devices, so that the usage frequency information more accurately reflects the number of times the resource content is used. Thus, more resources of interest will be stored at the MEC, which more matches the usage requirements of the terminals.

Example method

Fig. 11 illustrates an example method for communication in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. The method may be performed by the electronic apparatus 300 or a network device. As shown in fig. 11, the method 1100 may include receiving a control message from a first electronic device of a service group regarding the service (block 1102). The method may also include transmitting a downlink communication for the service group to a second electronic device of the service group based on the control message, wherein the service group includes a plurality of geographically proximate electronic devices (block 1104). Further details of the method may be understood with reference to the description above regarding the electronic device 300.

In one embodiment, the method 1100 may include determining a second electronic device as a master device for downlink communication of a service group based on network slice selection assistance information of at least one of a plurality of electronic devices; and conducting downlink communication with the service set through the second electronic device.

In one embodiment, the method 1100 may include determining a first electronic device as a master device for uplink communication of a service group based on network slice selection assistance information of at least one of a plurality of electronic devices; and performing, by the first electronic device, uplink communication with the service group.

In one embodiment, method 1100 may include initiating a communication to indicate to a second electronic device that it is a master device for downlink communication for a service group; and/or initiate a communication to indicate to the service group that the first electronic device is a master device for uplink communication.

In one embodiment, the method 1100 may include dividing a plurality of geographically proximate electronic devices into a same service group based on service information, wherein the service information includes at least one of: the method comprises the steps of applying types, wherein a plurality of electronic devices with the same application types are divided into the same service group; resource content, wherein a plurality of electronic devices with the same resource content are divided into the same service group; the method comprises the steps of resource size, wherein a plurality of electronic devices with the same or similar resource sizes are divided into the same service group; or QoS classes in which a plurality of electronic devices having the same or similar QoS class are divided into the same service group.

In one embodiment, wherein the first electronic device is assigned a URLLC network slice and the second electronic device is assigned an eMBB network slice.

In one embodiment, the method 1100 may include receiving a service request from a third electronic device, wherein the third electronic device is not assigned a network slice; and adding the third electronic equipment into the service group, and carrying out uplink and downlink communication with the third electronic equipment through the network slice of the main control equipment.

In one embodiment, the method 1100 may include distributing information of the service group and the second electronic device to the mobile edge computing node such that the mobile edge computing node associates resource content serving the second electronic device with a plurality of electronic devices of the service group.

Fig. 12 illustrates an example method for communication in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. The method may be performed by the electronic device 350 or any terminal device. As shown in fig. 12, the method 1200 may include sending a control message for a service to a second electronic device, wherein the second electronic device is a master device for uplink communication for a service group (block 1202). The method may also include receiving a downlink transmission related to the service from a third electronic device, wherein the third electronic device is a master device for downlink communication for the service group (block 1204). In the method 1200, the first to third electronic devices all belong to the same service group, the service group including a plurality of geographically close electronic devices, wherein the master device is determined based on the network slice selection assistance information. Further details of the method may be understood with reference to the description above regarding the terminal device or electronic device 350.

In one embodiment, network slice selection assistance information is shared among a plurality of electronic devices, and a second electronic device is determined as a master device for uplink communication of a service group.

In one embodiment, the method 1200 may include, in response to a first electronic device being a master device for uplink communication for a service group, receiving control messages from other electronic devices of the service group regarding the service and forwarding the control messages to a network; and/or in response to the first electronic device being a master device for downlink communications for the service group, receiving downlink communications for the service group from the network and forwarding the downlink communications to other electronic devices of the service group.

In one embodiment, a master device for uplink communication of a service group is allocated with a URLLC network slice, and a master device for downlink communication of the service group is allocated with an eMBB network slice.

In one embodiment, method 1200 may include sending a request message for an in-vehicle entertainment resource, the request message including request timing information; receiving a response message for the in-vehicle entertainment resource from the fourth electronic device, the response message including delivery timing information; and receiving the in-vehicle entertainment resource from the fourth electronic device based on the delivery timing information matching the service timing information.

In one embodiment, the method 1200 may include receiving a request message for an in-vehicle entertainment resource from a fourth electronic device; and sending a response message for the in-vehicle entertainment resource to the fourth electronic device, wherein the response message comprises resource recommendation information local to the first electronic device.

Exemplary electronic devices and methods according to embodiments of the present disclosure are described above separately. It should be understood that the operations or functions of these electronic devices may be combined with one another to achieve more or less operations or functions than those described. The operational steps of the methods may also be combined with one another in any suitable order to similarly implement more or less operations than those described.

It should be understood that machine-executable instructions in a machine-readable storage medium or program product according to embodiments of the present disclosure may be configured to perform operations corresponding to the above-described apparatus and method embodiments. Embodiments of the machine-readable storage medium or program product will be apparent to those skilled in the art when the above apparatus and method embodiments are referenced and, therefore, will not be described repeatedly. Machine-readable storage media and program products for carrying or including the machine-executable instructions described above are also within the scope of the present disclosure. Such storage media may include, but is not limited to, floppy disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, memory cards, memory sticks, and the like. In addition, it should be understood that the above-described series of processes and apparatuses may also be implemented by software and/or firmware.

In addition, it should be understood that the above-described series of processes and apparatuses may also be implemented by software and/or firmware. In the case of implementation by software and/or firmware, a program constituting the software is installed from a storage medium or a network to a computer having a dedicated hardware structure, such as a general-purpose computer 1300 shown in fig. 13, which is capable of executing various functions and the like when various programs are installed. Fig. 13 illustrates an example block diagram of a computer that can be implemented as a terminal device or a network device in accordance with an embodiment of this disclosure.

In fig. 13, a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 1301 executes various processes in accordance with a program stored in a Read Only Memory (ROM) 1302 or a program loaded from a storage section 1308 to a Random Access Memory (RAM) 1303. In the RAM 1303, data necessary when the CPU 1301 executes various processes and the like is also stored as necessary.

The CPU 1301, the ROM 1302, and the RAM 1303 are connected to each other via a bus 1304. An input/output interface 1305 is also connected to bus 1304.

The following components are connected to the input/output interface 1305: an input portion 1306 including a keyboard, a mouse, and the like; an output section 1307 including a display such as a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT), a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), etc., and a speaker, etc.; a storage portion 1308 including a hard disk and the like; and a communication section 1309 including a network interface card such as a LAN card, a modem, and the like. The communication section 1309 performs communication processing via a network such as the internet.

A driver 1310 is also connected to the input/output interface 1305, as needed. A removable medium 1311 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like is mounted on the drive 1310 as needed, so that the computer program read out therefrom is installed in the storage section 1308 as needed.

In the case where the above-described series of processes is realized by software, a program constituting the software is installed from a network such as the internet or a storage medium such as the removable medium 1311.

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that such a storage medium is not limited to the removable medium 1311 shown in fig. 13, in which the program is stored, distributed separately from the apparatus to provide the program to the user. Examples of the removable medium 1311 include a magnetic disk (including a flexible disk (registered trademark)), an optical disk (including a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM) and a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD)), a magneto-optical disk (including a mini-disk (MD) (registered trademark)), and a semiconductor memory. Alternatively, the storage medium may be the ROM 1302, a hard disk contained in the storage section 1308, or the like, in which programs are stored and which are distributed to users together with the apparatus containing them.

It should be understood that the technical solutions of the present disclosure may be implemented by the following exemplary embodiments.

1. An electronic apparatus comprising processing circuitry configured to:

receiving a control message about a service from a first electronic device of a service group; and

transmitting downlink communications for the service group to a second electronic device of the service group based on the control message,

wherein the service group comprises a plurality of geographically proximate electronic devices.

2. The electronic device of clause 1, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

determining a second electronic device as a master device for downlink communication of the service group based on network slice selection assistance information of at least one of the plurality of electronic devices; and

conducting downlink communications with the service set through a second electronic device.

3. The electronic device of clause 1, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

determining a first electronic device as a master device for uplink communication of the service group based on network slice selection assistance information of at least one of the plurality of electronic devices; and

performing, by a first electronic device, uplink communication with the service group.

4. The electronic device of clauses 2 or 3, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

initiating a communication to indicate to a second electronic device that it is a master device for downlink communication for the service group; and/or

Initiating communication to indicate to the service group that the first electronic device is a master device for uplink communication.

5. The electronic apparatus of clause 1, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to divide the geographically proximate plurality of electronic devices into the same service group based on service information, wherein the service information includes at least one of:

the method comprises the steps of applying types, wherein a plurality of electronic devices with the same application types are divided into the same service group;

resource content, wherein a plurality of electronic devices with the same resource content are divided into the same service group;

the method comprises the steps of resource size, wherein a plurality of electronic devices with the same or similar resource sizes are divided into the same service group; or alternatively

And the QoS grades, wherein a plurality of electronic devices with the same or similar QoS grades are divided into the same service group.

6. The electronic apparatus of clause 2 or 3, wherein the first electronic device is assigned with a URLLC network slice and the second electronic device is assigned with an eMBB network slice.

7. The electronic device of clause 6, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

receiving a service request from a third electronic device, wherein the third electronic device is not assigned a network slice;

and adding the third electronic equipment into the service group, and carrying out uplink and downlink communication with the third electronic equipment through the network slice of the main control equipment.

8. The electronic device of clause 5, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

information of a service group and a second electronic device is distributed to a mobile edge computing node such that the mobile edge computing node associates resource content serving the second electronic device with a plurality of electronic devices of the service group.

9. The electronic device according to the clause 1,

wherein the electronic device is implemented as an access and mobility function AMF; and/or

The plurality of electronic devices are implemented as at least one of: a vehicle; an on-board unit; or a user equipment.

10. A first electronic device comprising processing circuitry configured to:

sending a control message regarding the service to a second electronic device, wherein the second electronic device is a master device for uplink communication of the service group; and

receiving a downlink transmission associated with the service from a third electronic device, wherein the third electronic device is a master device for downlink communication for the service group,

wherein the first to third electronic devices all belong to the same service group, the service group includes a plurality of electronic devices in close geographic locations,

wherein the master device is determined based on network slice selection assistance information.

11. The first electronic device of clause 10, wherein:

determining, by a network device, a third electronic device as a master device for downlink communication of the service group based on network slice selection assistance information for the plurality of electronic devices;

determining, by a network device, a second electronic device as a master device for uplink communication of the service group based on network slice selection assistance information for the plurality of electronic devices; and/or

The network slice selection assistance information is shared among the plurality of electronic devices and a second electronic device is determined to be a master device for uplink communication of the service group.

12. The first electronic device of clause 10, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

in response to a first electronic device being a master device for uplink communication of the service group, receiving control messages regarding the service from other electronic devices of the service group and forwarding the control messages to a network; and/or

In response to the first electronic device being a master device for downlink communications for the service group, receive downlink communications for the service group from a network and forward the downlink communications to other electronic devices of the service group.

13. The first electronic device of clause 11, wherein the master device for uplink communication of the service group is assigned a URLLC network slice, and the master device for downlink communication of the service group is assigned an eMBB network slice.

14. The first electronic device of clause 10, wherein the first electronic device is implemented as at least one of: a vehicle; an on-board unit; or a user equipment.

15. The first electronic device of clause 14, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

sending a request message for an in-vehicle entertainment resource, the request message including request timing information;

receiving a response message for the in-vehicle entertainment resource from the fourth electronic device, the response message including delivery timing information; and

receiving the in-vehicle entertainment resource from the fourth electronic device based on the delivery timing information matching the service timing information.

16. The first electronic device of clause 14, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

receiving a request message for the in-vehicle entertainment resource from the fourth electronic device; and

and sending a response message for the vehicle-mounted entertainment resource to the fourth electronic equipment, wherein the response message comprises resource recommendation information local to the first electronic equipment.

17. A method for communication, comprising:

18. A method for communication, comprising:

receiving a downlink transmission related to the service from a third electronic device, wherein the third electronic device is a master device for downlink communication for the service group,

19. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, perform operations of the method according to any one of clauses 17 to 18.

20. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to any of clauses 17 to 18.

The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described above with reference to the drawings, but the present disclosure is of course not limited to the above examples. Various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the appended claims, and it should be understood that these changes and modifications naturally fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

For example, a plurality of functions included in one unit may be implemented by separate devices in the above embodiments. Alternatively, a plurality of functions implemented by a plurality of units in the above embodiments may be implemented by separate devices, respectively. In addition, one of the above functions may be implemented by a plurality of units. Needless to say, such a configuration is included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

In this specification, the steps described in the flowcharts include not only the processing performed in time series in the described order but also the processing performed in parallel or individually without necessarily being performed in time series. Further, even in the steps processed in time series, needless to say, the order can be changed as appropriate.

Although the present disclosure and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, in the embodiments of the present disclosure are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrases "comprising a," "8230," "8230," or "comprising" does not exclude the presence of additional like elements in a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising processing circuitry configured to:

transmitting a downlink communication for the service group to a second electronic device of the service group based on the control message,

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

determining a second electronic device as a master device for downlink communication for the service group based on network slice selection assistance information of at least one of the plurality of electronic devices; and

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

4. The electronic device of claim 2 or 3, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

5. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to divide geographically proximate electronic devices into a same service group based on service information, wherein the service information includes at least one of:

the resource size is divided into a same service group by a plurality of electronic devices with the same or similar resource sizes; or

And the QoS grade, wherein a plurality of electronic devices with the same or similar QoS grade are divided into the same service group.

6. The electronic apparatus of claim 2 or 3, wherein the first electronic device is allocated with a URLLC network slice and the second electronic device is allocated with an eMBB network slice.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

8. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

9. The electronic device as set forth in claim 1,

10. A first electronic device comprising processing circuitry configured to: