WO2025164490A1 - Information processing device, base station, and information processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

This information processing device is connected to one or a plurality of core networks via a service-based interface, the information processing device comprising: a transmission unit that transmits, to the one or plurality of core networks, a request for QoS monitoring for data belonging to one application, and information pertaining to a traffic pattern of the data; and a timing control unit that controls a transmission timing of the data transmitted to a plurality of base stations via a function for processing a user plane of the one or plurality of core networks on the basis of information about a burst arrival time pertaining to each of the base stations as information about the burst arrival time of the data based on information pertaining to the traffic pattern, and information about the measurement results of the QoS monitoring pertaining to each of the plurality of base stations.

Description

Information processing device, base station, and information processing method

This disclosure relates to an information processing device, a base station, and an information processing method.

Recent mobile networks (e.g., cellular networks such as 5G) require high communication performance (e.g., connection stability, low latency, high reliability, high throughput, low power consumption, low processing load, etc.). Among these, achieving stable, low-latency wireless transmission is an extremely important element in realizing new communication services that have emerged in recent years (e.g., device control in IoT, real-time communication in VR games and the Metaverse, etc.).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-158486

However, with conventional technology, it is difficult to provide high-quality communication services to users. For example, in cases where multiple users simultaneously receive communication services related to a single application (e.g., competitive games or the metaverse), it is necessary to provide a uniform level of service to multiple users. However, with conventional technology, it is difficult to provide a uniform level of service to multiple users who are not in close proximity to each other.

This disclosure therefore proposes an information processing device, base station, and information processing method that can provide high-quality communication services.

Note that the above problem or objective is merely one of several problems or objectives that can be solved or achieved by the multiple embodiments disclosed in this specification.

In order to solve the above problem, one form of information processing device according to the present disclosure is an information processing device that connects to one or more core networks via a service-based interface, and includes a transmission unit that transmits a QoS monitoring request for data belonging to one application and information related to the traffic pattern of the data to the one or more core networks, and a timing control unit that controls the transmission timing of the data transmitted to the base station via a function that processes the user plane of the one or more core networks, based on information on the burst arrival time of the data based on the information related to the traffic pattern, the information on the burst arrival time for each of a plurality of base stations, and information on the measurement results of the QoS monitoring for each of the plurality of base stations.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the present embodiment. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a management device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a base station according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a terminal device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a 5GS architecture. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the architecture of XR in 5G. A diagram showing an example of a 5GS QoS architecture. FIG. 1 shows standardized SST values. A diagram showing an example of connection processing in 5GS. A figure showing an example of a PDU session establishment process. A figure showing an example of a PDU session establishment process. FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a process for reflecting an AF request in session routing. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for reflecting an AF request targeted at an individual UE 40 in a policy. FIG. 1 illustrates an example process for setting up an AF session for requesting QoS. FIG. 10 illustrates another example of a process for setting up an AF session for requesting QoS. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of data burst distribution to multiple users in different PLMN operator environments. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a procedure for adaptive control of transmission timing. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a procedure for adaptive control of transmission timing. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a notification process of a monitoring result. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of cooperative control processing of transmission timing according to an allowable time difference.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that in each of the following embodiments, identical components will be designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted.

Furthermore, in this description/specification, the expression "at least one of" following a list of elements is understood to mean that the listed elements are optional. For example, "at least one of A, B, and C" means "(A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C)." "At least one of A, B, or C" and "at least one of A, B, and/or C" are also equivalent to "at least one of A, B, and C." Here, A, B, and C are all arbitrary expressions (e.g., words, phrases, clauses, terms, or items).

Furthermore, in this specification and drawings, multiple components having substantially the same functional configuration may be distinguished by adding different numbers after the same reference symbol. For example, multiple components having substantially the same functional configuration may be distinguished as necessary, such as terminal devices 40 ₁ , 40 ₂ , and 40 _3. However, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between multiple components having substantially the same functional configuration, only the same reference symbol is used. For example, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between terminal devices 40 ₁ , 40 ₂ , and 40 ₃ , they will simply be referred to as terminal device 40.

One or more embodiments (including examples and variations) described below can be implemented independently. However, at least a portion of the multiple embodiments described below may be implemented in appropriate combination with at least a portion of another embodiment. These multiple embodiments may include novel features that are different from one another. Therefore, these multiple embodiments may contribute to solving different purposes or problems and may achieve different effects from one another.

<<1. Overview>>
The first standard for the fifth-generation mobile communications system (so-called 5G) was formulated as Rel-15 in 2018. 5G is a wireless access technology that can support a variety of use cases, including enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable and low latency communications (URLLC).

5G will enable new wireless communication services. For example, 5G will enable device control in IoT and real-time communication in games and VR. Even with 4G, wearable devices compatible with VR (Virtual Reality) are emerging, primarily for gaming use cases. However, with 4G, it is not easy to distribute video content that requires real-time wireless transmission due to latency and throughput issues.

With 5G, technological enhancements are being discussed to enable low-latency, stable distribution of media known as XR. Here, XR stands for Extended Reality or Cross Reality. XR includes AR (Augmented Reality), MR (Mixed Reality), and VR (Virtual Reality). In the following explanation, Extended Reality can be replaced with Cross Reality.

In applications such as competitive games and the metaverse, multiple users simultaneously receive communication services related to a single application. In communication services for such applications, it is often expected that each user will decide what to do based on data (e.g., video information) received at the same time. Therefore, if there is a difference in delay in the timing of data reception, the QoE for each user will deteriorate. In other words, communication services for such applications require the provision of uniform service to multiple users.

Patent Document 1 (JP 2021-158486 A) discloses technology for providing uniform service, which enables uniform service to be obtained within the same cell. Specifically, Patent Document 1 discloses technology in which a control device acquires the relative positions of two terminal devices that have subscriptions with different PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network) operators, and switches the PLMN operator of one terminal device to the other so that services are provided via the same PLMN operator.

However, in applications such as competitive gaming and the metaverse, there is a need to provide the same quality of experience (QoE) to multiple users who are not in close proximity to each other. Therefore, there may be cases where multiple users cannot obtain a uniform level of service simply by switching PLMN operators.

Therefore, this embodiment solves the above problem as follows.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are diagrams for explaining an overview of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system of this embodiment includes an XR server, a core network, multiple base stations (a first base station and a second base station), and multiple XR devices (a first XR device and a second XR device).

An XR server is a server device that distributes data belonging to one application to multiple XR devices. For example, the XR server is a third-party server device located outside the core network and can include an AF (Application Function). In the example of Figure 1, the data (data belonging to one application) that the XR server distributes to multiple XR devices is XR content data.

XR devices are terminal devices such as AR devices, VR devices, and MR devices. The first XR device is worn by user U1, and the second XR device is worn by user U2. The first XR device is connected to the XR server via a first base station and core network. The second XR device is connected to the XR server via a second base station and core network.

XR content is, for example, a VR game and/or the Metaverse. However, XR content is not limited to a VR game and/or the Metaverse. XR content may also be video content generated by calculating or processing 3D data (e.g., 3D spatial data and/or 3D object data) based on user viewpoint data. In the following description, XR content may also be referred to as XR media or XR media content.

The XR device of this embodiment is connected to the XR server via a wireless access network such as 5G. In the example of Figure 1, the XR device is a head-mounted device, but it may also be a glasses-type device.

The XR server connects to one or more core networks via a service-based interface provided by the network function of the core network. For example, the XR server connects to one or more core networks via Nnef. Nnef is a service-based interface provided by the NEF (Network Exposure Function) of the core network.

Then, the XR server transmits information related to the traffic pattern of the XR content data (data belonging to one application) to the core network. The information related to the traffic pattern includes, for example, as shown in Figure 2, information on the burst departure time (BDT), which is the timing at which the XR server transmits the first packet of a data burst, and information on the periodicity. Here, the burst transmission time information may be information indicating the timing at which the first packet of the data burst arrives at the core network. In this case, the burst transmission time information may be a parameter called burst arrival time (BAT).

The XR server also sends a QoS monitoring request for XR content data (data belonging to one application) to the core network. QoS monitoring requests include, for example, requests for monitoring packet delays. QoS monitoring will be described later.

The core network obtains information regarding the traffic patterns of XR content data (data belonging to one application) and requests for QoS monitoring for that XR content data from the XR server.

Then, the core network generates burst arrival time (BAT) information for the XR content data for each of the multiple base stations (first base station and second base station) based on the information related to the traffic pattern. For example, the core network generates first BAT information for the first base station and second BAT information for the second base station based on the information related to the traffic pattern. The BAT information is information included in the assistance information notified to each of the multiple base stations. The assistance information is, for example, TSC Assistance Information. TSC assistance information will be described later.

The core network also acquires information about the measurement results of QoS monitoring. The measurement results of QoS monitoring are offset times relative to the BAT (burst arrival time). The core network acquires the measurement results of each of the multiple base stations 30 as the measurement results of QoS monitoring. For example, the core network acquires the measurement results of the first base station and the measurement results of the second base station as the measurement results of QoS monitoring.

Here, the measurement result of the first base station is a first offset time indicating the difference between the first BAT included in the assistance information transmitted to the first base station and the actual reception timing of the first packet of the data burst. The measurement result of the second base station is a second offset time indicating the difference between the second BAT included in the assistance information transmitted to the second base station and the actual reception timing of the first packet of the data burst.

Then, the core network transmits BAT information (first BAT information and second BAT information) and information on the measurement results of QoS monitoring for each of the multiple base stations (first offset time information and second offset time information) to the XR server. The XR server acquires the BAT information and information on the measurement results of QoS monitoring for each of the multiple base stations from the core network.

The XR server controls the transmission timing of XR content data sent to the base station via the user plane processing function of the core network based on BAT information (first BAT information and second BAT information) and QoS monitoring measurement result information for each of multiple base stations (first offset time information and second offset time information). Here, the user plane processing function is, for example, the UPF (User Plane Function) of the core network.

For example, the XR server calculates the offset (relative delay shown in Figure 2) of the reception timing of the first packet of the data burst based on the first BAT, the second BAT, the first offset time, and the second offset time.The XR server then controls the transmission timing of the XR content data based on the calculated offset.

For example, the XR server changes either the first transmission timing of the data to be transmitted to the first XR device, or the second transmission timing of the data to be transmitted to the first XR device. In the example of Figure 2, the XR server may delay the second transmission timing relative to the first transmission timing by the calculated offset (relative delay shown in Figure 2).

This allows the XR server to reduce the difference in arrival time of XR content data. As a result, the XR server can provide the same QoE (Quality of Experience) to multiple users who are not in close proximity to each other. As a result, the XR server can provide each user with a high-quality communication service (for example, a uniform communication service with little relative delay).

The above provides an overview of this embodiment, but the communication system 1 of this embodiment will now be described in detail.

<<2. Configuration of communication system>>
First, the configuration of the communication system 1 will be described.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a communication system 1 according to this embodiment. The communication system 1 comprises a server 10, a management device 20, a base station 30, and a terminal device 40. The communication system 1 provides users with a wireless network (mobile network) that enables mobile communication by having the wireless communication devices that make up the communication system 1 operate in cooperation with each other.

The wireless network of this embodiment may be, for example, a cellular network consisting of a radio access network RAN and a core network CN. The mobile network may also include terminal devices 40. In this embodiment, a wireless communication device refers to a device that has wireless communication capabilities, and in the example of Figure 3, this corresponds to the base station 30 and terminal devices 40.

The communication system 1 may include a plurality of servers 10, management devices 20, base stations 30, and terminal devices 40. In the example of Fig. 3, the communication system 1 includes servers _10-1 and _10-2 as the servers 10, and management devices _20-1 and _20-2 as the management devices 20. The communication system 1 also includes base stations _30-1 , _30-2 , and _30-3 as the base stations 30, and terminal devices _40-1 , _40-2 , and _40-3 as the terminal devices 40. In the following description, the devices included in the communication system 1 may be referred to as network devices.

The terminal device 40 may be configured to connect to a network using radio access technologies (RATs) such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), NR (New Radio), B5G (Beyond 5G), 6G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc. In this case, the terminal device 40 may be configured to be able to use different radio access technologies (wireless communication methods). For example, the terminal device 40 may be configured to be able to use NR and Wi-Fi. The terminal device 40 may also be configured to be able to use different cellular communication technologies (e.g., LTE, NR, B5G, or 6G). In the following description, the terminal device 40 may be referred to as UE (User Equipment) 40.

LTE and NR are types of cellular communication technologies that enable mobile communication for terminal devices by arranging multiple cell-like areas covered by base stations. 6G, also a type of cellular communication technology, has the potential to become a technology that enables mobile communication for terminal devices by arranging multiple cell-like areas covered by base stations.

In the following description, "LTE" is assumed to include LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), LTE-A Pro (LTE-Advanced Pro), and EUTRA (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access). NR is assumed to include NRAT (New Radio Access Technology) and FEUTRA (Further EUTRA). A single base station 30 may manage multiple cells. In the following description, a cell that supports LTE is referred to as an LTE cell, and a cell that supports NR is referred to as an NR cell.

NR is the next generation (5th generation) radio access technology after LTE (4th generation communications including LTE-Advanced and LTE-Advanced Pro). NR is a radio access technology that can support a variety of use cases, including eMBB (Enhanced Mobile Broadband), mMTC (Massive Machine-Type Communications), and URLLC (Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications). NR was standardized in 3GPP (registered trademark) Rel-15 as a technical framework that supports the usage scenarios, requirements, and deployment scenarios of these use cases. Furthermore, B5G (Beyond 5G) and 6G require the simultaneous realization of multiple axes: high speed, large capacity, low latency, high reliability, and multiple simultaneous connections.

6G is the next generation of cellular communications technology, following NR and 5GS (5G system), which are fifth-generation mobile communications. 6G includes radio access technology and network technology between base stations, core networks, and data networks. 6G also includes technologies for the enhancement of eMBB, mMTC, and URLLC (Extreme connectivity), which were the main use cases or requirements of NR. 6G also includes new technologies in new areas. For example, 6G may include technologies related to AI (Cognitive network, AI native Air Interface), sensing (including Radar/RF sensing and network as a sensor), and terahertz communications.

Note that the wireless network described above or below may support at least one of radio access technologies (RATs), such as LTE, NR, B5G, and 6G. LTE, NR, and 6G are types of cellular communication technologies that enable mobile communication for terminal devices by arranging multiple areas covered by base stations in the form of cells. Note that the wireless access method used by communication system 1 is not limited to LTE, NR, B5G, and 6G, and may also be other wireless access methods, such as W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) and cdma2000 (Code Division Multiple Access 2000).

Furthermore, the base station 30 may be a terrestrial station or a non-terrestrial station. The non-terrestrial station may be a satellite station or an aircraft station. If the non-terrestrial station is a satellite station, the wireless network may be a bent-pipe (transparent) type mobile satellite communications system.

In this embodiment, terrestrial stations and terrestrial base stations refer to base stations and relay stations installed on the ground. Here, "terrestrial" has a broad definition, including not only land but also underground, on water, and underwater. In the following description, the term "terrestrial station" may be replaced with "gateway."

Note that LTE base stations are sometimes referred to as eNodeBs (Evolved Node Bs) or eNBs. NR base stations are sometimes referred to as gNodeBs or gNBs. 6G base stations are sometimes referred to as 6G NodeBs (6GNBs). In LTE, NR, and 6G, terminal devices (also referred to as mobile stations or terminals) are sometimes referred to as UEs (User Equipment). Note that terminal devices are a type of communication device and are also referred to as mobile stations or terminals.

Note that terminal device 40 may be able to connect to a network using wireless access technologies (wireless communication methods) other than LTE, NR, B5G, 6G, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. For example, terminal device 40 may be able to connect to a network using LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) communication. Terminal device 40 may also be able to connect to a network using proprietary wireless communication standards.

Here, LPWA communication refers to wireless communication that enables low-power, wide-area communication. For example, LPWA wireless refers to IoT (Internet of Things) wireless communication that uses specific low-power radio (e.g., the 920 MHz band) or the ISM (Industry-Science-Medical) band. LPWA wireless may include LTE-M, which operates in the cellular frequency band, and/or C-IoT (Cellular IoT), represented by NB-IoT. Note that the LPWA communication used by terminal device 40 may conform to the LPWA standard. The LPWA standard may be, for example, at least one of ELTRES, ZETA, SIGFOX, LoRaWAN, LTE-M, and NB-IoT. Of course, the LPWA standard is not limited to these and may be other LPWA standards.

Each wireless communication device shown in Figure 3 may be considered a device in the logical sense. In other words, part of each wireless communication device may be realized by a virtual machine (VM), a container such as Docker, or the like, and these may be physically implemented on the same hardware.

In this embodiment, the concept of a wireless communication device includes not only portable mobile devices (terminal devices) such as mobile terminals, but also devices installed in structures or mobile objects. The structures or mobile objects themselves may be considered wireless communication devices. Furthermore, the concept of a wireless communication device includes not only terminal devices 40 but also base stations 30. A wireless communication device is a type of processing device or information processing device. A wireless communication device can also be referred to as a transmitting device or a receiving device.

The configuration of each wireless communication device that makes up communication system 1 will be described in detail below. Note that the configuration of each wireless communication device shown below is merely an example. The configuration of each wireless communication device may differ from the configuration shown below.

<2-1. Server configuration>
First, the configuration of the server 10 will be described.

The server 10 is an information processing device (computer) that provides various services to the terminal device 40. For example, the server 10 is an XR server that distributes XR content (XR media) such as XR video content to the terminal device 40. The server 10 is, for example, an application server (AS). In the following description, the server 10 may be referred to as the application server 10 or AS 10.

Note that the server 10 may be a web server, a PC server, a mid-range server, or a mainframe server. The server 10 may also be an information processing device that performs data processing (edge processing) near a user or terminal. For example, the server 10 may be an information processing device (computer) attached to or built into a base station. The server 10 may also have core network functionality. For example, the server 10 may be a device that functions as the management device 20. Of course, the server 10 may also be an information processing device that performs cloud computing. The server 10 of this embodiment can function as an application function.

The server 10 is connected to the management device 20 via a network N. In the example of Figure 3, only one network N is shown, but there may be multiple networks N. Here, the network N is, for example, a public network such as the Internet. Note that the network N is not limited to the Internet, and may be, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), a cellular network, a landline network, or a regional IP (Internet Protocol) network. The network N may include a wired network or a wireless network.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example configuration of a server 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The server 10 includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13. The configuration shown in FIG. 4 is a functional configuration, and the hardware configuration may be different. Furthermore, the functions of the server 10 may be distributed and implemented across multiple physically separated components. For example, the server 10 may be configured from multiple information processing devices.

The communication unit 11 is a communication interface for communicating with other devices. For example, the communication unit 11 is a network interface. For example, the communication unit 11 is a LAN (Local Area Network) interface such as a NIC (Network Interface Card). The communication unit 11 may be a wired interface or a wireless interface. The communication unit 11 communicates with the management device 20, base station 30, terminal device 40, and other servers 10 under the control of the control unit 13.

The memory unit 12 is a data readable and writable storage device such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), flash memory, or a hard disk.

The control unit 13 is a controller that controls each component of the server 10. The control unit 13 may be implemented by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or MPU (Micro Processing Unit). Specifically, the control unit 13 may be implemented by a processor executing various programs stored in a storage device inside the management device 20 using RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like as a working area. The control unit 13 may be implemented by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The control unit 13 may also be implemented by a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). A CPU, MPU, ASIC, FPGA, and GPU can all be considered controllers. The control unit 13 may be composed of multiple physically separated objects. For example, the control unit 13 may be composed of multiple semiconductor chips.

The control unit 13 includes at least one of the following blocks: an acquisition unit 131, a transmission unit 132, a generation unit 133, and a timing control unit 134. Each block constituting the control unit 13 (acquisition unit 131 to timing control unit 134) is a functional block that indicates the function of the control unit 13. These functional blocks may be software blocks or hardware blocks. For example, each of the above-mentioned functional blocks may be a software module implemented by software (including a microprogram), or a circuit block on a semiconductor chip (die). Of course, each functional block may be a processor or an integrated circuit. The control unit 13 may be configured in functional units different from the above-mentioned functional blocks. The method of configuring the functional blocks is arbitrary.

<2-2. Configuration of management device>
Next, the configuration of the management device 20 will be described.

The management device 20 is an information processing device (computer) that manages the wireless network. For example, the management device 20 is an information processing device that manages communications between the base stations 30.

The management device 20 may be a device that constitutes the core network CN. For example, the management device 20 may be a device that functions as an MME (Mobility Management Entity). The management device 20 may also be a device that functions as an AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) and/or an SMF (Session Management Function). The MME, AMF, and SMF are control plane network function nodes in the core network CN. The management device 20 may be a device that functions as a control plane network function (6G CPNF) in 6G. The 6G CPNF may be composed of one or more logical nodes.

Of course, the functions of the management device 20 are not limited to MME, AMF, SMF, and 6G CPNF. The management device 20 may also be a device that has the functions of NSSF (Network Slice Selection Function), AUSF (Authentication Server Function), PCF (Policy Control Function), and UDM (Unified Data Management). The management device 20 may also be a device that has the functions of an HSS (Home Subscriber Server).

The management device 20 may also have gateway functionality. For example, the management device 20 may have functionality as an S-GW (Serving Gateway) or P-GW (Packet Data Network Gateway). The management device 20 may also have functionality as a UPF (User Plane Function). In this case, the management device 20 may have multiple UPFs. The management device 20 may also be a device that has functionality as a 6G User Plane Network Function (6G UPNF).

The core network CN is composed of multiple network functions, and each network function may be consolidated into one physical device or distributed across multiple physical devices. In other words, the management device 20 may be distributed across multiple devices. Furthermore, this distributed distribution may be controlled so that it is executed dynamically. The base station 30 and the management device 20 form a single network, providing wireless communication services to terminal devices 40. The management device 20 is connected to the Internet, and the terminal devices 40 can use various services provided over the Internet via the base station 30.

Note that the management device 20 does not necessarily have to be a device that constitutes the core network CN. For example, suppose the core network CN is a W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) or cdma2000 (Code Division Multiple Access 2000) core network. In this case, the management device 20 may be a device that functions as an RNC (Radio Network Controller).

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the management device 20 according to this embodiment. The management device 20 includes a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a control unit 23. The configuration shown in FIG. 5 is a functional configuration, and the hardware configuration may differ. Furthermore, the functions of the management device 20 may be statically or dynamically distributed and implemented across multiple physically separated components. The management device 20 may also be configured from multiple server devices.

The communication unit 21 is a communication interface for communicating with a wireless communication device (e.g., base station 30). The communication unit 21 may be a network interface or a device connection interface. The communication unit 21 may be a LAN (Local Area Network) interface such as a NIC (Network Interface Card), or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface configured by a USB host controller or a USB port. The communication unit 21 may be a wired interface or a wireless interface. The communication unit 21 is controlled by the control unit 23.

The memory unit 22 is a readable and writable storage device such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, or a hard disk. The memory unit 22 stores, for example, the connection status of the terminal device 40. The memory unit 22 stores the status of the terminal device 40's RRC (Radio Resource Control) and ECM (EPS Connection Management), or the status of 5G System CM (Connection Management). The memory unit 22 may also function as a home memory that stores the location information of the terminal device 40.

The control unit 23 is a controller that controls each part of the management device 20. The control unit 23 may be realized by a processor such as a CPU or MPU. In particular, the control unit 23 may be realized by a processor executing various programs stored in a storage device inside the management device 20 using RAM or the like as a work area. The control unit 23 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA. The control unit 23 may also be realized by a GPU. CPUs, MPUs, ASICs, FPGAs, and GPUs can all be considered controllers. The control unit 23 may also be composed of multiple physically separated objects. For example, the control unit 23 may be composed of multiple semiconductor chips.

The control unit 23 includes at least one of the following blocks: an acquisition unit 231, a transmission unit 232, a generation unit 233, and a timing control unit 234. Each block constituting the control unit 23 (acquisition unit 231 to timing control unit 234) is a functional block that indicates the function of the control unit 23. These functional blocks may be software blocks or hardware blocks. For example, each of the above-mentioned functional blocks may be a software module implemented by software (including a microprogram), or a circuit block on a semiconductor chip (die). Of course, each functional block may be a processor or an integrated circuit. The control unit 23 may be configured in functional units different from the above-mentioned functional blocks. The method of configuring the functional blocks is arbitrary.

<2-3. Base station configuration>
Next, the configuration of the base station 30 will be described.

The base station 30 is a wireless communication device that performs wireless communication with other wireless communication devices (e.g., terminal devices 40 or other base stations 30). The base station 30 may perform wireless communication with the terminal devices 40 via a relay station, or may perform wireless communication directly with the terminal devices 40.

The base station 30 is a device equivalent to a wireless base station (Base Station, Node B, eNB, gNB, 6GNB, etc.) or a wireless access point. The base station 30 may be a wireless relay station. The base station 30 may be an optical extension device called an RRH (Remote Radio Head). The base station 30 may be a receiving station such as an FPU (Field Pickup Unit). The base station 30 may be an IAB (Integrated Access and Backhaul) donor node or an IAB relay node that provides wireless access lines and wireless backhaul lines using time division multiplexing, frequency division multiplexing, or space division multiplexing.

The wireless access technology used by the base station 30 may be cellular communication technology. The wireless access technology used by the base station 30 may be wireless LAN technology. The wireless access technology used by the base station 30 may be LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) communication technology. However, the wireless access technology used by the base station 30 is not limited to these and may be other wireless access technologies. The wireless communication used by the base station 30 may be wireless communication using millimeter waves or wireless communication using terahertz waves. The wireless communication used by the base station 30 may be wireless communication using radio waves or wireless communication using infrared or visible light (optical wireless). Furthermore, the base station 30 may be capable of NOMA (Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access) communication with the terminal device 40. Here, NOMA communication refers to communication (transmission, reception, or both) using non-orthogonal resources. Note that the base station 30 may also be capable of NOMA communication with other base stations 30.

In addition, the base station 30 may be able to communicate with the core network via a base station-core network interface (e.g., NG Interface, S1 Interface, etc.). This interface may be either wired or wireless. In addition, the base station may be able to communicate with other base stations via an inter-base station interface (e.g., Xn Interface, X2 Interface, F1 Interface, etc.). This interface may be either wired or wireless.

The concept of a base station (also called "base station equipment") includes not only donor base stations but also relay base stations (also called "relay stations"). A relay base station may be any one of the following: RF Repeater, Smart Repeater, or Intelligent Surface. The concept of a base station includes not only a structure with base station functions, but also equipment installed in the structure.

Structures include, for example, skyscrapers, houses, steel towers, station facilities, airport facilities, port facilities, office buildings, school buildings, hospitals, factories, commercial facilities, stadiums, and other buildings. The concept of a structure includes not only buildings, but also non-building structures such as tunnels, bridges, dams, fences, and steel pillars, as well as equipment such as cranes, gates, and wind turbines. The concept of a structure includes not only land-based (ground in the narrow sense) or underground structures, but also structures on water such as piers or megafloats, and underwater structures such as ocean observation facilities. A base station can also be referred to as an information processing device.

The base station 30 may be a donor station or a relay station (relay station). The base station 30 may also be a fixed station or a mobile station. A mobile station is a wireless communication device (e.g., a base station) that is configured to be mobile. In this case, the base station 30 may be a device installed on a mobile body, or it may be the mobile body itself. For example, a relay station with mobility can be considered a base station 30 as a mobile station. Furthermore, devices that are inherently mobile and have base station functionality (at least some of the base station functionality), such as vehicles, UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) represented by drones, and smartphones, also fall under the category of a base station 30 as a mobile station.

Here, the moving body may be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a mobile phone. The moving body may be a moving body that moves on land (ground in the narrow sense) (for example, a vehicle such as a car, bicycle, bus, truck, motorcycle, train, or linear motor car), or a moving body that moves underground (for example, inside a tunnel) (for example, a subway). The moving body may also be a moving body that moves on water (for example, a ship such as a passenger ship, cargo ship, or hovercraft), or a moving body that moves underwater (for example, a submersible boat, submarine, or unmanned submersible). The moving body may also be a moving body that moves within the atmosphere (for example, an aircraft such as an airplane, airship, or drone).

Base station 30 may be a terrestrial base station (ground station) installed on the ground. Base station 30 may be a base station located on a structure on the ground, or a base station installed on a mobile object moving on the ground. Base station 30 may be an antenna installed on a structure such as a building and a signal processing device connected to that antenna. Base station 30 may be the structure or mobile object itself. "Ground" refers not only to land (ground in the narrow sense) but also to ground, on water, and underwater, in a broad sense. Base station 30 is not limited to a terrestrial base station. If communication system 1 is a satellite communication system, base station 30 may be an aircraft station. From the perspective of a satellite station, an aircraft station located on Earth is a ground station.

The base station 30 is not limited to a terrestrial station. The base station 30 may also be a non-terrestrial base station device (non-terrestrial station) that can float in the air or space. The base station 30 may also be an aircraft station or a satellite station.

A satellite station is a satellite station that can float outside the atmosphere. A satellite station may be a device mounted on a space vehicle such as an artificial satellite, or it may be the space vehicle itself. A space vehicle is a vehicle that moves outside the atmosphere. A space vehicle may be at least one of an artificial satellite, a spacecraft, a space station, and a probe. Of course, a space vehicle may also be an artificial celestial body other than these. Note that a satellite that serves as a satellite station may be a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, or a highly elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite. A satellite station may be a device mounted on a low earth orbit satellite, a medium earth orbit satellite, a geostationary satellite, or a highly elliptical orbit satellite.

An aircraft station is a wireless communication device capable of floating within the atmosphere of an aircraft or the like. An aircraft station may be a device mounted on an aircraft or the like, or it may be the aircraft itself. The concept of aircraft includes not only heavier-than-air vehicles such as airplanes or gliders, but also lighter-than-air vehicles such as balloons or airships. The concept of aircraft includes not only heavier-than-air vehicles or lighter-than-air vehicles, but also rotorcraft such as helicopters or autogyros. An aircraft station, or an aircraft equipped with an aircraft station, may be an unmanned aerial vehicle such as a drone.

The concept of unmanned aerial vehicles also includes unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and tethered unmanned aerial systems (TAS). The concept of unmanned aerial vehicles also includes lighter than air UAS (LTA) and heavier than air UAS (HTA). The concept of unmanned aerial vehicles also includes high altitude unmanned aerial system platforms (HAPs).

The coverage size of the base station 30 may be relatively large, such as a macrocell, or relatively small, such as a picocell. The coverage size of the base station 30 may also be extremely small, such as a femtocell. The base station 30 may have a beamforming function. The base station 30 may form a cell or service area for each beam. Additionally or alternatively, in addition to beamforming, which gives directionality to the beam, the base station 30 may have a function that pinpoints the desired wave to a specific point by further considering distance information from the antenna of the base station 30. This function may be called beam focusing or point forming. The base station 30 may also be configured to acquire detection data by performing sensing using the beam.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of a base station 30 according to this embodiment. The base station 30 comprises a wireless communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a control unit 33. However, the configuration shown in FIG. 6 is a functional configuration, and the hardware configuration may differ. Furthermore, the functions of the base station 30 may be distributed and implemented across multiple physically separated components.

Note that the base station 30 does not necessarily have to have all of the configurations described above or below. Furthermore, the base station 30 may have configurations other than those described above or below.

The wireless communication unit 31 is a signal processing unit for wireless communication with other wireless communication devices (e.g., terminal device 40 and at least one of other base stations 30). The wireless communication unit 31 may be referred to as a wireless transceiver or simply as a transceiver. In this case, the wireless communication unit 31 may be a transceiver (hereinafter referred to as a 3GPP transceiver) conforming to the specifications defined in the Technical Specification (TS) of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The 3GPP transceiver may be a 3G transceiver, a 4G (LTE) transceiver, a 5G (NR) transceiver, or a transceiver of a generation after 5G. The wireless communication unit 31 is controlled by the control unit 33. The wireless communication unit 31 supports one or more wireless access methods. The wireless communication unit 31 may support at least one of NR, LTE, B5G (Beyond 5G), and 6G. The wireless communication unit 31 may support W-CDMA, cdma2000, etc. in addition to NR, LTE, B5G, and 6G. The wireless communication unit 31 may also support automatic retransmission technologies such as HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest). Some or all of the processing performed by the wireless communication unit 31 may be performed by the control unit 33.

The wireless communication unit 31 includes a transmission processing unit 311, a reception processing unit 312, and an antenna 313. Alternatively, at least one of the transmission processing unit 311, the reception processing unit 312, and the antenna 313 may be considered to be the wireless communication unit 31. The wireless communication unit 31 may include multiple transmission processing units 311, multiple reception processing units 312, and multiple antennas 313. If the wireless communication unit 31 supports multiple wireless access methods, each unit of the wireless communication unit 31 may be configured individually for each wireless access method. The transmission processing unit 311 and the reception processing unit 312 may be configured individually for LTE, NR, B5G, and 6G. The antenna 313 may be configured with multiple antenna elements, for example, multiple patch antennas. The wireless communication unit 31 may have a beamforming function. For example, the wireless communication unit 31 may have a polarization beamforming function that uses vertically polarized waves (V polarization) and horizontally polarized waves (H polarization) (or a polarization beamforming function that uses dual polarization with polarization directions at 45 degrees and -45 degrees from the vertical direction).

The transmission processing unit 311 performs transmission processing of downlink control information and downlink data. For example, the transmission processing unit 311 encodes the downlink control information and downlink data input from the control unit 33 using a coding method such as block coding, convolutional coding, or turbo coding. Here, the encoding may be performed using polar codes or low-density parity check codes (LDPC codes). The transmission processing unit 311 then modulates the coded bits using a predetermined modulation method (e.g., BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM, 256QAM, or a higher-order multi-level modulation method). In this case, the signal points on the constellation do not necessarily need to be equidistant. The constellation may also be a non-uniform constellation (NUC). The transmission processing unit 311 then multiplexes the modulation symbols of each channel and the downlink reference signal and allocates them to predetermined resource elements. The transmission processing unit 311 then performs various signal processing on the multiplexed signal. For example, the transmission processing unit 311 performs processes such as conversion to the frequency domain using a fast Fourier transform, addition of a guard interval (cyclic prefix), generation of a baseband digital signal, conversion to an analog signal, quadrature modulation, up-conversion, removal of unnecessary frequency components, and power amplification. The signal generated by the transmission processing unit 311 is transmitted from an antenna 313.

The receiving processor 312 processes the uplink signal received via the antenna 313. For example, the receiving processor 312 performs downconversion, removal of unnecessary frequency components, amplification level control, orthogonal demodulation, conversion to a digital signal, removal of guard intervals (cyclic prefixes), and frequency domain signal extraction using fast Fourier transform on the uplink signal. The receiving processor 312 then separates uplink channels such as PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel) and PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel) and uplink reference signals from the processed signal. The receiving processor 312 also demodulates the received signal using modulation methods such as BPSK (Binary Phase Shift Keying) and QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying) for the modulation symbols of the uplink channel. The modulation method used for demodulation may be 16QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation), 64QAM, or 256QAM. In this case, the signal points on the constellation do not necessarily have to be equidistant. The constellation may be a non-uniform constellation (NUC). The reception processing unit 312 then performs decoding processing on the coded bits of the demodulated uplink channel. The decoded uplink data and uplink control information are output to the control unit 33.

The antenna 313 is an antenna device that converts electric current and radio waves into each other. The antenna 313 may be composed of a single antenna element, for example, a single patch antenna. The antenna 313 may be composed of multiple antenna elements, for example, multiple patch antennas. If the antenna 313 is composed of multiple antenna elements, the wireless communication unit 31 may have a beamforming function. The wireless communication unit 31 may be configured to generate a directional beam by controlling the directivity of the wireless signal using the multiple antenna elements. The antenna 313 may be a dual-polarized antenna. If the antenna 313 is a dual-polarized antenna, the wireless communication unit 31 may use vertical polarization (V polarization) and horizontal polarization (H polarization) (or dual polarization with polarization directions at 45 degrees and -45 degrees from the vertical direction) when transmitting the wireless signal. The wireless communication unit 31 may control the directivity of the wireless signal transmitted using vertical polarization and horizontal polarization (or dual polarization with polarization directions at 45 degrees and -45 degrees from the vertical direction). Additionally, the wireless communication unit 31 may transmit and receive spatially multiplexed signals via multiple layers consisting of multiple antenna elements.

The memory unit 32 is a readable and writable storage device such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, or a hard disk.

The control unit 33 is a controller that controls each unit of the base station 30. The control unit 33 controls the wireless communication unit to perform wireless communication with other wireless communication devices (e.g., terminal device 40 or other base stations 30). The control unit 33 may be implemented by a processor such as a CPU or MPU. Specifically, the control unit 33 may be implemented by a processor executing various programs stored in a storage device inside the base station 30, using RAM or the like as a working area. The control unit 33 may be implemented by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA. The control unit 33 may also be implemented by a GPU. CPUs, MPUs, ASICs, FPGAs, and GPUs can all be considered controllers. The control unit 33 may be composed of multiple physically separated objects. For example, the control unit 33 may be composed of multiple semiconductor chips.

The control unit 33 includes at least one of the following blocks: an acquisition unit 331, a transmission unit 332, a generation unit 333, and a timing control unit 334. Each block constituting the control unit 33 (acquisition unit 331 to timing control unit 334) is a functional block that indicates the function of the control unit 33. These functional blocks may be software blocks or hardware blocks. For example, each of the above-mentioned functional blocks may be a software module implemented by software (including a microprogram), or a circuit block on a semiconductor chip (die). Of course, each functional block may be a processor or an integrated circuit. The control unit 33 may be configured in functional units different from the above-mentioned functional blocks. The method of configuring the functional blocks is arbitrary.

In some embodiments, the base station 30 may be configured as a collection of multiple physical or logical devices. As an example, the base station 30 of this embodiment may be divided into multiple devices such as a BBU (Baseband Unit) and an RU (Radio Unit). The base station 30 may be interpreted as a collection of these multiple devices. Furthermore, the base station may be either a BBU or an RU, or both. The BBU and RU may be connected by a predetermined interface, such as eCPRI (enhanced Common Public Radio Interface).

The RU may also be referred to as an RRU (Remote Radio Unit) or an RD (Radio DoT). The RU may correspond to a gNB-DU (gNB Distributed Unit) described below. The BBU may correspond to a gNB-CU (gNB Central Unit) described below. The RU may be a device formed integrally with an antenna. The antenna of the base station 30, for example, an antenna formed integrally with the RU, may employ an Advanced Antenna System and support MIMO such as FD-MIMO or beamforming. The antenna of the base station 30 may have, for example, 64 transmitting antenna ports and 64 receiving antenna ports.

The antenna mounted on the RU may be an antenna panel consisting of one or more antenna elements, and the RU may be equipped with one or more antenna panels. The RU may be equipped with two types of antenna panels: a horizontally polarized antenna panel and a vertically polarized antenna panel. The RU may be equipped with two types of antenna panels: a right-hand circularly polarized antenna panel and a left-hand circularly polarized antenna panel, or an antenna panel with a polarization direction 45 degrees from the vertical direction and an antenna panel with a polarization direction -45 degrees. Multiple antennas with these multiple polarization directions may be mounted on a single antenna panel. The RU may form and control an independent beam for each antenna panel.

Multiple base stations 30 may be connected to each other. One or more base stations 30 may be included in a radio access network (RAN). In this case, the base station 30 may be simply referred to as a RAN, a RAN node, an AN (Access Network), or an AN node. The RAN in LTE is sometimes called EUTRAN (Enhanced Universal Terrestrial RAN). The RAN in NR is sometimes called NGRAN. The RAN in 6G is sometimes called 6GRAN. The RAN in W-CDMA (UMTS) is sometimes called UTRAN.

An LTE base station 30 may be referred to as an eNodeB (Evolved Node B) or eNB. In this case, the EUTRAN includes one or more eNodeBs (eNBs). An NR base station 30 may be referred to as a gNodeB or gNB. In this case, the NGRAN includes one or more gNBs. A 6G base station may be referred to as a 6GNodeB, 6gNodeB, 6GNB, or 6gNB. In this case, the 6GRAN includes one or more 6GNBs. The EUTRAN may include a gNB (en-gNB) connected to a core network (EPC) in an LTE communication system (EPS). The NGRAN may include an ng-eNB connected to a core network (5GC) in a 5G communication system (5GS).

If the base station 30 is an eNB, gNB, 6GNB, etc., the base station 30 may be referred to as a 3GPP access. If the base station 30 is a wireless access point, the base station 30 may be referred to as a non-3GPP access. The base station 30 may be an optical extension device called an RRH (Remote Radio Head). If the base station 30 is a gNB, the base station 30 may be a combination of the gNB-CU and gNB-DU described above, or may be either a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU.

Here, the gNB-CU hosts multiple upper layers (e.g., RRC (Radio Resource Control), SDAP (Service Data Adaptation Protocol), PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol)) in the access stratum for communication with the UE. On the other hand, the gNB-DU hosts multiple lower layers (e.g., RLC (Radio Link Control), MAC (Medium Access Control), PHY (Physical Access Control)) in the access stratum. It hosts the gNB-CU's (sical layer). That is, of the messages/information described below, RRC signaling (semi-static notification) may be generated by the gNB-CU, while MAC CE and DCI (dynamic notification) may be generated by the gNB-DU. Alternatively, of the RRC configuration (semi-static notification), some configurations, such as IE:cellGroupConfig, may be generated by the gNB-DU, and the remaining configurations may be generated by the gNB-CU. These configurations may be transmitted and received over the F1 interface described below.

A base station 30 may be configured to be able to communicate with other base stations. If multiple base stations 30 are eNBs or a combination of eNBs and en-gNBs, these base stations 30 may be connected via an X2 interface. If multiple base stations 30 are gNBs or a combination of gn-eNBs and gNBs, these base stations 30 may be connected via an Xn interface. If multiple base stations 30 are a combination of gNB-CU and gNB-DU, these base stations 30 may be connected via the F1 interface described above. Messages/information (e.g., RRC signaling, MAC Control Element (CE), or Downlink Control Information (DCI)) described below may be transmitted between multiple base stations 30 via, for example, an X2 interface, an Xn interface, or an F1 interface.

The cell provided by the base station 30 may be called a serving cell. The concept of a serving cell includes a PCell (Primary Cell) and an SCell (Secondary Cell). When dual connectivity is provided to the terminal device 40, the PCell and zero or more SCells provided by the MN (Master Node) may be called a master cell group. The dual connectivity may be at least one of EUTRA-EUTRA Dual Connectivity, EUTRA-NR Dual Connectivity (ENDC), EUTRA-NR Dual Connectivity with 5GC, NR-EUTRA Dual Connectivity (NEDC), NR-NR Dual Connectivity, NR-6G Dual Connectivity, and 6G-NR Dual Connectivity. Of course, dual connectivity is not limited to these.

The serving cell may include a PSCell (Primary Secondary Cell, or Primary SCG Cell). When dual connectivity is provided to the terminal device 40, the PSCell provided by the SN (Secondary Node) and zero or more SCells may be referred to as an SCG (Secondary Cell Group). Unless special configuration is performed (e.g., PUCCH on SCell), the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) is transmitted by the PCell and PSCell but not by the SCell. Radio link failures are detected by the PCell and PSCell but not (do not need to be detected by) the SCell. As such, the PCell and PSCell play special roles among the serving cells and are therefore also referred to as SpCells (Special Cells).

One cell may be associated with one downlink component carrier and one uplink component carrier. The system bandwidth corresponding to one cell may be divided into multiple BWPs (Bandwidth Parts). In this case, one or more BWPs may be configured in the terminal device 40, and one BWP may be used by the terminal device 40 as an active BWP. The radio resources that the terminal device 40 can use, such as frequency band, numerology (subcarrier spacing), or slot format (Slot configuration), may differ for each cell, component carrier, or BWP.

2-4. Configuration of terminal device
Next, the configuration of the terminal device 40 will be described.

The terminal device 40 is a wireless communication device (e.g., a UE (User Equipment)) that performs wireless communication with other wireless communication devices (e.g., a base station 30 or another terminal device 40). In the following description, the terminal device 40 may be referred to as a UE 40.

The terminal device 40 is typically an XR device such as an AR (Augmented Reality) device, a VR (Virtual Reality) device, or an MR (Mixed Reality) device. In this case, the XR device may be a glasses-type device such as AR glasses or MR glasses, or a head-mounted device such as a VR head-mounted display. When the terminal device 40 is an XR device, the terminal device 40 may be a standalone device consisting only of a part worn by the user (e.g., a glasses part). Alternatively, the terminal device 40 may be a terminal-linked device consisting of a part worn by the user (e.g., a glasses part) and a terminal part (e.g., a smart device) that links with that part.

As described above, the terminal device 40 is typically an XR device such as an AR device, VR device, or MR device. However, the terminal device 40 is not limited to an XR device. Any form of information processing device (computer) can be used for the terminal device 40. For example, the terminal device 40 may be a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone, a smart device (smartphone or tablet), a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or a notebook PC. The terminal device 40 may also be an imaging device (e.g., a camcorder) equipped with communication functions. The terminal device 40 may also be a motorcycle or mobile broadcast vehicle equipped with communication equipment such as an FPU (Field Pickup Unit). The terminal device 40 may also be an M2M (Machine to Machine) device or an IoT (Internet of Things) device. The terminal device 40 may also be a wearable device such as a smartwatch.

The terminal device 40 may be capable of NOMA communication with the base station 30. The terminal device 40 may be able to use an automatic repeat technique such as HARQ when communicating with the base station 30. The terminal device 40 may be capable of sidelink communication with other terminal devices 40. The terminal device 40 may be able to use an automatic repeat technique such as HARQ when performing sidelink communication. The terminal device 40 may be capable of NOMA communication when performing sidelink communication with other terminal devices 40. The terminal device 40 may be capable of LPWA communication with other wireless communication devices such as base stations 30. The wireless communication used by the terminal device 40 may be wireless communication using millimeter waves. The wireless communication used by the terminal device 40, including sidelink communication, may be wireless communication using radio waves, or wireless communication using infrared or visible light, i.e., optical wireless.

The terminal device 40 may be a mobile wireless communication device, i.e., a mobile device. The terminal device 40 may be a wireless communication device installed on a mobile device, or may be the mobile device itself. The terminal device 40 may be a vehicle that moves on a road, such as an automobile, bus, truck, or motorcycle, or a train that runs on tracks, or may be a wireless communication device mounted on the vehicle. The mobile device may be a mobile terminal, or a mobile device that moves on land (ground in the narrow sense), underground, on water, or underwater. The mobile device may also be a mobile device that moves within the atmosphere, such as an airplane, airship, balloon, or helicopter, or a mobile device that moves outside the atmosphere, such as an artificial satellite. The mobile device may also be a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) such as a drone. The terminal device 40 may also be a wireless communication device mounted on a mobile device.

The terminal device 40 may be capable of connecting to and communicating with multiple base stations 30 or multiple cells simultaneously. When one base station 30 supports a communication area through multiple cells (e.g., pCell or sCell), these multiple cells can be bundled together to enable communication between the base station 30 and the terminal device 40 using carrier aggregation (CA) technology, dual connectivity (DC) technology, multi-connectivity (MC) technology, or the like. Alternatively, communication between the terminal device 40 and these multiple base stations 30 can also be achieved via cells of different base stations 30 using coordinated multi-point transmission and reception (CoMP) technology.

Terminal device 40 may be a relay terminal that relays communications to remote terminals.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of a terminal device 40 according to this embodiment. The terminal device 40 includes a wireless communication unit 41, a memory unit 42, a control unit 43, an input unit 44, an output unit 45, and a sensor unit 46. The configuration shown in FIG. 7 is a functional configuration, and the hardware configuration may differ. Furthermore, the functions of the terminal device 40 may be distributed and implemented across multiple physically separated components.

Note that the terminal device 40 does not necessarily have to have all of the components described above or below. For example, the terminal device 40 does not necessarily have to have at least one of the input unit 44, the output unit 45, and the sensor unit 46. Furthermore, the base station 30 may have a configuration other than the components described above or below. The terminal device 40 may have a beamforming function. Furthermore, the terminal device 40 may be configured to acquire detection data by performing sensing using beams.

The wireless communication unit 41 is a signal processing unit for wireless communication with other wireless communication devices (e.g., base station 30 or other terminal devices 40). The wireless communication unit 41 may be referred to as a wireless transceiver or simply as a transceiver. In this case, the wireless communication unit 41 may be a transceiver of the standard defined in the 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) (hereinafter referred to as a 3GPP transceiver). The 3GPP transceiver may be a 3G transceiver, a 4G (LTE) transceiver, a 5G (NR) transceiver, or a transceiver of a generation after 5G. The wireless communication unit 41 is controlled, for example, by the control unit 43. The wireless communication unit 41 supports one or more wireless access methods. The wireless communication unit 41 may support at least one of NR, LTE, B5G (Beyond 5G), and 6G. The wireless communication unit 41 may support W-CDMA, cdma2000, etc. in addition to NR, LTE, B5G, and 6G. The wireless communication unit 41 may also support automatic retransmission technologies such as HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest). Some or all of the processing performed by the wireless communication unit 41 may be performed by the control unit 43.

The wireless communication unit 41 includes a transmission processing unit 411, a reception processing unit 412, and an antenna 413. At least one of the transmission processing unit 411, the reception processing unit 412, and the antenna 413 may be considered to be the wireless communication unit 41. The wireless communication unit 41 may include multiple transmission processing units 411, multiple reception processing units 412, and multiple antennas 413. If the wireless communication unit 41 supports multiple wireless access methods, each unit of the wireless communication unit 41 may be configured individually for each wireless access method. The transmission processing unit 411 and the reception processing unit 412 may be configured individually for LTE, NR, B5G, and 6G. The antenna 413 may be configured with multiple antenna elements, for example, multiple patch antennas. The wireless communication unit 41 may have a beamforming function. For example, the wireless communication unit 41 may have a polarization beamforming function that uses vertically polarized waves (V polarization) and horizontally polarized waves (H polarization) (or a polarization beamforming function that uses dual polarization with polarization directions at 45 degrees and -45 degrees from the vertical direction).

The memory unit 42 is a readable and writable storage device such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, or a hard disk.

The control unit 43 is a controller that controls each unit of the terminal device 40. The control unit 43 controls the wireless communication unit to perform wireless communication with other wireless communication devices (e.g., base station 30 or other terminal devices 40). The control unit 43 may be implemented by a processor such as a CPU or MPU. In particular, the control unit 23 may be implemented by a processor executing various programs stored in a storage device internal to the terminal device 40 using RAM or the like as a working area. The control unit 43 may be implemented by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA. A CPU, MPU, ASIC, and FPGA can all be considered controllers. The control unit 43 may be implemented by a GPU. A CPU, MPU, ASIC, FPGA, and GPU can all be considered controllers. The control unit 43 may be composed of multiple physically separated objects. For example, the control unit 43 may be composed of multiple semiconductor chips.

The input unit 44 is an input device that accepts various inputs from the outside. For example, the input unit 44 is an operating device that allows the user to perform various operations, such as a keyboard, mouse, operation keys, or voice input. Note that if a touch panel is used in the terminal device 40, the touch panel is also included in the input unit 44. In this case, the user performs various operations by touching the screen with a finger or a stylus.

The output unit 45 is a device that outputs various types of information to the outside, such as sound, light, vibration, and images. The output unit 45 includes a display unit 451 that displays various types of information. The display unit 451 is, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. If a touch panel is used in the terminal device 40, the display unit 451 may be a device integrated with the input unit 44. Furthermore, if the terminal device 40 is an XR device, it may be a transparent device that projects an image onto glasses, or a retinal projection device that projects an image directly onto the user's retina. The output unit 45 outputs various types of information to the user under the control of the control unit 43.

The sensor unit 46 is a sensor that acquires information regarding the position or attitude of the terminal device 40. For example, the sensor unit 46 is an acceleration sensor and/or a gyro sensor. For example, the sensor unit may be a 6DoF (Six degrees of freedom) sensor or a 3DoF (Three degrees of freedom) sensor. Note that the sensor unit 46 is not limited to an acceleration sensor and/or a gyro sensor. The sensor unit 46 may be an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), a geomagnetic sensor, an illuminance sensor, a ToF (Time of Flight) sensor, or an image sensor. The sensor unit 46 may also be a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) sensor. The GNSS sensor may be a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor, a GLONASS sensor, a Galileo sensor, or a QZSS (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System) sensor. Alternatively, the sensor unit 46 may be a camera (e.g., an infrared camera or a light field camera), a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), or a millimeter-wave radar. The sensor unit 46 may also be a combination of these multiple sensors.

<<Configuration example of a 3.5G communication system>>
The configuration of the communication system 1 has been described above. Next, a specific configuration example of the communication system 1 of this embodiment will be described.

In the following explanation, the configuration of a fifth-generation mobile communication system (5G) will be described as a specific example of the configuration of communication system 1, but communication system 1 is not limited to a fifth-generation mobile communication system. Communication system 1 may also be a fourth-generation mobile communication system (4G) or a sixth-generation mobile communication system (6G). Of course, communication system 1 may also be any other wireless communication system.

<3-1.5GS Network Architecture>
First, a network architecture that can be applied to the communication system 1 of the present embodiment will be described. Here, as an example of the architecture of the communication system 1, the architecture of a 5G system (5GS) will be described.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a 5GS architecture. The 5G core network CN is also called 5GC (5G Core)/NGC (Next Generation Core). The core network CN of this embodiment is composed of, for example, one or more management devices 20. Hereinafter, the 5G core network CN will also be referred to as 5GC/NGC. The core network CN is connected to a UE (User Equipment) 40 via a RAN (Radio Access Network)/AN (Access Network) 510. The UE 40 is, for example, a terminal device 40 in the communication system 1.

An application server (AS) 10 that performs application-related processing is connected to 5GS via the Internet. The server 10 is, for example, an application server (AS). The application server 10 shown in FIG. 8 corresponds to, for example, the server 10 in the communication system 1. This enables the UE 40 to use applications via 5G services.

If the entity providing the application has a contract such as a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with a PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network) operator that provides 5G services, the server 10 can be placed within the DN 530 or the core network CN as part of the DN 530. The server 10 may also be provided in the form of an edge application server.

The 5GS control plane function group 540 is composed of multiple NFs (Network Functions). The multiple NFs that the control plane function group 540 has include, for example, an AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) 541, a NEF (Network Exposure Function) 542, a NRF (Network Repository Function) 543, a NSSF (Network Slice Selection Function) 544, a PCF (Policy Control Function) 545, a SMF (Session Management Function) 546, and a U It includes DM (Unified Data Management) 547, AF (Application Function) 548, AUSF (Authentication Server Function) 549, UCMF (UE radio Capability Management Function) 550, TSCTSF (Time Sensitive Communication and Time Synchronization Function) 551, and BSF (Binding Support Function) 552.

UDM547 includes a UDR (Unified Data Repository) that stores and manages subscriber information, and an FE (Front End) unit that processes subscriber information. AMF541 performs mobility management. SMF546 performs session management.

UCMF 550 holds UE Radio Capability Information corresponding to all UE Radio Capability IDs in the PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network). UCMF 550 is responsible for assigning each PLMN-assigned UE Radio Capability ID. TSCTSF 551 and BSF 552 will be described later.

Applications can use the functions and services provided by the core network CN via the AF548 provided for the application. However, if the application is a third-party application, it must conclude an SLA (Service Level Agreement) with the operator that manages the core network CN, and be considered a trusted AF548 by the core network CN.

Furthermore, from a security standpoint, it is common for a third-party AF 548 located outside the core network CN to be connected to the core network CN via an NEF 542. The third-party AF 548 can also be implemented within the third-party server 10 as a control unit for the server 10.

Namf is a service-based interface provided by AMF541. Nsmf is a service-based interface provided by SMF546. Nnef is a service-based interface provided by NEF542. Npcf is a service-based interface provided by PCF545. Nudm is a service-based interface provided by UDM547. Naf is a service-based interface provided by AF548. Nnrf is a service-based interface provided by NRF543. Nnssf is a service-based interface provided by NSSF544. Nausf is a service-based interface provided by AUSF549. Nucmf is a service-based interface provided by UCMF550. Ntsctsf is a service-based interface provided by TSCTSF551. Nbsf is a service-based interface provided by BSF 552. Each NF exchanges information with other NFs via its respective service-based interface.

Each NF can request or subscribe to services provided by other network functions and receive responses or notifications from those services. In other words, each NF exchanges information with other NFs by means of request/response or subscribe/notification via their respective service-based interfaces.

The UPF (User Plane Function) 520 has user plane processing functionality. The DN (Data Network) 530 has functionality that enables connection to MNO (Mobile Network Operator) proprietary services, the Internet, and third-party services. The UPF 520 functions as a forwarding processor for user plane data processed by the server 10. The UPF 520 also functions as a gateway connected to the RAN/AN 510.

Here, each NF in the core network CN can be configured using virtualization or containers. Each NF can be implemented on a cloud server. In 5GS, each NF can be configured dynamically and reconfigurably using SDN (Software Defined Network).

In a 5G core network CN configured according to a service-based architecture, it is possible to introduce new NFs by defining new services and service-based interfaces for those services. Furthermore, in next-generation (i.e., 6G) and later core networks CN, it is expected that the above-mentioned NFs will be aggregated or subdivided, or specific services will be transferred to other NFs, depending on the services provided by each NF. For this reason, the NFs supported by the core network CN are not limited to the types of NFs in the above-mentioned 5G core network CN.

RAN/AN 510 has the function of enabling connection to the RAN and connection to ANs other than the RAN. RAN/AN 510 includes a base station called a gNB or ng-eNB. RAN is sometimes called NG (Next Generation)-RAN.

Furthermore, the functions of the RAN/AN 510 are divided into a CU (Central Unit) that processes L2/L3 functions above the PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol) sublayer, and a DU (Distributed Unit) that processes L2/L1 functions below the RLC (Radio Link Control) sublayer. These functions can be distributed and located via the F1 interface.

Furthermore, the DU functions can be divided into an RU (Radio Unit) that processes the LOW PHY sublayer and radio section, and a DU that processes the RLC, MAC (Medium Access Control), and HIGH PHY sublayers. The RU functions can be distributed and deployed, for example, via a fronthaul that complies with eCPRI (evolved Common Public Radio Interface).

The functions of the CU and/or DU can be configured using virtualization or containers. The functions of the CU and/or DU can be implemented on a cloud server. In 5GS, the functions of the CU and/or DU can be configured dynamically and reconfigurably using SDN.

Information is exchanged between UE40 and AMF541 via reference point N1. Information is exchanged between RAN/AN510 and AMF541 via reference point N2. Information is exchanged between SMF546 and UPF520 via reference point N4.

SMF546 performs QoS (Quality of Service) control for each service data flow. SMF546's QoS control can be applied to both IP and Ethernet type service data flows. By performing QoS control for each service data flow, SMF546 provides authorized QoS for each specific service.

The SMF 546 can use indicators such as QoS subscriber information in conjunction with service-based, subscription-based, or predefined PCF internal policy rules.

SMF546 determines the QoS to authorize for a QoS flow using the PCC (Policy and Charging Control) rules associated with the QoS flow, i.e., the QoS-controlled data flow.

If a QoS flow is deleted, the SMF 546 can notify the PCF 545 that the QoS flow has been deleted. Furthermore, if the bit rate guaranteed by the QoS flow, i.e., the GFBR (Guaranteed Flow Bit Rate), cannot be guaranteed, the SMF 546 can notify the PCF 545 that the GFBR cannot be guaranteed.

As a QoS reservation procedure for a QoS flow, it is possible to establish a UE-initiated QoS flow. Also, as part of the QoS flow modification process, it is possible to downgrade or upgrade the QoS.

In addition, in next-generation (i.e., 6G) and later mobile communication systems, it is expected that not only the control plane functions but also the user plane functions (e.g., UPF 520) and RAN/AN 510 will support the service-based architecture. Therefore, each node that makes up the mobile communication system can be dynamically and reconfigurably implemented and/or configured/reconfigured on information processing devices, including cloud servers, using technologies such as virtualization, containers, and/or SDN (Software Defined Network).

<3-2.5G XR Architecture>
Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the architecture of XR in 5G. More specifically, Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the architecture of a use case called "Generalized XR Split Rendering" described in 3GPP TR26.928 "Extended Reality (XR) in 5G."

This architecture consists of an XR server 60 and an XR device 70 (e.g., XR Capable UE). The XR server 60 corresponds to the server 10 described above. In the example of the 5GS network architecture shown in FIG. 8, the XR server 60 corresponds to the DN 530 (or part of the DN 530) or the server 10. The XR device 70 corresponds to the terminal device 40 described above. In the example of the 5GS network architecture shown in FIG. 8, the XR device 70 corresponds to the UE 40.

<3-2-1. XR Server>
The XR server 60 includes an XR media generation unit 61, an XR display area pre-rendering unit 62, a 2D/3D media encoding unit 63, an XR rendering metadata processing unit 64, an XR media content distribution unit 65, and a 5GS distribution unit 66.

The XR media generation unit 61 generates XR media adapted to the display area according to the tracking and sensor information received from the XR device 70.

The XR display area pre-rendering unit 62 performs rendering adapted to the display area according to the tracking and sensor information received from the XR device 70.

The 2D/3D media encoding unit 63 encodes the 2D/3D media that make up the XR media.

The XR rendering metadata processing unit 64 generates the metadata necessary to render XR media.

The XR media content distribution unit 65 distributes XR media content including encoded 2D/3D media and metadata for rendering to the XR device 70 via the 5GS distribution unit 66.

Furthermore, the XR media content distribution unit 65 can use RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol), typified by WebRTC, when distributing XR media content. Generally, RTP uses UDP (User Datagram Protocol) as the transport layer protocol, and applies forward error correction (FEC) to omit the retransmission control used in TCP (Transmission Control Protocol).

The XR media content distribution unit 65 or 5GS distribution unit 66 may provide QoS control depending on the encoding format of the 2D/3D media or its position in the display area.

For example, for foveated rendering, the XR media content distribution unit 65 or 5GS distribution unit 66 may transmit data in a high-resolution format with a high priority, and transmit data in a low-resolution format with a low priority. Alternatively, the XR media content distribution unit 65 or 5GS distribution unit 66 may transmit data in the central area of the display area with a high priority, and transmit data in areas away from the center of the display area with a low priority. Foveated rendering is a technique that maintains high resolution in the center of the field of view and reduces resolution as it moves outward from the field of view. This foveated rendering makes it possible to reduce the required data size while minimizing visual degradation.

<3-2-2. XR Device>
The XR device 70 (e.g., an XR Capable UE) includes a 3DOF (Degrees Of Freedom)/6DOF tracking and XR sensor unit 71, an XR media content distribution unit 72, a 5GS distribution unit 73, a 2D/3D media decoding unit 74, an XR rendering metadata processing unit 75, an XR display area rendering unit 76, and a display unit 77.

The 3DOF/6DOF tracking and XR sensor unit 71 acquires the user's pose information (posture information) as tracking information for identifying the display area (viewport). The XR media content distribution unit 72 provides this pose information to the XR server 60 by including it in tracking and sensor information. Note that the tracking and sensor information may include inertial information acquired by the 3DOF/6DOF tracking and XR sensor unit 71 in addition to or instead of the pose information. In the following description, tracking and sensor information may be simply referred to as sensor information.

The 3DOF/6DOF tracking and XR sensor unit 71 is composed of, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), a geomagnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, an illuminance sensor, an infrared camera, a light field camera, a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), a camera (image sensor), a ToF (Time of Flight) sensor, millimeter wave radar, etc. The 3DOF/6DOF tracking and XR sensor unit 71 corresponds to the sensor unit 46 of the terminal device 40.

The XR media content distribution unit 72 receives XR media content including a display area from the XR server 60 via the 5GS distribution unit 73. Here, the XR media content consists of 2D/3D media and metadata for rendering the XR media.

The 2D/3D media decoding unit 74 decodes the 2D/3D media that constitutes the XR media content received via the 5GS distribution unit 73 and the XR media content distribution unit 72.

The XR rendering metadata processing unit 75 processes metadata for rendering the XR media that constitutes the XR media content received via the 5GS distribution unit 73 and the XR media content distribution unit 72.

The metadata includes projection information, which can be used to generate a 3D mesh. Projection information is also used when mapping a spherical image onto a 2D texture signal.

A 3D mesh is a polygon mesh, a collection of vertices, edges, and faces that defines the shape of a polyhedral object, for example, in 3D computer graphics or solid modeling. Objects generated using a polygon mesh are represented by various types of elements, such as vertices, edges, faces, polygons, and surfaces.

3D meshes are also generated using point clouds, which are used in 3D modeling in a variety of fields, including medical imaging, architecture, 3D printing, manufacturing, 3D games, and XR applications. A point cloud is a collection of data points defined in a given coordinate system. For example, in a 3D coordinate system, a point cloud can define the shape of a real or fictional physical system.

Furthermore, a scene description enables the generation of various 3D scenes for XR applications. A scene description is also called a scene graph. A scene description is a directed acyclic graph (DAG) that hierarchically organizes the geometric arrangement of a scene based on objects, and typically has a simple tree structure. Leaf nodes in the graph represent geometric building blocks for generating shapes such as polygons. Each node in the graph holds pointers to child nodes, which are groups of other nodes, geometric elements, transformation matrices, etc. Spatial transformations are represented as graph nodes and are represented by transformation matrices. Other scene graph nodes include 3D objects or parts of 3D objects, light sources, particle systems, display cameras, etc.

The XR display area rendering unit 76 renders the 2D/3D media decoded by the 2D/3D media decoding unit 74, taking into account the metadata processed by the XR rendering metadata processing unit 75 and the user's latest pose information obtained from the 3DOF/6DOF tracking and XR sensor unit 71.

The XR display area rendering unit 76 may have a function called time warp. Time warp is a function for reducing MPL (Motion to Photon Latency), which is a cause of VR sickness. An XR device 70 using the time warp function converts (coordinate transformation) the display area (first display area) of the XR media rendered by the XR server 60 based on, for example, 3DOF/6DOF tracking and inertial information acquired from the XR sensor unit 71, into the latest display area (second display area) identified based on the latest inertial information.

The display unit 77 displays the 2D/3D media rendered by the XR display area rendering unit 76. The display unit 77 corresponds to the display unit 451 of the terminal device 40.

Note that the blocks making up the XR device 70 and XR server 60 shown in FIG. 9 represent logical functions. Therefore, these functions may be implemented in an aggregated manner, or may be implemented by dividing them into more specific functions. Furthermore, these functions may be implemented by distributing them statically or dynamically across multiple devices.

For example, the 5GS distribution unit 73 of the XR device 70 may be realized by the functions of the UE 40. Furthermore, the 5GS distribution unit 66 of the XR server 60 may be realized by the functions of the RAN/AN 510 and the core network CN. In this way, services such as XR are required to handle a wide range of data, from relatively small volumes of data such as pause information and inertial information, to large volumes of data such as XR media. Furthermore, services such as XR are expected to be able to apply different QoS controls depending on the type of data.

<3-3.5GS QoS Control>
Figure 10 shows an example of a 5GS QoS architecture. Figure 10 is based on 3GPP TS38.300. At the NAS (Non-Access Stratum) level, a QoS flow is the finest granularity for distinguishing different QoS within a PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session. Within a PDU session, a QoS flow is identified by a QFI (QoS Flow ID).

Furthermore, in XR (Extended Reality) and media services, a group of packets can be transmitted using the payload of a PDU set. A PDU set consists of one or more PDUs that transmit the payload of an information unit generated at the application level. This information unit may be, for example, at least one of an image frame and a video slice in XR or media services. The information unit may also be at least one of an I frame, P frame, and B frame of video data in GOP (Group of Pictures) format. Furthermore, in multimodal applications that handle multiple types of interrelated data such as XR, each of the multiple types of data (e.g., pause information, audio information, video information, haptics, etc.) may be treated as an information unit. Of course, information units are not limited to these.

That is, packets in a PDU set are treated as a unit of data to be received and decoded within a certain period of time. For example, a UE may decode an image frame or video slice only if it has successfully received all packets, or a certain amount of packets, that carry those packets. For example, a UE may decode an image frame in a GOP only if it has successfully received all dependent image frames.

5GS allows for the identification of data at a finer granularity using PDU sets within QoS flows, which represent the finest granularity in terms of QoS control. In addition to QoS control at the QoS flow level, 5GS can also apply QoS control at the PDU set level.

PCF 545 can associate AF session information with a PDU session. AF 548 can request, via the AF session with PCF 545, that a data session (e.g., a PDU session) for UE 40 be established as a session with a specific QoS (e.g., low latency or low jitter).

SMF546 associates PCC rules with QoS flows based on the QoS and service requests. SMF546 assigns a QFI to the new QoS flow and obtains the PCC rules associated with the QoS flow and other information from PCF545.

From this PCC rule, the SMF 546 obtains the QoS profile of the QoS flow, instructions regarding the corresponding UPF 520 (e.g., N4 rule), and QoS rule.

The base station (gNB) of RAN/AN 510 can establish at least one DRB (Data Radio Bearer) along with a PDU session with each UE 40. A DRB is a logical path for transmitting data.

The 5G QoS model supports GBR (Guaranteed flow Bit Rate), which guarantees bandwidth, and Non-GBR (Non-Guaranteed flow Bit Rate), which does not guarantee bandwidth. Furthermore, Delay-critical GBR is supported for TSC (Time Sensitive Communication) QoS flows.

The RAN/AN 510 and core network CN guarantee quality of service by mapping each packet to the appropriate QoS flow and DRB. That is, a two-stage mapping is performed: mapping between IP flows and QoS flows in the NAS, and mapping between QoS flows and DRBs in the AS.

At the NAS level, a QoS flow is characterized by a QoS profile provided from the core network CN to the RAN/AN 510 and a QoS rule provided from the core network CN to the UE 40.

QoS profiles are used by the RAN/AN 510 to determine how traffic should be handled over the radio interface. QoS rules are used to instruct the UE 40 on how to map user plane traffic in the uplink to QoS flows.

Therefore, for multicast MBS (Multicast/Broadcast Service) sessions, QoS rules for MBS QoS flows and QoS flow-level QoS parameters are not provided to UE 40.

The QoS profile is provided to the RAN/AN 510 from the SMF 546 via the AMF 541 and reference point N2, or is pre-configured in the RAN/AN 510.

The SMF 546 can also provide the UE 40 with one or more QoS rules and, if necessary, QoS flow-level QoS parameters associated with the QoS rules via the AMF 541 and reference point N1.

In addition to or instead of this, reflective QoS control may be applied to UE 40. Reflective QoS control is QoS control that monitors the QFI of downlink packets and applies the same mapping to uplink packets.

A QoS flow can be a GBR QoS flow or a non-GBR QoS flow, depending on the QoS profile. The QoS profile of a QoS flow includes QoS parameters such as 5QI (5G QoS Identifier) and ARP (Allocation and Retention Priority).

The ARP contains information about priority level, preemption capability, and preemption vulnerability.

Priority defines the relative importance of a QoS flow. The lowest Priority Level value indicates the highest priority.

Preemption capability is a metric that defines whether a QoS flow can seize resources already allocated to other, lower-priority QoS flows. Preemption vulnerability is a metric that defines whether a QoS flow can give up its allocated resources to other, higher-priority QoS flows.

Preemption capabilities and preemption vulnerabilities can be set to either "enabled" or "disabled."

In addition, the QoS profile of a QoS flow can include PDU Set QoS Parameters.

In a GBR QoS flow, the QoS profile may include, for example, at least one of the following information:
Uplink and downlink GFBR
Uplink and downlink MFBR (Maximum Flow Bit Rate)
- Maximum packet loss rate for uplink and downlink
Delay Critical Resource Type
・Notification Control

In a non-GBR QoS flow, the QoS profile may include at least one of a Reflective QoS Attribute (RQA) and Additional QoS Flow Information.

The QoS parameter notification control indicates whether a notification is required from the RAN/AN 510 when a QoS flow cannot meet the GFBR. If the notification control is "enabled" for a GBR QoS flow and it is determined that the GFBR cannot be met, the RAN/AN 510 sends a notification to that effect to the SMF 546.

In this case, the RAN/AN 510 must maintain the QoS flow unless a special condition exists that requires the RAN/AN 510 to release the RAN resources for the GBR QoS flow. The special condition may be, for example, at least one of a radio link failure and RAN internal congestion.

If it is determined that the GFBR is again met for the QoS flow, the RAN/AN 510 sends a new notification to that effect to the SMF 546.

Alternative QoS Profiles can also be used to control QoS parameter notification. An alternative QoS profile consists of a set of packet delay budget (PDB), packet error rate (PER), averaging window, and GFBR. An alternative QoS profile for a delay-critical GBR QoS flow may also include information on maximum data burst volume (MDBV).

When the RAN/AN 510 sends a notification to the SMF 546 that the QoS profile cannot be satisfied, the RAN/AN 510 checks, based on the list of alternative QoS profiles, whether there is an alternative QoS profile with a higher priority that can currently satisfy the QoS profile. If there is a corresponding alternative QoS profile, the RAN/AN 510 indicates to the SMF 546 that there is an alternative QoS profile that can currently satisfy the QoS profile. To do this, the RAN/AN 510 includes information referencing the alternative QoS profile in the notification sent to the SMF 546. This control allows the SMF 546 to determine that even the lowest priority alternative QoS profile cannot satisfy the QoS profile.

The AMBR (Aggregate Maximum Bit Rate) is related to the Session-AMBR of each PDU session and the UE-AMBR of each UE 40 for each PDU session. The Session-AMBR limits the aggregate bit rate (Aggregate Bit Rate) expected to be provided across all Non-GBR QoS flows for a particular PDU session. The Session-AMBR is managed by the UPF 520. The UE-AMBR also limits the aggregate bit rate (Aggregate Bit Rate) expected to be provided across all Non-GBR QoS flows for a UE 40. The UE-AMBR is managed by the RAN/AN 510.

Furthermore, each UE 40 may be configured with an Slice Maximum Bit Rate (S-MBR) for the network slice (S-NSSAI). The S-MBR may be included in the subscriber information as a Subscribed UE-Slice-MBR.

UE-Slice-MBR limits the aggregate bit rate expected to be provided across all GBR and non-GBR QoS flows belonging to all PDU sessions established by UE 40 for the same network slice (S-NSSAI).

RAN/AN 510 receives the UE-Slice-MBR corresponding to the network slice (S-NSSAI) from AMF 541. RAN/AN 510 sets the Session-AMBR and MFBR for UE 40 so that the sum of the Session-AMBR and MFBR of the GBR QoS flows of all PDU sessions belonging to this network slice (S-NSSAI) is equal to the UE-Slice-MBR.

5QI is related to QoS features. It provides guidelines (policies) for setting node-specific parameters for each QoS flow. A communication device can learn standardized or pre-configured 5G QoS features from 5QI. Standardized or pre-configured 5G QoS features are not explicitly signaled. Signaled QoS features can be part of a QoS profile.

The QoS characteristics may include information regarding at least one of the resource type, priority, packet delay tolerance, packet error rate, average window, and maximum data burst volume.

The resource type is GBR QoS flow, non-GBR QoS flow, or delay-critical GBR QoS flow. The packet delay tolerance may include the packet delay tolerance in the core network CN.

At the AS level, DRB defines how packets are processed on the radio interface (Uu interface). DRB provides uniform packet forwarding processing for any packet.

RAN/AN 510 maps QoS flows to DRBs based on the QFI and the QoS profile set for that QFI. RAN/AN 510 can establish different DRBs for packets requiring different packet forwarding processing (see Figure 10).

The RAN/AN 510 can also multiplex multiple QoS flows belonging to the same PDU session onto the same DRB (see Figure 10).

In the uplink, the mapping of QoS flows to DRBs is controlled by mapping rules. Mapping rules are signaled in two different ways:

One method is called reflective mapping. In reflective mapping, UE 40 monitors the QFI of downlink packets for each DRB and applies the same mapping to uplink packets.

The other method is called explicit configuration. In explicit configuration, the mapping rules for QoS flows to DRBs are explicitly signaled by RRC (Radio Resource Control).

In the downlink, QFI is signaled by RAN/AN 510 over the Uu interface for Reflective Quality of Service (RQoS). However, neither RAN/AN 510 nor NAS signals QFI for a DRB over the Uu interface unless reflective mapping is used for the QoS flow carried on that DRB.

In the uplink, the RAN/AN 510 can configure signaling of QFI to the UE 40 on the Uu interface. The RAN/AN 510 can also configure a default DRB for each PDU session. If an uplink packet does not conform to either explicit configuration or reflective mapping, the UE 40 maps the packet to the default DRB of the PDU session.

For Non-GBR QoS flows, the core network CN may send additional QoS flow information parameters associated with any QoS flow to the RAN/AN 510. This is done to indicate an increased frequency of certain traffic compared to other Non-GBR QoS flows within the same PDU session.

It is up to the RAN/AN 510 how to map multiple QoS flows within a PDU session to one DRB. For example, the RAN/AN 510 may map a GBR QoS flow and a non-GBR QoS flow to the same DRB, or may map them to separate DRBs. Also, the RAN/AN 510 may map multiple GBR QoS flows to the same DRB, or may map them to separate DRBs.

In 5G NR, a new SDAP (Service Data Adaptation Protocol) sublayer has been introduced for QoS control via QoS flows. The SDAP sublayer maps QoS flow traffic to the appropriate DRB. The SDAP sublayer can have multiple SDAP entities. The SDAP sublayer has an SDAP entity for each PDU session on the Uu interface. The establishment and release of SDAP entities is performed by RRC.

QoS flows are identified by the QFI in the PDU session container contained in the GTP (GPRS Tunneling Protocol)-U header. PDU sessions are identified by the GTP-U TEID (Tunnel Endpoint ID). The SDAP sublayer maps each QoS flow to a specific DRB.

Furthermore, to support PDU set-based QoS control, the PSA (PDU Session Anchor)-UPF 520 identifies the PDUs belonging to a PDU set, determines PDU set information, and transmits the PDU set information to the RAN/AN 510 by including it in the GTP-U header. The PDU set information is used by the RAN/AN 510 for PDU set-based QoS control.

The PDU set information may include, for example, at least one of the following information:
PDU set sequence number Indication of the End PDU of the PDU set PDU sequence number within the PDU set PDU set size in bytes Significance of the PDU set

Here, the RAN/AN 510 can identify the relative importance of a PDU set relative to other PDU sets within the QoS flow based on the importance of the PDU set. Furthermore, the information necessary to identify the PDU set is provided to the PSA-UPF 520 from the SMF 546. This information is provided using the Protocol Description of the PDR (Packet Detection Rule), which is one of the N4 rules described below.

When the PCF 545 receives a QoS monitoring request from the AF 548, it generates an authorized QoS monitoring policy and provides it to the SMF 546. At this time, the PCF 545 may include the QoS monitoring policy in the PCC rule. Note that the AF 548 may include the QoS monitoring request in the AF request (described below).

Here, AF548 can request QoS monitoring such as packet delay monitoring, congestion information monitoring, data rate monitoring, and QoS notification monitoring.

Packet delay monitoring involves measuring the UL (Uplink) packet delay, DL (Downlink) packet delay, or RT (Round Trip) packet delay between the UE 40 and the PSA-UPF 520.

Congestion information monitoring involves monitoring congestion information related to UL and/or DL QoS flows provided by RAN/AN 510.

Data rate monitoring is the measurement of UL and/or DL data rates for each QoS flow.

QoS notification monitoring is the monitoring of notification control information for QoS parameters provided by RAN/AN 510.

In addition, the PCF 545 is provided with information about the period from the AF 548 as information related to the traffic pattern for the TSC QoS flow. In this case, the PCF 545 can include the information about the period in the PCC rule. Furthermore, the PCF 545 may include in the PCC rule an indication to perform traffic parameter measurements to detect jitter occurring in N6 and to measure the UL period and/or DL period in accordance with local policy. The PCF 545 may then transmit the PCC rule including this indication to the SMF 546. 5GS can also treat these measurements as QoS monitoring.

The SMF 546 can activate end-to-end UL/DL/RT packet delay measurements between the UE 40 and the PSA-UPF 520 for QoS flows. The SMF 546 can perform this activation during the PDU session establishment procedure or during the PDU session modification procedure.

The SMF 546 sends a QoS monitoring request to the UPF 520 via reference point N4. The SMF 546 then sends N2 signaling to request QoS monitoring between the UPF 520 and the RAN/AN 510.

The SMF 546 requests QoS monitoring based on the QoS monitoring policy received from the PCF 545 or the authorized QoS monitoring policy that has been pre-configured locally. The QoS monitoring request includes monitoring variables determined by the SMF 546.

RAN/AN 510 measures the delay of UL/DL packets in the RAN/AN 510 portion. RAN/AN 510 provides the measurement values to UPF 520 via reference point N3.

UPF 520 calculates the delay of UL/DL packets at reference point N3 or N9. UPF 520 transmits the QoS monitoring results to SMF 546 based on predetermined conditions. Here, the predetermined conditions may be, for example, one-time, periodic, or event-triggered.

The UPF 520 may also send the QoS monitoring result to the AF 548 via the locally deployed NEF 542. Here, the QoS monitoring result may be, for example, as follows:
Measurement results of the bit rate (e.g., average bit rate, maximum bit rate) of each GBR QoS flow of the target PDU session Measurement results of the total bit rate of all Non-GBR QoS flows of the target PDU session Measurement results of the packet error rate of the target PDU session Measurement results of the total bit rate of all Non-GBR QoS flows of the target UE 40 Measurement results of the packet error rate of the target UE 40 Measurement results of the UL/DL packet delay

In addition, AF548 may send a request to PCF545 to monitor and report packet delay variation along with a request to measure packet delay. Here, packet delay variation is, for example, the variation in packet delay measured between UE40 and PSA-UPF520. Packet delay variation is one definition for evaluating jitter during packet transmission.

The packet delay variation request may include, for example, at least one of the following:
Measured packet delay variation parameters (UL, DL, or RT (Round Trip) packet delay variation)
Reporting frequency (event triggered or periodic)

In response to a packet delay variation monitoring request from AF 548, PCF 545 initiates QoS monitoring processing. PCF 545 obtains the UL, DL, or RT (Round Trip) QoS monitoring results from SMF 546. PCF 545 derives 5GS packet delay variation based on the QoS monitoring results and reports it to AF 548.

The delay of UL/DL packets is the delay including the delay of UL/DL packets in the RAN/AN 510 portion obtained from the RAN/AN 510 and the delay of UL/DL packets at reference point N3 or N9.

Furthermore, if the PDU session is a session via a TSN bridge, the packet delay allowance time for the TSC QoS flow is the sum of the 5G-AN PDB (Packet Delay Budget) and the CN (Core Network) PDB.

The above-described QoS monitoring mechanism can also be applied to TSC QoS flows to measure bit rates (e.g., average bit rate, maximum bit rate) between UE 40 and PSA-UPF 520 and to measure end-to-end UL/DL packet delays.

TSC QoS flows use a Delay-critical GBR resource type and TSC Assistance Information. TSC QoS flows can use standardized 5QI, pre-configured 5QI, or dynamically assigned 5QI values.

TSC QoS flows are required to transmit one data burst with the maximum data burst amount within the 5G-AN PDB. The TSC Burst Size is used to set the maximum data burst amount. The maximum TSC burst size is treated as the maximum amount of data within a period equal to the 5G-AN PDB value of the 5QI. The maximum value of the TSC burst size is mapped to a 5QI with an equal or greater maximum data burst amount.

PDU Set QoS Parameters are used to support PDU Set based QoS Handling. PDU Set specific QoS characteristics include at least one of the following:
PDU Set Delay Budget (PSDB)
PDU Set Error Rate (PSER)
PDU Set Integrated Handling Information (PSIHI)

The PCF 545 determines the PDU set QoS parameters according to information provided by the AF 548 and/or local configuration. The PDU set QoS parameters are sent to the SMF 546 as part of the PCC rules. The SMF 546 sends the PDU set QoS parameters to the RAN/AN 510 as part of the QoS profile.

The PDU set delay tolerance defines the upper limit of the delay that occurs when transmitting a PDU set between UE 40 and the termination point of the N6 interface of UPF 520. In other words, the PDU set delay tolerance is the time from receiving the first PDU of a PDU set to successfully receiving all PDUs. The PDU set delay tolerance applies to DL PDU sets received by PSA-UPF 520 via the N6 interface and UL PDU sets transmitted by UE 40.

The PDU set error rate defines an upper limit on the ratio of PDU sets not successfully received by a higher layer (e.g., the PDCP sublayer of the RAN/AN 510) to PDU sets processed by the link layer (e.g., the RLC sublayer of the RAN/AN 510). One QoS flow is associated with only one PDU set error rate. The packet error rate value is the same for UL and DL. If a PDU set error rate is available, its use takes precedence over the packet error rate.

PDU set integration processing information indicates to the receiving application layer that uses the PDU set whether all PDUs in the PDU set are required.

Here, the QoS parameter notification control and alternative QoS profiles described above may also be applied to this PDU set QoS parameters.

<3-4. Network slice selection support information>
A network slice is a unit of service that divides communication services provided by 5G according to the communication characteristics of each service (e.g., data rate, delay, etc.).

Each network slice is assigned S-NSSAI (Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information) as network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI). Network slice selection assistance information is information to assist in the selection of a network slice. S-NSSAI consists of a mandatory 8-bit SST (Slice/Service Type) that identifies the slice type, and an optional 24-bit SD (Slice Differentiator) that distinguishes different slices within the same SST.

S-NSSAI can use either a standardized SST or a non-standardized, proprietary SST. When a standardized S-NSSAI value is used, it contains only the standardized SST without the SD. On the other hand, when a non-standardized S-NSSAI value is used, it contains the standardized SST and SD, or the non-standardized SST and SD, or the non-standardized SST only. A non-standardized S-NSSAI value can only be used within the PLMN, i.e., the telecom operator, that uses it proprietaryly.

Figure 11 shows standardized SST values. The table shown in Figure 11 is based on the table shown in 3GPP TS23.501. The above-mentioned "when standardized S-NSSAI values are used" corresponds to the use of S-NSSAI values that include only these SST values (eMBB: 1, URLLC: 2, MIoT: 3, V2X: 4, HMTC: 5, HDLC: 6). In other words, for other network slices, for example, network slices subdivided by SD, non-standardized S-NSSAI values are used.

The network slice configuration information includes one or more Configured NSSAI(s). The serving PLMN (Serving Public Land Mobile Network) can set a Configured NSSAI that applies to each PLMN to UE 40. Alternatively, the HPLMN (Home PLMN) can set a Default Configured NSSAI to UE 40. A UE 40 under the serving PLMN can use the Default Configured NSSAI only if a Configured NSSAI for the serving PLMN has not been set for UE 40.

Note that a Default Configured NSSAI may be set in advance in UE 40. Furthermore, the UDM 547 of the HPLMN may provide or update the Default Configured NSSAI using a UE Parameters Update procedure via UDM Control Plane processing.

A configured NSSAI consists of one or more S-NSSAI(s).

The Requested NSSAI is the NSSAI provided by the UE 40 to the serving PLMN during the registration process. The Requested NSSAI must be one of the following:
・Default Configured NSSAI
・Configured NSSAI
・An Allowed NSSAI or a part of it. ・An NSSAI that is an Allowed NSSAI or a part of it plus one or more S-NSSAIs included in the Configured NSSAI.

The Allowed NSSAI is, for example, the NSSAI provided to UE 40 by the serving PLMN during the registration process. The Allowed NSSAI indicates one or more S-NSSAI(s) values that can be used within the current registration area of the current serving PLMN.

Rejected S-NSSAI indicates one or more S-NSSAI values included in the Requested NSSAI that are not authorized for use in at least one tracking area within the current registration area of the current serving PLMN.

Here, a tracking area is an area used for mobility management and is identified by a TAI (Tracking Area Identity). The network (PLMN) manages the location of UE 40 within the set of tracking areas in which UE 40 is camped so that messages or data can be sent to UE 40 in RRC_IDLE state. When UE 40 is registered with the network, AMF 541 assigns a set of tracking areas included in the TAI list as the area in which UE 40 is registered (registration area). In other words, the network manages that registered UE 40 is located within one of the tracking areas in the TAI list.

If UE40 detects a more optimal cell according to the cell reselection criteria, it reselects that cell and camps on it. If the selected cell does not belong to any of the tracking areas in the TAI list in which UE40 is registered, a location registration process, i.e., a process to update the TAI list, is performed.

Subscribed S-NSSAI is an S-NSSAI that UE40 can use within the PLMN in accordance with the subscription information. The subscription information must include one or more Subscribed S-NSSAIs and at least one default S-NSSAI.

UDM547 sends a maximum of 16 Subscribed S-NSSAIs to AMF541. Therefore, the number of S-NSSAIs that can be included in the Configured NSSAI is 16. The contract information that UDM547 sends to AMF541 must include at least one default S-NSSAI. NSSF544 determines the Allowed NSSAI and Configured NSSAI, and determines the AMF Set, which is a list of candidates for AMF541. For example, an AMF541 may be selected from the list of candidates depending on the network slice used by UE40 or other criteria, and UE40 may be assigned to the selected AMF541.

One or more S-NSSAI(s) included in the Allowed NSSAI provided to UE 40 may contain values that are not part of UE 40's current network slice configuration information for the serving PLMN. In this case, the network provides a mapping between each S-NSSAI in the Allowed NSSAI and the corresponding S-NSSAI in the HPLMN, in accordance with the Allowed NSSAI. This mapping information allows UE 40 to associate applications with the S-NSSAI in the HPLMN and the corresponding S-NSSAI in the Allowed NSSAI, per NSSP (Network Slice Selection Policy) in the URSP (UE Route Selection Policy) rule or per UE 40's local configuration.

For example, if the HPLMN and/or VPLMN (Visitor PLMN) uses a non-standardized S-NSSAI value, when roaming, UE 40 needs to provide information regarding the mapping between the S-NSSAI value included in the Requested NSSAI and the corresponding S-NSSAI value used in the HPLMN. UE 40 may obtain this mapping information in advance from the serving PLMN as a mapping between the S-NSSAI value included in the Configured NSSAI for the serving PLMN and the corresponding S-NSSAI value used in the HPLMN. Alternatively, UE 40 may obtain this mapping information in advance from the serving PLMN as a mapping between the S-NSSAI value included in the Allowed NSSAI for the serving PLMN and access type and the corresponding S-NSSAI value used in the HPLMN.

UE 40 can also support a contract-based restriction function regarding the network slices that can be registered simultaneously. If UE 40 supports this function, it includes information indicating that it supports this function in the registration request message at the time of initial registration and mobility registration update as part of the UE 5GMM Core Network Capability.

AMF541 provides the Configured NSSAI to UE40 that has notified that it supports the contract-based restriction function regarding simultaneously registered network slices. At this time, AMF541 provides information regarding the NSSRG (Network Slice Simultaneous Registration Group) associated with the HPLMN's network slice (S-NSSAI(s)).

Contract information including NSRRG information must include at least one default S-NSSAI. If multiple default S-NSSAIs are configured, the default S-NSSAIs are associated with the same NSRRG. In other words, UE 40 is allowed to register all default S-NSSAIs simultaneously.

In addition to the default S-NSSAI, the HPLMN can send other Subscribed S-NSSAIs that share at least all of the NSSRGs defined for the default S-NSSAI to the VPLMN as contract information. In this case, the HPLMN does not need to send NSRRG information to the VPLMN.

UE 40 that receives an NSSRG must include only network slices (S-NSSAIs) assigned to the same common NSSRG in the Requested NSSAI.

Furthermore, if the boundary of the service area of a network slice does not coincide with the boundary of a tracking area, the communication device can define additional constraints on the use of network slices within the tracking area using network slice location availability information (S-NSSAI location availability information). For example, consider a case where the S-NSSAI of the Configured NSSAI is not available in some cells within the tracking area of the Registration Area. In this case, network slice location availability information including location information (e.g., cell ID) of a cell in which the S-NSSAI is available among multiple cells within the tracking area is provided to UE 40.

AMF541 may determine the Target NSSAI by itself or in cooperation with NSSF544. The Target NSSAI is information used by RAN/AN510 (e.g., NG-RAN) to redirect UE40 to cells/tracking areas of other frequency bands that support the S-NSSAI of the Target NSSAI and to other tracking areas. RAN/AN510 uses this information in addition to information such as the Allowed NSSAI and the RFSP (RAT/Frequency Selection Priority) for the Allowed NSSAI to redirect UE40.

The Target NSSAI includes at least one S-NSSAI in the Requested NSSAI. For example, the Target NSSAI includes at least one S-NSSAI that is not available in the current tracking area but is available in another tracking area in another frequency band, or in an area in another frequency band that overlaps with the current tracking area. Furthermore, at least one S-NSSAI in the Requested NSSAI may be optionally added to the Target NSSAI. For example, the S-NSSAI added as an option is an S-NSSAI that is not available in the current tracking area but is available within the same tracking area as the tracking area in which the S-NSSAI included in the Target NSSAI is available.

AMF541 obtains the RFSP index (RAT/Frequency Selection Priority Index) appropriate for the Target NSSAI from PCF545. Then, AMF541 includes the RFSP index in the information sent to RAN/AN510 (e.g., NG-RAN). If PCF545 is not installed, AMF541 determines the RFSP index according to locally configured rules. RAN/AN510 maps the RFSP index to a locally defined configuration to apply an individual radio resource management policy that takes into account the available information. In other words, RAN/AN510 can select a configuration for the radio resource management policy appropriate for the Target NSSAI corresponding to the RFSP index.

If RAN/AN 510 can redirect UE 40 to a new tracking area that supports the Target NSSAI or an S-NSSAI of either the Target NSSAI, the RFSP index associated with the Target NSSAI is considered. Otherwise, the RFSP index of the Allowed NSSAI is considered.

Furthermore, a partial network slice may be provided within a registration area by configuring a Partially Allowed NSSAI and/or S-NSSAIs rejected partially in the RA.

An S-NSSAI of an Allowed NSSAI can be used in all tracking areas within the registration area. In contrast, an S-NSSAI of a Partially Allowed NSSAI can only be used in tracking areas corresponding to the list of tracking areas associated with that S-NSSAI.

Assume that UE 40 supports partial network slicing within its registration area. In this case, AMF 541 configures the registration area for UE 40, taking into account the support status of the S-NSSAI of the Requested NSSAI in the current tracking area and surrounding tracking areas. AMF 541 provides UE 40 with the Partially Allowed NSSAI or the S-NSSAI that is partially rejected within the registration area using a Registration Accept message or a UE Configuration Update Command message.

For each S-NSSAI of the Partially Allowed NSSAI, AMF541 provides a list of tracking areas in which the S-NSSAI is supported. Alternatively, AMF541 may reject the S-NSSAI with a rejection reason indicating "partially in the RA". For each S-NSSAI of the partially rejected S-NSSAI within the registration area, AMF541 provides a list of tracking areas in which the S-NSSAI is supported or not supported.

If an S-NSSAI is unavailable or is overloaded, the Network Slice Replacement function can be used to replace the S-NSSAI with an Alternative S-NSSAI.

AMF 541 can decide to replace the S-NSSAI with an Alternative S-NSSAI based on notification from NSSF 544, PCF 545, or OAM (Operations, Administration and Maintenance).

In the case of roaming, to initiate network slice substitution of the HPLMN's S-NSSAI, the V-AMF 541-2 can receive notification of the availability of the HPLMN's S-NSSAI's network slice from the HPLMN's H-NSSF 544-1 via the VPLMN's V-NSSF 544-2.

AMF541 determines the Alternative S-NSSAI for UE40 that has registered S-NSSAI based on notification from NSSF544 or PCF545 (or based on local configuration if NSSF544 or PCF545 does not provide the Alternative S-NSSAI).

Alternative S-NSSAI must be supported within the registration area of UE 40. For example, AMF 541 may not be able to determine an Alternative S-NSSAI for the S-NSSAI because NSSF 544 or PCF 545 does not provide an Alternative S-NSSAI. In this case, AMF 541 may further negotiate with PCF 545 to determine an Alternative S-NSSAI.

UE 40 notifies the network of its support for the network slice alternative function during the registration process. The PDU session related to the S-NSSAI that needs to be exchanged supports UE 40 in connected mode (CM-CONNECTED mode) that exists in the UE context. To enable this, AMF 541 provides UE 40 with an Alternative S-NSSAI for this S-NSSAI, which is included in the Allowed NSSAI and Configured NSSAI. AMF 541 may also provide UE 40 with mapping information between the S-NSSAI and the Alternative S-NSSAI using a UE Configuration Update message.

After sending the mapping information to UE 40, AMF 541 invokes the session management context update (Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext) service for the current PDU session associated with the S-NSSAI exchanged for the Alternative S-NSSAI. AMF 541 then instructs SMF 546 to update the PDU session required to transition the PDU session to the Alternative S-NSSAI.

UE 40 establishes a NAS (Non-Access Stratum) signaling connection via the Service Request procedure or UE registration procedure. At this time, AMF 541 decides to exchange S-NSSAIs to support UE 40 in the CM-IDLE state. If a PDU session related to that S-NSSAI exists in the UE context, AMF 541 provides UE 40 with mapping information between the S-NSSAI and the Alternative S-NSSAI using a UE Configuration Update message or a Registration Accept message.

<<4. Basic Operation of the Communication System>>
A specific configuration example of the communication system 1 has been described above. Before describing the operation of the communication system 1 that solves the problem of this embodiment, the basic operation of the communication system 1 will be described.

In the following description, the communication system 1 is assumed to be 5GS (for example, the 5GS shown in Figures 8 to 11) as an example. However, the communication system 1 is not limited to 5GS. The communication system 1 may be 4GS or 6GS. Of course, the communication system 1 may be any other wireless communication system.

<4-1. Session establishment process>
First, the session establishment process will be described. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a connection process in 5GS.

During communication, UE 40 transitions to the RRC_IDLE and CM-IDLE states (step S101). UE 40 in the RRC_IDLE and CM-IDLE states performs cell reselection (step S102) and camps on an appropriate cell that meets specified criteria.

UE40 selects from the Allowed NSSAIs the S-NSSAI that corresponds to the application to be used (step S103). Next, UE40 transmits an RRC Setup Request message to the RAN/AN510 of the base station that manages the cell on which it is camped (step S104).

Upon receiving this, RAN/AN 510 sends an RRC Setup message to UE 40 (step S105). UE 40 transitions to the RRC_CONNECTED and CM-IDLE state (step S106) and returns an RRC Setup Complete message to RAN/AN 510 (step S107). This completes the RRC setup process.

Next, UE 40 sends a PDU SESSION ESTABLISHMENT REQUEST message, which is a NAS message, to AMF 541 (step S108). As a result, a PDU session establishment process is executed between UE 40 and DN 530 via RAN/AN 510 and UPF 520 (step S109).

UE 40 transitions to the RRC_CONNECTED and CM-CONNECTED states (step S110). Note that the PDU SESSION ESTABLISHMENT REQUEST message can include the S-NSSAI selected by UE 40.

AMF541 sends an INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST message to RAN/AN510 (step S111). The INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST message may include at least one of a PDU session context, a security key, a UE radio capability, and a UE security capability. The INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST message may also include an Allowed NSSAI. The INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST message may also include an S-NSSAI for each PDU session.

RAN/AN 510 sets the UE context for UE 40 and sends a SecurityModeCommand message to UE 40 (step S112). The SecurityModeCommand message includes the integrity algorithm selected by RAN/AN 510.

UE 40 verifies the integrity of the received SecurityModeCommand message to confirm the validity of the message and returns a SecurityModeComplete message to RAN/AN 510 (step S113).

RAN/AN 510 sends an RRCReconfiguration message to UE 40 to set up SRB (Signaling Radio Bearer) 2 and DRB (Data Radio Bearer) (step S114). UE 40, upon receiving this, replies with an RRCReconfigurationComplete message to RAN/AN 510 (step S115). This establishes SRB 2 and DRB between UE 40 and RAN/AN 510.

RAN/AN510 sends an INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST RESPONSE message to AMF541 to notify that the UE context setup process has been completed (step S116).

Figures 13A and 13B are diagrams showing an example of the PDU session establishment process. Specifically, Figures 13A and 13B are diagrams showing an example of the PDU session establishment process (step S109 shown in Figure 12) initiated by a PDU SESSION ESTABLISHMENT REQUEST message.

When AMF 541 receives a PDU session establishment request message from UE 40 (step S108 shown in Figures 12 and 13A), it performs SMF selection (step S201 shown in Figure 13A).

AMF 541 sends an Nsmf_PDUSession_Create_SMContext Request message to the selected SMF 546 (step S202). The Nsmf_PDUSession_Create_SMContext Request message includes a SUPI (Subscription Permanent Identifier), an S-NSSAI, and a UE Requested DNN (Data Network Name) or DNN.

If the session management subscriber information (Session Management Subscription Data) corresponding to the SUPI, S-NSSAI, and DNN is not available, the SMF 546 uses a Nudm_SDM_Get message to obtain the session management subscriber information from the UDM 547. The SMF 546 also registers the session management subscriber information with the UDM 547 using a Nudm_SDM_Subscribe message so that it can be notified when the session management subscriber information is updated.

If the SMF 546 receives the Nsmf_PDUSession_Create_SMContext Request message and is able to process the message, it creates an SM context. The SMF 546 returns an Nsmf_PDUSession_Create_SMContext Response message including the SM context ID to the AMF 541 (step S203).

If it is necessary to perform a second authentication and authorization process by the DN-AAA server during the PDU session establishment process, SMF546 initiates PDU Session Authentication/Authorization (step S204).

If dynamic policy and charging control (PCC) is applied to the PDU session being established, SMF 546 performs PCF selection (step S205). Alternatively, SMF 546 may apply a local policy.

The SMF 546 may also establish an SM Policy Association with the PCF 545 and execute an SM Policy Association Establishment Procedure to obtain default PCC rules for the PDU session (step S206). This allows the PCC rules to be obtained before selecting the UPF 520.

The SMF 546 performs UPF selection (step S207) according to the pre-set rules or the PCC rules acquired in step S206 above. As a result, the SMF 546 selects one or more UPFs 520. The SMF 546 transmits an N4 Session Establishment Request message to the selected UPFs 520 (step S208).

The N4 session establishment request message is used to set N4 rules for controlling uplink and downlink traffic in the UPF 520. The N4 rules include information related to, for example, the PDR (Packet Detection Rule), FAR (Forwarding Action Rule), QER (QoS Enforcement Rule), URR (Usage Reporting Rule), and BAR (Buffering Action Rule).

The PDR contains information necessary for classifying packets in the UPF 520. The FAR contains information regarding how to handle a particular packet, such as forwarding, duplicating, dropping, or buffering. The QER contains information regarding the QoS indication to be applied to the traffic. The URR contains information necessary for measuring and reporting traffic. The BAR contains information regarding the duration and amount of data to be buffered and the notification method in the control plane.

The SMF 546 may also send the aforementioned QoS monitoring request to the UPF 520 via an N4 session establishment request message.

The SMF 546 may also send a request to the UPF 520 to detect the last PDU of each data burst for the TSC QoS flow in accordance with PCC rules and/or local policy. In this case, the SMF 546 may send the request via an N4 session establishment request message. Details of data bursts will be described later.

Upon receiving a request to detect the last PDU, UPF 520 detects the last PDU of each data burst and marks the GTP-U header of the last downlink PDU as "End of Data Burst."

Upon receiving the N4 session establishment request, the UPF 520 returns an N4 session establishment response message to the SMF 546 (step S209). Note that if multiple UPFs 520 are selected for the PDU session in step S207 above, the N4 session establishment process is initiated for each UPF 520.

SMF546 sends a Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer message to AMF541 (step S210). The Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer message may include at least one of the PDU session ID, N2SM information, CN tunnel information, S-NSSAI, and N1SM container.

The N2SM information may include at least one of a PDU session ID, a QFI, and a QoS profile.

If multiple UPFs 520 are used for a PDU session, the CN tunnel information includes tunneling information related to these multiple UPFs 520 terminating at N3.

The N1SM container includes the PDU Session Establishment Accept and QoS rules that the AMF 541 must provide to the UE 40. The PDU Session Establishment Accept includes the S-NSSAI.

The Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer message includes a PDU session ID so that AMF 541 knows which access to use for UE 40.

Moving to FIG. 13B, AMF 541 sends an N2 PDU Session Request message to RAN/AN 510 (step S211). The N2 PDU Session Request message includes a NAS message including a PDU session ID and an N1SM container destined for UE 40, as well as the N2SM information received from SMF 546.

RAN/AN 510 obtains the PDU session ID, QFI, QoS profile, etc. from the N2SM information included in the N2 PDU session request message. RAN/AN 510 also forwards the NAS message included in the N2 PDU session request message to UE 40 (step S212). As described above, the NAS message includes the PDU session ID and N1SM container, and the N1SM container includes a PDU session establishment permission and QoS rules.

The RAN/AN 510 also assigns AN tunnel information (AN Tunnel Info) to the PDU session. Here, the AN tunnel information includes the tunnel endpoints of each participating RAN/AN node and the QFIs assigned to each tunnel endpoint. The RAN/AN 510 updates the N2SM information to notify the SMF 546. Here, the N2SM information may include at least one of the PDU session ID, AN tunnel information, a list of allowed or denied QFI(s), and a User Plane Enforcement Policy Notification.

RAN/AN510 returns an N2 PDU Session Response message including the N2SM information to AMF541 (step S213).

AMF541 acquires the N2SM information via the N2 PDU session response received from RAN/AN510. Then, AMF541 forwards an Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Request message including the SM context ID and the acquired N2SM information to SMF546 (step S214).

SMF 546 initiates the N4 Session Modification Procedure between it and UPF 520. Then, SMF 546 sends an N4 Session Modification Request message to UPF 520 (step S215). SMF 546 provides AN tunnel information in addition to the forwarding rules to UPF 520.

The SMF 546 may also send the aforementioned QoS monitoring request to the UPF 520 via an N4 session modification request message.

The UPF 520 returns an N4 Session Modification Response message to the SMF 546 (step S216). Note that if multiple UPFs 520 are used in the PDU session, the above session modification process is performed on all UPFs 520 that terminate N3.

The above process completes the PDU session establishment process shown in step S109 of Figure 12.

<4-2. Association of AF request and PCF>
Next, the association between the AF request and the PCF will be described.

AF548 can use an AF request (Application Function Request) to make requests to 5GS regarding traffic routing from or to server 10.

For example, 5GS can take AF requests into account when selecting/reselecting the UPF 520 and SMF 546. The AF request is sent to the PCF 545 via the NEF 542. However, if the AF 548 has direct access to the PCF 545, the AF request is sent to the PCF 545 via reference point N5 defined between the AF 548 and the PCF 545. The PCF 545 converts the received AF request into policies/rules to be applied to the PDU session.

The AF request must include the mandatory Traffic Description, Target UE Identifier(s), and AF Transaction Identifier.

The traffic description is information used to identify traffic. It includes a set of DNN (Data Network Name) and S-NSSAI, as well as an application identifier or traffic filtering information.

DNN is equivalent to the APN (Access Point Name) used in systems prior to 4G. S-NSSAI is information to assist in the selection of a network slice (network slice selection assistance information).

The application identifier is information that identifies the application that handles user plane traffic. The application identifier is used by the UPF 520 to identify the application's traffic. The traffic filtering information is information used to classify traffic. The traffic filtering information is, for example, a 5-tuple consisting of source IP, source port number, destination IP, destination port number, and protocol number.

Furthermore, the AF request may, depending on the conditions, include information regarding the location of potential applications. Here, the information regarding the location of potential applications is provided as a list including DNAIs (Data Network Access Identifiers) for identifying user plane access to one or more DNs 530 that are candidates for implementing the application.

Furthermore, the AF request may optionally include at least one of the following information:
・Spatial Validity Condition
・N6 Traffic Routing requirements
・Application Relocation Possibility
・UE IP address preservation indication
・Temporary Validity Condition
Information about AF subscription to SMF events Information for IP Replacement of Edge Application Server (EAS) in the core network CN User Plane Latency Requirement
- Information about AF change - Instructions for relocation of edge application servers (EAS relocation)

The Spatial Validity Condition is provided in the form of a valid area. If the AF request is a request regarding traffic routing decisions in the SMF 546, the Spatial Validity Condition indicates that the routing applies only to traffic of UEs 40 located at a specific location. If the AF request is a request to register for notifications of user plane path management events, the Spatial Validity Condition indicates that the notification applies only to traffic of UEs 40 located at a specific location.

Information regarding N6 Traffic Routing requirements is information provided for each DNAI. Information regarding N6 Traffic Routing requirements may include a routing profile ID and N6 traffic routing information. Here, N6 is a reference point between the UPF 520 and the DN 530. The routing profile ID is identification information for referencing a routing policy previously agreed upon between the AF 548 and the core network CN. The N6 traffic routing information includes information required to forward traffic to the DNAI.

Application Relocation Possibility is information indicating whether an application can be relocated after its location has been selected by the core network CN.

The UE IP address preservation indication indicates that the IP address of UE 40 related to the traffic identified by the Traffic Description should be maintained. Upon receiving this indication from AF 548, the core network CN maintains the IP address of UE 40 by avoiding reselection of UPF 520 after UPF 520 has been selected.

The Temporary Validity Condition is provided in a format that indicates the time interval or period during which the AF request applies. If the AF request is a request regarding a traffic routing decision in the SMF 546, the Temporary Validity Condition indicates when that routing will be applied. If the AF request is a request to register for notification of a user plane path management event, the Temporary Validity Condition indicates when that notification will occur.

The AF request, which includes information about the AF subscription for an SMF event, is a request to register for notifications of changes in the user plane path related to the traffic identified by the Traffic Description. This request includes the subscription type and the notification target address for receiving event notifications. If the subscription type is Early Notification, the SMF 546 sends a notification of the path change before a new user plane path is set up. If the subscription type is Late Notification, the SMF 546 sends a notification of the path change after a new user plane path is set up.

The information for IP replacement of an edge application server indicates the identifier of the source edge application server and the identifier of the target edge application server for an edge computing service. The identifiers here are, for example, the IP addresses and port numbers of the source and target edge application servers.

User Plane Latency Requirement is the delay in the user plane that is taken into account when relocating a target edge application server. AF 548 can request the User Plane Latency Requirement from the core network CN via an AF request. This allows SMF 546 to decide on the relocation of PSA-UPF 520 based on the AF request in a network deployment where an estimated value of the delay in the user plane between UE 40 and the candidate PSA-UPF 520 is known to SMF 546.

Information regarding AF changes is information regarding the relocation of AF548. This information includes the AF ID, which is information that identifies the target AF548 to which the change is made. An instruction to relocate an edge application server is an instruction to relocate an application.

When PCF545 is address-managed and distributed across multiple locations, the network function (e.g., AF548) that sends policies regarding traffic identified by the address of UE40 must access the PCF545 that holds information about the corresponding PDU session via reference point N5.

Therefore, the AF 548 may possess at least one of the following pieces of information (or information regarding at least one of the following pieces of information) regarding the corresponding PDU session:
User identity
・DNN
・UE IP address or MAC address ・S-NSSAI
- Address of selected PCF545

For IP-based PDU sessions, AF548 receives information when an IP address is assigned or released to the PDU session.

For Ethernet-type PDU sessions that support MAC address-based AF request mapping, when the MAC address used by UE 40 in the PDU session is detected, AF 548 must receive that information. This MAC address detection is performed by UPF 520 under the control of SMF 546. In addition, if TSC and time synchronization are supported, AF 548 receives the MAC address of the DS-TT (Device-Side Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) Translator) port.

In addition, a BSF (Binding Support Function) 552 may be used to associate the AF request with the PCF 545.

The BSF 552 internally stores information about the corresponding selected PCF 545.

The BSF 552 may internally retain at least one of the following pieces of information (or information regarding at least one of the following pieces of information) regarding the corresponding PDU session:
・User identifier ・DNN
・UE IP address or MAC address ・S-NSSAI
- Address of selected PCF545

Furthermore, if available, the BSF 552 may internally maintain at least one of the following pieces of information (or information regarding at least one of the following pieces of information) regarding the corresponding PDU session:
- Identifier (ID) of the associated PCF instance
PCF set identifier Level of association

The BSF 552 may internally hold at least one of the following pieces of information (or information related to at least one of the following pieces of information) regarding the corresponding UE 40:
User identifier Address of selected PCF 545

Furthermore, if available, the BSF 552 may internally maintain at least one of the following pieces of information (or information regarding at least one of the following pieces of information) for the corresponding UE 40:
- Identifier of the associated PCF instance - PCF set identifier - Level of association

PCF 545 uses the Nbsf Management service to register, update, or delete retained information.

PCF 545 updates this information each time an IP address is assigned or released for the corresponding PDU session.

Alternatively, for Ethernet-type PDU sessions that support MAC address-based AF request mapping, PCF 545 updates the information each time it detects a MAC address used by UE 40 within a PDU session, or each time it detects that UE 40 will no longer be using that MAC address.

PCF545 updates its information for the corresponding UE40 each time AMF541 selects a new PCF545.

AF requests targeted to an individual UE 40 by the UE 40's address are forwarded by the AF 548 or NEF 542 to the PCF 545 identified using the BSF 552.

Additionally, an AF request for a group of UEs 40 or an AF request for a UE 40 as described below must go through the NEF 542.
All UEs 40 that have access to the set of DNN and S-NSSAI
A UE 40 classified by one or more GPSIs (Generic Public Subscription Identifiers)
A UE 40 with an External Subscriber Category that is a set of external group IDs

The NEF 542 stores the AF request information in the UDR of the UDM 547. If the PCF 545 is registered for the service of creating, updating, or deleting the AF request information corresponding to the UDR Data Keys/Data Sub-Keys, it receives the corresponding notification.

If the AF 548 exchanges information with the PCF 545 via the NEF 542, the NEF 542 performs the mapping as described below.

NEF542 maps the AF-Service-Identifier to a set of DNN and S-NSSAI.

The NEF 542 maps the AF-Service-Identifier to a list of Data Network Access Identifiers (DNAIs) and routing profile IDs determined by local configuration. The NEF 542 can provide this mapping only when the DNAIs used by the application are statically defined. If the DNAIs at which the application is instantiated change dynamically, the AF 548 provides the target DNAIs in the AF request, along with either the routing profile ID or the N6 traffic routing information.

Here, DNAI is identification information for identifying user plane access to DN530. Routing profile ID is identification information for referencing a routing policy previously agreed upon between AF548 and the core network CN. N6 traffic routing information includes information necessary for forwarding traffic to DNAI.

The NEF 542 maps the GPSI contained in the Target UE Identifier to the SUPI according to the information received from the UDM 547.

The NEF 542 maps the external group ID contained in the Target UE Identifier to an internal group ID according to the information received from the UDM 547.

NEF542 maps external subscriber categories and UE40s, and external subscriber categories and external group IDs to internal group IDs, or internal group IDs and subscriber categories.

NEF542 maps the geographical area included in the Spatial Validity Condition to a valid area determined by local settings.

Figure 14 shows an example of the process for reflecting an AF request in session routing.

The PCF 545 sends a Nudr_DM_Subscribe message to the UDR to register the UDR's AF request change service (step S301). Here, the Data Set is application data. The Data Subset is AF traffic influence request information. The Data Key is at least one of the S-NSSAI, DNN, and internal group ID. The Data Key may also be SUPI.

AF548 generates a new AF request (step S302). Then, AF548 invokes the Nnef_TrafficInfluence_Create service on NEF542. Alternatively, AF548 invokes the Nnef_TrafficInfluence_Update service or the Nnef_TrafficInfluence_Delete service on NEF542 to modify or delete an existing AF request (step S303).

When the Nnef_TrafficInfluence_Create service or the Nnef_TrafficInfluence_Update service is invoked, the NEF 542 stores the AF request information in the UDR. When the Nnef_TrafficInfluence_Delete service is invoked, the NEF 542 deletes the AF request information from the UDR (step S304).

NEF542 responds to a request for the Nnef_TrafficInfluence_Create service, Nnef_TrafficInfluence_Update service, or Nnef_TrafficInfluence_Delete service from AF548 (step S305).

The PCF 545, which is registered with the UDR's AF request change service, receives notification of a data change related to the AF request information from the UDR (step S306).

The PCF 545 determines whether any current PDU sessions are affected by the AF request. Then, the PCF 545 invokes the Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify service for each of those PDU sessions. The PCF 545 then updates the SMF 546 with information about the new policy corresponding to the PDU session (step S307).

When SMF546 receives updated policy information regarding the PDU session from PCF545, it reconfigures the user plane of the PDU session in accordance with the updated policy information (step S308).

Furthermore, when the SMF 546 receives updated policy information regarding the PDU session from the PCF 545, it may perform the necessary processing to support the discovery and re-discovery of an EAS (Edge Application Server) for a PDU session with a Session Breakout connection type.

Furthermore, in the case of N6 traffic steering control (N6-LAN Traffic Steering Control), the SMF 546 provides N6 traffic steering parameters to the UPF 520.

SMF546 determines whether it is necessary to send target DNAI information or common DNAI information to AMF541 to trigger SMF/I-SMF (Intermediate SMF) reselection. Then, SMF546 notifies AMF541 of the target DNAI information or common DNAI information for the current PDU session or the next PDU session via the Nsmf_PDUSession_SMContextStatusNotify service (step S309).

Figure 15 shows an example of the process for reflecting an AF request targeted at an individual UE 40 in a policy.

AF548 sends an Nnef_TrafficInfluence_Create/Update/Delete request message to NEF542 targeting the address of an individual UE40 (step S401). This request message corresponds to an AF request to reflect traffic routing to the local network or service function chaining (SFC).

Here, service function chaining refers to a chain of service functions that are constructed so that network functions can process packets being forwarded in the appropriate order. A network function can provide one or more service functions.

Network operators define service function chaining policies for forwarding traffic associated with a given application. Network operators can modify those policies to improve users' Quality of Experience (QoE).

Service functions for 5G networks include, for example, firewall functionality, NAT (Network Address Translation), antivirus, parental control, DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) protection, TCP proxy, load balancer, KPI monitoring, and EHE (Edge Hosting Environment).

A network operator can create, modify, or delete a single service function based on the service function chaining policy. A network operator can also create, configure, or control a chain of service functions consisting of multiple service functions on a per-application and/or per-user basis based on the network operator's policy or a request from a third party.

If the address of the PCF 545 is not available, the NEF 542 requests the BSF 552 to use the Nbsf_Management_Discovery service to discover the address of the associated PCF 545 (step S402). If the address of the PCF 545 is available, step S402 is skipped.

In response to the Nbsf_Management_Discovery request message, the NEF 542 receives an Nbsf_Management_Discovery response message from the BSF 552, which includes the address of the PCF 545 (step S403).

The NEF 542 invokes the Npcf_PolicyAuthorization service to reflect the AF request from the AF 548 in the policy. The NEF 542 then sends an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create/Update/Delete message to the PCF 545 (step S404).

The PCF 545 determines whether to permit the AF request. If the PCF 545 permits the request, it invokes the PCF initiated SM Policy Association Modification procedure. Then, the PCF 545 updates the SMF 546 with the corresponding new PCC rules (step S405). If the PCF 545 does not permit the request, it rejects the AF request.

When SMF546 receives policy information from PCF545, it reconfigures the user plane of the PDU session in accordance with the received policy information.

Through the above processing, the AF request from AF548 can be reflected in the policies managed by PCF545 and in the user plane processing of the PDU session managed by SMF546.

Note that the service provided by the NEF 542, which reflects AF requests in policies managed by the PCF 545 and in user plane processing of PDU sessions managed by the SMF 546, is not limited to the Nnef_TrafficInfluence service. For example, the AF 548 can use the Nnef_AF_request_for_QoS service to request the 5GS to provide a specific QoS for the traffic flow of a UE 40 or a group of UEs 40. This service can be used, for example, to support QoS monitoring registration and notification for monitoring packet delay.

The AF 548 can also use the Nnef_AfsessionWithQoS service to request QoS for a session with a particular UE 40. This service can be used to support registration and notification of QoS monitoring, for example, for monitoring packet delay, congestion information, data rate, packet delay variation, etc. Furthermore, this service can be used to support registration and notification of BAT offsets, as described below. This allows the AF 548 to adjust burst transmission times from the XR server 60 based on feedback from the RAN/AN 510.

The services provided by NEF 542 illustrated here are just examples, and services that reflect AF requests in policies managed by PCF 545 and in user plane processing of PDU sessions managed by SMF 546 may be other than these.

<4-3. Network Capability Exposure>
One of the network capability exposures is a provisioning function for external functions, which enables an external third party to provide information such as expected UE 40 operation, service-specific parameters, or 5G VN (Virtual Network) group information to a 5G network function.

The 5G system can support LAN (Local Area Network) type services. In LAN type services, a 5G VN group consists of a set of UEs 40 using private communications.

5G VN groups are characterized by 5G VN group identities, 5G VN group membership, and 5G VN group data.

The external group ID and internal group ID are used as 5G VN group identifiers to identify 5G VN groups.

5G VN group membership is uniquely identified by GPSI (Generic Public Subscription Identifier).

The 5G VN group data may include the following information:
PDU session type DNN
・S-NSSAI and application descriptor
An indication that the 5G VN group is associated with 5G VN group communication. Information related to secondary authentication/authorization.

To support dynamic management of 5G VN group identifiers and 5G VN group membership, NEF 542 discloses a set of services for managing (e.g., adding/deleting/modifying) 5G VN groups and 5G VN group members. Additionally, NEF 542 discloses a service for dynamically managing 5G VN group data.

AF548 can request provisioning of traffic characteristics, QoS parameters, and monitoring of QoS parameters for the 5G VN group.

AF548 identifies the 5G VN group using the external group ID, and NEF542 provides the external group ID to UDM547. UDM547 maps the external group ID to an internal group ID.

The NEF 542 can obtain the internal group ID from the UDM 547 via the Nudm_SDM_Get service.

The external group ID of a 5G VN group corresponds to a unique set of 5G VN group data parameters.

Figure 16 shows an example of the process for setting up an AF session to request QoS.

AF548 uses an Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Create request message to send a request to NEF542 to reserve resources for the AF session (step S501).

Here, the Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Create request message includes the following information:
Address of the UE 40 Identifier of the AF 548 or an external application identifier Flow description information
QoS Reference or individual QoS parameters Alternative Service Requirements
・DNN
・S-NSSAI

Optionally, the following information can be included in the AF request:
QoS monitoring requirements Indication of ECN (Explicit Congestion Notification) marking for L4S (Low Latency, Low Loss and Scalable throughput)
・Multi-modal Service ID
PDU Set QoS Parameters
・Protocol Description

Furthermore, as an option, the AF request can include the time period or traffic volume for the requested QoS.

Instead of a QoS reference, the AF 548 may provide at least one of the following individual QoS parameters:
Requested 5GS Delay
・Requested Priority
Requested Guaranteed Bitrate
- Requested Maximum Bitrate
- Maximum burst size - Required packet error rate

AF548 can also provide an average window value for deriving parameters for GBR QoS flows.

Additionally, regardless of whether the AF request uses a QoS reference or individual QoS parameters, the AF 548 may also provide parameters that describe the characteristics of the traffic. For example, the AF 548 may provide at least one of the following parameters:
・Flow direction
Burst arrival time (BAT) at the UE 40 in the uplink, or burst arrival time at the UPF 520 in the downlink. Periodicity.
・Time domain
・Survival Time
Adaptive control of burst arrival times, or BAT window capability. Periodicity Range.

Optional Alternative Service Requirements provided by AF 548 must include either a QoS Reference or a Requested Alternative QoS Parameter Set(s). Additionally, 5GS Packet Delay Variation information may be included in the AF request. AF 548 may also provide QoS duration information and QoS inactivity interval information to indicate to PCF 545 the period during which QoS is to be applied.

The NEF 542 approves the AF request, which includes the address of one UE 40 (step S502). The NEF 542 can apply policies to control the overall amount of QoS granted to the AF 548. If approval is not granted, all subsequent steps except step S505 are skipped. The NEF 542 then responds to the AF 548 with a Result value indicating that authentication failed.

NEF 542 assigns a Transaction Reference ID to the Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Create request.

The NEF 542 determines whether to invoke the TSCTSF 551 or contact the PCF 545 directly based on the operator's configuration. The NEF 542 can make this decision based on whether the AF request includes a QoS reference or individual QoS parameters. Furthermore, the NEF 542 may make this decision based on whether the AF request includes an identifier for the AF 548 or parameters describing the traffic characteristics (parameters provided by the AF 548).

In step S502, if the NEF 542 contacts the PCF 545 directly without calling the TSCTSF 551, the NEF 542 uses the address of the UE 40 to discover the PCF 545 from the BSF 552. The NEF 542 transfers the received parameters to the PCF 545 using an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create request message (step S503).

If the AF 548 is treated as a Trusted AF by the operator, the AF 548 communicates directly with the PCF 545 using the Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create request message to request resource reservation for the AF session.

In response to the request received from the NEF 542 in step S503, the PCF 545 determines whether the request can be approved. If the request is not approved, the PCF 545 notifies the NEF 542 of this using an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create response message. On the other hand, if the request is approved, the PCF 545 obtains the requested QoS parameters of the PCC rule based on the information provided by the NEF 542. The PCF 545 then determines whether this QoS is permitted. The PCF 545 then notifies the NEF 542 of the result using an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create response message (step S504).

If AF548 is treated as a Trusted AF by the operator, PCF545 sends an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create response message directly to AF548.

If PCF 545 receives individual QoS parameters instead of a QoS reference, PCF 545 determines the 5QI that matches the individual QoS parameters. PCF 545 further sets the GBR and MBR of the PCC rule according to the requested values. PCF 545 can use the requested priority obtained from AF 548 to determine the priority level. The requested individual QoS parameters take precedence over the default values of 5QI.

When PCF 545 receives a round trip latency indication (RT), PCF 545 performs uplink-downlink transmission coordination and QoS monitoring associated with the two correlated QoS flows.

When PCF 545 receives PDU set QoS parameters, the PDU set QoS parameters are applied to the target PDU session.

If PCF 545 receives an explicit instruction, PCF 545 determines that the service data flow supports ECN marking for L4S. Here, the explicit instruction is, for example, an indication of ECN (Explicit Congestion Notification) marking for L4S (Low Latency Low Loss Scalable throughput). PCF 545 instructs SMF 546 to enable ECN marking for L4S for the target QoS.

Furthermore, if an alternative service request is provided, PCF 545 obtains the alternative QoS parameter set(s) in the same manner, while maintaining the same priority, from one or more QoS reference parameters included in the alternative service request or the requested alternative QoS parameter set(s).

For multimodal flows consisting of multiple media flows (e.g., pause information, audio information, video information, haptics, etc.), the PCF 545 obtains the QoS parameters required by the PCC rule based on the information provided by the NEF 542. The PCF 545 then generates a QoS monitoring request policy for each media flow.

If PCF 545 determines that SMF 546 requires updated policy information, PCF 545 issues an Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify request. This Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify request contains updated policy information for the PDU session.

NEF542 sends an Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Create response message to AF548 (step S505). This Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Create response message includes a Transaction Reference ID and a Result value. Here, the Result value indicates whether the request was approved or not.

The NEF 542 must send an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Subscribe message to the PCF 545 to subscribe to notifications of the resource allocation status (step S506). The NEF 542 may also subscribe to other events.

When the event conditions are met, the PCF 545 sends an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Notify message to the NEF 542 to notify the event (step S507). Here, the event conditions are, for example, conditions related to the success or failure (success/failure) of establishing transmission resources corresponding to the QoS update.

If AF548 is treated as a Trusted AF by the operator, PCF545 sends an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Notify message directly to AF548.

The NEF 542 sends an Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Notify message containing the event reported by the PCF 545 to the AF 548 (step S508).

Note that the Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Create request message in step S501 may be a request to a multi-member. A multi-member is a set of UEs 40 identified by a list of addresses. This list contains information about all UEs 40 in the set. Specifically, this list contains the IP addresses and port numbers that each UE 40 uses to communicate with the AF 548.

When the NEF 542 receives an AFsession with required QoS request (including the above list) for multi-member, it maps this request into an individual AFsession with required QoS request. Here, the individual request is an AFsession with required QoS request for each address of the UE 40. The NEF 542 then communicates with each serving PCF 545 of the UE 40 for each AF session. Here, the processing of steps S502 to S508 described above is performed in accordance with the individual AFsession with required QoS request.

FIG. 17 shows another example of the process for setting up an AF session to request QoS. Steps S601 and S602 are the same as steps S501 and S502 shown in FIG. 16, so a description thereof will be omitted.

If NEF 542 calls TSCTSF 551 in step S902, NEF 542 transfers the received parameters to TSCTSF 551 using the Ntsctsf_QoSandTSCAssistance_Create request message (step S603).

If AF548 is treated as a Trusted AF by the operator, AF548 communicates directly with TSCTSF551 using the Ntsctsf_QoSandTSCAssistance_Create request message to request resource reservation for the AF session.

The address of the TSCTSF551 (one TSCTSF551 address per DNN/S-NSSAI) may be configured locally in the NEF542, PCF545, or Trusted AF. Alternatively, the NEF542 can use the identifier of the AF548 to determine the DNN/S-NSSAI. The NEF542 can also use the DNN/S-NSSAI to discover the TSCTSF551 from the NRF543.

TSCTSF551 determines whether an AF session with PCF545 exists for the specified UE40 address. If an AF session exists, TSCTSF551 sends an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Update request message to PCF545. TSCTSF551 then forwards the received parameters to PCF545 after performing the adjustment and mapping described below (step S604).

On the other hand, if there is no AF session with PCF 545 for the specified UE 40 address, TSCTSF 551 discovers PCF 545. Then, TSCTSF 551 sends an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create request message to PCF 545 (step S604).

When TSCTSF551 receives a requested 5GS delay, it subtracts the residence time (UE-DS-TT Residence Time) between UE40 and the device-side TSN translator (TT) from the requested 5GS delay. As a result, TSCTSF551 calculates the requested packet delay tolerance time (Requested PDB). TSCTSF551 then transmits the requested 5GS delay to PCF545 instead of the requested 5GS delay. Here, the residence time between UE40 and the device-side TT is provided by PCF545. Alternatively, the residence time between UE40 and the device-side TT is pre-configured in TSCTSF551.

If the TSCTSF 551 receives any of the following parameters from the NEF 542, the TSCTSF 551 determines a TSC Assistance Container and sends the TSC Assistance Container to the PCF 545 instead of these parameters:
Flow direction Burst arrival time Period Time domain Lifetime Burst arrival time adaptive control or BAT window capability Period range

If AF548 provides TSCTSF551 with a burst arrival time or period without indicating the corresponding time domain, TSCTSF551 sets the time domain of the TSC support container to "5GS". Here, the time domain "5GS" is the time based on the 5G clock.

In step S604, in response to the request received from TSCTSF551, PCF545 determines whether the request can be approved.

If the request is not approved, the PCF 545 notifies the NEF 542 of this using an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create/Update response message (step S605).

On the other hand, if the request is approved, the PCF 545 obtains the requested QoS parameters of the PCC rule based on the information provided by the TSCTSF 551, as in step S504. The PCF 545 then determines whether this QoS is permitted according to the PCF 545 settings. The PCF 545 then notifies the NEF 542 of the result using an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create/Update response message (step S605).

If PCF 545 determines that SMF 546 requires updated policy information, PCF 545 issues an Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify request. This Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify request contains updated policy information for the PDU session.

TSCTSF551 sends an Ntsctsf_QoSandTSCAssistance_Create response message to NEF542 (step S606). This Ntsctsf_QoSandTSCAssistance_Create response message includes a Transaction Reference ID and a Result value. Here, the Result value indicates whether the request was approved or not.

If AF548 is treated as a Trusted AF by the operator, TSCTSF551 sends an Ntsctsf_QoSandTSCAssistance_Create response message directly to AF548.

NEF542 sends an Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Create response message to AF548 (step S607). This Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Create response message includes a Transaction Reference ID and a Result value.

TSCTSF551 must send an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Subscribe message to PCF545 to subscribe to notifications of resource allocation status (step S608). TSCTSF551 may also subscribe to other events.

Assume that TSCTSF551 receives the BAT (Burst Arrival Time) adaptation control or BAT window capability in step S603. In this case, TSCTSF551 must subscribe to notifications regarding the BAT offset by sending an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Subscribe request message to PCF545.

When the event conditions (e.g., whether the establishment of transmission resources corresponding to the QoS update was successful or failed) are met, PCF 545 sends an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Notify message to TSCTSF 551 to notify the event (step S609).

TSCTSF551 sends an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Notify message to NEF542 (step S610). This Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Notify message contains information about the event reported by PCF545.

If AF548 is treated as a Trusted AF by the operator, TSCTSF551 sends an Ntsctsf_QoSandTSCAssistance_Notify message directly to AF548.

The NEF 542 sends an Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Notify message to the AF 548 (step S611). This Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Notify message contains information about the event reported by the PCF 545.

Note that the Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Create request message in step S601 may be a request to a multi-member. A multi-member is a set of UEs 40 identified by a list of addresses.

When the NEF 542 receives an AFsession with required QoS request for multi-member, it maps this request to an individual AFsession with required QoS request. Here, the individual request is an AFsession with required QoS request for each address of the UE 40. The NEF 542 then communicates with each serving PCF 545 of the UE 40 for each AF session. Here, the processing of steps S602 to S610 described above is executed in accordance with the individual AFsession with required QoS request.

<4-4. TSC Support Information>
Next, TSC (Time Sensitive Communication) support information will be described.

TSCTSF551 determines a TSC Assistance Container based on the traffic pattern provided by AF548 and provides the TSC Assistance Container to PCF545. When PCF545 receives the TSC Assistance Container from TSCTSF551, it transfers the TSC Assistance Container to SMF546 as part of the PCC rule. The transfer of the PCC rule including this TSC Assistance Container to SMF546 is performed in step S206 shown in FIG. 13A.

SMF546 associates a PCC (Policy and Charging Control) rule containing a TSC assistance container with a QoS flow. SMF546 uses the TSC assistance container to derive TSC assistance information for that QoS flow. SMF546 transmits the derived TSC assistance information to RAN/AN510.

SMF546 defines the components of TSC support information, namely, Periodicity, Periodicity Range, Burst Arrival Time (BAT), BAT Window, and Survival Time, in accordance with the 5G clock.

A period is the time interval between two data bursts. Here, a data burst consists of multiple PDUs generated and transmitted by an application within a short period of time. For example, one or more PDU sets can be set or assigned to the multiple PDUs that make up a data burst.

The period range indicates the lower and upper limits of the period as a range of acceptable periods. AF548 can adjust the period within this range.

The burst arrival time is defined as the latest possible time at which the first packet of a downlink data burst arrives at the input end of the RAN/AN 510, or the latest possible time at which the first packet of an uplink data burst arrives at the output end of the UE 40. For example, the downlink burst arrival time can be set to the burst arrival time set at the input end of the UPF 520 plus the CN PDB.

The BAT window indicates the earliest and latest allowable arrival times for the first packet of a data burst.

The lifetime indicates the period during which an application can continue to operate without receiving a data burst. The lifetime is set either as the maximum number of messages equivalent to all packets in the data burst, or in units of time. If only one data burst is expected within a single period, the lifetime corresponds to a period. The PCF 545 may also set the PDU set delay tolerance based on this lifetime.

TSCTSF551 can also specify the flow direction (e.g., uplink or downlink) of the TSC flow in the TSC support container and TSC support information. A TSC flow is also called a TSC QoS flow.

When the traffic pattern provided by AF548 is updated, TSCTSF551 updates the TSC support container. When the TSC support container is updated, PCF545 forwards the PCC rule including the updated TSC support container to SMF546. SMF546 updates the TSC support information based on the updated TSC support container. The updated TSC support information is sent to RAN/AN510.

When the RAN/AN 510 receives TSC assistance information for a QoS flow, including a BAT window or capability for BAT adaptation, it can determine a BAT offset to align the arrival of a data burst with the next scheduled transmission opportunity.

When the RAN/AN 510 receives TSC assistance information including a periodicity range for a QoS flow, it can determine the period to be adjusted, along with the BAT offset identified above, to align the period of the data burst with the expected time interval between subsequent transmission opportunities.

For adaptive control of the BAT and period, the BAT offset and adjusted period are fed back to the SMF 546 as part of the QoS flow establishment or modification process.

<<5. Operation of the communication system>>
Based on the above, the operation of the communication system 1 will be described.

In the following description, XR media (XR media content) is defined as XR content that can be played simultaneously by multiple users in remote locations. For example, XR media (XR media content) is content for VR games and/or the Metaverse. However, XR media is not limited to content for VR games and/or the Metaverse. XR media may also be video content generated by calculating or processing 3D data (e.g., 3D spatial data and/or 3D object data) based on user viewpoint data.

<5-1. Overview of communication system operation>
Before describing the specific operation of the communication system 1, the issues of this embodiment will be specifically described. Here, the issues of this embodiment will be described using an example of XR media distribution to multiple users in different PLMN operator environments.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of data burst distribution to multiple users in different PLMN operator environments. The example of FIG. 18 shows an example of distributing XR media data, which is a data burst, to two users (user U1 and user U2). Note that the number of users is not limited to two. The number of users may be three or more. Also, in the example of FIG. 18, XR media data is distributed via two PLMN operators. However, XR media data may also be distributed via three or more PLMN operators.

A user U1 using a terminal device ₄₀₁ uses an XR media distribution service provided by a server 10 via a 5G system (5GS) of a first PLMN operator. The 5GS of the first PLMN operator is composed of a first base station ₃₀₁ and a first core network _CN1 . Here, the first core network _CN1 is, for example, a 5G communication system (5GC) and is composed of one or more management devices 20.

A user U2 using a terminal device ₄₀₂ uses an XR media distribution service provided by the server 10 via a 5GS of a second PLMN operator. Here, the 5GS of the second PLMN operator is composed of a second base station ₃₀₂ and a second core network _CN2 . Here, the second core network _CN2 is, for example, a 5GC, and is composed of one or more management devices 20.

The AF 548 acquires information related to traffic patterns from the XR media distribution service provided by the server 10. Here, the server 10 is, for example, an application server. For example, the server 10 is a server including a third-party application function (AF) located outside the core network CN (first core network CN ₁ and second core network CN ₂ ).

The AF 548 then provides information related to the traffic pattern to the first core network CN ₁ of the first PLMN operator and the second core network CN ₂ of the second PLMN operator. Here, the information related to the traffic pattern includes, for example, information on a burst departure time (BDT), which is the timing at which the server 10 transmits the first packet of a data burst, and information on a periodicity. The information related to the traffic pattern may also include information on a survival time, which indicates a period during which an application can continue to operate without receiving a data burst.

Furthermore, the AF 548 may provide the core network CN with information on the burst arrival time at the input end of the UPF 520 of the core network CN as information related to the traffic pattern, instead of the burst transmission time at the output end of the server 10. For example, the AF 548 may generate information on the burst arrival time at the input end of the UPF _520-1 of the _first core network CN1 and information on the burst arrival time at the input end of the UPF _520-2 of the _second core network CN2 based on the timing of transmitting the first packet of the data burst, and provide the generated information to the core network CN (the first core network _CN1 and/or the second core network _CN2 ).

The AF 548 can provide _information regarding traffic patterns to the TSCTSF 551 ₁ of the first core network CN ₁ and the TSCTSF 551 ₂ of the second core network CN ₂ , respectively, using the services provided by the NEF 542 ₁ of the first core network CN 1 and the NEF 542 ₂ of the second core network CN ₂ .

As described above, the TSCTSF 551 ₁ of the first core network CN ₁ and the TSCTSF 551 ₂ of the second core network CN ₂ determine the TSC support container based on the traffic pattern provided from the AF 548. Then, the TSCTSF 551 ₁ and the TSCTSF 551 ₂ provide the TSC support container to the PCF 545 ₁ of the first core network CN ₁ and the PCF 545 ₂ of the second core network CN ₂ , respectively.

The PCF 545 ₁ of the first core network CN ₁ and the PCF 545 ₂ of the second core network CN ₂ each forward the TSC assistance container to the SMF 546 ₁ of the first core network CN ₁ and the SMF 546 ₂ of the second core network CN ₂ as part of the PCC rules.

The SMF 546 ₁ of the first core network CN ₁ and the SMF 546 ₂ of the second core network CN ₂ each associate a PCC rule including the TSC assistance container with a QoS flow transmitting a data burst and use the TSC assistance container to derive TSC assistance information for the QoS flow. Here, the AF 548 may provide the first core network CN ₁ and the second core network CN ₂ with a 5QI required for the QoS flow transmitting the data burst, based on the information related to the traffic pattern. Alternatively, the AF 548 may provide an upper limit value for packet delay instead of providing a 5QI. This may enable the PCF 545 ₁ of the first core network CN ₁ and the PCF 545 ₂ of the second core network CN ₂ to identify a 5QI that satisfies the upper limit value.

The SMF 546 ₁ of the first core network CN ₁ and the SMF 546 ₂ of the second core network CN ₂ each set TSC support information for the QoS flow transmitting the data burst based on the TSC support container and the 5QI. The burst arrival time included in the TSC support information is set taking into account the packet delay budget (PDB) of the 5QI.

If either the PCF 545 ₁ of the first core network CN ₁ or the PCF 545 ₂ of the second core network CN ₂ specifies a non-standardized 5QI, the 5QI of the first core network CN ₁ and the 5QI of the second core network CN ₂ may not necessarily have the same packet delay tolerance. This means that different burst arrival times (BATs) may be set for the TSC assistance information in the first core network CN ₁ and the second core network CN _2. For example, a first BAT may be set in the first core network CN ₁ , and a second BAT different from the first BAT may be set in the second core network CN ₂ .

Furthermore, even if the PCF 545 ₁ of the first core network CN ₁ and the PCF 545 ₂ of the second core network CN ₂ specify the same standardized 5QI, the first core network CN ₁ and the second core network CN ₂ may have different CN PDBs, which may result in different BATs being set for the TSC assistance information in the first core network CN ₁ and the second core network CN ₂ .

Furthermore, the BAT of the TSC assistance information is defined as the time at which the first packet of a data burst arrives at the input end of the base station 30. Therefore, it is assumed that the first packet of the actual data burst will arrive earlier than this BAT. In other words, if the first BAT and the second BAT are different, the time at which the first packet of the actual data burst arrives at the first base station 30 ₁ and the second base station 30 ₂ will also be different.

In applications such as competitive games and the Metaverse, it is expected that each user will make decisions based on data (e.g., video information) received at the same time. Therefore, if there is a delay difference in the timing of receiving the first packet of an actual data burst between the service of a first PLMN operator and the service of a second PLMN operator, each user's QoE will deteriorate. In other words, synchronization of specific data between multiple users is required. Here, data synchronization is achieved, for example, by ensuring that the timing of each user's data reception falls within an allowable time difference that is preset for each application. Alternatively, data synchronization is achieved, for example, by ensuring that the timing of each user's data reception falls within a dynamically required allowable time difference.

The base station 30 of each PLMN operator measures the difference between the timing at which the first packet of the actual data burst is received and the burst arrival time of the TSC assistance information. Then, the base station 30 of each PLMN operator reports/feeds back this difference measurement value to the core network CN. This makes it possible, in principle, for each core network CN to track the timing at which the first packet of the actual data burst is received within each PLMN operator to the burst arrival time of the TSC assistance information. However, it is difficult to improve the relative delay that occurs between the service of a first PLMN operator and the service of a second PLMN operator solely through control within each PLMN operator.

Note that this issue of timing delay differences can arise not only between different operators, but also within the same operator. For example, when multiple users receive a data burst via different UPFs 520, there may be delay differences in the timing at which the first packet of the actual data burst is received. Alternatively, when multiple users receive a data burst via different base stations 30 belonging to different registration areas, there may be delay differences in the timing at which the first packet of the actual data burst is received. Alternatively, when multiple users receive a data burst via different base stations 30 belonging to different TAs (Tracking Areas), there may be delay differences in the timing at which the first packet of the actual data burst is received. Alternatively, when multiple users receive a data burst via different base stations 30 belonging to different cells, there may be delay differences in the timing at which the first packet of the actual data burst is received.

The communication system 1 of this embodiment therefore controls the transmission timing of data sent to the base station 30 via the core network CN's user plane processing function (hereinafter referred to as the user plane processing function) based on BAT (burst arrival time) information for each of the multiple base stations 30 and QoS monitoring measurement result information for each of the multiple base stations 30. As a result, the communication system 1 reduces delay differences in the data reception timing.

The above provides an overview of this embodiment, but the operation of communication system 1 will now be described in detail.

<5-2. First Example>
First, the operation of the communication system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, the server 10 (e.g., application server) controls the timing of data transmission according to the control of the AF 548. In the first embodiment, it is assumed that multiple users are in the same PLMN operator environment.

<5-2-1. Transmission Timing Control Processing>
19 is a diagram showing an example of a transmission timing adaptation control procedure. More specifically, FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a transmission timing control procedure for data burst distribution to multiple users in the same PLMN operator environment. Here, the multiple users are users who use terminal devices 40 included in a multi-member. A multi-member is a set of terminal devices 40 identified by the list of addresses described above.

In the first embodiment, the server 10 provides the same XR media distribution service to a user U1 using a terminal device _40-1 and a user U2 using a terminal device _40-2 . Here, the XR media (XR media content) may be a competitive game or a metaverse. Of course, the XR media may also be other XR content. Here, the XR media (XR media content) is composed of data in the form of data bursts. Furthermore, the XR media (XR media content) may be composed of the above-mentioned multimodal flow. In the following description, XR media or XR media content may be referred to as XR content.

First, AF548 receives an Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Notify message via NEF542 according to the procedure shown in FIG. 16 or FIG. 17 (step S701). This Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Notify message contains parameters for the TSC support information of the same PLMN operator. The processing of step S701 corresponds to the processing of step S508 in FIG. 16 or the processing of step S611 in FIG. 17.

Here, the Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Notify message includes parameters of multiple different TSC support information. The multiple different TSC support information is TSC support information provided to base stations 30 connected to multiple different user plane processing functions (e.g., multiple different UPFs 520). For example, the multiple different TSC support information is first TSC support information including a first BAT provided to a first base station _30-1 , and second TSC support information including a second BAT provided to a second base station _30-2 . Here, the first base station _30-1 is the base station 30 connected to the first user plane processing function, and the second base station _30-2 is the base station 30 connected to a second user plane processing function different from the first user plane processing function.

Here, even if the same 5QI is assigned to QoS flows with the same QFI (QoS Flow ID), the actual packet delay between base stations 30 connected to different UPFs 520 is likely to be different.

The Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Notify message is issued by the PolicyAuthorization_Subscribe service provided by PCF 545 (for example, the service registered in step S608). The Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Notify message is sent, for example, periodically or when the TSC support information is updated.

The AF 548 provides the server 10 with parameters of the first TSC support information and parameters of the second TSC support information (step S702). The TSC support information (first TSC support information and second TSC support information) notified to each of the base stations 30 includes information on burst arrival times (BATs) to be provided to each of the base stations 30. The server 10 acquires first BAT information for the first base station _30-1 from the first TSC support information. The server 10 also acquires second BAT information for the second base station _30-2 from the second TSC support information. As described above, the first base station _30-1 is a base station 30 connected to a first user plane processing function, and the second base station _30-2 is a base station 30 connected to a second user plane processing function.

The server 10 calculates the offset between the first BAT of the first TSC support information and the second BAT of the second TSC support information (step S703). For example, the server 10 calculates the difference between the first BAT of the first TSC support information and the second BAT of the second TSC support information as the offset.

The server 10 determines adjustment parameters between base stations 30 connected to different user plane processing functions, taking into account the calculated offset (step S704).

The server 10 performs adaptive cooperative control based on the adjustment parameters determined in step S704. For example, the server 10 controls the transmission timing of data transmitted from the server 10 (e.g., application server). Specifically, the server 10 changes either the first transmission timing of data (XR content data) transmitted to the terminal device _40-1 or the second transmission timing of data (XR content data) transmitted to the terminal device _40-2 based on the adjustment parameters (step S705).

In this case, the server 10 may control the second transmission timing relative to the first transmission timing, or may control the first transmission timing relative to the second transmission timing.

For example, suppose the offset calculated in step S703 indicates that the second BAT is later in time than the first BAT. In this case, the server 10 delays the first transmission timing by the offset.

On the other hand, suppose the offset calculated in step S703 indicates that the second BAT is earlier in time than the first BAT. In this case, the server 10 delays the second transmission timing by the offset.

The above processing eliminates QoE degradation caused by differences in BAT between base stations 30 (e.g., between base stations 30 connected to different user plane processing functions) even when the server 10 provides XR media distribution services to multiple users in the same PLMN operator environment. Here, the AF 548 can be implemented in the same information processing device as the server 10.

<5-2-2. Modification of the transmission timing control process of the first embodiment>
The above-described transmission timing control process can be modified in various ways.

For example, AF548 can transmit a request for QoS monitoring in step S601 of FIG. 17. Specifically, AF548 can request, as QoS monitoring, measurement of the difference between the BAT in the TSC assistance information and the actual reception timing of the first packet of the data burst (hereinafter referred to as the first difference measurement).

In step S604, upon receiving this QoS monitoring request, PCF 545 generates a QoS monitoring request policy for the QoS flow of the target application.

In step S206 shown in FIG. 13A, the SMF 546 obtains the QoS monitoring request policy from the PCF 545. Then, the SMF 546 sets a first differential measurement in the base station 30 via steps S210 and S211. The first differential measurement is a measurement of the difference between the BAT in the TSC assistance information for the target application and the actual reception timing of the first packet of the data burst.

The base station 30 can provide the measurement results of the first differential measurement to the UPF 520 via reference point N3.

In step S702, the server 10 can acquire the QoS monitoring measurement results for the TSC assistance information in addition to the parameters of the first TSC assistance information and the parameters of the second TSC assistance information. Here, the QoS monitoring measurement results acquired by the server 10 are offset times relative to the BAT (burst arrival time). The server 10 acquires the measurement results for each of the multiple base stations 30.

For example, multiple base stations 30 (first base station 30 ₁ and second base station 30 ₂ ) acquire information on the BATs (first BAT and second BAT) and instruction information for measurements related to the BATs. The instruction information includes an instruction to measure the difference between the BAT and the timing of receiving a specified packet. The specified packet is, for example, the first packet of a data burst. Each of the multiple base stations 30 performs measurements based on the instruction information.

The server 10 then acquires the measurement results of the first base station _30-1 and the second base station _30-2 as QoS monitoring measurement results. Here, the measurement result of the first base station _30-1 is, for example, a first offset time indicating the difference between the first BAT of the first TSC assistance information and the actual reception timing of the first packet of the data burst. Also, the measurement result of the second base station _30-2 is, for example, a second offset time indicating the difference between the second BAT of the second TSC assistance information and the actual reception timing of the first packet of the data burst.

In step S703, the server 10 may calculate the offset of the reception timing of the first packet of the data burst (the relative delay shown in Figure 2 or Figure 18) from the first BAT of the first TSC support information, the second BAT of the second TSC support information, the QoS monitoring measurement results for the first TSC support information (e.g., the first offset time), and the QoS monitoring measurement results for the second TSC support information (e.g., the second offset time).

The server 10 may then determine an adjustment parameter between the base stations 30, taking the calculated offset into consideration. The server 10 may then perform adaptive cooperative control based on the determined adjustment parameter. Specifically, the server 10 may change either the first transmission timing of data (XR content data) to be transmitted to the terminal device _40-1 or the second transmission timing of data (XR content data) to be transmitted to the terminal device _40-2 , based on the adjustment parameter. For example, the server 10 may control the second transmission timing relative to the first transmission timing, or may control the first transmission timing relative to the second transmission timing.

As a variation of this, in step S601 shown in FIG. 17, AF548 may request, as QoS monitoring, measurement of the difference between the BAT in the TSC assistance information and the actual reception timing of the last packet of the data burst (hereinafter referred to as second difference measurement). In this case, server 10 can calculate the offset of the reception timing of the last packet of the data burst in step S703.

Here, AF548 can include information in the QoS monitoring request indicating whether it is a request for a first differential measurement or a request for a second differential measurement.

TSCTSF551 can also include burst delivery deadline information in the TSC support information. When AF548 requests measurement of the reception timing of the last packet, it may request measurement of the difference between the burst delivery deadline in the TSC support information and the reception timing of the last packet of the actual data burst as QoS monitoring. Here, if the TSC support information does not include a burst delivery deadline, AF548 may set the burst delivery deadline to the time obtained by adding the BAT in the TSC support information to the lifetime.

Note that the server 10 can perform the above processing for each media flow that makes up the multimodal flow.

<5-2-3. Other Modifications of the First Embodiment>
The modifications of the first embodiment are not limited to the modifications described above.

For example, in the first embodiment described above, an example of a base station 30 connected to different user plane processing functions within the same PLMN operator was shown, but this embodiment is not limited to this.

For example, the process of this embodiment can be applied to base stations 30 that belong to different registration areas within the same PLMN operator. For example, a first base station _30-1 of the plurality of base stations 30 may belong to a first registration area, and a second base station _30-2 of the plurality of base stations 30 may belong to a second registration area.

The process of this embodiment can also be applied to base stations 30 that belong to different Tracking Area Identities (TAIs) within the same PLMN operator. For example, a first base station _30-1 of the plurality of base stations 30 may belong to a first TAI, and a second base station _30-2 of the plurality of base stations 30 may belong to a second TAI.

In step S601 shown in FIG. 17, AF 548 can include in the AF request a target specification for the TSC assistance information parameters to be included in the message of step S701. For example, AF 548 may transmit target specification information for reporting BAT (burst arrival time) information to NEF 542. This target specification information may be transmitted by server 10 to the core network CN.

The targets to be specified (targets of the parameters of the TSC assistance information) are different user plane processing functions to which the base stations 30 corresponding to the reported BATs are connected. For example, a first BAT for the first base station _30-1 connected to the above-mentioned first user plane processing function and a second BAT for the second base station _30-2 connected to the second user plane processing function are reported.

Here, if multiple base stations 30 are connected to the first user plane processing function and/or the second user plane processing function, respectively, the NEF 542 may report statistical values of multiple BATs for the multiple base stations 30 as the first BAT and/or the second BAT. For example, if multiple base stations 30 are connected to the first user plane processing function, the NEF 542 may report statistical values of multiple BATs for the multiple base stations 30 as the first BAT. Alternatively, if multiple base stations 30 are connected to the second user plane processing function, the NEF 542 may report statistical values of multiple BATs for the multiple base stations 30 as the second BAT.

The statistical value may be, for example, at least one of the maximum, minimum, average, and standard deviation of the arrival times of multiple bursts. Here, the AF 548 or the server 10 may include an indication in the AF request as to which statistical value to include.

Furthermore, the specified target (the target of the TSC support information parameters) may be a base station 30 belonging to a different registration area or TAI.

Similarly, in step S601 shown in FIG. 17, AF 548 can include in the AF request a designation of the target of the QoS monitoring measurement results to be included in the message of step S701. For example, AF 548 may transmit to NEF 542 designation information of the target related to the report of QoS monitoring measurement result information. This designation information of the target may also be transmitted by server 10 to the core network CN.

The designated target (target of the QoS monitoring measurement result) is a different user plane processing function to which the base station 30 performing the first difference measurement is connected. For example, a first measurement result of the first base station _30-1 connected to the first user plane processing function and a second measurement result of the second base station _30-2 connected to the second user plane processing function are reported. Here, the first measurement result of the first base station _30-1 is, for example, the difference between the first BAT and the actual reception timing of the first packet of the data burst. Also, the second measurement result of the second base station _30-2 is, for example, the difference between the second BAT and the actual reception timing of the first packet of the data burst.

Here, if multiple base stations 30 are connected to the first user plane processing function and/or the second user plane processing function, the NEF 542 may report statistics of multiple measurement results for the multiple base stations 30 as the first measurement result and/or the second measurement result. For example, if multiple base stations 30 are connected to the first user plane processing function, the NEF 542 may report statistics of multiple measurement results for the multiple base stations 30 as the first measurement result. Alternatively, if multiple base stations 30 are connected to the second user plane processing function, the NEF 542 may report statistics of multiple measurement results for the multiple base stations 30 as the second measurement result.

The statistical value may be, for example, at least one of the maximum, minimum, average, and standard deviation of multiple measurement results. Here, the AF 548 or server 10 may include an instruction in the AF request as to which statistical value to include.

Furthermore, the designated target (target of QoS monitoring measurement results) may be a base station 30 belonging to a different registration area, or a base station 30 belonging to a different TAI.

Furthermore, the server 10 can distribute some or all of its processing to an edge application server (not shown). In this case, the Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Notify message obtained in step S701 can include multiple different TSC assistance information parameters provided to base stations 30 connected to different user planes to which different DNAIs (Data Network Access Identifiers) are assigned. Here, the server 10 and its connection to the edge application server can be identified by the DNAIs.

In step S705, the server 10 can change either the first transmission timing of data (XR content data) to be transmitted to the terminal device _40-1 or the second transmission timing of data (XR content data) to be transmitted to the terminal device _40-2 as adaptive cooperative control using adjustment parameters between the base stations 30 connected to different user planes to which different DNAIs are assigned. For example, the server 10 instructs an edge application server (first edge application server or second edge application server) connected to different user planes to which different DNAIs are assigned to change either the first transmission timing or the second transmission timing.

Here, in step S703, the server 10 can calculate the offset in timing for receiving the first/last packet of the data burst based on the first BAT of the first TSC support information, the second BAT of the second TSC support information, the QoS monitoring measurement results for the first TSC support information, and the QoS monitoring measurement results for the second TSC support information.

Note that the packets mentioned above and below can be interpreted as PDUs (Protocol Data Units) or PDU sets. Also, the data bursts mentioned above and below can be interpreted as PDU sets.

<5-3. Second Example>
Next, the operation of the communication system 1 according to the second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the server 10 (e.g., application server) controls the timing of data transmission according to the control of the AF 548. In the second embodiment, it is assumed that multiple users are in different PLMN operator environments.

Figure 20 shows another example of a transmission timing adaptation control procedure. More specifically, Figure 20 shows a transmission timing control procedure for data burst distribution to multiple users in different PLMN operator environments. Here, the multiple users are users who use terminal devices 40 included in a multi-member. A multi-member is a set of terminal devices 40 identified by the list of addresses described above.

In the second embodiment, the server 10 provides the same XR media distribution service to a user U1 using a terminal device 40 ₁ and a user U2 using a terminal device 40 _2. In the second embodiment, it is assumed that the user U1 is in an environment of a first PLMN operator, and the user U2 is in an environment of a second PLMN operator different from the first PLMN operator.

Here, XR media (XR media content) may be a competitive game or the metaverse. Of course, XR media may also be other XR media content. Here, XR media (XR media content) is composed of data in the form of data bursts. Furthermore, XR media (XR media content) may be composed of the above-mentioned multimodal flow. In the second embodiment, XR media or XR media content may also be referred to as XR content.

First, the AF 548 receives an Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Notify_1 message via the NEF _542-1 of the first PLMN operator according to the procedure shown in Figure 16 or 17 (step S801). This Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Notify_1 message includes a parameter of the first TSC support information of the first PLMN operator. The process of step S801 corresponds to the process of step S508 in Figure 16 or the process of step S611 in Figure 17.

16 or 17, the AF 548 receives an Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Notify_2 message via the NEF 542 ₂ of the second PLMN operator (step S802). This Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Notify_1 message includes a parameter of the second TSC support information of the second PLMN operator. The process of step S801 corresponds to the process of step S508 in FIG. 16 or the process of step S611 in FIG. 17.

The AF 548 provides the server 10 with parameters of the first TSC support information of the first PLMN operator and parameters of the second TSC support information of the second PLMN operator (step S803). The TSC support information (first TSC support information and second TSC support information) includes information on BATs (Burst Arrival Times) provided to each of the multiple PLMN operators. The first BAT information is included in the first TSC support information notified to the first base station _30-1 , and the second BAT information is included in the second TSC support information notified to the second base station _30-2 .

Here, a terminal device ₄₀₁ of a user U1 in a first PLMN operator environment is connected to a first base station ₃₀₁ , and a terminal device ₄₀₂ of a user U2 in a second PLMN operator environment is connected to a second base station _302. The server 10 obtains a first BAT for the first PLMN operator from the first TSC assistance information. These base stations 30 are connected to different user plane processing functions of the same PLMN operator, for example. For example, the first base station ₃₀₁ is connected to a first user plane processing function of the first PLMN operator, and the second base station ₃₀₂ is connected to a second user plane processing function of the second PLMN operator.

The server 10 obtains a first BAT for a first PLMN operator (e.g., the first base station 30 ₁ ) from the first TSC support information, and obtains a second BAT for a second PLMN operator (e.g., the second base station 30 ₂ ) from the second TSC support information, and then calculates an offset between the first BAT for the first PLMN operator and the second BAT for the second PLMN operator (step S804).

The server 10 determines the adjustment parameters between the operators, taking into account the calculated offset (step S805).

The server 10 performs adaptive cooperative control based on the adjustment parameters determined in step S805. The server 10 controls the transmission timing of data transmitted from the server 10 (e.g., application server). Specifically, the server 10 changes either the first transmission timing of data (XR content data) transmitted to the terminal device _40-1 or the second transmission timing of data (XR content data) transmitted to the terminal device _40-2 based on the adjustment parameters (step S806).

For example, suppose the offset calculated in step S804 indicates that the second BAT is later in time than the first BAT. In this case, the server 10 delays the first transmission timing by the offset.

On the other hand, suppose the offset calculated in step S804 indicates that the second BAT is earlier in time than the first BAT. In this case, the server 10 delays the second transmission timing by the offset.

Note that the server 10 can perform the above processing for each media flow that makes up the multimodal flow.

The above processing makes it possible to eliminate degradation in QoE caused by differences in BAT between base stations 30 (e.g., between base stations 30 belonging to different PLMN operators), even when providing XR media distribution services to multiple users in different PLMN operator environments.

<5-3-2. Modification of the transmission timing control process of the second embodiment>
The above-described transmission timing control process can be modified in various ways.

For example, AF548 can transmit a request for QoS monitoring in step S601 of FIG. 17. Specifically, AF548 can request, as QoS monitoring, measurement of the difference between the BAT in the TSC assistance information and the actual reception timing of the first packet of the data burst (hereinafter referred to as the first difference measurement).

In step S604, upon receiving this QoS monitoring request, PCF 545 generates a QoS monitoring request policy for the QoS flow of the target application.

In step S206 shown in FIG. 13A, the SMF 546 obtains the QoS monitoring request policy from the PCF 545. Then, the SMF 546 sets a first differential measurement in the base station 30 via steps S210 and S211. The first differential measurement is a measurement of the difference between the BAT in the TSC assistance information for the target application and the actual reception timing of the first packet of the data burst.

The base station 30 can provide the measurement results of the first differential measurement to the UPF 520 via reference point N3.

For example, in step S803, the server 10 can acquire the QoS monitoring measurement results for the TSC assistance information in addition to the parameters of the first TSC assistance information and the parameters of the second TSC assistance information. Here, the QoS monitoring measurement results acquired by the server 10 are offset times relative to the BAT (burst arrival time). The server 10 acquires the measurement results for each of the multiple base stations 30.

For example, multiple base stations 30 (first base station 30 ₁ and second base station 30 ₂ ) acquire information on the BATs (first BAT and second BAT) and instruction information for measurements related to the BATs. The instruction information includes an instruction to measure the difference between the BAT and the timing of receiving a specified packet. The specified packet is, for example, the first packet of a data burst. Each of the multiple base stations 30 performs measurements based on the instruction information.

The server 10 then acquires the measurement results of the first base station ₃₀₁ and the second base station ₃₀₂ as QoS monitoring measurement results. Here, the measurement result of the first base station ₃₀₁ is, for example, a first offset time indicating the difference between the first BAT of the first TSC assistance information and the actual reception timing of the first packet of the data burst. Also, the measurement result of the second base station 302 is, for example, a second offset time indicating the difference between the second BAT of the second TSC assistance information and the actual reception timing of the first packet of the data burst.

In step S804, the server 10 may calculate the offset (relative delay shown in Figure 2 or Figure 18) of the reception timing of the first packet of the data burst from the first BAT of the first TSC support information, the second BAT of the second TSC support information, the QoS monitoring measurement results for the first TSC support information, and the QoS monitoring measurement results for the second TSC support information.

The server 10 may then determine an adjustment parameter between the base stations 30, taking the calculated offset into consideration. Then, adaptive cooperative control may be performed based on the determined adjustment parameter. Specifically, the server 10 may change either the first transmission timing of data (XR content data) to be transmitted to the terminal device _40-1 or the second transmission timing of data (XR content data) to be transmitted to the terminal device _40-2 , based on the adjustment parameter. For example, the server 10 may control the second transmission timing relative to the first transmission timing, or may control the first transmission timing relative to the second transmission timing.

As a variation of this, in step S601 shown in FIG. 17, AF548 may request, as QoS monitoring, measurement of the difference between the BAT in the TSC assistance information and the actual reception timing of the last packet of the data burst (hereinafter referred to as second difference measurement). In this case, server 10 can calculate the offset of the reception timing of the last packet of the data burst in step S804.

Here, AF548 can include information in the QoS monitoring request indicating whether it is a request for a first differential measurement or a request for a second differential measurement.

TSCTSF551 can also include burst delivery deadline information in the TSC support information. When AF548 requests measurement of the reception timing of the last packet, it may request measurement of the difference between the burst delivery deadline in the TSC support information and the reception timing of the last packet of the actual data burst as QoS monitoring. Here, if the TSC support information does not include a burst delivery deadline, AF548 may set the burst delivery deadline to the time obtained by adding the BAT in the TSC support information to the lifetime.

Note that the server 10 can perform the above processing for each media flow that makes up the multimodal flow.

<5-3-3. Other Modifications of the Second Embodiment>
The modifications of the second embodiment are not limited to the modifications described above.

Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, an example of a base station 30 connected to different user plane processing functions of different PLMN operators was shown, but this embodiment is not limited to this.

For example, the process of this embodiment can be applied to base stations 30 that belong to different registration areas. For example, a first base station _30-1 of the plurality of base stations 30 may belong to a first registration area, and a second base station _30-2 of the plurality of base stations 30 may belong to a second registration area.

The process of this embodiment can also be applied to base stations 30 that belong to different Tracking Area Identities (TAIs). For example, a first base station _30-1 of the plurality of base stations 30 may belong to a first TAI, and a second base station _30-2 of the plurality of base stations 30 may belong to a second TAI.

In step S601 shown in FIG. 17, AF 548 can include in the AF request a target specification for the TSC assistance information parameters to be included in the message in step S801 and/or step S802. For example, AF 548 may transmit target specification information for reporting BAT (burst arrival time) information to NEF 542. This target specification information may be transmitted by server 10 to the core network CN.

The targets to be specified (targets of the parameters of the TSC assistance information) are different user plane processing functions to which the base stations 30 corresponding to the reported BATs are connected. For example, a first BAT for the first base station _30-1 connected to the above-mentioned first user plane processing function and a second BAT for the second base station _30-2 connected to the second user plane processing function are reported.

Here, if multiple base stations 30 are connected to the first user plane processing function and/or the second user plane processing function, the NEF 542 may report statistics of multiple BATs for the multiple base stations 30 as the first BAT and/or the second BAT. For example, if multiple base stations 30 are connected to the first user plane processing function, the NEF 542 may report statistics of multiple BATs for the multiple base stations 30 as the first BAT. Alternatively, if multiple base stations 30 are connected to the second user plane processing function, the NEF 542 may report statistics of multiple BATs for the multiple base stations 30 as the second BAT.

The statistical value may be, for example, at least one of the maximum, minimum, average, and standard deviation of the arrival times of multiple bursts. Here, the AF 548 or the server 10 may include an indication in the AF request as to which statistical value to include.

Furthermore, the specified target (the target of the TSC support information parameters) may be a base station 30 belonging to a different registration area or TAI.

Similarly, in step S601 shown in FIG. 17, AF 548 can include in the AF request a designation of the target of the QoS monitoring measurement results to be included in the message of step S801 and/or step S802. For example, AF 548 may transmit to NEF 542 designation information of the target related to the report of QoS monitoring measurement result information. This designation information of the target may be transmitted by server 10 to the core network CN.

The designated target (target of the QoS monitoring measurement result) is a different user plane processing function to which the base station 30 performing the first difference measurement is connected. For example, a first measurement result of the first base station _30-1 connected to the first user plane processing function and a second measurement result of the second base station _30-2 connected to the second user plane processing function are reported. Here, the first measurement result of the first base station _30-1 is, for example, the difference between the first BAT and the actual reception timing of the first packet of the data burst. Also, the second measurement result of the second base station _30-2 is, for example, the difference between the second BAT and the actual reception timing of the first packet of the data burst.

Here, if multiple base stations 30 are connected to the first user plane processing function and/or the second user plane processing function, the NEF 542 may report statistics of multiple measurement results for the multiple base stations 30 as the first measurement result and the second measurement result. For example, if multiple base stations 30 are connected to the first user plane processing function, the NEF 542 may report statistics of multiple measurement results for the multiple base stations 30 as the first measurement result. Alternatively, if multiple base stations 30 are connected to the second user plane processing function, the NEF 542 may report statistics of multiple measurement results for the multiple base stations 30 as the second measurement result.

The statistical value may be, for example, at least one of the maximum, minimum, average, and standard deviation of multiple measurement results. Here, the AF 548 or server 10 may include an instruction in the AF request as to which statistical value to include.

Furthermore, the designated target (target of QoS monitoring measurement results) may be a base station 30 belonging to a different registration area, or a base station 30 belonging to a different TAI.

Furthermore, the server 10 can distribute some or all of its processing to an edge application server (not shown). In this case, the Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Notify message obtained in step S801 and/or step S802 can include multiple different TSC assistance information parameters provided to base stations 30 connected to different user planes to which different DNAIs (Data Network Access Identifiers) are assigned. Here, the server 10 and its connection to the edge application server can be identified by the DNAIs.

In step S806, the server 10 can change either the first transmission timing of data (XR content data) to be transmitted to the terminal device _40-1 or the second transmission timing of data (XR content data) to be transmitted to the terminal device _40-2 as adaptive cooperative control using adjustment parameters between the base stations 30 connected to different user planes to which different DNAIs are assigned. For example, the server 10 instructs an edge application server (first edge application server or second edge application server) connected to different user planes to which different DNAIs are assigned to change either the first transmission timing or the second transmission timing.

Here, in step S804, the server 10 can calculate the offset in timing for receiving the first/last packet of the data burst based on the first BAT of the first TSC support information, the second BAT of the second TSC support information, the QoS monitoring measurement results for the first TSC support information, and the QoS monitoring measurement results for the second TSC support information.

Note that the packets mentioned above and below can be interpreted as PDUs (Protocol Data Units) or PDU sets. Also, the data bursts mentioned above and below can be interpreted as PDU sets.

In addition, various modifications shown in the first embodiment (for example, the modifications shown in <5-2-2> and <5-2-3>) can be applied to the communication system 1 of the second embodiment.

<5-4. Third Example>
As described above, a time difference occurs in the reception timing of data bursts between multiple base stations 30 (for example, between base stations 30 connected to different user plane processing functions, or between base stations 30 belonging to different registration areas, TAIs, or PLMN operators). In the above-described embodiment, a process for improving QoE degradation due to this time difference in reception timing was described. However, the time difference in reception timing that is acceptable for ensuring QoE is considered to differ depending on the application.

In the third embodiment, the AF 548 requests the PCF 545 to monitor the allowable time difference in the reception timing of data bursts for each application via the AF request shown in FIG. 15. In the third embodiment, if the time difference in the reception timing of a data burst exceeds the allowable time difference, the AF 548 is provided with the information necessary to calculate the time difference in the reception timing.

FIG. 21 shows an example of a process for notifying monitoring results. More specifically, FIG. 21 shows a process for notifying monitoring results regarding the time difference between the reception timings of data bursts.

In order to use the EventExposure_Subscribe service provided by SMF546, PCF545 sends an Nsmf_EventExposure_Subscribe message to SMF546 in step S206 shown in FIG. 13A (step S901). This Nsmf_EventExposure_Subscribe message includes a monitoring request regarding the allowable time difference for the target application (the allowable time difference regarding the time difference in the reception timing of data bursts) and an event setting for reporting. Here, the monitoring request regarding the allowable time difference can be identified by the application identifier. Furthermore, the reception timing of the data burst is, for example, BAT.

SMF546 receives the Nsmf_EventExposure_Subscribe message (a monitoring request for the allowable time difference and an event setting for reporting). The Nsmf_EventExposure_Subscribe message includes a monitoring request for the allowable time difference and an event setting for reporting. Upon receiving this message, SMF546 sets this monitoring and event setting for the PDU session to be established (step S902). Here, the monitoring request for the allowable time difference includes a condition indicating that it targets different PDU sessions established between different user plane processing functions, for example.

SMF546 performs monitoring for two or more PDU sessions established between different user plane processing functions (step S903). Then, SMF546 determines whether the time difference between the reception timings of the data bursts is within the allowable time difference (step S904).

If the SMF 546 determines that the time difference in the timing of receiving the data bursts is not within the allowable time difference, it sends a notification to the PCF 545 indicating that the time difference in the timing of receiving the data bursts is not within the allowable time difference, as a notification of the Nsmf_EventExposure_Subscribe service registered in step S901 (step S905). This notification is made using an Nsmf_EventExposure_Notify message.

Upon receiving the notification indicating that the time difference between the reception timings of the data bursts is not within the allowable time difference, the PCF 545 notifies the AF 548 of information relating to the time difference between the reception timings of the data bursts (steps S906 to S908). The information relating to the time difference between the reception timings of the data bursts is, for example, information on the first BAT for the first base station _30.sub.1 connected to the first user plane processing function and information on the second BAT for the second base station _30.sub.2 connected to the second user plane processing function. This processing is similar to steps S609 to S611 shown in FIG. 17.

Furthermore, when setting up an event for reporting, the PCF 545 can specify "AF 548 via NEF 542" as the report destination. In other words, the PCF 545 can set an event to the SMF 546 that specifies "AF 548 via NEF 542" as the report destination in the EventExposure_Subscribe service provided by the SMF 546. In this case, instead of sending a notification to the PCF 545 in step S905 indicating that the time difference in the reception timing of the data burst is not within the allowable time difference, the SMF 546 can notify the AF 548 using the service provided by the NEF 542.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned conditions included in the monitoring request regarding the allowable time difference are not limited to those that target different PDU sessions established between different user plane processing functions. The monitoring request regarding the allowable time difference may include, for example, a condition indicating that it targets PDU sessions via base stations 30 connected to different user planes to which different DNAIs (Data Network Access Identifiers) are assigned. Here, the server 10 can distribute some or all of the processing to an edge application server (not shown). In this case, the server 10 and its connection with the edge application server can be identified by the DNAI.

Alternatively, the monitoring request regarding the allowable time difference may include a condition indicating that the PDU session is via a base station 30 that belongs to a different registration area. Alternatively, the monitoring request regarding the allowable time difference may include a condition indicating that the PDU session is via a base station 30 that belongs to a different TAI (Tracking Area Identity).

Note that the server 10 can perform the above processing for each media flow that makes up the multimodal flow.

The above processing enables adaptive control of media delivery according to the application when different QoEs are required for each application.

Furthermore, the data burst in the above embodiment may be a unit of a PDU set.

<5-5. Fourth Example>
In the above-described embodiments (first to third embodiments), the server 10 (e.g., application server) controlled the data transmission timing. For example, in the example of FIG. 19 , the server 10 changed either the first transmission timing or the second transmission timing of the XR content data in step S705. However, the data transmission timing may be controlled by a user plane processing function (e.g., UPF 520) rather than the server 10.

For example, the AF 548 provides the adjustment parameter calculated in step S703 of Fig. 19 or step S804 of Fig. 20 to the NEF 542. Then, the UPF 520 may use this adjustment parameter to change _either the first transmission timing of the data (XR content data) transmitted from the UPF 520 to the terminal device _40-1 or the second transmission timing of the data (XR content data) transmitted from the UPF 520 to the terminal device 40-2.

For example, instead of the Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Create request message of step S501 in FIG. 16, AF548 sends an Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Update request message to NEF542. This Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Update request message includes the adjustment parameters calculated in step S703/step S804.

Instead of the Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create request message of step S503, the PCF 545 receives an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Update request message from the NEF 542. This Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Update request message includes the adjustment parameters calculated in step S703/step S804. Upon receiving the Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Update request message, the PCF 545 uses the adjustment parameters included in the message to generate or update a policy for controlling the transmission timing of data (XR content data).

The PCF 545 can provide the SMF 546 with a policy for controlling transmission timing via the SM policy association established in step S206 shown in FIG. 13A.

The SMF 546 sets the control of transmission timing using adjustment parameters in the UPF 520 as an N4 rule. Here, the Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Update request message may include instructions for controlling transmission timing in the UPF 520 in addition to the adjustment parameters.

For example, assume that the adjustment parameter calculated in step S703/step S804 is based on an offset between the first BAT for the first base station _30-1 connected to the first user plane processing function and the second BAT for the second base station _30-2 connected to the second user plane processing function. In this case, the SMF 546 sets transmission timing control for the first UPF _520-1 , which is the first user plane processing function, or the second UPF _520-2 , which is the second user plane processing function. Here, assume that the transmission timing control is control to delay the first transmission timing of data (XR content data) transmitted from the first UPF _520-1 based on the adjustment parameter. In this case, the SMF 546 sets transmission timing control for the first UPF _520-1 . On the other hand, assume that the transmission timing control is control to delay the second transmission timing of data (XR content data) transmitted from the second UPF _520-2 based on the adjustment parameter. In this case, the SMF 546 sets the control of the transmission timing to the second UPF 520 ₂ .

Similarly, assume that the adjustment parameter calculated in step S703/step S804 is based on an offset between a first BAT for a first base station _30-1 connected to a first user plane to which a first DNAI (Data Network Access Identifier) is assigned and a second BAT for a second base station _30-2 connected to a second user plane to which a second DNAI is assigned. In this case, the SMF 546 sets the above-mentioned transmission timing control to the first UPF _520-1 connected to the first user plane to which the first DNAI is assigned or the second UPF _520-2 connected to the second user plane to which the second DNAI is assigned. Here, the server 10 can distribute part or all of the processing to an edge application server (not shown). The server 10 and the connection with the edge application server can be identified by the DNAI.

For example, assume that the adjustment parameters calculated in step S703/step S804 are based on an offset between a first BAT for the first base station _30-1 belonging to a first registration area and a second BAT for the second base station _30-2 belonging to a second registration area. In this case, the transmission timing control set in the UPF 520 includes information specifying the registration area to be controlled (i.e., the first registration area or the second registration area). The UPF 520 set with the transmission timing control delays the transmission timing of data (XR content data) transmitted via the base station 30 belonging to the specified registration area (i.e., the first registration area or the second registration area) based on the adjustment parameters.

Similarly, it is assumed that the adjustment parameters calculated in step S703/step S804 are based on an offset between a first BAT for the first base station _30-1 belonging to a first Tracking Area Identity (TAI) and a second BAT for the second base station _30-2 belonging to a second TAI. In this case, the transmission timing control set in the UPF 520 includes information specifying the TAI to be controlled (i.e., the first TAI or the second TAI). The UPF 520 set with the transmission timing control delays the transmission timing of data (XR content data) transmitted via the base station 30 belonging to the specified TAI (i.e., the first TAI or the second TAI) based on the adjustment parameters.

Furthermore, the adjustment parameters calculated in steps S703 and S804 may include the results of the QoS monitoring obtained in steps S702 and S803. The results of the QoS monitoring may be, for example, the difference between the BAT of the TSC assistance information measured by the base station 30 and the timing at which the first packet of the actual data burst is received.

Furthermore, instead of setting the UPF 520 to control the transmission timing using the adjustment parameters, the SMF 546 may set the base station 30 to control the transmission timing using the adjustment parameters via N2SM information. Here, the Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Update request message may include, in addition to the adjustment parameters, an instruction to control the transmission timing at the base station 30.

The SMF 546 may use the adjustment parameters acquired from the AF 548 via the NEF 542 to control the transmission timing of data transmitted from the base station 30. For example, the SMF 546 may use the adjustment parameters to instruct to change either the first transmission timing of data (XR content data) transmitted from the first base station _30-1 to the terminal device _40-1 or the second transmission timing of data (XR content data) transmitted from the second base station _30-2 to the terminal device _40-2 .

For example, assume that the adjustment parameter calculated in step S703/step S804 is based on an offset between the first BAT for the first base station _30-1 connected to the first user plane processing function and the second BAT for the second base station _30-2 connected to the second user plane processing function. In this case, the SMF 546 sets transmission timing control in the first base station _30-1 or the second base station _30-2 . Here, assume that the transmission timing control is control to delay the first transmission timing of data (XR content data) to be transmitted from the first base station _30-1 based on the adjustment parameter. In this case, the SMF 546 sets transmission timing control in the first base station _30-1 . On the other hand, if the transmission timing control is control to delay the second transmission timing of data (XR content data) to be transmitted from the second base station _30-2 based on the adjustment parameter, the SMF 546 sets transmission timing control in the second base station _30-2 .

Similarly, assume that the adjustment parameter calculated in step S703/step S804 is based on an offset between a first BAT for the first base station _30-1 connected to a first user plane to which a first DNAI is assigned and a second BAT for the second base station _30-2 connected to a second user plane to which a second DNAI is assigned. In this case, the SMF 546 sets the above-mentioned transmission timing control in the first base station _30-1 or the second base station _30-2 . Here, the server 10 can distribute part or all of the processing to an edge application server (not shown). The server 10 and the connection with the edge application server can be identified by the DNAI.

For example, assume that the adjustment parameters calculated in step S703/step S804 are based on an offset between the first BAT for the first base station ₃₀₁ belonging to the first registration area and the second BAT for the second base station ₃₀₂ belonging to the second registration area. In this case, the transmission timing control requested to the SMF 546 includes information specifying the registration area to be controlled (i.e., the first registration area or the second registration area). The SMF 546 that has been requested to control the transmission timing sets the base station 30 belonging to the specified registration area (i.e., the first registration area or the second registration area) to delay the transmission timing of data (XR content data) based on the adjustment parameters.

Similarly, it is assumed that the adjustment parameters calculated in step S703/step S804 are based on an offset between the first BAT for the first base station ₃₀₁ belonging to the first Tracking Area Identity (TAI) and the second BAT for the second base station ₃₀₂ belonging to the second TAI. In this case, the transmission timing control requested to the SMF 546 includes information specifying the TAI to be controlled (i.e., the first TAI or the second TAI). The SMF 546 that has been requested to control the transmission timing sets the base station 30 belonging to the specified TAI (i.e., the first TAI or the second TAI) to delay the transmission timing of data (XR content data) based on the adjustment parameters.

Note that the server 10 can make the above request for each media flow that makes up the multimodal flow using one or more messages.

The AF 548 can provide the PCF 545 with a Multi-modal Service ID using a service provided by the NEF 542, such as the Nnef_AfsessionWithQoS service, to explicitly notify that the application's traffic is related to a multi-modal service.

Services such as Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Create provided by NEF542 may optionally include a multi-modal service requirement. A multi-modal service requirement includes, for example, information related to multiple media flows handled by a multi-modal application.

Here, the information regarding the multiple media flows may include information regarding the flow direction of each media flow, i.e., uplink or downlink. Furthermore, the information regarding the multiple media flows may include the number of media flows for each flow direction.

Information related to multiple media flows may include the QoS ID requested for each media flow, for example, 5QI information.

The information regarding the multiple media flows may include a requirement for time synchronization between the multiple uplink media flows.

The information regarding the multiple media flows may include a requirement for time synchronization between the multiple downlink media flows.

The time synchronization requirement is, for example, the allowable time difference between the timing of receiving data bursts among multiple media flows. Here, the media flow may be the data flow described above.

The above processing makes it possible to eliminate degradation in QoE caused by differences in BAT between base stations 30 (for example, between base stations 30 connected to different user plane processing functions, or between base stations 30 belonging to different registration areas or TAIs), even when providing an XR media distribution service to multiple users.

<5-6. Fifth Example>
In the above-described embodiments (first to third embodiments), the server 10 (e.g., application server) controlled the data transmission timing. For example, in the examples of FIGS. 19 and 20, the server 10 changed either the first transmission timing or the second transmission timing of the XR content data in step S705/step S806. However, the server 10 may request the core network CN/base station 30 to control the data transmission timing in advance.

For example, instead of changing either the first transmission timing or the second transmission timing, the server 10 may request the NEF 542 to cooperatively control the transmission timing in the UPF 520 in advance using the Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Create request message in step S501/step S601 of Figures 16/17.

In steps S501 and S601, AF548 sends an Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Create request message to NEF542. This Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Create request message includes an instruction for cooperative control of transmission timing in UPF520.

In step S503, the PCF 545 receives an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create request message via the NEF 542. Alternatively, in step S604, the PCF 545 receives an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create request message via the NEF 542 and the TSCTSF 551. This Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create request message includes an instruction for cooperative control of transmission timing in the UPF 520. Upon receiving the Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create request message, the PCF 545 generates a policy for cooperative control of transmission timing in the UPF 520.

The PCF 545 can provide the SMF 546 with a policy for cooperative control of transmission timing in the UPF 520 via the SM policy association established in step S206 shown in FIG. 13A.

When cooperative control of transmission timing is configured in UPF 520, SMF 546 acquires the first BAT of the first TSC assistance information, the second BAT of the second TSC assistance information, the QoS monitoring measurement results for the first TSC assistance information, and the QoS monitoring measurement results for the second TSC assistance information. Then, based on this information, SMF 546 calculates the offset (relative delay shown in Figure 2 or Figure 18) of the timing for receiving the first packet of the data burst.

The offset calculated by SMF 546 is used as an adjustment parameter for cooperative control of transmission timing in UPF 520. SMF 546 sets the control of transmission timing using the adjustment parameter as an N4 rule in UPF 520.

For example, assume that the adjustment parameter calculated by the SMF 546 is due to an offset between a first BAT for the first base station _30-1 connected to the first user plane processing function and a second BAT for the second base station _30-2 connected to the second user plane processing function. In this case, the SMF 546 sets transmission timing control for the first UPF _520-1 , which is the first user plane processing function, or the second UPF _520-2 , which is the second user plane processing function. Here, assume that the transmission timing control is control to delay the first transmission timing of data (XR content data) to be transmitted from the first UPF _520-1 based on the adjustment parameter. In this case, the SMF 546 sets transmission timing control for the first UPF _520-1 . On the other hand, assume that the transmission timing control is control to delay the second transmission timing of data (XR content data) to be transmitted from the second UPF _520-2 based on the adjustment parameter. In this case, the SMF 546 assigns control of the transmission timing to the second UPF 520 _2. The control of delaying the transmission timing is realized, for example, by the UPF 520 buffering the data.

Similarly, assume that the adjustment parameter calculated by the SMF 546 is based on an offset between a first BAT for a first base station _30-1 connected to a first user plane to which a first DNAI (Data Network Access Identifier) is assigned and a second BAT for a second base station _30-2 connected to a second user plane to which a second DNAI is assigned. In this case, the SMF 546 sets the above-mentioned transmission timing control to the first UPF _520-1 connected to the first user plane to which the first DNAI is assigned, or the second UPF _520-2 connected to the second user plane to which the second DNAI is assigned. Here, the server 10 can distribute part or all of its processing to an edge application server (not shown). The server 10 and its connection to the edge application server can be identified by the DNAI.

For example, assume that the adjustment parameter calculated by the SMF 546 is based on an offset between a first BAT for the first base station _30-1 belonging to a first registration area and a second BAT for the second base station _30-2 belonging to a second registration area. In this case, the transmission timing control set in the UPF 520 includes information specifying the registration area to be controlled (i.e., the first registration area or the second registration area). The UPF 520 set with the transmission timing control delays the transmission timing of data (XR content data) transmitted via the base station 30 belonging to the specified registration area (i.e., the first registration area or the second registration area) based on the adjustment parameter.

Similarly, it is assumed that the adjustment parameter calculated by the SMF 546 is based on an offset between a first BAT for the first base station _30-1 belonging to a first Tracking Area Identity (TAI) and a second BAT for the second base station _30-2 belonging to a second TAI. In this case, the transmission timing control set in the UPF 520 includes information specifying the TAI to be controlled (i.e., the first TAI or the second TAI). The UPF 520 set with the transmission timing control delays the transmission timing of data (XR content data) transmitted via the base station 30 belonging to the specified TAI (i.e., the first TAI or the second TAI) based on the adjustment parameter.

In the above example, the server 10 previously requested the NEF 542 to perform coordinated control of the transmission timing at the UPF 520 using the Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Create request message in step S501/step S601 of Figure 16/Figure 17. Instead of cooperative control of the transmission timing at the UPF 520, the server 10 may also request the NEF 542 to perform coordinated control of the transmission timing at the base station 30.

In step S503, the PCF 545 receives an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create request message via the NEF 542. Alternatively, in step S604, the PCF 545 receives an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create request message via the NEF 542 and the TSCTSF 551. This Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create request message includes an instruction for cooperative control of transmission timing at the base station 30. Upon receiving the Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create request message, the PCF 545 generates a policy for cooperative control of transmission timing at the base station 30.

The PCF 545 can provide the SMF 546 with a policy for cooperative control of transmission timing at the base station 30 via the SM policy association established in step S206 shown in FIG. 13A.

When cooperative control of transmission timing is configured in base station 30, SMF 546 acquires the first BAT of the first TSC assistance information, the second BAT of the second TSC assistance information, the QoS monitoring measurement results for the first TSC assistance information, and the QoS monitoring measurement results for the second TSC assistance information. Then, based on this information, SMF 546 calculates the offset (relative delay shown in Figure 2 or Figure 18) of the timing for receiving the first packet of the data burst.

The offset calculated by SMF 546 is used as an adjustment parameter for cooperative control of transmission timing at base station 30. SMF 546 sets transmission timing control using the adjustment parameter in base station 30 via N2SM information.

For example, assume that the adjustment parameter calculated by the SMF 546 is due to an offset between a first BAT for the first base station _30-1 connected to the function processing the first user plane and a second BAT for the second base station _30-2 connected to the function processing the second user plane. In this case, the SMF 546 sets transmission timing control in the first base station _30-1 or the second base station _30-2 . Here, assume that the transmission timing control is control to delay the first transmission timing of data (XR content data) transmitted from the first base station _30-1 based on the adjustment parameter. In this case, the SMF 546 sets transmission timing control in the first base station _30-1 . On the other hand, assume that the transmission timing control is control to delay the second transmission timing of data (XR content data) transmitted from the second base station _30-2 based on the adjustment parameter. In this case, the SMF 546 sets transmission timing control in the second base station _30-2 . The control to delay the transmission timing is realized, for example, by the base station 30 buffering the data.

Similarly, assume that the adjustment parameter calculated by the SMF 546 is due to an offset between a first BAT for the first base station _30-1 connected to a first user plane to which a first DNAI is assigned and a second BAT for the second base station _30-2 connected to a second user plane to which a second DNAI is assigned. In this case, the SMF 546 sets the above-mentioned transmission timing control in the first base station _30-1 or the second base station _30-2 . Here, the server 10 can distribute part or all of the processing to an edge application server (not shown). The server 10 and the connection with the edge application server can be identified by the DNAI.

For example, assume that the adjustment parameter calculated by the SMF 546 is based on an offset between a first BAT for a first base station _30-1 belonging to a first registration area and a second BAT for a second base station _30-2 belonging to a second registration area. In this case, the transmission timing control set in the base station 30 includes information specifying the registration area to be controlled (i.e., the first registration area or the second registration area). The base station 30 for which the transmission timing control is set delays the transmission timing of data (XR content data) transmitted from the base station 30 belonging to the specified registration area (i.e., the first registration area or the second registration area) based on the adjustment parameter.

Similarly, assume that the adjustment parameter calculated by SMF 546 is based on an offset between a first BAT for a first base station _30-1 belonging to a first Tracking Area Identity (TAI) and a second BAT for a second base station _30-2 belonging to a second TAI. In this case, the transmission timing control set in the base station 30 includes information specifying the TAI to be controlled (i.e., the first TAI or the second TAI). The base station 30 for which transmission timing control is set delays the transmission timing of data (XR content data) transmitted from the base station 30 belonging to the specified TAI (i.e., the first TAI or the second TAI) based on the adjustment parameter.

Note that the server 10 can make the above request for each media flow that makes up the multimodal flow using one or more messages.

The AF 548 can provide the PCF 545 with a Multi-modal Service ID using a service provided by the NEF 542, such as the Nnef_AfsessionWithQoS service, to explicitly notify that the application's traffic is related to a multi-modal service.

Services such as Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Create provided by NEF542 may optionally include a multi-modal service requirement. A multi-modal service requirement includes, for example, information related to multiple media flows handled by a multi-modal application.

Here, the information regarding the multiple media flows may include information regarding the flow direction of each media flow, i.e., uplink or downlink. Furthermore, the information regarding the multiple media flows may include the number of media flows for each flow direction.

Information related to multiple media flows may include the QoS ID requested for each media flow, for example, 5QI information.

The information regarding the multiple media flows may include a requirement for time synchronization between the multiple uplink media flows.

The information regarding the multiple media flows may include a requirement for time synchronization between the multiple downlink media flows.

The time synchronization requirement is, for example, the allowable time difference between the timing of receiving data bursts among multiple media flows. Here, the media flow may be the data flow described above.

Figure 22 shows an example of cooperative control processing of transmission timing according to the allowable time difference.

The Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Create request message of step S501/step S601 may include information related to the allowable time difference. SMF 546 obtains this information related to the allowable time difference from AF 548 via NEF 542 (step S1001).

The SMF 546 monitors the offset (relative delay shown in Figure 2 or Figure 18) in the timing of receiving the first packet of a data burst between any of the terminal devices 40 in the set of terminal devices 40 that make up the multi-member (step S1002). The SMF 546 then determines whether the offset is within the allowable time difference (step S1003).

If the offset is determined to be within the allowable time difference (step S1003: Yes), the SMF 546 returns processing to step S1002.

If the offset exceeds the allowable time difference (step S1003: No), the SMF 546 acquires information regarding the route of the data burst to the target terminal device 40 (step S1004).

SMF546 identifies the node to instruct to control the transmission timing based on information related to the data burst route (step S1005).

For example, suppose that the target terminal devices 40 are each connected to a different UPF 520. In this case, the SMF 546 identifies the UPF 520 as the node that will instruct control of the transmission timing.

For example, suppose the target terminal devices 40 are connected to the same UPF 520, but are connected to base stations 30 that belong to different registration areas or tracking area identities (TAIs). In this case, the SMF 546 identifies the UPF 520 or base station 30 as the node that will instruct control of transmission timing.

The SMF 546 instructs the identified node to control the transmission timing using the method described above (step S1006). Once the instruction is complete, the SMF 546 terminates processing.

The above processing can also achieve the same effects as in the fourth embodiment. In addition, it is possible to reduce the signaling load required to disclose various information (e.g., parameters of multiple different TSC assistance information and measurement results of differences) to AF548.

<<6. Modified Examples>>
The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and various modifications and applications are possible.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the server 10 is a third-party AF (Application Function) located outside the core network CN. However, the server 10 is not limited to this example. For example, the server 10 may be an AF (e.g., AF548) located within the core network CN. Furthermore, the server 10 does not have to be a server that includes a third-party AF. The server 10 may be a server that includes an AF provided by a PLMN operator that manages the core network CN.

Furthermore, the server 10 may have the functions possessed by the AF548 in the above-described embodiment. In this case, the above-described description of "AF548" can be replaced with "server 10." Furthermore, the AF548 may have the functions possessed by the server 10 in the above-described embodiment. In this case, the above-described description of "server 10" can be replaced with "AF548."

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the data (data belonging to one application) transmitted from the server 10 to the multiple terminal devices 40 is assumed to be XR content data. However, the data transmitted from the server 10 to the multiple terminal devices 40 is not limited to XR content data. The data transmitted from the server 10 to the multiple terminal devices 40 may also be data other than XR content. In this case, the method of this embodiment can also be applied.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an example has been shown mainly relating to synchronization with respect to the timing of receiving the first packet of a data burst. However, this embodiment is not limited to this example. For example, the method of this embodiment can be applied to the timing of receiving the last packet of a data burst (i.e., the timing when all packets have been received). The method of this embodiment can also be applied to the timing of receiving a preset percentage of packets within a data burst. Alternatively, the method of this embodiment can also be applied to statistics of these timings (for example, the timing of receiving the first packet of a data burst, the timing of receiving the last packet of a data burst, or the timing of receiving a preset percentage of packets within a data burst).

In this embodiment, the control device that controls the server 10, management device 20, base station 30, or terminal device 40 may be implemented as a dedicated computer system or a general-purpose computer system.

For example, a program for executing the above-described operations is stored on a computer-readable recording medium such as an optical disc, semiconductor memory, magnetic tape, or flexible disk and distributed. Then, for example, the program is installed on a computer and the above-described processing is executed to configure a control device. In this case, the control device may be a device external to the server 10, management device 20, base station 30, or terminal device 40 (for example, a personal computer). Alternatively, the control device may be a device internal to the server 10, management device 20, base station 30, or terminal device 40 (for example, control unit 13, control unit 23, control unit 33, or control unit 43).

Furthermore, the above-mentioned communications program may be stored on a disk device provided in a server device on a network such as the Internet, and may be made available for downloading to a computer. The above-mentioned functions may also be realized through cooperation between an OS (Operating System) and application software. In this case, the parts other than the OS may be stored on a medium and distributed, or the parts other than the OS may be stored on a server device and made available for downloading to a computer.

Furthermore, among the processes described in the above embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically using known methods. In addition, the information including the processing procedures, specific names, various data and parameters shown in the above documents and drawings can be changed as desired unless otherwise specified. For example, the various information shown in each drawing is not limited to the information shown.

Furthermore, the components of each device shown in the figure are functional concepts and do not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown. In other words, the specific form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to that shown, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit depending on various loads, usage conditions, etc.

Furthermore, the above-described embodiments can be combined as appropriate in areas where the processing content is not contradictory. Furthermore, the order of the steps shown in the sequence diagrams or flowcharts of this embodiment can be changed as appropriate.

Furthermore, for example, this embodiment can be implemented as any configuration that constitutes a device or system, such as a processor as a system LSI (Large Scale Integration), a module using multiple processors, a unit using multiple modules, a set in which other functions are added to a unit, etc. (i.e., a configuration that is part of a device).

The functions provided by the components described herein may be implemented in circuitry or processing circuitry programmed to provide the described functions. Here, the circuitry or processing circuitry may be a general-purpose processor, an application-specific processor, an integrated circuit, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), a CPU (a Central Processing Unit), conventional circuitry, and/or a combination thereof. Processors include transistors and other circuits. A processor may also be considered a circuitry or processing circuitry. A processor may also be a programmed processor that executes a program stored in a memory.

In this specification, a circuit, unit, or means may be hardware that is programmed to realize the described function or that performs the described function. The hardware may be any hardware disclosed in this specification or any hardware that is programmed to realize or known to perform the described function. If the hardware is a processor, which is considered to be a type of circuitry, the circuit, means, or unit may be a combination of hardware and software used to configure the hardware and/or processor.

Furthermore, for example, this embodiment can be implemented as any configuration that constitutes a device or system. For example, this embodiment can be implemented as a processor such as a system LSI (Large Scale Integration), a module using multiple processors, a unit using multiple modules, or a set in which other functions are added to a unit. In other words, this embodiment can also be implemented as part of a device.

A system LSI may also be called an SOC (System on Chip). In other words, each of the above-mentioned or below-described devices (e.g., server 10, management device 20, base station 30, and terminal device 40) may be interpreted as a processor (e.g., a CPU) as a system LSI (e.g., SoC), or a module that uses or constitutes such a processor. Additionally, or instead, this embodiment may be implemented by any configuration that constitutes a device or system (e.g., a modem chip (baseband chip) or an RF (Radio Frequency) unit, or a combination thereof). The RF unit may include at least one of an RF circuit and an RF front-end. In other words, each of the above-mentioned or below-described devices may be interpreted as a modem chip (baseband chip) or an RF unit, or a combination thereof. Additionally, or instead, each of the above-mentioned or below-described devices may be interpreted as a module that uses or constitutes a modem chip or an RF unit.

The modem chip performs signal processing for communications within a device (including the devices described above or below). The modem chip may have at least the functionality of a modulator or demodulator. The RF section may have the functionality of at least one of an RF transceiver (RF upconverter, RF downconverter), a power amplifier, and a low-noise amplifier. The RF transceiver converts between baseband signals and RF frequencies. The power amplifier amplifies signals for transmission from the antenna. The low-noise amplifier amplifies weak signals received from the antenna. Additionally or alternatively, the RF section (particularly the RF front end) may include at least one of the above-mentioned power amplifier, low-noise amplifier, envelope tracker, filter, duplexer, multiplexer, antenna switch, and antenna tuner.

The combination of the modem chip and RF unit may be referred to as a modem-RF system. At least a portion of the modem chip or RF unit, or a combination thereof, may be included in a system LSI (e.g., SoC). For example, the processing performed by at least a portion of the modem chip or RF unit, or a combination thereof (e.g., at least a portion of the MAC layer processing/PHY layer processing) may be realized by the system LSI. Here, the MAC layer processing or PHY layer processing may be at least a portion of the processing performed by the devices (e.g., server 10, management device 20, base station 30, and terminal device 40) in the above-mentioned or below-mentioned embodiments.

In this embodiment, a system refers to a collection of multiple components (devices, modules (parts), etc.), regardless of whether all of the components are contained in the same housing. For example, multiple devices housed in separate housings and connected via a network, etc., and a single device with multiple modules housed in a single housing are both systems.

Furthermore, for example, this embodiment can be configured as a cloud computing system in which a single function is shared and processed collaboratively by multiple devices via a network.

<<7. Conclusion>>
As described above, according to this embodiment, the server 10 transmits a request for QoS monitoring for data belonging to one application and information related to the traffic pattern of the data to one or more core networks CN.

The core network generates burst arrival time (BAT) information for the data for each of the plurality of base stations based on the traffic pattern information. For example, the core network generates first BAT information for the first base station _30-1 and second BAT information for the second base station _30-2 based on the traffic pattern information.

The core network also acquires information about the measurement results of the QoS monitoring. For example, the core network acquires the measurement results of the first base station (first offset time) and the measurement results of the second base station (second offset time) as the measurement results of the QoS monitoring.

Then, the core network transmits BAT information (first BAT information and second BAT information) and information on the QoS monitoring measurement results for each of the multiple base stations (first offset time information and second offset time information) to the server 10.

The server 10 acquires BAT information and information on the measurement results of QoS monitoring for each of the multiple base stations from the core network. Then, based on the BAT information (information on the first BAT and information on the second BAT) and information on the measurement results of QoS monitoring for each of the multiple base stations 30 (information on the first offset time and information on the second offset time), the server 10 controls the transmission timing of data sent to the base station 30 via the user plane processing function of the core network.

This allows the communication system 1 to reduce QoE degradation caused by differences in data arrival times between base stations 30 connected to different user plane processing functions. As a result, the communication system 1 can provide each user with high-quality communication services (e.g., uniform communication services with little relative delay).

Although each embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. Furthermore, components from different embodiments and modifications may be combined as appropriate.

Furthermore, the effects of each embodiment described in this specification are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting, and other effects may also be present.

The present technology can also be configured as follows.
(1)
An information processing device that connects to one or more core networks via a service-based interface,
a transmitter configured to transmit a request for QoS monitoring of data belonging to an application and information related to a traffic pattern of the data to the one or more core networks;
a timing control unit that controls a transmission timing of the data to be transmitted to the base station via a function that processes a user plane of the one or more core networks, based on information on burst arrival times of the data based on information on the traffic pattern, the information on the burst arrival times for each of a plurality of base stations, and information on measurement results of the QoS monitoring for each of the plurality of base stations.
Information processing device.
(2)
the information on the burst arrival time is information included in support information notified to each of the plurality of base stations;
The information processing device according to (1) above.
(3)
The information of the measurement result of the QoS monitoring is an offset time relative to the burst arrival time measured by the base station.
The information processing device according to (1) or (2).
(4)
the one or more core networks include a first core network belonging to a first PLMN operator;
the plurality of base stations are connected to the first core network;
the burst arrival time information includes at least information on a first burst arrival time of the data related to a first base station among the plurality of base stations and information on a second burst arrival time of the data related to a second base station among the plurality of base stations;
the information on the measurement result of the QoS monitoring includes at least information on a first measurement result of the QoS monitoring related to the first base station and information on a second measurement result of the QoS monitoring related to the second base station;
the timing control unit controls a second transmission timing of the data transmitted via the second base station relative to a first transmission timing of the data transmitted via the first base station, based on information on the first burst arrival time, information on the second burst arrival time, information on the first measurement result, and information on the second measurement result.
The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (3).
(5)
a first base station of the plurality of base stations is connected to a function of the first core network that processes a first user plane;
a second base station of the plurality of base stations is connected to a function of the first core network that processes a second user plane;
The information processing device according to (4) above.
(6)
a first base station among the plurality of base stations belongs to a first registration area or a first TAI;
a second base station among the plurality of base stations belongs to a second registration area or a second TAI;
The information processing device according to (4) above.
(7)
the one or more core networks include a first core network of a first PLMN and a second core network of a second PLMN; a first base station among the plurality of base stations is connected to the first core network;
a second base station among the plurality of base stations is connected to the second core network;
the burst arrival time information includes at least information on a first burst arrival time of the data related to a first base station among the plurality of base stations and information on a second burst arrival time of the data related to a second base station among the plurality of base stations;
the information on the measurement result of the QoS monitoring includes at least information on a first measurement result of the QoS monitoring related to the first base station and information on a second measurement result of the QoS monitoring related to the second base station;
the timing control unit controls a second transmission timing of the data transmitted via the second base station relative to a first transmission timing of the data transmitted via the first base station, based on information on the first burst arrival time, information on the second burst arrival time, information on the first measurement result, and information on the second measurement result.
The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (3).
(8)
the information on the first burst arrival time is information included in first support information notified to the first base station;
the information on the second burst arrival time is information included in second support information notified to the second base station;
The information processing device according to (7) above.
(9)
the information on the first measurement result is a first offset time relative to the first burst arrival time measured by the first base station;
the information of the second measurement result is a second offset time relative to the second burst arrival time measured by the second base station;
The information processing device according to (7) or (8).
(10)
the timing control unit controls the timing at which the data is transmitted from the application server as the control of the transmission timing;
The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (9).
(11)
The timing control unit controls the timing at which the data is transmitted from the function processing the user plane, as the control of the transmission timing.
The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (9).
(12)
An information processing device belonging to a core network,
an acquisition unit that acquires a request for QoS monitoring for data belonging to one application and information related to a traffic pattern of the data from another information processing device;
a generating unit that generates information on the burst arrival time of the data for each of a plurality of base stations based on the information on the traffic pattern;
a transmitter that transmits information on the burst arrival time and information on the measurement result of the QoS monitoring for each of the plurality of base stations to the other information processing device.
Information processing device.
(13)
the acquisition unit acquires, from the other information processing device, designation information of a target related to a report of the information on the burst arrival time or the information on the measurement result;
the transmitting unit transmits the information on the burst arrival time or the information on the measurement result for each of the specified targets to the other information processing devices.
The information processing device according to (12) above.
(14)
the acquisition unit acquires from the other information processing device an instruction to report, as information on the burst arrival time or the measurement result of the QoS monitoring when a plurality of base stations are connected to or belong to the specified target, a statistical value of the burst arrival time or a statistical value of the measurement result for each target;
When a plurality of base stations are connected to or belong to the specified target, the transmission unit transmits the statistical value of the burst arrival time or the statistical value of the measurement result for each of the targets to the other information processing devices.
The information processing device according to (13) above.
(15)
the statistical value is at least one of a maximum value, a minimum value, a mean value, and a standard deviation;
The information processing device according to (14) above.
(16)
The target is a function that processes a user plane of the core network to which the base station corresponding to the burst arrival time is connected,
The information processing device according to any one of (13) to (15).
(17)
The target is a registration area or TAI to which the base station corresponding to the burst arrival time belongs;
The information processing device according to any one of (13) to (15).
(18)
an acquisition unit that acquires information on burst arrival times of data based on information on a traffic pattern of the data belonging to one application and instruction information for measurement of the burst arrival times;
a transmitter that transmits a result of the measurement based on the instruction information,
the instruction information includes an instruction to measure a difference between the burst arrival time and a timing at which a specified packet is received.
Base station.
(19)
the instruction information includes information indicating that the specified packet is the first packet of a data burst;
The base station according to (18).
(20)
An information processing method executed by an information processing device connected to one or more core networks via a service-based interface,
sending a request for QoS monitoring of data belonging to an application and information regarding a traffic pattern of the data to the one or more core networks;
controlling a transmission timing of the data transmitted to the base station via a function of processing a user plane of the one or more core networks, based on information on burst arrival times of the data based on information on the traffic pattern, the information on the burst arrival times for each of a plurality of base stations, and information on measurement results of the QoS monitoring for each of the plurality of base stations;
Information processing methods.

<Application server/AF side>
The present technology can also be configured as follows.
(A1)
An information processing device that connects to one or more core networks via a service-based interface,
a transmitter configured to transmit a request for QoS monitoring of data belonging to an application and information related to a traffic pattern of the data to the one or more core networks;
a timing control unit that controls a transmission timing of the data to be transmitted to the base station via a function that processes a user plane of the one or more core networks, based on information on burst arrival times of the data based on information on the traffic pattern, the information on the burst arrival times for each of a plurality of base stations, and information on measurement results of the QoS monitoring for each of the plurality of base stations.
Information processing device.
(A2)
the information on the burst arrival time is information included in support information notified to each of the plurality of base stations;
The information processing device according to (A1).
(A3)
The information of the measurement result of the QoS monitoring is an offset time relative to the burst arrival time measured by the base station.
The information processing device according to (A1) or (A2).
(A4)
the one or more core networks include a first core network belonging to a first PLMN operator;
the plurality of base stations are connected to the first core network;
the burst arrival time information includes at least information on a first burst arrival time of the data related to a first base station among the plurality of base stations and information on a second burst arrival time of the data related to a second base station among the plurality of base stations;
the information on the measurement result of the QoS monitoring includes at least information on a first measurement result of the QoS monitoring related to the first base station and information on a second measurement result of the QoS monitoring related to the second base station;
the timing control unit controls a second transmission timing of the data transmitted via the second base station relative to a first transmission timing of the data transmitted via the first base station, based on information on the first burst arrival time, information on the second burst arrival time, information on the first measurement result, and information on the second measurement result.
The information processing device according to any one of (A1) to (A3).
(A5)
a first base station of the plurality of base stations is connected to a function of the first core network that processes a first user plane;
a second base station of the plurality of base stations is connected to a function of the first core network that processes a second user plane;
The information processing device according to (A4).
(A6)
a first base station among the plurality of base stations is connected to a first user plane of the first core network, the first user plane being assigned a first data network access identifier;
a second base station of the plurality of base stations is connected to a second user plane of the first core network, the second user plane being assigned a second data network access identifier;
A part or all of the data is processed at least by an edge application server connected to at least one of the first user plane and the second user plane.
The information processing device according to (A4).
(A7)
a first base station among the plurality of base stations belongs to a first registration area;
a second base station among the plurality of base stations belongs to a second registration area;
The information processing device according to (A4).
(A8)
a first base station among the plurality of base stations belongs to a first TAI;
a second base station among the plurality of base stations belongs to a second TAI;
The information processing device according to (A4).
(A9)
the one or more core networks include a first core network of a first PLMN and a second core network of a second PLMN; a first base station among the plurality of base stations is connected to the first core network;
a second base station among the plurality of base stations is connected to the second core network;
the burst arrival time information includes at least information on a first burst arrival time of the data related to a first base station among the plurality of base stations and information on a second burst arrival time of the data related to a second base station among the plurality of base stations;
the information on the measurement result of the QoS monitoring includes at least information on a first measurement result of the QoS monitoring related to the first base station and information on a second measurement result of the QoS monitoring related to the second base station;
the timing control unit controls a second transmission timing of the data transmitted via the second base station relative to a first transmission timing of the data transmitted via the first base station, based on information on the first burst arrival time, information on the second burst arrival time, information on the first measurement result, and information on the second measurement result.
The information processing device according to any one of (A1) to (A3).
(A10)
the information on the first burst arrival time is information included in first support information notified to the first base station;
the information on the second burst arrival time is information included in second support information notified to the second base station;
The information processing device according to (A9).
(A11)
the information on the first measurement result is a first offset time relative to the first burst arrival time measured by the first base station;
the information of the second measurement result is a second offset time relative to the second burst arrival time measured by the second base station;
The information processing device according to (A9) or (A10).
(A12)
an acquisition unit that acquires information about the burst arrival time;
the transmitting unit transmits, to the one or more core networks, designation information of a target related to reporting of the burst arrival time information;
The acquisition unit acquires information on the burst arrival time for each of the specified targets from the one or more core networks.
The information processing device according to any one of (A1) to (A11).
(A13)
the transmitting unit transmits to the one or more core networks an instruction to report a statistical value of the burst arrival time for each of the designated targets as information on the burst arrival time when a plurality of the base stations are connected to or belong to the designated target;
The acquisition unit acquires statistics of the burst arrival times for each of the targets from the one or more core networks.
The information processing device according to (A12).
(A14)
the statistical value is at least one of a maximum value, a minimum value, a mean value, and a standard deviation;
The information processing device according to (A13).
(A15)
an acquisition unit that acquires information on the measurement result of the QoS monitoring;
The transmission unit transmits designation information of a target related to a report of information on the measurement result of the QoS monitoring to the one or more core networks;
The acquisition unit acquires information on the burst arrival time for each of the specified targets from the one or more core networks.
The information processing device according to any one of (A1) to (A14).
(A16)
The transmitter transmits an instruction to the one or more core networks to report statistics of the measurement results for each of the targets as information of the measurement results when a plurality of the base stations are connected to or belong to the specified target;
The acquisition unit acquires statistics of the burst arrival times for each of the targets from the one or more core networks.
The information processing device according to (A14).
(A17)
the statistical value is at least one of a maximum value, a minimum value, a mean value, and a standard deviation;
The information processing device according to (A16).
(A18)
The target is a function that processes the user plane of the core network to which the base station corresponding to the burst arrival time is connected,
The information processing device according to any one of (A12) to (A17).
(A19)
The target is a registration area to which the base station corresponding to the burst arrival time belongs.
The information processing device according to any one of (A12) to (A17).
(A20)
The target is a TAI to which the base station corresponding to the burst arrival time belongs;
The information processing device according to any one of (A12) to (A17).
(A21)
the timing control unit controls the timing at which the data is transmitted from the application server as the control of the transmission timing;
The information processing device according to any one of (A1) to (A20).
(A22)
The timing control unit controls the timing at which the data is transmitted from the function processing the user plane, as the control of the transmission timing.
The information processing device according to any one of (A1) to (A20).
(A23)
The timing control unit requests a function that processes the user plane to control the transmission timing of the data.
The information processing device according to (A22).
(A24)
The timing control unit requests the base station belonging to the registration area or TAI to control the transmission timing of the data.
The information processing device according to (A19) or (A20).
(A25)
An information processing method executed by an information processing device connected to one or more core networks via a service-based interface,
sending a request for QoS monitoring of data belonging to an application and information regarding a traffic pattern of the data to the one or more core networks;
controlling a transmission timing of the data transmitted to the base station via a function of processing a user plane of the one or more core networks, based on information on burst arrival times of the data based on information on the traffic pattern, the information on the burst arrival times for each of a plurality of base stations, and information on measurement results of the QoS monitoring for each of the plurality of base stations;
Information processing methods.
(A26)
An information processing device that connects to one or more core networks via a service-based interface,
a transmitter for transmitting a request for QoS monitoring of data belonging to an application and information related to a traffic pattern of the data to the one or more core networks;
a timing control unit that controls a transmission timing of the data to be transmitted to the base station via a function that processes a user plane of the one or more core networks, based on information on burst arrival times of the data that are based on information on the traffic pattern, the information on the burst arrival times for each of a plurality of base stations, and information on measurement results of the QoS monitoring for each of the plurality of base stations;
A program to function as a

<Core network side>
The present technology can also be configured as follows.
(B1)
An information processing device belonging to a core network,
an acquisition unit that acquires a request for QoS monitoring for data belonging to one application and information related to a traffic pattern of the data from another information processing device;
a generating unit that generates information on the burst arrival time of the data for each of a plurality of base stations based on the information on the traffic pattern;
a transmitter that transmits the burst arrival time information and the measurement result information of the QoS monitoring for each of the plurality of base stations to the other information processing device.
Information processing device.
(B2)
the information on the burst arrival time is information included in support information notified to each of the plurality of base stations;
The information processing device according to (B1) above.
(B3)
The information of the measurement result of the QoS monitoring is an offset time relative to the burst arrival time measured by the base station.
The information processing device according to (B1) or (B2).
(B4)
the acquisition unit acquires, from the other information processing device, designation information of a target related to a report of the information on the burst arrival time;
the transmitting unit transmits information on the burst arrival time for each of the specified targets to the other information processing devices;
The information processing device according to any one of (B1) to (B3).
(B5)
the acquisition unit acquires from the other information processing device an instruction to report a statistical value of the burst arrival time for each of the specified targets as information on the burst arrival time when a plurality of the base stations are connected to or belong to the specified target;
When a plurality of base stations are connected to or belong to the specified target, the transmission unit transmits a statistical value of the burst arrival time for each of the targets to the other information processing device.
The information processing device according to (B4).
(B6)
the statistical value is at least one of a maximum value, a minimum value, a mean value, and a standard deviation;
The information processing device according to (B5).
(B7)
the acquisition unit acquires, from the other information processing device, designation information of a target related to a report of information on the measurement result of the QoS monitoring;
The transmission unit transmits information on the measurement result of the QoS monitoring for each of the specified targets to the other information processing devices.
The information processing device according to any one of (B1) to (B3).
(B8)
The acquisition unit acquires, from the other information processing device, an instruction to report a statistical value of the measurement result for each of the targets as information of the measurement result when a plurality of the base stations are connected to or belong to the specified target, and
When a plurality of base stations are connected to or belong to the specified target, the transmission unit transmits a statistical value of the burst arrival time for each of the targets to the other information processing device.
The information processing device according to (B7) above.
(B9)
the statistical value is at least one of a maximum value, a minimum value, a mean value, and a standard deviation;
The information processing device according to (B8).
(B10)
The target is a function that processes a user plane of the core network to which the base station corresponding to the burst arrival time is connected,
The information processing device according to any one of (B4) to (B9).
(B11)
The target is a data network access identifier assigned to a user plane of the core network to which the base station corresponding to the burst arrival time is connected.
The information processing device according to any one of (B4) to (B9).
(B12)
At least one of the plurality of user planes of the core network to which different data network access identifiers are assigned is connected to an edge application server.
The information processing device according to (B11).
(B13)
The target is a registration area to which the base station corresponding to the burst arrival time belongs.
The information processing device according to any one of (B4) to (B9).
(B14)
The target is a TAI to which the base station corresponding to the burst arrival time belongs;
The information processing device according to any one of (B4) to (B9).
(B15)
An information processing method executed by an information processing device belonging to a core network,
Obtaining a request for QoS monitoring for data belonging to one application and information related to a traffic pattern of the data from another information processing device;
generating information on burst arrival times of the data for each of a plurality of base stations based on the information on the traffic pattern;
transmitting information on the burst arrival time and information on the measurement results of the QoS monitoring for each of the plurality of base stations to the other information processing device;
Information processing methods.
(B16)
An information processing device belonging to a core network,
an acquisition unit that acquires a request for QoS monitoring for data belonging to one application and information related to a traffic pattern of the data from another information processing device;
a generating unit that generates information on the burst arrival time of the data for each of a plurality of base stations based on the information on the traffic pattern;
a timing control unit that controls a transmission timing of the data transmitted from a function that processes a user plane of the core network to the base station based on information on the burst arrival time and information on the measurement result of the QoS monitoring for each of the plurality of base stations.
Information processing device.
(B17)
the acquisition unit acquires, from the other information processing device, a control request for the transmission timing for a function that processes the user plane;
the timing control unit controls the transmission timing of the data transmitted from the function processing the user plane to the base station in response to the control request for the transmission timing.
The information processing device according to (B16) above.
(B18)
An information processing device belonging to a core network,
an acquisition unit that acquires a request for QoS monitoring for data belonging to one application and information related to a traffic pattern of the data from another information processing device;
a generating unit that generates information on the burst arrival time of the data for each of a plurality of base stations based on the information on the traffic pattern;
a timing control unit that controls a transmission timing of the data transmitted from the base station based on information on the burst arrival time and information on the measurement result of the QoS monitoring for each of the plurality of base stations.
Information processing device.
(B19)
the acquisition unit acquires a control request for the transmission timing to the base station from the other information processing device, and the timing control unit controls a transmission timing of the data transmitted from the base station in response to the control request for the transmission timing.
The information processing device according to (B18) above.
(B20)
An information processing method executed by an information processing device belonging to a core network,
an acquisition unit that acquires a request for QoS monitoring for data belonging to one application and information related to a traffic pattern of the data from another information processing device;
generating information on burst arrival times of the data for each of a plurality of base stations based on the information on the traffic pattern;
controlling a transmission timing of the data transmitted from a function processing a user plane of the core network to the base station based on information on the burst arrival time and information on the measurement result of the QoS monitoring for each of the plurality of base stations;
Information processing methods.
(B21)
An information processing device belonging to a core network,
an acquisition unit that acquires a request for QoS monitoring for data belonging to one application and information related to a traffic pattern of the data from another information processing device;
a generating unit that generates information on the burst arrival time of the data for each of a plurality of base stations based on the information on the traffic pattern;
a transmitter that transmits the burst arrival time information and the measurement result information of the QoS monitoring for each of the plurality of base stations to the other information processing device.
A program to function as a

<Base station side>
The present technology can also be configured as follows.
(C1)
an acquisition unit that acquires information on burst arrival times of data based on information on a traffic pattern of the data belonging to one application and instruction information for measurement of the burst arrival times;
a transmitter that transmits a result of the measurement based on the instruction information,
the instruction information includes an instruction to measure a difference between the burst arrival time and a timing at which a specified packet is received.
Base station.
(C2)
the instruction information includes information indicating that the specified packet is the first packet of a data burst;
The base station according to (C1).
(C3)
the instruction information includes information indicating that the specified packet is the last packet of a data burst.
The base station according to (C1).
(C4)
The instruction information includes an instruction to measure the difference between the burst delivery deadline and the timing of receiving the specified packet.
The base station according to (C3).
(C5)
The burst delivery deadline is the burst arrival time plus a survival time.
The base station according to (C4).
(C6)
the acquisition unit acquires settings for controlling transmission timing using adjustment parameters;
The base station according to any one of (C1) to (C5).
(C7)
the transmission unit includes a timing control unit that delays a transmission timing of the data to the terminal device in accordance with the adjustment parameter.
The base station according to (C6).
(C8)
An information processing method executed by a base station, comprising:
acquiring information on burst arrival times of data based on information on a traffic pattern of the data belonging to one application and instruction information for measurement of the burst arrival times;
Transmitting a result of the measurement based on the instruction information;
the instruction information includes an instruction to measure a difference between the burst arrival time and a timing at which a specified packet is received.
Information processing methods.
(C9)
Computer,
an acquisition unit that acquires information on burst arrival times of data based on information on a traffic pattern of the data belonging to one application and instruction information for measurement of the burst arrival times;
a transmitter that transmits a result of the measurement based on the instruction information;
the instruction information includes an instruction to measure a difference between the burst arrival time and a timing at which a specified packet is received.
program.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Communication system 10 Server 20 Management device 30 Base station 40 Terminal device 60 XR server 70 XR device 11, 21 Communication unit 31, 41 Wireless communication unit 12, 22, 32, 42 Memory unit 13, 23, 33, 43 Control unit 44 Input unit 45 Output unit 46 Sensor unit 311, 411 Transmission processing unit 312, 412 Reception processing unit 313, 413 Antenna 451 Display unit 131, 231, 331 Acquisition unit 132, 232, 332 Transmission unit 133, 233, 333 Generation unit 134, 234, 334 Timing control unit 510 RAN/AN
520 UPF
530 DN
540 Control Plane Function Group 541 AMF
542 NEF
543 NRF
544 NSSF
545 PCF
546 SMF
547 UDM
548 AF
549 AUSF
550 UCMF
551 TSCTSF
552 BSF
61 XR media generation unit 62 XR display area pre-rendering unit 63 2D/3D media encoding unit 64 XR rendering metadata processing unit 65 XR media content distribution unit 66, 73 5GS distribution unit 71 XR sensor unit 72 XR media content distribution unit 74 2D/3D media decoding unit 75 XR rendering metadata processing unit 76 XR display area rendering unit 77 Display unit CN Core network

Claims (20)

An information processing device that connects to one or more core networks via a service-based interface,
a transmitter configured to transmit a request for QoS monitoring of data belonging to an application and information related to a traffic pattern of the data to the one or more core networks;
a timing control unit that controls a transmission timing of the data to be transmitted to the base station via a function that processes a user plane of the one or more core networks, based on information on burst arrival times of the data based on information on the traffic pattern, the information on the burst arrival times for each of a plurality of base stations, and information on measurement results of the QoS monitoring for each of the plurality of base stations.
Information processing device. the information on the burst arrival time is information included in support information notified to each of the plurality of base stations;
The information processing device according to claim 1 . The information of the measurement result of the QoS monitoring is an offset time relative to the burst arrival time measured by the base station.
The information processing device according to claim 1 . the one or more core networks include a first core network belonging to a first PLMN operator;
the plurality of base stations are connected to the first core network;
the burst arrival time information includes at least information on a first burst arrival time of the data related to a first base station among the plurality of base stations and information on a second burst arrival time of the data related to a second base station among the plurality of base stations;
the information on the measurement result of the QoS monitoring includes at least information on a first measurement result of the QoS monitoring related to the first base station and information on a second measurement result of the QoS monitoring related to the second base station;
the timing control unit controls a second transmission timing of the data transmitted via the second base station relative to a first transmission timing of the data transmitted via the first base station, based on information on the first burst arrival time, information on the second burst arrival time, information on the first measurement result, and information on the second measurement result.
The information processing device according to claim 1 . a first base station of the plurality of base stations is connected to a function of the first core network that processes a first user plane;
a second base station of the plurality of base stations is connected to a function of the first core network that processes a second user plane;
The information processing device according to claim 4 . a first base station among the plurality of base stations belongs to a first registration area or a first TAI;
a second base station among the plurality of base stations belongs to a second registration area or a second TAI;
The information processing device according to claim 4 . the one or more core networks include a first core network of a first PLMN and a second core network of a second PLMN; a first base station among the plurality of base stations is connected to the first core network;
a second base station among the plurality of base stations is connected to the second core network;
the burst arrival time information includes at least information on a first burst arrival time of the data related to a first base station among the plurality of base stations and information on a second burst arrival time of the data related to a second base station among the plurality of base stations;
the information on the measurement result of the QoS monitoring includes at least information on a first measurement result of the QoS monitoring related to the first base station and information on a second measurement result of the QoS monitoring related to the second base station;
the timing control unit controls a second transmission timing of the data transmitted via the second base station relative to a first transmission timing of the data transmitted via the first base station, based on information on the first burst arrival time, information on the second burst arrival time, information on the first measurement result, and information on the second measurement result.
The information processing device according to claim 1 . the information on the first burst arrival time is information included in first support information notified to the first base station;
the information on the second burst arrival time is information included in second support information notified to the second base station;
The information processing device according to claim 7 . the information on the first measurement result is a first offset time relative to the first burst arrival time measured by the first base station;
the information of the second measurement result is a second offset time relative to the second burst arrival time measured by the second base station;
The information processing device according to claim 7 . the timing control unit controls the timing at which the data is transmitted from the application server as the control of the transmission timing;
The information processing device according to claim 1 . The timing control unit controls the timing at which the data is transmitted from the function processing the user plane, as the control of the transmission timing.
The information processing device according to claim 1 . An information processing device belonging to a core network,
an acquisition unit that acquires a request for QoS monitoring for data belonging to one application and information related to a traffic pattern of the data from another information processing device;
a generating unit that generates information on the burst arrival time of the data for each of a plurality of base stations based on the information on the traffic pattern;
a transmitter that transmits information on the burst arrival time and information on the measurement result of the QoS monitoring for each of the plurality of base stations to the other information processing device.
Information processing device. the acquisition unit acquires, from the other information processing device, designation information of a target related to a report of the information on the burst arrival time or the information on the measurement result;
the transmitting unit transmits the information on the burst arrival time or the information on the measurement result for each of the specified targets to the other information processing devices.
The information processing device according to claim 12. the acquisition unit acquires from the other information processing device an instruction to report, as information on the burst arrival time or the measurement result of the QoS monitoring when a plurality of base stations are connected to or belong to the specified target, a statistical value of the burst arrival time or a statistical value of the measurement result for each target;
When a plurality of base stations are connected to or belong to the specified target, the transmission unit transmits the statistical value of the burst arrival time or the statistical value of the measurement result for each of the targets to the other information processing devices.
The information processing device according to claim 13. the statistical value is at least one of a maximum value, a minimum value, a mean value, and a standard deviation;
The information processing device according to claim 14. The target is a function that processes a user plane of the core network to which the base station corresponding to the burst arrival time is connected,
The information processing device according to claim 13. The target is a registration area or TAI to which the base station corresponding to the burst arrival time belongs;
The information processing device according to claim 13. an acquisition unit that acquires information on burst arrival times of data based on information on a traffic pattern of the data belonging to one application and instruction information for measurement of the burst arrival times;
a transmitter that transmits a result of the measurement based on the instruction information,
the instruction information includes an instruction to measure a difference between the burst arrival time and a timing at which a specified packet is received.
Base station. the instruction information includes information indicating that the specified packet is the first packet of a data burst;
20. The base station of claim 18. An information processing method executed by an information processing device connected to one or more core networks via a service-based interface,
sending a request for QoS monitoring of data belonging to an application and information regarding a traffic pattern of the data to the one or more core networks;
controlling a transmission timing of the data transmitted to the base station via a function of processing a user plane of the one or more core networks, based on information on burst arrival times of the data based on information on the traffic pattern, the information on the burst arrival times for each of a plurality of base stations, and information on measurement results of the QoS monitoring for each of the plurality of base stations;
Information processing methods.