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EP-4278593-B1 - VERTICAL APPLICATION IN EDGE COMPUTING

EP4278593B1EP 4278593 B1EP4278593 B1EP 4278593B1EP-4278593-B1

Inventors

  • PRZYBYSZ, HUBERT
  • XU, WENLIANG

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20211208

Claims (12)

  1. A method (1000) performed by a second network function (422) implementing Edge Application Server, EAS, in an Edge Data Network, EDN (402), comprising: - transmitting (S1003), to a first network function (421) implementing Edge Enabler Server, EES, in the EDN (402), a registration request message comprising information indicating a first list of associated EAS information, wherein the first list of associated EAS information comprising at least one first entry for at least one third network function (423) implementing EAS in the EDN (402) respectively, each first entry indicating EAS profile of the respective third network function (423), and wherein the EAS profile of the respective third network function (423) includes the EAS ID of the respective third network function (423) and the relationship between the second network function (422) and the respective third network function (423).
  2. The method (1000) according to claim 1, wherein: - the first entry for the third network function (423) further comprises information indicating a second list of associated EAS information, the second list of associated EAS information further comprises at least one second entry for at least one fourth network function (424) implementing EAS in the EDN respectively, each second entry indicating EAS profile of the respective fourth network function (424), and wherein the EAS profile of the respective fourth network function (424) includes the EAS ID of the respective fourth network function (424) and the relationship between the third network function (423) and the respective fourth network function (424); and/or - the relationship indicates that the third network function (423) is the parent, child, or sibling of the second network function (422), or wherein the relationship indicates that the fourth network function (424) is the parent, child, or sibling of the third network function (423); and/or - each of the at least one first entry of the first list of associated EAS information further indicating endpoint information of the respective third network function (423); or wherein each of the at least one second entry of the second list of associated EAS information further indicating endpoint information of the respective fourth network function (424).
  3. The method (1000) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least two of the second network function (422), the third network function (423), and the fourth network function (424) are configured to jointly provide service for a vertical application.
  4. The method (100) according to claim 3, wherein the vertical application is any one of Factories of the Future, FF, Vehicle to Everything, V2X, Unmanned Aerial System, UAS, and Smart Grid.
  5. The method (1000) according to claim 3 or 4, further comprising: - receiving (S1001), from the third network function (423), registration information indicating the EAS ID of the third network function (423), the endpoint of the third network function (423), and relationship between the second network function (422) and the third network function (423); and storing (S1002) the registration information in the first list of associated EAS information; or receiving (S1001), from the third network function (423), registration information indicating the EAS profile of the third network function (423); and storing (S1002) the registration information in the first list of associated EAS information.
  6. The method (1000) according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the second network function (422) is implemented as FF Application Enabler, FAE, server, and the third network function (423) is implemented as FF Application Specific, FFAS, server.
  7. The method (1000) according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the second network function (422) is implemented as Service Enabler Architecture Layer, SEAL, server for the vertical application, and the third network function (423) is implemented as Vertical Application Layer, VAL, server; wherein the SEAL server manages the procedure of the VAL server.
  8. The method (1000) according to claim 7, wherein the SEAL server includes a SEAL Identity Management, IM, server; and wherein the SEAL IM server provides Token Validation service to the VAL server for validating the token which was allocated by the SEAL IM server.
  9. The method (1000) according to claim 8, wherein: - the token is an access token and/or an ID token; and/or - the VAL server is an FF Application Specific, FFAS, server or an FF Application Enabler, FAE, server.
  10. A method (1200) performed by a first functional component (411) in a User Equipment, UE, (401, 1600), comprising: - transmitting (S1202), to a first network function (421) implementing Edge Enabler Server, EES, in an Edge Data Network, EDN, (402), a first message for discovering at least one second network function (422) implementing Edge Application Server, EAS, in the EDN (402); and - receiving (S1203), from the first network function (421), a second message including information indicating a first list of associated EAS information, wherein the information indicating the first list of associated EAS information is included in the EAS profile of the at least one second network function (422), and wherein the first list of associated EAS information comprising at least one first entry for at least one third network function (423) implementing EAS in the EDN (402) respectively, each first entry indicating EAS profile of the respective third network function (423), and wherein the EAS profile of the respective third network function (423) includes the EAS ID of the respective third network function (423) and the relationship between the second network function (422) and the respective third network function (423).
  11. The method (1200) according to claim 10, wherein: - the first entry for the third network function (423) further comprises information indicating a second list of associated EAS information, the second list of associated EAS information further comprises at least one second entry for at least one fourth network function (424) implementing EAS in the EDN (402) respectively, each second entry indicating EAS profile of the respective fourth network function (424), and wherein the EAS profile of the respective fourth network function (424) includes the EAS ID of the respective fourth network function (424) and the relationship between the third network function (423) and the respective fourth network function (424); and/or - the relationship indicates that the third network function (423) is the parent, child, or sibling of the second network function (422), or wherein the relationship indicates that the fourth network function (424) is the parent, child, or sibling of the third network function (423); and/or - each of the at least one first entry of the first list of associated EAS information further indicating endpoint information of the respective third network function (423), or wherein each of the at least one second entry of the second list of associated EAS information further indicating endpoint information of the respective fourth network function (424).
  12. A User Equipment, UE, (401, 1600), comprising: a plurality of functional components (411, 412, 413, 414), including: - a first functional component (411) implementing an Edge Enabler Client, EEC; - a third functional component (413) implementing an application enabler client of a vertical application; - a fourth functional component (414) implementing an application specific client of the vertical application; and - at least one processor (1601) and a non-transitory computer-readable medium (1602) coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the third functional component (413) provides at least one service to one or more fourth functional components (414), and wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium contains instructions executable by the at least one processor, whereby the at least one processor is configured to perform all steps of a method according to claim 10 or 11.

Description

Technical Field The embodiments herein relate generally to the field of communication, and more particularly, the embodiments herein relate to vertical application in edge computing. Background Vertical Application & SEAL Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram showing architecture 100 for 5G vertical application proposed by 3GPP SA6 Working Group. In 3GPP Release 16, Service Enabler Architecture Layer (SEAL) 112 has been introduced to support vertical applications (e.g. Vehicle to Everything (V2X) applications). 3GPP TS 23.434 specifies application plane and signaling plane entities for application-enabling services (e.g. group management, configuration management, location management, identity/key management, network resource management); that can be reused across vertical applications. SEAL also specifies the northbound Application Programming Interfaces (API) for its individual services - to enable flexible integration with vertical applications. To enable smart factory in manufacturing, 3GPP SA6 Working Group is also studying the application-enabling services aiming to the general applicability of Factories of the Future (FF) based on service requirements of cyber-physical control applications identified in 3GPP TS 22.104 and 3GPP TS 22.261, and develop corresponding solutions to ensure the efficient use and deployment of application layer support for FF in 5G networks. The study is captured in 3GPP TR 23.745. Factories of the Future (FF) For FF Application (APP), one proposed architecture (clause 7.1 of TR 23.745) in the study is shown in Figure 2, which is a schematic block diagram showing application layer architecture 200 for FF. The FF application layer functional entities 213, 223 for the FF User Equipment (UE) 201 and the FF application server are grouped into the FF application specific layer and the FF Application Enabler (FAE) layer. The FAE layer offers the FAE capabilities to the FF application specific layer. The FF application specific layer consists of the FF application specific functionalities. The FF application server (AS) consists of the FAE server 222 and the FF application specific server(s) 223. The FAE server 222 provides the FF application layer support functions to the FF application specific server(s) 223 via FAE-S reference point. The FF UE 201 consists of the FAE client 212 and the FF application specific client(s) 213. The FAE client 212 provides the FF application layer support functions to the FF application specific client(s) 213 via FAE-C reference point. The FAE server 222 interacts with another FAE server 222 over FAE-E reference point. The FAE server 222 (acting as AF) interacts with the 3GPP system 202 such as 5G System (5GS) over N5 reference point as specified in 3GPP TS 23.501 [7]. The FAE server 222 interacts with the 3GPP system 202 (such as 5GS) over N33 reference point as specified in 3GPP TS 23.501 [7]. The FF application specific server(s) 223 and FF application enabler server 222 consume SEAL services provided by SEAL server(s) 221 over SEAL-S reference point. The FF application specific client(s) 213 and FF application enabler client 212 consume SEAL services provided by SEAL client(s) 211 over SEAL-C reference point. The following SEAL services for FF applications are supported: Location management as specified in 3GPP TS 23.434;Group management as specified in 3GPP TS 23.434;Configuration management as specified in 3GPP TS 23.434;Identity management as specified in 3GPP TS 23.434;Key management as specified in 3GPP TS 23.434; andNetwork resource management as specified in 3GPP TS 23.434. EDGE Application 3GPP TS 23.558 specifies the application layer architecture, procedures and information flows necessary for enabling edge applications over 3GPP networks. It includes architectural requirements for enabling edge applications, application layer architecture fulfilling the architecture requirements and procedures to enable the deployment of edge applications. For edge computing support, the objectives include the development of application layer requirements and architecture for hosting Edge Applications on the Edge Data Network (EDN), including the exposure of northbound APIs towards Edge Applications, and integration of the edge enabling layer with the 3GPP Network. Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram showing architecture 300 for enabling edge applications. The EDN 302 is a local Data Network. Edge Application Server(s) (EAS) 322 and the Edge Enabler Server (EES) 321 are contained within the EDN 302. The Edge Configuration Server (ECS) 304 provides configurations related to the EES 321, including details of the EDN 302 hosting the EES 321. The UE 301 contains Application Client(s) 312 and the Edge Enabler Client (EEC) 311. The EAS(s) 322, the EES 321 and the ECS 304 may interact with the 3GPP Core Network 303. Document 3GPP TS 23.558 V1.2.0 may be construed to disclose the application layer architecture, procedures and information flows necessary for e