US-20260129478-A1 - FUNCTIONALITY MANAGEMENT IN WIRELESS NETWORKS BASED ON UE AND NETWORK SIDE INFORMATION

US20260129478A1US 20260129478 A1US20260129478 A1US 20260129478A1US-20260129478-A1

Abstract

A UE receives, from a network node, a configuration message that configures the UE to determine the applicability of one or more functionalities of the UE. The configuration message includes a network side associated ID that quantifies one or more network side conditions. The UE determines a UE side associated ID that quantifies a first set of aspects of the UE. The UE determines the applicability of a particular functionality of the UE based on the network side associated ID and a UE side associated ID determined for the particular functionality. The UE determines, based on a second set of aspects of the UE, a stability index and transmits the UE side associated ID, the particular functionality, and the stability index to the network node. The UE side associated ID and the stability index are used to determine whether or not to immediately activate or deactivate the particular functionality.

Inventors

Rudraksh Shrivastava
Sudeep HEGDE
Tomoki Yoshimura

Assignees

SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20241107

Claims (15)

1 . A user equipment (UE), comprising: one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing one or more computer-executable instructions; and at least one processor coupled to the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, and configured to execute the one or more computer-executable instructions to cause the UE to: receive, from a network node, a configuration message configuring the UE to determine an applicability of one or more functionalities of the UE, the configuration message comprising a network side associated identifier (ID) quantifying a set of one or more network side conditions; determine a UE side associated ID quantifying a first set of aspects of the UE; determine an applicability of a particular functionality of the UE based on the network side associated ID and a UE side associated ID determined for the particular functionality of the UE; determine, based on a second set of aspects of the UE, a stability index; and transmit the UE side associated ID, the particular functionality of the UE, and the stability index to the network node, wherein the UE side associated ID and the stability index are used to determine whether or not to immediately activate or deactivate the particular functionality.
2 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein the UE side associated ID and the stability index are transmitted, to the network node, through Layer 1 (L1), Layer 2 (L2), or Layer 3 (L3) signaling comprising one of a UE assistance information (UAI) message, a media access control-control element (MAC-CE) message, a channel state information (CSI) message or report, or a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration complete message.
3 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the one or more computer-executable instructions to cause the UE to: determine, based on the stability index, a duration of time before activating the particular functionality when the particular functionality is not activated, and a duration of time before deactivating the particular functionality when the particular functionality is activated.
4 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein the stability index specifies a probability that the corresponding functionality of the UE remains applicable for a time interval after the functionality of the UE is activated or a probability that the functionality of the UE remains applicable for a time interval prior to the functionality of the UE being activated.
5 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein the particular functionality of the UE is one of an artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) functionality that the UE is ready to apply for AI/ML model inference or an AI/ML functionality that the UE supports based on UE capabilities.
6 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein the first set of the aspects of the UE comprises at least one of a UE hardware resource from a plurality of UE hardware resources required for performing the functionality of the UE, a mobility of the UE, or a type of an environment where the UE is located.
7 . The UE of claim 1 , the second set of aspects of the UE comprises at least one of a UE hardware resource from a plurality of UE hardware resources required for performing the functionality of the UE, a mobility of the UE, or a type of an environment where the UE is located.
8 . A network node, comprising: one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing one or more computer-executable instructions; and at least one processor coupled to the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, and configured to execute the one or more computer-executable instructions to cause the network node to: transmit, to a user equipment (UE), a message requesting the UE to determine a stability index that quantifies a probability based on which a functionality of the UE remains applicable for a time interval; receive, from the UE, the stability index; determine an applicability of the functionality of the UE based on the stability index and a network side associated identifier (ID) quantifying one or more network side conditions; determine that the functionality of the UE is to be activated based on the stability index; and transmit a message to the UE to activate the functionality of the UE.
9 . The network node of claim 8 , wherein: the at least one processor is further configured to execute the one or more computer-executable instructions to cause the network node to: receive, from the UE, a UE side associated ID calculated based on a set of aspects of the UE, and determining that the functionality of the UE is to be activated further based on the UE side associated ID.
10 . The network node of claim 8 , wherein: the functionality of the UE is a first functionality of the UE, the at least one processor is further configured to execute the one or more computer-executable instructions to cause the network node to: receive, from the UE, a plurality of functionalities of the UE including the first functionality of the UE, wherein determining the applicability of the first functionality of the UE further comprises selecting the first functionality of the UE from the plurality of applicable functionalities.
11 . The network node of claim 10 , wherein: the at least one processor is further configured to execute the one or more computer-executable instructions to cause the network node to: determine that a probability, that the first functionality of the UE remains applicable for the time interval, is below a threshold; transmit a message to the UE requesting the UE to adjust at least one aspect of the UE; and receive, from the UE, a revised stability index, wherein determining that the first functionality of the UE is to be activated is further based on the revied stability index.
12 . The network node of claim 11 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the one or more computer-executable instructions to cause the network node to: receive, from the UE, a message indicating that the UE has rejected activating the first functionality of the UE as a response to the stability index being below the threshold; and transmit, to the UE, a reconfiguration message to enable the UE to activate the first functionality of the UE.
13 . The network node of claim 8 , wherein the stability index is received, from the UE, through Layer 1 (L1), Layer 2 (L2), or Layer 3 (L3) signaling comprising one of a UE assistance information (UAI) message, a media access control-control element (MAC-CE) message, a channel state information (CSI) message or report, or a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration complete message.
14 . The network node of claim 8 , wherein the functionality of the UE is one of an artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) functionality that the UE is ready to apply for AI/ML model inference or an AI/ML functionality that the UE supports based on UE capabilities.
15 . A method, comprising: receiving, by a user equipment (UE), from a network node, a configuration message configuring the UE to determine an applicability of one or more functionalities of the UE, the configuration message comprising a network side associated identifier (ID) quantifying a set of one or more network side conditions; determining a UE side associated ID quantifying a first set of one or more aspects of the UE; determining an applicability of a particular functionality of the UE based on the network side associated ID, and a UE side associated ID determined for the particular functionality of the UE; determining, based on a second set of one or more aspects of the UE, a stability index; and transmitting the UE side associated ID, the particular functionality of the UE, and the stability index to the network node, wherein the UE side associated ID and the stability index are used to determine whether or not to immediately activate or deactivate the functionality of the UE.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The technology generally relates to wireless communications, and more particularly, to exchanging user equipment (UE) side identifications and stability index between UEs and the network. BACKGROUND Because of the tremendous growth in the number of connected devices and the rapid increase in the user/network (NW) traffic volume, various efforts have been made to improve different aspects of the wireless communications in the next-generation radio communication systems, such as the 5th generation (5G) New Radio (NR). Such improvements include improving data rate, latency, reliability, mobility, etc. The 5G NR system is designed to provide flexibility and configurability to optimize NW services and types, thus accommodating various use cases, such as enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), massive Machine-Type Communication (mMTC), and Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communication (URLLC). As the integration of artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) continues to expand in the 5G NR networks, it has become crucial for UE to accurately discern its serving and neighboring cells' AI/ML functionalities, for example, to ensure smooth handoffs, timely activation of relevant features, and efficient allocation of network resources. However, challenges emerge from dynamic network conditions, as the availability and capabilities of neighboring cells may vary due to factors such as traffic load and interference. In addition, the UE's own capabilities, internal conditions, model availability, and the inherent complexity of 5G NR networks (e.g., including integrated access and backhaul (IAB) systems) further complicate this assessment. To accurately determine the applicable functionalities of neighboring base stations (e.g., next-generation Node Bs (gNBs)) and cells, the UE has to be provided with relevant network-side information, including the appropriate timing for assessing neighboring cell functionalities and the methods for reporting this information back to the network. Reporting neighboring cell AI/ML functionality information may introduce signaling overhead that may affect network performance. As the demand for radio access continues to grow, however, there is a need for further improvements in wireless communications in the next-generation radio communication systems, such as improvements in the network mobility management. SUMMARY In a first aspect of the present application, a UE is provided. The UE includes one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing one or more computer-executable instructions and at least one processor coupled to the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media. The at least one processor is configured to execute the one or more computer-executable instructions to cause the UE to receive, from a network node, a configuration message configuring the UE to determine an applicability of one or more functionalities of the UE, the configuration message includes a network side associated identifier (ID) quantifying a set of one or more network side conditions; determine a UE side associated ID quantifying a first set of aspects of the UE; determine an applicability of a particular functionality of the UE based on the network side associated ID and a UE side associated ID determined for the particular functionality of the UE; determine, based on a second set of aspects of the UE, a stability index; and transmit the UE side associated ID, the particular functionality of the UE, and the stability index to the network node. The UE side associated ID and the stability index are used to determine whether or not to immediately activate or deactivate the particular functionality. In another implementation of the first aspect, the UE side associated ID and the stability index are transmitted, to the network node, through Layer 1 (L1), Layer 2 (L2), or Layer 3 (L3) signaling that include a UE assistance information (UAI) message, a media access control-control element (MAC-CE) message, a channel state information (CSI) message or report, or a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration complete message. In another implementation of the first aspect, the at least one processor is further configured to execute the one or more computer-executable instructions to cause the UE to: determine, based on the stability index, a duration of time before activating the particular functionality when the particular functionality is not activated, and a duration of time before deactivating the particular functionality when the particular functionality is activated. In another implementation of the first aspect, the stability index specifies a probability that the corresponding functionality of the UE remains applicable for a time interval after the functionality of the UE is activated or a probability that the functionality of the UE remains applicable for a time interval prior to the functionality of the UE being activated. In another implementation of the first aspect, the partic