Systems and methods for assignment of multi-access edge computing resources based on network performance indicators

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10694439-B2
Application number	US-201816188760-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 13, 2018
Priority date	Nov 13, 2018
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

A wireless communication device (WCD) may receive resource utilization values indicating an amount of available resources of server devices that are capable of sharing resources to support a session of an application. The WCD may generate performance scores for base station-server device groupings that are candidates for being selected as a target base station and a target server device. The WCD may select the target base station and the target server device based on the set of performance scores. The WCD may cause the session to be established in a manner that allows resources of the target server device to support the session of the application.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a wireless communication device, a set of resource utilization (RU) values indicating an amount of available resources of a group of server devices that are candidates for being used as a target server device for sharing resources to support a session of an application,
wherein the group of server devices are associated with a group of base stations that are candidates to be a target base station used when establishing the session;

generating, by the wireless communication device, a set of performance scores for base station-server device groupings that are candidates for being selected as the target base station and the target server device,
wherein generating the set of performance scores comprises:
determining, after receiving a set of RU values, a first score based on whether an RU value, of the set of RU values, satisfies a threshold RU value,
determining a second score based on whether a link performance value, of a set of link performance values that are associated with links to the group of base stations, satisfies a threshold link performance value, and
generating a performance score, of the set of performance scores, based on a weighted combination of the first score and the second score;

selecting, by the wireless communication device, the target base station and the target server device based on the set of performance scores; and
causing, by the wireless communication device, the session of the application to be established,
wherein the session is established in a manner that allows resources of the target server device to support the session of the application.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the group of server devices comprise multi-access edge computing (MEC) servers.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication device is a user equipment (UE) or the target base station.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication device is a user equipment (UE); and
wherein causing the session to be established comprises:
providing a request to establish the session to the target base station to cause the target base station to interact with one or more network devices to establish the session,
wherein the request includes an identifier of the target server device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication device is a first base station; the method further comprises:
receiving the set of link performance;
receiving, from a user equipment (UE), a request to establish the session,
wherein the request includes an identifier of the target server device; and

wherein causing the session of the application to be established comprises:
providing the identifier of the target server device to a network device to cause the network device to establish the session in the manner that allows the resources of the target server device to support the application.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of link performance values is a first set of link performance values, the set of RU values is a first set of RU values, and the set of performance scores is a first set of performance scores; and wherein the method further comprises:
identifying, while the session is active:
a second set of link performance values associated with the links to the group of base stations, and
a second set of RU values indicating the amount of the available resources of the group of server devices;

generating a second set of performance scores for the base station-server device groupings that are capable of being selected as the target base station and the target server device,
wherein the second set of performance scores are based on the second set of RU values and the second set of link performance values;

selecting a new target base station and a new target server device based on the second set of performance scores; and
causing a handover procedure to be performed to permit the new target base station and the new target server device to support the session,
wherein the handover procedure involves the new target base station receiving an identifier of the new target server device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the RU value includes at least one of:
a first value indicating a processing unit utilization rate,
a second value indicating an amount of available memory,
a third value indicating an amount of available capacity, or
a fourth value indicating an amount of latency.

8. A wireless communication device, comprising:
one or more memories; and
one or more processors, operatively coupled to the one or more memories, to:
receive, from a group of base stations that are in a communication range of the wireless communication device, a set of resource utilization (RU) values indicating an amount of available resources of a group of server devices that are capable of sharing resources to support a session of an application,
wherein the session is a first session that is capable of being established or a second session that is active;

determine a set of link performance values that are associated with links to the group of base stations;
generate a set of performance scores for base station-server device groupings that are capable of being selected as a target base station and a target server device for sharing the resources to support the session,
wherein the set of performance scores are based on the set of RU values and the set of link performance values that are associated with the links to the group of base stations;

select the target base station and the target server device based on the set of performance scores,
wherein the target base station and the target server device are to be selected for the first session or as a new target base station and a new target server device for the second session; and

perform, after selecting the target base station and the target server device, one or more actions based on whether the session is the first session or the second session,
wherein the one or more actions are to cause the first session to be established or cause a handover procedure to be performed in connection with the second session to allow the first session or the second session to be established in a manner that allows resources of the target server device or the new target server device to support the session of the application.

9. The wireless communication device of claim 8 , wherein the group of server devices include multi-access edge computing (MEC) servers.

10. The wireless communication device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors, when generating the set of performance scores, are to:
determine, after receiving the set of RU values, a first score based on whether an RU value, of the set of RU values, satisfies a threshold RU value,
determine a second score based on whether a link performance value, of the set of link performance values, satisfies a threshold link performance value, and
generate a performance score, of the set of performance scores, based on a weighted combination of the first score and the second score.

11. The wireless communication device of claim 8 , wherein an RU value,
of the set of RU values, includes at least one of:
a first value indicating a processing unit utilization rate,
a second value indicating an amount of available memory,
a third value indicating an amount of available capacity, or
a fourth value indicating an amount of latency.

12. The wireless communication device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors, when generating the set of performance scores, are to:
generate the set of performance scores based on the set of RU values, the set of

Assignees

• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Mukherjee Amitav
• Chang Patricia R

Classifications

• H04W72/535

  based on resource usage policies · CPC title

• H04W36/008357

  Determination of target cell based on access point [AP] properties, e.g. AP service capabilities · CPC title

• H04W8/08

  Mobility data transfer · CPC title

• H04W12/06

  Authentication · CPC title

• H04L65/1069 Primary

  Session establishment or de-establishment · CPC title