TIME-AWARE QUALITY-OF-SERVICE IN COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

Abstract

A device translates between a first communication network, in particular a deterministic communication network, and a second communication network, in particular a mobile communication network, in particular a 5G communication network. The device is configured to execute an application function that is configured to translate between Quality-of-Service, QoS, parameters of the first communication network and QoS parameters of the second communication network. A QoS profile includes the QoS parameters of the first communication network translated by the application function and, optionally, additional QoS parameters originating from the second communication network. The device is further configured to execute a signaling procedure configured to exchange the translated QoS parameters within the second communication network.

Claims

1. A device for translating between a first communication network and a second communication network, the device comprising: an application function configured to: translate between quality-of-service (Qos), parameters of the first communication network and QoS parameters of the second communication network; generate a QoS profile comprising the QoS parameters of the first communication network translated by the application function and additional QoS parameters originating from the second communication network; and provide the QoS profile to the second communication network, wherein the first communication network is a deterministic communication network and the second communication network is a mobile communication network.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the application function is further configured to trigger an establishment of a deterministic traffic flow based on the QoS profile.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the application function is configured to negotiate the QoS profile with the second communication network to ensure that the second communication network can satisfy the QoS parameters of the first communication network translated by the application function.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the application function is configured to translate the negotiated QoS profile for the first communication network.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the QoS parameters of the first communication network comprise at least one of the following: a periodicity of a deterministic traffic flow, a maximum data rate of the deterministic traffic flow as inferred from a received configuration, a data rate variation of the deterministic traffic flow, starting times of the deterministic traffic flow, a starting time variation of the deterministic traffic flow, a duration of the deterministic traffic flow, a duration variation of the deterministic traffic flow, or a reception window of the deterministic traffic flow.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the application function is configured to provide an interface to the first communication network for receiving the QoS parameters of the first communication network, and wherein the application function is further configured to provide an interface to the second communication network which comprises providing the interface to a policy control function (PCF) of the second communication network or providing the interface via a network exposure function (NEF) to the PCF of the second communication network to provide the QoS profile to the second communication network.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the application function is configured to receive an acceptance message from the PCF based upon the second communication network accepting the QoS profile, and wherein the application function is configured to transmit a QoS configuration comprising the translated QoS parameters to the first communication network based on the accepted QoS profile.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the application function is configured to receive a rejection message or a modified QoS profile from the PCP if based upon the second communication network rejecting the QoS profile, and wherein the application function is configured to transmit the rejection message or the translated QoS parameters corresponding to the modified QoS profile to the first communication network.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the application function is configured to transmit a request to the PCF, wherein the request comprises the modified QoS profile in a case where the first communication network confirms the translated QoS parameters corresponding to the modified QoS profile.

10-11. (canceled)

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the first communication network is a time sensitive network (TSN).

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the QoS parameters of the TSN are based on gate control lists of TSN switches of the TSN.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the QoS parameters of the TSN comprise at least one of the following: a time-triggered or deterministic resource type, an absolute time stamp for a start of a TSN data flow or a relative time offset to an absolute starting time, a period of the TSN data flow, or a data volume or a data rate of the TSN data flow.

15. A policy control function (PCF) network entity, configured to: receive a quality-of-service (QoS) profile from application function (AF) network entity, wherein the QoS profile comprises QoS parameters of a first communication network translated into QoS parameters of a second communication network, and additional QoS parameters originating from the second communication network; and transmit an acceptance message to the AF network entity upon acceptance of the received QoS profile, wherein the first communication network is a deterministic communication network and the second communication network is a mobile communication network.

16. The PCF network entity of claim 15, further configured to transmit a modified QoS profile to the AF network entity upon rejection of the received QoS profile.

17. The PCF network entity of claim 16, further configured to transmit a signal indicative of a policy related to the QoS profile or at least one modified QoS profile to a session management function network entity.

18. The PCF network entity of claim 17, further configured to: transmit the QoS profile or the at least one modified QoS profile to the SMF network entity to transmit information based on the QoS profile or the at least one modified QoS profile to a radio access network (RAN) entity to influence resource reservation of the RAN entity; and receive a message from the SMF network entity, the message comprising the QoS profile or the at least one modified QoS profile accepted by the second communication network or a rejection by the second communication network.

19. A session management function (SMF) network entity, configured to: receive a policy related to a quality-of-service (QoS) profile from a policy control function Policy Control Function (PCF) network entity, wherein the QoS profile comprises QoS parameters of a first communication network, translated by a device into QoS parameters of a second communication network, in particular a mobile communication network, and additional QoS parameters originating from the second communication network; and select a user plane function network entity based on the received policy related to the QoS profile from the PCF network entity, wherein the first communication network is a deterministic communication network and the second communication network is a mobile communication network.

20. The SMF network entity of claim 19, further configured to: receive the QoS profile from the PCF network entity; modify the QoS profile based on the policy received from the PCF network entity; transmit the modified QoS profile to a radio access network (RAN) entity to influence resource reservation of the RAN entity or the UPF network entity; receive a message from the RAN entity or the UPF network entity indicating an acceptance or a rejection of the QoS profile; transmit information about rules to the RAN entity based on the policy received from the PCF network entity; or transmit the modified QoS profile or the policy to the UPF network entity.

21. A radio access network (RAN) entity, configured to: receive a quality-of-service (QoS) profile or related QoS rules from a session management function (SMF) network entity, wherein the QoS profile comprises QoS parameters of a first communication network translated by a device into QoS parameters of a second communication network and additional QoS parameters originating from the second communication network; and reserve resources of the RAN entity based on the received QoS profile, wherein the first communication network is a deterministic communication network and the second communication network is a mobile communication network.

22. The RAN entity of claim 21, further configured to transmit a message to the SMF network entity, wherein the message indicates an acceptance or a rejection of the QoS profile.

23. A user equipment (UE) of a second communication network, the UE being configured to: transmit a request for a packet data unit (PDU) session establishment to a session management function (SMF) network entity via a network access entity or an access management function (AMF) entity; and receive a radio resource configuration from the network access entity, wherein the radio resource configuration is based on a quality-of-service (QoS) profile, and wherein the QoS profile comprises QoS parameters of a first communication network translated by an application function network entity into QoS parameters of a second communication network, and additional QoS parameters originating from the second communication network, wherein the first communication network is a deterministic communication network and the second communication network is a mobile communication network.

24. The UE of claim 23, further configured to establish an end-to-end deterministic traffic flow in the second communication network based on the QoS profile.

25. A user plane function (UPF) network entity of a second communication network, the UPF network entity being an end-to-end traffic flow terminating point in the second communication network for enforcing quality-of-service (QoS) rules received by a session management function (SMF), the UPF network entity being configured to: establish an end-to-end deterministic traffic flow in the second communication network based on a QoS profile (1612), wherein the QoS profile (1612) comprises QoS parameters of a first communication network translated by an application function network entity into QoS parameters of the second communication network, nd additional QoS parameters originating from the second communication network, wherein the first communication network is a deterministic communication network and the second communication network is a mobile communication network.

26. The PCF network entity of claim 15, wherein the PCF network entity is further configured to signal a policy related to the QoS profile or at least one modified QoS profile to a session management function (SMF) or a user equipment (UE) of the second communication network to influence a user plane function (UPF) and a radio access network (RAN) entity.

27. The PCF network entity of claim 26, wherein the PCF network entity is further configured to: signal the QoS profile or the modified QoS profile to the SMF to transmit information based on the QoS profile or the at least one modified QoS profile to the RAN entity to influence resource reservation of the RAN entity; and receive a message from the SMF, the message comprising the QoS profile or the at least one modified QoS profile accepted by the second communication network or a rejection by the second communication network.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0113] Further embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with respect to the following figures, in which:

[0114] FIG. 1 shows a block diagram illustrating integration of 5G into a time-critical network;

[0115] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary time diagram illustrating time-sensitive traffic characteristics;

[0116] FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary 5G QoS profile with deterministic QoS parameters/characteristics according to the disclosure;

[0117] FIG. 4 shows an exemplary message chart illustrating acceptance of TS 5G QoS profile from external TS configuration according to the disclosure;

[0118] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary message chart illustrating negotiation of TS QoS profile between TSN-AF, PCF and TS configurator according to the disclosure;

[0119] FIG. 6 shows an exemplary message chart illustrating PCF-SMF interaction for UPF selection (Pull) according to the disclosure;

[0120] FIG. 7 shows an exemplary message chart illustrating PCF-SMF interaction for UPF selection (Push) according to the disclosure;

[0121] FIG. 8 shows an exemplary message chart illustrating SMF interaction with RAN for resource reservation for TS traffic according to the disclosure;

[0122] FIG. 9 shows a schematic diagram illustrating transmission selection with gate control lists according to 802.1Qbv specification;

[0123] FIG. 10 shows an architecture diagram illustrating an exemplary TSN topology;

[0124] FIG. 11 shows a table illustrating an exemplary 5G TSN QoS profile for a single 802.1Qbv TSN flow according to the disclosure;

[0125] FIG. 12 shows an exemplary message chart illustrating generation of TSN 5G QoS profile from 802.1Qbc gate control lists according to the disclosure;

[0126] FIG. 13 shows an exemplary message chart illustrating negotiation of TSN QoS profile between 5G and TSN configurator according to the disclosure;

[0127] FIG. 14 shows an exemplary message chart illustrating PDU session establishment for 802.1Qbv traffic according to the disclosure;

[0128] FIG. 15 shows a schematic diagram illustrating exemplary deployment options for 5G and TSN according to the disclosure;

[0129] FIG. 16 shows a block diagram illustrating a communication system with interworking network device 1610 translating between a deterministic communication network 1601 and a mobile communication network according to the disclosure; and

[0130] FIG. 17 shows a schematic diagram illustrating a method for translating between a deterministic communication network and a mobile communication network according to the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0131] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration exemplary aspects in which the disclosure may be practiced. It is understood that other aspects may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

[0132] It is understood that comments made in connection with a described method may also hold true for a corresponding device or system configured to perform the method and vice versa. For example, if a specific method step is described, a corresponding device may include a unit to perform the described method step, even if such unit is not explicitly described or illustrated in the figures. Further, it is understood that the features of the various exemplary aspects described herein may be combined with each other, unless specifically noted otherwise.

[0133] The methods, devices, and systems described herein may particularly be implemented in wireless communication networks based on 5G NR (New Radio) mobile communication standards (and beyond) and in deterministic communication networks, e.g. time sensitive networking (TSN), for example according to IEEE standard 802.1Qbv. Such mobile communication networks may for example be designed according to the standards 3GPP TR 22.804 V2.0.0 (2018-05), Study on Communication for Automation in Vertical domains (CAV), 3GPP TR 22.821 V16.1.0 (2018-06) Feasibility Study on LAN Support in 5G, 3GPP TS 23.501 V15.2.0 (2018-06) System Architecture for the 5G System, etc. Such deterministic communication networks may for example be designed according to the IEEE standard 802.1Qbv™-2015, Amendment 25: Enhancements for Scheduled Traffic, IEEE Computer Society, etc.

[0134] The methods, devices, and systems described herein may also be implemented in wireless communication networks based on mobile communication standards such as LTE, in particular 3G, 4G, and 4.5G. The methods, devices, and systems described herein may also be implemented in wireless communication networks, in particular communication networks similar to WiFi communication standards according to IEEE 802.11. The described devices may include integrated circuits and/or passives and may be manufactured according to various technologies. For example, the circuits may be designed as logic integrated circuits, analog integrated circuits, mixed signal integrated circuits, optical circuits, memory circuits, and/or integrated passives.

[0135] The devices described herein may be configured to transmit and/or receive radio signals. Radio signals may be or may include radio frequency signals radiated by a radio transmitting device (or radio transmitter or sender). However, devices described herein are not limited to transmit and/or receive radio signals, also other signals designed for transmission in deterministic communication networks may be transmitted and/or received.

[0136] The devices and systems described herein may include processors or processing devices, memories and transceivers, i.e. transmitters and/or receivers. In the following description, the term “processor” or “processing device” describes any device that can be utilized for processing specific tasks (or blocks or steps). A processor or processing device can be a single processor or a multi-core processor or can include a set of processors or can include means for processing. A processor or processing device can process software or firmware or applications etc.

[0137] In the following, network nodes, elements and functions of the 5G mobile communication network are described.

[0138] The User Equipment (UE) represents the user equipment or client terminal or mobile communication device which can be operated by the subscriber to initiate communication in the 5G network, i.e. starting (mobile originating, MO) or accepting (mobile terminating, MT) a communication. The UE can also initiate communication without user interaction, e.g. it can be a machine terminal, e.g. for a car or a robot or other device.

[0139] The (R)AN ((radio) access network) represents the (radio) access network by which the UE obtains access to the 5G communication network. The RAN may include base station(s) to provide access to the network. Examples of a base station include access nodes, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), gNBs, NodeBs, master eNBs (MeNBs), secondary eNBs (SeNBs), remote radio heads and access points.

[0140] The AF (Application Function) network node provides application functions that enable certain services to be executed.

[0141] The Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network node represents the access and mobility management function. It manages the access and mobility functions of the UE. The AMF may also include network slice selection functionality.

[0142] The Session Management Function (SMF) network node represents the session management function. It sets up sessions and manages them according to the network policy.

[0143] The User Plane Function (UPF) network node represents the User Plane function. UPFs can be applied in various configurations and locations, according to the service type.

[0144] The Policy Control Function (PCF) network node represents the policy control function. It provides a policy framework that includes network slicing, roaming, and mobility management.

[0145] The UDM (Unified Data Management) network node provides a shared data management. This saves subscriber data and profiles. This is equivalent to the functionality of an HSS in 4G systems, but is used for both mobile and wired access in the NG Core network.

[0146] The DN (Data Network) node provides the data network over which data is transmitted, e.g. from one UE to another UE.

[0147] FIG. 1 shows a block diagram 100 illustrating integration of 5G into a time-critical network. The time critical network may include a first time critical network section 110, a second time critical network section 111, and a third time critical network section 112. Each of the time critical network sections 110, 111, 112 may include one or more time-critical network slaves 101 and one time-critical network master 102. The time-critical network 110, 111, 112 is coupled via interface converters 105 to a mobile communication network 120, e.g. a 5G network. The mobile communication network 120 comprises one or more base stations 103 and one or more User Equipments 104. The interface converters 105 may convert between a network slave 101 or a network master 102 of the time-critical network 110, 111, 112 and a base station 103 or a User Equipment 104 of the mobile communication network 120.

[0148] Support of real-time deterministic data traffic is a new feature for 3GPP. Today, there doesn't exist a solution in cellular radio to support time-aware communication. Nevertheless, there are some related aspects in current 3GPP systems and industrial networks as described in the following.

[0149] In 4G/5G QoS Model, QoS Class Identifier (QCI) is a mechanism used in 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks to ensure bearer traffic is allocated appropriate Quality of Service (QoS). The QoS parameters include Guaranteed Bit Rate (GBR) or non-Guaranteed Bit Rate (non-GBR), Priority Handling, Packet Delay Budget and Packet Error Loss rate, as summarized in Table 1.

[0150] According to 3GPP TS 23.203, 15 QCIs in Release 14 are standardized and associated with QCI characteristics in terms of packet forwarding treatment that the bearer traffic receives end-to-end between the UE and the Packet Gateway (P-GW). In 3GPP TS 23.501, a concept called 5G QoS flow is defined as the finest granularity for QoS forwarding treatment in the 5G System. All traffic mapped to the same 5G QoS Flow receives the same forwarding treatment (e.g. scheduling policy, queue management policy, rate shaping policy, RLC configuration, etc.). Providing different QoS forwarding treatment requires separate 5G QoS Flow. The QCI is extended to the 5G QoS Indicator (5QI) which involves a new type of traffic Delay Critical GBR and specified maximum data burst volume.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 5G QoS Parameters according to Sec. 5.7.2, TS 23.501) 5G QoS Parameters Parameter Full Name Usage 5QI 5G QoS Identifier References to 5G QoS characteristics applied in the (R)AN. ARP Allocation and Contains information about the priority level, the Retention Priority pre-emption capability and the pre-emption vulnerability of QoS Flows (for admission control, resource pre-emption etc.) RQA Reflective QoS Optional (used for Reflective QoS) Attribute Notification Notification Control (Only for GBR Flows) Indicates whether Control notifications are requested from the RAN when the GFBR can no longer (or again) be fulfilled for a QoS Flow during the lifetime of the QoS Flow Flow Bit Guaranteed Flow Bit GFBR denotes the bit rate that may be expected to Rates Rate, Maximum be provided by a GBR QoS Flow. The MFBR (GFBR, Flow Bit Rate limits the bit rate that may be expected to be MFBR) provided by a GBR QoS Flow. Aggregate Session Aggregate The Session-AMBR limits the aggregate bit rate Bit Rates Maximum Bit Rate that can be expected to be provided across all (Session-AMBR), Non-GBR QoS Flows for a specific PDU Session. per UE Aggregate The UE-AMBR limits the aggregate bit rate that Maximum Bit Rate can be expected to be provided across all Non- (UE-AMBR). GBR QoS Flows of a UE. Both are measured over an AMBR averaging window which is a standardized value.

[0151] The current 5G QoS characteristics are summarized in Table 2. These QoS characteristics are indexed by the aforementioned 5Q1.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 5G QoS Characteristics according to Sec. 5.7.3, TS 23.501 5G QoS Characteristics Resource Type Can be GBR, delay critical GBR or Non-GBR Priority level; Used to differentiate between QoS Flows of the same UE, and it shall also be used to differentiate between QoS Flows from different UEs. Packet Delay Budget Defines an upper bound for the time (PDB); that a packet may be delayed between the UE and the UPF Packet Error Rate Defines an upper bound for a rate of (PER); non-congestion related packet losses. Averaging window. Only for GBR QoS Flows: represents the duration over which the GFBR and MFBR shall be calculated (e.g. (R)AN, UPF, UE) Maximum Data Burst Only for 5QIs with 5G Access Volume Network PDB <= 20 ms

[0152] The standardized 5Q1 to QoS characteristics mapping according to Table 5.7.4-1 in 3GPP TS 23.501 is summarized in Table 3 below.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Standardized 5QI to QoS characteristics mapping (Table 5.7.4-1 in TS 23.501) Default Maximum Data Default Packet Packet Burst Default 5QI Resource Priority Delay Error Volume Averaging Value Type Level Budget Rate (NOTE 2) Window Example Services 1 GBR 20 100 ms  10.sup.−2 N/A 2000 ms Conversational NOTE 1 Voice 2 40 150 ms  10.sup.−3 N/A 2000 ms Conversational Video (Live Streaming) 3 30 50 ms 10.sup.−3 N/A 2000 ms Real Time Gaming, V2X messages Electricity distribution- medium voltage, Process automation- monitoring 4 50 300 ms  10.sup.−6 N/A 2000 ms Non-Conversational Video (Buffered Streaming) 65 7 75 ms 10.sup.−2 N/A 2000 ms Mission Critical user plane Push To Talk voice (e.g., MCPTT) 66 20 100 ms  10.sup.−2 N/A 2000 ms Non-Mission- Critical user plane Push To Talk voice 67 15 100 ms  10.sup.−3 N/A 2000 ms Mission Critical Video user plane 75 25 50 ms 10.sup.−2 N/A 2000 ms V2X messages 5 Non- 10 100 ms  10.sup.−6 N/A N/A IMS Signalling 6 GBR 60 300 ms  10.sup.−6 N/A N/A Video (Buffered NOTE 1 Streaming) TCP-based (e.g., www, e-mail, chat, ftp, p2p file sharing, progressive video, etc.) 7 70 100 ms 10.sup.−3 N/A N/A Voice, Video (Live Streaming) Interactive Gaming 8 80 300 ms  10.sup.−6 N/A N/A Video (Buffered Streaming) TCP-based (e.g., www, e-mail, chat, ftp, p2p file sharing, progressive video, etc.) 9 90 69 5 60 ms 10.sup.−6 N/A N/A Mission Critical delay sensitive signalling (e.g., MC- PTT signalling) 70 55 200 ms  10.sup.−6 N/A N/A Mission Critical Data (e.g. example services are the same as QCI 6/8/9) 79 65 50 ms 10.sup.−2 N/A N/A V2X messages 80 68 10 ms 10.sup.−6 N/A N/A Low Latency eMBB applications Augmented Reality 81 Delay 11  5 ms 10.sup.−5 160 B 2000 ms Remote control Critical (see TS 22.261 [2]) GBR 82 12 10 ms 10.sup.−5 320 B 2000 ms Intelligent transport NOTE systems 5 83 13 20 ms 10.sup.−5 640 B 2000 ms Intelligent Transport Systems 84 19 10 ms 10.sup.−4 255 B 2000 ms Discrete Automation 85 22 10 ms 10.sup.−4 1358 B  2000 ms Discrete Automation NOTE 1: a packet which is delayed more than PDB is not counted as lost, thus not included in the PER. NOTE 2: it is required that default MDBV is supported by a PLMN supporting the related 5QIs. NOTE 3: This MDBV value is intended to avoid IP fragmentation on an IPv6 based, IPSec protected, GTP tunnel to the 5G-AN node. NOTE 4: A delay of 1 ms for the delay between a UPF terminating N6 and a 5G-AN should be subtracted from a given PDB to derive the packet delay budget that applies to the radio interface. NOTE 5: The jitter for this service is assumed to be 20 msec according to TS 22.261 [2].

[0153] In real-time deterministic communication, Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) Task Group is a part of IEEE 802.1 WG focusing on Layer 2 aspects of deterministic networking. Deterministic Networking (DetNet) is an IETF WG focusing on Layer 3 aspects for enabling deterministic data paths, which provide bounds on latency, loss, and packet delay variation (jitter), and high reliability. Together, DetNet and TSN define a common architecture for deterministic networking in Layer 2 and Layer 3.

[0154] Before TSN, various fieldbus technologies have been applied in the field of automation and control. Fieldbus is the name of a family of industrial computer network protocols used for real-time distributed control, standardized as IEC 61158, which recognizes 16 Communication Profile Families (CPFs) such as the well-known PROFIBUS, EtherCAT, SERCOS, etc.

[0155] All these technologies aim to achieve real-time deterministic communications with diverse or similar approaches over mostly wired media. Among them, TSN over Ethernet receive most of the attention in 5G standardization. One of the key components of TSN is the 802.1Qbv standard “IEEE Std 802.1Qbv™-2015, Amendment 25: Enhancements for Scheduled Traffic, IEEE Computer Society” which defines a timed schedule of Gates—called Gate Control List (GCL) controlling the transmission through an output port of a compliant switch. There are up to 8 gates for as many Queues, supporting 8 traffic classes in 802.1Q, identified based on the Priority Code Point (PCP) value of the VLAN Header. The schedule repeats periodically and can be configured using a centralized network management entity or using a distributed protocol. The 802.1Qbv standard provides a network-wide static reservation of resources for scheduled traffic with known transmission times and payloads, based on the GCLs exchanged between the TSN switches.

[0156] Although being strongly demanded from vertical industries, 5G is not yet technically ready for supporting the integration into a larger real-time deterministic network such as TSN, neither from upper layer/architectural interfaces, nor from the lower layer features. For a delay critical GBR QoS flows, a packet delayed more than a Packet Delay Budget (PDB) is counted as lost if the transmitted data burst is less than Maximum Data Burst Volume within the period of PDB. But delay critical GBR is not equivalent to time-triggered communication. The key difference is that time-triggered communication involves static resource reservations for deterministic traffic patterns (ex. IEEE 802.1Qbv). As of today, there is no provision for time-triggered communication in 5G NR.

[0157] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary time diagram 200 illustrating time-sensitive traffic characteristics. Time-critical traffic is usually deterministic in nature, i.e. the arrival time and volume of traffic is known in advance, to a high degree of precision. However, it may be possible that time-critical traffic is not deterministic, i.e. random or sporadic. In such cases, the transmission medium is usually able to accommodate the random variations of the traffic patterns up to a degree. Such cases are not considered in this disclosure. Time-critical traffic also typically has low latency requirements from source to destination (“end-to-end” latency). Furthermore, it generally has high reliability requirements, which implies a low packet loss/error rate. Time-critical traffic is often periodic with repeating traffic patterns (with the same aforementioned characteristics). In the example of FIG. 2, time-critical traffic consists of four data blocks 201, 202, 203, 204 having specific characteristics. The characteristics of time-sensitive traffic are depicted in FIG. 2 and defined in the following:

[0158] Max. Data rate R: Denotes the maximum data rate (ex. in bits/s) of the time-critical traffic. This sets a hard limit on the magnitude of the traffic bursts.

[0159] Data rate variation ΔR: Variation in the actual data rate from the max. Data Rate. For a perfectly deterministic traffic pattern, this is zero.

[0160] Triggering/Starting Time(s) t.sub.0, t.sub.1, etc.: Starting time(s) of time-critical traffic on the link. Can be specified as a globally known time or as a relative offset to a globally known reference time.

[0161] Triggering/Starting Time variation Δt.sub.0, Δt.sub.1, etc.: Variation in the actual starting time of time-critical traffic on the link.

[0162] Traffic Duration(s) δ.sub.0, δ.sub.1, etc.: Duration of time-critical traffic burst.

[0163] Traffic Duration(s) variation Δδ.sub.0, Δδ.sub.1, etc.: Variation in the traffic durations of time-critical traffic. For a perfectly deterministic traffic pattern, this is zero.

[0164] Period of traffic pattern P: Periodicity of time-critical traffic pattern.

[0165] Cycle Start Time T.sub.cycle_start: Denotes the start time of the deterministic traffic burst.

[0166] In a deterministic network, these time-sensitive QoS characteristics are known in advance (prior to the cycle start time) in order for the network to take the appropriate steps to meet the associated QoS requirements. The traffic pattern may not be cyclic in which case the period P specifies the total duration of the traffic pattern and may be updated on-demand but always in advance to the starting time of the first burst in the new pattern.

[0167] As described above, the main concept of the disclosure is a QoS framework in mobile communication networks, in particular 5G, that supports time-triggered or deterministic traffic and includes the following components/aspects:

[0168] 1) Time Sensitive Application Function (TS AF): Located in the 5G Core Network (5G CN), this AF interacts with the 5G CN to support the time-sensitive application, in particular, influences: 1) traffic treatment (via. SMF, UPF), 2) policy control (via. PCF) and 3) service exposure (via. NEF).

[0169] 2) Time-Sensitive QoS Profile: A new QoS profile definition that includes time-sensitive parameters namely traffic triggering/starting time, traffic duration and volume, as well as mapping existing 5G QoS profile parameters to additional time-sensitive QoS parameters.

[0170] 3) Procedures to enable end-to-end communication for time sensitive traffic: Signaling procedures between the 5G CN and TS-AF, as well as 5G (R)AN and 5G CN to support end-to-end time-sensitive traffic flows in the 5G system.

[0171] In order to manage the time-critical traffic flows in the 5G system, the QoS characteristics and the QoS requirements of the incoming traffic should first be understood. The TS AF receives this information from the external data network (the Time-Sensitive application in this case) and translates this to a new time-sensitive 5G QoS profile that can be applied in the 5G network. This is the first function of the TS AF.

[0172] A second function of the TS AF is to negotiate the generated TS QoS profile with the 5G CN, specifically the PCF in order to ensure that the 5G system can satisfy the TS QoS requirements.

[0173] A third function of the TS AF is to update the internally (within 5GS) agreed TS QoS to the external TS network. This uses appropriate translation of the agreed TS QoS parameters for the external network.

[0174] As mentioned above, the 5G QoS Profile does not specify time-triggered traffic characteristics or requirements. The concept according to the disclosure adds time-triggered or deterministic traffic characteristics to the 5G QoS model.

[0175] FIG. 3 shows the time-sensitive QoS Profile 300 with additional TS QoS characteristics 301 that captures the TS QoS Characteristics defined earlier as well as the TS QoS requirements of such traffic flows. This TS QoS profile 300, once accepted by the 5G CN and used to set up a PDU session, will ensure that the 5G System fulfils the QoS requirements of the TS application.

[0176] The TS QoS profile 300, once accepted within the 5G system at the PDU Session or QoS Flow level, guarantees that the TS QoS Requirements are met for that QoS Flow. This guarantee is made possible by aligning the 5G (R)AN and 5GC elements 302, 303 to take the necessary steps to ensure that the TS QoS Profile 300 is accepted only after appropriate steps to guarantee its enforcement are taken.

[0177] In the following figures, procedures to enable end-to-end communication for time sensitive traffic are described. The following procedures involving the TS AF, 5GC and 5G (R)AN are introduced to ensure 5G support for time-sensitive traffic. New signaling procedures or existing signaling with new parameters are underlined. If no signaling in a figure is underlined, it means the entire procedure is new. Optional procedures are enclosed in curly braces { }.

[0178] FIG. 4 shows an exemplary message chart 400 illustrating acceptance of TS 5G QoS profile from external TS configuration according to the disclosure.

[0179] FIG. 4 describes the message sequence for generation of a TS 5G QoS Profile by interworking of the blocks TS (time-sensitive) Configurator 401, TS AF (application function) 402, NEF (network exposure function) 403 and PCF (policy control function) 404. TS Configurator 401 transmits a message 411 including TS traffic characteristics and/or TS QoS requirements to TS AF 402 which generates and provides TS QoS profile 412 to PCF 404. PCF 404 performs a feasibility check 413 to check if PCF is able to process this TS QoS profile. If yes, PCF informs 414 TS AF 402 about acceptance of this TS QoS profile. Then TS AF 402 generates and provides (guaranteed) TS QoS configuration 415 to TS configurator 401. The messages generating and providing TS QoS profile 412 and accept TS QoS profile 414 may be transmitted via the NEF 403.

[0180] The TS Configurator 401 belongs to the external time-sensitive network to which the TS AF 402 provides an interface. Depending on whether TS AF 402 is a trusted function or not, signaling between TS AF 402 and PCF 404 can be bridged by NEF 403. The PCF 404 performs a feasibility check 413 to ensure that the received TS QoS Profile 412 can be guaranteed by the 5G System as a whole (CN and RAN) and also aligned with the UE subscription. This requires further negotiation procedures with other 5GC NFs and the 5G (R)AN which are described further below.

[0181] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary message chart 500 illustrating negotiation of TS QoS profile between TSN-AF, PCF and TS configurator according to the disclosure.

[0182] FIG. 5 describes the message sequence for TS 5G QoS Profile negotiation by the same blocks as described above with respect to FIG. 4, i.e. TS Configurator 401, TS AF 402, NEF 403 and PCF 404. TS Configurator 401 transmits a message 411 including TS traffic characteristics and/or TS QoS requirements to TS AF 402 which generates and provides TS QoS profile 412 to PCF 404. PCF 404 performs a feasibility check 413 to check if PCF is able to process this TS QoS profile. If no, PCF informs 501 TS AF 402 about rejection of this TS QoS profile and proposes a modified TS QoS profile. Then TS AF 402 generates and provides modified TS QoS configuration 502 to TS configurator 401. TS configurator 401 confirms or rejects 503 modified TS QoS configuration by sending a corresponding message to TS AF 402 which transmits accepted/modified TS QoS profile 504 to PCF 404. The messages 412, 501 and 504 may be transmitted via the NEF 403.

[0183] If the PCF 404 cannot guarantee to meet the TS QoS requirements (e.g. due to RAN over-provisioning), it rejects 501 the TS QoS Profile and optionally proposes a modified TS QoS Profile that it can satisfy. This is followed by a confirmation 504 by the TS AF 402 whether the modified TS QoS Profile should be applied.

[0184] FIG. 6 shows an exemplary message chart 600 illustrating PCF-SMF interaction for UPF selection for the Pull configuration according to the disclosure. FIG. 7 shows an exemplary message chart 700 illustrating PCF-SMF interaction for UPF selection for the Push configuration according to the disclosure.

[0185] FIGS. 6 and 7 describes the message sequence for updating the TS QoS profile configuration to SMF for influencing UPF selection by using the blocks PCF 404 and SMF 601. The PCF 404 influences the UPF selection by signaling to the SMF 601 the selected TS QoS Profile related policy decision 603. Such information can be either pushed (FIG. 7) to SMF 601 by the QoS rule provision/modification 701 or SMF 601 pulls 602 the related policy from the PCF 404 as shown in the example signaling sequence chart in FIG. 6. What is carried in the related signaling can be either TSN QoS profile or QoS profile related policy. SMF 601 passes the TS QoS profile related QoS rules to RAN and UE, e.g. by using the session establishment procedure as defined in 3GPP TS 23.502. SMF 601 may only pass some of the QoS Profile to the RAN and UE or a different format that is mapped to the original TS QoS Profile.

[0186] FIG. 8 shows an exemplary message chart 800 illustrating SMF interaction with RAN for resource reservation for TS traffic according to the disclosure. FIG. 8 describes the message sequence for SMF interaction with RAN to ensure TS QoS Profile enforcement guarantee. The blocks PCF 404, SMF 601, (R)AN 801 and optionally AMF 802 are used. SMF 601 sends the QoS Profile 804 to RAN 801 and RAN 801 sends the QoS Profile to UE (not shown in FIG. 8).

[0187] The SMF 601 informs 804 the RAN 801 about the desired TS QoS Profile 803 (received from the PCF 404) and related QoS policy rules. The TS QoS requirements need to be translated to RAN QoS requirements 805 which may be done at the RAN 801. The RAN 801 does a feasibility check 806 including potentially reserving RAN resources according the RAN QoS requirements. Once the RAN 801 confirms a particular TS QoS Profile, this is signaled 807, 808 to the TS AF via the PCF 404.

[0188] FIG. 9 shows a schematic diagram illustrating transmission selection or switching 900 with gate control lists according to 802.1Qbv specification, also referred to as TSN 802.1Qbv or Time Aware Shaper (TAS). According to the disclosed concept, support for the TSN 802.1Qbv standard in 5G in provided, specifically to make the 5G system compatible with TSN 802.1Qbv. FIG. 9 shows an example for this support in order to provide a comprehensive analysis of the three main aspects of the disclosure described above, which are:

[0189] 1) Time Sensitive Application Function (TS AF): Located in the 5G Core Network (5G CN), this AF interacts with the 5G CN to support the time-sensitive application, in particular, influences 1) traffic treatment (via. SMF, UPF), 2) policy control (via. PCF) and 3) service exposure (via. NEF).

[0190] 2) Time-Sensitive QoS Profile: A new QoS profile definition that includes time-sensitive parameters namely traffic triggering/starting time, traffic duration and volume, as well as mapping existing 5G QoS profile parameters to additional time-sensitive QoS parameters.

[0191] 3) Procedures to enable end-to-end communication for time sensitive traffic: Signaling procedures between the 5G CN and TS-AF, as well as 5G (R)AN and 5G CN to support end-to-end time-sensitive traffic flows in the 5G system.

[0192] 802.1Qbv defines a cyclic timed schedule of Gates—called Gate Control List (GCL) 906, which control the transmission through an output port of a compliant switch 900 as depicted in FIG. 9. There are up to 8 gates 921, 922, 923, 924, 925 for as many Queues 901, 902, 903, 904, 905 and corresponding transmission selection algorithms 911, 912, 913, 914, 915, supporting 8 traffic classes in 802.1Q, identified based on the Priority Code Point (PCP) value of the VLAN Header. The schedule repeats periodically and can be configured using a centralized network management entity, e.g. the TS Configurator 401 shown in FIG. 4, or using a distributed protocol. FIG. 9 depicts eight queues 901, 902, 903, 904, 905 of a TSN-compatible switch 900 whose transmission schedule (i.e. Open: ‘o’ or Closed: ‘C’) is controlled by a time-indexed Gate control list 906. For example in FIG. 9, transmission gate 922 of queue 902 is open while transmission gates 921, 923, 924, 925 are closed according to time index T05 of gate control list 906. The time indices T00, T01, etc. correspond to time intervals that are globally recognized in the TSN network. Specific queues may be reserved for time-sensitive traffic (called Scheduled traffic in 802.1Qbv parlance) and some queues may be shared by time-sensitive and best-effort traffic, however separated in time. Data from open transmission gates is selected for transmission 930.

[0193] FIG. 10 shows an architecture diagram illustrating an exemplary TSN topology 1000. The 802.1Qbv standard provides a network-wide static reservation of resources for scheduled traffic with known transmission times and payloads, based on the GCLs exchanged between the TSN switches.

[0194] As shown in FIG. 10, two TSN Endpoints (‘TSN E/P’) 1003, 1006 are connected to each other over three hops and two TSN Bridges 1004, 1005. Two TSN flows 1007, 1008 are established in each direction and uniquely identified in the network. The Endpoints 1003, 1006 communicate their application requirements on a per-flow basis to the TSN Application Configurator 1001, which communicates this information to the TSN Network configurator 1002. The TSN Network Configurator 1002 configures the TSN Bridges 1004, 1005 according to the per-flow requirements received from the TSN application configurator 1001.

[0195] FIG. 11 shows a table 1100 illustrating an exemplary 5G TSN QoS profile for a single 802.1Qbv TSN flow, e.g. one of the flows 1007, 1008 depicted in FIG. 10, according to the disclosure. The TSN QoS Profile is one example of a deterministic QoS profile.

[0196] The TSN QoS profile adds new TSN-specific QoS characteristics to the 5G QoS Profile as shown in FIG. 11. This TSN QoS profile is used to set up an E2E PDU Session or QoS Flow within the 5G network and may correspond to one or more TSN Flows 1007, 1008 described above with respect to FIG. 10. The TSN QoS Profile applies to the end-to-end 5G link and may comprise multiple hops in the 5G network. Individual hops within the 5G network have their respective RAN-QoS aligned with this E2E QoS.

[0197] The table 1100 in FIG. 11 shows one embodiment of the 5G QoS Profile adapted for TSN traffic for a specific TSN flow. The entries in the table may be dynamically created/updated/signaled based on received TSN configuration. Each row corresponds to one burst of 802.1Qbv scheduled data within the TSN flow. The shaded columns represent new parameters or parameter values. For example, SQI value 1101 indicates a TSN-specific range; resource type 1102 indicates a new resource type, that is, time-triggered; starting time 1103 indicates absolute time stamp (obtained from TSN) for start of TSN data flow; period 1104 indicates period of the flow; data volume 1105 indicates data volume or data rate of the data flow, e.g. in kilo bytes; priority level 1106 indicates priority, for example PCP field in 802.1Q frame; packet delay budget 1107 indicates a delay as obtained from TSN configuration; and packet error rate 1108 indicates an error rate as obtained from TSN configuration, e.g. from TSN application Configurator 1001 or TSN network Configurator as shown in FIG. 10.

[0198] Another embodiment is to carry deterministic QoS characteristics in additional signaling and use it together with the current SQIs.

[0199] In an alternative embodiment, the newly presented deterministic QoS parameters may be specified as QoS characteristics corresponding to a new Resource Type 1102 (for example: ‘Deterministic’ or ‘Time-triggered’).

[0200] FIG. 12 shows an exemplary message chart 1200 illustrating generation of TSN 5G QoS profile from 802.1Qbc gate control lists according to the disclosure.

[0201] FIG. 12 describes the message sequence for generation of TSN QoS Profile by interworking of the blocks TSN (time-sensitive networking) Configurator 1201, TSN AF 1202 and PCF 404. TSN Configurator 1201 transmits a message 1211 including TSN 802.1Qbv GCL (gate control list), e.g. GCL 906 as described above with respect to FIG. 9, to TSN AF 1202 which generates and provides TSN QoS template 1212 to PCF 404. If PCF 404 can accept this TSN QoS template, PCF 404 informs TSN AF 1202 about TSN QoS template acceptance 1213. Then TSN AF 1202 generates and shares GCL from accepted TSN QoS template 1214 with TSN configurator 1201. The messages between TSN-AF 1202 and PCF 404 may be transmitted via a NEF 403, e.g. as shown in FIG. 4.

[0202] FIG. 13 shows an exemplary message chart 1300 illustrating negotiation of TSN QoS profile between 5G and TSN configurator according to the disclosure.

[0203] FIG. 13 describes the message sequence for TSN QoS Profile negotiation by the same blocks as described above with respect to FIG. 4, i.e. TSN Configurator 1201, TSN AF 1202, optionally NEF 1301, and PCF 404. TS ConfiguratorN 1201 transmits TSN 802.1Qbv GCL 1211 to TS AF 1202, which generates and provides TSN QoS profile 1212 to PCF 404 as described above with respect to FIG. 12. PCF 404 checks if PCF is able to process this TSN QoS profile. If no, PCF 404 informs 1311 TSN AF 1202 about rejection of this TSN QoS profile and optionally proposes a modified TSN QoS profile. Then, TSN AF 1202 generates and shares GCL from modified TSN QoS profile 1312 with TSN configurator 1201. TSN configurator 1201 accepts this modified TSN QoS profile or sends updated GCL 1313 to TSN AF 1202. TSN QoS negotiation may be repeated 1314 for scheduled traffic. The messages between TSN-AF 1202 and PCF 404 may be transmitted via a NEF 1301, e.g. NEF 403 as shown in FIG. 4.

[0204] The TSN QoS Profile can be implemented as the 5QI specified for ‘Deterministic’ resource type, or the current standardized 5QI+additional deterministic QoS characteristics (alternative embodiments).

[0205] The example procedure for the TSN-AF 1202 request to influence QoS policy follows the principles specified in TS 29.514 5G system Policy Authorization Service session 4.2. The AF shall invoke (either directly of via the NEF 1301) the Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create/Update Request service operation.

[0206] The service information included in Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create/Update Request service operation can be extended by: [0207] Indication of the usage of TSN QoS profile type [0208] Preferred/Acceptable values of additional TS QoS characteristics [0209] Indication of whether negotiation is allowed or not (optional)

[0210] The feedback of Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create/Update Request can be either accepted or temporarily rejected as specified in TS23.203 session 6.2.1. The rejection can optionally carry the information on the modified QoS profile (with proposed value from the PCF 404).

[0211] After the negotiation and coordination with TSN configurator 1201, TSN-AF 1202 generates and provides TSN QoS profile 1212 using the proposed value from the PCF 404 or a different value to the one provided in the previous round to the PCF 404.

[0212] FIG. 14 shows an exemplary message chart 1400 illustrating PDU session establishment for 802.1Qbv traffic according to the disclosure.

[0213] The signaling procedure for setting up a PDU session with deterministic QoS is shown in FIG. 14. A similar procedure applies for modifying an existing PDU session with (new) deterministic QoS Profile/parameters. The following network nodes are used for the messaging: UE 1401, RAN 801, e.g. as described with respect to FIG. 8, AMF 802, e.g. as described with respect to FIG. 8, UPF 1402, SMF 601, e.g. as described with respect to FIG. 6, PCF 404, e.g. as described with respect to FIG. 4, UDM 1403 and DN 1404.

[0214] The message chart 1400 includes the following messages: In step 1, a PDU session establishment request that contains deterministic parameters 1411 is transmitted from UE 1401 to AMF 801. In step 2, Session management context is created for deterministic traffic PDU session 1412. In step 3, PDU session authentication/authorization 1413 is performed. In step 4a SMF 601 performs PCF selection 1414 and in step 4b SMF 601 performs SM policy association establishment or SMF initiated SM policy association modification is performed. In step 5, SMF 601 performs UPF selection. In step 6, SMF 601 performs SMF initiated SM policy association modification 1417. In step 7, SMF 601 performs N4 session establishment/modification 1418. In step 8, SMF 601 transmits Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer with deterministic QoS profile 1419 to AMF 802 which confirms this message. In step 9, AMF 802 transmits N2 PDU session request (NAS msg) to RAN 801. In step 10, RAN 801 and UE 1401 negotiate about AN-specific resource setup (PDU Session Establishment Accept), RAN procedures to ensure deterministic QoS requirements are met. In step 11, RAN 801 transmits N2 PDU session request Ack 1422 to AMF 802. Then, first uplink data (according to deterministic schedule) is transmitted by UE 1401 via RAN 801, AMF 802 to UPF 1402. In step 12, PDU session management update is performed. Then, first downlink data (according to deterministic schedule) is transmitted by UPF 1402 to UE 1401.

[0215] FIG. 15 shows a schematic diagram 1500 illustrating exemplary deployment options for 5G and TSN according to the disclosure, in particular for the TSN-compatible 5G system.

[0216] In a first option a), data flows are between first TSN endpoint (EP) 1513, first UE 1511, gNB 1510 via uu interface, second UE 1512 and second TSN EP 1514.

[0217] In a second option b), data flows are between first TSN endpoint (EP) 1513, first UE 1511, gNB 1510 via uu interface, second UE 1512 and second TSN EP 1514. Alternatively, sidelink interface PC5 between first UE 1511 and second UE 1512 may be used.

[0218] In a third option c), data flows are between first TSN EP 1513, first UE 1511, gNB1 1531 via uu interface, UPF 1530 via N3 interface, gNB2 1532 via N3 interface, second UE 1512 via uu interface and second TSN EP 1514.

[0219] In a fourth option d), data flows are between first TSN EP 1513, first UE 1511, gNB 1510 via uu interface, UPF 1530 via N3 interface, N3IWF 1550 via N3 interface, non-3GPP AP 1551, second UE 1512 and second TSN EP 1514.

[0220] In a fifth option e), data flows are between first TSN EP 1513, first UE 1511, gNB 1510 via uu interface, UPF 1530 via N3 interface and second TSN EP 1514 via N6 interface.

[0221] There are different use cases where the TSN and 5GS needs to be aligned:

[0222] The first use cases (according to options a) and b) described above) are with only RAN involvement: Two TSN compliant UEs communicate with each other via the same 5G-RAN node over Uu. Two TSN compliant UEs communicate with each other via PC5.

[0223] The second use (according to options c), d) and e) described above) are with both RAN and 5GC involvement: Two TSN compliant UEs communicate with each other via different 5G-RAN node. Two TSN compliant UEs communicate with each other via 5G-RAN node and non-3GPP access. One UE connect to TSN compliant network via 5GS.

[0224] These options are depicted in the FIG. 15. Depending on the deployment options, the deterministic QoS profile is passed to and agreed with RAN and/or CN control functions. The RAN and/or CN control functions configure their part of the network accordingly to support the end to end communication of the deterministic traffic.

[0225] FIG. 16 shows a block diagram illustrating a communication system 1600 with interworking network device 1610 translating between a deterministic communication network 1601 and a mobile communication network 1602 according to the disclosure.

[0226] The communication system 1600 includes a device 1610 for translating between a first communication network 1601, in particular a deterministic communication network, and a second communication network 1602, in particular a mobile communication network, in particular a 5G communication network.

[0227] The device 1610 comprises: an application function 1611 that is configured to translate between Quality-of-Service, QoS, parameters 1614 of the first communication network 1601 and QoS parameters 1615 of the second communication network 1602; a QoS profile 1612 comprising the QoS parameters 1614 of the first communication network 1601 translated by the application function 1611 and, optionally, additional QoS parameters 1616 originating from the second communication network 1602; and a signaling procedure 1613 configured to exchange the translated QoS parameters 1615 within the second communication network 1602.

[0228] The signaling procedure 1613 may further be configured to trigger establishment of a deterministic traffic flow 1617, 1618 based on the QoS profile 1612.

[0229] The application function 1611 may be configured to negotiate the QoS profile 1612 with the second communication network 1602, in particular a policy control function, PCF 404, of the 5G communication network, in order to ensure that the second communication network 1602 can satisfy the QoS parameters 1614 of the first communication network 1601 translated by the application function 1611.

[0230] The application function 1611 may translate the negotiated QoS profile 1612 for the first communication network 1601.

[0231] The QoS parameters 1614 of the first communication network 1601 may comprise at least one of the following: periodicity of deterministic traffic flow, maximum data rate of the deterministic traffic flow as inferred from a received configuration, in particular, a Gate Parameter Table, data rate variation of the deterministic traffic flow, starting times of the deterministic traffic flow, starting time variation of the deterministic traffic flow, duration the deterministic traffic flow, duration variation of the deterministic traffic flow, reception window of the deterministic traffic flow, e.g. as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 11.

[0232] The application function 1611 may provide an interface to the first communication network 1601, in particular to a configuration entity of the first communication network 1601, for receiving the QoS parameters 1614 of the first communication network 1601. The application function 1611 may provide an interface to the second communication network 1602, in particular to a PCF 404 of the 5G communication network or via a network exposure function, NEF 403, 1301, to the PCF 404 to provide the QoS profile 1612, e.g. as described above with respect to FIGS. 4 and 13.

[0233] The application function 1611, 402 may receive an acceptance message 414 from the PCF 404 if the second communication network 1602 can accept the QoS profile 1612, e.g. as described above with respect to FIG. 4. The application function 1611, 402 may transmit a QoS configuration 415 comprising the translated QoS parameters to the first communication network 1601 based on the accepted QoS profile 1612, e.g. as described above with respect to FIG. 4.

[0234] The application function 1611, 402 may receive a rejection message 501 and/or a modified QoS profile from the PCF 404 if the second communication network 1602 rejects the QoS profile 1612, e.g. as described above with respect to FIG. 5. The application function 1611, 402 may transmit the rejection message and/or the translated QoS parameters corresponding to the modified QoS profile to the first communication network 1611.

[0235] The application function 1611, 402 may transmit a request to the PCF 404, wherein the request comprises the modified QoS profile if the first communication network 1601 confirms the translated QoS parameters 1615 corresponding to the modified QoS profile, e.g. as described above with respect to FIG. 4.

[0236] The PCF 404 may signal a policy related to the QoS profile 1612 or at least one modified QoS profile to a Session Management Function, SMF 601, and/or a User Equipment,

[0237] UE 1401, of the 5G communication network to influence a User Plane Function, UPF 1402, and a Radio Access Network, RAN 801, e.g. as described above with respect to FIGS. 6 and 8.

[0238] The PCF 404 may signal the QoS profile 1612 or the modified QoS profile to the SMF 601 to transmit information based on the QoS profile 1612 or the at least one modified QoS profile to a Radio Access Network (RAN) entity 801 to influence resources reservation of the RAN 801, e.g. as described above with respect to FIG. 8. The PCF 404 may receive a message from the SMF 601, the message comprising the QoS profile 1612 or the at least one modified QoS profile accepted by the second communication network 1602 or a rejection by the second communication network 1602, e.g. as described above with respect to FIG. 6.

[0239] The first communication network 1601 may comprise Time Sensitive Networking, TSN, in particular according to the IEEE 802.1Qbv specification.

[0240] The QoS parameters of the TSN can be derived from Gate Control Lists, GCLs 906, e.g. as described above with respect to FIG. 9, of TSN switches of the TS network 1000 or signaled in alternative format.

[0241] The QoS parameters of the TSN 1000 may comprise at least one of the following: time-triggered 1102 or deterministic resource type, absolute time stamp 1103 for start of TSN data flow or a relative time offset to an absolute starting time, optionally a period 1104 of the TSN data flow, and data volume 1105 or data rate of the TSN data flow 1107, 1108, e.g. as described above with respect to FIG. 11.

[0242] FIG. 17 shows a schematic diagram illustrating a method 1700 for translating between a deterministic communication network and a mobile communication network according to the disclosure. The first communication network 1601 may be a deterministic communication network, and the second communication network 1602 may be a mobile communication network, in particular a 5G communication network as described above with respect to FIG. 16.

[0243] The method 1700 comprises: translating 1701 between Quality-of-Service, QoS, parameters 1614 of the first communication network 1601 and QoS parameters 1615 of the second communication network 1602, e.g. as described above with respect to FIG. 16. The method 1700 comprises creating 1702 a QoS profile 1612 comprising the QoS parameters 1614 of the first communication network 1601 translated by the application function 1611 and, optionally, additional QoS parameters 1616 originating from the second communication network 1602, e.g. as described above with respect to FIG. 16. The method 1700 comprises establishing 1703 end-to-end deterministic traffic flows in the second communication network based on the QoS profile, e.g. as described above with respect to FIG. 16. The method 1700 may comprise further steps not shown in FIG. 17, e.g. as described above with respect to FIG. 16.

[0244] The present disclosure also supports a computer program product including computer executable code or computer executable instructions that, when executed, causes at least one computer to execute the performing and computing steps described herein, in particular the steps of the method described above. Such a computer program product may include a readable non-transitory storage medium storing program code thereon for use by a computer. The program code may perform the processing and computing steps described herein, in particular the method described above.

[0245] While a particular feature or aspect of the disclosure may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature or aspect may be combined with one or more other features or aspects of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “include”, “have”, “with”, or other variants thereof are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprise”. Also, the terms “exemplary”, “for example” and “e.g.” are merely meant as an example, rather than the best or optimal. The terms “coupled” and “connected”, along with derivatives may have been used. It should be understood that these terms may have been used to indicate that two elements cooperate or interact with each other regardless whether they are in direct physical or electrical contact, or they are not in direct contact with each other.

[0246] Although specific aspects have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a variety of alternate and/or equivalent implementations may be substituted for the specific aspects shown and described without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specific aspects discussed herein.

[0247] Although the elements in the following claims are recited in a particular sequence with corresponding labeling, unless the claim recitations otherwise imply a particular sequence for implementing some or all of those elements, those elements are not necessarily intended to be limited to being implemented in that particular sequence.

[0248] Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the above teachings. Of course, those skilled in the art readily recognize that there are numerous applications of the invention beyond those described herein. While the present invention has been described with reference to one or more particular embodiments, those skilled in the art recognize that many changes may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.