US 2025/0062970 A1 · SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR MISSION EXECUTION IN NETWORK

Abstract

An X-centric network architecture and associated methods are provided. The network architecture provides comprehensive control and processing functions that support heterogenous XaaS services. For different XaaS services, the network architecture supports the activation/selection of different functions/interfaces. The network architecture has a control/management (C/M) plane that includes a mission manager (MM) that manages a mission comprising tasks associated with heterogenous services. The network architecture also has a mission data plane (MDP) coupled to the C/M plane. The MDP plane includes processing functions (PFs) required for the tasks and also includes data plane functions (DPFs) that are configured to interface a PF of a XaaS service to a PF of a different XaaS service. The network architecture also has one or multiple XaaS module(s) which may be provided by third parties as plug-in module(s). Each XaaS module is associated with a XaaS service, one of multiple XaaS service controller(s) (XC), and one or multiple PF(s)/DPF(s) conducting corresponding tasks. Detail procedures, interfaces, and signals for mission execution and device accessing a mission (mission access) are described in the associated methods.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system, comprising:

a control/management (C/M) plane, including:
a mission manager (MM) configured to manage a mission, the mission comprising tasks associated with heterogenous services provided by respective XaaS modules;
and
a mission data plane, including:
processing functions (PFs), the tasks comprising the PFs, each XaaS module comprising at least one PF, each PF configured to interface with at least one of:
another PF, a device and an application server;
and
data plane functions (DPFs), the tasks comprising the DPFs, each DPF configured to interface a first PF of a first XaaS module to a second PF of a second XaaS module, the MM configured to manage the mission by scheduling and coordinating the tasks associated with the heterogenous services.

5 more elements

A method comprising:

by a device, sending, to a connectivity manager (CM) via a radio access network (RAN) node, a mission access request (MAR) to access the mission;
by the CM, conducting a serving mission manager (MM) procedure to select a serving MM;
by the serving MM, conducting a serving XaaS service controller (XC) procedure to select a serving XC to manage a task of a mission to be accessed by the device;
by the CM, establishing the RAN node to a serving XC interface (R2X interface) configured to control signals between the serving XC and the device;
and
by the serving XC, sending an invite message to the device to join a data plane of the task via the R2X interface.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System and methods for mission execution in network

Life of this patent

System and methods for mission execution in network

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20