IP Library Granted Patent US 12,556,944
Granted Patent B2
US 12,556,944 · App. 18/246,672 · Granted Feb 17, 2026

Edge cloud platform for mission critical applications

Inventors: Zhongwen Zhu (Saint-Laurent, CA); Qinan Qi (Saint-Laurent, CA); Claes Göran Robert Edström (Beaconsfield, CA); Tan Phat Nguyen (Montreal, CA); Alec Kurkdjian (Laval, CA)
Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
H04W24/02H04L41/0894H04L41/0895H04L41/16H04L41/40H04L41/5003H04L41/0896H04L43/08
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,556,944
App. No.
18/246,672
Granted
Feb 17, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method implements a network slicing controller to manage network slicing instances in an edge cloud platform. The method includes receiving at least one policy change from an artificial intelligence powered smart traffic controller (APSTC) or an artificial intelligence powered edge traffic controller (APETC), determining whether the at least one policy change is valid based on local monitoring information, and sending the at least one policy change to a common control network function in a 5G mobile network.

Claims (34)

1 . A method for a network slicing controller (NSC) of an edge cloud platform (ECP) edge data center (DC) to manage network slicing instances associated with the ECP DC, the method comprising:

receiving at least one policy change from an artificial intelligence powered smart traffic controller (APSTC) or an artificial intelligence powered edge traffic controller (APETC), wherein the at least one policy change pertains to resource allocation in a 5 th Generation (5G) mobile network;

determining whether the at least one policy change is valid based on local monitoring of at least one application with a network slicing instance in a service provider network managed by the NSC; and

sending the at least one policy change to a common control network function in the 5G mobile network.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

discarding the at least one policy change in response to determining the at least one policy change is invalid.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

recording a validation decision on the at least one policy change in a data collection point in the ECP DC.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining the at least one policy change based on artificial intelligence or machine learning algorithm analysis of network metrics collected for the network slicing instance supporting the at least one application.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

collecting network metrics from the ECP DC for the service provider network; and

analyzing the network metrics to generate an artificial intelligence or machine learning model to produce the at least one policy change.

6 . A network device to operate as a network slicing controller (NSC) of an edge cloud platform (ECP) edge data center (DC) to manage network slicing instances associated with the ECP DC, the network device comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein instructions for the NSC; and

a processor coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium, the processor to execute the NSC, the NSC to receive at least one policy change from an artificial intelligence powered smart traffic controller (APSTC) or an artificial intelligence powered edge traffic controller (APETC), wherein the at least one policy change pertains to resource allocation in a 5 th Generation (5G) mobile network, to determine whether the at least one policy change is valid based on local monitoring of at least one application with a network slicing instance in a service provider network managed by the NSC, and to send the at least one policy change to a common control network function in the 5G mobile network.

7 . The network device of claim 6 , wherein the NSC is further to discard the at least one policy change in response to determining the at least one policy change is invalid.

8 . The network device of claim 6 , wherein the NSC is further to record a validation decision on the at least one policy change in a data collection point in the ECP DC.

9 . The network device of claim 6 , wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium stores instructions for the APETC, and wherein the APETC is further to determine the at least one policy change based on artificial intelligence or machine learning algorithm analysis of network metrics collected for the network slicing instance supporting the at least one application.

10 . The network device of claim 6 , wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium stores instructions for the APETC, and wherein the APETC is further to collect network metrics from the ECP DC for the service provider network, and analyze the network metrics to generate an artificial intelligence or machine learning model to produce the at least one policy change.

11 . A computing device to execute a plurality of virtual machines, the plurality of virtual machines implementing network function virtualization (NFV), the plurality of virtual machines to execute a method for a network slicing controller (NSC) of an edge cloud platform (ECP) edge data center (DC) to manage network slicing instances associated with the ECP DC, the computing device comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein instructions for the NSC; and

a processor coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium, the processor to execute the plurality of virtual machines, at least one of the plurality of virtual machines to execute the instructions for the NSC, the NSC to receive at least one policy change from an artificial intelligence powered smart traffic controller (APSTC) or an artificial intelligence powered edge traffic controller (APETC), wherein the at least one policy change pertains to resource allocation in a 5 th Generation (5G) mobile network, to determine whether the at least one policy change is valid based on local monitoring of at least one application with a network slicing instance in a service provider network managed by the NSC, and to send the at least one policy change to a common control network function in the 5G mobile network.

12 . The computing device of claim 11 , wherein the NSC is further to discard the at least one policy change in response to determining the at least one policy change is invalid.

13 . The computing device of claim 11 , wherein the NSC is further to record a validation decision on the at least one policy change in a data collection point in the ECP DC.

14 . The computing device of claim 11 , wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium stores the instructions for the APETC, and wherein the APETC is further to determine the at least one policy change based on artificial intelligence or machine learning algorithm analysis of network metrics collected for the network slicing instance supporting the at least one application.

15 . The computing device of claim 11 , wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium stores the instructions for the APETC, and wherein the APETC is further to collect network metrics from the ECP DC for the service provider network, and analyze the network metrics to generate an artificial intelligence or machine learning model to produce the at least one policy change.

16 . A computing device to execute a control plane of a software defined networking (SDN) network, the computing device to implement a method for an artificial intelligence powered smart traffic controller (APSTC), the APSTC to manage network slicing instances an edge cloud platform (ECP) edge data center (DC), the computing device comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein instructions for the APSTC; and

a processor coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium, the processor to execute instructions for the APSTC, the APSTC to determine at least one policy change for managing the network slicing instances associated with the ECP DC, based on collected network metrics and an artificial intelligence or machine learning model, the APSTC to send the at least one policy change to a network slicing controller (NSC) for the NSC to operate on the at least one policy change, where the at least one policy change pertains to resource allocation in a 5 th Generation (5G) mobile network and for the NSC to determine whether the at least one policy change is valid based on local monitoring of at least one application with a network slicing instance in a service provider network managed by the NSC, and the APSTC to collect updated network metrics from the ECP DC implementing the NSC to determine whether the at least one policy change is valid based on local monitoring of at least one application with network slicing instance in a service provider network managed by the NSC.

17 . The computing device of claim 16 , wherein the APSTC is further configured to update the at least one policy change for multiple applications across different locations, to combine policies for different applications at a same location or different locations in ECP DC, or to remove or split a common policy for different applications at a same location or different locations.

18 . The computing device of claim 16 , wherein APSTC anonymized data is collected from the ECP DC.

19 . The computing device of claim 16 , wherein the APSTC generates an artificial intelligence model or machine learning model for differing scopes including the ECP DC, edge computing platform region, or a service provider.

20 . The computing device of claim 16 , wherein the APSTC manages policies in a plurality of ECP DCs via local network slicing controllers.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 3, 2023
From: NGUYEN, TAN PHAT
To: TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)
Reel/Frame 065112/0538 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 1, 2023
From: ZHU, ZHONGWEN; QI, QINAN; EDSTRÖM, CLAES GÖRAN ROBERT; NGUYEN, PHAT TAN; KURKDJIAN, ALEC
To: TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)
Reel/Frame 063198/0170 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240031235A1 · Jan 25, 2024
References Cited (26)
US 10530645B2 · Yang et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20160021583A1 · Bansal · 2016 [cited by examiner]
US 20180192390A1 · Li et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 20180192471A1 · Li et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 20190394655A1 · Rahman et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20200044943A1 · Bor-Yaliniz et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20200196155A1 · Bogineni · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200304318A1 · Kravitz · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20210021494A1 · Yao · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20210022024A1 · Yao · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20210160897A1 · Young · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20220417038A1 · Kravitz · 2022 [cited by examiner]
International Search Report and Written Opinion for Application No. PCT/IB2020/059025, Jun. 29, 2021, 24 pages. [cited by applicant]
3GPP TR 28.809 V0.5.0, “3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Management and orchestration; Study on enhancement of Management Data Analytics (MDA) (Release 17),”… [cited by applicant]
3GPP TR 28.814 V0.1.0, “3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Management and orchestration; Study on enhancements of edge computing management (Release 17),” Aug.… [cited by applicant]
3GPP TR 28.861 V1.1.0, “3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Telecommunication management; Study on the Self-Organizing Networks (SON) for 5G networks (Release 1… [cited by applicant]
3GPP TS 23.501 V16.5.1, “3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; System architecture for the 5G System (5GS); Stage 2 (Release 16),” Aug. 2020, 440 pages, 3GPP Orga… [cited by applicant]
3GPP TS 23.502 V16.5.1, “3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Procedures for the 5G System (5GS); Stage 2 (Release 16),” Aug. 2020, 594 pages, 3GPP Organizationa… [cited by applicant]
3GPP TS 28.530 V16.2.0, “3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Management and orchestration; Concepts, use cases and requirements (Release 16),” Jul. 2020, 31 pag… [cited by applicant]
3GPP TS 28.531 V16.6.0, “3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Management and orchestration; Provisioning; (Release 16),” Jul. 2020, 72 pages, 3GPP Organizational… [cited by applicant]
Qi Sun et al., “Draft new Supplement 55 to ITU-T Y.3170-series (former ITU-T Y.ML-IMT2020-Use-Cases): “Machine learning in future networks including IMT-2020; use cases”—for approval,” Oct. 14-25, 2019, 60 pages, SG13-T… [cited by applicant]
Yun Chao Hu et al., “Mobile Edge Computing A key technology towards 5G,” Sep. 2015, 16 pages, First Edition, ETSI White Paper No. 11, ETSI. [cited by applicant]
Huawei, “Discussion and proposal for MEC in network slice context,” Jan. 29-Feb. 2, 2018, 3 pages, 3GPP TSG SA WG5 (Telecom Management) Meeting #117, S5-181352, Rome, Italy. [cited by applicant]
Samsung, “pCR EAS Lifecycle Management,” Aug. 17-28, 2020, 3 pages, 3GPP TSG-SA5 Meeting #132e, S5-204129, Online. [cited by applicant]
Samsung, “Deployment model for different Network Slice implementations,” Mar. 31-Apr. 8, 2020, 3 pages, 3GPP TSG-SA WG6 Meeting #36-BIS-e, S6-200551, E-meeting. [cited by applicant]
Song Yang et al., “Survivable Task Allocation in Cloud Radio Access Networks With Mobile-Edge Computing,” Jan. 15, 2021, pp. 1095-1108, IEEE Internet of Things Journal, vol. 8, No. 2, IEEE. [cited by applicant]