Unmanned aerial vehicle and controller association

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to unmanned aerial vehicles and controller associations. Devices, systems and methods for pairing / unpairing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a UAV controller (UAC). The UAV and / or UAC may initiate pairing / unpairing of the UAV with a host UAC based on a trigger condition, and receive a configuration update from a network, which may confirm the pairing / unpairing of the UAV with the host UAC. The trigger condition may include at least one of the UAV moving from a position designated as being controlled by the host UAC, the UAV moving to a position where the host UAC is restricted from controlling the host UAV, and / or the host UAC losing signaling capability. The configuration update may include at least one of a reason code, an identifier associated with the UAV, an identifier associated with the host UAC, and an identifier associated with an unmanned system (UAS).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and more particularly to systems and methods for pairing / unpairing a UAV with a UAV controller. Background Art

[0002] Unmanned aerial vehicles (also referred to as drones) can be characterized as mobile devices or systems for various applications, such as obtaining or sensing information (e.g., video acquisition or monitoring), delivering goods or other activities. In recent years, the use of UAVs has increased rapidly, in part because they can be used in many applications. For example, UAVs can be used to travel to remote, difficult to reach and / or inconvenient locations to perform various actions. In some applications, UAVs are controlled by human users (e.g., users on the ground), and the users use UAV controllers (UACs) to remotely control the operation of UAVs. In some specific implementations, UACs can communicate with UAVs through existing cellular networks. One problem that may arise is what information existing cellular networks may need to track and / or control UAVs and / or how to track UACs. Therefore, improvements in this area are expected. Summary of the invention

[0003] Embodiments relate to apparatus, systems, and methods for pairing / unpairing a UAV with a UAV controller. Embodiments may include various methods for pairing / unpairing a UAV with a UAV controller (UAC).

[0004] For example, in some embodiments, a wireless device (e.g., a UE, such as a UAV and / or a UAC) may initiate the unpairing of a UAV and a host UAC (e.g., a UAC currently paired with the UAV) based on a trigger condition. In addition, the wireless device may receive a configuration update from a network (e.g., from a network entity, such as an AMF), which may confirm the unpairing of the UAV from the host UAC. In some embodiments, the trigger condition may include any one, any combination, and / or all (e.g., at least one) of the UAV moving from a position designated as being controlled by the host UAC, the UAV moving to a position where the host UAC is restricted from controlling the host UAV, and / or the host UAC losing signaling capability. In some embodiments, the configuration update may include any one, any combination, and / or all (e.g., at least one) of a reason code, an identifier associated with the UAV, an identifier associated with the host UAC, an identifier associated with an unmanned system (UAS) (e.g., where the UAS includes a UAV and a host UAC), and / or an identifier associated with a target UAC.

[0005] As another example, in some embodiments, a computer system such as an unmanned system (UAS) tracking management (UTM) system may track the position of a UAV paired with a host UAC (e.g., a UAC currently paired with a UAV). In addition, the computer system may send a depairing request to a network node based on a trigger condition. The depairing request may initiate the depairing of the UAV from the host UAC. In addition, the computer system may receive a depairing response from the network node, which may confirm the depairing of the UAV from the host UAC. In some embodiments, the trigger condition may include any one, any combination, and / or all (e.g., at least one) of the UAV moving from a position designated as being controlled by the host UAC, the UAV moving to a position where the host UAC is restricted from controlling the host UAV, and / or the host UAC losing signaling capability. In some embodiments, the unpairing request may include any, any combination, and / or all (e.g., at least one) of a reason code, an identifier associated with the UAV, an identifier associated with the host UAC, an identifier associated with an unmanned system (UAS) (e.g., where the UAS includes the UAV and the host UAC), and / or an identifier associated with the target UAC.

[0006] As another example, in some embodiments, a network node such as a core access and mobility management function (AMF) of a network hosting a UAV may receive a depairing request from a UTM system based on a trigger condition. The depairing request may initiate the depairing of the UAV from a host UAC (e.g., a UAC currently paired with the UAV). In addition, the network node may send a configuration update command to the UAV and / or the host UAC, which may indicate the depairing of the UAV from the host UAC, and receive a configuration update response from the UAV and / or the host UAC, which may confirm the depairing of the UAV from the host UAC. In addition, the network node may send a depairing response to the UTM system, which may confirm the depairing of the UAV from the host UAC. In some embodiments, the trigger condition may include any one, any combination, and / or all (e.g., at least one) of the UAV moving from a position designated as being controlled by the host UAC, the UAV moving to a position where the host UAC is restricted from controlling the host UAV, and / or the host UAC losing signaling capability. In some embodiments, any, any combination, and / or all (e.g., at least one) of the unpairing request, configuration update command, configuration update response, and / or unpairing response may include any, any combination, and / or all (e.g., at least one) of a reason code, an identifier associated with the UAV, an identifier associated with the host UAC, an identifier associated with an unmanned system (UAS) (e.g., where the UAS includes the UAV and the host UAC), and / or an identifier associated with the target UAC.

[0007] The techniques described herein may be implemented in and / or used with a plurality of different types of devices, including, but not limited to, any of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned aerial controllers (UACs), UTM servers, base stations, access points, cellular telephones, tablet computers, wearable computing devices, portable media players, and a variety of other computing devices.

[0008] This disclosure is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the topics described in this document. Therefore, it should be understood that the above features are only examples and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or essence of the topics described herein in any way. Other features, aspects and advantages of the topics described herein will become apparent through the following detailed description, drawings and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] A better understanding of the present subject matter may be obtained when the following detailed description of various embodiments is considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0010] Figure 1A An exemplary wireless communication system is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0011] Figure 1B Examples of base stations (BSs) and access points in communication with user equipment (UE) devices are shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0012] Figure 2 An exemplary simplified block diagram of a WLAN access point (AP) is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0013] Figure 3 An exemplary block diagram of a BS according to some embodiments is shown.

[0014] Figure 4 An exemplary block diagram of a server according to some embodiments is shown.

[0015] Figure 5A An exemplary block diagram of a UE according to some embodiments is shown.

[0016] Figure 5B An exemplary block diagram of cellular communication circuitry according to some embodiments is shown.

[0017] Fig. 6A An example of the connection between the EPC network, LTE base stations (eNBs), and 5G NR base stations (gNBs) is shown.

[0018] Figure 6B An example of a protocol stack for eNB and gNB is shown.

[0019] Fig. 7A An example of a 5G network architecture according to some embodiments is shown, which combines 3GPP (e.g., cellular) and non-3GPP (e.g., non-cellular) access in the 5G CN.

[0020] Figure 7B An example of a 5G network architecture according to some embodiments is shown, which combines dual 3GPP (e.g., LTE and 5G NR) access and non-3GPP access in the 5G CN.

[0021] Figure 8 An example of a baseband processor architecture for a UE according to some embodiments is shown.

[0022] Fig. 9 An unmanned driving system operating in a cellular network such as a 3GPP network according to some embodiments is shown.

[0023] Fig.10 A base station for communicating with a UAV is shown according to some embodiments.

[0024] Fig.11 An exemplary block diagram of a UAV according to some embodiments is shown.

[0025] Fig.12 An exemplary block diagram of a UAC according to some embodiments is shown.

[0026] Fig.13A An example of a UTM-initiated handoff of a UAV from a first UAC to a second UAC is shown according to some embodiments.

[0027] Fig. 13B An example of a mapping table of UAV controllers to control areas according to some embodiments is shown.

[0028] Fig.14 An example of signaling by a UTM requesting to unpair a UAV from a UAC is shown according to some embodiments.

[0029] Fig.15 An example of signaling by a UTM requesting pairing a UAV with a UAC is shown according to some embodiments.

[0030] Fig.16 An example of signaling is shown in which a UTM requests to unpair a UAV from a host (or first) UAC and pair the UAV to a target (or second) UAC in accordance with some embodiments.

[0031] Fig.17An example of signaling of a TPAE requesting to unpair a UAV from a host (or first) UAC and pair the UAV to a target (or second) UAC is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0032] Fig.18 An example of signaling in which a host UAC requests to unpair from a UAV and requests to pair a target UAC to the UAV is shown according to some embodiments.

[0033] Fig.19 An example of signaling in which a target UAC requests to unpair a host UAC from a UAV and requests to pair the target UAC to the UAV is shown according to some embodiments.

[0034] Fig. 20 An example of signaling in which a UAV requests to unpair the UAV from a host UAC and requests to pair the UAV to a target UAC is shown according to some embodiments.

[0035] Figure 21 to Figure 23 A block diagram of an example of a method for initiating pairing and / or unpairing between an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a UAV controller (UAC) according to some embodiments is shown.

[0036] Although the features described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and detailed description thereof are not intended to limit this document to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, their purpose is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives that fall within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Acronyms

[0038] Various acronyms are used throughout this disclosure. The definitions of the most prominent acronyms used that may appear throughout this disclosure are as follows:

[0039] UAV: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

[0040] UAC: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Controller

[0041] UAS: Unmanned Aerial System

[0042] UTM: UAS Traffic Management

[0043] C2: Command and Control

[0044] BLOS: Beyond Line of Sight

[0045] 3GPP: Third Generation Partnership Project

[0046] TPAE: Third Party Authorized Entity

[0047] UE: User Equipment

[0048] RF: Radio Frequency

[0049] BS: Base Station

[0050] DL: Downlink

[0051] UL: Uplink

[0052] LTE: Long Term Evolution

[0053] NR: New Radio

[0054] 5GS: 5G system

[0055] 5GMM: 5GS Mobility Management

[0056] 5GCN: 5G core network

[0057] IE: Information Element

[0058] the term

[0059] The following is a glossary of terms used in this disclosure:

[0060] Memory medium - any of various types of non-transitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory medium" is intended to include installation media, such as CD-ROM, floppy disk or tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory such as flash memory, magnetic media, for example, hard disk drive or optical storage device; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. The memory medium may also include other types of non-transitory memory or their combination. In addition, the memory medium may be located in the first computer system executing the program, or may be located in a different second computer system connected to the first computer system through a network such as the Internet. In the latter case, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term "memory medium" may include two or more memory media that may reside in different locations in different computer systems connected, for example, through a network. The memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., expressed as a computer program) that can be executed by one or more processors.

[0061] Carrier Medium—storage media as described above, and physical transmission media such as a bus, network, and / or other physical transmission media that transport signals such as electrical, electromagnetic or digital signals.

[0062] Programmable hardware element - includes various hardware devices that include multiple programmable function blocks connected via programmable interconnects. Examples include FPGA (field programmable gate array), PLD (programmable logic device), FPOA (field programmable object array), and CPLD (complex PLD). Programmable function blocks can vary from fine-grained (combinational logic unit or lookup table) to coarse-grained (arithmetic logic unit or processor core). Programmable hardware elements may also be referred to as "configurable logic units".

[0063] Computer system (or computer)—any of various types of computing or processing systems, including a personal computer system (PC), a mainframe computer system, a workstation, a network appliance, an Internet appliance, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a television system, a grid computing system, or other devices or combinations of devices. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0064] User Equipment (UE) (or "UE device") - any of various types of computer system devices that are mobile or portable and that perform wireless communications. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smart phones (e.g., iPhone TM , based on Android TM phones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS TM , PlayStation Portable TM 、Gameboy Advance TM , iPhone TM ), laptops, wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart glasses), PDAs, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices, other handheld devices, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (e.g., drones), UAV controllers (UACs), etc. In general, the term "UE" or "UE device" may be broadly defined to cover any electronic, computing, and / or telecommunication device (or combination of devices) that is easily transportable by a user and capable of wireless communication.

[0065] Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)—Any of various types of unmanned devices or systems capable of aerial operations (flight). UAVs are also commonly referred to as “drones.” The term “UAV” has the full range of its ordinary meaning.

[0066] Base Station—The term “base station” has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is installed at a fixed location and used to communicate as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system.

[0067] Processing element (or processor) - refers to various elements or combinations of elements that are capable of performing functions in a device such as user equipment or cellular network equipment. Processing elements may include, for example, processors and associated memory, portions or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processor cores, processor arrays, circuits such as ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), programmable hardware elements such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and any of the above various combinations.

[0068] Channel - a medium used to transmit information from a sender (transmitter) to a receiver. It should be noted that since the characteristics of the term "channel" may vary according to different wireless protocols, the term "channel" used in the present invention may be considered to be used in a manner that conforms to the standards of the type of device to which the term is used. In some standards, the channel width may be variable (e.g., depending on device capabilities, frequency band conditions, etc.). For example, LTE may support scalable channel bandwidths of 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz. In contrast, a WLAN channel may be 22 MHz wide, while a Bluetooth channel may be 1 MHz wide. Other protocols and standards may include different definitions of channels. In addition, some standards may define and use multiple types of channels, such as different channels for uplink or downlink and / or different channels for different purposes such as data, control information, etc.

[0069] Band—The term “band” has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a segment of the spectrum (eg, radio frequency spectrum) in which channels are used or set aside for the same purpose.

[0070] Wi-Fi - The term "Wi-Fi" has the full scope of its usual meaning and includes at least wireless communication networks or RATs that are served by wireless LAN (WLAN) access points and provide connectivity to the Internet through these access points. Most modern Wi-Fi networks (or WLAN networks) are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard and are marketed under the name "Wi-Fi". Wi-Fi (WLAN) networks are different from cellular networks.

[0071] Automatic—refers to an action or operation performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by a computer system) or a device (e.g., a circuit, a programmable hardware element, an ASIC, etc.) without the need for user input to directly specify or perform the action or operation. Thus, the term "automatic" is in contrast to a user manually performing or specifying an action, where the user provides input to directly perform the action. An automatic process may be initiated by input provided by a user, but subsequent actions performed "automatically" are not specified by the user, i.e., are not performed "manually," where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out an electronic form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing in information, selecting checkboxes, radio selections, etc.) is manually filling out the form, even though the computer system must update the form in response to the user action. The form may be automatically filled out by a computer system, where the computer system (e.g., software executed on the computer system) analyzes the fields of the form and fills out the form without any user input specifying the answers to the fields. As indicated above, a user may invoke automatic filling out of a form, but not participate in the actual filling out of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify the answers to the fields but rather they are automatically completed). This specification provides various examples of operations that are automatically performed in response to actions taken by a user.

[0072] Approximately - refers to a value that is close to a correct or exact value. For example, approximately can refer to a value that is within 1% to 10% of an exact (or desired) value. However, it should be noted that the actual threshold value (or tolerance) may depend on the application. For example, in some embodiments, "approximately" may mean within 0.1% of some specified or desired value, while in various other embodiments, the threshold value may be, for example, 2%, 3%, 5%, etc., depending on the expectations or requirements of a particular application.

[0073] Concurrency - refers to parallel execution or implementation, where tasks, processes, or programs are executed in an at least partially overlapping manner. For example, concurrency can be achieved using "strong" or strict parallelism, where tasks are executed (at least partially) in parallel on respective computing elements, or using "weak parallelism", where tasks are executed in an interleaved manner (e.g., by time multiplexing of execution threads).

[0074] Various components may be described as being "configured to" perform one or more tasks. In such environments, "configured to" is a broad statement that generally means "having a structure" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Thus, even when the component is not currently performing the task, the component can be configured to perform the task (e.g., a set of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect a module to another module even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured to" can be a broad statement that generally means "having a structure" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Thus, even when the component is not currently turned on, the component can be configured to perform the task. Typically, the circuitry that forms the structure corresponding to "configured to" may include hardware circuitry.

[0075] For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase "configured to". The description of a component being configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke 35 U.S.C. §112(f) interpretation of that component.

[0076] Figure 1A and Figure 1B :Communication System

[0077] Figure 1A A simplified exemplary wireless communication system according to some embodiments is shown. Note that Figure 1A The system is merely one example of a possible system, and features of the present disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of systems, as desired.

[0078] As shown, the exemplary wireless communication system includes a base station 102A, which communicates with one or more user equipment 106A, user equipment 106B to user equipment 106N, etc. through a transmission medium. Each user equipment may be referred to as a "user equipment" (UE) in this article. Therefore, user equipment 106 is referred to as UE or UE device.

[0079] The base station (BS) 102A may be a base transceiver station (BTS) or a cell site ("cellular base station") and may include hardware that enables wireless communications with the UEs 106A through 106N.

[0080] The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station may be referred to as a "cell". The base station 102A and the UE 106 may be configured to communicate over a transmission medium using any of a variety of radio access technologies (RATs), which are also referred to as wireless communication technologies or telecommunication standards, such as GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, Advanced LTE (LTE-A), 5G New Radio (5G NR), HSPA, 3GPP2CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), and the like. Note that if the base station 102A is implemented in the context of LTE, it may alternatively be referred to as an "eNodeB" or "eNB". Note that if the base station 102A is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may alternatively be referred to as a "gNodeB" or "gNB".

[0081] As shown, base station 102A may also be configured to communicate with network 100 (e.g., a cellular service provider's core network, a telecommunications network such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and / or the Internet, among other possibilities). Thus, base station 102A may facilitate communications between user devices and / or between user devices and network 100. In particular, cellular base station 102A may provide UE 106 with various communication capabilities, such as voice, SMS, and / or data services.

[0082] Base station 102A and other similar base stations (such as base stations 102B...102N) operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards can therefore be provided as a network of cells that can provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping service to UE 106A-N and similar devices over a geographic area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0083] Thus, while base station 102A may act as a "serving cell" for UEs 106A-N as shown in FIG. 1 , each UE 106 may also be able to receive signals from (and possibly be within communication range of) one or more other cells (which may be provided by base stations 102B-N and / or any other base stations), which may be referred to as "neighboring cells." Such cells may also be able to facilitate communications between user devices and / or between user devices and network 100. Such cells may include "macro" cells, "micro" cells, "pico" cells, and / or cells of any various other granularity that provide service area sizes. For example, base stations 102A-B shown in FIG. 1 may be macro cells, while base station 102N may be a micro cell. Other configurations are also possible.

[0084] In some embodiments, base station 102A may be a next generation base station, e.g., a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station or "gNB". In some embodiments, a gNB may be connected to a legacy Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network and / or to a New Radio Communications Core (NRC) network. In addition, a gNB cell may include one or more Transition and Reception Points (TRPs). In addition, a UE capable of operating in accordance with 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0085] It should be noted that UE 106 is capable of communicating using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, in addition to at least one cellular communication protocol (e.g., GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interface), LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, HSPA, 3GPP2CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc.), UE 106 can be configured to communicate using wireless networking (e.g., Wi-Fi) and / or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, etc.). If desired, UE 106 can also or alternatively be configured to communicate using one or more global navigation satellite systems (GNSS, such as GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcast standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H or DVB-H), and / or any other wireless communication protocols. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0086] Figure 1B A user equipment 106 (e.g., one of device 106A through device 106N) is shown in communication with a base station 102 and an access point 112 according to some embodiments. The UE 106 may be a device having cellular communication capabilities and non-cellular communication capabilities (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.), such as a mobile phone, a handheld device, a computer or tablet, or virtually any type of wireless device.

[0087] UE 106 may include a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in a memory. UE 106 may perform any of the method embodiments described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or in addition, UE 106 may include a programmable hardware element, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) configured to perform any of the method embodiments described herein or any portion of any of the method embodiments described herein.

[0088] UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some embodiments, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using, for example, CDMA2000 (1xRTT / 1xEV-DO / HRPD / eHRPD), LTE / Advanced LTE, or 5G NR using a single shared radio component and / or GSM, LTE, Advanced LTE, or 5G Nr using a single shared radio component. The shared radio may be coupled to a single antenna, or may be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communications. Typically, the radio component may include any combination of a baseband processor, an analog radio frequency (RF) signal processing circuit (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or a digital processing circuit (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio component may use the aforementioned hardware to implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains. For example, UE 106 may share one or more parts of a receive chain and / or transmit chain between multiple wireless communication technologies such as those discussed above.

[0089] In some embodiments, UE 106 may include a separate transmit chain and / or receive chain (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol configured to communicate with it. As another possibility, UE 106 may include one or more radio components shared between multiple wireless communication protocols, and one or more radio components used uniquely by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, UE 106 may include a shared radio component for communicating using either LTE or 5GNR (or LTE or 1xRTT, or LTE or GSM), and a separate radio component for communicating using each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible.

[0090] Figure 2 : Access Point Block Diagram

[0091] Figure 2 An exemplary block diagram of an access point (AP) 112 is shown. Note that Figure 2 The block diagram of the AP 112 is only one example of a possible system. As shown, the AP 112 may include a processor 204 that may execute program instructions for the AP 112. The processor 204 may also be coupled (directly or indirectly) to a memory management unit (MMU) 240 or other circuit or device, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 204 and convert these addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 260 and read-only memory (ROM) 250).

[0092] AP 112 may include at least one network port 270. Network port 270 may be configured to couple to a wired network and provide access to the Internet to multiple devices such as UE 106. For example, network port 270 (or an additional network port) may be configured to couple to a local network, such as a home network or an enterprise network. For example, port 270 may be an Ethernet port. The local network may provide a connection to an additional network such as the Internet.

[0093] The AP 112 may include at least one antenna 234, which may be configured to function as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with the UE 106 via the wireless communication circuit 230. The antenna 234 communicates with the wireless communication circuit 230 via a communication chain 232. The communication chain 232 may include one or more receive chains, one or more transmit chains, or both. The wireless communication circuit 230 may be configured to communicate via Wi-Fi or WLAN (e.g., 802.11). For example, when the AP is co-located with a base station in the case of a small cell, or in other cases where it may be desirable for the AP 112 to communicate via a variety of different wireless communication technologies, the wireless communication circuit 230 may also or alternatively be configured to communicate via various other wireless communication technologies, including, but not limited to, 5G NR, Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Global System for Mobile (GSM), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), CDMA2000, etc.

[0094] In some embodiments, as further described below, AP 112 may be configured to perform methods for pairing / unpairing a UAV with a UAV controller as further described herein.

[0095] Figure 3 :Block diagram of base station

[0096] Figure 3 An exemplary block diagram of a base station 102 according to some embodiments is shown. Note that Figure 3 The base station of is only one example of a possible base station. As shown, the base station 102 may include a processor 404 that may execute program instructions for the base station 102. The processor 404 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440 or other circuit or device, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 404 and convert these addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450).

[0097] Base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. Network port 470 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide access to the network as described above in FIG. Figure 2 Multiple devices of the telephone network described in, such as UE device 106.

[0098] The network port 470 (or an additional network port) may also or alternatively be configured to couple to a cellular network, such as a core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices, such as the UE device 106. In some cases, the network port 470 may be coupled to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by the cellular service provider).

[0099] In some embodiments, base station 102 may be a next generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or "gNB". In such embodiments, base station 102 may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network. Furthermore, base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more transition and reception points (TRPs). Furthermore, a UE capable of operating in accordance with 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0100] The base station 102 may include at least one antenna 434 and possibly multiple antennas. The at least one antenna 434 may be configured to function as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with the UE device 106 via the radio component 430. The antenna 434 communicates with the radio component 430 via a communication chain 432. The communication chain 432 may be a receive chain, a transmit chain, or both. The radio component 430 may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including but not limited to 5G NR, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc.

[0101] Base station 102 may be configured to perform wireless communications using multiple wireless communication standards. In some cases, base station 102 may include multiple radios that enable base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, base station 102 may include an LTE radio component for performing communications according to LTE and a 5GNR radio component for performing communications according to 5GNR. In this case, base station 102 may be able to operate as both an LTE base station and a 5G NR base station. As another possibility, base station 102 may include a multimode radio component capable of performing communications according to any one of multiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.).

[0102] As further described later herein, the base station 102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting the implementation of the features described herein. The processor 404 of the base station 102 may be configured to implement or support a portion or all of the implementation of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, the processor 404 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition thereto), in combination with one or more of the other components 430, 432, 434, 440, 450, 460, 470, the processor 404 of the base station 102 may be configured to implement or support a portion or all of the implementation of the features described herein.

[0103] In addition, as described herein, processor 404 may be composed of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor 404. Therefore, processor 404 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 404. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., first circuits, second circuits, etc.) configured to perform the functions of one or more processors 404.

[0104] Additionally, as described herein, radio 430 may be comprised of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in radio 430. Thus, radio 430 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of radio 430. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of radio 430.

[0105] Figure 4 :Block diagram of the server

[0106] Figure 4 An exemplary block diagram of a server 104 according to some embodiments is shown. Note that Figure 4 The base station is only one example of a possible server. As shown, the server 104 may include a processor 444 that can execute program instructions for the server 104. The processor 444 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 474, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 444 and convert these addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 464 and read-only memory (ROM) 454) or to other circuits or devices.

[0107] Server 104 may be configured to provide access network functionality to a plurality of devices, such as base station 102, UE device 106, and / or UTM 108, for example, as further described herein.

[0108] In some embodiments, server 104 may be part of a radio access network, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) access network. In some embodiments, server 104 may be connected to a legacy Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network and / or to a NR Core (NRC) network.

[0109] As further described later herein, the server 104 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting the features described herein. The processor 444 of the server 104 may be configured to implement or support implementing part or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium). Alternatively, the processor 444 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition thereto), in combination with one or more of the other components 454, 464, and / or 474, the processor 444 of the server 104 may be configured to implement or support implementing part or all of the features described herein.

[0110] In addition, as described herein, processor 444 may be composed of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor 444. Therefore, processor 444 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 444. In addition, each integrated circuit may include a circuit (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 444.

[0111] Figure 5A :UE block diagram

[0112] Figure 5A 1 shows an exemplary simplified block diagram of a communication device 106 according to some embodiments. Note that Figure 5AThe block diagram of the communication device is only an example of a possible communication device. According to the embodiment, the communication device 106 can be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or a mobile station, a wireless device or a wireless station, a desktop computer or a computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, a notebook or a portable computing device), a tablet computer, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a UAV controller (UAC) and / or a combination of devices and other devices. As shown in the figure, the communication device 106 may include a group of components 300 configured to perform core functions. For example, the group of components may be implemented as a system on a chip (SOC), which may include parts for various purposes. Alternatively, the group of components 300 may be implemented as a separate component or a group of components for various purposes. This group of components 300 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to various other circuits of the communication device 106.

[0113] For example, the communication device 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 310), input / output interfaces such as a connector I / F 320 (e.g., for connecting to a computer system; a docking station; a charging station; an input device such as a microphone, a camera, a keyboard; an output device such as a speaker; etc.), a display 360 that may be integrated with the communication device 106 or external to the communication device 106, and cellular communication circuits 330 such as for 5G NR, LTE, GSM, etc., and short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuits 329 (e.g., Bluetooth TM In some embodiments, the communication device 106 may include wired communication circuitry (not shown), such as, for example, a network interface card for Ethernet.

[0114] Cellular communication circuitry 330 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as antennas 335 and 336 as shown. Short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may also be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as antennas 337 and 338 as shown. Alternatively, short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to antennas 335 and 336 in addition to or in lieu of being (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to antennas 337 and 338. Short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 and / or cellular communication circuitry 330 may include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) configuration.

[0115] In some embodiments, as further described below, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include dedicated receive chains (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radio components) for multiple RATs (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G-NR). In addition, in some embodiments, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include a single transmit chain that can switch between radio components dedicated to specific RATs. For example, a first radio component may be dedicated to a first RAT, such as LTE, and may communicate with a dedicated receive chain and a transmit chain shared with an additional radio component, such as a second radio component that may be dedicated to a second RAT (e.g., 5G NR) and may communicate with the dedicated receive chain and the shared transmit chain.

[0116] The communication device 106 may also include and / or be configured for use with one or more user interface elements. The user interface elements may include various elements such as a display 360 (which may be a touch screen display), a keyboard (which may be a separate keyboard or may be implemented as part of a touch screen display), a mouse, a microphone and / or speakers, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and / or any of a variety of other elements capable of providing information to a user and / or receiving or interpreting user input.

[0117] The communication device 106 may also include one or more smart cards 345 with SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality, such as one or more UICC cards (one or more Universal Integrated Circuit Cards) 345. Note that the term "SIM" or "SIM entity" is intended to include any of various types of SIM implementations or SIM functionality, such as one or more UICC cards 345, one or more eUICCs, one or more eSIMs, removable or embedded, etc. In some embodiments, the UE 106 may include at least two SIMs. Each SIM may execute one or more SIM applications and / or implement SIM functionality in other ways. Thus, each SIM may be a single smart card that may be embedded, for example, soldered to a circuit board in the UE 106, or each SIM 310 may be implemented as a removable smart card. Thus, the SIM may be one or more removable smart cards (such as a UICC card, sometimes referred to as a "SIM card"), and / or the SIM 310 may be one or more embedded cards (such as an embedded UICC (eUICC), sometimes referred to as an "eSIM" or "eSIM card"). In some embodiments (such as when the SIM includes an eUICC), one or more of the SIMs may implement embedded SIM (eSIM) functionality; in such embodiments, a single SIM of the SIM may execute multiple SIM applications. Each SIM may include components such as a processor and / or a memory; instructions for performing SIM / eSIM functionality may be stored in the memory and executed by the processor. In some embodiments, the UE 106 may include a combination of removable smart cards and fixed / non-removable smart cards (such as one or more eUICC cards that implement eSIM functionality) as needed. For example, the UE 106 may include two embedded SIMs, two removable SIMs, or a combination of one embedded SIM and one removable SIM. Various other SIM configurations are also contemplated.

[0118] As described above, in some embodiments, UE 106 may include two or more SIMs. Including two or more SIMs in UE 106 may allow UE 106 to support two different phone numbers, and may allow UE 106 to communicate on corresponding two or more corresponding networks. For example, a first SIM may support a first RAT such as LTE, and a second SIM 310 may support a second RAT such as 5G NR. Of course, other implementations and RATs are also possible. In some embodiments, when UE 106 includes two SIMs, UE 106 may support a dual card dual communication (DSDA) function. The DSDA function may allow UE 106 to be connected to two networks (and use two different RATs) at the same time, or allow two connections supported by two different SIMs using the same or different RATs to be maintained on the same or different networks at the same time. The DSDA function may also allow UE 106 to receive voice calls or data traffic on any phone number at the same time. In some embodiments, voice calls may be packet-switched communications. In other words, voice calls may be received using voice over LTE (VoLTE) technology and / or voice over NR (VoNR) technology. In some embodiments, the UE 106 may support dual SIM dual standby (DSDS) functionality. The DSDS functionality may allow either of the two SIMs in the UE 106 to standby for a voice call and / or data connection. In DSDS, when a call / data is established on one SIM, the other SIM is no longer active. In some embodiments, the DSDx functionality (DSDA or DSDS functionality) may be implemented using a single SIM (e.g., eUICC) that executes multiple SIM applications for different carriers and / or RATs.

[0119] As shown, the SOC 300 may include a processor 302 that may execute program instructions for the communication device 106 and a display circuit 304 that may perform graphics processing and provide display signals to a display 360. The one or more processors 302 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340 (which may be configured to receive addresses from the one or more processors 302 and convert those addresses to locations in a memory (e.g., memory 306, read-only memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310)) and / or to other circuits or devices (such as display circuit 304, short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuit 329, cellular communication circuit 330, connector I / F 320, and / or display 360). The MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, the MMU 340 may be included as part of the processor 302.

[0120] As described above, the communication device 106 can be configured to communicate using wireless and / or wired communication circuits. The communication device 106 can be configured to perform a method for pairing / unpairing a UAV with a UAV controller as further described herein.

[0121] As described herein, the communication device 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing the above-described features of the communication device 106 to send a scheduling profile for power saving to the network. The processor 302 of the communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described in the present invention, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 302 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). Alternatively (or in addition), in combination with one or more of the other components 300, 304, 306, 310, 320, 329, 330, 340, 345, 350, 360, the processor 302 of the communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described in the present invention.

[0122] In addition, as described in the present invention, processor 302 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 302 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 302. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., first circuits, second circuits, etc.) configured to perform the functions of one or more processors 302.

[0123] Further, as described herein, the cellular communication circuit 330 and the short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuit 329 may each include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in the cellular communication circuit 330, and similarly, one or more processing elements may be included in the short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuit 329. Thus, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 330. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include a circuit (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 330. Similarly, the short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuit 329 may include one or more ICs configured to perform the functions of the short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuit 329. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include a circuit (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuit 329.

[0124] Figure 5B : Block diagram of a cellular communication circuit

[0125] Figure 5BAn exemplary simplified block diagram of a cellular communication circuit according to some embodiments is shown. Note that Figure 5B The block diagram of the cellular communication circuitry of is only one example of possible cellular communication circuitry. According to an embodiment, the cellular communication circuitry 330 may be included in a communication device such as the communication device 106 described above. As described above, the communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, notebook, or portable computing device), a tablet computer, and / or a combination of devices, among other devices.

[0126] Cellular communication circuitry 330 may be (eg, communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as ( Figure 3 5 ). For example, as shown in FIG. 5 , the cellular communication circuit 330 may include a modem 510 and a modem 520. The modem 510 may be configured for communication according to a first RAT, such as, for example, LTE or LTE-A, and the modem 520 may be configured for communication according to a second RAT, such as, for example, 5G NR.

[0127] As shown, the modem 510 may include one or more processors 512 and a memory 516 in communication with the processor 512. The modem 510 may communicate with a radio frequency (RF) front end 530. The RF front end 530 may include circuits for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, the RF front end 530 may include a receiving circuit (RX) 532 and a transmitting circuit (TX) 534. In some embodiments, the receiving circuit 532 may communicate with a downlink (DL) front end 550, which may include circuits for receiving radio signals via an antenna 335a.

[0128] Similarly, the modem 520 may include one or more processors 522 and a memory 526 in communication with the processor 522. The modem 520 may communicate with the RF front end 540. The RF front end 540 may include circuits for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, the RF front end 540 may include a receiving circuit 542 and a transmitting circuit 544. In some embodiments, the receiving circuit 542 may communicate with the DL front end 560, which may include circuits for receiving radio signals via the antenna 335b.

[0129] In some embodiments, the switch 570 may couple the transmit circuit 534 to an uplink (UL) front end 572. In addition, the switch 570 may couple the transmit circuit 544 to the UL front end 572. The UL front end 572 may include circuitry for transmitting radio signals via the antenna 336. Thus, when the cellular communication circuit 330 receives an instruction to transmit according to a first RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including the transmit circuit 534 and the UL front end 572) supported by the modem 510, the switch 570 may be switched to a first state that allows the modem 510 to transmit signals according to the first RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including the transmit circuit 534 and the UL front end 572). Similarly, when the cellular communication circuit 330 receives an instruction to transmit according to a second RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including the transmit circuit 544 and the UL front end 572) supported by the modem 520, the switch 570 may be switched to a second state that allows the modem 520 to transmit signals according to the second RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including the transmit circuit 544 and the UL front end 572).

[0130] In some embodiments, the cellular communication circuit 330 may be configured to perform a method for pairing / unpairing a UAV with a UAV controller as further described herein.

[0131] As described herein, the modem 510 may include hardware and software components for implementing the above-described features or for time-division multiplexing UL data for NSA NR operations and various other techniques described herein. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), the processor 512 may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein. Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 512 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). Alternatively (or in addition), in combination with one or more of the other components 530, 532, 534, 550, 570, 572, 335, and 336, the processor 512 may be configured to implement part or all of the feature parts described herein.

[0132] In addition, as described herein, processor 512 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processor 512 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 512. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 512.

[0133] As described herein, the modem 520 may include hardware and software components intended to implement the above-described features for transmitting a power-saving scheduling profile to a network, as well as various other techniques described herein. The processor 522 may be configured to implement part or all of the feature parts described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 522 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). Alternatively (or additionally), in combination with one or more of the other components 540, 542, 544, 550, 570, 572, 335, and 336, the processor 522 may be configured to implement part or all of the feature parts described herein.

[0134] In addition, as described herein, processor 522 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processor 522 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 522. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 522.

[0135] Fig. 6A and Figure 6B : 5G using LTE NR Architecture

[0136] In some implementations, fifth generation (5G) wireless communications will initially be deployed concurrently with current wireless communications standards (e.g., LTE). For example, dual connectivity between LTE and 5G New Radio (5G NR or NR) has been specified as part of the initial deployment of NR. Figure 6A-6B As shown, the evolved packet core (EPC) network 600 may continue to communicate with the current LTE base station (e.g., eNB 602). In addition, the eNB 602 may communicate with the 5G NR base station (e.g., gNB 604), and data may be transferred between the core network 600 and the gNB 604. Thus, the EPC network 600 may be used (or reused), and the gNB 604 may serve as additional capacity for the user equipment, for example, to provide increased downlink throughput for the UE. In other words, LTE may be used for control plane signaling, and NR may be used for user plane signaling. Thus, LTE may be used to establish a connection with the network, and NR may be used for data services.

[0137] Figure 6BThe proposed protocol stack for the eNB 602 and the gNB 604 is shown. As shown, the eNB 602 may include a medium access control (MAC) layer 632 that interfaces with the radio link control (RLC) layers 622a-622b. The RLC layer 622a may also interface with the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer 612a, and the RLC layer 622b may interface with the PDCP layer 612b. Similar to the dual connectivity specified in LTE-Advanced Release 12, the PDCP layer 612a may interface with the EPC network 600 via a master cell group (MCG) bearer, while the PDCP layer 612b may interface with the EPC network 600 via a separate bearer.

[0138] In addition, as shown, the gNB 604 may include a MAC layer 634 that interfaces with the RLC layers 624a-624b. The RLC layer 624a may interface with the PDCP layer 612b of the eNB 602 via an X2 interface for information exchange and / or coordination (e.g., scheduling UEs) between the eNB 602 and the gNB 604. In addition, the RLC layer 624b may interface with the PDCP layer 614. Similar to the dual connectivity specified in Advanced LTE Release 12, the PDCP layer 614 may interface with the EPC network 600 via a secondary cell group (SCG) bearer. Therefore, the eNB 602 may be considered a master node (MeNB) and the gNB 604 may be considered a secondary node (SgNB). In some cases, the UE may be required to maintain a connection with both the MeNB and the SgNB. In such a scenario, the MeNB may be used to maintain a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the EPC, while the SgNB may be used for capacity (e.g., additional downlink and / or uplink throughput).

[0139] Fig. 7A , Figure 7B and Figure 8 : 5G core network architecture—interworking with Wi-Fi

[0140] In some embodiments, the 5G core network (CN) can be accessed via (or through) a cellular connection / interface (e.g., via a 3GPP communication architecture / protocol) and a non-cellular connection / interface (e.g., a non-3GPP access architecture / protocol such as a Wi-Fi connection). Fig. 7AAn example of a 5G network architecture according to some embodiments is shown, which combines 3GPP (e.g., cellular) and non-3GPP (e.g., non-cellular) access in 5G CN. As shown, a user equipment device (e.g., UE 106) can access 5G CN through both a radio access network (RAN, such as a gNB or base station 604) and an access point such as AP 112. AP 112 may include a connection to the Internet 700 and a connection to a non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF) 702 network entity. N3IWF may include a connection to a core access and mobility management function (AMF) 704 of 5G CN. AMF 704 may include an instance of a 5G mobility management (5G MM) function associated with UE 106. In addition, RAN (e.g., gNB 604) may also have a connection to AMF 704. Therefore, 5G CN can support unified authentication on two connections and allow UE 106 access to be registered simultaneously via gNB 604 and AP 112. As shown, the AMF 704 may include one or more functional entities associated with the 5G CN (e.g., a network slice selection function (NSSF) 720, a short message service function (SMSF) 722, an application function (AF) 724, a unified data management (UDM) 726, a policy control function (PCF) 728, and / or an authentication server function (AUSF) 730). Note that these functional entities may also be supported by the session management function (SMF) 706a and SMF 706b of the 5G CN. The AMF 706 may be connected to (or communicate with) the SMF 706a. In addition, the gNB 604 may communicate with (or be connected to) a user plane function (UPF) 708a, which may also communicate with the SMF 706a. Similarly, the N3IWF 702 may communicate with the UPF 708b, which may also communicate with the SMF 706b. Both UPFs may communicate with data networks (eg, DNs 710a and 710b) and / or the Internet 700 and the IMS core network 710.

[0141] Figure 7BAn example of a 5G network architecture according to some embodiments is shown, which combines dual 3GPP (e.g., LTE and 5G NR) access and non-3GPP access in 5G CN. As shown, a user equipment device (e.g., UE 106) can access 5GCN through a radio access network (RAN, such as gNB or base station 604 or eNB or base station 602) and an access point such as AP 112. AP 112 may include a connection to the Internet 700 and a connection to the N3IWF 702 network entity. N3IWF may include a connection to the AMF 704 of the 5G CN. AMF 704 may include an instance of a 5G MM function associated with UE 106. In addition, the RAN (e.g., gNB 604) may also have a connection to AMF 704. Therefore, 5G CN can support unified authentication on two connections and allow UE 106 access to be registered simultaneously via gNB 604 and AP 112. In addition, the 5G CN may support dual registration of UEs on both a traditional network (e.g., LTE via base station 602) and a 5G network (e.g., via base station 604). As shown, the base station 602 may have connections to a mobility management entity (MME) 742 and a serving gateway (SGW) 744. The MME 742 may have connections to both the SGW 744 and the AMF 704. In addition, the SGW 744 may have connections to both the SMF 706a and the UPF 708a. As shown, the AMF 704 may include one or more functional entities associated with the 5G CN (e.g., NSSF 720, SMSF 722, AF 724, UDM 726, PCF 728, and / or AUSF 730). It should be noted that the UDM 726 may also include a home subscriber server (HSS) function, and the PCF may also include a policy and charging rules function (PCRF). It should also be noted that these functional entities can also be supported by SMF 706a and SMF 706b of 5G CN. AMF 706 can be connected to (or communicate with) SMF 706a. In addition, gNB 604 can communicate with (or be connected to) UPF 708a, which can also communicate with SMF 706a. Similarly, N3IWF702 can communicate with UPF 708b, which can also communicate with SMF 706b. Both UPFs can communicate with data networks (e.g., DN710a and 710b) and / or the Internet 700 and the IMS core network 710.

[0142] It should be noted that in various embodiments, one or more of the above-mentioned network entities may be configured to perform methods for improving security checks in 5G NR networks, including, for example, mechanisms for pairing / unpairing a UAV with a UAV controller as further described herein.

[0143] Figure 8 An example of a baseband processor architecture for a UE (e.g., UE 106) according to some embodiments is shown. As described above, Figure 8 The baseband processor architecture 800 described in the figure can be implemented on one or more radio components (e.g., the radio components 329 and / or 330 described above) or modems (e.g., modems 510 and / or 520) as described above. As shown in the figure, the non-access layer 810 may include a 5G NAS 820 and a traditional NAS 850. The traditional NAS 850 may include a communication connection with a traditional access layer (AS) 870. The 5G NAS 820 may include a communication connection with a 5G AS 840 and a non-3GPP AS 830 and a Wi-Fi AS 832. The 5G NAS 820 may include functional entities associated with two access layers. Therefore, the 5G NAS820 may include multiple 5G MM entities 826 and 828 and 5G session management (SM) entities 822 and 824. The traditional NAS 850 may include functional entities such as a short message service (SMS) entity 852, an evolved packet system (EPS) session management (ESM) entity 854, a session management (SM) entity 856, an EPS mobility management (EMM) entity 858, and a mobility management (MM) / GPRS mobility management (GMM) entity 860. In addition, the traditional AS 870 may include functional entities such as an LTE AS 872, a UMTS AS 874, and / or a GSM / GPRS 876.

[0144] Thus, the baseband processor architecture 800 allows for a common 5G-NAS for both 5G cellular and non-cellular (e.g., non-3GPP access). Note that, as shown, 5G MM can maintain a separate connection management and registration management state machine for each connection. In addition, a device (e.g., UE 106) can register to a single PLMN (e.g., 5G CN) using 5G cellular access as well as non-cellular access. In addition, a device can be in a connected state in one access and in an idle state in another access, or vice versa. Finally, there may be common 5G-MM procedures (e.g., registration, deregistration, identification, authentication, etc.) for both accesses.

[0145] It should be noted that in various embodiments, one or more of the above-mentioned functional entities of the 5G NAS and / or 5G AS may be configured to perform, for example, a method for pairing / unpairing a UAV with a UAV controller as further described herein.

[0146] Figures 9 and 10 :Unmanned driving system

[0147] Fig. 9An exemplary (and simplified) block diagram of an unmanned aerial system (UAS) that may implement various aspects of the present disclosure according to some embodiments is shown. Note that Fig. 9 The system is merely one example of a possible system, and embodiments may be implemented in any of a variety of systems, as desired.

[0148] As shown, an exemplary UAS includes one or more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), a first UAV 132a and a second UAV 132b. The first UAV 132a may be controlled by a first UAV controller 122a operated by a user, and one or both of the first UAV 132a and the second UAV 132b may be controlled by a second UAV controller 122b operated by a user. Controllers 122a and 122b may send command and control (C2) signals to the UAVs to control their operations, for example, to control their movement. Exemplary C2 signals include signals for driving the UAV, moving the UAV up and down, adjusting the UAV speed, etc. Each UAC (controller) may be implemented as a UE, such as the UE 106 described above.

[0149] When using a cellular network (3GPP network) as a transport network for supporting UAS services, the system can utilize one or more of three different C2 communication methods to provide UAS services, which may include guaranteeing QoS for C2 communications. These three different C2 communication methods may be referred to as direct C2 communication, network-assisted C2 communication, and UTM navigation C2 communication. Each of these is described below.

[0150] Direct C2 communication: The UAV controller and the UAV establish a direct C2 link to communicate with each other and register to the 5G network for direct C2 communication using radio resources configured and scheduled by the 5G network. Fig. 9 1, where in some implementations, a first UAV controller 122a may transmit command and control (C2) radio signals directly to its corresponding UAV 132a, as noted by the note "C2 transmissions are not within the scope of 3GPP". Thus, the UAV controller 122a transmits radio signals that are directly received by the UAV 132a, and similarly, the UAV 132a transmits radio signals that are directly received by the UAV controller 122a (a direct C2 link). This direct communication method between the controller 122a and the UAV 132a may be available when the controller 122a and the UAV 132a are within the line of sight of each other and sufficiently close to each other. This would be a typical scenario where a user is controlling a drone that is close to the user and within the line of sight of the user (e.g., within the short-range radio transmission range).

[0151] Network-assisted C2 communication: The UAV controller and UAV register and establish corresponding unicast C2 communication links to the cellular network (5G network), and communicate with each other via the cellular network. Alternatively, both the UAV controller and the UAV may register to the cellular network via different NG-RAN nodes. It is assumed here that the cellular network supports a mechanism to handle reliable routing of C2 communications. This is Fig. 9 , where the UAV controller 122b uses a cellular network to transmit C2 signals with its corresponding UAV 132b, as indicated by the annotation "C2 connected via 3GPP". Thus, as shown, the UAV controller 122b sends a command and control (C2) radio signal that is received by the cellular network (e.g., the base station 102 of the cellular network), which then sends a corresponding C2 radio signal to one or both of the UAVs 132a and 132b. In a similar manner, one of the UAVs may send a C2 radio signal that is received by the cellular network (e.g., the base station 102 of the cellular network), which then sends a corresponding radio signal to the UAV controller 122b or one or both of the other UAVs.

[0152] Thus, the first UAV controller 122a communicates with its UAV 132a using direct radio signaling (without using a cellular network), referred to as "direct C2 communication," while the second UAV controller 122b communicates with one or more UAVs (e.g., UAV 132a and UAV 132b) using an intermediate cellular network to facilitate communication, referred to as "network-assisted C2 communication."

[0153] UTM navigation C2 communication: This communication method also utilizes the cellular network, where the UAV controller and the UAV register and establish corresponding C2 communication links to the cellular network (5G network), and communicate with each other via the cellular network. In this method, the UAV may have an associated controller, but the UTM is able to control the UAV at any time. The UAV may have been provided with a pre-scheduled flight plan for autonomous flight, for example, a 4D polygon array describing a path in a cellular network. In this communication method, the UTM maintains a C2 communication link with the UAV to regularly monitor the flight status of the UAV, verify the flight status with the latest dynamic constraints, provide route updates, and navigate the UAV when necessary. Therefore, the UTM can control the flight of the UAV, including the flight path, the altitude at which the UAV can travel, the speed of the UAV, etc. This is in Fig. 9 132a, UAV 132b, and controller 122b as transmitted between the UAS Traffic Management (UTM) and each of the UAVs 132a, 132b, and controller 122b. Fig. 9The term "application data traffic" in the context of may refer to command and control (C2) signals provided between the UTM and one or more of the UAV 132a, UAV 132b, and controller 122b. An example of when the UTM may take over UAV operations is when the UAV and / or its controller attempts to violate a previously approved flight authorization.

[0154] Generally speaking, direct C2 communications and network-assisted C2 communications may be used by a human operator using a UAV controller. UTMs may use UTM navigation C2 communications to provide unobstructed flight routes and route updates, which may not involve a human operator. In other words, UTM navigation C2 communications may involve autonomous flight operations of the UAV. In order to ensure service availability and reliability of C2 communications for UAS operations, particularly when the UAV flies beyond the operator's line of sight (BLOS), redundant C2 communication links may be established for any C2 communication link from the UAV controller or UTM to the UAV.

[0155] As shown, one or more (preferably each) of the second UAV controller 122b, UAC 122a, and UAV 132b can store and execute UAV applications to perform desired functions. Therefore, the second UAV controller 122b, UAV 132a, and UAV 132b can use the cellular network to transmit application data traffic back and forth between each other.

[0156] The cellular network is conceptually shown as a cloud labeled "3GPP Mobile Network", but it should be noted that any of a variety of types of cellular networks may be used. The cellular network may include a plurality of base stations, at least one of which communicates with one or more (e.g., any number of) UAVs and / or UAV controllers via a wireless transmission medium. The cellular network base station may also be configured to communicate with various other cellular user equipment (UE) devices such as cellular phones, tablets, etc.

[0157] The base station 102 may be a base transceiver station (BTS) or a cell site, and may include hardware and / or software capable of wireless communication with a UE (including a UAV and a UAV controller). If the base station 102 is implemented in the context of LTE, it may be referred to as an "eNodeB" or "eNB". If the base station 102 is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may alternatively be referred to as a "gNodeB" or "gNB". The base station 102 may also be equipped to communicate with a network (e.g., a core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunications network such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and / or the Internet, and various possible networks). Thus, the base station 102 may facilitate communication between various devices and a cellular network. The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station may be referred to as a "cell". Also as used herein, with respect to a UE, sometimes a base station may be considered to represent a network in consideration of the uplink and downlink communications of the UE. Therefore, a UE communicating with one or more base stations in a network may also be understood as a UE communicating with a cellular network.

[0158] The base station 102 and the user equipment may be configured to communicate over a transmission medium using any of a variety of radio access technologies (RATs), also referred to as wireless communication technologies or telecommunication standards, such as GSM, UMTS (WCDMA), LTE, Advanced LTE (LTE-A), LAA / LTE-U, 5G NR, 3GPP2, CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), Wi-Fi, and the like.

[0159] Base station 102 and other similar base stations operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards may thus be provided as one or more cell networks that can provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping service to cellular-equipped devices (such as UEs, UAVs, and UAV controllers) over a geographic area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0160] The box labeled "UTM" refers to UAS Traffic Management, which may be implemented by a computer system (e.g., a server), or in the "cloud" outside (e.g., "behind") the cellular network. Thus, the server may implement UTM (UAS Traffic Management) functionality (which may be a combination of hardware and software) for coordinating operations and data traffic between one or more of the UAVs and one or more of the UAV controllers. Thus, for convenience, the server or other device implementing the UTM functionality is referred to in the FIG. Fig.10 It is shown as "UTM" in FIG. 1 . Note that each cellular network provider may implement its own UTM.

[0161] Fig. 9The unmanned aerial system (UAS) shown may operate at least in part according to the UAS reference model in 3GPP. In the 3GPP UAS reference model, there may be a subset or all of the following: 1) The UAS consists of at least one UAV controller and one or more UAVs; 2) At least a subset of the UAVs are connected via cellular connectivity; 3) The UAVs may be controlled by a UAV controller connected via a cellular network (such as a 3GPP mobile network); 4) The UAVs may be controlled by a UAV controller that is not connected via a cellular network, for example, using a non-cellular C2 interface; 5) A UAV controller connected via a cellular network (e.g., a 3GPP mobile network) may control one or more UAVs; and 6) The UAS may exchange application data traffic with a UTM.

[0162] Fig.10 An exemplary unmanned equipment (UAV) according to some embodiments is shown, such as a UAV 132 communicating with a base station 102. UAV 132 may be a device with wireless network connectivity (such as cellular network connectivity), such as a device that can be found in a UE (such as UE 106). UAV 132 may include a processor (processing element) configured to execute program instructions stored in a memory. UAV 132 may execute any of the method embodiments described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or in addition, UAV 132 may include a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), an integrated circuit, and / or any of various other possible hardware components configured to execute (for example, individually or in combination) any of the method embodiments described herein or any of any of the method embodiments described herein. UAV 132 may be configured to communicate using any of a plurality of wireless communication protocols. For example, UAV 132 may be configured to communicate using two or more of CDMA2000, LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, WLAN, or GNSS. Other combinations of wireless communication standards are also possible.

[0163] UAV 132 may include a radio component and one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols according to one or more RAT standards. In some embodiments, UAV 132 may include a single antenna, or may include multiple antennas for performing wireless communications (e.g., for MIMO). Typically, the radio component may include any combination of a baseband processor, analog radio frequency (RF) signal processing circuits (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or digital processing circuits (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio component may use the aforementioned hardware to implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains.

[0164] Fig.11 : Block diagram of an exemplary UAV

[0165] Fig.11 A block diagram of an exemplary UAV (such as UAV 132) according to some embodiments is shown. As shown, the UAV may include a processor or system on chip (SOC) 1100, which may include parts for various purposes. For example, as shown, the SOC 1100 may include a processor 1102, which may execute program instructions for the UAV. The processor 1102 may be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 1140, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 1102 and convert these addresses to locations in a memory (e.g., a memory 1106, a read-only memory (ROM) 1150, a NAND flash memory 1110) and / or to other circuits or devices, such as a radio component 1130, a connector interface (I / F) 1120, various sensors such as cameras, etc. In some embodiments, the MMU 1140 may be included as part of the processor 1102.

[0166] As shown, the SOC 1100 may be coupled to various other circuits of the UAV 132. For example, the UAV 132 may include various types of memory (e.g., including flash memory 1110), a connector interface 1120 (e.g., for coupling to a charging station, etc.), and wireless communication circuits 1130 (e.g., for LTE, LTE-A, NR, CDMA2000, BLUETOOTH, etc.). TM , Wi-Fi, GPS, etc.). The UAV may include at least one antenna (e.g., 1135a), and may include multiple antennas (e.g., as shown by antennas 1135a and 1135b) for performing wireless communications with base stations, controllers, and / or other devices. Antenna 1135a and antenna 1135b are shown as examples, and the UAV 132 may include fewer or more antennas. In general, the one or more antennas are collectively referred to as antenna 1135. For example, the UAV may use antenna 1135 to perform wireless communications with the aid of radio circuit 1130. As described above, in some embodiments, the UAV may be configured to perform wireless communications using multiple wireless communication standards.

[0167] The UAV may include hardware and software components for implementing the methods described herein. The processor 1102 of the UAV 132 may be configured to implement some or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). In other embodiments, the processor 1102 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). In addition, the processor 1102 may be coupled to a processor such as a processor 1102 of ... Fig.11Other components are shown and / or may interoperate with other components to perform various embodiments disclosed herein. Processor 1102 may also implement various other applications and / or end-user applications running on the UAV.

[0168] In some embodiments, radio 1130 may include a separate controller dedicated to controlling communications for each respective RAT standard. Fig.11 As shown, the radio component 1130 may include a Wi-Fi controller 1152, a cellular controller (eg, an LTE and / or LTE-A controller) 1154, and a BLUETOOTH controller. TM Controllers 1156, and in at least some embodiments, one or more or all of these controllers may be implemented as respective integrated circuits (ICs or chips for short) that communicate with each other and with SOC 1100 (more specifically, with processor 1102). Although three separate controllers are shown in radio 1130, other embodiments with fewer or more similar controllers for various different RATs may be implemented in the UAV.

[0169] Fig.12 : Block diagram of an exemplary UAC

[0170] Fig.12 A block diagram of an exemplary UAC (such as UAC 122) according to some embodiments is shown. As shown, the UAC may include a processor or system on chip (SOC) 1200, which may include parts for various purposes. For example, as shown, the SOC 1200 may include a processor 1202, which may execute program instructions for the UAC. The processor 1202 may be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 1240, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 1202 and convert these addresses to locations in a memory (e.g., a memory 1206, a read-only memory (ROM) 1250, a NAND flash memory 1210) and / or to other circuits or devices, such as a radio component 1230, a connector interface (I / F) 1220, various sensors such as cameras, etc. In some embodiments, the MMU 1240 may be included as part of the processor 1202.

[0171] As shown, SOC 1200 may be coupled to various other circuits of UAC 122. For example, UAC 122 may include various types of memory (e.g., including flash memory 1210), a connector interface 1220 (e.g., for coupling to a charging station, etc.), and wireless communication circuits 1230 (e.g., for LTE, LTE-A, NR, CDMA2000, BLUETOOTH TM, Wi-Fi, GPS, etc.). The UAC may include at least one antenna (e.g., 1235a), and may include multiple antennas (e.g., as shown by antennas 1235a and 1235b) for performing wireless communications with base stations, controllers, and / or other devices. Antenna 1235a and antenna 1235b are shown as examples, and the UAC 122 may include fewer or more antennas. In general, the one or more antennas are collectively referred to as antenna 1235. For example, the UAC may use antenna 1235 to perform wireless communications with the aid of radio circuit 1230. As described above, in some embodiments, the UAC may be configured to perform wireless communications using multiple wireless communication standards.

[0172] The UAV 122 may include hardware and software components for implementing the methods described herein. The processor 1202 of the UAV 122 may be configured to implement part or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). In other embodiments, the processor 1202 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). In addition, the processor 1202 may be coupled to a processor such as a processor 1202 of a processor 1203 or a processor 1204 of a processor 1205. Fig.12 Other components are shown and / or may interoperate with other components to perform various embodiments disclosed herein. Processor 1202 may also implement various other applications and / or end-user applications running on UAC.

[0173] In some embodiments, radio 1230 may include a separate controller dedicated to controlling communications for various corresponding RAT standards. Fig.12 As shown, the radio component 1230 may include a Wi-Fi controller 1252, a cellular controller (eg, an LTE and / or LTE-A controller) 1254, and a BLUETOOTH controller. TM Controller 1256, and in at least some embodiments, one or more or all of these controllers may be implemented as respective integrated circuits (ICs or chips for short) that communicate with each other and with SOC 1200 (more specifically, with processor 1202). Although three separate controllers are shown in radio 1230, other embodiments may be implemented in the UAC with fewer or more similar controllers for various different RATs.

[0174] UAC and UAV Association

[0175] The embodiments described herein provide systems, methods, and mechanisms for associating an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) controller (UAC) to one or more UAVs, such that the UAC and the one or more UAVs are considered to be an unmanned system (UAS), such as to enable a UAS traffic management (UTM) mission authorization for the UAS. In addition, the embodiments described herein further define a network (e.g., a 3GPP system) to participate in the association of the UAC with the one or more UAVs. In addition, the embodiments described herein relate to a scenario in which a UAV such as UAV 132 needs to (and / or determines / decides to) unpair (e.g., unassociate) with a first (e.g., host) UAC such as first UAC 122, and pair (e.g., associate) with a second (e.g., target) UAC such as second UAC 122. Note that some embodiments may assume that:

[0176] (a) The UAV, the first UAC and the second UAC are each authorized and registered with the 5G core network (5GC);

[0177] (b) the UAV and the first UAC have been recognized by the UTM as UAS (e.g., associated / paired with each other); and

[0178] (c) The second UAC is authorized by the UTM.

[0179] For example, the UTM may request to unpair the UAV from the host UAC, e.g., causing the UAV and the host UAC to no longer be considered by the UTM as network-side initiated by the UAS. As another example, the UTM may request to pair the UAV with the target UAC, e.g., causing the UAV and the target UAC to not be considered by the UTM as network-side initiated by the UAS. As another example, the host UAC may request to disassociate (e.g., unpair) from the UAV, and / or the target UAC may request to associate (e.g., pair) with the UAV. As another example, the UAV may request to disassociate (e.g., unpair) from the host UAC, and / or the UAV may request to associate (e.g., pair) with the target UAC.

[0180] In some embodiments, the network may initiate a UAV / UAC association process (e.g., pairing and / or unpairing of a UAV and a UAC). Fig.13A As shown, when UAV 132 moves from zone 1310a to zone 1310b, a UTM such as UTM 108 may request to unpair UAV 132 from (host) UAC 122a and pair UAV 132 to (target) UAC 122b, as shown. In other words, the UTM may request to unpair UAV 132 based on the zone location covered by each UAC (e.g., based at least in part on a mapping table, such as Fig. 13BFor example, UAV 132 may initially pair (e.g., associate) with UAC 122a, and when UAV 132 is within region 1310a, UAC 122a may be considered the host UAC and control UAV 132 via at least one of direct C2 communication, network-assisted C2 communication, and / or UTM navigation C2 communication. In some embodiments, UTM 108 may maintain a mapping table for UACs and designated regions, such as Fig. 13B In addition, in some embodiments, the UTM 108 may monitor (e.g., track) the location of the UAV 132. Thus, when the UAV 132 is in an area 1310a that may be designated as a control area of ​​the UAC 122a (e.g., based on a mapping table such as Fig. 13B 1310b), the UTM 108 may associate (e.g., pair) the UAV 132 with the UAC 122a. Then, when the UAV 132 moves from the area 1310a to the area 1310b, the UTM 108 may initiate an unpairing (e.g., disassociation) of the UAV 132 from the UAC 122a and a pairing (e.g., association) of the UAV 132 with the UAC 122b. Thus, when the UAV 132 is in the area 1310b that may be designated as the control area of ​​the UAC 122b (e.g., based on the mapping table, such as Fig. 13B ), UAV 132 may be associated (e.g., paired) with UAC 122b.

[0181] Thus, in some embodiments, situations (scenarios) in which the UTM may trigger pairing (e.g., association) of the UAV with the UAC may include:

[0182] (1) When the UAV moves from a first area controlled by a first UAC to a second area controlled by a second UAC, switching based on the control area;

[0183] (2) UAC service outage, where a first (e.g., host) UAC is out of service in the area and the UTM pairs the UAV with a second (e.g., target) UAC; and / or

[0184] (3) Registration and authorization of new UAVs by UTM.

[0185] Additionally, in some embodiments, situations (scenarios) in which the UTM may trigger the UAV to unpair (e.g., disassociate) from the UAC may include:

[0186] (1) when the UAV moves from a first region controlled by a first (e.g., host) UAC to a second region controlled by a second (e.g., target) UAC, based on a switch in the control region;

[0187] (2) a restricted area-based handoff when a UAV under control of a first (e.g., host) UAC enters a restricted area and the UTM triggers a handoff to a second (e.g., target) UAC and / or another control entity; and / or

[0188] (3) UAC / UAV flow control area.

[0189] Note that in each case, the UTM may maintain a mapping table of control areas associated with a particular UAC, e.g. Fig. 13B shown.

[0190] Figures 14 to 17 An example of signaling for a UTM requesting pairing / unpairing of a UAV with a UAC according to some embodiments is shown. For example, Fig.14 An example of signaling for a UTM requesting to unpair a UAV and a (host) UAC according to some embodiments is shown. Among other devices, Fig.14 The signaling shown in the figure can also be used with any of the systems, methods or devices shown in the figure. In various embodiments, some of the signaling shown can be executed concurrently in an order different from the order shown, or can be omitted. Additional signaling can also be performed as needed. As shown in the figure, the signaling can adopt the following process.

[0191] At 1402, the UAV 132 and the UAC 122a may be associated with each other and considered a UAS by the UTM 108. Therefore, the UAC 122a may be considered a host UAC for the UAV 132. In other words, once the UAC 122a is associated with the UAV 132, the UAC 122a may be considered a host UAC for the UAV 132. In some embodiments, the UAC 122a may control the UAV 132 via at least one C2 communication method, such as at least one of direct C2 communication, network-assisted C2 communication, and / or UTM navigation C2 communication.

[0192] At 1404, the UTM 108 may monitor the location of the UAV 132, for example, relative to the mapped control area. For example, the UTM 108 may track the location of the UAV 132 relative to one or more mapped control areas. In some embodiments, the location tracking may include the UTM 108 receiving location updates from the UAV 132 and / or the UAC 122a. In some embodiments, the location tracking may include the UTM 108 monitoring the location of the UAV 132 via one or more of a cellular signal received from the UAV 132, a cellular signal received from the UAC 122a, a global positioning signal received from the UAV 132, a global positioning signal associated with the UAV 132 received from the UAC 122a, and / or other signals received from the UAV 132 and / or the UAC 122a. Note that in some embodiments, the UTM 108 receiving information from the UAV 132 and / or UAC 122a may include one or more intermediate nodes (e.g., such as the NGRAN 604 (e.g., one or more base stations 102 and / or AMF 704 of the NG RAN 604)) receiving the information from the UAV 132 and / or UAC 122a and forwarding the information to the UTM 108, for example, directly and / or via one or more intermediate nodes.

[0193] At 1406, the UTM 108 may decide to unpair the UAV 132 from the UAC 122a, for example, based on determining that the UAV 132 is leaving an area designated as being under the control of the UAC 122a (e.g., via a mapping table accessible to the UTM 108) and entering an area in which the UAC 122a does not have control (such as a restricted area and / or an area designated as being under the control of another UAC (e.g., via a mapping table accessible to the UTM 108). In some embodiments, a restricted area may be defined as (and / or deemed to be) an area in which the UAC 122a is not allowed to control the UAV 132 (e.g., due to third-party and / or government restrictions).

[0194] The UTM 108 may then initiate the unpairing process by, for example, sending an unpairing request message 1408 to the AMF 704. The unpairing request message 1408 may include a UAV identifier (ID), a UAC ID, and / or a UAS ID. Additionally, in some embodiments, the unpairing request message 1408 may include a reason code (e.g., a code describing the reason for the unpairing request). Based on receiving the unpairing request message 1408, the AMF 704 may send a UE configuration update command message 1410a to the UAC 122a, and a UE configuration update command message 1410b to the UAV 132. The configuration update command messages 1410a and 1410b may each include an indication of unpairing (e.g., association reconfiguration), a reason code, and / or a UAV ID, a UAC ID, and / or a UAS ID. The UAC 122a and the UAV 132 may each send a UE configuration update complete message 1412 (e.g., UE configuration update complete messages 1412a and 1412b) to the AMF 704. Note that in some embodiments, a message from either the UAC 122 or the UAV 132 may be sufficient to complete the unpairing process. The UE configuration update complete messages 1412a and 1412b may each include an indication of unpairing completion (e.g., association reconfiguration completion), a reason code, and / or a UAV ID, a UAC ID, and / or a UAS ID. Based on receiving the UE configuration update complete messages 1412a and 1412b, the AMF 704 may send an unpairing response message 1414 to the UTM 108. The unpairing response message 1414 may include a reason code and a UAV ID, a UAC ID, and / or a UAS ID, thereby completing the unpairing process.

[0195] Another example: Fig.15 An example of signaling of a UTM requesting pairing of a UAV with a (target) UAC according to some embodiments is shown. Among other devices, Fig.15 The signaling shown in the figure can also be used with any of the systems, methods or devices shown in the figure. In various embodiments, some of the signaling shown can be executed concurrently in an order different from the order shown, or can be omitted. Additional signaling can also be performed as needed. As shown in the figure, the signaling can adopt the following process.

[0196] At 1502, UAV 132 and UAC 122a may not be associated with each other and are not considered a UAS by UTM 108. However, UTM 108 may consider UAC 122a to be a target UAC for UAV 132, for example, based on the location (and / or position) and / or flight path of UAV 132.

[0197] At 1504, the UTM 108 may monitor the location of the UAV 132, for example, relative to a mapped control area. For example, the UTM 108 may track the location of the UAV 132 relative to one or more mapped control areas. In some embodiments, the location tracking may include the UTM 108 receiving location updates from the UAV 132 and / or the host UAC of the UAV 132. In some embodiments, the location tracking may include the UTM 108 monitoring the location of the UAV 132 via one or more of a cellular signal received from the UAV 132, a cellular signal received from the host UAC, a global positioning signal received from the UAV 132, a global positioning signal associated with the UAV 132 received from the host UAC, and / or other signals received from the UAV 132 and / or the host UAC. Note that in some embodiments, the UTM 108 receiving information from the UAV 132 and / or UAC 122a may include one or more intermediate nodes (e.g., such as the NG RAN 604 (e.g., one or more base stations 102 and / or AMF 704 of the NG RAN 604)) receiving the information from the UAV 132 and / or UAC 122a and forwarding the information to the UTM 108, for example, directly and / or via one or more intermediate nodes.

[0198] At 1506, the UTM 108 may decide to pair the UAV 132 with the UAC 122a, for example, based on determining that the UAV 132 is entering an area designated as being under the control of the UAC 122a (e.g., based on a mapping table accessible to the UTM 108).

[0199] The UTM 108 may then initiate the pairing process by, for example, sending a pairing request message 1508 to the AMF 704. The pairing request message 1508 may include a UAV identifier (ID), a UAC ID (e.g., a UAC ID of the host UAC and / or UAC 122a), and / or a UAS ID. Additionally, in some embodiments, the pairing request message 1508 may include a reason code (e.g., a code describing the reason for the pairing request). Based on receiving the pairing request message 1508, the AMF 704 may send a UE configuration update command message 1510a to the UAC 122a and a UE configuration update command message 1510b to the UAV 132. The configuration update command messages 1510a and 1510b may each include an indication of pairing (e.g., association reconfiguration), a reason code, and / or a UAV ID, a UAC ID (e.g., a UAC ID of the host UAC and or UAC 122a), and / or a UAS ID. The UAC 122a and the UAV 132 may each send a UE configuration update complete message 1512 (e.g., UE configuration update complete messages 1512a and 1512b) to the AMF 704. Note that in some embodiments, a message from either the UAC 122 or the UAV 132 may be sufficient to complete the pairing process. The UE configuration update complete messages 1512a and 1512b may each include an indication of pairing completion (e.g., association reconfiguration completion), a reason code, and / or a UAV ID, a UAC ID, and / or a UAS ID. Based on receiving the UE configuration update complete messages 1512a and 1512b, the AMF 704 may send a pairing response message 1514 to the UTM 108. The pairing response message 1514 may include a reason code as well as the UAV ID, the UAC ID, and / or the UAS ID, thereby completing the pairing process.

[0200] Another example: Fig.16 An example of signaling of a UTM requesting to unpair a UAV from a host (or first) UAC and pair the UAV to a target (or second) UAC according to some embodiments is shown. Fig.16 The signaling shown in the figure can also be used with any of the systems, methods or devices shown in the figure. In various embodiments, some of the signaling shown can be executed concurrently in an order different from the order shown, or can be omitted. Additional signaling can also be performed as needed. As shown in the figure, the signaling can adopt the following process.

[0201] At 1602, the UAV 132 and the UAC 122a (e.g., the host UAC) may be associated with each other and considered a UAS by the UTM 108. Therefore, the UAC 122a may be considered the host UAC of the UAV 132. In other words, once the UAC 122a is associated with the UAV 132, the UAC 122a may be considered the host UAC of the UAV 132. In some embodiments, the UAC 122a may control the UAV 132 via at least one C2 communication method, such as at least one of direct C2 communication, network-assisted C2 communication, and / or UTM navigation C2 communication.

[0202] At 1604, the UTM 108 may monitor the location of the UAV 132, for example, relative to the mapped control area. For example, the UTM 108 may track the location of the UAV 132 relative to one or more mapped control areas. In some embodiments, the location tracking may include the UTM 108 receiving location updates from the UAV 132 and / or the UAC 122a. In some embodiments, the location tracking may include the UTM 108 monitoring the location of the UAV 132 via one or more of a cellular signal received from the UAV 132, a cellular signal received from the UAC 122a, a global positioning signal received from the UAV 132, a global positioning signal associated with the UAV 132 received from the UAC 122a, and / or other signals received from the UAV 132 and / or the UAC 122a. Note that in some embodiments, the UTM 108 receiving information from the UAV 132 and / or UAC 122a may include one or more intermediate nodes (e.g., such as the NGRAN 604 (e.g., one or more base stations 102 and / or AMF 704 of the NG RAN 604)) receiving the information from the UAV 132 and / or UAC 122a and forwarding the information to the UTM 108, for example, directly and / or via one or more intermediate nodes.

[0203] At 1606, the UTM 108 may decide to unpair the UAV 132 from the UAC 122a, for example, based on determining that the UAV 132 is leaving an area that is designated (e.g., by a mapping table accessible to the UTM 108) as being under the control of the UAC 122a (e.g., the host UAC) and entering an area where the UAC 122a does not have control (such as a restricted area and / or an area that is designated (e.g., by a mapping table accessible to the UTM 108) as being under the control of another UAC). In some embodiments, a restricted area may be defined as (and / or deemed to be) an area where the UAC 122a is not allowed (e.g., due to third-party and / or government restrictions) to control the UAV 132. Additionally, for example, based on determining that the UAV 132 is entering an area designated as being under the control of the UAC 122 b (e.g., based on a mapping table accessible to the UTM 108), the UTM 108 may decide to pair the UAV 132 with the UAC 122 b (e.g., a target UAC).

[0204] The UTM 108 may then initiate the pairing / unpairing process by, for example, sending a pairing / unpairing request message 1608 to the AMF 704. The pairing / unpairing request message 1608 may include a UAV identifier (ID), a UAC ID (e.g., a UAC ID of a host UAC such as UAC 122a and a target UAC such as UAC 122b), and / or a UAS ID. Additionally, in some embodiments, the pairing / unpairing request message 1608 may include a reason code (e.g., a code describing the reason for the pairing / unpairing request). Based on receiving the pairing / unpairing request message 1608, the AMF 704 may send a UE configuration update command message 1610a to the UAC 122a, a UE configuration update command message 1610b to the UAC 122b, and a UE configuration update command message 1610c to the UAV 132. The configuration update command messages 1610a to 1610c may each include an indication of pairing / unpairing (e.g., association reconfiguration), a reason code, and / or a UAV ID, a UAC ID, and / or a UAS ID. UAC 122a, UAC 122b, and UAV 132 may each send a UE configuration update complete message 1612 (e.g., UE configuration update complete messages 1612a to 1612c) to AMF 704. Note that in some embodiments, a message from UAC 122a may not necessarily complete the pairing / unpairing process. Note also that in some embodiments, a message from either UAC 122b or UAV 132 may be sufficient to complete the pairing / unpairing process. UE configuration update complete messages 1612a to 1612c may each include an indication of pairing and / or unpairing completion (e.g., association reconfiguration completion), a reason code, and / or a UAV ID, a UAC ID, and / or a UAS ID. Based on receiving the UE configuration update complete messages 1612a to 1612c, the AMF 704 may send a pairing / unpairing response message 1614 to the UTM 108. The pairing response message 1614 may include a reason code and a UAV ID, a UAC ID, and / or a UAS ID. At 1616, the UAV 132 and the second UAC 122b may be associated with each other and considered as a UAS by the UTM 108, thereby completing the pairing / unpairing process. Therefore, the UAC 122b may now be considered as the host UAC of the UAV 132. In other words, once the UAC 122b is associated with the UAV 132, the UAC 122b may be considered as the host UAC of the UAV 132. In some embodiments, the UAC 122b may control the UAV 132 via at least one C2 communication method, such as at least one of direct C2 communication, network-assisted C2 communication, and / or UTM navigation C2 communication.

[0205] As another example, Fig.17 An example of signaling of a TPAE request to unpair a UAV from a host (or first) UAC and pair the UAV to a target (or second) UAC according to some embodiments is shown. Fig.17 The signaling shown in the figure can also be used with any of the systems, methods or devices shown in the figure. In various embodiments, some of the signaling shown can be executed concurrently in an order different from the order shown, or can be omitted. Additional signaling can also be performed as needed. As shown in the figure, the signaling can adopt the following process.

[0206] At 1702, the UAV 132 and the UAC 122a (e.g., the host UAC) may be associated with each other and considered to be a UAS by the UTM 108 and the third party authorized entity (TPAE) 150 (e.g., a government-controlled / defined function for monitoring UAV activities within government territory / airspace). Therefore, the UAC 122a may be considered to be the host UAC of the UAV 132. In other words, once the UAC 122a is associated with the UAV 132, the UAC 122a may be considered to be the host UAC of the UAV 132. In some embodiments, the UAC 122a may control the UAV 132 via at least one C2 communication method, such as at least one of direct C2 communication, network-assisted C2 communication, and / or UTM navigation C2 communication. In some embodiments, the TPAE may be implemented by a computer system (e.g., a server), or in a "cloud" outside of a cellular network (e.g., "behind") and / or outside of the UTM (e.g., "behind"). Thus, the server may implement TPEA functionality (which may be a combination of hardware and software) for coordinating operations and data traffic between one or more UAVs in the UAV and one or more UAV controllers in the UAV controllers, for example via instructions provided to the UTM.

[0207] At 1704, the TPAE 150 and the UTM 108 may monitor the location of the UAV 132, for example, relative to the mapped control area. For example, the UTM 108 and / or the TPAE 150 may track the location of the UAV 132 relative to one or more mapped control areas. In some embodiments, the location tracking may include the UTM 108 and / or the TPAE 150 receiving location updates from the UAV 132 and / or the UAC 122a. In some embodiments, the location tracking may include the UTM 108 and / or the TPAE 150 monitoring the location of the UAV 132 via one or more of a cellular signal received from the UAV 132, a cellular signal received from the UAC 122a, a global positioning signal received from the UAV 132, a global positioning signal associated with the UAV 132 received from the UAC 122a, and / or other signals received from the UAV 132 and / or the UAC 122a. It is noted that, in some embodiments, the UTM 108 receiving information from the UAV 132 and / or UAC 122a may include one or more intermediate nodes (e.g., such as the NG RAN 604 (e.g., one or more base stations 102 of the NG RAN 604 and / or the AMF 704)) receiving information from the UAV 132 and / or UAC 122a, and, for example, forwarding the information directly and / or via the one or more intermediate nodes to the UTM 108. It is noted that, in some embodiments, the TPAE 150 receiving information from the UAV 132 and / or UAC 122a may include one or more intermediate nodes (e.g., such as the NGRAN 604 (e.g., one or more base stations 102 of the NG RAN 604), the AMF 704 and / or the UTM 108) receiving information from the UAV 132 and / or UAC 122a, and, for example, forwarding the information directly and / or via the one or more intermediate nodes to the TPAE 150.

[0208] At 1706, the TPAE 150 may decide to unpair the UAV 132 from the UAC 122a, for example, based on determining that the UAV 132 is leaving an area designated as being under the control of the UAC 122a (e.g., via a mapping table accessible by the UTM 108 and / or the TPAE 150) and entering an area in which the UAC 122a does not have control (such as a restricted area and / or an area designated as being under the control of another UAC (e.g., via a mapping table accessible by the UTM 108 and / or the TPAE 150). In some embodiments, a restricted area may be defined as (and / or deemed to be) an area in which the UAC 122a is not allowed to control the UAV 132 (e.g., due to third-party and / or government restrictions). Additionally, for example, based on determining that UAV 132 is entering an area designated as being under the control of UAC 122b (e.g., based on a mapping table accessible to UTM 108 and / or TPAE 150), TPAE 150 may decide to pair UAV 132 to UAC 122b (e.g., a target UAC).

[0209] The TPAE 150 may then initiate the pairing / unpairing process by, for example, sending a pairing / unpairing request message 1708 to the UTM 108. The pairing / unpairing request message 1708 may include a UAV identifier (ID), a UAC ID (e.g., the UAC IDs of a host UAC such as UAC 122a and a target UAC such as UAC 122b), and / or a UAS ID. Additionally, in some embodiments, the pairing / unpairing request message 1708 may include a reason code (e.g., a code describing the reason for the pairing / unpairing request). The UTM 108 may, based on receiving the pairing / unpairing request message 1708, send the pairing / unpairing request to the AMF 704 via a pairing / unpairing request message 1710. The pairing / unpairing message 1710 may include a UAV identifier (ID), a UAC ID (e.g., the UAC IDs of a host UAC such as UAC 122a and a target UAC such as UAC 122b), and / or a UAS ID. In addition, in some embodiments, the pairing / unpairing request message 1710 may include a reason code (e.g., a code describing the reason for the pairing / unpairing request). Based on receiving the pairing / unpairing request message 1710, the AMF 704 may send a UE configuration update command message 1712a to the UAC 122a, a UE configuration update command message 1712b to the UAC 122b, and a UE configuration update command message 1712c to the UAV 132. The configuration update command messages 1712a to 1712c may each include an indication of pairing / unpairing (e.g., association reconfiguration), a reason code, and / or a UAV ID, a UAC ID, and / or a UAS ID. The UAC 122a, the UAC 122b, and the UAV 132 may each send a UE configuration update complete message 1714 (e.g., UE configuration update complete messages 1714a to 1714c) to the AMF 704. It should be noted that in some embodiments, the message from the UAC 122a may not necessarily complete the pairing / unpairing process. It is also noted that in some embodiments, a message from either the UAC 122b or the UAV 132 may be sufficient to complete the pairing / unpairing process. The UE configuration update complete messages 1714a to 1714c may include an indication of pairing and / or unpairing completion (e.g., association reconfiguration completion), a reason code, and / or a UAVID, UAC ID, and / or UAS ID. The AMF 704 may send a pairing / unpairing response message 1716 to the UTM 108 based on receiving the U configuration update complete messages 1714a to 1714c. The pairing response message 1716 may include a reason code and the UAV ID, UAC ID, and / or UAS ID.The UTM 108 may forward the pairing / unpairing response message 1716 to the TPAE 150 via a pairing / unpairing / unpairing response message 1718 based on receiving the pairing / unpairing response message 1716 from the AMF 704. At 1720, the UAV 132 and the UAC 122b may be associated with each other and considered as a UAS by the UTM 108 and the TPAE 150, thereby completing the pairing / unpairing process. Therefore, the UAC 122b may now be considered as the host UAC of the UAV 132. In other words, once the UAC 122b is associated with the UAV 132, the UAC 122b may be considered as the host UAC of the UAV 132. In some embodiments, the UAC 122b may control the UAV 132 via at least one C2 communication method, such as at least one of direct C2 communication, network-assisted C2 communication, and / or UTM navigation C2 communication.

[0210] In some embodiments, the situation (scenario) in which the UAC / UAV may trigger the pairing / unpairing (e.g., association / disassociation) of the UAV with the UAC may include a UAC switch and / or a UAV request. The UAC switch may be triggered by the UAC powering off and / or by the UAC detecting that the UAV leaves an area controlled by the UAC and / or enters an area not controlled by the UAC (e.g., controlled by another UAC and / or a restricted area). The UAV may request to switch to another UAC based on the loss of the signal to the current UAC.

[0211] For example, according to some embodiments, Fig.18 and Fig.19 An example of signaling by a UAC requesting to unpair a UAV from a host (or first) UAC and pair the UAV to a target (or second) UAC is shown, and Fig. 20 An example of signaling by a UAV requesting to unpair the UAV from a host (or first) UAC and pair the UAV to a target (or second) UAC is shown.

[0212] For example, Fig.18 An example of signaling by a host UAC requesting to unpair a UAV from the host UAC and pair the UAV to a target UAC according to some embodiments is shown. Fig.18 The signaling shown in the figure can also be used with any of the systems, methods or devices shown in the figure. In various embodiments, some of the signaling shown can be executed concurrently in an order different from the order shown, or can be omitted. Additional signaling can also be performed as needed. As shown in the figure, the signaling can adopt the following process.

[0213] At 1802, the UAV 132 and the UAC 122a may be associated with each other and considered a UAS by the UTM 108. Therefore, the UAC 122a may be considered a host UAC for the UAV 132. In other words, once the UAC 122a is associated with the UAV 132, the UAC 122a may be considered a host UAC for the UAV 132. In some embodiments, the UAC 122a may control the UAV 132 via at least one C2 communication method, such as at least one of direct C2 communication, network-assisted C2 communication, and / or UTM navigation C2 communication.

[0214] At 1804, the UAC 122a may monitor the location of the UAV 132, for example, relative to the mapped control areas. For example, the UAC 122a may track the location of the UAV 132 relative to one or more mapped control areas. In some embodiments, the location tracking may include the UAC 122a receiving location updates from the UAV 132. In some embodiments, the location tracking may include the UAC 122a monitoring the location of the UAV 132 via one or more of a cellular signal received from the UAV 132, a cellular signal received from the UTM 108 (e.g., via the AMF 704), a global positioning signal received from the UAV 132, a global positioning signal associated with the UAV 132 received from the UTM 108, and / or other signals received from the UAV 132. Note that in some embodiments, receiving information from the UTM 108 and / or UAV 132 may include one or more intermediate nodes (e.g., such as the NG RAN 604 (e.g., one or more base stations 102 and / or AMF 704 of the NG RAN 604)) receiving information from the UAV 132 and / or UTM 108 and forwarding the information to the UAC 122a, for example, directly and / or via one or more intermediate nodes.

[0215] In some embodiments, based on the location of UAV 132, UAC 122a may decide to initiate an unpairing process with UAV 132 and initiate a pairing process of UAV 132 with UAC 122b (e.g., a target UAC). In some embodiments, the decision to unpair may be based on determining that UAV 132 is leaving an area designated as being under the control of UAC 122a (e.g., by a mapping table accessible to UTM 108 and / or UAC 122a and / or UAC 122b) and entering an area where UAC 122a does not have control (such as a restricted area and / or an area designated as being under the control of another UAC (e.g., by a mapping table accessible to UTM 108 and / or UAC 122a and / or UAC 122b). In some embodiments, a restricted area may be defined as (and / or considered to be) an area where UAC 122a is not allowed to control UAV 132 (e.g., due to third-party and / or government restrictions). Therefore, the UAC 122a may send a UE configuration request update message 1806 to the AMF 704. The UE configuration request update message 1806 may include an indication of pairing / unpairing (e.g., association reconfiguration), a reason code, and / or a UAV ID, a UAC ID, and / or a UAS ID. The AMF 704 may then send a pairing / unpairing request message 1808 to the UTM 108. The pairing / unpairing request message 1808 may include a UAC ID and / or a UAS ID and a reason code.

[0216] At 1810, the UTM 108 may confirm (e.g., based on the reason code) the unpairing / pairing and / or decide (independently, e.g., based on receiving the pairing / unpairing request) to unpair the UAV 132 from the UAC 122a and pair the UAV 132 to the UAC 122b. In some embodiments, the UTM 108 may track the location of the UAV 132 relative to one or more mapped control areas. In some embodiments, the location tracking may include the UTM 108 receiving location updates from the UAV 132 and / or the UAC 122a and / or the UAC 122b. In some embodiments, location tracking may include the UTM 108 monitoring the location of the UAV 132 via one or more of a cellular signal received from the UAV 132, a cellular signal received from the UAC 122a and / or the UAC 122b, a global positioning signal received from the UAV 132, a global positioning signal associated with the UAV 132 received from the UAC 122a and / or the UAC 122b, and / or other signals received from the UAV 132 and / or the UAC 122a and / or the UAC 122b. Note that in some embodiments, the UTM 108 receiving information from the UAV 132 and / or UAC 122a may include one or more intermediate nodes (e.g., such as the NG RAN 604 (e.g., one or more base stations 102 of the NG RAN 604 and / or the AMF 704)) receiving the information from the UAV 132 and / or UAC 122a and / or UAC 122b, and forwarding the information to the UTM 108, for example, directly and / or via the one or more intermediate nodes. The UTM 108 may send a pairing / unpairing response message 1812 to the AMF 704 based on receiving the pairing / unpairing request message 1808 from the AMF 704. The pairing / unpairing response message 1812 may include the UAV / UAC ID and a reason code. AMF 704 may, based on receiving the pairing / unpairing response message 1812 from UTM 108, send a UE configuration update accept message 1814a to UAC 122a, send a UE configuration update accept message 1814b to UAC 122b, and / or send a UE configuration update accept message 1814c to UAV 132. UE configuration update accept messages 1814a to 1814c may each include confirmation of pairing / unpairing (e.g., association reconfiguration completed), a reason code and / or a UAV ID, a UAC ID, and / or a UAS ID. At 1816, UAV 132 may associate with UAC 122b, thereby completing the pairing / unpairing process. Therefore, UAC 122b may now be considered the host UAC of UAV 132.In other words, once UAC 122b is associated with UAV 132, UAC 122b may be considered the host UAC for UAV 132. In some embodiments, UAC 122b may control UAV 132 via at least one C2 communication method, such as at least one of direct C2 communication, network-assisted C2 communication, and / or UTM navigation C2 communication.

[0217] Another example: Fig.19 An example of signaling by a target UAC requesting to unpair a UAV from a host UAC and pair the UAV to a target UAC is shown according to some embodiments. Fig.19 The signaling shown in the figure can also be used with any of the systems, methods or devices shown in the figure. In various embodiments, some of the signaling shown can be executed concurrently in an order different from the order shown, or can be omitted. Additional signaling can also be performed as needed. As shown in the figure, the signaling can adopt the following process.

[0218] At 1902, the UAV 132 and the UAC 122a may be associated with each other and considered a UAS by the UTM 108. Therefore, the UAC 122a may be considered a host UAC for the UAV 132. In other words, once the UAC 122a is associated with the UAV 132, the UAC 122a may be considered a host UAC for the UAV 132. In some embodiments, the UAC 122a may control the UAV 132 via at least one C2 communication method, such as at least one of direct C2 communication, network-assisted C2 communication, and / or UTM navigation C2 communication.

[0219] At 1904, the UAC 122b may monitor the location of the UAV 132, for example, relative to the mapped control areas. For example, the UAC 122b may track the location of the UAV 132 relative to one or more mapped control areas. In some embodiments, the location tracking may include the UAC 122b receiving location updates from the UAV 132. In some embodiments, the location tracking may include the UAC 122b monitoring the location of the UAV 132 via one or more of a cellular signal received from the UAV 132, a cellular signal received from the UTM 108 (e.g., via the AMF 704), a global positioning signal received from the UAV 132, a global positioning signal associated with the UAV 132 received from the UTM 108, and / or other signals received from the UAV 132. Note that in some embodiments, receiving information from the UTM 108 and / or UAV 132 may include one or more intermediate nodes (e.g., such as the NG RAN 604 (e.g., one or more base stations 102 and / or AMF 704 of the NG RAN 604)) receiving information from the UAV 132 and / or UTM 108 and forwarding the information to the UAC 122b, for example, directly and / or via one or more intermediate nodes.

[0220] In some embodiments, based on the location of UAV 132, UAC 122b may decide to initiate an unpairing process of UAC 122a (e.g., a host UAC) with UAV 132 and initiate a pairing process of UAV 132 with UAC 122b (e.g., a target UAC). In some embodiments, the decision to unpair may be based on determining that UAV 132 is leaving an area that is designated as being under the control of UAC 122a (e.g., by a mapping table accessible by UTM 108 and / or UAC 122a and / or UAC 122b) and entering an area where UAC 122a does not have control (such as a restricted area and / or an area that is designated as being under the control of another UAC (such as UAC 122b) (e.g., by a mapping table accessible by UTM 108 and / or UAC 122a and / or UAC 122b)). In some embodiments, a restricted area may be defined as (and / or considered to be) an area where the UAC 122a is not allowed (e.g., due to third-party and / or government restrictions) to control the UAV 132. Therefore, the UAC 122b may send a UE configuration request update message 1906 to the AMF 704. The UE configuration request update message 1906 may include an indication of pairing / unpairing (e.g., association reconfiguration), a reason code, and / or a UAV ID, a UAC ID, and / or a UAS ID. The AMF 704 may then send a pairing / unpairing request message 1908 to the UTM 108. The pairing / unpairing request message 1908 may include a UAC ID and / or a UAS ID and a reason code.

[0221] At 1910, the UTM 108 may confirm (e.g., based on the reason code) the unpairing / pairing and / or decide (independently, e.g., based on receiving the pairing / unpairing request) to unpair the UAV 132 from the UAC 122a and pair the UAV 132 to the UAC 122b. In some embodiments, the UTM 108 may track the location of the UAV 132 relative to one or more mapped control areas. In some embodiments, the location tracking may include the UTM 108 receiving location updates from the UAV 132 and / or the UAC 122a and / or the UAC 122b. In some embodiments, location tracking may include the UTM 108 monitoring the location of the UAV 132 via one or more of a cellular signal received from the UAV 132, a cellular signal received from the UAC 122a and / or the UAC 122b, a global positioning signal received from the UAV 132, a global positioning signal associated with the UAV 132 received from the UAC 122a and / or the UAC 122b, and / or other signals received from the UAV 132 and / or the UAC 122a and / or the UAC 122b. Note that in some embodiments, the UTM 108 receiving information from the UAV 132 and / or the UAC 122a and / or the UAC 122b may include one or more intermediate nodes (e.g., such as the NG RAN 604 (e.g., one or more base stations 102 of the NG RAN 604 and / or the AMF 704)) receiving the information from the UAV 132 and / or the UAC 122a and / or the UAC 122b and, for example, forwarding the information directly and / or via the one or more intermediate nodes to the UTM 108. The UTM 108 may send a pairing / unpairing response message 1912 to the AMF 704 based on receiving the pairing / unpairing request message 1908 from the AMF 704. The pairing / unpairing response message 1912 may include the UAV / UAC ID and a reason code. AMF 704 may, based on receiving the pairing / unpairing response message 1912 from UTM 108, send a UE configuration update accept message 1914a to UAC 122a, send a UE configuration update accept message 1914b to UAC 122b, and / or send a UE configuration update accept message 1914c to UAV 132. UE configuration update accept messages 1914a to 1914c may each include a confirmation of pairing / unpairing (e.g., association reconfiguration completed), a reason code and / or a UAV ID, a UAC ID, and / or a UAS ID. At 1916, UAV 132 may associate with UAC 122b, thereby completing the pairing / unpairing process. Therefore, UAC 122b may now be considered the host UAC of UAV 132.In other words, once UAC 122b is associated with UAV 132, UAC 122b may be considered the host UAC for UAV 132. In some embodiments, UAC 122b may control UAV 132 via at least one C2 communication method, such as at least one of direct C2 communication, network-assisted C2 communication, and / or UTM navigation C2 communication.

[0222] Another example: Fig. 20 An example of signaling by a UAV requesting that the UAV be unpaired from a host UAC and requesting that the UAV be paired to a target UAC according to some embodiments is shown. Fig. 20 The signaling shown in the figure can also be used with any of the systems, methods or devices shown in the figure. In various embodiments, some of the signaling shown can be executed concurrently in an order different from the order shown, or can be omitted. Additional signaling can also be performed as needed. As shown in the figure, the signaling can adopt the following process.

[0223] At 2002, the UAV 132 and the UAC 122a may be associated with each other and considered a UAS by the UTM 108. Therefore, the UAC 122a may be considered a host UAC for the UAV 132. In other words, once the UAC 122a is associated with the UAV 132, the UAC 122a may be considered a host UAC for the UAV 132. In some embodiments, the UAC 122a may control the UAV 132 via at least one C2 communication method, such as at least one of direct C2 communication, network-assisted C2 communication, and / or UTM navigation C2 communication.

[0224] At 2004, the UAV 132 may monitor its position, for example, relative to the mapped control area. For example, the UAV 132 may track its position relative to one or more mapped control areas. In some embodiments, the position tracking may include the UAV 132 receiving position updates from the UAC 122a, the UAC 122b, and / or the UTM 108. In some embodiments, the position tracking may include the UAV 132 monitoring the position of the UAV 132 via one or more of a cellular signal received from the UAV 132, a cellular signal received from the UTM 108 (e.g., via the AMF 704), a global positioning signal received from the UAC 122a, a global positioning signal associated with the UAV 132 received from the UTM 108, and / or other signals received from any of the UAC 122a, the UAC 122b, and / or the UTM 108. Note that in some embodiments, receiving information from any of UAC 122a, UAC 122b, and / or UTM 108 may include one or more intermediate nodes (e.g., such as NG RAN 604 (e.g., one or more base stations 102 and / or AMF 704 of NG RAN 604)) receiving information from any of UAC 122a, UAC 122b, and / or UTM 108, and forwarding the information to UAV 132, for example, directly and / or via one or more intermediate nodes.

[0225] In some embodiments, based on the location of UAV 132, UAV 132 may decide to initiate an unpairing process with UAC 122a and initiate a pairing process with UAC 122b (e.g., a target UAC). In some embodiments, the decision to unpair may be based on determining that UAV 132 is leaving an area that is designated (e.g., by a mapping table accessible to UAV 132 and / or UTM 108 and / or UAC 122a and / or UAC 122b) as being under the control of UAC 122a and entering an area where UAC 122a does not have control (such as a restricted area and / or an area that is designated (e.g., by a mapping table accessible to UAV 132 and / or UTM 108 and / or UAC 122a and / or UAC 122b) as being under the control of another UAC). In some embodiments, a restricted area may be defined as (and / or considered to be) an area where the UAC 122a is not allowed (e.g., due to third-party and / or government restrictions) to control the UAV 132. Therefore, the UAV 132 may send a UE configuration request update message 2006 to the AMF 704. The UE configuration request update message 2006 may include an indication of pairing / unpairing (e.g., association reconfiguration), a reason code, and / or a UAV ID, a UAC ID, and / or a UAS ID. The AMF 704 may then send a pairing / unpairing request message 2008 to the UTM 108. The pairing / unpairing request message 2008 may include a UAC ID and / or a UAS ID and a reason code.

[0226] At 2010, the UTM 108 may confirm (e.g., based on the reason code) the unpairing / pairing and / or decide (independently, e.g., based on receiving the pairing / unpairing request) to unpair the UAV 132 from the UAC 122a and pair the UAV 132 to the UAC 122b. In some embodiments, the UTM 108 may track the location of the UAV 132 relative to one or more mapped control areas. In some embodiments, the location tracking may include the UTM 108 receiving location updates from the UAV 132 and / or the UAC 122a and / or the UAC 122b. In some embodiments, location tracking may include the UTM 108 monitoring the location of the UAV 132 via one or more of a cellular signal received from the UAV 132, a cellular signal received from the UAC 122a and / or the UAC 122b, a global positioning signal received from the UAV 132, a global positioning signal associated with the UAV 132 received from the UAC 122a and / or the UAC 122b, and / or other signals received from the UAV 132 and / or the UAC 122a and / or the UAC 122b. Note that in some embodiments, the UTM 108 receiving information from the UAV 132 and / or UAC 122a may include one or more intermediate nodes (e.g., such as the NG RAN 604 (e.g., one or more base stations 102 of the NG RAN 604 and / or the AMF 704)) receiving the information from the UAV 132 and / or UAC 122a and / or UAC 122b, and forwarding the information to the UTM 108, for example, directly and / or via the one or more intermediate nodes. The UTM 108 may send a pairing / unpairing response message 2012 to the AMF 704 based on receiving the pairing / unpairing request message 2008 from the AMF 704. The pairing / unpairing response message 2012 may include the UAV / UAC ID and a reason code. AMF 704 may send a UE configuration update accept message 2014a to UAC 122a, a UE configuration update accept message 2014b to UAC 122b, and / or a UE configuration update accept message 2014c to UAV 132 based on receiving the pairing / unpairing response message 2012 from UTM 108. UE configuration update accept messages 2014a to 2014c may each include confirmation of pairing / unpairing (e.g., association reconfiguration completed), a reason code and / or a UAV ID, a UAC ID, and / or a UAS ID. At 2016, UAV 132 may associate with UAC 122b, thereby completing the pairing / unpairing process. Therefore, UAC 122b may now be considered the host UAC of UAV 132.In other words, once UAC 122b is associated with UAV 132, UAC 122b may be considered the host UAC for UAV 132. In some embodiments, UAC 122b may control UAV 132 via at least one C2 communication method, such as at least one of direct C2 communication, network-assisted C2 communication, and / or UTM navigation C2 communication.

[0227] Figure 21 to Figure 23 A block diagram illustrating an example of a method for initiating pairing and / or unpairing between an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a UAV controller (UAC) according to some embodiments. For example, Fig.21 An example of a method for initiating pairing and / or unpairing of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a UAV controller (UAC) from the perspective of the UAV and / or UAC according to some embodiments is shown. Fig. 22 An example of a method for initiating pairing and / or unpairing of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a UAV controller (UAC) from a UTM and / or TPAE perspective according to some embodiments is shown. Fig.23 An example of a method for initiating pairing and / or unpairing of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a UAV controller (UAC) from an AMF perspective is shown according to some embodiments.

[0228] Go to Fig.21 , among other equipment, Fig.21 The method shown in can also be used together with any one of the system, method or device shown in the figure. In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown can be performed concurrently in an order different from the order shown, or can be omitted. Additional method elements can also be performed as required. As shown in the figure, the method can be operated as follows.

[0229] At 2102, a UE (e.g., such as UE 106) such as UAV 132 and / or UAC 122 may initiate unpairing of the UAV from the host UAC based on a trigger condition. In some embodiments, the trigger condition may include any, any combination, and / or all (e.g., at least one) of the UAV moving from a location designated as controlled by the host UAC, the UAV moving to a location where the host UAC is restricted from controlling the host UAV, and / or the host UAC losing signaling capability. In some embodiments, initiating unpairing of the UAV from the host UAC may include the UE sending a configuration request update message to an AMF such as AMF 704, which configuration request update message may include an indication of unpairing. In some embodiments, initiating unpairing of the UAV from the host UAC may include initiating pairing of the UAV with a target UAC. In some embodiments, the configuration request update message may include any, any combination, and / or all (e.g., at least one) of a reason code, an identifier associated with the UAV, an identifier associated with the host UAC, an identifier associated with an unmanned system (UAS) (e.g., where the UAS includes the UAV and the host UAC), and / or an identifier associated with the target UAC.

[0230] At 2104, the UE may receive a configuration update message, for example, from a network entity such as AMF 704, which may confirm the unpairing of the UAV from the host UAC. In some embodiments, the configuration update may include any, any combination, and / or all (e.g., at least one) of a reason code, an identifier associated with the UAV, an identifier associated with the host UAC, an identifier associated with an unmanned system (UAS) (e.g., where the UAS includes the UAV and the host UAC), and / or an identifier associated with the target UAC. In embodiments where initiating the unpairing of the UAV from the host UAC includes initiating pairing of the UAV with the target UAC, the configuration update may confirm the pairing of the UAV with the target UAC.

[0231] In some embodiments, the UE may track the location of the UAV relative to one or more control areas. In such embodiments, the one or more control areas may be mapped to one or more UACs, wherein a corresponding UAC in the one or more UACs is designated as a controller of the UAV for a corresponding control area in the one or more control areas.

[0232] Go to Fig. 22 , among other equipment, Fig. 22The method shown in can also be used together with any one of the system, method or device shown in the figure. In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown can be performed concurrently in an order different from the order shown, or can be omitted. Additional method elements can also be performed as required. As shown in the figure, the method can be operated as follows.

[0233] At 2202, a computer system (e.g., a server such as server 104) such as UTM 108 may track the location of a UAV such as UAV 132. In some embodiments, tracking the location of a UAV may include tracking the location of the UAV relative to one or more control areas. In such embodiments, the one or more control areas may be mapped to one or more UACs, wherein the corresponding UAC in the one or more UACs is designated as the controller of the UAV for the corresponding control area in the one or more control areas. In some embodiments, tracking the location of a UAV may include tracking the location of the UAV based on a cellular signal received from the UAV via a network node, a cellular signal received from the host UAC via a network node, a cellular signal received from the target UAC via a network node, a global positioning signal received from the UAV via a network node, a global positioning signal associated with the UAV received from the host UAC, and / or a global positioning signal associated with the UAV received from the target UAC.

[0234] At 2204, the computer system may send an unpairing request indicating that the UAV is unpaired from the host UAC based on a trigger condition (e.g., to a network entity such as AMF 704). In some embodiments, the trigger condition may include any, any combination, and / or all (e.g., at least one) of the UAV moving from a location designated as being controlled by the host UAC, the UAV moving to a location where the host UAC is restricted from controlling the host UAV, and / or the host UAC losing signaling capability. In some embodiments, the unpairing request may include any, any combination, and / or all (e.g., at least one) of a reason code, an identifier associated with the UAV, an identifier associated with the host UAC, an identifier associated with an unmanned system (UAS) (e.g., where the UAS includes the UAV and the host UAC), and / or an identifier associated with a target UAC. In some embodiments, sending the unpairing request may include sending a pairing request to pair the UAV to the target UAC, wherein the unpairing request also includes an identifier associated with the target UAC. In some embodiments, the unpairing request may be sent via a network access layer (NAS) layer message.

[0235] At 2206, the computer system may receive an unpairing response message, for example from a network entity such as AMF 704, which may confirm the unpairing of the UAV from the host UAC. In some embodiments, the unpairing response message may include any, any combination, and / or all (e.g., at least one) of a reason code, an identifier associated with the UAV, an identifier associated with the host UAC, an identifier associated with an unmanned system (UAS) (e.g., where the UAS includes the UAV and the host UAC), and / or an identifier associated with the target UAC. In some embodiments, the unpairing response may be received via a network access stratum (NAS) layer message.

[0236] Go to Fig.23 , among other equipment, Fig.23 The method shown in can also be used together with any one of the system, method or device shown in the figure. In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown can be performed concurrently in an order different from the order shown, or can be omitted. Additional method elements can also be performed as required. As shown in the figure, the method can be operated as follows.

[0237] At 2302, a network entity such as AMF 704 may receive a depairing request from an AMF such as AMF 108 based on a trigger condition. The depairing request may initiate the depairing of the UAV from the host UAC. In some embodiments, the trigger condition may include any one, any combination and / or all (e.g., at least one) of the UAV moving from a position designated as being controlled by the host UAC, the UAV moving to a position where the host UAC is restricted from controlling the host UAV, and / or the host UAC losing signaling capability. In some embodiments, the depairing request may include any one, any combination and / or all (e.g., at least one) of a reason code, an identifier associated with the UAV, an identifier associated with the host UAC, an identifier associated with an unmanned system (UAS) (e.g., where the UAS includes the UAV and the host UAC) and / or an identifier associated with the target UAC. In some embodiments, the depairing request of the UAV from the host UAC may also include a pairing request to pair the UAV with the target UAC, and the depairing request may also include an identifier associated with the target UAC. In some implementations, the unpairing request may be received via a Network Access Stratum (NAS) layer message.

[0238] At 2304, the network entity may send a configuration update command that may indicate unpairing of the UAV from the host UAC, for example, to a UE such as UAV 132 and / or UAC 122. In some embodiments, the configuration update command may include any, any combination, and / or all (e.g., at least one) of a reason code, an identifier associated with the UAV, an identifier associated with the host UAC, an identifier associated with an unmanned system (UAS) (e.g., where the UAS includes the UAV and the host UAC), and / or an identifier associated with the target UAC.

[0239] At 2406, the network entity may receive a configuration update response from the UE, which may confirm the unpairing of the UAV from the host UAC. In some embodiments, the configuration update response may include any, any combination, and / or all (e.g., at least one) of a reason code, an identifier associated with the UAV, an identifier associated with the host UAC, an identifier associated with an unmanned system (UAS) (e.g., where the UAS includes the UAV and the host UAC), and / or an identifier associated with the target UAC.

[0240] At 2408, the network entity may send an unpairing response message to the AMF, which may confirm the unpairing of the UAV from the host UAC. In some embodiments, the configuration update response and / or the unpairing response message may include any, any combination, and / or all (e.g., at least one) of a reason code, an identifier associated with the UAV, an identifier associated with the host UAC, an identifier associated with an unmanned system (UAS) (e.g., where the UAS includes the UAV and the host UAC), and / or an identifier associated with the target UAC. In an embodiment where the unpairing request also includes a pairing request, the unpairing response may confirm the pairing of the UAV with the target UAC. In some embodiments, the unpairing response may be sent via a network access stratum (NAS) layer message.

[0241] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0242] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of forms. For example, some embodiments may be implemented as computer-implemented methods, computer-readable storage media, or computer systems. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs.

[0243] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be configured such that it stores program instructions and / or data, wherein if the program instructions are executed by a computer system, the computer system is caused to perform a method, such as any one of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein or any combination of such subsets.

[0244] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., UE 106) may be configured to include a processor (or a group of processors) and a memory medium, wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, wherein the processor is configured to read and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, wherein the program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method implementations described herein (or any combination of the method implementations described herein, or any subset of any of the method implementations described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The device may be implemented in any of various forms.

[0245] By interpreting each message / signal X received by a user equipment (UE) in the downlink as a message / signal X transmitted by the base station, and interpreting each message / signal Y transmitted by the UE in the uplink as a message / signal Y received by the base station, any of the methods for operating a UE described herein may become the basis for the corresponding method for operating a base station.

[0246] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to encompass all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A wireless device, comprising: at least one antenna; at least one radio component, wherein the at least one radio component is configured to perform cellular communications using at least one radio access technology (RAT); as well as one or more processors coupled to the at least one radio, wherein the one or more processors and the at least one radio are configured to perform voice and / or data communications; wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the wireless device to: Tracking a position of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) relative to one or more control regions, wherein the UAV is currently paired with a host UAV controller (UAC), wherein the one or more control regions are mapped to one or more UACs, and wherein a corresponding UAC of the one or more UACs is designated as a controller of the UAV for a corresponding control region of the one or more control regions based on a mapping table; initiating an unpairing of the UAV from the host UAC and a pairing of the UAV with a target UAC based on a trigger condition, wherein the trigger condition comprises determining, based on a tracking position of the UAV and a mapping table, that the UAV moves from a location designated as controlled by the host UAC and moves into a location under control of the target UAC; as well as A configuration update is received from a network, wherein the configuration update confirms both the unpairing of the UAV from the host UAC and the pairing of the UAV with the target UAC.

2. The wireless device according to claim 1, The triggering conditions also include: The host UAC loses signaling capability.

3. The wireless device according to claim 1, The configuration update includes one or more of the following: Reason code; an identifier associated with the UAV; an identifier associated with the host UAC; an identifier associated with an unmanned aerial system (UAS), wherein the UAS includes the UAV and the host (UAC); or An identifier associated with the target UAC.

4. The wireless device according to claim 1, in, In order to initiate the unpairing of the UAV from the host UAC, the one or more processors are further configured to cause the wireless device to send a configuration request update message to a core access and mobility management function (AMF) of the network hosting the UAV, wherein the configuration request update message includes an indication of the unpairing.

5. The wireless device according to claim 1, Wherein the configuration update is received via a Network Access Stratum (NAS) layer message.

6. The wireless device according to claim 1, Wherein the wireless device is one of the UAV, the host UAC or the target UAC.

7. A device comprising: Memory; as well as a processing element in communication with the memory, wherein the processing element is configured to: Tracking a position of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) relative to one or more control regions, wherein the UAV is currently paired with a host UAV controller (UAC), wherein the one or more control regions are mapped to one or more UACs, and wherein a corresponding UAC of the one or more UACs is designated as a controller of the UAV for a corresponding control region of the one or more control regions based on a mapping table; initiating an unpairing of the UAV from the host UAC and a pairing of the UAV with a target UAC based on a trigger condition, wherein the trigger condition comprises determining, based on a tracking position of the UAV and a mapping table, that the UAV moves from a location designated as controlled by the host UAC and moves into a location under control of the target UAC; as well as Receiving a configuration update message from a network, wherein the configuration update message confirms both the unpairing of the UAV from the host UAC and the pairing of the UAV with the target UAC, and wherein the configuration update message includes one or more of: Reason code; an identifier associated with the UAV; an identifier associated with the host UAC; an identifier associated with an unmanned aerial system (UAS), wherein the UAS includes the UAV and the host (UAC); or An identifier associated with the target UAC.

8. The device according to claim 7, The triggering conditions also include: The host UAC loses signaling capability.

9. The device according to claim 7, in, To initiate the unpairing of the UAV from the host UAC, the processing element is further configured to generate instructions to send a configuration request update message to a core access and mobility management function (AMF) of a network hosting the UAV, wherein the configuration request update message includes an indication of the unpairing, and wherein the configuration request update message includes one or more of the following: the reason code; the identifier associated with the UAV; the identifier associated with the host UAC; the identifier associated with the UAS; or The identifier associated with the target UAC.

10. The device according to claim 7, Wherein one of the UAV, the host UAC, or the target UAC comprises the device.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions executable by a processing circuit to cause a computer system to: Tracking a position of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) relative to one or more control regions, wherein the UAV is paired with a host UAV controller (UAC), wherein the one or more control regions are mapped to one or more UACs, and wherein a corresponding UAC of the one or more UACs is designated as a controller of the UAV for a corresponding control region of the one or more control regions based on a mapping table; sending an unpairing request to a network entity based on a triggering condition, wherein the unpairing request initiates unpairing of the UAV from the host UAC, wherein sending the unpairing request comprises sending a pairing request to pair the UAV with a target UAC, wherein the unpairing request comprises an identifier associated with the target UAC, and wherein the triggering condition comprises determining, based on a tracking location of the UAV and a mapping table, that the UAV moves from a location designated as being controlled by the host UAC and into a location under control of the target UAC; as well as receiving an unpairing response from the network entity, wherein the unpairing response confirms both the unpairing of the UAV from the host UAC and the pairing of the UAV with the target UAC, The computer system includes an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM) system or a Third Party Authorized Entity (TPAE) system.

12. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of claim 11, Wherein tracking the position of the UAV comprises tracking the position of the UAV based on one or more of: a cellular signal received from the UAV via the network entity; a cellular signal received from the host UAC via the network entity; a cellular signal received from a target UAC via the network entity; a global positioning signal received from the UAV via the network entity; A global positioning signal associated with the UAV received from the host UAC; or A global positioning signal associated with the UAV is received from the target UAC.

13. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of claim 11, The unpairing request is sent via a Network Access Stratum (NAS) layer message, and the unpairing response is received via a NAS layer message.

14. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of claim 11, The network entity comprises a core access and mobility management function (AMF) of the network hosting the UAV.

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