Method and apparatus for replacing UAV in SEAL framework

Abstract

In the present method, an unmanned aerial vehicle system application enablement (UAE) server may determine, based on a received request, that a first UAV (UAV‑1) is to be replaced with a second UAV (UAV‑2). The UAE server may identify UAV‑2 based on a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) level identifier (level ID) of UAV‑2. The UAE server sends a request to a SEAL group management (GM) server to perform a group membership update. The group membership update replaces UAV‑1 with UAV‑2. The UAE server receives a response message sent by the SEAL GM server. The request to perform a group membership update may include: (i) an ID of a UAE client, where the UAE client corresponds to a group of UAV‑1 and UAV‑C, (ii) a user equipment (UE) ID of UAV‑1, (iii) a UE ID of UAV‑2, and (iv) a CAA‑level ID of UAV‑2.

Description

[0001] Incorporation by reference

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 746,783, filed May 17, 2022, entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR UAV AND UAV CONTROLLER GROUP MEMBERSHIP UPDATE,” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 190,666, filed May 19, 2021, entitled “Unmanned Aerial System Communication.” The disclosures of the above-referenced prior applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to unmanned aerial vehicle system communications. Background Art

[0004] The background description provided herein is intended to generally introduce the context of the present disclosure. To the extent described in this background section, the works of the presently named inventors and aspects of the description that may not be prior art at the time of filing are neither explicitly nor implicitly admitted as prior art to the present disclosure.

[0005] Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones can include aircraft without a human pilot, crew, or passengers. UAVs are components of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS). A UAS can also include ground-based controllers and systems that communicate with the UAV. A communication system that supports the connectivity requirements of unmanned aircraft systems is under development. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Aspects of the present disclosure provide methods and apparatus for managing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) identification to maintain network service continuity.In some examples, an apparatus for managing UAV identification includes receiving circuitry and processing circuitry.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for replacing a UAV in a Service Enabler Architecture Layer (SEAL) framework is provided. In this method, an Unmanned Aerial System Application Enabler (UAE) server may determine to replace a first UAV (UAV-1) with a second UAV (UAV-2) based on a received request. The UAE server may identify UAV-2 based on the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) level identity (level ID) of UAV-2, where UAV-1 may be grouped with a UAV controller (UAV-C). The UAE server may send a request to perform a group member update to a SEAL Group Management (GM) server of the SEAL framework. The group member update may replace UAV-1 with UAV-2. The UAE server may also receive a response message sent by the SEAL GM server. The request to perform a group membership update may include: (i) an ID of a UAE client, where the UAE client may correspond to a group of UAV-1 and UAV-C, (ii) a User Equipment (UE) ID of UAV-1, (iii) a UE ID of UAV-2, and (iv) a CAA-level ID of UAV-2.

[0008] In some embodiments, the request to perform a group membership update may also include a timeout period that defines a waiting time limit for a response message sent by the SEAL GM server.

[0009] In this method, when no response message is received within the timeout period, the UAE server may send another request to the SEAL GM server to perform group membership update.

[0010] In some embodiments, the response message may include a group membership update result indicating whether the group was successfully updated to include UAV-2 and UAV-C.

[0011] In this method, based on the group being successfully updated to include UAV-2 and UAV-C, the UAE server may receive updated group IDs of UAV-2 and UAV-C sent by the SEALGM server.

[0012] In some embodiments, before replacing UAV-1 with UAV-2, the SEAL GM server may assign an initial group ID to UAV-1 and UAV-C.

[0013] In this method, the UAE server performs quality of service (QoS) management on UAV-2 and UAV-C based on the updated group ID.

[0014] In some embodiments, UAV-C, UAV-1, and UAV-2 may be registered in a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network, where the UE ID of UAV-1 may include a first 3GPP UE ID and the UE ID of UAV-2 may include a second 3GPP UE ID.

[0015] In some embodiments, the request to perform a group membership update may also include the 3GPP UE ID of the UAV-C.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a device is provided. The device includes a processing circuit. The processing circuit can be configured to execute any of the above methods.

[0017] Aspects of the present disclosure further provide a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the above methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Other features, properties, and various advantages of the disclosed subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:

[0019] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a drone system according to an embodiment.

[0020] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a UAS including UAS communication with at least one server.

[0021] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a system including a UAS according to an embodiment.

[0022] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a system including a UAS according to an embodiment.

[0023] Figure 5 is an in-network functional model for a Service Enablement Architecture Layer (SEAL) according to an embodiment.

[0024] Figure 6 A group membership update process according to an embodiment is shown.

[0025] Figure 7 A group creation process according to an embodiment is shown.

[0026] Figure 8A flowchart of a group membership update process according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0027] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a computer system according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Reference Figure 1 An unmanned aerial vehicle system (UAS) (100) may include an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (101) and a controller (102). The controller (102) may transmit control commands from the controller (102) to the UAV (101) using a data link (103). The controller (102) may include at least one communication circuit configured to provide communication via the data link (103) via very high frequency (VHF) and / or ultra-high frequency (UHF), and / or other wireless technologies capable of analog and / or digital wireless communication. The controller (102) may control the power level of a propulsion device (114) of the UAV (101), such as one or more motors and / or engines, and / or control surfaces (not shown) of a model aircraft. More abstract commands such as pitch, yaw, and roll, similar to those of a helicopter and / or aircraft, may also be used. An experienced pilot may operate the UAV (101) using basic controls without relying on advanced onboard processing of control signals within the UAV (101). The UAV (101) may be in the form of a helicopter and / or any other aerial vehicle.

[0029] Advances in onboard electronic design allow for certain tasks to be transferred from a human operator (or user) 113 to the UAV (101) itself. Many UAVs, such as the UAV (101), may include one or more sensors (104) coupled to onboard control circuitry (105) for sensing the attitude and acceleration of the UAV (101). The onboard control circuitry (105) may be a computer system with a reduced user interface and / or no user interface. In addition to control inputs received from the controller (102) via the data link (103), information obtained by the sensors (104) allows the UAV (101) to remain stable unless a positive control input is received from the controller (102).

[0030] The UAV (101) may include a receiver (106) for one of the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) operated by the United States. Figure 1A single satellite (108) capable of providing a communication signal (107) is shown to represent a GNSS. However, a receiver (106) of the UAV (101) can receive communications from a GNSS including three or more, and typically four or more, line-of-sight satellites to triangulate the position of the UAV (101) in space. A GNSS receiver such as the receiver (106) can determine the position of the UAV (101) in space and time with considerable accuracy. In many cases, the GNSS can be augmented by additional sensors (e.g., ultrasonic and / or lidar sensors) of the UAV (104) in the most critical vertical axis (e.g., the Z axis) in the UAV (101) to enable a soft landing (not shown). The UAV (101) including GNSS capabilities can provide the user with "fly home" and "auto-land" functions. Thus, upon receipt of a simple command from the controller (102) (e.g., a single button press), or in the event of a loss of data link (103) or other significant control input timeout from the controller, the UAV (101) can fly to a location defined as a home location.

[0031] The UAV (101) may also include one or more cameras (109). In some cases, the UAV (101) may include a gimbaled camera as one of the cameras (109). The gimbaled camera may be used to record images and / or video of a quality that meets the requirements of a user (113) of the UAV (101), such as images and / or video at high-definition television resolution. The UAV (101) may include additional cameras (110) to cover some or all axes of motion. Onboard signal processing based on signals from the additional cameras (110) may be used to prevent the UAV (101) from colliding with fixed and moving objects.

[0032] In some cases, the UAV (101) may include a "master" camera as one of the cameras (109). The signal from the "master" camera may be transmitted in real time to a human user (e.g., user (113)) via a data link (111) and displayed on a display device (112) that is included in, connected to, and / or separate from the controller (102). The data link (111) may be the same as or different from the data link (103). Thus, the UAV (101) may be successfully flown out of sight of a human pilot using a technique known as "First Person View" (FPV).

[0033] Due to technological developments, several UAVs, such as the UAV (101), have become significantly easier to fly, which in turn has made them popular not only with professional UAV pilots and determined and affluent amateurs, but also with the general public. As a result, compared to the few thousand (if any) helicopters sold about 15 years ago, millions of UAVs are now sold annually. At the same time, the knowledge, proficiency, and engagement of the user community have, on average, declined.

[0034] An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System (UAS) can include both a UAV and a UAV controller. In most practical scenarios, only one or more UAVs are connected via a cellular connection. The UAS can exchange data services with a UAS Service Provider (USS) and / or UAS Traffic Management (UTM).

[0035] UAVs can have an ID associated with them. In fact, for some UAVs, an ID is required before they can take to the air. For example, in North America, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is developing regulations to ensure that all UAVs must have some kind of identification to legally fly. This identification is called Remote Identification (RID) for drones or UAVs.

[0036] The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has confirmed a limited number of RID types, and all RIDs must be registered with the USS. The USS maintains all direct communications with the UAS and forwards appropriate information to the UTM. The UTM can have other sources of information about the UAS and can query the USS for more information about the UAS.

[0037] RID types can include: (1) ANSI / CTA-2063-A number. This number is assigned to the UAS by the manufacturer and is hard-coded into the UAV's hardware. It is used in UAS registration with the USS. (2) Assigned CAA-level registration number. This registration number is assigned by the local or international CAA, and the UAS operator must register this number with the USS. (3) Universally Unique Identifier (UUID). This number can be created by the UAS manufacturer or by the USS during registration. In either case, the UAS operator must register this number with the USS. (4) The Internet Engineer Task Force (IETF) developed another RID type called DRIP, which can also be used for UAS registration with the USS. Regardless of which RID type is assigned to the UAS, such RID must be registered with the USS / UTM.

[0038] Figure 2 2 is a schematic diagram of a UAS (200). The UAS (200) may include a UAV (201) and a controller (202). The UAV (201) and the controller (202) may be respectively Figure 1 The UAV (101) and controller (102) shown are the same or similar. According to an embodiment, a UAS (200), potentially operated by a human pilot (203), can be configured to notify one or more servers (or one or more USSs) (204) of the location of the UAV (201) in real time. Reporting can be done using the Internet (205). In some embodiments, each of the UAV (201) and the controller (202) of the UAS (200) can be configured to have a corresponding connection (206A) or (206B) to the Internet (205) on a wireless network such as network (207) (e.g., a 5G network), and the server (204) can also have a connection (208) to the Internet (205). Such a scenario can be assumed herein, but embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. Other networks other than the Internet (205) can also be used. For example, it is conceivable that a closed wireless network other than the Internet can be used for communication between the UAS (200) and the server (204). For example, closed wireless networks are used by some military UAVs, and when we refer to the "Internet" from now on, we should include such networks.

[0039] Many physical wireless network technologies may be deployed when used to enable a connection (206) (e.g., a wireless connection) and a network (207) (e.g., a wireless network) to connect a system such as a controller (202) of a UAS (200) or a UAV (201) to the Internet (205). For outdoor applications, a mobile network such as a fifth generation or "5G" network may be used. Hereinafter, it may be assumed that such a 5G network is used, but embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. Other physical network technologies may also be used, including, for example, 3G, 3.5G, 4G, LTE mobile networks, wireless LAN in infrastructure or ad hoc mode, zig-bee, etc. In embodiments of the present disclosure, a mobile network carrying the Internet may provide two-way communication, such as between a UAS (200) and a server (204). However, the quality of service (QoS) in each direction may be different. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the UAV (201), the controller (202) and / or the server (204) may include a communication interface (e.g., including communication circuits such as a transmitter and / or a receiver) and at least one processor (or processing circuit) with a memory, the processor (or processing circuit) implementing one or more physical wireless network technologies to be configured to communicate via one or more network types of the present disclosure.

[0040] refer to Figure 2 The connection (206) between the Internet (205) and the UAV (201) and / or the controller (202) via the network (207) (e.g., a 5G network) can be bidirectional. When Internet protocols such as Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Quick UDP Internet Connections (QUIC), etc. are used for communication between the UAS (200) and the server (204), a bidirectional link may be required for these protocols to work, depending on the nature of such protocols.

[0041] exist Figure 3 In the embodiment of the present invention, a system (400) may be provided. The system (400) may include a UAV (301) and a controller (302), which together constitute a UAS (300). In some embodiments, the controller (302) may include a display (312). The UAV (301) and the controller (302) may include: Figure 1 and Figure 2Any number of hardware (e.g., cameras and communication interfaces) and software components described with respect to the UAS (100) and UAS (200) shown may be configured to perform the functions described with respect to the UAS (100) and UAS (200). Figure 3 The UAV (301) may include a computer system (320) including processing circuitry such as at least one processor and a memory storing computer code. The computer code may be configured to cause the UAV (301) to perform its functions when executed by the at least one processor of the UAV (301). Figure 9 , the computer system (320) may be composed of Figure 9 The computer system (900) may be implemented using any number of components.

[0042] The computer system (320) may include a GPS antenna (323) and a GPS receiver (not shown). The GPS antenna (323) and the GPS receiver may be configured to obtain the position of the UAV (301) in two-dimensional space. The UAV (301) may also include a memory storage (324) accessible by a user (309) of the UAV (301). For example, Figure 3 As shown, the memory storage (324) can be a micro-SD card. However, the memory storage (324) can also be other removable semiconductor memory, onboard NV-RAM in the UAV (301) that can be accessed from a computer or wireless LAN via a network plug, etc. The computer system (320) can include a communication interface, which communication interface includes, for example, one or more communicators such as a communicator (325), which can include, for example, a 5G antenna. The communicator (325) can be configured to send data to and receive data (e.g., information related to the airspace) from the Internet (305) using the network (307). For example, referring to Figure 3 The UAV (301) of the UAS (300) may be configured with a wireless connection (341) to the Internet (305) via a wireless network such as a network 307 (e.g., a 5G network), and one or more servers (304) may be connected to the Internet (305). The communicator (325) or other communicator of the communication interface of the UAV (301) may be configured to send data (e.g., sensor data, video data, or information related to the airspace) to the controller (302) via the wireless connection (310) and receive data (e.g., command data) from the controller (302).

[0043] refer to Figure 4, the communicator (315) of the controller (302) or other communicator of the communication interface of the controller (302) can be configured to send data to the Internet (305) and receive data (e.g., information related to the airspace) from the Internet (305) using the network (307). Each communicator of the present disclosure may include, for example, a transmitter and a receiver. The controller (302) may also include a memory storage (334) accessible by a user (309) of the controller (302). The memory storage (334) may have the same or similar configuration as the memory storage (324). Depending on the embodiment, one, both, or neither of the memory storage (324) and the memory storage (334) may be included in the UAS (300).

[0044] The 3GPP 5G wireless architecture may include a vertical service service enabling architecture layer (SEAL), which provides procedures, information flows, and application program interfaces (APIs) to support vertical applications (e.g., UAVs and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) applications) on the 3GPP system, thereby ensuring the efficient use and deployment of vertical applications on the 3GPP system. SEAL services may include, but are not limited to, group management, configuration management, location management, identity management, key management, and network resource management.

[0045] Figure 5 An exemplary in-network functional model (500) for SEAL is shown. Figure 5 As shown, the model (500) may include a UAS application enabler (UAE) layer that provides UAS application enabler (UAE) capabilities to a UAS application specific layer (not shown). The UAE layer may include a UAE client (501) and a UAE server (503). The UAE client (501) and the UAE server (503) communicate with each other over a 3GPP network (509) using a U1-AE (502) reference point.

[0046] The underlying SEAL services used by the UAE upper layer may include location management, group management, configuration management, identity management, key management, and network resource management.

[0047] See also Figure 5, one or more SEAL clients (504) can communicate with one or more SEAL servers (507) using a 3GPP network (509) via a SEAL-UU (505) reference point. SEAL-UU (505) can support both unicast and multicast delivery modes. One or more SEAL clients (504) provide service enabling layer support functions to one or more UAE clients (501) via a SEAL-C reference point (510). One or more UAE servers (503) communicate with one or more SEAL servers (507) via a SEAL-S (508) reference point. One or more SEAL servers (507) can communicate with an underlying 3GPP core network system (e.g., a 3GPP network (509)) using a corresponding 3GPP interface (506) specified by the 3GPP network system.

[0048] The reference points of the corresponding 3GPP interface (506) may include, but are not limited to, functions such as a network resource management server communicating with a 3GPP Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) or a network resource management server communicating with a 3GPP 5G Policy Control Function (PCF) to control unicast and multicast resources from the underlying 3GPP network system.

[0049] The present disclosure includes parameters that can be used to support UAV replacement in a UAS. This replacement can maintain network service continuity by updating group membership in the UAS.

[0050] Figure 6 An exemplary process (600) for group membership update in a UAS is shown. Figure 6 As shown, the UAV grouping functionality may be managed by a SEAL Group Management (GM) server (605) (also referred to as a SEAL Group Manager (605)), which may enable the use of upper application layers (e.g., Figure 5 Group management operations of VAL(506) in.

[0051] As mentioned above, the UAV identification or RID can be an important part of a UAS being considered safe to operate. In some cases, replacement of a UAV in a UAS can result in a change in the UAV ID, causing network and service disruptions.

[0052] In the 3GPP UAE layer, the UAV ID can be used to request network resources through SEAL.

[0053] When the connection is successful, the 3GPP-connected UAV can obtain the 3GPP UE ID.

[0054] In addition, 3GPP-connected UAVs must register with the USS / UTM using the pre-assigned or dynamically assigned CAA-level UAV IDs described above, in accordance with specific regulations. In any case, after a UAV is replaced, a new registration will need to be performed between the UAS and the 3GPP network, or between the UAV and the USS / UTM, which may affect how SEAL provides specific services to the UAS.

[0055] When the UAV has been replaced with a new CAA-level ID, UAV ID registration is available.

[0056] When the following prerequisites occur simultaneously: (1) UAV-C and UAV-1 have successfully subscribed to 3GPP and USS / UTM and received 3GPP UE ID (e.g., GPSI) and CAA-level ID; (2) UAV-2 (replacement) has also successfully subscribed to 3GPP and USS / UTM and received CAA-level ID; (3) UAV-1 and UAV-C have been assigned a group identifier by the SEAL group manager. The UAS application layer needs to take measures to ensure a unique group ID for the UAV-C and UAV-2 (replacement) pair to maintain network service continuity.

[0057] Reference Figure 6 , the process (600) shows how to update the group ID for the new UAV and UAV-C pair using the SEAL GM server (605) when UAV-1 (602) is replaced by UAV-2 (603).

[0058] In one example, assume that the above prerequisites are met. Therefore, UAV-C and UAV-1 have previously successfully subscribed to 3GPP and USS / UTM and received 3GPP UE ID (e.g., GPSI) and CAA-level ID. UAV-2 (replacement) has successfully subscribed to 3GPP and USS / UTM and received CAA-level ID. UAV-1 and UAV-C were previously assigned group identifiers by the SEAL group manager. Therefore, Figure 6 As shown in step (S606), after UAV-1 (602) is replaced by UAV-2 (603) to form a new UAS including UAV-C (601) and UAV-2 (603), the UAE server (604) can identify the UAV replacement based on a new UAV identifier, such as a CAA-level UAV ID associated with UAV-2 (603).

[0059] In step (S607), the UAE server (604) may send a group member update request to the SEAL GM server (605). The request (607) may include the following data: 3GPP UE ID, which is the UAV-CUE ID when first connecting to the 3GPP network, and the new CAA-level ID of UAV-2 (603).

[0060] In some embodiments, the UAE server (604) may send a group membership update request to the SEAL GM server (605). In some embodiments, the group membership update request may include the exemplary data points provided in Table 1.

[0061] Table 1: Data points for group membership update requests

[0062]

[0063] As shown in Table 1, "M" stands for "Required" and "O" stands for "Optional". A VAL user can be an authorized user who can use a VAL UE to participate in one or more VAL services. An exemplary VAL user can be Figure 1 The user 113 in the UE can be UAV-1 (602) and UAV-2 (603). The VAL service can be associated with the UAV service or the V2X service. The VAL group can be a UAV and UAV-C pair, for example, a UAV-1 (602) and a UAV-C (601) pair.

[0064] In step (S608), the SEAL GM server (605) may respond with a new group ID for UAV-C (601) and UAV-2 (603), and may also indicate whether the group membership update was successful.

[0065] In some embodiments, the SEAL GM server (605) may send a group member update response. For example, the group member update response may include the exemplary data points provided in Table 2.

[0066] Table 2: Data points for group membership update responses

[0067] Information Elements state illustrate VAL group ID M Identity of the VAL group result M Indicates the success or failure of the operation

[0068] As shown in Table 2, the VAL group ID may be a new group ID assigned to UAV-C (601) and UAV-2 (603). The result may indicate whether the group membership update was successful. If the result indicates that the group membership update was successfully processed, the new group ID may be returned to the UAE server (604).

[0069] In step (S609), if the group ID is successfully returned to the UAE server (604), the UAE server (604) can use the returned new group ID to perform QoS management and detection between UAV-C (601) and the new UAV-2 (603).

[0070] In the present disclosure, in order to replace a UAV (e.g., UAV-1 (602)) with a new UAV (e.g., UAV-1 (603)), one or more data points shown in Table 3 may be provided from a UAE client (e.g., UAV-C (601)) to a UAE server (604). For example, the VAL group ID may include the UAE client ID, and the UAV-1UE ID and the UAV-2UE ID may be included in the identity list of the affected VAL UEs. The CAA-level UAV ID may be included in the identity list or the VAL service-specific information. The delete operation may be associated with the UAV to be removed (e.g., UAV-1UE ID), and the add operation may be associated with the UAV to be added (e.g., UAV-2UE ID). In another embodiment, the group membership update request may include an additional replacement operation. In other embodiments, one or more data points of the group membership update may be included in other elements and / or VAL service-specific information.

[0071] Table 3: Data points in group membership update

[0072]

[0073] Note that in Table 3, "M" stands for "required" and "O" stands for "optional".

[0074] In some embodiments, in step (607), a data point may be provided where the UAE server (604) may send a group membership update request to the SEAL GM server (605). The UAE clients in Table 3 may correspond to UAV-1 (602), UAV-2 (603), and UAV-C (601).

[0075] The UAE server (604) may send a response back to the UAE client (e.g., UAV-C (601)) to indicate whether the update is successful. When the UAE server (604) sends a response back to the UAE client (e.g., UAV-C (601)), the data points in Table 4 may be obtained.

[0076] Table 4: Response data points for group membership updates

[0077]

[0078] Reference Figure 7, a group creation process (700) for a UAV and UAV-C pair may be shown. First, in step (S705), both the UAV-C (701) and the UAV (703) may successfully connect to a UAS Application Enablement (UAE) server (702) with a common UAS ID. In some embodiments, a corresponding Civil Aviation Administration (CAA)-level UAV ID may be assigned to the UAV-C (701) and / or the UAV (703). Thus, the UAV-C (701) and / or the UAV (703) may connect to the UAE server (702) based on their respective CAA-level UAV IDs. In some embodiments, the UAV-C (701) and the UAV (703) may act as VAL clients, e.g. Figure 5 VAL client (501) in.

[0079] In step (706), the UAE server (702) may identify the UAV (703) and UAV-C (701) pair. For example, the UAE server (702) may identify the UAV (703) and UAV-C (701) pair based on an identifier of the UAV (703) and UAV-C (701) pair. For example, the UAE server (702) may identify the UAV (703) and UAV-C (701) pair by respective 3GPP UE IDs or respective CAA-level UAV IDs associated with the UAV (703) and UAV-C (701). In some embodiments, the UAE server (702) may act as a VAL server, e.g. Figure 5 VAL server (503) in.

[0080] In step (S707), the UAE server (702) may send a group creation request to the SEAL group management (GM) server (704) using the GM-S reference link. For example, if a group ID has not yet been assigned to the UAV (703) and UAV-C (701) pair, the UAE server (702) may send a group creation request to the SEAL GM server (704) using the GM-S reference link. The GM-S reference point may support interactions related to group management functions between one or more VAL servers and a group management server. For example, the GM-S reference point supports a VAL server (e.g., the UAE server (702)) to obtain group information corresponding to a VAL service (e.g., a UAV service). The GM-S reference point may use HTTP-1 / HTTP-2 reference points to transport and route signaling related to group management. The GM-S reference point may use SIP-2 reference points to subscribe / notify related signaling. In some embodiments, the SEAL GM server (704) may act as a SEAL server, e.g. Figure 5 SEAL server (504) in.

[0081] In step (S708), the SEAL GM server (704) may respond to the group creation request and create a group ID for the UAV (703) and UAV-C (701) pair. The SEAL GM server (704) may create a group ID for the UAV (703) and UAV-C (701) pair in various ways. For example, during the group creation process, the group management server creates and stores information about the group. The group management server checks policies, such as checking a maximum limit on the total number of VAL group members for one or more VAL groups. An external group identifier identifies the member UEs of the VAL group at the 3GPP core network, and the external group identifier may be stored in the configuration information of the newly created VAL group. In addition, the group ID may be returned to the UAE server (702). The group ID of the UAV (703) and UAV-C (701) pair may serve as a VAL group ID. The VAL group ID may be a unique identifier within a VAL service (e.g., UAV) that represents a group of VAL users or VAL UEs according to the VAL service. A VAL user group may belong to the same or different VAL service providers. A VAL group ID may indicate the VAL application server (eg, UAE server) that defines the group.

[0082] In step (S709), in some cases, the SEAL GM server (704) may also create subgroups for the UAV (703) and the UAV-C (701) respectively.

[0083] In (S710), the UAE server (702) may use the returned one or more group IDs for QoS management, for example, the group ID created by the SEAL GM server (704) for the UAV (703) and UAV-C (701) pair. In response to creating subgroups for the UAV (703) and the UAV-C (701), the UAE server (702) may use the one or more subgroup IDs to manage QoS for the UAV (703) and the UAV-C (701), respectively. QoS may refer to any technology that manages data traffic to reduce packet loss, delay, and / or jitter on a network. QoS may control and manage network resources by prioritizing specific types of data on the network.

[0084] Figure 8 An exemplary process (800) for group member update is shown. Figure 8 As shown, the process (800) may start from (S801) and proceed to (S810). In (S810), the UAE server may determine that the first UAV (UAV-1) is to be replaced with the second UAV (UAV-2) based on the received request.

[0085] In ( S820 ), the UAE server may identify UAV- 2 based on a Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) level identity (level ID) of UAV- 2 , wherein UAV- 1 may be grouped with a UAV controller (UAV-C).

[0086] In (S830), the UAE server may send a request to the SEAL Group Management (GM) server of the SEAL framework to perform a group membership update. The group membership update may replace UAV-1 with UAV-2. The request to perform a group membership update may include: (i) an ID of the UAE client, where the UAE client may correspond to the group of UAV-1 and UAV-C, (ii) a user equipment (UE) ID of UAV-1, (iii) a UE ID of UAV-2, and (iv) a CAA-level ID of UAV-2.

[0087] In (S840), the UAE server may also receive a response message sent by the SEAL GM server.

[0088] In some embodiments, the request to perform a group membership update may also include a timeout period that defines a waiting time limit for a response message sent by the SEAL GM server.

[0089] In process (800), when no response message is received within the timeout period, the UAE server may send another request to the SEALGM server to perform group membership update.

[0090] In some embodiments, the response message may include a group membership update result indicating whether the group was successfully updated to include UAV-2 and UAV-C.

[0091] In process (800), based on the group being updated successfully to include UAV-2 and UAV-C, the UAE server may receive updated group IDs of UAV-2 and UAV-C sent by the SEAL GM server.

[0092] In some embodiments, the SEAL GM server may assign an initial group ID to UAV-1 and UAV C before UAV-1 is replaced by UAV-2.

[0093] In the process (800), the UAE server may perform QoS management on UAV-2 and UAV-C based on the updated group ID.

[0094] In some embodiments, UAV-C, UAV-1, and UAV-2 may be registered in a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network, where the UE ID of UAV-1 may include a first 3GPP UE ID and the UE ID of UAV-2 may include a second 3GPP UE ID.

[0095] In some embodiments, the request to perform a group membership update may also include the 3GPP UE ID of the UAV-C.

[0096] The above-described techniques for UAV system communications may be implemented as computer software in the controller and the UAV using computer-readable instructions and physically stored in one or more computer-readable media, such as one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media. For example, Figure 9 A computer system 900 suitable for implementing some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter is shown.

[0097] Computer software may be encoded using any suitable machine code or computer language that may be subjected to assembly, compilation, linking, or similar mechanisms to create code comprising instructions that may be executed directly by processing circuits such as one or more computer central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), or the like, or through interpretation, microcode execution, or the like.

[0098] The instructions may be executed on various types of computers or components thereof, including, for example, personal computers, tablet computers, servers, smart phones, gaming devices, IoT devices, etc.

[0099] Figure 9 The components shown for the computer system (900) are exemplary in nature and are not intended to suggest any limitation on the scope of use or functionality of computer software implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Neither should the configuration of the components be interpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of components shown in the exemplary embodiment of the computer system (900).

[0100] The computer system (900) may include certain human-machine interface input devices. Such human-machine interface input devices may be responsive to input from one or more human users through, for example, tactile input (e.g., keystrokes, swipes, data glove movements), audio input (e.g., voice, hand clapping), visual input (e.g., gestures), and olfactory input (not shown). The human-machine interface devices may also be used to acquire certain media that are not necessarily directly related to human conscious input, such as audio (e.g., voice, music, ambient sounds), images (e.g., scanned images, photographic images acquired from a still camera), and video (e.g., two-dimensional video, three-dimensional video including stereoscopic video).

[0101] The input human-machine interface device may include one or more of the following (only one of each is shown): keyboard (901), mouse (902), touchpad (903), touch screen (910), data gloves (not shown), joystick (905), microphone (906), scanner (907), camera (908).

[0102] The computer system (900) may also include certain human-machine interface output devices. Such human-machine interface output devices may stimulate one or more senses of a human user, for example, through tactile output, sound, light, and smell / taste. Such human-machine interface output devices may include tactile output devices (e.g., tactile feedback of a touch screen (910), a data glove (not shown), or a joystick (905), but may also be a tactile feedback device that is not an input device), an audio output device (e.g., a speaker (909), headphones (not shown)), a visual output device (e.g., a screen (910) including a CRT screen, an LCD screen, a plasma screen, an OLED screen, each with or without touch screen input capabilities, each with or without tactile feedback capabilities - some of these screens are capable of outputting two-dimensional visual output or output in more than three dimensions through devices such as stereoscopic image output, virtual reality glasses (not shown), a holographic display, and a smoke box (not shown)) and a printer (not shown).

[0103] The computer system (900) may also include human-machine accessible storage devices and their associated media, such as optical media (921) including CD / DVD ROM / RW (920) including CD / DVD and other media, thumb drives (922), removable hard drives or solid-state drives (923), traditional magnetic media such as tapes and floppy disks (not shown), dedicated ROM / ASIC / PLD-based devices such as security dongles (not shown), etc.

[0104] Those skilled in the art will also understand that the term "computer-readable medium" used in connection with the presently disclosed subject matter does not encompass transmission media, carrier waves, or other transitory signals.

[0105] The computer system (900) may also include an interface (954) for connecting to one or more communication networks (955). The network may be, for example, wireless, wired, or optical. The network may further be a local area network, a wide area network, a metropolitan area network, a vehicle and industrial network, a real-time network, a delay-tolerant network, or the like. Examples of networks include local area networks such as Ethernet, wireless LANs, cellular networks including GSM, 3G, 4G, 5G, LTE, etc., television wired or wireless wide area digital networks including cable television, satellite television, and terrestrial broadcast television, vehicle and industrial networks including CANBus, and the like. Some networks typically require an external network interface adapter connected to some common data port or peripheral bus (949) (e.g., a USB port of the computer system (900)); as described below, other network interfaces are typically integrated into the kernel of the computer system (900) by connecting to the system bus (e.g., an Ethernet interface in a PC computer system or a cellular network interface in a smartphone computer system). The computer system (900) can use any of these networks to communicate with other entities. Such communications can be one-way receive only (e.g., broadcast television), one-way send only (e.g., CANbus to certain CANbus devices), or bidirectional, for example, connecting to other computer systems using a local or wide area digital network. As described above, certain protocols and protocol stacks can be used on each of these networks and network interfaces.

[0106] The above-mentioned human-machine interface device, human-machine accessible storage device and network interface may be attached to the kernel (940) of the computer system (900).

[0107] The core (940) may include one or more central processing units (CPUs) (941), graphics processing units (GPUs) (942), dedicated programmable processing units in the form of field programmable gate areas (FPGAs) (943), hardware accelerators for certain tasks (944), graphics adapters (950), and the like. These devices, as well as read-only memory (ROM) (945), random access memory (946), and internal large-capacity storage (947) such as internal non-user accessible hard drives, SSDs, and the like, may be connected via a system bus (948). In some computer systems, the system bus (948) may be accessed in the form of one or more physical plugs to enable expansion with additional CPUs, GPUs, and the like. Peripheral devices may be connected directly to the core's system bus (948) or to the core's system bus (948) via a peripheral bus (949). In one example, a screen (910) may be connected to a graphics adapter (950). Peripheral bus architectures include PCI, USB, and the like.

[0108] The CPU (941), GPU (942), FPGA (943), and accelerator (944) can execute certain instructions, which can be combined to form the above-mentioned computer code. The computer code can be stored in ROM (945) or RAM (946). Transient data can also be stored in RAM (946), while permanent data can be stored, for example, in internal mass storage (947). Fast storage and retrieval to any storage device can be achieved by using a cache, which can be closely associated with the following: one or more CPUs (941), GPUs (942), mass storage (947), ROM (945), RAM (946), etc.

[0109] Computer-readable media may have computer code thereon for performing various computer-implemented operations. The media and computer code may be those specially designed and constructed for the purposes of this disclosure, or they may be of a type well known and available to those skilled in the art of computer software.

[0110] As an example and not for limitation, software contained in one or more tangible computer-readable media may be executed by one or more processors (including CPUs, GPUs, FPGAs, accelerators, etc.) to enable a computer system (900) having an architecture, particularly a kernel (940), to provide functionality. Such computer-readable media may be media associated with user-accessible mass storage as described above, as well as certain non-transitory memories of the kernel (940), such as kernel internal mass storage (947) or ROM (945). Software implementing the various embodiments of the present disclosure may be stored in such devices and executed by the kernel (940). Depending on specific needs, the computer-readable medium may include one or more storage devices or chips. The software may enable the kernel (940), particularly the processors therein (including CPUs, GPUs, FPGAs, etc.), to perform specific processes or specific parts of specific processes described herein, including defining data structures stored in RAM (946) and modifying such data structures according to processes defined by the software. Additionally or alternatively, the computer system may provide functionality by logic hardwired or otherwise embodied in circuitry (e.g., accelerator (944)), which may replace software or operate in conjunction with software to perform a particular process or a particular portion of a particular process described herein. Where appropriate, references to software may include logic and vice versa. Where appropriate, references to computer-readable media may include circuitry (e.g., integrated circuits (ICs)) storing software for execution, circuitry embodying logic for execution, or both. The present disclosure includes any suitable combination of hardware and software.

[0111] Although the present disclosure has described several exemplary embodiments, there are changes, substitutions, and various alternative equivalent embodiments that fall within the scope of the present disclosure. It will therefore be understood that one skilled in the art will be able to devise many systems and methods that, although not explicitly shown or described herein, embody the principles of the present disclosure and are therefore within its spirit and scope.

Claims

1. A method for replacing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in a service enabling architecture layer (SEAL) architecture, the method comprising: Based on the received request, the UAV system application enabling UAE server determines to replace the first UAV UAV-1 with the second UAV UAV-2; Based on the Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) level ID of the UAV-2, the UAE server identifies the UAV-2, wherein the UAV-1 and the UAV controller UAV-C are grouped together; The UAE server sends a request to the SEAL group management GM server of the SEAL framework to perform a group member update, wherein the group member update replaces the UAV-1 with the UAV-2; and The UAE server receives the response message sent by the SEAL GM server, The request to execute the group member update includes: an ID of a UAE client corresponding to the group of the UAV-1 and the UAV-C, The user equipment UEID of the UAV-1, The UE ID of the UAV-2, and CAA-level ID of the UAV-2; The response message includes: a group member update result, the group member update result indicating whether the group is successfully updated to include the UAV-2 and the UAV-C; Based on the group being successfully updated to include the UAV-2 and the UAV-C, the UAE server receives the updated group IDs of the UAV-2 and the UAV-C from the SEAL GM server; Based on the updated group ID, the UAE server performs quality of service (QoS) management on the UAV-2 and the UAV-C, wherein the QoS management is used to manage data traffic and set priorities for specific types of data to control and manage network resources.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The request to perform the group membership update also includes a timeout period, which defines a waiting time limit for the response message sent by the SEAL GM server.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The method further comprises: When the response message is not received within the timeout period, the UAE server sends another request to the SEAL GM server to perform the group membership update.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein Before replacing the UAV-1 with the UAV-2, the SEALGM server allocates an initial group ID to the UAV-1 and the UAV-C.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein registering the UAV-C, the UAV-1, and the UAV-2 in a 3rd Generation Partnership Project 3GPP network, The UE ID of the UAV-1 includes a first 3GPP UE ID, and The UE ID of the UAV-2 includes a second 3GPP UE ID.

6. A device for replacing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in a service enabling architecture layer (SEAL) architecture, comprising: Processing circuit, configured as: Based on the received request, determining to replace the first unmanned aerial vehicle UAV UAV-1 with the second UAV UAV-2; Identify the UAV-2 based on the Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) level ID of the UAV-2, wherein the UAV-1 and the UAV controller UAV-C are grouped together; Sending a request for executing a group member update to a SEAL group management GM server of a SEAL framework of a service enabling architecture layer, wherein the group member update replaces the UAV-1 with the UAV-2; and Receive the response message sent by the SEAL GM server, The request to execute the group member update includes: an ID of a UAE client corresponding to the group of the UAV-1 and the UAV-C, The user equipment UEID of the UAV-1, The UE ID of the UAV-2, and CAA-level ID of the UAV-2; The response message includes: a group member update result, the group member update result indicating whether the group is successfully updated to include the UAV-2 and the UAV-C; Based on the group being successfully updated to include the UAV-2 and the UAV-C, receiving an updated group ID of the UAV-2 and the UAV-C from the SEAL GM server; Based on the updated group ID, quality of service (QoS) management is performed on the UAV-2 and the UAV-C, wherein the QoS management is used to manage data traffic and set priorities for specific types of data to control and manage network resources.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein The request to perform the group membership update also includes a timeout period, which defines a waiting time limit for the response message sent by the SEAL GM server.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein The processing circuit is configured as follows: When the response message is not received within the timeout period, another request is sent to the SEAL GM server to perform the group membership update.

9. The device according to claim 6, wherein Before replacing the UAV-1 with the UAV-2, the SEALGM server allocates an initial group ID to the UAV-1 and the UAV-C.

10. The device according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein registering the UAV-C, the UAV-1, and the UAV-2 in a 3rd Generation Partnership Project 3GPP network, The UE ID of the UAV-1 includes a first 3GPP UE ID, and The UE ID of the UAV-2 includes a second 3GPP UE ID.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by at least one processor of a UAV system application enabling (UAE) server, the at least one processor executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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