System and method for user equipment location verification

Abstract

Systems and methods for user device location verification are presented. The first network node may perform location verification of the wireless communication device. It may be determined by the second network node whether to release a connection with the wireless communication device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, including but not limited to systems and methods for user device location verification. Background Art

[0002] The third generation partnership project (3GPP), a standardization organization, is currently specifying a new air interface called 5G New Radio (5G NR) and the next generation packet core network (NG-CN or NGC). 5G NR will have three main components: 5G access network (5G-AN), 5G core network (5GC) and user equipment (UE). In order to facilitate the implementation of different data services and requirements, the elements of 5GC (also called network functions) have been simplified, some of which are software-based and some of which are hardware-based, so that these elements can be adjusted as needed. Summary of the invention

[0003] The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are intended to solve problems related to one or more problems raised in the prior art, and when combined with the accompanying drawings, by reference to the following detailed description, additional features will be provided that are easily understood. According to various embodiments, exemplary systems, methods, devices, and computer program products are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that these embodiments are given as examples rather than limitations, and it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art who have read this disclosure that various modifications may be made to the disclosed embodiments (e.g., including combining features from various disclosed examples, embodiments, and / or implementations) while still within the scope of this disclosure.

[0004] At least one aspect relates to a system, method, device, or computer-readable medium. A first network node (e.g., a core network (CN), a radio access network (RAN), and / or a base station (BS)) may perform location verification of a wireless communication device (e.g., a user equipment (UE)). A second network node may determine whether to release a connection with the wireless communication device.

[0005] In some embodiments, the first network node may include at least one node of a core network (CN). The second network node may include a wireless communication node of a radio access network (RAN). In some embodiments, the second network node may include at least one node of the CN. In some embodiments, at least one node of the CN may include at least one functional entity. The first network node may include a wireless communication node of the RAN. In some embodiments, the first network node and the second network node may include at least one node of the CN. In some embodiments, the first network node and the second network node may be / include wireless communication nodes of the RAN. In some embodiments, the first network node and the second network node may be the same. In some embodiments, the first network node and the second network node may include different functional entities in the CN.

[0006] In some embodiments, at least one node of the CN may perform location verification. At least one node of the CN may determine whether to release the connection with the wireless communication device based on the location verification. At least one node of the CN may send an indication to the wireless communication node whether to release the connection with the wireless communication device. At least one node of the CN may send information supporting the indication of whether to release the connection (e.g., the reason / reason for the decision) to the wireless communication node. The wireless communication node may be configured to release the connection based on at least one of the indication or the supporting information. Releasing the connection may include at least one of the following: releasing the radio resource control (RRC) connection with the wireless communication device, or rejecting (e.g., not allowing) access from the wireless communication device. In some embodiments, the information supporting the indication of whether to release the connection includes at least one of the following: the reason for releasing the connection, the time period during which the wireless device is not allowed to access, a notification that the wireless device has passed / failed the location verification, or a notification that normal transmission can be performed.

[0007] In some embodiments, at least one node of the CN may perform location verification. At least one node of the CN may send a wireless communication device reliability indication to the wireless communication node based on the location verification. The wireless communication node may be configured to perform at least one of the following: determine whether to release the connection with the wireless communication device based on the reliability indication; or send a decision of whether the wireless communication node releases the connection to at least one node of the CN.

[0008] In some embodiments, at least one node of the CN may perform location verification. At least one node of the CN may determine whether to perform location verification at another time (e.g., repeat / re-perform location verification) based on the location verification. At least one node of the CN may send a first indication to the wireless communication node whether to perform location verification at another time. When the number of times the location verification is performed exceeds a threshold, at least one node of the CN may send a second indication to the wireless communication node whether to release the connection with the wireless communication device.

[0009] In some embodiments, the wireless communication node may perform location verification based on at least one of the following: a criterion for location verification, auxiliary information measured by the wireless communication node, or auxiliary information received from the wireless communication device. The wireless communication node may determine whether to release the connection with the wireless communication device based on the location verification. The wireless communication node may send at least one of the following to at least one node of the CN: a decision of the wireless communication node on whether to release the connection, or information supporting whether to release the connection (e.g., the reason / reason for the decision). The wireless communication node may send the reliability of the wireless communication device to at least one node of the CN. The wireless communication node may store the reliability of the wireless communication device. In some embodiments, the information supporting the indication of whether to release the connection includes at least one of the following: a reason for releasing the connection, a time period during which the wireless device is not allowed to access, a notification that the wireless device has passed / failed location verification, or a notification that normal transmission can be performed.

[0010] In some embodiments, the wireless communication node may perform location verification based on at least one of the following: a criterion for location verification, auxiliary information measured by the wireless communication node, or auxiliary information received from the wireless communication device. The wireless communication node may determine whether to perform location verification at another time based on the location verification. The wireless communication node may send at least one of the following to at least one node of the CN: a decision of the wireless communication node on whether to perform location verification at another time, or information supporting whether to perform location verification at another time (e.g., a reason / reason for the decision). The wireless communication node may send the reliability of the wireless communication device to at least one node of the CN. The wireless communication node may store the reliability of the wireless communication device. When the number of times location verification is performed exceeds a threshold, the wireless communication node may determine whether to release the connection with the wireless communication device. In some embodiments, the information supporting the indication of whether to perform location verification at another time includes at least one of the following: a reason for performing location verification at another time, a reason for not performing location verification at another time, a notification that the wireless device has passed / failed location verification, or a notification that normal transmission can be performed.

[0011] In some embodiments, the criteria for location verification may be preconfigured at the wireless communication node, or may be received from at least one node of the CN. The auxiliary information measured by the wireless communication node may include at least one of the following: round-trip time, uplink reference signal arrival time difference, arrival angle, or reference signal received power. The auxiliary information received from the wireless communication device may include at least one of the following: a time gap between receiving a downlink reference signal and transmitting an uplink reference signal, a coherence level between different uplink reference signals, a tracking area (TA) value, a location of the wireless communication device, a trajectory of the wireless communication device, a mobility state of the wireless communication device (e.g., a speed value, a moving direction, a speed vector, and / or a speed range index), a time instance corresponding to any of the above, or a capability or type of the wireless communication device.

[0012] In some embodiments, the criteria for location verification may include at least one of the following: a target value range, a target value, an allowable range of error, or a confidence level for at least one of the following: auxiliary information measured by a wireless communication node or auxiliary information received from a wireless communication device. The wireless communication node may assign a flag to the wireless communication device based on reliability. The wireless communication node may receive a flag of the wireless communication device from at least one node of the CN. The wireless communication node may receive at least one of the following from at least one node of the CN: an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) or an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI). The wireless communication node may associate the reliability or flag with at least one of the following: an IMEI, an IMSI, a Radio Network Temporary Identity (RNTI), or a defined virtual identity (ID). The wireless communication node may set a validity period for the reliability or flag.

[0013] In some embodiments, at least one node of the CN may assign / associate a flag to a wireless communication device based on reliability. At least one node of the CN may receive a flag of a wireless communication device from a wireless communication node. At least one node of the CN may associate the reliability or flag with at least one of the following: an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), a Radio Network Temporary Identity (RNTI), or a defined virtual identity (ID). At least one node of the CN may set a validity time (e.g., a validity duration or time window) for the reliability or flag. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Various exemplary embodiments of the present solution are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings. The drawings or diagrams are provided for illustrative purposes only and depict only exemplary embodiments of the present solution to facilitate the reader's understanding of the present solution. Therefore, the drawings should not be considered as limiting the breadth, scope or applicability of the present solution. It should be noted that for clarity and ease of illustration, these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0015] Figure 1 An example cellular communication network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, in which the techniques disclosed herein may be implemented;

[0016] Figure 2 A block diagram showing an example base station and user equipment device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 3 An example non-terrestrial network (NTN) is shown according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 4 An example multi-cell round trip time (multi-RTT) method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0019] Figure 5 An example process for estimating round trip time (RTT) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0020] Figure 6 An example of positioning by a single satellite / aircraft is shown according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating an example method for user device location verification according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0022] Figure 8 A flow chart of user equipment location verification according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] 1. Mobile communication technology and environment

[0024] Figure 1 An example wireless communication network and / or system 100 is shown in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, in which the techniques disclosed herein may be implemented. In the discussion that follows, the wireless communication network 100 may be any wireless network, such as a cellular network or a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) network, and is referred to herein as "network 100." Such an example network 100 includes a base station 102 (hereinafter referred to as "BS 102"; also referred to as a wireless communication node) and a user equipment device 104 (hereinafter referred to as "UE 104"; also referred to as a wireless communication device) that may communicate with each other via a communication link 110 (e.g., a wireless communication channel), and a cluster of cells 126, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, and 140 covering a geographic area 101. In Figure 11, BS 102 and UE 104 are contained within the respective geographic boundaries of cell 126. Each of the other cells 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, and 140 may include at least one base station operating with its allocated bandwidth to provide adequate radio coverage to its intended users.

[0025] For example, BS 102 may operate on an allocated channel transmission bandwidth to provide adequate coverage to UE 104. BS 102 and UE 104 may communicate via downlink radio frames 118 and uplink radio frames 124, respectively. Each radio frame 118 / 124 may be further divided into subframes 120 / 127, which may include data symbols 122 / 128. In the present disclosure, BS 102 and UE 104 are described herein as non-limiting examples of "communication nodes", which may generally practice the methods disclosed herein. According to various embodiments of the present solution, such communication nodes may be capable of wireless and / or wired communication.

[0026] Figure 2 A block diagram of an example wireless communication system 200 for transmitting and receiving wireless communication signals (e.g., OFDM / OFDMA signals) according to some embodiments of the present solution is shown. The system 200 may include components and elements configured to support known or conventional operating features that need not be described in detail herein. In one illustrative embodiment, as described above, the system 200 may be used in applications such as Figure 1 The wireless communication environment 100 may be used to communicate (eg, transmit and receive) data symbols.

[0027] The system 200 generally includes a base station 202 (hereinafter referred to as "BS 202") and a user equipment device 204 (hereinafter referred to as "UE 204"). The BS 202 includes a BS (base station) transceiver module 210, a BS antenna 212, a BS processor module 214, a BS memory module 216, and a network communication module 218, each of which is coupled to and interconnected with each other via a data communication bus 220 as needed. The UE 204 includes a UE (user equipment) transceiver module 230, a UE antenna 232, a UE memory module 234, and a UE processor module 236, each of which is coupled to and interconnected with each other via a data communication bus 240 as needed. The BS 202 communicates with the UE 204 via a communication channel 250, which may be any wireless channel or other medium suitable for data transmission as described herein.

[0028] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the system 200 may also include Figure 2Any number of modules outside the modules shown. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the various illustrative blocks, modules, circuits, and processing logic described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in hardware, computer-readable software, firmware, or any actual combination thereof. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability and compatibility of hardware, firmware, and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are generally described according to their functions. Whether such functions are implemented as hardware, firmware, or software depends on the specific application and design constraints imposed on the entire system. People familiar with the concepts described herein can implement such functions in a manner suitable for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

[0029] According to some embodiments, the UE transceiver 230 may be referred to herein as an "uplink" transceiver 230, which includes a radio frequency (RF) transmitter and an RF receiver, each including circuitry coupled to an antenna 232. A duplex switch (not shown) may alternatively couple the uplink transmitter or receiver to the uplink antenna in a time duplex manner. Similarly, according to some embodiments, the BS transceiver 210 may be referred to herein as a "downlink" transceiver 210, which includes an RF transmitter and an RF receiver, each including circuitry coupled to an antenna 212. The downlink duplex switch may alternatively couple the downlink transmitter or receiver to the downlink antenna 212 in a time duplex manner. The operation of the two transceiver modules 210 and 230 may be coordinated in time such that the downlink receiver circuit is coupled to the downlink antenna 232 so as to receive transmissions over the wireless transmission link 250 while the downlink transmitter is coupled to the downlink antenna 212. Instead, the operation of the two transceivers 210 and 230 may be coordinated in time such that the downlink receiver coupled to the downlink antenna 212 receives transmissions over the wireless transmission link 250 at the same time as the uplink transmitter coupled to the uplink antenna 232. In some embodiments, tight time synchronization with minimal guard times between changes in duplex direction is provided.

[0030] The UE transceiver 230 and the base station transceiver 210 are configured to communicate via a wireless data communication link 250 and cooperate with an appropriately configured RF antenna arrangement 212 / 232 that can support a specific wireless communication protocol and modulation scheme. In some illustrative embodiments, the UE transceiver 210 and the base station transceiver 210 are configured to support industry standards such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and emerging 5G standards. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to application to specific standards and related protocols. Instead, the UE transceiver 230 and the base station transceiver 210 can be configured to support alternative or additional wireless data communication protocols, including future standards or variations thereof.

[0031] According to various embodiments, for example, BS202 can be an evolved node B (eNB), a serving eNB, a target eNB, a femtocell or a microcell. In some embodiments, UE 204 can be embodied in various types of user equipment, such as mobile phones, smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablet computers, laptop computers, wearable computing devices, etc. Processor modules 214 and 236 can be implemented or completed with a general-purpose processor, a content addressable memory, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, any suitable programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof for performing the functions described herein. In this way, the processor can be implemented as a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, etc. The processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a digital signal processor core, or any other such configuration.

[0032] In addition, the steps of the methods or algorithms described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein may be directly embodied in hardware, in firmware, in software modules executed by the processor modules 214 and 236, respectively, or in any practical combination thereof. The memory modules 216 and 234 may be implemented as RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. In this regard, the memory modules 216 and 234 may be coupled to the processor modules 210 and 230, respectively, so that the processor modules 210 and 230 can read information from and write information to the memory modules 216 and 234, respectively. The memory modules 216 and 234 may also be integrated into their respective processor modules 210 and 230. In some embodiments, the memory modules 216 and 234 may each include a cache memory for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during the execution of instructions executed by the processor modules 210 and 230, respectively. Memory modules 216 and 234 may also each include non-volatile memory for storing instructions to be executed by processor modules 210 and 230, respectively.

[0033] The network communication module 218 generally represents the hardware, software, firmware, processing logic and / or other components of the base station 202 that enable bidirectional communication between the base station transceiver 210 and other network components and communication nodes configured to communicate with the base station 202. For example, the network communication module 218 can be configured to support Internet or WiMAX services. In a typical deployment, but not limited to, the network communication module 218 provides an 802.3 Ethernet interface so that the base station transceiver 210 can communicate with a traditional Ethernet-based computer network. In this way, the network communication module 218 can include a physical interface for connecting to a computer network (e.g., a mobile switching center (MSC)). The terms "configured for", "configured to" and their conjugates used herein for a specific operation or function refer to a device, component, circuit, structure, machine, signal, etc. that is physically constructed, programmed, formatted and / or arranged to perform a specific operation or function.

[0034] The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model (referred to herein as the "Open Systems Interconnection Model") is a conceptual and logical layout that defines network communications used by systems (e.g., wireless communication devices, wireless communication nodes) that are open to interconnection and communication with other systems. The model is divided into seven subcomponents or layers, each representing a conceptual set of services provided to the layers above and below it. The OSI model also defines a logical network and effectively describes computer packet transmission by using different layer protocols. The OSI model may also be referred to as a seven-layer OSI model or a seven-layer model. In some embodiments, the first layer may be a physical layer. In some embodiments, the second layer may be a medium access control (MAC) layer. In some embodiments, the third layer may be a radio link control (RLC) layer. In some embodiments, the fourth layer may be a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer. In some embodiments, the fifth layer may be a radio resource control (RRC) layer. In some embodiments, the sixth layer may be a non-access (NAS) layer or an Internet Protocol (IP) layer, and the seventh layer is another layer.

[0035] Various exemplary embodiments of the present solution are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings to enable a person of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the present solution. It is apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art that, after reading this disclosure, various changes or modifications may be made to the examples described herein without departing from the scope of the present solution. Therefore, the present solution is not limited to the exemplary embodiments and applications described and illustrated herein. In addition, the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed herein are merely exemplary methods. Based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of steps of the disclosed methods or processes may be rearranged while remaining within the scope of the present solution. Therefore, a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the methods and techniques disclosed herein present various steps or actions in a sample order, and unless otherwise expressly stated, the present solution is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0036] 2. System and method for user equipment (UE) location verification

[0037] Non-terrestrial network (NTN) user equipment (UE) can be implemented with global navigation satellite system (GNSS) capabilities and can be configured to obtain / determine the location of the UE. However, GNSS-based positioning methods are independent of radio access technology (RAT). The location of the UE obtained by GNSS (e.g., reported to the network) may be unreliable / untrustworthy to the network. Therefore, the interaction between the radio access network (RAN) and the core network (CN) regarding performing location verification on the user equipment (UE) (e.g., who can be responsible for performing location verification, where to receive justification criteria, and / or instructions after verification) is a problem recognized and provided a solution by the present disclosure. The systems and methods presented herein include novel methods for performing / implementing location verification of a UE.

[0038] Figure 3 An example representation of an NTN is shown, for example, a transparent NTN. In some embodiments, the link between the UE and the satellite may be a serving link. The link between the base station (BS) and the satellite may be a feeder link. The feeder link may be common to all UEs in the same cell.

[0039] There may be several verification methods. The network may perform trusted positioning (e.g., network-based positioning or RAT-based positioning) and may compare the result (of trusted positioning) with a target location. The target location may be reported by the UE or determined by the network based on the CN that the UE is attempting to access. If the probability that the error / difference between these is within a tolerable range is high enough, the location reported by the UE may be considered / considered to be trusted. In some embodiments, the network may perform at least one measurement / estimation (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), round trip time (RTT), and / or timing advance (TA)) and may compare the result of the measurement / estimation with at least one target value based on the target location. If the probability that the error / difference between these is within a tolerable range is high enough, the location reported by the UE may be considered / considered to be trusted.

[0040] Regarding the first method, there may be multiple network-based positioning methods in a terrestrial network (TN), which may be radio access technology dependent and may be considered to be trusted. The method may include the UE communicating with multiple base stations simultaneously.

[0041] Figure 4 An example multi-cell round trip time (multi-RTT) method is shown. The network can estimate multiple RTTs between the UE and different BSs. The network may know the distance between the UE and several reference points (e.g., BS locations) and may perform positioning through geometric calculations. In order to estimate the RTT, downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) reference signals (RS) may be configured. The network may first transmit the DL RS at time t0. The UE may receive the DL RS at t1 and may transmit the UL RS at t2. After transmitting the UL RS, the UE may report a time interval (t2-t1). The network may receive the UL RS at t3 and may be able to obtain / determine the RTT as (t3-t0)-(t2-t1). Compared to the UL Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) method, since independent RTTs can be measured, the BSs do not need to be well synchronized. The process of estimating RTT can be seen Figure 5 .

[0042] In NTN, there may not be enough satellites available for communication simultaneously. Figure 6 An example of positioning by using a single satellite / aircraft is shown. Multiple RTTs corresponding to the same BS / satellite / aircraft at different times can be estimated in the NTN. In addition, the RTT measurement can be replaced by TA reports or UL RS measurements for positioning.

[0043] Implementation Example 1: Procedure for UE Location Verification

[0044] In the system, information for UE location verification may be obtained in the radio access network (RAN). However, location services (LCS) may be performed in the core network (CN) by at least one of the access and mobility management function (AMF), location management function (LMF), enhanced service mobile location center (E-SMLC), or secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP) modules. Therefore, the positioning function may involve both the RAN and the CN. It is possible to perform (UE) location verification in the RAN or in the CN, which may result in different verification procedures and signaling. In the CN, location verification may be performed on different functional entities.

[0045] To perform location verification, two key functions can be considered: (1) verifying the location (e.g., comparing the location reported by the UE with the location obtained through RAT-related positioning); (2) determining the behavior based on the verification result (e.g., whether to release the connection with the UE, or re-trigger location verification). Since these two functions can be deployed separately, the following example of location verification is possible.

[0046] Example 1: The CN may perform location verification. The CN may determine whether to release the connection with the UE. The CN may send an indication to the BS regarding the decision on whether to release the connection with the UE. The BS may follow the CN's decision. The CN may also indicate the reason for the decision (e.g., location verification failure).

[0047] Example 2: The CN may perform location verification. The CN may indicate the reliability of the UE to the BS. The BS may determine whether to release the connection with the UE based on the indicated reliability. The BS may report to the CN the decision on whether to release the connection with the UE.

[0048] Example 3: CN may perform location verification. CN may determine whether to re-trigger location verification. When the (total) number of location verification failures of the UE exceeds or is greater than a threshold, the CN may determine to release the connection with the UE, or may indicate the reliability of the UE to the BS. The process / operation associated with and / or subsequent to the connection release may be the same as in Examples 1 and 2.

[0049] In some embodiments, each triggering of location verification may be independent. The network may trigger location verification when necessary. In this case, the CN may send an instruction to the wireless communication node to perform location verification at another time (e.g., repeat or re-perform location verification). In some embodiments, the network may first trigger N location verifications. Before ending / completing N location verifications, if the network has obtained a reliable verification result, the CN may send an instruction to the wireless communication node not to perform location verification at another time.

[0050] Example 4: The CN may indicate one or more criteria for location verification to the BS. The BS may perform location verification based on the criteria and / or measured / UE-reported assistance information. The BS may determine whether to release the connection with the UE. The BS may indicate the reason for the connection release to the UE. The BS may report to the CN its decision on whether to release the connection with the UE. The BS may store the reliability of the UE and / or report the reliability of the UE to the CN.

[0051] Example 5: The CN may indicate one or more criteria for location verification to the BS. The BS may perform location verification based on the criteria and / or measured / UE-reported assistance information. The BS may determine whether to re-trigger location verification. When the number of location verification failures (total number / cumulative number) of the UE is greater than a threshold, the BS may determine to release the connection with the UE. The processes / operations associated with and / or subsequent to the connection release may be the same as in Example 4.

[0052] Example 6: The criteria for location verification may be predefined at the BS. The BS may perform location verification based on the criteria and / or measured / UE-reported assistance information. Other / subsequent procedures may be the same as in Examples 4 and 5.

[0053] In the above example, the auxiliary information for location verification can be obtained by measurement and / or UE report. The auxiliary information obtained from the measurement of the communication node (e.g., core network (CN), functional entity of the core network (CN), radio access network (RAN) and / or base station (BS)) may include at least one of the following: round trip time (RTT), uplink reference signal arrival time difference (UL RS TDOA), arrival angle (AOA) or reference signal received power (RSRP).

[0054] The auxiliary information obtained from the UE report may include at least one of the following: a time gap between receiving a downlink reference signal and transmitting an uplink reference signal, a coherence level between different uplink reference signals, a tracking area (TA) value, a location of a wireless communication device (e.g., UE), a trajectory of the wireless communication device, a mobility state of the wireless communication device, a time instance corresponding to any of the above, or a capability and / or type of the wireless communication device. The mobility state of the wireless communication device may include at least one of the following: a speed value, a moving direction, a speed vector, or a speed range index. The capability and / or type of the wireless communication device may help the network obtain the uncertainty of the estimated location.

[0055] The criteria for location verification may include at least one of a target value range, a target value, an allowable range of error, or a confidence level for at least one of the following: assistance information measured by a wireless communication node or assistance information received from a wireless communication device. For example, the CN may indicate an allowable error range and / or a target value for the location. If the error / difference between the location reported by the UE and the target location indicated from the CN is greater than the allowable range, the BS may determine that the location verification has failed.

[0056] In the above example, the reliability may be a reliability flag. If the location verification fails, a flag indicating that the reliability of the UE is low may be assigned to the UE. If the location verification has succeeded, a flag indicating that the reliability of the UE is high may be assigned to the UE. A multi-level reliability flag may be defined / assigned according to the estimated error / confidence level in the verification and / or the number of times (number of times) that the location verification has failed. When the UE accesses the network, the CN or BS may check the reliability / flag of the UE. If the CN or BS finds / determines that the UE is not reliable enough (for example, the UE has been assigned an unreliable flag or a specific flag level is lower than or equal to a threshold), the CN or BS may deny the UE access (for example, access to the RAN). If the CN or BS finds / determines that the UE is reliable enough (for example, the UE has been assigned a reliable flag or has a flag level greater than or equal to a threshold), the CN or BS may directly allow the UE to access the network. If the CN or BS finds / determines that they are not sure of the reliability of the UE (for example, the UE has not been verified before or has been assigned a pending / intermediate flag, or the flag level is within a specific range), the CN or BS may trigger the location verification of the UE. With this mechanism, the frequency and / or cost of location verification can be reduced.

[0057] The reliability / flag can be assigned by the CN or the BS. When the reliability / flag is assigned to the UE, it can be associated with at least one of the following: International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), Radio Network Temporary Identity (RNTI), or other defined virtual identities (IDs). In order to support this mechanism at the BS, the BS can obtain the IMEI / IMSI through instructions from the CN or reports from the UE. The reliability / flag can be valid for a period of time. The valid time period / duration can be determined based on the estimated error / confidence level in the verification or the number of failed location verifications. The valid time period can be infinite (for example, when the reliability / flag is permanently valid).

[0058] To accommodate the above-mentioned example of location verification, the BS may support at least one of the following signaling indications and / or functions.

[0059] The verification-related indication from the CN may include at least one of the following: an indication to release the connection with the UE, the reason for releasing the connection, the reliability / flag of the UE and / or the corresponding valid time period, or an indication to re-trigger the location verification, for at least one of the following: auxiliary information measured by the wireless communication node or auxiliary information received from the UE.

[0060] The criteria for location verification may include at least one of a target value range, a target value, an allowable range of error, or a confidence level for at least one of assistance information measured by the wireless communication node or assistance information received from the UE.

[0061] The assistance information measured by the wireless communication node (e.g., BS) may include at least one of the following: round trip time (RTT), arrival time difference (TDOA), timing advance (TA), reference signal received power (RSRP), or location. The time instance corresponding to the above parameters may also be indicated. Multiple standards may be associated with different UE types and / or capabilities.

[0062] In some embodiments, a wireless communication node (e.g., a BS) may verify the UE location based on auxiliary information and / or verification criteria. The wireless communication node may release the connection with the UE based on at least one of the following: a release indication from the CN, a reliability / flag indicated by the CN and / or a corresponding valid period, a result of the location verification performed at the BS, or a reliability / flag of the UE stored at the BS. The re-triggering of the location verification may be based on (or indicated by) at least one of the following: a re-triggering indication from the CN, a reliability / flag indicated by the CN and / or a corresponding valid period, a result of the location verification performed at the BS, or a reliability / flag of the UE stored at the BS.

[0063] A wireless communication node (e.g., a BS) may allocate a reliability / flag to a UE. The allocation of the reliability / flag may include at least one of the following: associating the reliability / flag with / allocating at least one of IMEI, IMSI, RNTI, or other virtual IDs to at least one of IMEI, IMSI, RNTI, or other virtual IDs; and / or setting the validity period of the reliability / flag.

[0064] In some embodiments, "flag" may be considered as a specific form / representation of "reliability". For example, if "flag = 1" indicates reliable and "flag = 0" indicates unreliable, then "flag = 1" may be considered equal to "reliability = 100%", while "flag = 0" may be considered equal to "reliability = 0%". The association with UE ID and validity time may be represented by "reliability" instead of "flag".

[0065] To support the mechanism at the BS, the BS may obtain the IMEI / IMSI through an indication from the CN or a report from the UE. The BS may indicate to the UE at least one of the following: a reason for releasing the connection; or not allowing the UE to access the network.

[0066] The report to the CN may include at least one of the following: an indication of releasing the connection with the UE; a reason for releasing the connection; or a reliability / flag of the UE and / or a corresponding validity period.

[0067] It should be understood that one or more features from the above-mentioned implementation examples are not exclusive of a specific implementation example, but can be combined in any manner (eg, in any priority and / or order, simultaneously or otherwise).

[0068] Figure 8 A flow chart of a method 800 for location verification of a user equipment (eg, verifying the location of a UE) is shown. The method 800 may be used in conjunction with the present invention. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The method 800 may be implemented by any one or more components and devices described in detail. In summary, in some embodiments, the method 800 may be performed by a first network node. Depending on the embodiment, additional, fewer or different operations may be performed in the method 800. At least one aspect of the operation is directed to a system, method, device or computer-readable medium.

[0069] A first network node (e.g., a core network (CN), a radio access network (RAN), and / or a base station (BS)) may perform location verification of a wireless communication device (e.g., a user equipment (UE)). A second network node may determine whether to release a connection with the wireless communication device (e.g., a connection with a BS or RAN).

[0070] In some embodiments, the first network node may include at least one node of a core network (CN). The second network node may include a wireless communication node of a radio access network (RAN). In some embodiments, the second network node may include at least one node of the CN. The first network node may include a wireless communication node of the RAN. In some embodiments, the first network node and the second network node may be / include at least one node of the CN. In some embodiments, at least one node of the CN may include at least one functional entity. In some embodiments, the first network node and the second network node may be / include wireless communication nodes of the RAN. In some embodiments, the first network node and the second network node may be the same. In some embodiments, the first network node and the second network node may include different functional entities in the CN.

[0071] In some embodiments, at least one node of the CN may initiate and / or perform location verification. At least one node of the CN may determine whether to release a connection with a wireless communication device (e.g., a BS or a RAN) based on the location verification. At least one node of the CN may send an indication to the wireless communication node whether to release the connection with the wireless communication device. At least one node of the CN may send information to the wireless communication node supporting the indication of whether to release the connection. In some embodiments, the information supporting the indication of whether to perform location verification at another time includes at least one of the following: a reason for performing location verification at another time, a reason for not performing location verification at another time, a notification that the wireless device has passed / failed location verification, or a notification that normal transmission can be performed. The wireless communication node may be configured to release the connection based on at least one of the indication or the supporting information. Releasing the connection may include at least one of the following: releasing a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the wireless communication device, or denying access from the wireless communication device (e.g., to the RAN).

[0072] In some embodiments, at least one node of the CN may perform location verification. At least one node of the CN may send a wireless communication device reliability indication to the wireless communication node based on the location verification. The wireless communication node may be configured to perform at least one of the following: determine whether to release the connection with the wireless communication device based on the reliability indication; or send a decision of whether the wireless communication node releases the connection to at least one node of the CN.

[0073] In some embodiments, at least one node of the CN may perform location verification. At least one node of the CN may determine whether to perform location verification at another time based on the location verification. At least one node of the CN may send a first indication to the wireless communication node whether to perform location verification at another time. When the number of times the location verification is performed exceeds a threshold, at least one node of the CN may send a second indication to the wireless communication node whether to release the connection with the wireless communication device.

[0074] In some embodiments, the wireless communication node may perform location verification based on at least one of the following: a criterion for location verification, auxiliary information measured by the wireless communication node, or auxiliary information received from the wireless communication device. The wireless communication node may determine whether to release the connection with the wireless communication device based on the location verification. The wireless communication node may send / report at least one of the following to at least one node of the CN: the decision of the wireless communication node whether to release the connection, or information supporting whether to release the connection. In some embodiments, the information supporting the indication of whether to perform location verification at another time includes at least one of the following: the reason for performing location verification at another time, the reason for not performing location verification at another time, a notification that the wireless device has passed / failed location verification, or a notification that normal transmission can be performed. The wireless communication node may send a wireless communication device reliability indication to at least one node of the CN. The wireless communication node may store / maintain the reliability of the wireless communication device.

[0075] In some embodiments, the wireless communication node may perform location verification based on at least one of the following: a criterion for location verification, auxiliary information measured by the wireless communication node, or auxiliary information received from the wireless communication device. The wireless communication node may determine whether to perform location verification at another time based on the location verification. The wireless communication node may send at least one of the following to at least one node of the CN: a decision of the wireless communication node whether to perform location verification at another time, or information supporting whether to perform location verification at another time. In some embodiments, the information supporting the indication of whether to perform location verification at another time includes at least one of the following: a reason for performing location verification at another time, a reason for not performing location verification at another time, a notification that the wireless device has passed / failed location verification, or a notification that normal transmission can be performed. The wireless communication node may send the reliability of the wireless communication device to at least one node of the CN. The wireless communication node may store the reliability of the wireless communication device. When the (total) number of times that location verification is performed (e.g., within a defined duration) exceeds a threshold, the wireless communication node may determine whether to release the connection with the wireless communication device.

[0076] In some embodiments, the criteria for location verification may be preconfigured at the wireless communication node, or may be received from at least one node of the CN. The auxiliary information measured by the wireless communication node may include at least one of the following: round trip time, uplink reference signal arrival time difference, arrival angle, or reference signal received power. The auxiliary information received from the wireless communication device may include at least one of the following: a time gap between receiving a downlink reference signal and transmitting an uplink reference signal, a coherence level between different uplink reference signals, a tracking area (TA) value, a location of the wireless communication device, a trajectory of the wireless communication device, a mobility state of the wireless communication device, a time instance corresponding to any of the above, or a capability or type of the wireless communication device.

[0077] In some embodiments, the criteria for location verification may include at least one of: a target value range, a target value, an allowable range of error, or a confidence level for at least one of: auxiliary information measured by a wireless communication node or received from a wireless communication device. The wireless communication node may assign / associate / mark a flag to a wireless communication device based on reliability. The wireless communication node may receive a flag of a wireless communication device from at least one node of the CN. The wireless communication node may receive an identifier from at least one node of the CN, the identifier comprising at least one of: an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) or an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI). The wireless communication node may associate the reliability or flag with at least one of: an IMEI, an IMSI, a Radio Network Temporary Identity (RNTI), or a defined virtual identity (ID). The wireless communication node may set the validity period of the reliability or flag (e.g., the duration that the reliability or flag is valid / remains valid).

[0078] In some embodiments, at least one node of the CN may assign a flag to the wireless communication device based on reliability. At least one node of the CN may receive the flag of the wireless communication device from the wireless communication node. At least one node of the CN may associate the reliability or flag with at least one of the following: an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), a Radio Network Temporary Identity (RNTI), or a defined virtual identity (ID). At least one node of the CN may set the validity period of the reliability or flag.

[0079] Although various embodiments of the present solution have been described above, it should be understood that they are given only by way of example and not by way of limitation. Similarly, various figures may depict example architectures or configurations, which are provided to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the exemplary features and functions of the present solution. However, these personnel will understand that the present solution is not limited to the example architectures or configurations shown, but may be implemented using a variety of alternative architectures and configurations. In addition, as will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, one or more features of an embodiment may be combined with one or more features of another embodiment described herein. Therefore, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.

[0080] It should also be understood that any reference to an element herein using names such as "first," "second," etc. does not generally limit the number or order of those elements. Rather, these names may be used herein as a convenient means of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, a reference to a first and a second element does not mean that only two elements can be employed, or that the first element must precede the second element in some manner.

[0081] In addition, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, and symbols that may be referenced in the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0082] Those of ordinary skill in the art will further understand that any of the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, processors, devices, circuits, methods, and functions described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented by electronic hardware (e.g., digital implementation, analog implementation, or a combination of both), firmware, various forms of programs or design codes containing instructions (for convenience, referred to herein as "software" or "software modules"), or any combination of these technologies. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware, firmware, and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software, or a combination of these technologies, depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. A technician may implement the described functionality in various ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions will not cause a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0083] In addition, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, devices, components, and circuits described herein may be implemented or performed within an integrated circuit (IC) including a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof. The logic blocks, modules, and circuits may further include antennas and / or transceivers to communicate with various components within a network or within a device. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other suitable configuration to perform the functions described herein.

[0084] If implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Therefore, the steps of the method or algorithm disclosed herein may be implemented as software stored on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, and communication media include any media that enables a computer program or code to be transferred from one place to another. The storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, and any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer.

[0085] As used herein, the term "module" refers to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of these elements to perform the relevant functions described herein. In addition, for the purpose of discussion, various modules are described as discrete modules; however, it is obvious to a person skilled in the art that two or more modules can be combined to form a single module that performs the relevant functions according to the implementation of the present solution.

[0086] In addition, memory or other storage and communication components may be used in the implementation of the present solution. It should be understood that, for the sake of clarity, the above description has described the implementation of the present solution with reference to different functional units and processors. However, it will be apparent that any appropriate distribution of functions between different functional units, processing logic elements or domains may be used without departing from the present solution. For example, functions illustrated as being performed by separate processing logic elements or controllers may be performed by the same processing logic element or controller. Therefore, references to specific functional units are only references to suitable devices for providing the described functions, rather than indicating a strict logical or physical structure or organization.

[0087] Various modifications to the embodiments described in this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be given the widest scope consistent with the novel features and principles disclosed herein, as described in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising: performing, by the first network node, location verification of the wireless communication device, The second network node determines whether to release the connection with the wireless communication device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first network node comprises at least one node of a core network (CN), and the second network node comprises a wireless communication node of a radio access network (RAN); or The second network node comprises the at least one node of the CN, and the first network node comprises the wireless communication node of the RAN; or The first network node and the second network node include the at least one node of the CN; or The first network node and the second network node comprise the wireless communication nodes of the RAN.

3. The method according to claim 2, comprising at least one of the following: performing said location verification by said at least one node of said CN; determining, by the at least one node of the CN, whether to release the connection with the wireless communication device according to the location verification; Sending, by the at least one node of the CN to the wireless communication node, an indication of whether to release the connection with the wireless communication device; or The at least one node of the CN sends information supporting the indication of whether to release the connection to the wireless communication node, The wireless communication node is configured to release the connection according to at least one of the indication or the support information.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: Releasing the connection includes at least one of the following: releasing a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the wireless communication device, or Access from the wireless communication device is denied.

5. The method according to claim 2, comprising at least one of the following: The location verification is performed by the at least one node of the CN; or sending, by the at least one node of the CN, a reliability indication of the wireless communication device to the wireless communication node according to the location verification, in, The wireless communication node is configured to perform at least one of the following: determining, according to the reliability indication, whether to release the connection with the wireless communication device; or The decision of the wireless communication node whether to release the connection is sent to the at least one node of the CN.

6. The method according to claim 2, comprising at least one of the following: performing said location verification by said at least one node of said CN; determining, by the at least one node of the CN, whether to perform the location verification at another time according to the location verification; Sending, by the at least one node of the CN to the wireless communication node, a first indication of whether to perform the location verification at another time; or When the number of times the location verification is performed exceeds a threshold, the at least one node of the CN sends a second indication to the wireless communication node on whether to release the connection with the wireless communication device.

7. The method according to claim 2, comprising at least one of the following: The location verification is performed by the wireless communication node according to at least one of: a criterion for the location verification, assistance information measured by the wireless communication node, or assistance information received from the wireless communication device; Determining by the wireless communication node whether to release the connection with the wireless communication device according to the location verification; Sending, by the wireless communication node, at least one of the following to the at least one node of the CN: a decision of the wireless communication node whether to release the connection, or information supporting whether to release the connection; sending, by the wireless communication node, the reliability of the wireless communication device to the at least one node of the CN; or The reliability of the wireless communication device is stored by the wireless communication node.

8. The method according to claim 2, comprising at least one of the following: The location verification is performed by the wireless communication node according to at least one of: a criterion for the location verification, assistance information measured by the wireless communication node, or assistance information received from the wireless communication device; determining, by the wireless communication node based on the location verification, whether to perform the location verification at another time; Sending, by the wireless communication node, to the at least one node of the CN, at least one of the following: a decision of the wireless communication node whether to perform the location verification at another time, or information supporting whether to perform the location verification at another time; sending, by the wireless communication node, the reliability of the wireless communication device to the at least one node of the CN; storing, by the wireless communication node, the reliability of the wireless communication device; or When the number of times the location verification is performed exceeds a threshold, the wireless communication node determines whether to release the connection with the wireless communication device.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein: The criteria for the location verification are preconfigured in the wireless communication node or received from the at least one node of the CN.

10. The method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein: The auxiliary information measured by the wireless communication node includes at least one of the following: Round trip time, Uplink reference signal arrival time difference, Angle of arrival, or Reference signal received power.

11. The method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein: The assistance information received from the wireless communication device includes at least one of the following: The time gap between receiving a downlink reference signal and transmitting an uplink reference signal, The coherence level between different uplink reference signals, Tracking Area (TA) value, the location of the wireless communication device, The trajectory of the wireless communication device, a mobility state of the wireless communication device, a time instance corresponding to any of the above, or The capabilities or type of the wireless communication device.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein: The criteria for the location verification include at least one of the following: Target value range, Target value, The tolerance for error, or Confidence level, Used for at least one of: the assistance information measured by the wireless communication node or the assistance information received from the wireless communication device.

13. The method according to claim 5, 7 or 8, comprising at least one of the following: Allocating, by the wireless communication node, a flag to the wireless communication device according to the reliability; receiving, by the wireless communication node, the identification of the wireless communication device from the at least one node of the CN; Receiving, by the wireless communication node, at least one of the following from the at least one node of the CN: an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) or an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI); The wireless communication node associates the reliability or the flag with at least one of: the IMEI, the IMSI, a Radio Network Temporary Identity (RNTI), or a defined virtual identity (ID); or The reliability or the validity period of the flag is set by the wireless communication node.

14. The method according to claim 3, 5, 6, 7 or 8, comprising at least one of the following: assigning, by the at least one node of the CN, a flag to the wireless communication device according to reliability; receiving, by the at least one node of the CN, the identification of the wireless communication device from the wireless communication node; The at least one node of the CN associates the reliability or the flag with at least one of: an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), a Radio Network Temporary Identity (RNTI), or a defined virtual identity (ID); or The reliability or the validity period of the flag is set by the at least one node of the CN.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. An apparatus comprising: At least one processor configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

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