Apparatus, method and computer program

Abstract

There is provided an apparatus comprising means for determining, at a first device, location information associated with an object of interest; and means for providing a message from the first device, wherein the message comprises location information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to a method, an apparatus, a system and a computer program, and particularly but not exclusively to location information in an LPP message or location information in a sidelink discovery for an AR application. Background Art

[0002] A communication system can be viewed as a facility that enables communication sessions between two or more entities (such as user terminals, base stations, and / or other nodes) by providing carrier waves between the various entities involved in the communication path. A communication system can be provided, for example, by means of a communication network and one or more compatible communication devices. A communication session may include, for example, the communication of data for carrying communications such as voice, video, electronic mail (email), text messaging, multimedia, and / or content data. Non-limiting examples of the services provided include two-way or multi-way calls, data communications or multimedia services, and access to data network systems such as the Internet.

[0003] In a wireless communication system, at least a portion of a communication session between at least two stations takes place over a wireless link. Examples of wireless systems include public land mobile networks (PLMNs), satellite-based communication systems, and different wireless local networks, such as wireless local area networks (WLANs). Some wireless systems can be divided into cells and are therefore often referred to as cellular systems.

[0004] A user may access a communication system by means of an appropriate communication device or terminal. The user's communication device may be referred to as user equipment (UE) or user equipment. The communication device is provided with appropriate signal receiving and transmission means to enable communication, for example, to enable access to a communication network or to communicate directly with other users. The communication device may access a carrier provided by a station (e.g., a base station of a cell) and transmit and / or receive communications on the carrier.

[0005] Communication systems and associated equipment typically operate according to a given standard or specification that sets out what the various entities associated with the system are permitted to do and how these should be implemented. The communication protocols and / or parameters to be used for the connection are also typically defined. An example of a communication system is the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) (3G radio). Other examples of communication systems are the Long Term Evolution (LTE) of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) radio access technology and the so-called 5G or New Radio (NR) networks. NR is standardized by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Other examples of communication systems include Advanced 5G Advances (NR Rel-18 and later) and 6G. Summary of the invention

[0006] In a first aspect, an apparatus is provided that includes means for determining, at a first device, location information associated with an object of interest; and means for providing a message from the first device, wherein the message includes the location information.

[0007] The location information may indicate a location of an object of interest, wherein the location of the object of interest is different from a location of the first device.

[0008] The location information may include at least one of: an indication of a location of the first device, a distance between the first device and an object, or an orientation of the first device.

[0009] The apparatus may include a time-of-flight sensor and means for determining distance using the time-of-flight sensor.

[0010] The message may comprise a positioning message and the apparatus may comprise means for providing the positioning message to the network function.

[0011] The positioning message may be an LTE positioning protocol message.

[0012] The network functions may include location management functions.

[0013] The positioning message may also include an information request indicator.

[0014] The locate message may also include an indication of an object of interest.

[0015] The indication of the object of interest may include metadata associated with the object.

[0016] The apparatus may include means for receiving, at the first device, information associated with the object of interest from another network function in response to the message.

[0017] The message may include a discovery message for device-to-device communication.

[0018] The discovery message may include an open discovery message.

[0019] The apparatus may include means for determining a transmission power based on the location information and providing the discovery message using the determined transmission power.

[0020] The first device may be performing a Model B discovery process.

[0021] The discovery message may include at least one of the following: a discovery request, a side link discovery request, or a proximity service ProSe, PC5 discovery request.

[0022] The apparatus may include means for receiving a discovery response message from the second device in response to the discovery message.

[0023] The apparatus may include means for receiving, at a first device, information associated with an object of interest from a second device.

[0024] The discovery message may also include an indication of an object of interest.

[0025] The indication of the object of interest may include at least one of: metadata associated with the object or a classification code associated with the object.

[0026] In a second aspect, an apparatus is provided that includes means for receiving, at a second device, a message from a first device, wherein the message includes location information associated with an object of interest.

[0027] The location information may indicate a location of an object of interest, wherein the location of the object of interest is different from a location of the first device.

[0028] The location information may include at least one of: an indication of a location of the first device, a distance between the first device and an object, or an orientation of the first device.

[0029] The second device may be a network function and the message may include a positioning message.

[0030] The positioning message may be an LTE positioning protocol message.

[0031] The network functions may include location management functions.

[0032] The apparatus may include means for determining an object of interest based on the location information.

[0033] The positioning message may further include an indication of an object of interest and the apparatus may include means for determining the object of interest based on the indication.

[0034] The indication of the object of interest may include metadata associated with the object.

[0035] The positioning message may further include an information request indicator, and the apparatus may include means for providing a request to another network function to provide the first device with information associated with the object of interest.

[0036] The apparatus may include means for determining that the first device has not requested information when the positioning message does not include an information request indicator, and means for storing location information associated with the object of interest at the network function based on the determination.

[0037] The apparatus may include means for determining that the first device has not requested information when the positioning message does not include an information request indicator, and means for storing the location information and an indication associated with the object of interest at the network function based on the determination.

[0038] The message may include a discovery message and the apparatus may include a component for determining, based on location information, that the second device is associated with an object of interest; and a component for providing a discovery response message from the second device to the first device in response to determining that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

[0039] Means for determining, based on the location information, that the second device is associated with the object of interest may include means for determining that the second device is in an area indicated by the location information.

[0040] The area may be based on location information and a distance threshold.

[0041] The discovery response message may include an open discovery message.

[0042] The first device may be performing a Model B discovery process.

[0043] The discovery response message may include at least one of the following: a discovery response, a sidelink discovery response, or a proximity service ProSe, PC5 discovery response.

[0044] The apparatus may include means for providing, from the second device to the first device, information associated with the object of interest.

[0045] The discovery message may further include an indication of an object of interest and the apparatus may include means for determining, based on the indication of the object of interest, that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

[0046] The indication of the object of interest may include at least one of: metadata associated with the object or a classification code associated with the object.

[0047] The apparatus may include means for receiving information related to an object of interest from a network and for determining, further based on the received information, that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

[0048] In a third aspect, a method is provided of determining, at a first device, location information associated with an object of interest and providing a message from the first device, wherein the message includes the location information.

[0049] The location information may indicate a location of an object of interest, wherein the location of the object of interest is different from a location of the first device.

[0050] The location information may include at least one of: an indication of a location of the first device, a distance between the first device and an object, or an orientation of the first device.

[0051] The apparatus may comprise a time of flight sensor and the method may comprise determining the distance using the time of flight sensor.

[0052] The message may comprise a positioning message and the method may comprise providing the positioning message to the network function.

[0053] The positioning message may be an LTE positioning protocol message.

[0054] The network functions may include location management functions.

[0055] The positioning message may also include an information request indicator.

[0056] The locate message may also include an indication of an object of interest.

[0057] The indication of the object of interest may include metadata associated with the object.

[0058] The method may include receiving, at the first device, information associated with the object of interest from another network function in response to the message.

[0059] The message may include a discovery message for device-to-device communication.

[0060] The discovery message may include an open discovery message.

[0061] The method may include determining a transmission power based on the location information and providing the discovery message using the determined transmission power.

[0062] The first device may be performing a Model B discovery process.

[0063] The discovery message may include at least one of the following: a discovery request, a side link discovery request, or a proximity service ProSe, PC5 discovery request.

[0064] The method may include receiving a discovery response message from the second device in response to the discovery message.

[0065] The method may include receiving, at a first device, information associated with an object of interest from a second device.

[0066] The discovery message may also include an indication of an object of interest.

[0067] The indication of the object of interest may include at least one of: metadata associated with the object or a classification code associated with the object.

[0068] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided that includes receiving, at a second device, a message from a first device, wherein the message includes location information associated with an object of interest.

[0069] The location information may indicate a location of an object of interest, wherein the location of the object of interest is different from a location of the first device.

[0070] The location information may include at least one of: an indication of a location of the first device, a distance between the first device and an object, or an orientation of the first device.

[0071] The second device may be a network function and the message may include a positioning message.

[0072] The positioning message may be an LTE positioning protocol message.

[0073] The network functions may include location management functions.

[0074] The method may include determining an object of interest based on the location information.

[0075] The locate message may further include an indication of an object of interest and the method may include determining the object of interest based on the indication.

[0076] The indication of the object of interest may include metadata associated with the object.

[0077] The positioning message may further include an information request indicator, and the method may include providing a request to another network function to provide the first device with information associated with the object of interest.

[0078] The method may include determining, when the positioning message does not include an information request indicator, that the first device has not requested information, and based on the determination, storing the location information associated with the object of interest at the network function.

[0079] The method may include determining, when the positioning message does not include an information request indicator, that the first device has not requested information, and based on the determination, storing the location information and an indication associated with the object of interest at the network function.

[0080] The message may include a discovery message and the method may include determining, based on the location information, that the second device is associated with the object of interest; and providing, from the second device to the first device, a discovery response message in response to determining that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

[0081] Based on the location information, determining that the second device is associated with the object of interest includes determining that the second device is in an area indicated by the location information.

[0082] The area may be based on location information and a distance threshold.

[0083] The discovery response message may include an open discovery message.

[0084] The first device may be performing a Model B discovery process.

[0085] The discovery response message may include at least one of the following: a discovery response, a sidelink discovery response, or a proximity service ProSe, PC5 discovery response.

[0086] The method may include providing, from the second device to the first device, information associated with the object of interest.

[0087] The discovery message may further include an indication of an object of interest and the method may include determining, based on the indication of the object of interest, that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

[0088] The indication of the object of interest may include at least one of: metadata associated with the object or a classification code associated with the object.

[0089] The method may include receiving information related to the object of interest from the network and determining, further based on the received information, that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

[0090] In a fifth aspect, a device is provided, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory comprising computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, enable the device to determine location information associated with an object of interest at least at a first device; and provide a message from the first device, wherein the message includes the location information.

[0091] The location information may indicate a location of an object of interest, wherein the location of the object of interest is different from a location of the first device.

[0092] The location information may include at least one of: an indication of a location of the first device, a distance between the first device and an object, or an orientation of the first device.

[0093] The apparatus may comprise a time of flight sensor and be caused to determine the distance using the time of flight sensor.

[0094] The message may comprise a positioning message and the apparatus may be caused to provide the positioning message to the network function.

[0095] The positioning message may be an LTE positioning protocol message.

[0096] The network functions may include location management functions.

[0097] The positioning message may also include an information request indicator.

[0098] The locate message may also include an indication of an object of interest.

[0099] The indication of the object of interest may include metadata associated with the object.

[0100] The apparatus may be caused to receive, at the first device, information associated with the object of interest from another network function in response to the message.

[0101] The message may include a discovery message for device-to-device communication.

[0102] The discovery message may include an open discovery message.

[0103] The apparatus may be caused to determine a transmission power based on the location information and to provide the discovery message using the determined transmission power.

[0104] The first device may be performing a Model B discovery process.

[0105] The discovery message may include at least one of the following: a discovery request, a side link discovery request, or a proximity service ProSe, PC5 discovery request.

[0106] The apparatus may be caused to receive a discovery response message from the second device in response to the discovery message.

[0107] The apparatus may be caused to receive, at the first device, information associated with the object of interest from the second device.

[0108] The discovery message may also include an indication of an object of interest.

[0109] The indication of the object of interest may include at least one of: metadata associated with the object or a classification code associated with the object.

[0110] In a sixth aspect, a device is provided, comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory, the at least one memory comprising computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, enable the device to receive a message from a first device at least at a second device, wherein the message includes location information associated with an object of interest.

[0111] The location information may indicate a location of an object of interest, wherein the location of the object of interest is different from a location of the first device.

[0112] The location information may include at least one of: an indication of a location of the first device, a distance between the first device and an object, or an orientation of the first device.

[0113] The second device may be a network function and the message may include a positioning message.

[0114] The positioning message may be an LTE positioning protocol message.

[0115] The network functions may include location management functions.

[0116] The apparatus may be caused to determine an object of interest based on the location information.

[0117] The positioning message may further include an indication of an object of interest and the apparatus may be caused to determine the object of interest based on the indication.

[0118] The indication of the object of interest may include metadata associated with the object.

[0119] The positioning message may further include an information request indicator, and the apparatus may be caused to provide a request to another network function to provide the first device with information associated with the object of interest.

[0120] The apparatus may be caused to determine, when the positioning message does not include the information request indicator, that the first device has not requested the information, and based on the determination, store the location information associated with the object of interest at the network function.

[0121] The apparatus may be caused to determine, when the positioning message does not include the information request indicator, that the first device has not requested the information, and based on the determination, store the location information and the indication associated with the object of interest at the network function.

[0122] The message may include a discovery message and the apparatus may be caused to determine, based on the location information, that the second device is associated with the object of interest; and in response to determining that the second device is associated with the object of interest, provide a discovery response message from the second device to the first device.

[0123] Based on the location information, determining that the second device is associated with the object of interest may include determining that the second device is in an area indicated by the location information.

[0124] The area may be based on location information and a distance threshold.

[0125] The discovery response message may include an open discovery message.

[0126] The first device may be performing a Model B discovery process.

[0127] The discovery response message may include at least one of the following: a discovery response, a sidelink discovery response, or a proximity service ProSe, PC5 discovery response.

[0128] The apparatus may be caused to provide information associated with the object of interest from the second device to the first device.

[0129] The discovery message may further include an indication of an object of interest and the apparatus may be caused to determine, based on the indication of the object of interest, that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

[0130] The indication of the object of interest may include at least one of: metadata associated with the object or a classification code associated with the object.

[0131] The apparatus may be caused to receive information related to the object of interest from the network and to determine, further based on the received information, that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

[0132] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, the computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least perform the following: determine location information associated with an object of interest at a first device; and provide a message from the first device, wherein the message comprises the location information.

[0133] The location information may indicate a location of an object of interest, wherein the location of the object of interest is different from a location of the first device.

[0134] The location information may include at least one of: an indication of a location of the first device, a distance between the first device and an object, or an orientation of the first device.

[0135] The apparatus may include a time-of-flight sensor and be caused to perform determining the distance using the time-of-flight sensor.

[0136] The message may include a positioning message and the apparatus may be caused to perform providing the positioning message to the network function.

[0137] The positioning message may be an LTE positioning protocol message.

[0138] The network functions may include location management functions.

[0139] The positioning message may also include an information request indicator.

[0140] The locate message may also include an indication of an object of interest.

[0141] The indication of the object of interest may include metadata associated with the object.

[0142] The apparatus may be caused to perform, in response to the message, receiving, at the first device, information associated with the object of interest from another network function.

[0143] The message may include a discovery message for device-to-device communication.

[0144] The discovery message may include an open discovery message.

[0145] The apparatus may be caused to perform determining a transmission power based on the location information and providing a discovery message using the determined transmission power.

[0146] The first device may be performing a Model B discovery process.

[0147] The discovery message may include at least one of the following: a discovery request, a side link discovery request, or a proximity service ProSe, PC5 discovery request.

[0148] The apparatus may be caused to perform receiving a discovery response message from the second device in response to the discovery message.

[0149] The apparatus may be caused to perform receiving, at the first device, information associated with the object of interest from the second device.

[0150] The discovery message may also include an indication of an object of interest.

[0151] The indication of the object of interest may include at least one of: metadata associated with the object or a classification code associated with the object.

[0152] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, the computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which when executed by an apparatus, causes the apparatus to at least perform the following items: receiving a message from a first device at a second device, wherein the message comprises location information associated with an object of interest.

[0153] The location information may indicate a location of an object of interest, wherein the location of the object of interest is different from a location of the first device.

[0154] The location information may include at least one of: an indication of a location of the first device, a distance between the first device and an object, or an orientation of the first device.

[0155] The second device may be a network function and the message may include a positioning message.

[0156] The positioning message may be an LTE positioning protocol message.

[0157] The network functions may include location management functions.

[0158] The apparatus may be caused to perform determining an object of interest based on the location information.

[0159] The positioning message may further include an indication of the object of interest and the apparatus may be caused to perform determining the object of interest based on the indication.

[0160] The indication of the object of interest may include metadata associated with the object.

[0161] The positioning message may further include an information request indicator, and the apparatus may be caused to perform providing a request to another network function to provide information associated with the object of interest to the first device.

[0162] The apparatus may be caused to perform, when the positioning message does not include the information request indicator, determining that the first device has not requested the information, and based on the determination, storing the location information associated with the object of interest at the network function.

[0163] The apparatus may be caused to perform, when the positioning message does not include an information request indicator, determining that the first device has not requested information, and based on the determination, storing the location information and the indication associated with the object of interest at the network function.

[0164] The message may include a discovery message and the apparatus may be caused to perform, based on the location information, determining that the second device is associated with the object of interest; and in response to determining that the second device is associated with the object of interest, providing a discovery response message from the second device to the first device.

[0165] Based on the location information, determining that the second device is associated with the object of interest may include determining that the second device is in an area indicated by the location information.

[0166] The area may be based on location information and a distance threshold.

[0167] The discovery response message may include an open discovery message.

[0168] The first device may be performing a Model B discovery process.

[0169] The discovery response message may include at least one of the following: a discovery response, a sidelink discovery response, or a proximity service ProSe, PC5 discovery response.

[0170] The apparatus may be caused to perform providing, from the second device to the first device, information associated with the object of interest.

[0171] The discovery message may further include an indication of an object of interest and the apparatus may be caused to perform, based on the indication of the object of interest, determining that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

[0172] The indication of the object of interest may include at least one of: metadata associated with the object or a classification code associated with the object.

[0173] The apparatus may be caused to perform receiving information related to the object of interest from the network and determining, further based on the received information, that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

[0174] In a ninth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to at least execute the method according to the third or fourth aspect.

[0175] In the above, many different embodiments have been described. It should be understood that further embodiments can be provided by combining any two or more of the above embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0176] Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0177] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an example 5GS communication system is shown;

[0178] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an example mobile communication device is shown;

[0179] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an example control device is shown;

[0180] Figure 4 An example architecture of 5G-XR functionality integrated into a 5G system is shown;

[0181] Figure 5 A flow chart showing a method according to an example embodiment is shown;

[0182] Figure 6 A flow chart showing a method according to an example embodiment is shown;

[0183] Figure 7 A flow chart showing a method according to an example embodiment is shown;

[0184] Figure 8 A flow chart showing a method according to an example embodiment is shown;

[0185] Fig. 9 shows a signaling flow according to an example embodiment;

[0186] Fig.10 A schematic diagram showing an example use case;

[0187] Fig.11 A schematic diagram for offline sharing in XR is shown;

[0188] Fig.12 A flow chart showing a method according to an example embodiment is shown;

[0189] Fig.13 A flow chart showing a method according to an example embodiment is shown;

[0190] Fig.14shows a schematic diagram of an apparatus including a time-of-flight sensor;

[0191] Fig.15 A schematic diagram showing an example use case;

[0192] Fig.16 shows a signaling flow for a use case according to an example embodiment;

[0193] Fig.17 A signaling flow according to an example embodiment is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0194] Before explaining the examples in detail, refer to the attached Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 Certain general principles of wireless communication systems and mobile communication devices are briefly explained to aid understanding of the technology to which the described examples relate.

[0195] An example of a suitable communication system is the 5G or NR concept. The network architecture in NR can be similar to that of Advanced LTE. The base station of the NR system can be referred to as the next generation Node B (gNB). Changes to the network architecture may depend on the need to support various radio technologies and more sophisticated quality of service (QoS) support, as well as some on-demand requirements for, for example, supporting QoS levels for quality of experience (QoE) for users. Network-aware services and applications, as well as service- and application-aware networks, can also bring changes to the architecture. These involve information-centric networks (ICNs) and user-centric content distribution networks (UC-CDN) approaches. NR can use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas, many more base stations or nodes than LTE (the so-called small cell concept), including macro sites that operate in collaboration with smaller stations, and may also employ various radio technologies for better coverage and enhanced data rates.

[0196] Future networks may utilize network function virtualization (NFV), which is a network architecture concept that proposes virtualizing network node functions into "building blocks" or entities that can be operably connected or linked together to provide services. Virtualized network functions (VNFs) may include one or more virtual machines that use standard or general-purpose servers rather than custom hardware to run computer program code. Cloud computing or data storage may also be utilized. In radio communications, this may mean that node operations are at least partially implemented in a server, host, or node that is operably coupled to a remote radio head. It is also possible for node operations to be distributed among multiple servers, nodes, or hosts. It should also be understood that the division of labor between core network operations and base station operations may be different from that of LTE or even non-existent.

[0197] Figure 1A schematic diagram of a 5G system (5GS) 100 is shown. The 5GS may include a user equipment (UE) 102 (which may also be referred to as a communication device or terminal), a 5G radio access network (5GRAN) 104, a 5G core network (5GCN) 106, one or more internal or external application functions (AFs) 108, and one or more data networks (DNs) 110.

[0198] An example 5G core network (CN) includes functional entities. The 5GCN 106 may include one or more access and mobility management functions (AMFs) 112, one or more session management functions (SMFs) 114, an authentication server function (AUSF) 116, a unified data management (UDM) 118, one or more user plane functions (UPFs) 120, a unified data repository (UDR) 122, and / or a network exposure function (NEF) 124. The UPF is controlled by the SMF (session management function) which receives policies from the PCF (policy control function).

[0199] The CN is connected to the UE via a radio access network (RAN). The 5G RAN may include one or more gNodeB (gNB) distributed unit (DU) functions connected to one or more gNodeB (gNB) centralized unit (CU) functions. The RAN may include one or more access nodes.

[0200] A user plane function (UPF) known as a PDU Session Anchor (PSA) may be responsible for delivering frames back and forth between the DN and the tunnel established over 5G towards the UE(s) exchanging traffic with the DN.

[0201] Now refer to Figure 2 describing in more detail possible mobile communication devices, Figure 2A schematic, partial cross-sectional view of a communication device 200 is shown. Such a communication device is generally referred to as a user equipment (UE) or a terminal. Suitable mobile communication devices can be provided by any device capable of sending and receiving radio signals. Non-limiting examples include a mobile station (MS) or a mobile device (such as a mobile phone or a so-called smart phone), a computer equipped with a wireless interface card or other wireless interface facilities (e.g., a USB dongle), a personal data assistant (PDA) or a tablet computer equipped with wireless communication capabilities, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device (such as a digital camera), a game terminal device, a music storage and playback appliance, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop mounted device (LME), an intelligent device, a wireless customer premises equipment (CPE) or any combination of these, etc. A mobile communication device can provide, for example, a communication for carrying data such as voice, email (email), text messages, multimedia, etc. Therefore, users can be given and provided with many services via their communication devices. Non-limiting examples of these services include two-way or multi-way calls, data communications or multimedia services, or simply access to a data communications network system, such as the Internet. Users may also be provided with broadcast or multicast data. Non-limiting examples of the content include downloads, television and radio programs, videos, advertisements, various alerts and other information.

[0202] The mobile device is typically equipped with at least one data processing entity 201, at least one memory 202 and other possible components 203 for software and hardware-assisted execution of the tasks that the mobile device is designed to perform, including control of access to and communication with access systems and other communication devices. The data processing, storage and other related components may be provided on appropriate circuit boards and / or in chipsets. This feature is noted as reference numeral 204. The user can control the operation of the mobile device with the aid of a suitable user interface (e.g., a keypad 205, voice commands, a touch-sensitive screen or tablet, a combination thereof, etc.). A display 208, a speaker and a microphone may also be provided. In addition, the mobile communication device may include suitable connectors (wired or wireless) for connecting other devices, and / or suitable connectors (wired or wireless) for connecting external accessories (e.g., hands-free devices).

[0203] The mobile device 200 may receive signals over the air or radio interface 207 via appropriate means for receiving, and may transmit signals via appropriate means for transmitting radio signals. Figure 2In the embodiment of the present invention, the transceiver arrangement is schematically designated by block 206. The transceiver arrangement 206 may be provided, for example, by means of a radio component and an associated antenna arrangement. The antenna arrangement may be arranged internally or externally to the mobile device.

[0204] Figure 3 An example of a control device 300 for a communication system is shown, which communication system is, for example, to be coupled to a station of an access system and / or a station for controlling an access system, such as a RAN node (e.g., a base station, eNB or gNB), a relay node or a core network node (such as an MME or a serving gateway (S-GW) or a packet data network gateway (P-GW)), or a core network function (such as an AMF / SMF), or a server or a host. The method can be implemented in a single control device or across more than one control device. The control device can be integrated with a node or module of a core network or RAN or external to a node or module of a core network or RAN. In some embodiments, the base station includes a separate control device unit or module. In other embodiments, the control device can be another network element such as a radio network controller or a spectrum controller. In some embodiments, each base station can have such a control device as well as a control device provided in a radio network controller. The control device 300 can be arranged to provide control of communications in a service area of ​​the system. The control device 300 includes at least one memory 301, at least one data processing unit 302, 303 and an input / output interface 304. Via the interface, the control device may be coupled to a receiver and a transmitter of the base station.The receiver and / or the transmitter may be implemented as a radio front end or a remote radio head.

[0205] Augmented reality (AR) is an enhanced version of the real physical world achieved through the use of digital visual elements, sounds or other sensory stimuli delivered via technology. It is a growing trend, especially among companies involved in mobile computing, gaming, and business applications.

[0206] One of the main goals of augmented reality is to highlight specific features of the physical world, increase understanding of those features, and derive intelligent and accessible insights that can be applied to real-world applications. Retailers and other companies can use augmented reality to promote products or services, launch marketing campaigns, and collect user data.

[0207] In 3GPP, generally, extended reality (XR) use cases can be broadly divided into: (i) augmented reality (AR); (ii) virtual reality (VR) and (iii) mixed reality (MR). These are broad terms that refer to various types of augmented, virtual and hybrid environments where human-to-machine and human-to-human communications are performed with the assistance of handheld and wearable end-user devices (UE).

[0208] Figure 4 An example of a 5G-XR architecture representing potential 5G-XR functionality within a 5G System (5GS) is shown.

[0209] For the UE part, a smartphone (e.g., XR5G-P1 device type) can be used for both AR and VR (with either wired or wireless cardboard devices). In both cases, an XR engine / runtime is typically used to support processing of sensor data, viewport rendering, and SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) processing for spatial mapping. There are many other types of XR devices (e.g., headsets, tablets, handheld gaming devices, etc.).

[0210] Spatial mapping (i.e., creating a map of the surrounding area) and localization (i.e., establishing the position of users and objects within that space) are some of the key areas in XR and especially AR. Multiple sensor inputs are combined to get better localization accuracy, such as monocular / stereo / depth cameras, radio beacons, GPS, inertial sensors, etc. Spatial mapping and localization can be done on the device. However, network elements can support operations in different ways.

[0211] As the AR concept becomes more popular, users expect more options and simpler ways of AR to be applied. As mentioned above, smartphones are a widely used AR device. It is of interest to provide more AR information and AR experience to smartphone (or other AR device) users. For example, a user in a street environment may want to know information associated with nearby buildings (e.g., restaurants, shops, museums, theaters, statues, etc.). It would be useful if the AR information of a building could be displayed on the user's smartphone.

[0212] In the current world, the most widely used way to obtain information about a building or place is to scan its specific QR code (QR code). However, the QR code is small, and the user must be close to the code to scan it. The code can be difficult to locate. Placing a large QR code on the outside of a building is not practical. It may damage the appearance or functionality of the building, and / or it may be difficult to keep the code intact and clean if the code is on the outside.

[0213] Figure 5 A flow chart of a method according to an example embodiment is shown.The method may be performed at a first device (eg, UE).

[0214] In 501 , the method includes determining, at a first device, location information associated with an object of interest.

[0215] At 502, the method includes providing a message from a first device, wherein the message includes location information.

[0216] Figure 6 A flow chart of a method according to an example embodiment is shown.The method may be performed at a second device (eg, a UE or a network function).

[0217] In 601 , the method includes receiving, at a second device, a message from a first device, wherein the message includes location information associated with an object of interest.

[0218] The location information may indicate a location of an object of interest, wherein the location of the object of interest is different from a location of the first device.

[0219] The location information may include at least one of: an indication of a location of the first device, a distance between the first device and an object, or an orientation of the first device.

[0220] The message may include a positioning message, such as an LPP message. The method may include sending a positioning message to a network function (the network function is referenced Figure 6 The example of the second device in the method described above) provides a positioning message. The network function may be a LMF.

[0221] Figure 7 A flow chart of a method according to an example embodiment is shown. The method may be performed at a UE.

[0222] At 701 , the method includes determining, at a first device, location information associated with an object of interest.

[0223] In 702, the method includes providing a positioning message from a first device to a network function, wherein the positioning message includes location information.

[0224] Figure 8 A flow chart of a method according to an example embodiment is shown. The method may be performed at a network function (eg, LMF).

[0225] In 801 , the method includes receiving, at a network function, a positioning message from a first device, wherein the positioning message includes location information associated with an object of interest.

[0226] In reference Figure 7 and Figure 8 In the described method, the positioning message may be LPP and the network function may be LMF.

[0227] The positioning message may also include an information request indicator.

[0228] The locate message may also include an indication of the object of interest (eg, an indication of a characteristic of the object of interest). The indication of the object of interest may include metadata associated with the object.

[0229] As reference Figure 7The described method may include receiving, at a first device, information associated with an object of interest from another network function in response to a locate message. The information may include AR information associated with the object of interest.

[0230] As reference Figure 8 The described method may include determining the object of interest based on the location information. When the positioning message also includes an indication of the object of interest, the method may also include determining the object of interest based on the indication.

[0231] When the positioning message also includes an information request indicator, the method may include providing a request for information associated with the object of interest to another network function. The other network function may provide information associated with the object of interest to the first device (e.g., UE). The information may include AR information. The other network function may be AF.

[0232] If the positioning message does not include an information request indicator, the method may include determining that the first device has not requested information, storing the location information associated with the object of interest and (if provided) the indication associated with the object of interest at the network function.

[0233] The network function may provide a response to the message to the first device. The response may include an indication that the object has been determined (or has not yet been determined). If the message includes an information request indicator, the response may include an indication that information associated with the object of interest will be provided to the first device.

[0234] In reference Figure 7 and Figure 8 In an example embodiment of the described method, a location information IE is added to an LPP message (eg, RequestAssistanceData), for example, by modifying the RequestAssistanceData message in 37.355 (eg, as shown below).

[0235] The modification in this example embodiment adds a new IE, objectRequestInformation, including the location information of the object and metadata to contain an indication of the object's characteristics (such as color, outline, size, material, etc.), which can be used to determine the object of interest and afInformationRequest to indicate whether the UE requires the network to provide AR information for the object. afInformationRequest is an example of an information request indicator.

[0236] The network may send a response to objectRequestInformation in ProvideAssistanceData to indicate whether an object was found and AR information will be sent to the UE (Data Ready) or no matching object was found (No Data). This is an example of a response to a message as described above.

[0237] LPP messages other than RequestAssistanceData and ProvideAssistanceData may be modified, or new LPP messages may be defined.

[0238] The network may be able to accurately and quickly determine which object the UE is requesting AR information for by checking the location information and metadata in the message. This is an example of determining an object of interest based on location information and indications. If the location and metadata information matches the object's information and arInformationRequest is TRUE, the network will send the AR information to the UE, otherwise if arInformationRequest is FALSE, the network may store the object's location and related information if needed. This is an example of storing location information and indications associated with an object of interest at a network function.

[0239] Since the location information can be used to accurately determine the object, this method can help the UE to easily and quickly obtain AR information of the object.

[0240] Fig. 9 An example signaling process is shown. The LMF and AF will first obtain an agreement that the LMF stores the location of the object (usually the object should be an object with a fixed location, such as a building) and related information, and the AF will provide detailed AR information of the object. The UE scans the object and measures the location of the object (i.e., determines the location information). The UE sends RequestAssistanceData with the location information and metadata of the object. The LMF extracts what the object is based on the location information and metadata (i.e., determines the object of interest). If the UE requests AR information, the LMF sends a request to the AF to retrieve AR information for the object. If the UE does not request AR information, the LMF stores the location information and metadata of the object in the database of the LMF when necessary. The LMF sends ProvideAssistanceData in response to the UE. If there is an LMF request, the AF sends the AR information of the object to the UE.

[0241] Fig.10An example scenario is shown. A user sees an object in a group of objects and wants to know more about the object. The user takes out his / her mobile device to scan the object, and at the same time, the UE determines the distance to the object and the direction of the UE while performing the scan (the direction can be determined at the UE by the accelerometer, gyroscope, and gravity sensor located in the UE).

[0242] This measurement is possible because the object is within the UE's near line of sight. The method may include using a time-of-flight sensor (such as Fig.14 The UE may determine the distance between the first device and the object of interest by using a sensor such as the one shown in the figure. The UE may perform measurements by, for example, time of flight (ToF), which is based on measuring the time it takes for a wave to travel from a source (time of flight sensor) to an object and back to calculate the current distance of the object from the source. Fig.14 An example of a ToF sensor on a UE is shown (as described below).Alternatively or additionally, any other suitable distance measurement method such as, for example, ultrasonic or infrared methods may be used to determine the distance between the first device and the object of interest.

[0243] Using this distance and the direction of the UE, the UE can determine the location of the object relative to the UE. Combined with the UE's own location (using the UE's location service), the UE can obtain the true location of the object. The UE places the location information of the object and the characteristics of the object in the metadata in RequestAssistanceData and sends it to the LMF. The LMF receives the message and checks the location of the object and the metadata of the object, searching the LMF's database to see if there is a matching object. If a matching object is found and the afInformationRequest from the UE is TRUE, the LMF requests the AF to transmit the AR information of the object to the UE. If affInformationRequest is FALSE, the LMF can store the object-related information in the LMF's database for later use when needed. Regardless of whether there is a matching object, the LMF responds to the UE with ProvideAssistanceData.

[0244] Position information may include two parts: a reference system and coordinates in the system. The reference system may be the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 84) or a local system. For example, if the user and the object are both on a moving vehicle (e.g., a ship), they may use the local system of the vehicle, which means that the local reference system moves with the vehicle. Then, the movement of the vehicle does not affect the position of the user or the object. Because the user and the object are close in distance (e.g., within line of sight), they may use the same reference system.

[0245] This method can allow users to more easily retrieve AR information of objects when scanning objects using a mobile device. This will reduce the AR usage threshold. On the other hand, the server or application can collect information about objects from increased crowdsourcing, for example, to build a spatial model using models of objects to be used in spatial mapping and objects for AR. For example, the server or application can use AI / ML to learn how to build a model, and the information from the UE can be training data.

[0246] Although this example has been described with respect to an open area situation, it can also be applied to other use cases, such as with edge servers. Other applicable situations include, but are not limited to, inside buildings (e.g., in shopping malls, museums, factories, etc.) or restricted areas (e.g., construction sites, estates, etc.).

[0247] The following is a proposal to add the location information IE to the ProSe direct discovery message to allow UE A to obtain the AR information of the object of the owner of UE B. The proposal is applied to the sidelink case, which means that UE A (associated with the AR user) and UE B (associated with the object) are directly connected. The proposal may not be applied to buildings because there are usually no UEs associated with buildings.

[0248] In this alternative scenario, since many XR use cases are expected to be mobile and small-scale, it is feasible to use sidelink communication as UE-to-UE direct communication for XR services.

[0249] XR Core use cases can use Sidelink (SL) for communication between UEs, for example, offline sharing, such as Fig.11 As shown, the offline sharing is used to share 3D models / objects and 3D MR scenes between UE A and UE B. Fig.11 In the example, UE A shares a 3D static / dynamic object with UE B. The 3D object may be a stored object downloaded by UE A from the cloud or a stored object captured by a device. UE A may share additional information of the 3D object with UE B. Fig.11 In the example shown in , MMS is used to share 3D objects and captured MR scenes between UEs.

[0250] An example use case for offline sharing can be when a person (A) purchases an item (e.g., a hat) from a merchant / retailer and A agrees that the merchant / retailer share information related to the item (such as AR information) to interested third parties via their UE. The merchant / retailer can pay A per interaction or in other ways (e.g., as a simple advertising plan). In this example use case, when another party B sees a hat worn by A and B likes the hat, B can use B's mobile device to scan the hat and try to connect with A's mobile device to determine whether A can provide more information about the hat (such as brand, material, size, price, merchant, etc.). A's UE (UE A) gets a request from B's UE (UE B) and shares the AR information of the hat with UE B. Therefore, A is paid; B receives the requested information and the merchant / retailer increases the popularity and / or visibility of their products. Such interactions can be considered micro-advertisements using AR.

[0251] Because the XR scenario can be UE-to-UE and small-scale, and the UE has only limited battery power resources, performance may come at the expense of battery life. Therefore, when running XR services, power enhancement may be required to reduce the overall UE power consumption to extend the effective UE battery life.

[0252] One way to reduce UE power consumption may be to exploit network coordination between UEs, for example by applying specific DRX mechanisms for XR services. However, it would be more beneficial if the UEs could communicate directly using a side link. In the offline sharing example above, UE B connects to UE A to request UE A to share AR information. UE A and UE B can communicate using a side link because UE A and UE B are close to each other (in this example, B is close enough to see A's hat). The only information UE B has about UE A is that the owner of UE A is wearing a hat. UE A has no information about UE B. It is desirable for UE B to connect to the UE in an accurate, fast, and power-efficient manner.

[0253] ProSe Direct Discovery has been defined as a process at a UE for detecting and identifying another UE in proximity.

[0254] There are two types of ProSe direct discovery: open and restricted. Open is where no explicit permission from the discovered UE is required, while restricted discovery only occurs with explicit permission from the discovered UE.

[0255] There are two models for ProSe direct discovery.

[0256] In Model A (also known as "I'm Here"), the announcing UE (UE A in the use case above) broadcasts discovery messages at predefined discovery intervals, and the monitoring UEs (UE B in the use case above) interested in these messages read the discovery messages and process them.

[0257] In model B (also known as "Who's there?" / "Are you there?"), the discoverer UE (UE B in the use case above) sends information about other UEs (the discoverer UEs in the use case above, such as UE A) from which the discoverer UE wants to receive a response.

[0258] The notifying UE in Model A broadcasts discovery messages periodically, which means that the broadcast is always present, regardless of whether the monitoring UE is present or not. This may cause resource waste and is power-hungry. Therefore, Model A may be more suitable for devices with a stable power supply, which would be inappropriate for the use case discussed above.

[0259] For the use cases discussed above, Model B may be better. Restricted discovery type is currently supported by Model B. However, in the above use cases, UE A and UE B do not have to have any prior knowledge about each other, such as ProSe restriction codes.

[0260] Even if model B can be used, UE B still has to find UE A accurately and quickly. UE B knows that the owner of UE A has a hat. Sending the "hat" information in the discovery message may not be sufficient because UE A may not be accurately distinguished enough (e.g., many people may have hats in the surrounding area). From the perspective of UE A, an inaccurate discovery message (e.g., a message from a UE that is interested in another hat but does not provide enough detailed or clear information to distinguish the hat) may cause UE A to provide a response unnecessarily, which may waste the power of UE A. Therefore, unnecessary responses will waste the requester's power.

[0261] Fig.12 A flow chart of a method according to an example embodiment is shown. The method may be performed by a first device (eg, UE).

[0262] At 1201 , the method includes determining, at a first device, location information associated with an object of interest.

[0263] At 1202 , the method includes providing, from a first device, a discovery message for device-to-device communication, wherein the discovery message includes a location.

[0264] The method may include receiving a discovery response message from the second device in response to the discovery message.

[0265] Fig.13A flow chart of a method according to an example embodiment is shown. The method may be performed at a second device (eg, a UE).

[0266] In 1301 , the method includes receiving, at a second device, a discovery message for device-to-device communication from a first device, wherein the discovery message includes location information associated with an object of interest.

[0267] At 1302 , the method includes determining, based on the location information, that the second device is associated with an object of interest.

[0268] In 1303 , the method includes, in response to determining that the second device is associated with the object of interest, transmitting a discovery response message from the second device to the first device.

[0269] The location information may be location information IE. The location information may include at least one of: an indication of the location of the first device, a distance between the first device and an object, or an orientation of the first device. The method may include, at the first device, determining the location information based on the location of the first device. The location information may indicate a location of an object of interest, wherein the location of the object of interest is different from the location of the first device.

[0270] Based on the location information, determining that the second device is associated with the object of interest may include means for determining that the second device is in an area indicated by the location information. The area may be based on the location information and a distance (or radius) threshold.

[0271] For the location information, it can include two parts: the reference system and the coordination in the system. The reference system can be the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84) or a local system. For example, if A and B are both in a train or subway, they can use the local system in the train or subway, which means that the local reference system moves with the train or subway. Then, the movement of the train or subway will not affect the position of UE A or UE B. Because A and B are in line of sight, they can use the same reference system.

[0272] The method may include determining the distance between the first device and the second device using the time-of-flight sensor. For example, because UE A is in a close line of sight of UE B, UE B may perform distance measurement by, for example, time-of-flight (ToF), which calculates the distance of the current object from the source based on measuring the time taken for a wave to travel from a source (time-of-flight sensor) to the object and back. Alternatively or additionally, any other suitable distance measurement method such as, for example, ultrasonic or infrared methods may be used to determine the distance between the first device and the object of interest.

[0273] Fig.14UE 1400 is shown including a time-of-flight sensor 1404 as part of a camera 1402 of UE 1400 .

[0274] The first device may perform a Model B discovery process. The discovery process may be an open discovery process. That is, the discovery message may include an open discovery message, and the discovery response message may include an open discovery response message.

[0275] The device-to-device communication may be a sidelink communication. The discovery process may be a ProSe PC5 discovery process. The discovery message may include at least one of the following: a discovery request, a sidelink discovery request or a proximity service ProSe, a PC5 discovery request for restricted 5G ProSe direct discovery solicitation.

[0276] The discovery message may also include an indication of the object of interest.The method may include determining, at the second device, that the second device is associated with the object of interest based on the indication of the object of interest and the location information.

[0277] The indication of the object of interest may include metadata related to, for example, the appearance of the object, such as color, outline, size, etc. The indication may include a classification code associated with the object, also referred to as an application ID, such as a ProSe application code. The application code may be based on the classification of the object.

[0278] The method may include receiving, at the second device, information related to the object of interest (eg, application ID and / or metadata) from the network, and further determining, based on the received information, that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

[0279] Location information may be the primary factor used to indicate the UE associated with an object. Indications of the object (such as application ID and metadata) may be secondary. In other embodiments, both location information and indications of the object may be used.

[0280] In an example embodiment where the discovery message includes location information but does not include an indication of an object of interest, a connection may be established between the first device and the second device after the discovery process. Further communications (including indications of objects of interest or requests for information) may follow.

[0281] The second device may determine whether the direct discovery request from the first device is intended for the second device based on the location information and optionally also based on the indication of the object. In an example embodiment, if the location information and the indication of the object match the second device's own information, the second device may establish a direct communication link with the first device (e.g., by providing at least one of the following from the second device to the first device: a discovery response, a sidelink discovery response, or a proximity service ProSe, PC5 discovery response). Otherwise, the request may be ignored.

[0282] The method may include providing additional information associated with the object of interest from the second device to the first device. The additional information may be provided after the provision of the discovery response message, i.e., after the communication link between the first device and the second device has been established, or if the discovery request includes an indication of the object of interest, the additional information may be included in the discovery response message. The additional information may be referred to as AR information. The AR information may include at least one of the following: information associated with the object of interest, information associated with merchant X, or information about where to find the additional information.

[0283] In an example embodiment, the device is a discoverer UE (UE B in the use case described above). In this example embodiment, UE B adds the location information IE to the ProSe direct discovery message and supports the open discovery type in the model B discovery process, for example, as shown in Table 1 below, the ProSe direct discovery solicitation message is modified. Table 1

[0284] In the example shown in Table 1, the modifications include changing the presence of the ProSe query code from mandatory to optional, which means that the ProSe query code does not exist when the ProSe Direct Discovery PC5 message type is set to "Open Discovery"; adding a ProSe application code for commodity classification; adding location information about the discoverer UE and adding metadata to the message.

[0285] The method may define a new direct discovery message instead of modifying an existing direct discovery message, or use another name instead of using the ProSe application ID for commodity classification.

[0286] The method may reduce power consumption at both the first device and the second device by reducing unnecessary message exchanges and conserving resource usage and correspondingly reducing interference.

[0287] The method may include means for determining a transmission power based on the location information and providing the discovery message using the determined transmission power.The method may include determining a beam direction based on the location information.

[0288] In an example use case, UE B can tailor the discoverer's transmission power to reach UE A. UE B measures the distance to the object of interest and / or the orientation of the object of interest relative to UE B. The location information can be used to control power and possibly beamforming to reduce the likelihood that non-discoverer UEs receive undesired requests. Even if only UE A and UE B are present, UE B's power consumption can still be reduced because UE B only performs transmission and reception in the measured direction and distance.

[0289] Fig.15 A schematic diagram of a scenario in which the method can be applied is shown. In the scenario, the first device is UE B, the second device is UE A, and the object of interest is a hat belonging to the owner of UE A. In addition to the hat of the owner of UE A, there are other hats near UE B. UE B is able to scan the hat of the owner of UE A and determine the distance to it.

[0290] When the owner of UE B sees a group of people (such as Fig.15 When the owner of UE A in FIG. 1 is attracted by the hat of the owner of UE A in FIG. 1 and likes the hat, the owner of UE B uses UE B to scan the hat (because there is a distance between UE B and the hat, UE B may not be able to clearly scan the hat, which means that auxiliary information such as color, size, etc. may not be very accurate) and measures the distance to the hat of UE B. When UE B performs scanning (e.g., using an accelerometer, gyroscope, and gravity sensor located in UE B), UE B may know its orientation.

[0291] Fig.16 Shows Fig.15 . At 1601, the owner of UE A purchases a hat from merchant X, and at 1602 conducts a transaction with the merchant to share information related to the hat (AR information) to interested parties. At 1603, merchant X registers UE A in its database and requires the network to grant UE A authorization to share information about a specific object (hat). At 1604, the network configures a specific application ID based on the classification code of the hat to authorize UE A to share information about such an item. The classification code may be a product classification code commonly used in a country or region. At 1605, UE A receives a discovery request including location information and an indication of the hat (e.g., product classification and metadata in the application ID) from UE B, and may request the discovery request based on the reference information. Figure 12 to Figure 14 Describe and Fig.10The method described in more detail above is used to make a sidelink connection with UE B. At 1606, UE A shares the AR information with UE B and increases the sharing count. At 1607, merchant X pays UE A according to the sharing count of UE A.

[0292] Fig.17 A signaling flow between UE A, UE B and UE C according to an example embodiment is shown.

[0293] As reference Fig.15 As described, at 1701 UE B scans an object of an owner of UE A and measures the location of UE A (eg, the distance between UE A and UE B and the orientation of UE B).

[0294] At 1702, using the distance and the orientation of UE B, UE B can determine the location of UE A relative to UE B. Combined with UE B's own location (location services are currently turned on for most UEs), UE B can determine the true location of UE A. UE B includes UE A's location information, the classification code of the hat in the application ID, and the "hat" information in the metadata in the direct discovery request, and sends the direct discovery request.

[0295] At 1703, UE A receives the request and checks the location with its own location and the "hat" information, and at 1704, if both match, UE A sends back a discovery response. UE C also receives the request, but because the location information does not match the location of UE C, UE C does not provide a discovery response. Because UE B will not receive a response from UE C, power consumption of both UE C and UE B' is saved.

[0296] After UE A and UE B discover each other, a sidelink connection can be established. Fig.16 As shown in , UE A shares the AR information of the hat to UE B. UE A counts the number of shares and notifies merchant X. Merchant X will pay the owner of UE A based on the number of shares.

[0297] In an alternative embodiment, a "location" element may be included in the Model A discovery procedure. In this alternative embodiment, where location information is associated with the first device, the location information may be about the location of the announcing UE (the UE that sent "I'm here") to tell the monitoring UE where the announcing UE is. For example, a ride-hailing service may use location information to tell a passenger its exact location.

[0298] This method can be used in situations other than micro-advertising, and can be used in any side link situation where a link with a specific device is required. For example, on the road, you find that some other cars near you have some problems, such as the trunk lid is open, then you can directly link to this car instead of other cars to tell the car about the problem through the method.

[0299] An apparatus may include means for determining, at a first device, location information associated with an object of interest and for providing a message from the first device, wherein the message includes the location information.

[0300] The apparatus may comprise a user equipment (such as a mobile phone), may be the user equipment, or be comprised in the user equipment, or a chipset for performing at least some actions of / for the user equipment.

[0301] An apparatus may include means for receiving, at a second device, a message from a first device, wherein the message includes location information associated with an object of interest.

[0302] The apparatus may comprise a user equipment (such as a mobile phone), may be the user equipment, or be comprised in the user equipment, or a chipset for performing at least some actions of / for the user equipment.

[0303] Alternatively, the apparatus may comprise the network function, may be the network function, or be included in the network function, or a chipset for performing at least some actions of / for the network function.

[0304] An apparatus may include means for determining, at a first device, location information associated with an object of interest and means for providing a positioning message from the first device to a network function, wherein the positioning message includes the location information.

[0305] The apparatus may comprise a user equipment (such as a mobile phone), may be the user equipment, or be comprised in the user equipment, or a chipset for performing at least some actions of / for the user equipment.

[0306] An apparatus may include receiving, at a network function, a positioning message from a first device, wherein the positioning message includes location information associated with an object of interest.

[0307] The apparatus may comprise a network function, may be the network function, or be included in the network function, or a chipset for performing at least some actions of / for a user network function.

[0308] An apparatus may include means for determining, at a first device, location information associated with an object of interest and providing, from the first device, a discovery message for device-to-device communication, wherein the discovery message includes the location information.

[0309] Alternatively, an apparatus may include a component for receiving, at a second device, a discovery message for device-to-device communication from a first device, wherein the discovery message includes location information associated with an object of interest; a component for determining, based on the location information, that the second device is associated with the object of interest; and a component for providing, from the second device to the first device, a discovery response message in response to determining that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

[0310] The apparatus may comprise a user equipment (such as a mobile phone), may be the user equipment, or be comprised in the user equipment, or a chipset for performing at least some actions of / for the user equipment.

[0311] It should be understood that the apparatus may include or be coupled to other units or modules, etc., such as a radio component or a radio head, which are used in or for transmitting and / or receiving. Although the apparatus has been described as one entity, the different modules and memories may be implemented in one or more physical or logical entities.

[0312] Note that while some embodiments have been described with respect to 5G networks, similar principles may be applied with respect to other networks and communication systems, such as 6G networks or 5G-advanced networks. Thus, while specific embodiments are described above by way of example with reference to specific example architectures for wireless networks, technologies, and standards, the embodiments may be applied to any other suitable form of communication system in addition to the communication system shown and described herein.

[0313] It is also noted herein that while the above describes example embodiments, there are several variations and modifications that could be made to the disclosed solution without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0314] As used herein, “at least one of: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions, where a list of two or more elements is combined by “and” or “or”, mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0315] In general, various embodiments may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects of the disclosure may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representation, it is well understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0316] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one, more, or all of the following: (a) hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation only in analog and / or digital circuitry) and (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, and (ii) any portion of a hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s), software, and memory(s) that work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions) and I(multiple) hardware circuits and / or(multiple) processors, such as(multiple) microprocessors or portions of(multiple) microprocessors, that require software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when the software is not required.

[0317] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, the term circuitry also covers a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device, if applicable to the particular claim element.

[0318] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by computer software executable by a data processor of a mobile device, such as implemented in a processor entity, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. Computer software or programs (also referred to as program products, including software routines, applets and / or macros) may be stored in any device-readable data storage medium, and the computer software or program includes program instructions for performing specific tasks. A computer program product may include one or more computer executable components that are configured to implement an embodiment when the program is running. One or more computer executable components may be at least one software code or a portion thereof.

[0319] In addition, in this respect, it should be noted that any block of the logic flow as in the accompanying drawings can represent a program step, or interconnected logic circuits, blocks and functions, or a combination of program steps and logic circuits, blocks and functions. Software can be stored in physical media such as memory chips or memory blocks implemented in processors, magnetic media such as hard disks or floppy disks, and optical media such as DVDs and data variants thereof CDs. Physical media is non-transient media. As used herein, the term "non-transient" is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, rather than signal), rather than a limitation of data storage persistence (e.g., RAM to ROM).

[0320] The memory may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. As non-limiting examples, the data processor may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may include one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an FPGA, a gate-level circuit, and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture.

[0321] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced in various components such as integrated circuit modules. The design of integrated circuits is a highly automated process. Complex and powerful software tools are available to convert logic level designs into semiconductor circuit designs that are ready to be etched and formed on a semiconductor substrate.

[0322] The scope of protection sought by various embodiments of the present disclosure is set out by the independent claims. Embodiments and features described in this specification that do not fall within the scope of the independent claims, if any, should be interpreted as examples that help understand the various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0323] The foregoing description has provided a complete and informative description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure by way of non-limiting examples. However, various modifications and adaptations may become apparent to those skilled in the relevant art in view of the foregoing description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. However, all such and similar modifications of the teachings of the present disclosure will still fall within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. In fact, there is another embodiment comprising a combination of one or more embodiments with any other embodiment previously discussed.

[0324] In one aspect, an apparatus is provided that includes means for determining, at a first device, location information associated with an object of interest and means for providing a message from the first device, wherein the message includes the location information.

[0325] The location information may indicate a location of an object of interest, wherein the location of the object of interest is different from a location of the first device.

[0326] The location information may include at least one of: an indication of a location of the first device, a distance between the first device and an object, or an orientation of the first device.

[0327] The apparatus may include a time-of-flight sensor and means for determining distance using the time-of-flight sensor.

[0328] The discovery message may include an open discovery message.

[0329] The apparatus may include means for determining a transmission power based on the location information and providing the discovery message using the determined transmission power.

[0330] The first device may be performing a Model B discovery process.

[0331] The discovery message may include at least one of the following: a discovery request, a side link discovery request, or a proximity service ProSe, PC5 discovery request.

[0332] The apparatus may include means for receiving a discovery response message from the second device in response to the discovery message.

[0333] The apparatus may include means for receiving, at a first device, information associated with an object of interest from a second device.

[0334] The discovery message may also include an indication of an object of interest.

[0335] The indication of the object of interest may include at least one of: metadata associated with the object or a classification code associated with the object.

[0336] In one aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising a component for receiving, at a second device, a discovery message for device-to-device communication from a first device, wherein the discovery message includes location information associated with an object of interest; a component for determining, based on the location information, that the second device is associated with the object of interest; and a component for providing, from the second device to the first device, a discovery response message in response to determining that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

[0337] The location information may indicate a location of an object of interest, wherein the location of the object of interest is different from a location of the first device.

[0338] Means for determining, based on the location information, that the second device is associated with the object of interest may include means for determining that the second device is in an area indicated by the location information.

[0339] The area may be based on location information and a distance threshold.

[0340] The location information may include at least one of: an indication of a location of the first device, a distance between the first device and an object, or an orientation of the first device.

[0341] The discovery response message may include an open discovery message.

[0342] The first device may be performing a Model B discovery process.

[0343] The discovery response message may include at least one of the following: a discovery response, a sidelink discovery response, or a proximity service ProSe, PC5 discovery response.

[0344] The apparatus may include means for providing, from the second device to the first device, information associated with the object of interest.

[0345] The discovery message may also include an indication of an object of interest and include means for determining, based on the indication of the object of interest, that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

[0346] The indication of the object of interest may include at least one of: metadata associated with the object or a classification code associated with the object.

[0347] The apparatus may include means for receiving information related to the object of interest from the network and determining, further based on the received information, that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

[0348] In one aspect, a method is provided that includes determining, at a first device, location information associated with an object of interest and providing, from the first device, a discovery message for device-to-device communication, wherein the discovery message includes the location information.

[0349] The location information may indicate a location of an object of interest, wherein the location of the object of interest is different from a location of the first device.

[0350] The location information may include at least one of: an indication of a location of the first device, a distance between the first device and an object, or an orientation of the first device.

[0351] The method may include determining the distance using a time of flight sensor.

[0352] The discovery message may include an open discovery message.

[0353] The method may include determining a transmission power based on the location information and providing the discovery message using the determined transmission power.

[0354] The first device may be performing a Model B discovery process.

[0355] The discovery message may include at least one of the following: a discovery request, a side link discovery request, or a proximity service ProSe, PC5 discovery request.

[0356] The method may include receiving a discovery response message from the second device in response to the discovery message.

[0357] The method may include receiving, at a first device, information associated with an object of interest from a second device.

[0358] The discovery message may also include an indication of an object of interest.

[0359] The indication of the object of interest may include at least one of: metadata associated with the object or a classification code associated with the object.

[0360] In one aspect, a method is provided, comprising: a component for receiving, at a second device, a discovery message for device-to-device communication from a first device, wherein the discovery message includes location information associated with an object of interest; a component for determining, based on the location information, that the second device is associated with the object of interest; and a component for providing, from the second device to the first device, a discovery response message in response to determining that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

[0361] The location information may indicate a location of an object of interest, wherein the location of the object of interest is different from a location of the first device.

[0362] Based on the location information, determining that the second device is associated with the object of interest may include determining that the second device is in an area indicated by the location information.

[0363] The area may be based on location information and a distance threshold.

[0364] The location information may include at least one of: an indication of a location of the first device, a distance between the first device and an object, or an orientation of the first device.

[0365] The discovery response message may include an open discovery message.

[0366] The first device may be performing a Model B discovery process.

[0367] The discovery response message may include at least one of the following: a discovery response, a sidelink discovery response, or a proximity service ProSe, PC5 discovery response.

[0368] The method may include providing, from the second device to the first device, information associated with the object of interest.

[0369] The discovery message may also include an indication of an object of interest and include means for determining, based on the indication of the object of interest, that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

[0370] The indication of the object of interest may include at least one of: metadata associated with the object or a classification code associated with the object.

[0371] The method may include receiving information related to the object of interest from the network and determining, further based on the received information, that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

[0372] In one aspect, a device is provided, comprising: at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to determine location information associated with an object of interest at least at a first device and provide a discovery message for device-to-device communication from the first device, wherein the discovery message includes the location information.

[0373] The location information may indicate a location of an object of interest, wherein the location of the object of interest is different from a location of the first device.

[0374] The location information may include at least one of: an indication of a location of the first device, a distance between the first device and an object, or an orientation of the first device.

[0375] The apparatus may comprise a time of flight sensor and be caused to determine the distance using the time of flight sensor.

[0376] The discovery message may include an open discovery message.

[0377] The apparatus may be caused to determine a transmission power based on the location information and to provide the discovery message using the determined transmission power.

[0378] The first device may be performing a Model B discovery process.

[0379] The discovery message may include at least one of the following: a discovery request, a side link discovery request, or a proximity service ProSe, PC5 discovery request.

[0380] The apparatus may be caused to receive a discovery response message from the second device in response to the discovery message.

[0381] The apparatus may be caused to receive, at the first device, information associated with the object of interest from the second device.

[0382] The discovery message may also include an indication of an object of interest.

[0383] The indication of the object of interest may include at least one of: metadata associated with the object or a classification code associated with the object.

[0384] In one aspect, a device is provided, comprising: at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to receive a discovery message for device-to-device communication from a first device at least at a second device, wherein the discovery message includes location information associated with an object of interest; based on the location information, determine that the second device is associated with the object of interest; and in response to determining that the second device is associated with the object of interest, provide a discovery response message from the second device to the first device.

[0385] The location information may indicate a location of an object of interest, wherein the location of the object of interest is different from a location of the first device.

[0386] The apparatus may be caused to determine that the second device is in an area indicated by the location information.

[0387] The area may be based on location information and a distance threshold.

[0388] The location information may include at least one of: an indication of a location of the first device, a distance between the first device and an object, or an orientation of the first device.

[0389] The discovery response message may include an open discovery message.

[0390] The first device may be performing a Model B discovery process.

[0391] The discovery response message may include at least one of the following: a discovery response, a sidelink discovery response, or a proximity service ProSe, PC5 discovery response.

[0392] The apparatus may be caused to provide information associated with the object of interest from the second device to the first device.

[0393] The discovery message may also include an indication of an object of interest and include means for determining, based on the indication of the object of interest, that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

[0394] The indication of the object of interest may include at least one of: metadata associated with the object or a classification code associated with the object.

[0395] The apparatus may be caused to receive information related to the object of interest from the network and determine, further based on the received information, that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

[0396] In one aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, the computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: determining location information associated with an object of interest at a first device; and providing a discovery message for device-to-device communication from the first device, wherein the discovery message comprises the location information.

[0397] The location information may indicate a location of an object of interest, wherein the location of the object of interest is different from a location of the first device.

[0398] The location information may include at least one of: an indication of a location of the first device, a distance between the first device and an object, or an orientation of the first device.

[0399] The apparatus may include a time-of-flight sensor and be caused to perform determining the distance using the time-of-flight sensor.

[0400] The discovery message may include an open discovery message.

[0401] The apparatus may be caused to perform means for determining a transmission power based on the location information and providing a discovery message using the determined transmission power.

[0402] The first device may be performing a Model B discovery process.

[0403] The discovery message may include at least one of the following: a discovery request, a side link discovery request, or a proximity service ProSe, PC5 discovery request.

[0404] The apparatus may be caused to perform receiving a discovery response message from the second device in response to the discovery message.

[0405] The apparatus may be caused to perform receiving, at the first device, information associated with the object of interest from the second device.

[0406] The discovery message may also include an indication of an object of interest.

[0407] The indication of the object of interest may include at least one of: metadata associated with the object or a classification code associated with the object.

[0408] In one aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving, at a second device, a discovery message for device-to-device communication from a first device, wherein the discovery message comprises location information associated with an object of interest; determining, based on the location information, that the second device is associated with the object of interest; and providing, from the second device to the first device, a discovery response message in response to determining that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

[0409] The location information may indicate a location of an object of interest, wherein the location of the object of interest is different from a location of the first device.

[0410] The apparatus may be caused to perform determining that the second device is in an area indicated by the location information.

[0411] The area may be based on location information and a distance threshold.

[0412] The location information may include at least one of: an indication of a location of the first device, a distance between the first device and an object, or an orientation of the first device.

[0413] The discovery response message may include an open discovery message.

[0414] The first device may be performing a Model B discovery process.

[0415] The discovery response message may include at least one of the following: a discovery response, a sidelink discovery response, or a proximity service ProSe, PC5 discovery response.

[0416] The apparatus may be caused to perform providing, from the second device to the first device, information associated with the object of interest.

[0417] The discovery message may also include an indication of an object of interest and include means for determining, based on the indication of the object of interest, that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

[0418] The indication of the object of interest may include at least one of: metadata associated with the object or a classification code associated with the object.

[0419] The apparatus may be caused to perform receiving information related to the object of interest from the network and determining, further based on the received information, that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

Claims

1. A device comprising: means for determining, at a first device, location information associated with an object of interest; as well as Means for providing a message from the first device, wherein the message includes the location information. 2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the location information indicates a location of the object of interest, wherein the location of the object of interest is different from a location of the first device.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the location information comprises at least one of: an indication of the location of the first device, a distance between the first device and the object, or an orientation of the first device.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, comprising a time-of-flight sensor and means for determining the distance using the time-of-flight sensor.

5. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the message comprises a positioning message and comprises means for providing the positioning message to a network function. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the positioning message is an LTE positioning protocol message.

7. An apparatus according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the network function comprises a location management function.

8. The apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the positioning message further comprises an information request indicator.

9. An apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the positioning message further comprises an indication of the object of interest.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the indication of the object of interest comprises metadata associated with the object.

11. An apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 10, comprising means for receiving at the first device, in response to the message, information associated with the object of interest from another network function.

12. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the message comprises a discovery message for device-to-device communication. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the discovery message comprises an open discovery message.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12 or 13, comprising means for determining a transmission power based on the location information and providing the discovery message using the determined transmission power.

15. The apparatus of any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the first device is performing a Model B discovery process. 16 . The apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the discovery message comprises at least one of the following: a discovery request, a sidelink discovery request, or a proximity service (ProSe), or a PC5 discovery request.

17. An apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 16, comprising means for receiving a discovery response message from a second device in response to the discovery message.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, comprising means for receiving, at the first device, from the second device, information associated with the object of interest.

19. An apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 18, wherein the discovery message further comprises an indication of the object of interest.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the indication of the object of interest comprises at least one of: metadata associated with the object or a classification code associated with the object.

21. An apparatus comprising: Means for receiving, at a second device, a message from a first device, wherein the message includes location information associated with an object of interest.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the location information indicates a location of the object of interest, wherein the location of the object of interest is different from a location of the first device.

23. An apparatus according to claim 21 or claim 22, wherein the position information comprises at least one of: an indication of the position of the first device, a distance between the first device and the object, or an orientation of the first device.

24. An apparatus according to any one of claims 21 to 23, wherein the second device is a network function and the message comprises a positioning message.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the positioning message is an LTE positioning protocol message.

26. An apparatus according to claim 24 or 25, wherein the network function comprises a location management function.

27. An apparatus according to any one of claims 24 to 26, comprising means for determining the object of interest based on the position information.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the positioning message further comprises an indication of the object of interest and means for determining the object of interest based on the indication.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the indication of the object of interest comprises metadata associated with the object.

30. The apparatus according to any one of claims 27 to 29, wherein the positioning message further comprises an information request indicator, and the apparatus comprises: Means for providing a request to another network function to provide information associated with the object of interest to the first device.

31. An apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the positioning message does not include an information request indicator and includes a component for determining that the first device has not requested information, and a component for storing the location information associated with the object of interest at the network function based on the determination.

32. An apparatus according to claim 28 or claim 29, wherein the positioning message does not include an information request indicator and includes a component for determining that the first device has not requested information, and a component for storing the location information and the indication associated with the object of interest at the network function based on the determination.

33. An apparatus according to any one of claims 21 to 23, wherein the message comprises a discovery message and comprises: means for determining, based on the location information, that the second device is associated with the object of interest; as well as In response to determining that the second device is associated with the object of interest, means for providing a discovery response message from the second device to the first device.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein means for determining, based on the location information, that the second device is associated with the object of interest comprises means for determining that the second device is in an area indicated by the location information.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the region is based on the location information and a distance threshold.

36. An apparatus according to any one of claims 33 to 35, wherein the discovery response message comprises an open discovery message.

37. An apparatus according to any one of claims 33 to 35, wherein the first device is performing a Model B discovery process.

38. The apparatus according to any one of claims 33 to 37, wherein the discovery response message comprises at least one of the following: a discovery response, a sidelink discovery response, or a proximity service (ProSe), or a PC5 discovery response.

39. The device according to any one of claims 33 to 38, comprising: Means for providing, from the second device to the first device, information associated with the object of interest.

40. An apparatus according to any one of claims 33 to 39, wherein the discovery message further comprises an indication of the object of interest and comprises means for determining, based on the indication of the object of interest, that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the indication of the object of interest comprises at least one of: metadata associated with the object or a classification code associated with the object.

42. The apparatus according to any one of claims 33 to 41, comprising: Means for receiving information related to the object of interest from a network and determining, further based on the received information, that the second device is associated with the object of interest.

43. A method comprising: determining, at the first device, location information associated with the object of interest; as well as A message is provided from the first device, wherein the message includes the location information.

44. A method comprising: A message is received at a second device from a first device, wherein the message includes location information associated with an object of interest.

45. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor, and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: determining, at the first device, location information associated with the object of interest; and A message is provided from the first device, wherein the message includes the location information.

46. ​​An apparatus comprising: at least one processor, and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: A message is received at a second device from a first device, wherein the message includes location information associated with an object of interest.

47. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least perform the following: determining, at the first device, location information associated with the object of interest; and A message is provided from the first device, wherein the message includes the location information.

48. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least: A message is received at a second device from a first device, wherein the message includes location information associated with an object of interest.

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