Method for mobile termination of positioning request for positioning WTRU outside coverage

Abstract

A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) is configured with PC5 signaling by a ProSe layer and is used for ranging and sidelink (SL) positioning. The WTRU is further configured to initiate connection establishment with the relay WTRU for SL positioning when the target WTRU is out of coverage. The WTRU may locate a potential relay WTRU having a known location within the network. The WTRU connects to a relay WTRU via SL positioning, and receives a delayed mobile termination positioning request or a periodic positioning request from the relay WTRU regarding target WTRU location information. The WTRU may further receive a positioning request from an access and mobility management function (AMF) or a positioning management function (LMF) in the network, wherein the AMF / LMF sends the positioning request to the target WTRU via the relay WTRU.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 411,326, filed on September 29, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] In the current 5G system (5GS), the location information of the wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) can be supported by a radio access technology (RAT) dependent method or a RAT independent method. The RAT dependent method requires interaction between the WTRU and the 5GS, and the RAT independent method relies on information provided by the WTRU. Therefore, there may be a limitation in the 5G positioning service that the WTRU is within the coverage of the 5GS.

[0004] There is a proposed solution to extend the coverage of WTRU in 5GS by using Proximity Service Relay (ProSe Relay). The connection from WTRU to 5GS through ProSe Relay is called indirect connection. Indirect connection can be triggered by the WTRU itself instead of by the network. In addition, 5GS may not trigger a positioning request to a WTRU that may be out of coverage until the WTRU returns to coverage or connects with the ProSe Relay.

[0005] Another proposed solution for enabling positioning services for WTRUs out of coverage includes: positioning using communications that do not traverse the network (referred to as PC5-based communications) (with or without assistance from the eNB), or positioning using the so-called sidelink communication capabilities in LTE and 5G for NR (i.e., SL positioning). When a WTRU (here WTRU1) is out of coverage, WTRU1 may perform SL positioning with another WTRU (here WTRU2), which may be available for the air interface (referred to as the Uu interface) of LTE and 5G. In Uu-based positioning, the location of WTRU1 may be determined by the network using SL positioning between WTRU1 and WTRU2 and the location information of WTRU2. WTRU2 may be referred to as a located WTRU.

[0006] In this case, when the WTRU (here is the target WTRU) may be out of coverage and if the 5GS wants to trigger a positioning request for the target WTRU, the 5GS may contact several located WTRUs that may communicate with the target WTRU. However, since the 5GS does not know the location of the target WTRU, the selection of the located WTRU may be based on the last known information before the WTRU leaves coverage. The last known location selection may be unsuccessful in many cases because the WTRU may be unreachable by the located WTRU due to the mobility of the WTRU. Broadening the possible locations of the WTRU based on the last known information to select the located WTRU may require more overhead, such as PC5 signaling from the located WTRU (e.g., out of range of the target WTRU) and maintaining a list of candidate located WTRUs. Summary of the invention

[0007] In a WTRU that supports PC5 signaling supported by the ProSe layer, the WTRU may be provided with ranging and sidelink positioning capabilities. Ranging refers to determining the distance between two or more WTRUs and the direction and / or relative positioning of one WTRU relative to another WTRU. A located WTRU refers to a WTRU whose location may be known or may be known through 5GS using Uu-based positioning. A located WTRU may be used to determine the location of another WTRU using sidelink positioning, wherein the WTRU is configured to initiate connection establishment with a relay WTRU when the WTRU is out of coverage of SL positioning. A positioning request known as a delayed mobile terminated positioning request may request location information using SL positioning with a located WTRU when the WTRU is out of coverage.

[0008] The target WTRU may support ProSe connection and SL positioning and / or perform SL positioning when the WTRU is out of coverage. The WTRU may be configured to connect to a relay WTRU for SL positioning, such as a L2 WTRU-to-network (also WTRU2NW, U2N or UE2NW) relay WTRU, a L3 WTRU2NW relay WTRU with non-3G access interworking function (N3IWF). A positioning request may be sent from the access and mobility management function (AMF) to the target WTRU, and the AMF / positioning management function (LMF) sends the positioning request to the target WTRU via the relay WTRU. After SL positioning, the positioning report of the target WTRU may be sent to the LMF and / or AMF via the relay WTRU.

[0009] A positioning request from a Location Service (LCS) client or an Analysis Function (AF) may include a delayed positioning request or a periodic positioning request. The delayed positioning and periodic positioning request types may request location information of the target WTRU even when the target WTRU is out of coverage. When the target WTRU receives a delayed positioning request with an indicated positioning request type, the target WTRU uses the provided configuration information to perform SL positioning with the discovered or located WTRU. The target WTRU reports its location to the LMF and / or AMF through a positioning report from the located WTRU.

[0010] If the WTRU is out of coverage, the AMF may trigger a positioning request, including a delayed positioning request. When the target WTRU receives a positioning request (with an indicated positioning request type), the target WTRU performs SL positioning with the discovered or located WTRU using the configured information. In addition, the target WTRU may report its location to the LMF and / or AMF via a positioning report from the located WTRU. The LMF may determine a location result (e.g., the absolute location of the target WTRU) based on the SL positioning data and the location of the located WTRU, and provide the location of the target WTRU. The LMF may provide the determined location of the target WTRU to the LCS client or AF of the network, such as via the GMLC.

[0011] The WTRU may be configured to perform a method operating within a network, wherein a target WTRU receives configuration information associated with side link SL positioning and one or more trigger conditions from the network. Once the first-mentioned WTRU determines that the trigger condition has been met, the WTRU may proceed to discover a second WTRU. The first WTRU may perform SL positioning with the second WTRU. The data generated by the SL positioning may be used to determine the position of the first WTRU relative to the second WTRU. The first WTRU may then send at least a portion of the configuration information to the second WTRU. The configuration information may be included in a positioning report to be sent by the second WTRU to the network. The configuration information may include a positioning request identifier. A portion of the configuration information sent to the second WTRU may also include a positioning request identifier. The configuration information may be received from an LMF in the network, and the positioning request identifier may identify the LMF. The first configuration information may include a delayed positioning request from the LMF.

[0012] The first or target WTRU may be configured to determine that it is out of coverage. The WTRU may further send an identifier of the first WTRU to a second WTRU for inclusion in a positioning report sent by the second WTRU to the network. The first WTRU may discover one or more second WTRUs by sending a solicitation message and receiving an announcement message in response to the solicitation message.

[0013] A WTRU (e.g., a positioned WTRU) may be configured to perform a method operating within a network, wherein the WTRU discovers a second WTRU (e.g., a target WTRU) and performs SL positioning with the second WTRU, and a PC5 connection may be established. The first-mentioned WTRU may determine the location of the second WTRU relative to the first WTRU. The first WTRU may receive an identifier of the second WTRU, and may further receive information identifying an LMF in the network. The first WTRU may send a positioning report to the network, wherein the positioning report includes an identifier of the second WTRU and information identifying the LMF in the network. The first WTRU may further discover the second WTRU by receiving a solicitation message from the second WTRU, and / or may send a notification message to the second WTRU. As part of the configuration or otherwise, the first WTRU may receive a delayed positioning request identifying the LMF from the second WTRU. The positioning report may be sent to the LMF and / or AMF in the network. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1A is a system diagram illustrating an example communication system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented;

[0015] Figure 1B is a diagram showing that according to an embodiment, Figure 1A A system diagram of an example wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) for use within the communication system is shown;

[0016] Figure 1C is a diagram showing that according to an embodiment, Figure 1A A system diagram of an example radio access network (RAN) and an example core network (CN) used within the illustrated communication system;

[0017] Figure 1D is a diagram showing that according to an embodiment, Figure 1A A system diagram of yet another example RAN and yet another example CN used within the communication system shown;

[0018] Figure 2 An example of a reference model for 5G / next generation networks is shown.

[0019] Figure 3 An example of a reference model for 5G / next generation networks including positioning services is shown.

[0020] Figure 4 An example of connection establishment based on configuration with a WTRU-to-Network relay is shown.

[0021] Figure 5An example of a delayed Mobile Terminated Location Request (MT-LR) procedure for an out of coverage situation is shown.

[0022] Figure 6 An example of a MF-triggered delayed MT-LR procedure for an out-of-coverage situation is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Figure 1A 1 is a diagram illustrating an example communication system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communication system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc. to multiple wireless users. The communication system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content by sharing system resources (including wireless bandwidth). For example, the communication system 100 may use one or more channel access methods such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero tail unique word DFT-spread OFDM (ZT UW DTS-s OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block filtered OFDM, and filter bank multi-carrier (FBMC), etc.

[0024] like Figure 1AAs shown, the communication system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, RAN 104 / 113, CN 106 / 115, public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, Internet 110, and other networks 112, but it will be understood that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. As examples, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d (any of which may be referred to as a “station” and / or “STA”) may be configured to send and / or receive wireless signals and may include a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscription-based unit, a pager, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smart phone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fi device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or automated process chain environment), a consumer electronic device, a device operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, etc. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d may be interchangeably referred to as a UE.

[0025] The communication system 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to facilitate access to one or more communication networks (e.g., the CN 106 / 115, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112) by connecting to at least one wireless interface of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node B, an eNode B, a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, a gNB, an NR Node B, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. Although each of the base stations 114a, 114b is depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0026] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 104 / 113, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), a relay node, etc. The base station 114a and / or the base station 114b may be configured to send and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as cells (not shown). These frequencies may be in a licensed spectrum, an unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of a licensed spectrum and an unlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide coverage for wireless services to a specific geographic area, which may be relatively fixed or may change over time. The cell may be further divided into cell sectors. For example, a cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, i.e., each sector of the cell has one transceiver. In an embodiment, the base station 114a may use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology, and may use multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to transmit and / or receive signals in a desired spatial direction.

[0027] The base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be established using any suitable RAT.

[0028] More specifically, as described above, the communication system 100 may be a multiple access system and may use one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, etc. For example, the base station 114a in the RAN 104 / 113 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may use Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) to establish the air interface 115 / 116 / 117. WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High Speed ​​Downlink (DL) Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High Speed ​​UL Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0029] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or Advanced LTE (LTE-A) and / or Advanced LTE Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[0030] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as NR radio access, which may establish the air interface 116 using New Radio (NR).

[0031] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement LTE radio access and NR radio access together, for example using dual connectivity (DC) principles. Thus, the air interface used by the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions sent to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., eNBs and gNBs).

[0032] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi)), IEEE 802.16 (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), etc.

[0033] As an example, Figure 1AThe base station 114b in the example may be a wireless router, a Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or an access point, and may use any appropriate RAT to facilitate wireless connectivity in a local area, such as a business location, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a road, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may establish a wireless local area network (WLAN) by implementing a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11. In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN) by implementing a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15. In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may establish a picocell or a femtocell by using a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-APro, NR, etc.). Figure 1A As shown, the base station 114b may have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Thus, the base station 114b may not be required to access the Internet 110 via the CN 106 / 115.

[0034] The RAN 104 / 113 may be in communication with the CN 106 / 115, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications and / or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. Data may have varying quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as different throughput requirements, latency requirements, fault tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, etc. The CN 106 / 115 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, prepaid calls, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform advanced security functions such as user authentication. Although in Figure 1A Not shown, but it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 / 113 and / or the CN 106 / 115 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104 / 113, which may employ NR radio technology, the CN 106 / 115 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) employing GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0035] The CN 106 / 115 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include a circuit-switched telephone network that provides plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), the User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and / or the Internet Protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP Internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired and / or wireless communication networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT.

[0036] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communication system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks via different wireless links). Figure 1A The illustrated WTRU 102c may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with the base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0037] Figure 1B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. Figure 1B As shown, the WTRU 102 may include, among other things, a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keyboard 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0038] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) field programmable gate array (FPGA) circuit, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, etc. The processor 118 may perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. Although Figure 1B The processor 118 and the transceiver 120 are depicted as separate components, but it will be understood that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0039] The send / receive element 122 may be configured to send or receive signals to or from a base station (e.g., base station 114a) via an air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the send / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to send and / or receive RF signals. In an embodiment, the send / receive element 122 may be a transmitter / detector configured to send and / or receive, for example, IR, UV, or visible light signals. In yet another embodiment, the send / receive element 122 may be configured to send and / or receive both RF and optical signals. It will be appreciated that the send / receive element 122 may be configured to send and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0040] Although the transmit / receive element 122 is Figure 1B 102 as a single element, but the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[0041] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate signals to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and to demodulate signals received by the transmit / receive element 122. As described above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs (e.g., NR and IEEE 802.11).

[0042] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to the speaker / microphone 124, the keyboard 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit, or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display unit), and may receive user input data from these components. The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keyboard 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in any type of suitable memory, such as the non-removable memory 130 and / or the removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, etc. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in a memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0043] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134, and may be configured to distribute and / or control power to the other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, etc.

[0044] The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to or in lieu of the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) over the air interface 116 and / or determine its location based on the timing of signals received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information using any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with the embodiments.

[0045] The processor 118 may also be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality, and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an electronic compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photos and / or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands-free headset, module, FM radio unit, digital music player, media player, video game console module, Internet browser, virtual reality and / or augmented reality (VR / AR) device, activity tracker, etc. Peripheral device 138 may include one or more sensors, which may be one or more of the following: gyroscope, accelerometer, Hall effect sensor, magnetometer, orientation sensor, proximity sensor, temperature sensor, time sensor; geolocation sensor; altimeter, light sensor, touch sensor, magnetometer, barometer, gesture sensor, biometric sensor and / or humidity sensor.

[0046] The WTRU 102 may include a full-duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with specific subframes for both UL (e.g., for transmission) and downlink (e.g., for reception)) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous. The full-duplex radio may include an interference management unit 139 to reduce and / or substantially eliminate self-interference via hardware (e.g., choke) or via signal processing by a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or via processor 118). In an embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include a half-duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with specific subframes for either UL (e.g., for transmission) and downlink (e.g., for reception)) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous.

[0047] Figure 1C 1 is a system diagram showing the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to an embodiment. As described above, the RAN 104 may employ an E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0048] The RAN 104 may include eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, for example, the eNode-B 160a may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to and / or receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a.

[0049] Each of the eNodeBs 160a, 160b, 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, user scheduling in UL and / or DL, etc. Figure 1C As shown, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another via an X2 interface.

[0050] Figure 1C The illustrated CN 106 may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, a serving gateway (SGW) 164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway (or PGW) 166. While each of the foregoing elements is depicted as being part of the CN 106, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0051] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 162a, 162b, 162c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during an initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, etc. The MME 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0052] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface. The SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164 may perform other functions, such as anchoring the user plane during inter-eNode-B handovers, triggering paging when DL data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing the context of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like.

[0053] The SGW 164 may be connected to the PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0054] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices. For example, the CN 106 may include or communicate with an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0055] Although the WTRU Figures 1A to 1D Although described as a wireless terminal, it is contemplated that in certain representative embodiments, such a terminal may use (eg, temporarily or permanently) a wired communication interface with a communication network.

[0056] In a representative embodiment, other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0057] A WLAN using an infrastructure basic service set (BSS) mode may have an access point (AP) for a BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP may have access or an interface to a distribution system (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that sends traffic into and / or out of the BSS. Traffic originating from outside the BSS to a STA may arrive through the AP and may be delivered to the STA. Traffic originating from a STA to a destination outside the BSS may be sent to the AP to be delivered to the corresponding destination. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be sent through the AP, for example, where a source STA may send traffic to the AP, and the AP may deliver traffic to the destination STA. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be considered and / or referred to as peer traffic. Peer traffic may be sent between a source STA and a destination STA (e.g., directly between a source STA and a destination STA) using a direct link setup (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use 802.11e DLS or 802.11z tunnel DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and STAs (eg, all of the STAs) within or using the IBSS may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS communication mode may sometimes be referred to herein as an "ad-hoc" communication mode.

[0058] When using the 802.11ac infrastructure mode of operation or a similar mode of operation, the AP may send beacons on a fixed channel (e.g., a primary channel). The primary channel may be a fixed width (e.g., a 20 MHz wide bandwidth) or a width dynamically set via signaling. The primary channel may be an operating channel of the BSS and may be used by a STA to establish a connection with the AP. In certain representative embodiments, carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) may be implemented, such as in an 802.11 system. For CSMA / CA, a STA (e.g., each STA) (including the AP) may sense the primary channel. If the primary channel is sensed / detected by a particular STA and / or is determined to be busy, the particular STA may back off. One STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any given time in a given BSS.

[0059] A high throughput (HT) STA may communicate using a 40 MHz wide channel, for example, by combining a 20 MHz wide primary channel with a 20 MHz wide adjacent or non-adjacent channel to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[0060] Very high throughput (VHT) STA can support 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz and / or 160MHz wide channels. 40MHz and / or 80MHz channels can be formed by combining continuous 20MHz channels. A 160MHz channel can be formed by combining 8 continuous 20MHz channels, or by combining two non-continuous 80MHz channels, which can be referred to as an 80+80 configuration. For the 80+80 configuration, the data after channel coding can pass through a segment parser that can divide the data into two streams. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) processing and time domain processing can be performed on each stream separately. The stream can be mapped to two 80MHz channels, and the data can be sent by the transmitting STA. At the receiver of the receiving STA, the above operations for the 80+80 configuration can be reversed, and the combined data can be sent to the medium access control (MAC).

[0061] The sub-1 GHz operating mode is supported by 802.11af and 802.11ah. The channel operating bandwidth and carrier in 802.11af and 802.11ah are reduced relative to the channel operating bandwidth and carrier used in 802.11n and 802.11ac. 802.11af supports 5MHz, 10MHz and 20MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.11ah supports 1MHz, 2MHz, 4MHz, 8MHz and 16MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.11ah can support meter type control / machine type communication, such as MTC devices in macro coverage areas. MTC devices may have certain capabilities, for example, including limited capabilities to support (e.g., only support) certain and / or limited bandwidths. MTC devices may include batteries with battery life above a threshold (e.g., to maintain extremely long battery life).

[0062] WLAN systems that can support multiple channels and channel bandwidths (such as 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11af, and 802.11ah) include channels that can be designated as primary channels. The primary channel may have a bandwidth equal to the maximum common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be set and / or defined by a STA that is a STA that supports the minimum bandwidth operating mode among all STAs operating in the BSS. In the example of 802.11ah, for STAs (e.g., MTC type devices) that support (e.g., only support) a 1MHz mode, the primary channel may be 1MHz wide even if the AP and other STAs in the BSS support 2MHz, 4MHz, 8MHz, 16MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and / or network allocation vector (NAV) settings may depend on the state of the primary channel. If, for example, the primary channel is busy due to a STA (which only supports a 1MHz operating mode) sending to the AP, the entire available band may be considered busy even if most of the band remains idle and may be available.

[0063] In the United States, the available frequency band that can be used by 802.11ah is from 902MHz to 928MHz. In South Korea, the available frequency band is from 917.5MHz to 923.5MHz. In Japan, the available frequency band is from 916.5MHz to 927.5MHz. Depending on the country code, the total bandwidth available for 802.11ah is from 6MHz to 26MHz.

[0064] Figure 1D1 is a system diagram showing the RAN 113 and the CN 115 according to an embodiment. As described above, the RAN 113 may employ NR radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 113 may also be in communication with the CN 115.

[0065] The RAN 113 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 113 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO technology. One or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b may utilize beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to and / or receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a. The gNB 180a may send multiple component carriers to the WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on an unlicensed spectrum, while the remaining component carriers may be on a licensed spectrum. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement coordinated multi-point (CoMP) technology. The WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from the gNB 180a and gNB 180b (and / or gNB 180c).

[0066] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with scalable parameter sets. The OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframes or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of various or scalable lengths (e.g., containing different numbers of OFDM symbols and / or lasting different lengths of absolute time)

[0067] The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be configured to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in a standalone configuration and / or a non-standalone configuration. In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c without accessing other RANs (e.g., such as the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c). In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may utilize one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c as mobility anchors. In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using signals in an unlicensed band. In a non-standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate / connect with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c while also communicating / connecting with another RAN, such as an eNode-B 160a, 160b, 160c. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement the DC principle to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c and one or more eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c substantially simultaneously. In a non-standalone configuration, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may serve as mobility anchors for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may provide additional coverage and / or throughput for serving the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0068] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be associated with a specific cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, user scheduling in UL and / or DL, support for network slicing, dual connectivity, interworking between NR and E-UTRA, user plane data routing towards a user plane function (UPF) 184a, 184b, control plane information routing towards an AMF 182a, 182b, etc. Figure 1D As shown, gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c may communicate with each other via an Xn interface.

[0069] Figure 1DThe illustrated CN 115 may include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one session management function (SMF) 183a, 183b, and may include a data network (DN) 185a, 185b. Although each of the foregoing elements is depicted as part of the CN 115, it will be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0070] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via the N2 interface and may serve as a control node. The AMF 182a, 182b may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c, supporting network slicing (e.g., handling different PDU sessions with different requirements), selecting a specific SMF 183a, 183b, managing registration areas, terminating non-access stratum (NAS) signaling, mobility management, etc. The AMF 182a, 182b may use network slicing to customize CN support for the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c based on the type of service used by the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c. Different network slices may be established for different use cases, such as services relying on ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) access, services relying on enhanced massive mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services for machine type communication (MTC) access, etc. The AMF 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 113 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-APro, and / or non-3GPP access technologies such as WiFi.

[0071] The SMF 183a, 183b may be connected to the AMF 182a, 182b in the CN 115 via the N11 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may also be connected to the UPF 184a, 184b in the CN 115 via the N4 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may select and control the UPF 184a, 184b, and configure the routing of traffic through the UPF 184a, 184b. The SMF 183a, 183b may perform other functions, such as managing and allocating UE IP addresses, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, providing downlink data notification, etc. The PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP-based, Ethernet-based, etc.

[0072] The UPF 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via an N3 interface, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The UPF 184, 184b may perform other functions, such as routing and forwarding packets, enforcing user plane policies, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering downlink packets, providing mobility anchoring, etc.

[0073] The CN 115 may facilitate communications with other networks. The CN 115 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 115 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 115 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. In one embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to a local data network (DN) 185a, 185b through the UPF 184a, 184b via an N3 interface to the UPF 184a, 184b and an N6 interface between the UPF 184a, 184b and the DN 185a, 185b.

[0074] based on Figures 1A to 1D as well as Figures 1A to 1D In accordance with the corresponding description of the present invention, one or more or all of the functions described herein for one or more of the following may be performed by one or more simulation devices (not shown): WTRU 102a-d, base station 114a-b, eNodeB 160a-c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNB 180a-c, AMF 182a-b, UPF 184a-b, SMF 183a-b, DN 185a-b and / or any other device (one or more) described herein. The simulation device may be one or more devices configured to simulate one or more or all of the functions described herein. The simulation device may be used to test other devices and / or simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0075] The simulation device may be designed to implement one or more tests of other devices in a laboratory environment and / or an operator network environment. One or more simulation devices may perform one or more or all functions when fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network in order to test other devices within the communication network. One or more simulation devices may perform one or more or all functions when temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The simulation device may be directly coupled to another device for testing purposes, and / or may use over-the-air wireless communications to perform testing.

[0076] One or more simulation devices can perform one or more functions including all functions when not implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The simulation device can be used in a test lab and / or in a test scenario in a non-deployed (e.g., testing) wired and / or wireless communication network to implement testing of one or more components. One or more simulation devices can be test devices. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communication via RF circuits (e.g., which can include one or more antennas) can be used by the simulation device to send and / or receive data.

[0077] exist Figure 2 , a reference model of a potential architecture for a 5G or next generation network is shown. Here, RAN refers to a radio access network based on 5G RAT or evolved E-UTRA connected to a next generation core network. AMF 201 may include functions such as registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, etc. Session management function (SMF) 202 may include functions such as session management (including session establishment, modification and release), WTRU IP address allocation, selection and control of UP functions, etc. In addition, user plane function (UPF) 203 may include functions such as packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, and traffic usage reporting. UPF 203 may be directly interfaced with a data network (DN) 210. AMF 201 and SMF 202 may be interfaced with an authentication server function (AUSF) 206 and a unified data management (UDM) 207. SMF may be interfaced with a policy control function (PCF) 208, and in turn with an application function (AF) 209. AMF 201 may be directly interfaced with PCF 208 (such as via interface N15).

[0078] The 5G positioning service provides functionality for location information for the WTRU 204. The positioning of the WTRU 204 may be supported by a RAT-dependent positioning method that relies on 3GPP RAT measurements obtained by the target WTRU and / or measurements of 3GPP RAT signals transmitted by the target WTRU obtained by the access network (see, for example, (R)AN 205). The WTRU 204 and the (R)AN 205 may interface directly with the AMF 201. The positioning of the WTRU 204 may also be supported by a RAT-independent positioning method that may rely on non-RAT measurements and / or other information obtained by the WTRU 204. Location information for one or more target WTRUs may be requested and reported to an LCS client or AF 209 within or outside the 3GPP operator network, or a control plane network function (NF) within the 3GPP system. For a positioning request (209) from an LCS client or AF, privacy verification of the target WTRU 204 may be enabled to check whether it is allowed to obtain WTRU location information.

[0079] Several different types of positioning requests may be supported, including a mobile terminated positioning request (MT-LR), in which the LCS client or AF 209 sends a positioning request for the location of the target WTRU 204 to the 5G network. Another positioning request supported may be a mobile originated positioning request (MO-LR), in which the WTRU 204 sends a request for location-related information of the WTRU to the 5G network. An immediate positioning request is supported as a positioning request sent or initiated by the LCS client or AF 209 to the target WTRU, and a response containing the location information of the target WTRU is expected to be received within a short period of time. It may be used for MT-LR or MO-LR. Another positioning request format supported may be a delayed positioning request, in which the LCS client or AF sends a positioning request for the target WTRU to the 5G network, and a response is expected to be received at some future time when an indicated event occurs for the target WTRU. It may be used for MT-LR.

[0080] exist Figure 3, a reference model for a 5G / next generation network for positioning services is shown, where (R)AN 301 represents NG-RAN, trusted non-3GPP access, or untrusted non-3GPP access. The access network may be involved in the processing of various positioning procedures, including locating the target WTRU 302, providing location-related information that is not associated with a specific target WTRU 302, and transmitting positioning messages between the AMF 303 or LMF 304 and the target WTRU 302. The AF 305 and the NF may access the LCS service through the Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 307 in the same 3GPP operator network. The LCS client 306 may access the LCS service through the GMLC 307, and the external AF 305 may access the LCS service through the NEF 308. The AMF 303, the NEF 308, and the GMLC 307 may also interface with the UDM 310.

[0081] If the AF 305 may be an external AF, the GMLC 307 processes requests from the external LCS client 306, the AF 305 via the NEF 308, and forwards the positioning request to the appropriate NF. The location retrieval function (LRF) 309 may be responsible for retrieving or verifying the location information and may be collocated or separate from the GMLC 307. The LMF 304 manages the overall coordination and scheduling of resources required for the positioning of the WTRU 302, which may be registered with or access the 5G core network (5GCN). It may calculate or verify the final location-related information and the accuracy of the implementation.

[0082] Figure 4 A process for connecting a WTRU-to-Network (WTRU2NW) relay (which may also be referred to as a UE2NW relay) based on configuration information for the positioned WTRU 401 is shown. In step 0, if the target WTRU 402 is capable of SL positioning and / or the WTRU 402 is capable of SL positioning when out of coverage, the WTRU 402 identifies this capability during registration. In response, the target WTRU 402 will be provided with parameters for ProSe connection establishment and SL positioning, which may include target WTRU ID information to be used for discovery, PC5 link establishment for SL positioning applications, and ProSe service information for SL positioning applications. The WTRU 402 may also be configured with information about the relay WTRU 403 with a relay service code (RSC), which may also indicate its support for processing SL positioning messages or RSC through an indication of whether the relay supports processing SL positioning messages.

[0083] The target WTRU 402 may be configured to connect to the WTRU2NW relay when the target WTRU 402 goes out of coverage, and based on the WTRU's ability to support ProSe connectivity and SL positioning and / or SL positioning when out of coverage, find a relay WTRU 403 that supports WTRU2NW relay. If the network does not want to implement the availability of the WTRU via a relay when the WTRU 402 may be out of coverage, the network may instruct the WTRU 402 to turn off the configuration.

[0084] Alternatively or additionally, the 5GS may identify potential areas where the target WTRU 402 may be out of coverage based on the mobility pattern of the target WTRU 402 and the analysis information associated therewith. The 5GS may provide several designated WTRUs to act as relays or to provide assistance to the located WTRU 401 within the potential areas of the target WTRU 402. The designated WTRU 401 may be selected based on the mobility pattern of the WTRU, which includes the mobility patterns of the target WTRU 402 and the potential assisting WTRUs, and the analysis information of these WTRUs. The mobility pattern information may include information about how often the WTRU 402 approaches out of coverage areas of various areas, how long it remains out of coverage when it enters, and how fast the WTRU 402 moves around these areas.

[0085] The 5GS may provide location information, such as tracking areas, nearby cell IDs, potential areas out of coverage, and / or a list of assisting WTRUs (e.g., a list of potential assisting WTRUs 401) and related information to be used for discovery (e.g., RSC or WTRU ID information). The 5GS may provide a list of potential assisting WTRUs 401 based on the registration area of ​​the target WTRU 402 (alone or in addition to the above). The 5GS may update the list of potential assisting WTRUs 401 when the target WTRU 402 performs mobility registration based on the registration area of ​​the target WTRU.

[0086] Even though the target WTRU 402 may be configured to connect to the relay WTRU 403, the target WTRU 402 may not perform a connection with the relay WTRU 403, and the target WTRU 402 may be out of coverage (e.g., due to low battery or user selection) and the WTRU may provide this information to the network (if available).

[0087] In step 1 of the procedure, when the target WTRU 402 detects that it may be out of coverage, it may initiate discovery of the relay WTRU 403 as configured in step 0 or based on any pending request from the LCS client, AF or any NF to report its location when it goes out of coverage. If the WTRU 402 is close to a potential area where the target WTRU 402 may be out of coverage, the target WTRU 402 may alternatively or separately attempt to discover the secondary WTRU 401 even before the WTRU 402 is out of coverage. This alternative or separate procedure may be configured in step 0 in order to reduce the time out of coverage.

[0088] In step 2, based on the configuration information from step 0, the target WTRU 402 may perform a discovery process by monitoring advertisement messages from potential relay WTRUs 403, or may initiate a solicitation message in order to find the relay WTRU 403. In step 3, the target WTRU 402 attempts a connection establishment with the relay WTRU 403. In addition, the target WTRU 402 may perform a registration process with the AMF 404 via the relay WTRU 403. In step 4, the AMF 404 may receive a positioning request for the target WTRU 402, or may be triggered to initiate a positioning request for the target WTRU 402. Step 5 may be a selection process by the AMF 404 to identify the LMF 405 to handle the positioning of the target WTRU 402. The AMF 404 sends a positioning request for the target WTRU 402 to the LMF 405.

[0089] In step 6, the LMF 405 communicates with the target WTRU 402 to exchange the capabilities of SL positioning and / or Uu positioning, to notify any assistance information used for positioning, and sends a positioning request to the target WTRU 402. Once executed, in step 7, the target WTRU 402 attempts to discover the located WTRU 401 by monitoring the announcement message from any located WTRU 401, or by sending a solicitation message to find any located WTRU 401 using the information in step 0. When the target WTRU 402 discovers the located WTRU 401, the target WTRU 402 establishes a PC5 connection with the located WTRU 402. When the relay WTRU 403 is capable and authorized to act as a located WTRU 401 known to the target WTRU 402, the target WTRU 402 may use the relay WTRU 403 as the located WTRU 401.

[0090] In step 8, the target WTRU 402 and the positioned WTRU 401 perform SL positioning to measure the position of the target WTRU 402 relative to each other. In step 9, the target WTRU 402 may send a positioning report to the LMF 405, which may include the SL positioning results between the target WTRU 402 and the positioned WTRU 401, and information about the positioned WTRU 401.

[0091] After receiving the positioning report, the LMF 405 may determine the location of the target WTRU 402 using the SL positioning result and the location of the located WTRU 401 in step 10. If necessary, the LMF 405 may perform a Uu positioning procedure with the located WTRU 401 to determine the location of the target WTRU 402. The LMF 405 may send the determined location information of the target WTRU 402 to the AMF 404. The LMF 405 may also include information about the located WTRU 401 in the positioning report.

[0092] exist Figure 5 , the process of delaying a 5G MT-LR request for a target WTRU 502 originating from an AF 506 or an LCS client 509 is shown. In step 0, if the WTRU 502 is capable of SL positioning and / or the WTRU 502 is capable of SL positioning when out of coverage, the WTRU 502 indicates this capability during registration. The WTRU 502 will be provided with parameters to be used for SL positioning. The parameters may include target WTRU ID information to be used for discovery, PC5 link establishment for SL positioning applications, and ProSe service information for SL positioning applications. Alone or in addition to the above parameters, the WTRU 502 may be configured with information to be used for discovering the located WTRU 501. The configuration information may include one or more discovery codes or application codes of the located WTRU 502, filtering information for detecting the located WTRU 502, or a list of IDs of the located WTRUs. The configuration information may include one or more relay service codes (RSCs) to discover a WTRU2NW relay WTRU with or without SL positioning capability that can forward SL positioning messages between the WTRU and the network (NW). The configuration information may also include the RSC of the located WTRU 502 when the located WTRU 501 can operate as a WTRU2NW relay WTRU. This information may be combined with verification conditions such as time period and location (e.g., cell level or TA level) that may be provided together.

[0093] After receiving the configuration information, in step 1, the LCS client 509 or the AF 506 (e.g., via the NEF 507, when the AF 506 may be outside the operator domain) may request the 5GCN to report the location information of the target WTRU 502, and the positioning request may include a request type to report the location information of the target WTRU 502 when the target WTRU 502 enters out of coverage. The positioning request may also include a request to periodically report the location information of the target WTRU 502 at time intervals. The periodic positioning report may also be provided by using SL positioning and the located WTRU 501 (if available) to include its location (even if the target WTRU 502 may be out of coverage).

[0094] In step 2, after receiving the positioning request, the GMLC 508 may check the privacy settings of the target WTRU 502 and whether the target WTRU 502 may be allowed to notify its location by requesting the AF 506 or the LCS client 509. The privacy settings of the target WTRU 502 may be different for each application. The privacy settings may be different for the in-coverage situation and the out-of-coverage situation. In step 3, the GMLC 508 selects the serving AMF 504 of the target WTRU 502 for sending the received positioning request. In step 4, the GMLC 508 sends a signaling message to the AMF 504 to forward the received positioning request. In step 5, when the AMF 504 receives the positioning request, it may confirm to the GMLC 508. After receiving the confirmation from the AMF 504, the GMLC 508 may send another confirmation to the AF 506 or the LCS client 509 that sent the positioning request. In step 6, the AMF 504 selects the LMF 505 to handle the positioning of the target WTRU 502.

[0095] In step 7, the AMF 504 may send a positioning request for the target WTRU 502 to the LMF 505, the positioning request including the request type received from the GMLC 508. For a delayed positioning request, the AMF 504 may include a trigger condition indicating that when the WTRU 502 enters out of coverage, it should report its location information through a WTRU2NW relay WTRU or by connecting via the located WTRU 501. For a periodic positioning request, it may be configured or indicated that the target WTRU 502 needs to report its location through a WTRU2NW relay WTRU or by connecting via the located WTRU 501 even when the target WTRU 502 may be out of coverage. In step 8, after receiving the positioning request, the LMF 505 may communicate with the target WTRU 502 to exchange capability information for SL positioning and / or Uu positioning, and any other assistance information for positioning.

[0096] The target WTRU 502 may receive configuration information associated with, for example, SL positioning. In some examples, the target WTRU 502 may receive configuration information from the LMF 505. The configuration information may include one or more out-of-coverage trigger conditions. For example, in step 9, the LMF 505 may send a delayed positioning request with a positioning request type to the target WTRU 502, the positioning request type including a delayed positioning request type with a trigger condition or a periodic positioning request type. In order to identify the positioning request, the LMF 505 may include an identifier of the positioning request, such as a LOC event identifier. By comparing the LOC event identifier with the identifier of the target WTRU 502, the LMF 505 may verify whether the positioning report is related to the sent positioning request. In some examples, the LOC event identifier may identify the LMF 505. In step 10, after receiving the delayed positioning request, the target WTRU 502 may respond to the LMF 505. The target WTRU 502 may further begin monitoring whether one or more trigger conditions are met.

[0097] In step 11, after receiving the confirmation from the target WTRU 502, the LMF 505 may inform the AMF 504 that the positioning request was successfully received by the target WTRU 502. In step 12, the AMF 504 may inform the GMLC 508 that the positioning request may be successfully sent to the target WTRU 502. In addition, the GMLC 508 may inform the requesting AF 506 or LCS client 509 that the positioning request was successfully sent to the target WTRU 502.

[0098] The target WTRU 502 may determine that a trigger condition for being out of coverage has been met, and in response, may perform SL positioning with the located WTRU based on meeting the trigger condition. For example, in step 13, if the target WTRU 502 finds that it may be out of coverage, as indicated by the trigger condition, the target WTRU 502 attempts to discover one or more located WTRUs 501, for example, by monitoring any notification messages from any located WTRU 501, or by sending a solicitation message to discover any located WTRU 501 (e.g., using the information in step 0). In step 14, when the target WTRU 502 discovers the located WTRU 501, the target WTRU 502 establishes a PC5 connection with the located WTRU 501. In step 15, the target WTRU 502 and the located WTRU 501 perform SL positioning to measure the location of the target WTRU 502. For example, the located WTRU 501 may be configured to determine the location of the target WTRU 502 via a SL positioning method. The target WTRU 502 may send at least a portion of the configuration information (e.g., LMF information) to the located WTRU 501 for inclusion in a positioning report sent by the located WTRU 501 to the network. For example, the target WTRU 502 may notify the located WTRU 502 of the LMF information. The located WTRU 502 may send a delayed positioning request to the target WTRU 502. The target WTRU 502 may notify the located WTRU 501 of the LOC event identifier and the identifier of the target WTRU 502, and the located WTRU 501 may include the LOC event identifier and / or the identifier of the target WTRU 502 in the positioning report sent to the network. In step 16, the located WTRU 501 sends a positioning report to the LMF 505, the positioning report including the SL positioning result between the target WTRU 502 and the located WTRU 501. The positioning report may also include the LOC event identifier and the identifier of the target WTRU 502 as received in step 15.

[0099] In step 17, after receiving the positioning report from the located WTRU 501, the LMF 505 may determine the location of the target WTRU 502 using the SL positioning result and the location of the located WTRU 501. If necessary, the LMF 505 may perform a Uu positioning procedure with the located WTRU 501 to determine the location of the target WTRU 502. The LMF 505 may also send the determined location information of the target WTRU 502 to the AMF 504. The LMF 505 may include information about the located WTRU 501 in the positioning report. In step 18, after receiving the positioning report of the target WTRU 502 from the LMF 505, the AMF 504 may send the positioning report to the GMLC 508. The GMLC 508 sends the positioning report of the target WTRU 502 to the requesting AF 506 or LCS Client 509.

[0100] Alternatively or additionally, the 5GS may be aware of potential areas where the target WTRU 502 may be out of coverage based on the mobility pattern of the target WTRU 502 and the analysis information about the target WTRU 502. For potential areas outside of coverage, the 5GS may install several designated WTRUs to provide assistance to the positioned WTRU 501. The 5GS may provide location information, such as tracking areas, cell IDs, nearby potential areas outside of coverage, and / or a list of assisting WTRUs. Such as in step 0, step 7, step 8, and step 9, relevant information such as discovery code and / or WTRU ID information to be used for discovery. If configured, then in step 13, when the target WTRU 502 detects that it may be approaching a potential area outside of coverage, the target WTRU 502 may be triggered to discover the configured positioned WTRU 501.

[0101] After the target WTRU 502 discovers that it may be out of coverage in step 13, when the target WTRU 502 discovers the WTRU2NW relay WTRU, the target WTRU 502 connects to the relay WTRU. If the relay WTRU supports the located WTRU 501 or is any located WTRU 501 discovered in step 15, it may perform SL positioning with the WTRU2NW relay. In addition, in step 16, the target WTRU 502 may report a positioning report to the LMF 505 through the WTRU2NW relay.

[0102] After the target WTRU 502 discovers that it may be out of coverage in step 13, the target WTRU 502 may perform other procedures to report its location to the NW, such as positioning using a RAT independent positioning method and / or triggering a MO-LR positioning request.

[0103] exist Figure 6 6, the process of delaying 5G MT-LR request by AMF 604 or LMF 605 for target WTRU 602 is shown. In order to process the positioning request from AF or LCS client, AMF 604 or LMF 605 may need to keep tracking the location of target WTRU 502. In order to maintain tracking, when WTRU 602 may be out of coverage but the discovered or located WTRU 501 may be nearby, AMF 604 or LMF 605 may trigger a positioning request for target WTRU 502 to report its location by located WTRU 601. The triggering condition may include that WTRU 602 should report its location when the located WTRU 501 that can reach WTRU 502 may change due to mobility of WTRU or other reasons.

[0104] exist Figure 6 In step 0, if the WTRU 602 is capable of SL positioning and / or SL positioning when out of coverage, the WTRU 602 indicates this capability during registration. The WTRU 602 will be provided with parameters to be used for SL positioning. The parameters may include target WTRU ID information to be used for discovery, PC5 link establishment for SL positioning applications, and ProSe service information for SL positioning applications. The WTRU 602 may be configured with information to be used for discovering the located WTRU 601. A discovery code or application code, the Prose L2 ID of the located WTRU 601, filtering information for detecting the located WTRU 601, and / or a list of located WTRU IDs may be provided. The configuration information may include one or more relay service code (RSC) functions to discover a WTRU2NW relay WTRU with or without SL positioning capability, which relay WTRU is capable of forwarding SL positioning messages between the WTRU and the NW. When the located WTRU 601 is to operate as a WTRU2NW relay WTRU, this information may include the RSC of the located WTRU 601. This information may be combined with verification conditions, such as time period and location (eg, cell level or TA level).

[0105] In step 1, the AMF 604 may be triggered to initiate a positioning request for the target WTRU 602, for example, after detecting that the target WTRU 602 may be capable of SL positioning and / or may be capable of SL positioning when out of coverage. The AMF 604 may utilize the triggering conditions to initiate a delayed positioning request for the target WTRU 602 to report its location information directly based on SL positioning, through a WTRU2NW relay WTRU, or via a located WTRU 601. The triggering conditions for positioning reporting may include the following situations: when the WTRU 502 may be out of coverage and finds a located WTRU 601 or a WTRU2NW relay WTRU, when the WTRU is connected to another located WTRU 601 or when the WTRU may be disconnected from an old located WTRU and connected to a new located WTRU 601, or when the WTRU moves to another WTRU2NW relay WTRU when out of coverage. In step 2, the AMF 604 may select the LMF 605 to send a delayed positioning request to the target WTRU 602. In step 3, the AMF 604 may send a delayed positioning request for the target WTRU 602 to the selected LMF 605. In step 4, after receiving the request, the LMF 605 may communicate with the target WTRU 602 to exchange capabilities for SL positioning and / or Uu positioning, and any assistance information for positioning.

[0106] In step 5, the LMF 605 may send a delayed positioning request with trigger conditions to the target WTRU 602. As indicated by the AMF 604, the trigger conditions may include the following situations: when the WTRU 602 may be out of coverage and finds a located WTRU 601 or a WTRU2NW relay WTRU, when the WTRU may be connected to another located WTRU 61, or when the WTRU 602 may be disconnected from the old located WTRU and connected to a new located WTRU 601, or when the WTRU 602 moves to another WTRU2NW relay WTRU when out of coverage. To identify the positioning request, the LMF 605 may include an identifier of the positioning request, such as a LOC event identifier. By comparing the LOC event identifier and the identifier of the target WTRU 602, the LMF 605 may verify whether the positioning report can be related to the sent positioning request.

[0107] In step 6, after receiving the delayed positioning request including the trigger condition, the target WTRU 602 may respond to the LMF 605. The target WTRU 602 may start monitoring whether the trigger condition is met. In step 7, after receiving the response from the target WTRU 602, the LMF 605 may inform the AMF 604 that the delayed positioning request is successfully sent to the target WTRU 602. In step 8, when the target WTRU 602 finds that it may be out of coverage, as indicated in the trigger condition, the target WTRU 602 attempts to discover the located WTRU 601 by monitoring any announcement message from any located WTRU 601, or by sending a solicitation message using the information in step 0 to discover one or more located WTRUs 601. In step 9, when the target WTRU 602 finds the located WTRU 601, the target WTRU 602 establishes a PC5 connection with the located WTRU 601.

[0108] In step 10, the target WTRU 602 and the positioned WTRU 601 perform SL positioning to measure the position of the target WTRU 602, e.g., relative to each other. The target WTRU 602 may notify the positioned WTRU 601 of the LMF 605, which sends a delayed positioning request to the target WTRU 602 in a positioning report. The target WTRU 602 may notify the positioned WTRU 601 of the LOC event identifier and the identifier of the target WTRU 602, which may be included in the positioning report. In step 11, the positioned WTRU 601 sends a positioning report to the LMF 605, which includes the SL positioning results between the target WTRU 602 and the positioned WTRU 601. The positioning report may also include the LOC event identifier and the identifier of the target WTRU 602 as received in step 10.

[0109] In step 12, after receiving the positioning report from the located WTRU 601, the LMF 605 may determine the location of the target WTRU 602 using the SL positioning result and the location of the located WTRU 601. If necessary, the LMF 605 may perform a Uu positioning procedure with the located WTRU 601 to determine the location of the target WTRU 602. The LMF 605 may send the determined location information of the target WTRU 602 to the AMF 604. The LMF 605 may include information about the located WTRU 601 in the positioning report.

[0110] Later, the AMF 604 and LMF 605 may use the located WTRU 601 to send a positioning request to the target WTRU 602, or request the location information of the target WTRU 602 by using SL positioning.

[0111] After the target WTRU 602 discovers that it may be out of coverage in step 13, when the target WTRU 602 discovers the WTRU2NW relay WTRU, the target WTRU 602 may connect to the relay WTRU. If the relay WTRU supports the located WTRU 601 or is any located WTRU 601 discovered in step 15, it may perform SL positioning with the WTRU2NW relay. In addition, in step 16, the target WTRU 602 may report a positioning report to the LMF 605 through the WTRU2NW relay. The target WTRU 602 discovers that it may be out of coverage in step 13, and the target WTRU 602 may perform other procedures to report its location to the NW, such as positioning using a RAT independent positioning method and / or triggering a MO-LR positioning request.

[0112] Alternatively or additionally, the 5GS determines potential areas where the target WTRU 602 may be out of coverage based on the WTRU's mobility pattern and the analysis information about the target WTRU 602. For the determined out of coverage areas, the 5GS may install several designated WTRUs to provide assistance to the located WTRU 601. The 5GS may provide location information, such as tracking areas, cell IDs in the vicinity of the potential out of coverage areas, and / or a list of assisting WTRUs, and related information such as discovery codes and / or WTRU ID information to be used for discovery in step 0, step 3, step 4, and / or step 5. If configured, in step 8, when the target WTRU 602 detects that it may be approaching the potential out of coverage area, the target WTRU 602 may trigger discovery of the configured located WTRU 601.

[0113] After receiving a positioning request (periodically or based on out of coverage) with parameters for detecting a located WTRU or relay WTRU, the target WTRU 602 may maintain an updated list of located WTRUs / relay WTRUs. The updated list may be combined with the validity period and area information taking into account the discovery results and upon event detection. In addition, the target WTRU 602 may use the established information to connect to the located WTRU / relay WTRU to send positioning reports back to the network. This information may be reported to the 5GS and may be used to calculate its mobility pattern or analyze information using a list of potential assisting WTRUs.

[0114] If the target WTRU 602 supports ProSe connectivity and SL positioning and / or performs SL positioning when the WTRU may be out of coverage, the WTRU 602 may be configured to connect to a relay WTRU for SL positioning, such as L2 WTRU2NW relay WTRU, L3 WTRU2NW relay WTRU with N3IWF. In an embodiment, when a positioning request needs to be sent from the AMF 604 to the target WTRU 602, the AMF 604 / LMF 605 sends a positioning request to the target WTRU 601 via the relay WTRU. After SL positioning, the positioning report of the target WTRU 602 may be sent to the LMF 605 and the AMF 604 via the relay WTRU.

[0115] Based on the above, the positioning request from the LCS client or AF may include a delayed positioning request or a periodic positioning request, which requests the location information of the target WTRU 602 even when the target WTRU 602 may be out of coverage. When the target WTRU receives a delayed positioning request with an indicated positioning request type, the target WTRU uses the configured information to perform SL positioning with the discovered or located WTRU. The target WTRU reports its location to the LMF and AMF through the positioning report from the located WTRU.

[0116] If the target WTRU supports SL positioning and / or performs SL positioning when the WTRU may be out of coverage, the AMF may trigger a positioning request, which may include a delayed positioning request, which requests the location information of the target WTRU when the target WTRU may be out of coverage. When the target WTRU receives a delayed positioning request with the indicated positioning request type, the target WTRU performs SL positioning with the discovered or located WTRU using the configured information. The target WTRU reports its location to the LMF and the AMF through a positioning report from the located WTRU.

[0117] The target or first WTRU may be configured with PC5 signaling by the ProSe layer and used for ranging and sidelink (SL) positioning. The target WTRU may also be configured to or perform an operation method to: initiate a connection establishment with a relay WTRU for SL positioning when the target WTRU is out of coverage; connect to the relay WTRU via SL positioning; and thereafter receive a delayed mobile terminated positioning request or a periodic positioning request for the target WTRU location information from the network via the relay WTRU. For example, before SL positioning is established, the target WTRU may locate a potential relay WTRU with a known location within the network. The relay WTRU may be of multiple types, including an L2 WTRU2NW relay WTRU or an L3 WTRU2NW relay WTRU with an N3IWF. The target WTRU may further receive a positioning request from an AMF or LMF in the network, wherein the AMF / LMF sends a positioning request to the target WTRU via the relay WTRU. The target WTRU may also be configured to send a positioning report to the LMF or AMF via the relay WTRU.

[0118] A target or first WTRU may be configured to perform a method operating within a network, wherein the target WTRU receives configuration information associated with side link SL positioning and one or more trigger conditions from the network. Once the target WTRU determines that one or more trigger conditions have been met, the WTRU may proceed to discover or locate a second WTRU. The target WTRU may perform SL positioning with the located WTRU or the second WTRU. The SL positioning data may be used to determine the location of the target WTRU, for example relative to the located WTRU. The target WTRU may then send at least a portion of the configuration information to the located WTRU, and the configuration information may be included in a positioning report to be sent by the located WTRU to the network. The configuration information may include a positioning request identifier. A portion of the configuration information sent to the located WTRU may also include a positioning request identifier. The configuration information may be received from an LMF in the network, and the positioning request identifier may identify the LMF. The target configuration information may include a delayed positioning request from the LMF.

[0119] The target or first WTRU may be configured to determine that it is out of coverage. The target WTRU may further send an identifier of the target WTRU to the located WTRU to be included in the positioning report sent by the located WTRU to the network. The target WTRU may discover one or more located WTRUs by sending a solicitation message and receiving a notification message in response to the solicitation message. The LMF may determine a location result (e.g., an absolute location of the target WTRU based on the SL positioning and the location of the located WTRU), and may provide the location of the target WTRU. The LMF may provide the determined location of the target WTRU to an LCS client or AF of the network, such as via a GMLC.

[0120] In an embodiment, the first WTRU may be a positioned WTRU and may be configured to perform a method operating within a network in which the first WTRU discovers a second or target WTRU. The first WTRU and the second WTRU may perform SL positioning and may establish a PC5 connection. The first-mentioned WTRU may determine the location of the second WTRU relative to the first WTRU. The first WTRU may receive an identifier of the second WTRU and may further receive information identifying the LMF in the network. The first WTRU may send a positioning report to the network, wherein the positioning report includes an identifier of the second WTRU and information identifying the LMF in the network. The first WTRU may further discover the second WTRU by receiving a solicitation message from the second WTRU, and / or may send a notification message to the second WTRU. As part of the configuration or otherwise, the first WTRU may receive a delayed positioning request identifying the LMF from the second WTRU. The positioning report may be sent to the LMF and / or AMF in the network.

Claims

1. A first wireless transmit / receive unit WTRU, comprising: A processor configured to: receiving configuration information from a network, wherein the configuration information is associated with sidelink SL positioning and includes a trigger condition; Determining that the trigger condition has been met; Discovering a second WTRU; performing SL positioning with the second WTRU based on the trigger condition being satisfied, wherein the SL positioning is used to determine the position of the first WTRU relative to the second WTRU; and At least a portion of the configuration information is sent to the second WTRU.

2. The first WTRU of claim 1, wherein the configuration information includes a positioning request identifier, and wherein at least a portion of the configuration information sent to the second WTRU includes the positioning request identifier.

3. The first WTRU according to claim 2, wherein the configuration information is received from a location management function LMF in the network, and wherein the location request identifier identifies the LMF.

4. A first WTRU according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the configuration information includes a delayed positioning request received from a positioning management function LMF in the network.

5. The first WTRU of any preceding claim, wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the first WTRU is out of coverage.

6. The first WTRU of any preceding claim, wherein the processor is further configured to send an identifier of the first WTRU to the second WTRU.

7. The first WTRU of any preceding claim, wherein the processor is further configured to discover the second WTRU by sending a solicitation message and receiving an announce message in response to the solicitation message.

8. A method performed by a first wireless transmit / receive unit WTRU, the method comprising: receiving configuration information from a network, wherein the configuration information is associated with sidelink SL positioning and includes a trigger condition; Determining that the trigger condition has been met; Discovering a second WTRU; performing SL positioning with the second WTRU based on satisfying the trigger condition, and determining a position of the first WTRU relative to the second WTRU based on the SL positioning; as well as At least a portion of the configuration information is sent to the second WTRU.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the configuration information includes a positioning request identifier, and wherein at least a portion of the configuration information sent to the second WTRU includes the positioning request identifier.

10. The first WTRU of claim 9, further comprising receiving the configuration information from a location management function (LMF) in the network, and wherein the location request identifier identifies the LMF.

11. A method according to claim 8, 9 or 10, wherein the configuration information comprises a delayed location request received from a location management function LMF in the network.

12. The method of any one of claims 8, 9, 10 or 11, further comprising determining that the first WTRU is out of coverage.

13. The method of claim 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12, further comprising sending an identifier of the first WTRU to the second WTRU.

14. The method of claim 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 or 13, further comprising: The second WTRU is discovered by sending a solicitation message and receiving an announce message in response to the solicitation message.

15. A first wireless transmit / receive unit WTRU, comprising: A processor configured to: Discovering a second WTRU; performing SL positioning with the second WTRU; determining a relative position of the second WTRU to the first WTRU; receiving an identifier of the second WTRU and information identifying a location management function LMF in a network; as well as A positioning report is sent to the network, wherein the positioning report includes an identifier of the second WTRU and the information identifying the LMF in the network.

16. The first WTRU of claim 15, further configured to establish a PC5 connection with the second WTRU.

17. The first WTRU of claim 15 or 16, wherein discovering the second WTRU comprises receiving a solicitation message from the second WTRU.

18. The first WTRU of claim 15 or 16, wherein discovering the second WTRU comprises sending a notification message to the second WTRU.

19. The first WTRU of claim 15, 16, 17 or 18, further comprising receiving a delayed positioning request from the second WTRU.

20. The first WTRU of claim 15, 16, 17, 18 or 19, wherein the positioning report is sent to the LMF in the network, and one or more of an access and mobility management function, AMF.

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