Reporting flight path information

Abstract

A method performed by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is disclosed, where the UAV includes a wireless communication device (WCD). The method includes obtaining reporting condition information indicating one or more conditions for the UAV to report flight path information, where the flight path information indicates a flight path of the UAV. The flight path information includes one or more parameters related to a flight path of the UAV. One or more reporting conditions for reporting flight path information are that one or more parameters have changed beyond one or more thresholds within a given one or more time intervals.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The disclosed embodiments relate to methods, apparatus, and computer-readable media for reporting flight path information. Background Art

[0002] Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Communications in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)

[0003] The use of drones (also known as UAVs) is becoming increasingly popular. There are many use cases for UAVs in industry, such as cargo transportation and delivery, surveillance, media production, etc.

[0004] Traditionally, UAVs can only be operated by a controller within visual line of sight (VLoS) of the UAV. Recognizing the huge potential of connecting UAVs beyond visual line of sight (BVLoS) via, for example, cellular networks, 3GPP has specified a number of features in Release 15 (Rel-15) of 3GPP's Long Term Evolution (LTE) that are intended to improve the efficiency and robustness of terrestrial LTE networks for providing aerial connectivity services, particularly for low-altitude UAVs. These features target both command and control traffic for flying UAVs and data (also known as payload) traffic from UAVs to cellular networks.

[0005] The key features specified include: i) support for subscription-based identification; ii) altitude reporting when the UAV crosses an altitude threshold (the report may include altitude, position (3D), horizontal and vertical speed); iii) reference signal received power (RSRP) reporting for each event that the signal power of N cells is above a threshold (the report includes RSRP / reference signal received quality (RSRQ) / position (3D)); iv) user equipment (UE) dedicated uplink (UL) power control; and v) flight path information provided from the UE to the base station (e.g., evolved Node B (eNB)). The flight path information includes network polling, a list of waypoints (3D positions), and a list of timestamps (if available).

[0006] Flight Path Reporting for UAVs in LTE Rel-15

[0007] Section 23.17.5 “Flight Path Information Reporting” of the 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) “Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) and Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN); General description; Stage 2” (TS 36.300 V17.1.0, available at https: / / portal.3gpp.org / desktopmodules / Specifications / SpecificationDetails.aspx?specificationId=2430, as of August 7, 2023) (“TS 36.300”) states:

[0008] “E-UTRAN may request the UE to report flight path information consisting of a number of waypoints, which are defined as 3D positions as defined in TS 36.355. If the flight path information is available at the UE, the UE reports up to the configured number of waypoints. The report may also include a timestamp per waypoint if configured in the request and if available at the UE.”

[0009] Signaling is via the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol as specified in 3GPP TS "LTE; Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); Radio Resource Control; Protocol Specification" (TS 36.331, V17.1.0, available at https: / / portal.3gpp.org / desktopmodules / Specifications / SpecificationDetails.aspx?specificationId=2440, as of August 7, 2023) (TS 36.331). It is assumed that the UE receives the flight path plan from the Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) or is assumed to be pre-configured by the user before the flight and therefore before establishing the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection.

[0010] TS 36.331 defines an information element (IE) (also referred to as a data structure) called "FlightPathInfoReportConfig". This IE configures the maximum number of waypoints that the UE can report back, as well as a timestamp if the network wants. The IEs included in FlightPathInfoReportConfig are shown below in Table 1.

[0011] Table 1: FlightPathInfoReportConfig IE

[0012]

[0013] The maxWayPointNumber IE indicates the maximum number of waypoints that the UE may include in the flight path information report, if this information is available at the UE. The includeTimeStamp IE indicates whether the timestamp of each waypoint may be reported in the flight path information report, if the timestamp information is available at the UE.

[0014] TS 36.331 also defines a flight path information report, which is an IE called "FlightPathInfoReport." Table 2 below shows the IEs included in the FlightPathInfoReport IE.

[0015] Table 2: FlightPathInfoReport IE

[0016]

[0017] As shown in Table 2, the flight path information report includes a list of elements of the WayPointLocation type as defined in Table 3.

[0018] Table 3: WayPointLocation IE

[0019]

[0020] As shown in Table 3, the element of WayPointLocation type includes two elements: 1) an element of LocationInfo type and 2) an element of AbsoluteTimeInfo type. IE LocationInfo is used to transmit detailed location information available at the UE so that the measurement result and UE location information are correlated. The definition of LocationInfo IE is shown in Table 4 below.

[0021] Table 4: LocationInfo IE

[0022]

[0023] The LocationInfo field description is provided below in Table 5.

[0024] Table 5

[0025]

[0026] The AbsoluteTimeInfo IE takes the format YY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS and indicates the absolute time using Binary Coded Decimal (BCD) encoding. The first / leftmost bit of the bit string contains the most significant bit of the most significant digit of the year, etc. Table 6 below shows the AbsoluteTimeInfo IE.

[0027] Table 6: AbsoluteTimeInfo IE

[0028] AbsoluteTimeInfo-r10::=BIT STRING(SIZE(48))

[0029] Flight path reporting for UAVs in Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR)

[0030] In RAN#94-e, a new Release 18 (Rel-18) work item (WI) for supporting UAVs in NR was approved in RP-123600 (RP-123600, New WID for NR support for UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), RAN#94, December 2021), and one goal is to specify flight path report signaling for NR over RRC. The framework for flight path reporting in LTE Rel-15 is the basis for Release 18 discussions.

[0031] Separately, in Rel-18, 3GPP is also working on a RAN4 work item to support air-to-ground communications (i.e., using ground-based base stations to provide cellular connectivity to commercial airliners). In addition, flight path reporting from aircraft to the network is also under discussion.

[0032] 3GPP TS 38.331 V17.1.0 (TS 38.331) specifies the 5G NR RRC protocol. TS 38.331 defines an IE named LocationInfo, which is used to transmit detailed location information available at the UE, Bluetooth, wireless local area network (WLAN), and sensor available measurements, and it can be used as a starting point for UAV / aircraft flight path reporting. Table 7 below shows the definition of LocationInfo IE.

[0033] Table 7: LocationInfo IE

[0034]

[0035] The IE CommonLocationInfo is used to convey detailed location information available at the UE to correlate measurement results with UE location information. The data type CommonLocationInfo is defined in Table 8 below.

[0036] Table 8: CommonLocationInfo IE

[0037]

[0038] The CommonLocationInfo field description is provided below in Table 9.

[0039] Table 9

[0040]

[0041]

[0042] Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM)

[0043] Keeping the airspace safe and accessible is of vital importance. Therefore, systems known as UTM are being developed in different parts of the world to manage the traffic of UAS (UAS consists of UAVs and UAV controllers used by operators with unique credentials and identities). According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), UTM is a collaborative, automated, joint airspace management approach that enables safe, efficient, and fair small UAS operations on a large scale. The concept of UTM is being adopted and implemented in many countries and regions around the world, for example, in the United States, Europe, Japan, Australia, etc.

[0044] According to TS 36.300, UTM provides many flight-related functions for UAVs and UAV operators, including, for example: 1) Remote Identification: enables drone identification; 2) Operational Planning: flight planning that takes into account various aspects (e.g., UAV performance, weather conditions, etc.); 3) Operator Messaging: message exchange between operators for information such as position and status; 4) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Messaging: provides on-demand, periodic or event-triggered communication with FAA systems to meet regulatory requirements; 5) Mapping: information on airspace restrictions, obstacles and sensitive areas; 6) Conflict Advisory: real-time warnings for conflict avoidance.

[0045] The mobile network may enable reliable connectivity between the UAV and its controller. Meanwhile, the UTM may be connected to the UAV and the UAV controller through the core network and the radio access network (RAN). Figure 6 A diagram of the UAS to UTM connection is provided in .

[0046] Air-to-Ground (ATG) Communications

[0047] In 3GPP terminology, air-to-ground (ATG or A2G) communications refer to communications between ground base stations and commercial aircraft. In Rel-17, technical solutions for ATG have been implicitly included in the 3GPP work on non-terrestrial networks (NTN). In Rel-18, a RAN4 work item (RP-220962) for ATG is being implemented, which aims to define the radio frequency (RF) and radio resource management (RRM) requirements for ATG with the following scope: 1) Providing in-flight connectivity using ground base stations; 2) Targeting a maximum of 300km cell coverage and 1200km / h UE speed; 3) Example frequency bands n1 (FDD), n78 (TDD) and n79 (TDD). In the RRM work, aspects related to flight path reporting from UEs are being discussed. Summary of the invention

[0048] There are certain challenges at present. For example, while flight path reporting is specified in LTE (which is used as the basis for NR UAV WI), there is room for improvement when considering reporting for NR. The limitation relates to the triggering of flight path reporting. In LTE, flight path reporting is only reported by the UE when the UE is requested by the network. Therefore, the network may not be aware of the latest changes in the flight path that occurred between requests. This may lead to a negative impact on radio communications to / from the UE, and potentially on the safe and reliable operation of the UE. Further, in the ATG work item, RAN4 has concluded that the UE should notify the network about changes in flight path, speed or altitude.

[0049] Thus, in one aspect, a method performed by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is provided. The UAV includes a wireless communication device (WCD). The method includes: obtaining reporting condition information indicating one or more reporting conditions for the UAV to report flight path information, wherein the flight path information indicates a flight path of the UAV. The flight path information includes one or more parameters related to the flight path of the UAV. The one or more reporting conditions for reporting the flight path information are that the one or more parameters have changed by more than one or more thresholds within a given one or more time intervals.

[0050] In another aspect, a method performed by a network node is provided. The method includes: sending reporting condition information to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the reporting condition information indicating one or more reporting conditions for the UAV to report flight path information, wherein the flight path information indicates a flight path of the UAV, and the UAV includes a wireless communication device WCD capable of communicating with the network node. The flight path information includes one or more parameters related to the flight path of the UAV. The one or more reporting conditions for reporting the flight path information are that the one or more parameters have changed by more than one or more thresholds within a given one or more time intervals.

[0051] In another aspect, a computer program comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed by a processing circuit of a UAV or a network node, causes the UAV or the network node to perform the method of any one of the embodiments described above.

[0052] In another aspect, there is provided a carrier embodying the computer program of the above described embodiments, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal and a computer-readable storage medium.

[0053] In another aspect, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is provided. The UAV includes a wireless communication device (WCD). The UAV is configured to obtain reporting condition information indicating one or more reporting conditions for the UAV to report flight path information, wherein the flight path information indicates a flight path of the UAV. The flight path information includes one or more parameters related to the flight path of the UAV. The one or more reporting conditions for reporting the flight path information are that the one or more parameters have changed by more than one or more thresholds within a given one or more time intervals.

[0054] In another aspect, a network node is provided. The network node is configured to send reporting condition information to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the reporting condition information indicating one or more reporting conditions for the UAV to report flight path information, wherein the flight path information indicates the flight path of the UAV. The flight path information includes one or more parameters related to the flight path of the UAV. The one or more reporting conditions for reporting the flight path information are that one or more parameters have changed by more than one or more thresholds within a given one or more time intervals. The UAV includes a wireless communication device WCD capable of communicating with the network node.

[0055] In another aspect, a device is provided, comprising a processing circuit and a memory, wherein the memory contains instructions executable by the processing circuit, whereby the device is operable to perform the method of any one of the embodiments described above.

[0056] In another aspect, a computer program comprising instructions is provided, which when executed by a processing circuit of a device causes the device to perform any of the methods disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a carrier containing the computer program is provided, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal, and a computer-readable storage medium. In another aspect, a device configured to perform the method disclosed herein is provided. The device may include a memory and a processing circuit coupled to the memory.

[0057] It is an object of some embodiments to help improve the network's operational awareness of airborne UEs through a new reporting triggering procedure.It is also an object of some embodiments to minimize the impact on radio communications to / from UEs and potentially on safe and reliable operation of airborne UEs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0058] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate various embodiments. In order to better understand the embodiments of the present disclosure and to show how it can be implemented, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, by way of example only, in which:

[0059] Figure 1A system according to an embodiment is shown;

[0060] Figure 2 shows a process according to an embodiment;

[0061] Figure 3 shows a process according to an embodiment;

[0062] Figure 4 An apparatus according to an embodiment is shown;

[0063] Figure 5 shows an apparatus according to an embodiment; and

[0064] Figure 6 A diagram showing a UAS to UTM connection. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] Figure 1 A portion of a system 100 is shown according to an embodiment. The system 100 includes an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 102, a radio access network (RAN) node 104 and a core network node 106, and an unmanned aerial system (UAS) traffic management (UTM) entity 108.

[0066] The UAV 102 may include a wireless communication device capable of communicating with the RAN node 104. The UAV 102 is connected to the UTM 108 via the RAN node 104 and the core network node 106. The UTM 108 is configured to manage the traffic of the UAV 102.

[0067] As discussed above, the UAV 102 needs to be triggered to send flight path information indicating the flight path of the UAV 102 to the RAN node 104. Sending a report request for reporting the flight path information to the UAV 102 is one way. However, in some scenarios, it may be desirable for the UAV 102 to report the flight path information based on the occurrence of one or more reporting conditions (e.g., when the altitude of the UAV 102 suddenly drops).

[0068] Thus, in some embodiments, the RAN node 104 may send reporting condition information to the UAV 102. The reporting condition information indicates one or more conditions for the UAV 102 to report flight path information indicating the flight path of the UAV 102 to the RAN node 104 and / or the core network node 106.

[0069] For example, the reporting condition information may indicate condition #1 and condition #2. The UAV 102 may be configured to report flight path information only when conditions #1 and #2 are met, or to report flight path information when condition #1 or condition #2 is met. In another example, the reporting condition information may indicate condition #1, condition #2, and condition #3. In this example, the UAV 102 may be configured to report flight path information only when (1) condition #1 is met and (2) condition #2 or #3 is met. In summary, if the reporting condition information indicates more than one condition, some of these conditions may be required conditions (meaning that the UAV 102 may not report flight path information unless the condition is met), and some of these conditions may be alternative conditions (meaning that even if the condition is not met, the UAV 102 may report flight path information if another (or more) conditions are met).

[0070] In some embodiments, the reporting condition information may further indicate that the one or more conditions are only valid for (one or more) specific time intervals. For example, the reporting condition information may indicate that condition #1 is only valid for time interval #1, and condition #2 is only valid for time interval #2. In another example, the reporting condition may indicate that conditions #1 and #2 are only valid for time interval #3.

[0071] The reporting condition information may be included in a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message and / or system information (SI) that the RAN node 104 is configured to send to the UAV 102 .

[0072] In some embodiments, the flight path information includes one or more parameters related to the flight path of the UAV 102. For example, the flight path information may indicate one or more of: the altitude of the UAV 102, the speed of the UAV 102, the remaining battery charge of the UAV (and / or the remaining battery charge of components included in the UAV 102), or the location of the UAV 102.

[0073] In some embodiments, one or more conditions for reporting the flight path information is that one or more of the parameters in the flight path information have changed by more than threshold(s). For example, if the flight path information includes a value for parameter #1 and a value for parameter #2, then if the value for parameter #1 has changed by more than threshold #1 and / or the value for parameter #2 has changed by more than threshold #2, then the reporting condition information may indicate that the UAV 102 needs to report the flight path information. This detection of a change in the value(s) of the parameter(s) may be performed via direct measurement, or may be an estimate.

[0074] In some embodiments, the reporting condition information may also indicate a time interval during which a condition needs to be satisfied in order to trigger the UAV 102 to report the flight path information. For example, if the value of parameter #1 has changed by more than threshold #1 within time interval #1, the reporting condition information may indicate that the UAV 102 needs to report the flight path information.

[0075] In one example, the condition for triggering a report is that the altitude of the UAV 102 has changed by more than P% or by more than M meters in N seconds. In another example, the condition for triggering a report is that the speed of the UAV 102 has changed by more than P% in N seconds, or that the position of the UAV 102 has changed by more than M meters in N seconds. In another example, the condition for triggering a report is that the battery charge of the UAV 102 or the battery charge of a specific component within the UAV 102 has changed by more than P% in N seconds.

[0076] Here, "P", "M", and "N" correspond to thresholds for triggering the reporting of flight path information. These thresholds may be predefined or may be configurable by the RAN 104, the core network node 106, or any other network entity. The thresholds may be expressed in different units. For example, "P" may be expressed in absolute units (e.g., %, kilometers, degrees, etc.), and N may be expressed in terms of symbols, time slots, subframes, etc.

[0077] In some embodiments, in addition to or in lieu of the condition(s) discussed above, there may be one or more additional conditions for triggering the UAV 102 to report flight path information. The additional condition(s) may include one or more of the following:

[0078] - There is a change in radio conditions (eg, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) or the signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR) has changed by more than X dB during the past N time units, where X and N are predefined or configurable).

[0079] - the UAV 102 has detected a K1 out-of-sync indication (which may define an entry condition for an event) or a K2 in-sync indication (which may define an exit condition for an event),

[0080] - The Radio Link Failure (RLF) timer has started,

[0081] -UAV 102 has detected beam failure detection BFD,

[0082] - UAV 102 has switched its measurement mode, or

[0083] - UAV 102 has detected an equipment failure or malfunction at UAV 102 .

[0084] The measurement mode may be one of a relaxed measurement mode or a reference measurement mode. The measurement period of the relaxed measurement mode may be longer than that of the reference measurement mode. Additionally or alternatively, in the relaxed measurement mode, no measurement is performed on any neighboring cell and / or measurement is performed on a first number of carriers, while in the reference measurement mode, measurement is performed on one or more neighboring cells (e.g., all detected neighboring cells) and / or measurement is performed on a second number of carriers (e.g., all configured carriers), wherein the first number is less than the second number.

[0085] For many use cases, this type of event-triggered reporting can help the network (e.g., RAN node 104, core network node 106, etc.) detect anomalies in flight status, and upon detecting the anomaly, the network can trigger actions, such as notifying UTM 108 or a traditional air traffic management system to take safety measures.

[0086] The trigger mechanism in the embodiments described above may be defined similarly to the current radio resource management (RRM) events configured by the IE measurement object for user equipment (UE) in TS 38.331. Similarly, the flight path reporting event may include a time for triggering the report (which means that the reporting condition is valid for the configured amount of time). Hysteresis is also provided to avoid ping-pong triggering and reportOnleave (report on leaving), which enables the network to configure whether the UE should report when the leaving condition of the event is met.

[0087] In some embodiments, the UAV 102 may be configured to send new flight path information to the network (e.g., the RAN node 104 or the core network node 106) only when a change in at least one of the parameters related to the flight path of the UAV 102 exceeds a predetermined threshold (e.g., predefined in a specification, preconfigured in a SIM card, or configured by the network).

[0088] If the change does not exceed the threshold, in some embodiments, the UAV 102 can be configured to send only an indication message to the network (e.g., the RAN node 104 or the core network node 106) indicating that the flight path of the UAV 102 has changed. In such an embodiment, upon receiving the indication message, it is decided by the network (e.g., the RAN node 104 or the core network node 106) whether to request the UAV 102 to send new flight path information to the network. By configuring the UAV 102 to send indication messages only when the change is less than the threshold, the use of the amount of uplink data generated by the flight path report can be minimized, while important changes in the flight path (such as a sudden drop in the aircraft's altitude) can be observed by the network with minimal delay.

[0089] In some embodiments, a network entity (e.g., RAN node 104, core network node 106, etc.) may notify UAV 102 of one or more changes in flight operation data, and UAV 102 triggers reporting (i.e., sending flight path information) based on these changes. In these embodiments, it is assumed that the network entity has obtained information related to the changes in flight data from a network node (such as UTM 108) or a traditional air traffic management system.

[0090] The information conveyed in the report from UAV 102 to the network entity may include one or more parameters indicating radio conditions, such as measurements (e.g., signal strength measurements, signal quality measurements), the status of the connection (e.g., synchronization, out-of-sync), detected beams, neighboring cells, etc.

[0091] In some embodiments, the UAV 102 may be configured to send a new flight report (also referred to as new flight path information) to the network when the battery charge of the UAV 102 or the battery charge of a particular component of the UAV 102 drops below a certain threshold. The threshold may be configured by a network node (e.g., the RAN node 104, the core network node 106), or may be preconfigured. Information included in the new flight report triggered by a change in battery charge may trigger the initiation of an emergency landing procedure to be initiated.

[0092] Additionally or alternatively, the UAV 102 may be configured to send a new flight path report (also referred to as new flight path information) to the network when the UAV 102 detects an equipment fault or malfunction (e.g., mechanical, electrical, temperature-related (overheating) malfunction, etc.) This equipment fault / malfunction report may be important to minimize potential damage to, for example, humans, infrastructure.

[0093] In some embodiments, to avoid excessive flight path reporting (i.e., transmission of excessive flight path information) and reduce power consumption, the UAV 102 may be configured to consider battery information of the UAV 102 (e.g., battery power of the UAV 102 and / or battery power of components of the UAV 102) when triggering a flight path report. For example, in a case where the reporting condition information indicates that the UAV 102 needs to report flight path information if condition #1 is met, the UAV 102 may not be triggered to report the flight path information if the remaining battery power of the UAV is less than 10%.

[0094] In some embodiments, all or some possible triggering reasons (conditions) of the flight path report can be assigned to corresponding priorities. Then, by considering the trade-off between the priority of the triggering condition and the battery information, it can be decided whether to trigger the flight path report.

[0095] For example, if the priority of the trigger condition (also referred to as trigger reason #1) is high (e.g., in case of an emergency or safety issue), the transmission of the flight path report may be triggered regardless of the battery information (e.g., without considering the battery information). On the other hand, if the priority of the trigger condition is medium or low, the transmission of the flight path report may be triggered only when the remaining battery power is above a certain threshold.

[0096] Figure 2 A process 200 is shown performed by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 102. The UAV includes a wireless communication device (WCD). The process 200 includes step s202. Step s202 includes obtaining reporting condition information indicating one or more reporting conditions for the UAV to report flight path information. The flight path information indicates a flight path of the UAV.

[0097] In some embodiments, process 200 may include determining whether the one or more reporting conditions are satisfied; and sending flight path information to a network node based at least on determining that the one or more reporting conditions are satisfied.

[0098] In some embodiments, process 200 may include: determining whether the one or more reporting conditions are met; and based at least on determining that the one or more reporting conditions are not met, sending an indication message to a network node indicating that the flight path of the UAV has changed.

[0099] In some embodiments, process 200 may include: after sending the indication message to the network node, receiving a report request for reporting the flight path information; and sending the flight path information to the network node based at least on receiving the report request.

[0100] In some embodiments, the reporting condition information indicates that the one or more reporting conditions are only valid for a specific time interval.

[0101] In some embodiments, the flight path information includes one or more parameters related to the flight path of the UAV, and the one or more reporting conditions for reporting the flight path information is that the one or more parameters have changed beyond one or more thresholds.

[0102] In some embodiments, the one or more reporting conditions for reporting flight path information is that the one or more parameters have changed by more than the one or more thresholds within a given one or more time intervals.

[0103] In some embodiments, the one or more parameters include one or more of: an altitude of the UAV, a speed of the UAV, a remaining battery charge of the UAV, a remaining battery charge of the WCD, or a location of the UAV.

[0104] In some embodiments, the flight path information is further sent to the network node based on whether one or more additional reporting conditions are met, and the one or more additional reporting conditions include one or more of the following: a radio condition parameter has changed beyond a threshold, the WCD has detected a K1 out-of-sync indication or a K2 in-sync indication, a radio link failure RLF timer has been started, the WCD has detected a beam failure detection BFD, the WCD has switched its measurement mode, or the WCD has detected an equipment failure or malfunction at the UAV.

[0105] In some embodiments, the radio condition parameter is a signal-to-noise ratio SNR or a signal-to-interference plus noise ratio SINR.

[0106] In some embodiments, the measurement mode is one of a relaxed measurement mode or a reference measurement mode, and (i) a measurement period of the relaxed measurement mode is longer than a measurement period of the reference measurement mode, (ii) in the relaxed measurement mode, measurements are not performed on any neighboring cell and / or measurements are performed on a first number of carriers, whereas in the reference measurement mode, measurements are performed on one or more neighboring cells and / or measurements are performed on a second number of carriers, wherein the first number is less than the second number.

[0107] In some embodiments, the flight path information indicates that at least some of the data included in the flight path information is only valid for a particular time interval.

[0108] In some embodiments, obtaining the reporting condition information includes receiving a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message and / or system information (SI), and the RRC reconfiguration message and / or SI include the reporting condition information, and the RRC reconfiguration message and / or SI are sent by a network node.

[0109] In some embodiments, process 200 may include obtaining constraint information indicating one or more constraints for limiting the UAV from reporting flight path information and determining whether to send the flight path information to a network node based on the constraint information.

[0110] In some embodiments, each of the one or more reporting conditions is assigned a priority, and whether to send the flight path information is further determined based on the priority.

[0111] In some embodiments, the one or more reporting conditions include a first reporting condition and / or a second reporting condition, the first reporting condition is assigned to a first priority, and the second reporting condition is assigned to a second priority lower than the first priority, and the method includes: determining whether the one or more restriction conditions are met; determining whether the first condition and / or the second condition are met; and sending flight path information to the network node if the first condition is met, but, if the first condition is not met, regardless of whether the second condition is met, not sending the flight path information to the network node.

[0112] Figure 3 A process 300 is shown that is performed by a RAN node 104, a core network node 106, or any other network entity. The process 300 includes a step s302. Step s302 includes sending reporting condition information to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 102, the reporting condition information indicating one or more reporting conditions for the UAV to report flight path information. The flight path information indicates a flight path of the UAV, and the UAV includes a wireless communication device (WCD) capable of communicating with a network node.

[0113] In some embodiments, process 300 includes receiving flight path information, wherein the flight path information is sent by the UAV based at least on the one or more reporting conditions being satisfied.

[0114] In some embodiments, process 300 includes receiving an indication message indicating that a flight path of the UAV has changed, wherein the indication message is sent by the UAV based at least on the one or more reporting conditions not being met.

[0115] In some embodiments, process 300 includes: after receiving the indication message, sending a report request to the UAV for reporting flight path information; and receiving flight path information based at least on sending the report request, wherein the flight path information is sent by the UAV.

[0116] In some embodiments, the reporting condition information indicates that the one or more reporting conditions are only valid for a specific time interval.

[0117] In some embodiments, the flight path information includes one or more parameters related to the flight path of the UAV, and the one or more reporting conditions for reporting the flight path information is that the one or more parameters have changed beyond one or more thresholds.

[0118] In some embodiments, the one or more reporting conditions for reporting flight path information is that the one or more parameters have changed by more than the one or more thresholds within a given one or more time intervals.

[0119] In some embodiments, the one or more parameters include one or more of: the altitude of the UAV, the speed of the UAV, the remaining battery power of the UAV, or the location of the UAV.

[0120] In some embodiments, the flight path information is sent by the UAV further based on one or more additional reporting conditions being met, and the one or more additional reporting conditions include one or more of the following: a radio condition parameter has changed beyond a threshold, the WCD has detected a K1 out-of-sync indication or a K2 in-sync indication, a radio link failure RLF timer has been started, the WCD has detected a beam failure detection BFD, the WCD has switched its measurement mode, or the WCD has detected an equipment failure or malfunction at the UAV.

[0121] In some embodiments, the radio condition parameter is a signal-to-noise ratio SNR or a signal-to-interference plus noise ratio SINR.

[0122] In some embodiments, the measurement mode is one of a relaxed measurement mode or a reference measurement mode, and (i) a measurement period of the relaxed measurement mode is longer than a measurement period of the reference measurement mode, (ii) in the relaxed measurement mode, measurements are not performed on any neighboring cell and / or measurements are performed on a first number of carriers, whereas in the reference measurement mode, measurements are performed on one or more neighboring cells and / or measurements are performed on a second number of carriers, wherein the first number is less than the second number.

[0123] In some embodiments, the flight path information indicates that at least some of the data included in the flight path information is only valid for a particular time interval.

[0124] In some embodiments, sending the reporting condition information includes sending a radio resource control RRC reconfiguration message and / or system information SI, and the RRC reconfiguration message and / or SI include the reporting condition information.

[0125] In some embodiments, process 300 includes sending constraint information to the UAV, the constraint information indicating one or more constraints for limiting the UAV from reporting flight path information, wherein whether to send the flight path information from the UAV is determined based on the constraint information.

[0126] In some embodiments, each of the one or more reporting conditions is assigned a priority, and whether to send flight path information from the UAV is further determined based on the priority.

[0127] In some embodiments, the one or more reporting conditions include a first reporting condition and / or a second reporting condition, the first reporting condition is assigned to a first priority, the second reporting condition is assigned to a second priority lower than the first priority, and flight path information is sent to the network node when (i) the one or more restriction conditions are met and (ii) the first condition is met, but when (i) the one or more restriction conditions are met and (ii) the first condition is not met, the flight path information is not sent to the network node regardless of whether the second condition is met.

[0128] Figure 4 is a block diagram of a WCD included in UAV 102 according to some embodiments. Figure 4 As shown, the WCD may include: a processing circuit (PC) 402, which may include one or more processors (P) 455 (e.g., one or more general-purpose microprocessors and / or one or more other processors, such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.); a communication circuit 448, which is coupled to an antenna arrangement 449 including one or more antennas, and includes a transmitter (Tx) 445 and a receiver (Rx) 447 for enabling the UE 102 to send data and receive data (e.g., wirelessly send / receive data); and a local storage unit (also referred to as a "data storage system") 408, which may include one or more non-volatile storage devices and / or one or more volatile storage devices. In an embodiment where the PC 402 includes a programmable processor, a computer program product (CPP) 441 may be provided. The CPP 441 includes a computer-readable medium (CRM) 442 storing a computer program (CP) 443, and the computer program (CP) 443 includes computer-readable instructions (CRI) 444. CRM 442 can be a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a magnetic medium (e.g., a hard disk), an optical medium, a memory device (e.g., a random access memory, a flash memory), etc. In some embodiments, CRI 444 of computer program 443 is configured so that when executed by PC 402, CRI causes UE 102 to perform the steps described herein (e.g., the steps described herein with reference to the flowcharts). In other embodiments, UE 102 can be configured to perform the steps described herein without the need for code. That is, for example, PC 402 can consist of only one or more ASICs. Therefore, the features of the embodiments described herein can be implemented in hardware and / or software.

[0129] Figure 5 is a block diagram of a network node 500 (eg, RAN node 104) according to some embodiments. Figure 5As shown, the network node 500 may include: a processing circuit (PC) 502, which may include one or more processors (P) 555 (e.g., one or more general-purpose microprocessors and / or one or more other processors, such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.); the processors may be co-located in a single housing or in a single data center, or may be geographically distributed (i.e., the network node 500 may be a distributed computing device); at least one network interface 548 (e.g., a physical interface or an air interface), which includes a transmitter (Tx) 545 and a receiver (Rx) 547, for enabling the network node 500 to send data to and receive data from other nodes connected to a network 110 (e.g., an Internet Protocol (IP) network) to which the network interface 548 is (physically or wirelessly) connected (e.g., the network interface 548 may be coupled to an antenna arrangement including one or more antennas for enabling the network node 500 to wirelessly send / receive data); and a storage unit (also referred to as a "data storage system") 508, which may include one or more non-volatile storage devices and / or one or more volatile storage devices. In embodiments where the PC 502 includes a programmable processor, a computer readable storage medium (CRSM) 542 may be provided. The CRSM 542 may store a computer program (CP) 543 including computer readable instructions (CRI) 544. The CRSM 542 may be a non-transitory computer readable medium, such as a magnetic medium (e.g., a hard disk), an optical medium, a memory device (e.g., a random access memory, a flash memory), etc. In some embodiments, the CRI 544 of the computer program 543 is configured such that when executed by the PC 502, the CRI causes the network node 500 to perform the steps described herein (e.g., the steps described herein with reference to the flowcharts). In other embodiments, the network node 500 may be configured to perform the steps described herein without requiring code. That is, for example, the PC 502 may consist solely of one or more ASICs. Thus, the features of the embodiments described herein may be implemented in hardware and / or software.

[0130] For the avoidance of doubt, the following numbered statements provide additional information about the present disclosure.

[0131] A1. A method performed by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (200), wherein the UAV comprises a wireless communication device (WCD), the method comprising:

[0132] Obtaining (s202) reporting condition information, the reporting condition information indicating one or more conditions for the UAV to report flight path information, wherein:

[0133] The flight path information indicates the flight path of the UAV.

[0134] A2. The method according to statement A1, comprising:

[0135] determining whether the one or more reporting conditions are met; and

[0136] Based at least on a determination that the one or more reporting conditions are satisfied, the flight path information is sent to a network node.

[0137] A3. The method according to statement A1, comprising:

[0138] determining whether the one or more reporting conditions are met; and

[0139] Based at least on determining that the one or more reporting conditions are not met, sending an indication message to a network node indicating that the flight path of the UAV has changed.

[0140] A4. The method according to statement A3, comprising:

[0141] After sending the indication message to the network node, receiving a report request for reporting the flight path information; and

[0142] Based at least on receiving the reporting request, the flight path information is sent to the network node.

[0143] A5. A method according to any one of statements A1 to A4, wherein the reporting condition information indicates that the one or more reporting conditions are valid only for a specific time interval.

[0144] A6. A method according to any one of statements A1 to A5, wherein:

[0145] The flight path information includes one or more parameters related to the flight path of the UAV, and

[0146] The one or more reporting conditions for reporting the flight path information is that the one or more parameters have changed beyond one or more thresholds.

[0147] A7. A method according to statement A6, wherein the one or more reporting conditions for reporting the flight path information is that the one or more parameters have changed by more than the one or more thresholds within a given one or more time intervals.

[0148] A8. A method according to statement A6 or A7, wherein the one or more parameters include one or more of the following: the altitude of the UAV, the speed of the UAV, the remaining battery power of the UAV, the remaining battery power of the WCD, or the location of the UAV.

[0149] A9. A method according to any one of statements A2 and A5 to A8 (when A5 to A8 are subordinate to A2), wherein the flight path information is sent to the network node further based on whether one or more additional reporting conditions are met, and

[0150] The one or more additional reporting conditions include one or more of the following:

[0151] Radio condition parameters have changed beyond a threshold,

[0152] The WCD has detected a K1 out-of-sync indication or a K2 in-sync indication,

[0153] The radio link failure RLF timer has started.

[0154] The WCD has detected beam failure detection BFD,

[0155] The WCD has switched its measurement mode, or

[0156] The WCD has detected an equipment malfunction or failure at the UAV.

[0157] A10. A method according to statement A9, wherein the radio condition parameter is a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) or a signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR).

[0158] A11. A method according to statement A9 or A10, wherein:

[0159] The measurement mode is one of a relaxation measurement mode or a reference measurement mode, and

[0160] (i) the measurement period of the relaxed measurement mode is longer than the measurement period of the reference measurement mode, (ii) in the relaxed measurement mode, no measurement is performed on any neighboring cell and / or measurement is performed on a first number of carriers, while in the reference measurement mode, measurement is performed on one or more neighboring cells and / or measurement is performed on a second number of carriers, wherein the first number is less than the second number.

[0161] A12. A method according to any of statements A1 to A11, wherein the flight path information indicates that at least some of the data included in the flight path information is valid only for a specific time interval.

[0162] A13. A method according to any one of statements A1 to A12, wherein

[0163] Obtaining the reporting condition information includes receiving a radio resource control RRC reconfiguration message and / or system information SI, and

[0164] The RRC reconfiguration message and / or the SI include the reporting condition information, and

[0165] The RRC reconfiguration message and / or the SI are sent by a network node.

[0166] A14. A method according to any one of statements A1 to A13, comprising:

[0167] obtaining constraint information indicating one or more constraints for limiting the UAV from reporting the flight path information; and

[0168] Based on the restriction information, it is determined whether to send the flight path information to a network node.

[0169] A15. A method according to statement A14, wherein:

[0170] Each of the one or more reporting conditions is assigned a priority level, and

[0171] Whether to send the flight path information is further determined based on the priority.

[0172] A16. A method according to statement A15, wherein:

[0173] The one or more reporting conditions include a first reporting condition and / or a second reporting condition,

[0174] the first reporting condition being assigned a first priority,

[0175] the second reporting condition is assigned a second priority level lower than the first priority level,

[0176] The method comprises:

[0177] determining that the one or more constraints are satisfied;

[0178] determining whether the first condition and / or the second condition is satisfied; and

[0179] In the case where the first condition is met, sending the flight path information to the network node,

[0180] In the case where the first condition is not satisfied, the flight path information is not sent to the network node regardless of whether the second condition is satisfied.

[0181] B1. A method (300) performed by a network node (e.g., 104 or 106), the method comprising:

[0182] sending (s302) reporting condition information to an unmanned aerial vehicle (102), the reporting condition information indicating one or more reporting conditions for the UAV to report flight path information, wherein the flight path information indicates a flight path of the UAV, and

[0183] The UAV comprises a wireless communication device WCD capable of communicating with the network node.

[0184] B2. The method according to statement B1, comprising:

[0185] receiving the flight path information, wherein:

[0186] The flight path information is sent by the UAV based at least on the one or more reporting conditions being met.

[0187] B3. A method according to statement B1, comprising:

[0188] receiving an indication message indicating that the flight path of the UAV has changed, wherein:

[0189] The indication message is sent by the UAV based at least on the one or more reporting conditions not being met.

[0190] B4. A method according to statement B3, comprising:

[0191] After receiving the indication message, sending a report request for reporting the flight path information to the UAV; and

[0192] Based at least on sending the report request, receiving the flight path information, wherein:

[0193] The flight path information is sent by the UAV.

[0194] B5. A method according to any one of statements B1 to B4, wherein the reporting condition information indicates that the one or more reporting conditions are valid only for a specific time interval.

[0195] B6. A method according to any one of statements B1 to B5, wherein

[0196] The flight path information includes one or more parameters related to the flight path of the UAV, and

[0197] The one or more reporting conditions for reporting the flight path information is that the one or more parameters have changed beyond one or more thresholds.

[0198] B7. A method according to statement B6, wherein the one or more reporting conditions for reporting the flight path information is that the one or more parameters have changed by more than the one or more thresholds within a given one or more time intervals.

[0199] B8. A method according to statement B6 or B7, wherein the one or more parameters include one or more of the following: the altitude of the UAV, the speed of the UAV, the remaining battery power of the UAV, or the location of the UAV.

[0200] B9. A method according to any one of statements B2 and B5 to B8 (when B5 to B8 are subordinate to B2), wherein

[0201] The flight path information is sent by the UAV based further on one or more additional reporting conditions being met, and

[0202] The one or more additional reporting conditions include one or more of the following:

[0203] Radio condition parameters have changed beyond a threshold,

[0204] The WCD has detected a K1 out-of-sync indication or a K2 in-sync indication,

[0205] The radio link failure RLF timer has started.

[0206] The WCD has detected beam failure detection BFD,

[0207] The WCD has switched its measurement mode, or

[0208] The WCD has detected an equipment malfunction or failure at the UAV.

[0209] B10. A method according to statement B9, wherein the radio condition parameter is a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) or a signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR).

[0210] B11. A method according to statement B9 or B10, wherein

[0211] The measurement mode is one of a relaxation measurement mode or a reference measurement mode, and

[0212] (i) the measurement period of the relaxed measurement mode is longer than the measurement period of the reference measurement mode, (ii) in the relaxed measurement mode, no measurement is performed on any neighboring cell and / or measurement is performed on a first number of carriers, while in the reference measurement mode, measurement is performed on one or more neighboring cells and / or measurement is performed on a second number of carriers, wherein the first number is less than the second number.

[0213] B12. A method according to any of statements B1 to B11, wherein the flight path information indicates that at least some of the data included in the flight path information is valid only for a specific time interval.

[0214] B13. A method according to any one of statements B1 to B12, wherein

[0215] Sending the reporting condition information includes sending a radio resource control RRC reconfiguration message and / or system information SI, and

[0216] The RRC reconfiguration message and / or the SI include the reporting condition information.

[0217] B14. A method according to any one of statements B1 to B13, comprising:

[0218] Sending restriction information to the UAV, the restriction information indicating one or more restriction conditions for restricting the UAV from reporting the flight path information, wherein:

[0219] Whether to send the flight path information from the UAV is determined based on the constraint information.

[0220] B15. A method according to statement B14, wherein:

[0221] Each of the one or more reporting conditions is assigned a priority level, and

[0222] Whether to send the flight path information from the UAV is further determined based on the priority.

[0223] B16. A method according to statement B15, wherein:

[0224] The one or more reporting conditions include a first reporting condition and / or a second reporting condition,

[0225] the first reporting condition being assigned a first priority,

[0226] the second reporting condition is assigned a second priority level lower than the first priority level,

[0227] The flight path information is sent to the network node if (i) the one or more restriction conditions are satisfied and (ii) the first condition is satisfied, and

[0228] In the event that (i) the one or more restriction conditions are satisfied and (ii) the first condition is not satisfied, the flight path information is not sent to the network node regardless of whether the second condition is satisfied.

[0229] C1. A computer program (443 or 543) comprising instructions (444 or 544) which, when executed by a processing circuit (402 or 502) of a UAV or a network node, cause the UAV or the network node to perform a method according to any one of statements A1 to B16.

[0230] C2. A carrier embodying the computer program according to statement C1, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal and a computer-readable storage medium (442 or 542).

[0231] D1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (102), the UAV comprising a wireless communication device (WCD), the UAV being configured to:

[0232] Reporting condition information is obtained (s202), the reporting condition information indicating one or more conditions for the UAV to report flight path information, wherein the flight path information indicates a flight path of the UAV.

[0233] D2. A UAV according to statement D1, wherein the UAV is configured to perform a method according to any one of statements A2 to A16.

[0234] E1. A network node (e.g., 104 or 106), wherein the network node is configured to:

[0235] sending (s302) reporting condition information to an unmanned aerial vehicle (102), the reporting condition information indicating one or more conditions for the UAV to report flight path information, wherein the flight path information indicates a flight path of the UAV, and

[0236] The UAV comprises a wireless communication device WCD capable of communicating with the network node.

[0237] E2. A network node according to statement E1, wherein the network node is configured to perform a method according to any of statements B2 to B16.

[0238] F1. An apparatus (200 or 300), comprising:

[0239] Processing circuit (202 or 302); and

[0240] A memory (241 or 341) containing instructions executable by the processing circuit, whereby the apparatus is operable to perform a method according to any of statements A1 to B16.

[0241] Although various embodiments are described herein, it should be understood that they are presented by way of example only and not limitation. Therefore, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the exemplary embodiments described above. Moreover, unless otherwise specified herein or clearly contradictory to the context, any combination of the elements described above in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the present disclosure.

[0242] As used herein, sending a message "to" or "towards" an intended recipient encompasses sending a message directly to the intended recipient or indirectly to the intended recipient (i.e., one or more other nodes are used to relay the message from the source node to the intended recipient). Similarly, as used herein, "receiving" a message from a sender encompasses receiving a message directly from the sender or indirectly from the sender (i.e., one or more nodes are used to relay the message from the sender to the receiving node). Further, as used herein, "a" means "at least one" or "one or more".

[0243] Furthermore, although the processes described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are shown as a series of steps, this is done for the sake of illustration only. Therefore, it is contemplated that some steps may be added, some steps may be omitted, the order of the steps may be rearranged, and some steps may be performed in parallel.

Claims

1. A method (200) performed by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (102), the UAV comprising a wireless communication device (WCD), the method comprising: Obtaining (s202) reporting condition information, the reporting condition information indicating one or more conditions for the UAV to report flight path information, wherein: The flight path information indicates a flight path of the UAV and includes one or more parameters related to the flight path of the UAV, and wherein the one or more reporting conditions for reporting the flight path information are that the one or more parameters have changed by more than one or more thresholds within a given one or more time intervals.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The reporting condition information indicates that the one or more reporting conditions are valid only for a specific time interval.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein: The one or more parameters include one or more of: an altitude of the UAV, a speed of the UAV, a remaining battery charge of the UAV, a remaining battery charge of the WCD, or a location of the UAV.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: determining whether the one or more reporting conditions are met; as well as Based at least on a determination that the one or more reporting conditions are satisfied, the flight path information is sent to a network node.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: determining whether the one or more reporting conditions are met; as well as Based at least on determining that the one or more reporting conditions are not met, sending an indication message to a network node indicating that the flight path of the UAV has changed.

6. The method according to claim 5, comprising: After sending the indication message to the network node, receiving a report request for reporting the flight path information; as well as Based at least on receiving the reporting request, the flight path information is sent to the network node.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein: The flight path information is sent to the network node further based on whether one or more additional reporting conditions are met, and The one or more additional reporting conditions include one or more of the following: A radio condition parameter has changed beyond a threshold, optionally wherein the radio condition parameter is a signal-to-noise ratio SNR or a signal-to-interference plus noise ratio SINR, The WCD has detected a K1 out-of-sync indication or a K2 in-sync indication, The radio link failure RLF timer has started. The WCD has detected beam failure detection BFD, The WCD has switched its measurement mode, or The WCD has detected an equipment malfunction or failure at the UAV.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The measurement mode is one of a relaxation measurement mode or a reference measurement mode, and (i) the measurement period of the relaxed measurement mode is longer than the measurement period of the reference measurement mode, (ii) in the relaxed measurement mode, no measurement is performed on any neighboring cell and / or measurement is performed on a first number of carriers, while in the reference measurement mode, measurement is performed on one or more neighboring cells and / or measurement is performed on a second number of carriers, wherein the first number is less than the second number.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The flight path information indicates that at least some data included in the flight path information is valid only for a specific time interval.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: Obtaining the reporting condition information includes: receiving a radio resource control RRC reconfiguration message and / or system information SI, and The RRC reconfiguration message and / or the SI include the reporting condition information, and The RRC reconfiguration message and / or the SI are sent by a network node.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, comprising: obtaining constraint information indicating one or more constraints for limiting the UAV from reporting the flight path information; as well as Based on the restriction information, it is determined whether to send the flight path information to a network node.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein: Each of the one or more reporting conditions is assigned a priority level, and Whether to send the flight path information is further determined based on the priority.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The one or more reporting conditions include a first reporting condition and / or a second reporting condition, the first reporting condition being assigned a first priority, the second reporting condition is assigned a second priority level lower than the first priority level, The method comprises: determining that the one or more constraints are satisfied; determining whether the first condition and / or the second condition is satisfied; and In the case where the first condition is met, sending the flight path information to the network node, In the case where the first condition is not satisfied, the flight path information is not sent to the network node regardless of whether the second condition is satisfied.

14. A method (300) performed by a network node (e.g., 104 or 106), the method comprising: sending (s302) reporting condition information to an unmanned aerial vehicle (102), the reporting condition information indicating one or more reporting conditions for the UAV to report flight path information, wherein: The flight path information indicates a flight path of the UAV and includes one or more parameters related to the flight path of the UAV, and wherein the one or more reporting conditions for reporting the flight path information are that the one or more parameters have changed by more than one or more thresholds within a given one or more time intervals, and The UAV comprises a wireless communication device WCD capable of communicating with the network node.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The reporting condition information indicates that the one or more reporting conditions are valid only for a specific time interval.

16. The method according to any one of claims 14 or 15, wherein: The one or more parameters include one or more of: the altitude of the UAV, the speed of the UAV, the remaining battery power of the UAV, or the location of the UAV.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, comprising: receiving the flight path information, wherein: The flight path information is sent by the UAV based at least on the one or more reporting conditions being met.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, comprising: receiving an indication message indicating that the flight path of the UAV has changed, wherein: The indication message is sent by the UAV based at least on the one or more reporting conditions not being met.

19. The method according to claim 18, comprising: After receiving the indication message, sending a report request for reporting the flight path information to the UAV; as well as Based at least on sending the report request, receiving the flight path information, wherein: The flight path information is sent by the UAV.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein: The flight path information is sent by the UAV based further on one or more additional reporting conditions being met, and The one or more additional reporting conditions include one or more of the following: A radio condition parameter has changed beyond a threshold, optionally wherein the radio condition parameter is a signal-to-noise ratio SNR or a signal-to-interference plus noise ratio SINR, The WCD has detected a K1 out-of-sync indication or a K2 in-sync indication, The radio link failure RLF timer has started. The WCD has detected beam failure detection BFD, The WCD has switched its measurement mode, or The WCD has detected an equipment malfunction or failure at the UAV.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein: The measurement mode is one of a relaxation measurement mode or a reference measurement mode, and (i) the measurement period of the relaxed measurement mode is longer than the measurement period of the reference measurement mode, (ii) in the relaxed measurement mode, no measurement is performed on any neighboring cell and / or measurement is performed on a first number of carriers, while in the reference measurement mode, measurement is performed on one or more neighboring cells and / or measurement is performed on a second number of carriers, wherein the first number is less than the second number.

22. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 21, wherein: The flight path information indicates that at least some data included in the flight path information is valid only for a specific time interval.

23. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 22, wherein: Sending the reporting condition information includes: sending a radio resource control RRC reconfiguration message and / or system information SI, and The RRC reconfiguration message and / or the SI include the reporting condition information.

24. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 23, comprising: Sending restriction information to the UAV, the restriction information indicating one or more restriction conditions for restricting the UAV from reporting the flight path information, wherein: Whether to send the flight path information from the UAV is determined based on the constraint information.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein: Each of the one or more reporting conditions is assigned a priority level, and Whether to send the flight path information from the UAV is further determined based on the priority.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein: The one or more reporting conditions include a first reporting condition and / or a second reporting condition, the first reporting condition being assigned a first priority, the second reporting condition is assigned a second priority level lower than the first priority level, The flight path information is sent to the network node if (i) the one or more restriction conditions are satisfied and (ii) the first condition is satisfied, and In the event that (i) the one or more restriction conditions are satisfied and (ii) the first condition is not satisfied, the flight path information is not sent to the network node regardless of whether the second condition is satisfied.

27. A computer program (443 or 543) comprising: An instruction (444) which, when executed by a processing circuit (402) of a UAV, causes the UAV to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 13; or an instruction (544) which, when executed by a processing circuit (502) of a network node, causes the network node to perform a method according to any one of claims 14 to 26.

28. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (102), the UAV comprising a wireless communication device (WCD), the UAV being configured to: Obtaining (s202) reporting condition information, the reporting condition information indicating one or more conditions for the UAV to report flight path information, wherein: The flight path information indicates a flight path of the UAV and includes one or more parameters related to the flight path of the UAV, and wherein the one or more reporting conditions for reporting the flight path information are that the one or more parameters have changed by more than one or more thresholds within a given one or more time intervals.

29. The UAV of claim 28, wherein: The UAV is configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 2 to 13.

30. A network node (e.g., 104 or 106), the network node being configured to: sending (s302) reporting condition information to an unmanned aerial vehicle (102), the reporting condition information indicating one or more conditions for the UAV to report flight path information, wherein: The flight path information indicates a flight path of the UAV and includes one or more parameters related to the flight path of the UAV, and wherein the one or more reporting conditions for reporting the flight path information are that the one or more parameters have changed by more than one or more thresholds within a given one or more time intervals, and The UAV comprises a wireless communication device WCD capable of communicating with the network node.

31. The network node according to claim 30, wherein: The network node is configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 15 to 26.

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