Method, apparatus and computer program

Abstract

There is provided an apparatus comprising means for: receiving a location request for a target user equipment from a client device, where the request comprises an indication for supporting one or more intermediate responses, one or more trigger conditions for the one or more intermediate responses, and one or more location accuracy requirements; sending a request for providing a location of the target user equipment to a second network device based on the received request, the request comprising one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements; receiving one or more responses from the second network device, the one or more responses comprising information identifying a location of the target user equipment; and sending one or more responses to the client device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment and an indication of whether the sent one or more responses include an intermediate response or a final response.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to methods, apparatus, systems and computer programs and particularly, but not limited to, determining and reporting the location of target user equipment. Background Art

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

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

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

[0005] A communication system and associated equipment typically operate according to a given standard or specification, which sets out what the various entities associated with the system are allowed to do and how this should be achieved. The communication protocols and / or parameters that will be used for the connection are also typically defined. An example of a communication system is UTRAN (3G radio). Other examples of communication systems are the Long Term Evolution (LTE) of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) radio access technology and the so-called 5G or New Radio (NR) networks. NR is standardized by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Summary of the invention

[0006] According to one aspect, a first network device is provided, comprising a component for performing the following operations: receiving a location request for a target user equipment from a client device, wherein the request includes an indication for supporting one or more intermediate responses, one or more trigger conditions for the one or more intermediate responses, and one or more location accuracy requirements; based on the received request, sending a request to a second network device to provide the location of the target user equipment, wherein the request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements; receiving one or more responses from the second network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment; and sending one or more responses to the client device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment and an indication of whether the one or more responses sent include intermediate responses or final responses.

[0007] The one or more triggering conditions may include one or more of: an occurrence of a network mobility event associated with the target user equipment; a determined movement of the user equipment is greater than a threshold amount; a duration has elapsed since a previous response was sent.

[0008] The one or more position accuracy requirements may include at least a first accuracy requirement and a second accuracy requirement, wherein the second accuracy requirement is more precise than the first accuracy requirement.

[0009] Each of the one or more responses may include one of: information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is an intermediate response; or information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is a final response.

[0010] The first network device may include one of the following: a gateway mobile positioning center, a location retrieval function, or a network opening function. The client device may include one of the following: an external client, a public safety answering point, an application function, or a network opening function. The second network device may include an access and mobility management function or an access node.

[0011] According to one aspect, a second network device is provided, comprising components for: receiving a request from a first network device to provide a location of a target user equipment, wherein the request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements for one or more intermediate responses; based on the received request, sending a request to a third network device, the request being for information identifying the location of the target user equipment, wherein the sent request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements; receiving one or more responses from the third network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment; and sending one or more responses to the first network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment and an indication of whether the sent one or more responses include an intermediate response or a final response.

[0012] The one or more triggering conditions may include one or more of: an occurrence of a network mobility event associated with the target user equipment; a determined movement of the user equipment is greater than a threshold amount; a duration has elapsed since a previous response was sent.

[0013] The one or more position accuracy requirements may include at least a first accuracy requirement and a second accuracy requirement, wherein the second accuracy requirement is more precise than the first accuracy requirement.

[0014] Each of the one or more responses may include one of: information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is an intermediate response; or information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is a final response.

[0015] The first network device may include one of the following: a gateway mobile positioning center, a location retrieval function, or a network opening function. The second network device may include an access and mobility management function or an access node. The third network device may include a location management function.

[0016] According to one aspect, a third network device is provided, comprising components for: receiving a request for information identifying a location of a target user equipment from a second network device, wherein the sent request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements; in response to determining that the one or more trigger conditions are met, determining the location of the target user equipment based on the one or more location accuracy requirements; and sending one or more responses to the second network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment.

[0017] Determining the location of the target user equipment may include selecting a positioning method based on one or more location accuracy requirements.

[0018] The one or more triggering conditions may include one or more of: an occurrence of a network mobility event associated with the target user equipment; a determined movement of the user equipment greater than a threshold amount; or a duration of time having elapsed since a previous response was sent.

[0019] The one or more trigger conditions may include a duration, and the third network device may include means for determining that movement of the user equipment is greater than a threshold amount and decreasing the duration; or determining that movement of the user equipment is less than a threshold amount and increasing the duration.

[0020] The one or more position accuracy requirements may include at least a first accuracy requirement and a second accuracy requirement, wherein the second accuracy requirement is more precise than the first accuracy requirement.

[0021] Determining the location of the target user equipment may include: determining the location of the target user equipment based on the first accuracy requirement; and sending a response to the second network device, the response including information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is an intermediate response.

[0022] Determining the location of the target user equipment may include determining the location of the target user equipment based on a second accuracy requirement; and sending a response to the second network device, the response including information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is a final response.

[0023] The second network equipment may include an access and mobility management function or an access node. The third network equipment may include a location management function.

[0024] According to one aspect, a first network device is provided, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first network device to at least: receive a location request for a target user equipment from a client device, wherein the request includes an indication for supporting one or more intermediate responses, one or more trigger conditions for the one or more intermediate responses, and one or more location accuracy requirements; based on the received request, send a request to a second network device to provide the location of the target user equipment, wherein the request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements; receive one or more responses from the second network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment; and send one or more responses to the client device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment and an indication of whether the one or more responses sent include an intermediate response or a final response.

[0025] The one or more triggering conditions may include one or more of: an occurrence of a network mobility event associated with the target user equipment; a determined movement of the user equipment is greater than a threshold amount; a duration has elapsed since a previous response was sent.

[0026] The one or more position accuracy requirements may include at least a first accuracy requirement and a second accuracy requirement, wherein the second accuracy requirement is more precise than the first accuracy requirement.

[0027] Each of the one or more responses may include one of: information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is an intermediate response; or information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is a final response.

[0028] The first network device may include one of the following: a gateway mobile positioning center, a location retrieval function, or a network opening function. The client device may include one of the following: an external client, a public safety answering point, an application function, or a network opening function. The second network device may include an access and mobility management function or an access node.

[0029] According to one aspect, a second network device is provided, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second network device to at least: receive a request from a first network device to provide a location of a target user equipment, wherein the request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements for one or more intermediate responses; based on the received request, send a request to a third network device, the request being for information identifying the location of the target user equipment, wherein the sent request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements; receive one or more responses from the third network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment; and send one or more responses to the first network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment and an indication of whether the sent one or more responses include an intermediate response or a final response.

[0030] The one or more triggering conditions may include one or more of: an occurrence of a network mobility event associated with the target user equipment; a determined movement of the user equipment is greater than a threshold amount; a duration has elapsed since a previous response was sent.

[0031] The one or more position accuracy requirements may include at least a first accuracy requirement and a second accuracy requirement, wherein the second accuracy requirement is more precise than the first accuracy requirement.

[0032] Each of the one or more responses may include one of: information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is an intermediate response; or information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is a final response.

[0033] The first network device may include one of the following: a gateway mobile positioning center, a location retrieval function, or a network opening function. The second network device may include an access and mobility management function or an access node. The third network device may include a location management function.

[0034] According to one aspect, a third network device is provided, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the third network device to at least: receive a request for information identifying a location of a target user equipment from a second network device, wherein the sent request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements; in response to determining that the one or more trigger conditions are met, determine the location of the target user equipment based on the one or more location accuracy requirements; and send one or more responses to the second network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment.

[0035] The at least one processor and the at least one memory may enable the third network device to select a positioning method based on the one or more location accuracy requirements.

[0036] The one or more triggering conditions may include one or more of: an occurrence of a network mobility event associated with the target user equipment; a determined movement of the user equipment is greater than a threshold amount; or a duration has elapsed since a previous response was sent.

[0037] The one or more trigger conditions may include a duration, and the at least one processor and the at least one memory may cause the third network device to: determine that the movement of the user equipment is greater than a threshold amount and reduce the duration; or determine that the movement of the user equipment is less than a threshold amount and increase the duration.

[0038] The one or more position accuracy requirements may include at least a first accuracy requirement and a second accuracy requirement, wherein the second accuracy requirement is more precise than the first accuracy requirement.

[0039] The at least one processor and the at least one memory may cause the third network device to: determine a location of the target user equipment based on the first accuracy requirement; and send a response to the second network device, the response including information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is an intermediate response.

[0040] The at least one processor and the at least one memory may cause the third network device to: determine a location of the target user equipment based on the second accuracy requirement; and send a response to the second network device, the response including information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is a final response.

[0041] The second network equipment may include an access and mobility management function or an access node. The third network equipment may include a location management function.

[0042] According to one aspect, a method performed by a first network device is provided, the method comprising: receiving a location request for a target user equipment from a client device, wherein the request includes an indication for supporting one or more intermediate responses, one or more trigger conditions for the one or more intermediate responses, and one or more location accuracy requirements; based on the received request, sending a request to a second network device to provide the location of the target user equipment, wherein the request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements; receiving one or more responses from the second network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment; and sending one or more responses to the client device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment and an indication of whether the one or more responses sent include intermediate responses or final responses.

[0043] The one or more triggering conditions may include one or more of: an occurrence of a network mobility event associated with the target user equipment; a determined movement of the user equipment is greater than a threshold amount; a duration has elapsed since a previous response was sent.

[0044] The one or more position accuracy requirements may include at least a first accuracy requirement and a second accuracy requirement, wherein the second accuracy requirement is more precise than the first accuracy requirement.

[0045] Each of the one or more responses may include one of: information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is an intermediate response; or information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is a final response.

[0046] The first network device may include one of the following: a gateway mobile positioning center, a location retrieval function, or a network opening function. The client device may include one of the following: an external client, a public safety answering point, an application function, or a network opening function. The second network device may include an access and mobility management function or an access node.

[0047] According to one aspect, a method performed by a second network device is provided, the method comprising: receiving a request from a first network device to provide a location of a target user equipment, wherein the request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements for one or more intermediate responses; based on the received request, sending a request for information identifying the location of the target user equipment to a third network device, wherein the sent request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements; receiving one or more responses from the third network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment; and sending one or more responses to the first network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment and an indication of whether the sent one or more responses include an intermediate response or a final response.

[0048] The one or more triggering conditions may include one or more of: an occurrence of a network mobility event associated with the target user equipment; a determined movement of the user equipment is greater than a threshold amount; a duration has elapsed since a previous response was sent.

[0049] The one or more position accuracy requirements may include at least a first accuracy requirement and a second accuracy requirement, wherein the second accuracy requirement is more precise than the first accuracy requirement.

[0050] Each of the one or more responses may include one of: information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is an intermediate response; or information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is a final response.

[0051] The first network device may include one of the following: a gateway mobile positioning center, a location retrieval function, or a network opening function. The second network device may include an access and mobility management function or an access node. The third network device may include a location management function.

[0052] According to one aspect, a method performed by a third network device is provided, the method comprising: receiving a request for information identifying a location of a target user equipment from a second network device, wherein the sent request comprises one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements; in response to determining that the one or more trigger conditions are met, determining the location of the target user equipment based on the one or more location accuracy requirements; and sending one or more responses to the second network device, the one or more responses comprising information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment.

[0053] Determining the location of the target user equipment may include selecting a positioning method based on one or more location accuracy requirements.

[0054] The one or more triggering conditions may include one or more of: an occurrence of a network mobility event associated with the target user equipment; a determined movement of the user equipment is greater than a threshold amount; or a duration has elapsed since a previous response was sent.

[0055] The one or more triggering conditions may include a duration, and the method may include determining that movement of the user equipment is greater than a threshold amount and decreasing the duration; or determining that movement of the user equipment is less than a threshold amount and increasing the duration.

[0056] The one or more position accuracy requirements may include at least a first accuracy requirement and a second accuracy requirement, wherein the second accuracy requirement is more precise than the first accuracy requirement.

[0057] Determining the location of the target user equipment may include: determining the location of the target user equipment based on the first accuracy requirement; and sending to the second network device information including identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is an intermediate response.

[0058] Determining the location of the target user equipment may include determining the location of the target user equipment based on a second accuracy requirement; and sending a response to the second network device, the response including information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is a final response.

[0059] The second network equipment may include an access and mobility management function or an access node. The third network equipment may include a location management function.

[0060] According to one aspect, a computer-readable medium comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed by a first network device, causes the first network device to perform at least the following operations: receive a location request for a target user equipment from a client device, wherein the request includes an indication for supporting one or more intermediate responses, one or more trigger conditions for the one or more intermediate responses, and one or more location accuracy requirements; based on the received request, send a request to a second network device to provide the location of the target user equipment, wherein the request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements; receive one or more responses from the second network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment; and send one or more responses to the client device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment and an indication of whether the one or more responses sent include intermediate responses or final responses.

[0061] The one or more triggering conditions may include one or more of: an occurrence of a network mobility event associated with the target user equipment; a determined movement of the user equipment is greater than a threshold amount; a duration has elapsed since a previous response was sent.

[0062] The one or more position accuracy requirements may include at least a first accuracy requirement and a second accuracy requirement, wherein the second accuracy requirement is more precise than the first accuracy requirement.

[0063] Each of the one or more responses may include one of: information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is an intermediate response; or information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is a final response.

[0064] The first network device may include one of the following: a gateway mobile positioning center, a location retrieval function, or a network opening function. The client device may include one of the following: an external client, a public safety answering point, an application function, or a network opening function. The second network device may include an access and mobility management function or an access node.

[0065] According to one aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided that includes instructions that, when executed by a second network device, cause the second network device to perform at least the following operations: receive a request from a first network device to provide a location of a target user equipment, wherein the request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements for one or more intermediate responses; based on the received request, send a request to a third network device for information identifying the location of the target user equipment, wherein the sent request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements; receive one or more responses from the third network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment; and send one or more responses to the first network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment and an indication of whether the sent one or more responses include an intermediate response or a final response.

[0066] The one or more triggering conditions may include one or more of: an occurrence of a network mobility event associated with the target user equipment; a determined movement of the user equipment is greater than a threshold amount; a duration has elapsed since a previous response was sent.

[0067] The one or more position accuracy requirements may include at least a first accuracy requirement and a second accuracy requirement, wherein the second accuracy requirement is more precise than the first accuracy requirement.

[0068] Each of the one or more responses may include one of: information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is an intermediate response; or information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is a final response.

[0069] The first network device may include one of the following: a gateway mobile positioning center, a location retrieval function, or a network opening function. The second network device may include an access and mobility management function or an access node. The third network device may include a location management function.

[0070] According to one aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided that includes instructions that, when executed by a third network device, cause the third network device to perform at least the following operations: receive a request for information identifying a location of a target user equipment from a second network device, wherein the request sent includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements; in response to determining that the one or more trigger conditions are met, determine the location of the target user equipment based on the one or more location accuracy requirements; and send one or more responses to the second network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment.

[0071] Determining the location of the target user equipment may include selecting a positioning method based on one or more location accuracy requirements.

[0072] The one or more triggering conditions may include one or more of: an occurrence of a network mobility event associated with the target user equipment; a determined movement of the user equipment is greater than a threshold amount; or a duration has elapsed since a previous response was sent.

[0073] One or more trigger conditions may include a duration, and the computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the third network device, cause the third network device to: determine that movement of the user equipment is greater than a threshold amount and reduce the duration; or determine that movement of the user equipment is less than a threshold amount and increase the duration.

[0074] The one or more position accuracy requirements may include at least a first accuracy requirement and a second accuracy requirement, wherein the second accuracy requirement is more precise than the first accuracy requirement.

[0075] Determining the location of the target user equipment may include: determining the location of the target user equipment based on the first accuracy requirement; and sending to the second network device information including identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is an intermediate response.

[0076] Determining the location of the target user equipment may include determining the location of the target user equipment based on a second accuracy requirement; and sending a response to the second network device, the response including information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is a final response.

[0077] The second network equipment may include an access and mobility management function or an access node. The third network equipment may include a location management function.

[0078] According to one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions is provided, which, when executed by an apparatus, causes the apparatus to at least perform the method according to any one of the preceding aspects.

[0079] In the above, many different embodiments have been described. It should be understood that other embodiments can be provided by combining any two or more of the above embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0080] Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0081] Figure 1 shows a representation of a network system according to some example embodiments;

[0082] Figure 2 shows a representation of a control device according to some example embodiments;

[0083] Figure 3 shows representations of apparatus according to some example embodiments;

[0084] FIG4 illustrates a method according to some examples;

[0085] Figure 5 A process according to some examples is shown;

[0086] Figure 6 shows processes according to some examples; and

[0087] Figure 7 Processes according to some examples are shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0088] In the following, certain embodiments are explained with reference to a mobile communication device capable of communicating via a wireless cellular system and a mobile communication system serving such a mobile communication device. Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 Certain general principles of wireless communication systems, their access systems and mobile communication devices are briefly explained to help understand the technology underlying the described examples.

[0089] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a 5G system (5GS) is shown. The 5GS may consist of a terminal or user equipment (UE), a 5G radio access network (5GRAN) or a next generation radio access network (NG-RAN), a 5G core network (5GC), one or more application functions (AFs), and one or more data networks (DNs).

[0090] The 5G-RAN may include one or more gNodeBs (GNBs) connected to one or more gNodeB (GNB) centralized unit functions or one or more gNodeB (GNB) distributed unit functions.

[0091] 5GC may include the following entities: network slice selection function (NSSF); network openness function; network repository function (NRF); policy control function (PCF); unified data management (UDM); application function (AF); authentication server function (AUSF); access and mobility management function (AMF); and session management function (SMF).

[0092] Figure 2 shows the control method for Figure 1 An example of a control device 200 for the functions of a 5GRAN or 5GC shown. The control device may include at least one random access memory (RAM) 211a, at least one read-only memory (ROM) 211b, at least one processor 212, 213, and an input / output interface 214. At least one processor 212, 213 may be coupled to the RAM 211a and the ROM 211b. At least one processor 212, 213 may be configured to execute appropriate software code 215. The software code 215 may, for example, allow one or more steps to be executed to perform one or more aspects of the present invention. The software code 215 may be stored in the ROM 211b. The control device 200 may be interconnected with another control device 200 that controls another function of the 5GRAN or 5GC. In some embodiments, each function of the 5GRAN or 5GC includes a control device 200. In an alternative embodiment, two or more functions of the 5GRAN or 5GC may share a control device.

[0093] Figure 3 An example of a terminal 300 is shown, for example Figure 1The terminal shown. The terminal 300 can be provided by any device capable of sending and receiving radio signals. Non-limiting examples include user equipment, a mobile station (MS) or a mobile device (such as a mobile phone or a so-called "smart phone"), a computer provided with a wireless interface card or other wireless interface facilities (e.g., a USB software dog), a personal data assistant (PDA) or tablet computer provided with wireless communication capabilities, a machine type communication (MTC) device, an Internet of Things (IoT) type communication device, or any combination of these devices. The terminal 300 can provide, for example, data communication for bearer communication. The communication can be one or more of voice, electronic mail (email), text message, multimedia, data, machine data, etc.

[0094] The terminal 300 may receive signals over the air or radio interface 307 via suitable means for receiving, and may transmit signals via suitable means for transmitting radio signals. Figure 3 In the mobile device, the transceiver arrangement is schematically designated by block 306. The transceiver arrangement 306 may be provided, for example, by components of a radio part and an associated antenna arrangement. The antenna arrangement may be arranged internally or externally to the mobile device.

[0095] The terminal 300 may be provided with at least one processor 301, at least one memory ROM 302a, at least one RAM 302b and other possible components 303 for software and hardware assistance to perform the tasks it is designed to perform, including control of access and communication to access systems and other communication devices. At least one processor 301 is coupled to RAM 302b and ROM 302a. At least one processor 301 may be configured to execute appropriate software code 308. The software code 308 may, for example, allow execution of one or more aspects of the present invention. The software code 308 may be stored in ROM 302a.

[0096] The processor, memory and other related control means may be provided on an appropriate circuit board and / or in a chipset. This feature is indicated by reference numeral 304. The device may optionally have a user interface such as a keypad 305, a touch-sensitive screen or touchpad, a combination thereof, etc. Optionally, one or more of a display, a speaker and a microphone may be provided, depending on the type of device.

[0097] In some network implementations, a location service (LCS) may be employed to determine the location of one or more target UEs. 3GPP TS 23.273 describes some examples of procedures that may be used to determine the location of a target UE.

[0098] In some applications, it may be beneficial to obtain continuous position estimates for a target UE. For example, in situations where a regulatory client including emergency and / or lawful interception requires the location of the target UE. In order to obtain continuous position estimates for the target UE, some examples may use a periodic delayed position request procedure, such as the procedure specified in TS 23.273.

[0099] However, the example periodic delayed positioning procedure requirements specified in TS23.273 may not be suitable for regulatory services. For example, due to its characteristic dependence on UE capabilities, complexity and wide impact on the system (all nodes involved in the LCS may be affected), the delayed position request procedure provided in TS23.273 may not be expected to be applied by operators for regulatory services, and may require enhanced multi-layer protocols and / or immediate location requests on system block information.

[0100] Although some procedures specified in TS 23.273 may be applied for supervised location services, they may not support multiple responses to a single request, i.e., they may not support continuous position estimation without repeatedly requesting the UE location, which may be inefficient.

[0101] Some examples may address one or more of these issues.

[0102] refer to Figure 4a to c, which illustrate methods according to some examples.

[0103] refer to Figure 4a , which illustrates a method that may be performed by a first network device (eg, but not limited to, a GMLC, a LRF, or a NEF).

[0104] At 400, a method includes receiving a location request for a target user equipment from a client device, wherein the request includes an indication for support of one or more intermediate responses, one or more trigger conditions for the one or more intermediate responses, and one or more location accuracy requirements.

[0105] At 401 , the method includes sending a request to a second network device to provide a location of a target user equipment based on a received request, wherein the request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements.

[0106] At 402, the method includes receiving one or more responses from a second network device, the one or more responses including information identifying a location of a target user equipment.

[0107] At 403, the method includes sending one or more responses to the client device, the one or more responses including information identifying a location of the target user equipment and an indication of whether the sent one or more responses include an intermediate response or a final response.

[0108] refer to Figure 4b , which shows a method that can be performed by a second network device (such as but not limited to AMF or AN (such as RAN)).

[0109] At 404, a method includes receiving, from a first network device, a request to provide a location of a target user equipment, wherein the request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements for one or more intermediate responses.

[0110] At 405, the method includes sending a request to a third network device based on the received request, the request being for information identifying a location of the target user equipment, wherein the sent request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements.

[0111] At 406, the method includes receiving one or more responses from the third network device, the one or more responses including information identifying a location of the target user equipment.

[0112] At 407, the method includes sending one or more responses to the first network device, the one or more responses including information identifying a location of the target user equipment and an indication of whether the sent one or more responses include an intermediate response or a final response.

[0113] refer to Figure 4c , which illustrates a method that may be performed by a third network device (eg, but not limited to, a LMF).

[0114] At 408, a method includes receiving a request for information identifying a location of a target user equipment from a second network device, wherein the sent request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements.

[0115] At 409 , the method includes, in response to determining that one or more trigger conditions are satisfied, determining a location of the target user equipment based on one or more location accuracy requirements.

[0116] At 410, the method includes sending one or more responses to the second network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment.

[0117] In some examples, a request for the location of a target UE (e.g., an LCS service request) may have included information indicating the type of event and / or the minimum time interval between motion event reports, or the interval for each period if multiple reports are requested.

[0118] The information indicating the event type may include information indicating whether the event is motion, periodic, or a triggering of an emergency call event on the UE side. For example, the location management function or other network function may provide a location report to the GMLC within an interval specified by the information, or provide multiple reports when a motion event associated with the target UE is detected. This may assist the GMLC in selecting a more accurate or recent result based on the LCS request context.

[0119] In some examples, where network measurements are allowed in the regulatory request, motion events may be ignored or may be coarsely triggered by mobility events from the AMF. The intervals for periodic reporting may be scheduled in the LMF.

[0120] In some examples, when the LMF observes that the position of the UE has changed significantly (i.e., by more than a threshold amount) between two periodic reports (i.e., over a series of reports), then the LMF may reduce the periodic timer to obtain a more accurate positioning of the fast-moving UE. Similarly, when the LMF observes that the position of the UE has not changed significantly (i.e., by less than a threshold amount) between two periodic reports (over a series of reports), then the LMF may increase the periodic timer to optimize signaling during the positioning process.

[0121] In some examples, when multiple event reports are requested, the information may indicate the minimum time interval between motion event reports or the interval per cycle. Thus, in some examples, in addition to reporting the location of the target UE immediately, the request may also indicate how frequently the LMF will report the location of the target UE.

[0122] In some examples, after the LMF receives the request for the location of the target UE, the LMF may send a supplementary request to the UE. The supplementary request may be sent over the user plane (e.g., using LPP / LPPe messages) or via a serving AMF on the control plane. The supplementary request may include a supplementary service LCS trigger invocation request. The supplementary request may include invoking a Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer service operation.

[0123] The UE may provide a response to the request including information indicating the location of the UE.In some examples, a configuration for event triggering may be configured at the UE.

[0124] For example, during a positioning session, a Position Positioning Protocol (LPP) transaction may be performed between the LMF and the UE. The LMF may obtain multiple results (ie, multiple position estimates) during the LPP transaction based on the latency / response time of different positioning methods.

[0125] In some examples, for each of the multiple results triggered by the event, the LMF may provide the current location of the UE and the timestamp of the location estimate. For example, the LMF may call the Nlmf_Location_EventNotify service operation to the GMLC to report the current location of the UE.

[0126] The GMLC may send the UE's current location and the timestamp of the location estimate received from the LMF to an external location service client.

[0127] The above process may be repeated for the next event detection (e.g., after the interval expires or after the detection of the UE's motion triggered within the emergency call or lawful interception session). In some examples, when the emergency call is terminated by the UE, the UE may trigger a cancel positioning operation, for example, by sending a message to the LMF to request the cancellation of the positioning session.

[0128] refer to Figure 5 , which illustrates the process according to some examples.

[0129] exist Figure 5 In the example of FIG. 1 , an external client such as an emergency service client or other application function is requesting the location of the user device. The external client may interface with a network function such as a GMLC, a location reference function (LRF), or a network exposure function (NEF). It should be understood that although Figure 5 The following description refers to the GMLC, but any suitable network function or device (such as an LRF or NEF) can perform the steps performed by the GMLC. Figure 5 The following description refers to a location management function (LMF), but it will be appreciated that any suitable network function or device may perform the steps performed by the LMF.

[0130] The example procedure may apply to a request from an LCS client for the current and / or intermediate location of a target UE. The process may assume that the LCS client is authorized to use location services and that privacy verification is not required.

[0131] At 501, an external location service client may send a request for the location of a target UE to the GMLC.

[0132] The request may include information identifying the target UE, such as GPSI or SUPI. The request may include the required QoS and supported GAD shapes. If location information is required for more than one UE, the following steps may be repeated. In such cases, the GMLC may verify whether the number of target UEs in the LCS request is equal to or less than the maximum number of target UEs for the LCS client. If the maximum target UE number is exceeded, the GMLC may reject the LCS request. In this case, steps 502 to 510 may be skipped, and the GMLC may then respond to the client with an appropriate error reason in step 511.

[0133] At 502, the GMLC may obtain information identifying the current serving AMF of the target UE. Figure 5 As shown, the GMLC may send a request to the home UDM of the target UE.

[0134] For example, the GMLC may call the Nudm_UECM_Get service operation to the home UDM of the target UE. The GMLC may determine the target UE based on the GPSI or SUPI included in the information received at 501. In some examples, the GMLC may use the Nudm_SDM_Get service operation to retrieve the SUPI of the target UE, as defined in 3GPP TS23.502 clause 5.2 3.3.2.

[0135] At 503, the UDM may return the network address of the current serving AMF of the target UE.

[0136] At 504, the GMLC may request the current serving AMF to provide the current location of the target UE.

[0137] For example, the GMLC may call the Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo service operation to the AMF to request the current location of the UE. The request may include information identifying the target UE, such as SUPI. The request may include the client type of the requesting external client. The request may include the required QoS and the supported GAD shapes.

[0138] At 506, the AMF may select a LMF based on the received request and optionally based on information locally available to the AMF. For example, the AMF may select the LMF defined in clause 5.1 of TS23.273. The LMF selection may take into account the access node currently serving the UE. The selection may use an NRF query.

[0139] At 507, the AMF may send a request for the current location of the target UE to the selected LMF.

[0140] For example, the AMF may call the Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation service operation to the LMF to request the current location of the UE. The request may include one or more of the following: LCS related identifier, the serving cell identifier of the primary cell in the primary RAN node and the primary cell in the secondary RAN node when available based on the dual connectivity scenario, and the client type. The request may include an indication of whether the UE supports LPP, the required QoS, the UE positioning capability (if available), and the supported GAD shape. The request may also include the identity of the AMF.

[0141] At 508, based on the request received at 507, the LMF may perform one or more positioning procedures to determine the geographic location of the target UE.

[0142] The LMF may perform any suitable procedure to determine the location, such as the procedures described in clauses 6.11.1, 6.11.2 and / or 6.11.3 of TS23.273. For example, the LMF may use the Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer service operation to transmit a network positioning message to the serving access node (gNB or NG-eNB) of the target UE. The LMF may optionally determine the location in local coordinates.

[0143] In some examples, when the LMF is configured to periodically report location (ie, configured to be triggered periodically), the LMF may use an internal timer to perform a positioning process at each interval.

[0144] In some instances, when the LMF is configured to report location if the UE moves significantly (i.e., configured to be triggered based on UE motion), the LMF may use mobility events from the AMF (e.g., as described in clause 4.15.4.2 of 3GPP TS23.502) to detect mobility and start a positioning procedure.

[0145] In some examples, when the LMF observes that the position of the UE changes significantly between two periodic reports (over a series of reports), the LMF can reduce the periodic timer to obtain a more accurate positioning of the fast-moving UE. Similarly, if the LMF observes that the position of the UE does not change significantly between two periodic reports (over a series of reports), the LMF can increase the periodic timer to optimize signaling during the positioning process.

[0146] In some examples, such as Figure 5 As shown at 508a in FIG. 1 , the LMF may send multiple intermediate reports to the GMLC. The GMLC may forward the multiple intermediate reports to the LCS client.

[0147] At 509, the LMF may send a response including the current location of the target UE to the AMF.

[0148] For example, the LMF may send an Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation response to the AMF. If the UE positioning capability is received in step 508, the response may include information indicating the UE positioning capability. The information may include an indication that the UE capability is non-variable and was not received from the AMF in step 507. The response may contain one or more of the following: an LCS-related identifier, a location estimate, the lifetime and accuracy of the location estimate, and information about the positioning method and a timestamp of the location estimate.

[0149] At 510, the AMF may send a location service response including the current location of the UE to the requesting client.

[0150] For example, the AMF may send a Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfoResponse to the GMLC / LRF to return the current location of the UE. The response may include one or more of the following: a location estimate, the lifetime and accuracy of the location estimate, information about the positioning method, and a timestamp of the location estimate. The AMF may store the UE positioning capabilities in the UE context upon receiving the UE positioning capabilities from the LMF.

[0151] At 511, the GMLC may send a location service response to the external location service client.

[0152] refer to Figure 6 , which illustrates the process according to some examples.

[0153] exist Figure 6 In an example, an external client such as an emergency service client is requesting the location of the user equipment. An event may trigger the network to request the location of the user equipment. For example, the event may involve UE motion and / or periodic triggering, such as during an emergency call event on the UE side.

[0154] It should be understood that although Figure 6 The following description refers to the GMLC, but any suitable network function or device (such as LRF or NEF) can perform the steps performed by the GMLC. In some examples, for roaming UEs, the GMLC can be the home GLMC. Similarly, although Figure 6 The following description refers to a location management function (LMF), but it will be appreciated that any suitable network function or device may perform the steps performed by the LRF.

[0155] At 601, an external location service client or AF may send a request for positioning report for periodic, triggered or UE available positioning event to the GMLC.

[0156] In some examples, the request may be sent via the NEF.The event may include an emergency call event.

[0157] In some examples, the request may be sent as described for step 1 in clause 6.1.2 of TS 23.273, with differences from what is described herein.

[0158] The LCS service request may provide the type of periodic or triggered location reporting requested and associated parameters.

[0159] In some examples, for periodic location, the LCS service request may include at least one of: a time interval between consecutive location reports, a total number of reports, or a location QoS. The LCS service request may also include a scheduled positioning time for a first periodic location report.

[0160] In some examples, for regional event reporting, the LCS service request may include at least one of the following: the target geographic area, whether the event to be reported is inside the UE, entering or leaving the target area, the duration of the event report, the minimum and maximum time intervals between consecutive event reports, the maximum event sampling interval, whether the location estimate should be included in the event report (and associated location QoS), or whether only one location report or more than one location report is required. In some examples, when the target area is represented by a local coordinate system or a geopolitical name, the GMLC may convert the target area into a geographic area represented by a shape defined in TS23.032.

[0161] In some examples, for motion event reporting, the LCS service request may include at least one of the following: a threshold linear distance, the duration of the event report, the minimum and maximum time intervals between consecutive event reports, the maximum event sampling interval, whether the position estimate should be included in the event report (and associated location QoS), or whether only one location report or more than one location report is required.

[0162] At 601b-1, the AF may call the Nnef_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation to the NEF. At 601b-2, the NEF may forward the request to the GMLC. The NEF may locally allocate an LDR reference number and send it to the GMLC.

[0163] At 602, the GMLC may verify the UE privacy requirements for step 2 in clause 6.1.2 of TS 23.273. The GMLC may also subscribe to and receive notifications of UE privacy profile updates according to steps 0 and 4 of clause 6.12.1 of TS 23.273.

[0164] At 603, the GMLC may query the AMF address for UDM and, in case of roaming, the VGMLC address, as for step 3 in clause 6.1.2 of TS23.273.

[0165] In some examples, the GMLC may also query the HSS of the target UE for the serving MME address, as described in clause 9.1.1 of TS23.271. Then, for example, if the HSS returns the MME address but the UDM does not return the AMF address, the delayed EPC-MT-LR procedure for periodicity and triggering position described in clause 9.1.19 of TS23.271, or the EPC-MT-LR procedure for UE availability events described in clause 9.1.15 of TS23.271 may be performed instead of steps 604 to 631 described below.

[0166] At 604, for roaming UEs, the HGLMC may invoke the Ngmlc_Location_Provide LocationRequest service operation to forward the location request to the VGMLC, as described for step 4 in clause 6.1.2 of TS23.273. If the VGMLC address is not received at step 603, the HGMLC may obtain the VGMLC address. The HGMLC may also include a contact address (e.g., a notification target address, such as a URI) and an LDR reference number (e.g., a notification correlation ID) for the HGMLC for event reporting at steps 620 and 629. The LDR reference number may be assigned by the HGMLC based on a predefined rule (e.g., the operator's policy (if a location request is received in step 601a)), or by the NEF (e.g., if a location request is received in step 601b).

[0167] If the UE is not a roaming UE, step 604 may be omitted.

[0168] At 605, the GMLC (HGLMC or VGMLC) may invoke the Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo Request service operation to forward the location request to the serving AMF, for example, as described for step 5 in clause 6.1.2 of TS 23.273.

[0169] The request may include a GMLC contact address and an LDR reference number. The LDR reference number may be assigned by the GMLC based on predefined rules, such as the operator's policy (if a location request is received in step 601a), or by the NEF (for example, if a positioning request is received in step 601b). For area event reporting, the target geographic area may be converted into a corresponding list of cell and / or tracking area identities.

[0170] At 606 to 608, when the AMF supports deferred location requests, the AMF may return a confirmation indicating acceptance of the request for deferred location to the external LCS client via the GMLC and, in the case of roaming, via the VGMLC. The VGMLC may optionally release resources used for deferred location requests at this time when used.

[0171] At 609, if the UE is currently unreachable (eg, using discontinuous reception or power saving mode), the AMF may wait for the UE to become reachable.

[0172] In some examples, in the case where the UE moves to another AMF or EPC when the UE becomes reachable, the old AMF may return an event indication to the GMLC, such as at steps 619 and 620. The event indication may include the address of the new serving AMF or MME, if known. If the new serving AMF or MME is unknown, the GMLC may repeat step 603 to query the UDM and HSS for the new AMF or MME address. If a new AMF address is received, the GMLC may restart the process from step 604.

[0173] At 610, when the UE is reachable and in CM Idle state, the AMF may initiate a network-triggered service request procedure as defined in clause 4.2.3.3 of TS 23.502 to establish a signaling connection with the UE.

[0174] In some examples, the AMF may decide to cancel the location request before the UE becomes reachable (e.g., due to lack of resources or due to a timeout on the UE) or when the UE becomes reachable (e.g., if the AMF performs NAS-level congestion control on the UE, or for other reasons). The AMF may then skip steps 610 to 618 and proceed to step 619 to return an indication of the location cancellation to the VGMLC or GMLC.

[0175] At 611 to 612, the AMF may perform steps 7 to 8 in clause 6.1.2 TS 23.273 to notify the UE of the positioning request and verify the privacy requirement if required by the positioning request received at step 605 and supported by the UE. In case of periodic or triggered positioning, the AMF may include the type of delayed positioning request in the notification to the UE.

[0176] At 613, the AMF may select the LMF as described for step 6 in clause 6.1.1 of TS 23.273. The selection may take into account the type of delayed location request (e.g., whether periodic or triggered) and any parameters of the delayed location request (e.g., the number and / or duration of event reports required).

[0177] At 614, the AMF may invoke the Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation Request service operation to the LMF to initiate a request to defer UE positioning.

[0178] For a request for periodic or triggered positioning, the service operation may include the information received in step 604 or step 605, including one or more of the following: GMLC contact address, LDR reference number, UE positioning capability (if available), and any scheduled location time. In step 622, the request may include a list of allowed access types for event reporting.

[0179] For requests for UE available positioning events, the GMLC contact address and LDR reference number may not be included.

[0180] The service operation may include an LCS-related identifier, an AMF identifier, a serving cell identity, a client type, and may include an indication of whether the UE supports LPP, the required QoS, and the supported GAD shapes.

[0181] At 615, the LMF may perform one or more positioning procedures, for example, as described in clauses 6.111, 6.112, and 6.113 of TS 23.273 or as described for step 8 in clause 6.1.

[0182] During this step, the LMF may request and obtain UE positioning capabilities (e.g., which may indicate the types of periodic and triggered positioning supported by the UE and the access types supported by the UE for event reporting). The LMF may obtain UE location - for example, for a request for a UE available location event or when an initial position is requested for periodic or triggered UE location. For a request for a UE available positioning event, the LMF may skip steps 616 and 617.

[0183] At 616, when a periodic or triggered positioning or emergency call event is requested, the LMF may send a supplementary service LCS Periodic-Triggered Invoke Request to the UE via the serving AMF by invoking the Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer service operation.

[0184] The LCS periodic triggered location call may include the location request information received from the AMF at step 614, including at least one of the GMLC contact address, the LDR reference number, or any scheduled location time. The LCS periodic triggered location call may also include a delayed routing identifier, which may be, for example, the identity of the LMF when the LMF will act as the serving LMF or other default LMF identity.

[0185] The LCS periodic triggered location recall may indicate the access type allowed for event reporting at step 625 (e.g., one or more of NR, E-UTRA connected to 5GC, non-3GPP access connected to 5GC, any RAT type specified for NR satellite access). The LCS periodic triggered location recall may include (multiple) embedded positioning messages, which may indicate certain location measurements (or location estimates and timestamps of location estimates (if available)) at step 624 for each location event reported (e.g., based on the positioning capabilities of the UE obtained in step 614 and the allowed access types). The indicated location measurements may be allowed or required location measurements.

[0186] As part of the NAS transmission of the LCS periodic triggered location invocation from the serving AMF to the UE, the serving AMF may include in the NAS transmission message an immediate routing identifier including the LCS correlation identifier - e.g. as per clause 6.11.1 of TS 23.273.

[0187] In some examples, the delayed route identifier may be global (e.g., an IP address, UUID, or URI) or may be local. The delayed route identifier may be used for routing in step 625. The immediate route identifier included by the AMF in step 615 may be used for routing in step 617.

[0188] At 617, when the request in step 616 can be supported, the UE may return a supplementary service confirmation to the LMF. The confirmation may be transmitted via the serving AMF using an immediate routing identifier. The confirmation may be delivered to the LMF using the Namf_Communication_N1MessageNotify service operation.

[0189] At 618 , the LMF may call the Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation Response service operation to the AMF to respond to the request at step 614 .

[0190] In some examples, for the request for UE available location event, the response may include the UE location information obtained at step 615. The LMF may then release resources associated with the positioning session.

[0191] In some examples, for a periodic or triggered positioning request, the response may include at least one of the following: UE location information obtained at step 615, confirmation of whether periodic or triggered positioning is successfully activated in the UE according to steps 616 and 617, or an identifier of the LMF in the case of successful activation using the service LMF.

[0192] If the LMF acts as a serving LMF, the LMF may retain state information and resources for later steps.The LMF may provide the achieved location QoS accuracy in step 615, which in some examples may be provided if multiple QoS classes are used in the location request.

[0193] In some examples, if the UE is unable to support periodic and triggered positioning requests, the service action returned to the AMF may contain an appropriate error cause.

[0194] If the UE positioning capability is received in step 615, the service operation may include the UE positioning capability. The service operation may include that the UE capability is non-mutable and an indication that the UE capability is not received from the AMF in step 614.

[0195] At 619, the AMF may invoke the Namf_Location_EventNotify service operation to the GMLC (e.g., VGMLC for roaming UEs or HGMLC for non-roaming UEs). The AMF may include any UE location information received at step 618, and for periodic or triggered positioning, may include confirmation of whether periodic or triggered positioning was successfully activated in the target UE.

[0196] The VGMLC (if used) may be the same VGMLC used in steps 605 and 606, or may be a different VGMLC. In the case of a different VGMLC, the AMF may include the HGMLC contact address and the LDR reference number. If the achieved location QoS accuracy is received at step 618, the AMF may include the LMF identity and the achieved location QoS accuracy. The AMF may then release all resources used for the positioning request and stop supporting the process.

[0197] At 620, for roaming UEs, the VGMLC may forward the response received at step 619 to the HGMLC using the HGMLC contact address received at step 619 (for a different VGMLC) or the HGMLC contact address received and stored at step 604 (for the same VGMLC). The VGMLC may include the LDR reference number and any LMF identification received. The VGMLC may then release all resources for the location request and cease support for the procedure.

[0198] For non-roaming UEs, step 620 may be skipped.

[0199] As an optional procedure for roaming UEs, instead of performing steps 619 and 620, the AMF may invoke the Namf_Location_EventNotify service operation directly to the HGMLC (e.g., if VGMLC is not used, or if VGMLC stops being supported after step 608).

[0200] At 621, the GMLC may forward the response to an external LCS client or AF (eg, via NEF). If the positioning request at step 601 is for a UE available positioning event, the procedure may terminate here and further steps may not be performed.

[0201] At 622, when the UE triggers an emergency call, the configured triggering event may be detected. Based on the detection of the triggering event, if in the CM-IDLE state, the UE may perform a UE-triggered service request as defined in clause 4.2.3.2 of TS23.502 to establish a signaling connection with the AMF.

[0202] In some examples, the UE may send a supplementary service event report message to the LMF, which may be transmitted via a serving AMF (which may be different from the original serving AMF of steps 614 to 616). The event report may be delivered to the LMF using the Namf_Communication_N1MessageNotify service operation.

[0203] At 623, the UE sends an event report to the LMF. The event report may indicate the type of event reported (e.g., normal event or expiration of the maximum reporting interval or an emergency call event) and may contain an embedded positioning message. The embedded message may contain the UE position measurement or position estimate and a timestamp of the position estimate (if available).

[0204] The UE may include the delay routing identifier received in step 616 in a message (e.g., a NAS transport message) used to transmit the event report from the UE to the AMF. The AMF may forward the event report to the serving LMF or any suitable LMF based on the delay routing identifier indicating a specific LMF or any (default) LMF. If a different LMF than the serving LMF is used, the procedure in clause 6.4 of TS23.273 may be used. The UE may include one or more of the following: the GMLC contact address, the LDR reference number, whether a location estimate is to be reported, and if so, the location QoS and any scheduled positioning time for periodic reporting indicated at step 616 in the event report.

[0205] In some examples, the AMF may include the delay route identifier received in step 623 as the LCS-related identifier when forwarding the event report message to the LMF in step 635. If the same serving LMF has already allocated a delay route identifier at step 616, then the delay route identifier may assist the serving LMF in identifying a periodic or triggered positioning session, or may indicate to the LMF that it is acting as a default LMF.

[0206] In some examples, the scheduled location time included at step 622 may be equal to T+(N-1)*P, where T is the initial scheduled location time, N is the report number (N≥1), and P is the time interval between consecutive periodic events.

[0207] When the LMF receives the event report at 623, and if it can process this event report, the LMF may update the status of the event report (eg, the number of event reports received from the UE so far and / or the duration of the event reports so far).

[0208] The LMF may return a supplementary service confirmation for the event report to the UE at 624. The confirmation may optionally contain a new delay routing identifier indicating a new serving LMF or a default (any) LMF.

[0209] If the UE does not receive any response from the LMF after a predefined time, that is, the current LMF does not support postponing the location request (for temporary or permanent reasons) or due to some radio access failures, the UE may resend the report one or more times. If the UE sends repeated event reports for more than the predefined maximum retransmission time, and the UE still does not receive any response from the AMF, the UE may stop resending the report and retain the event report, and then record the corresponding flag to indicate that the report sending failed. When the UE performs location update and detects that the PLMN has changed, if the flag has been set, the UE may send a report to the corresponding AMF, and the flag may be cleared when the sending is successful.

[0210] In some examples, the delayed routing identifier may be included in the event report acknowledgment at step 624, which may be used to change the serving LMF (e.g., if the UE moves into an area or moves to an access type better supported by a different LMF, or if the serving LMF is overloaded) or to enable a default LMF to become the serving LMF.

[0211] At 625, the LMF may perform one or more of the positioning procedures, such as those described in clauses 6.111, 6.112, and 6.113 of TS 23.273, and as described for step 8 in clause 6.1.1 and step 122 in clause 6.1.2 of TS 23.273.

[0212] In some examples, the LMF may perform a positioning procedure when a position estimate is needed for event reporting. The LMF may determine the UE location using the position measurements and / or position estimates obtained at this step and / or received at step 623. The LMF may also determine a timestamp for the position estimate. In the case where the event trigger is related to an emergency call initiated by the UE, the LMF may perform a network-based positioning procedure to determine a reliable position of the UE.

[0213] In some examples, a prerequisite for the positioning procedure (e.g., according to clause 6.11.1 of TS23.273) may be that an LCS-related identifier allocated by the serving AMF has previously been passed to the LMF. The LCS-related identifier may be used, for example, according to steps 1, 3, 6, and 7 in clause 6.11.1 of TS23.273 to ensure that during a positioning session between the LMF and the UE, a positioning response message from the UE is returned by the AMF to the correct LMF and carries an indication (LCS-related identifier) ​​that the LMF can identify.

[0214] To provide this capability, in step 625, the LMF may allocate a correlation identifier indicating the LMF (and optionally the location session) for use, e.g. according to step 1 in clause 6.11.1 of TS 23.273. In order to enable the AMF to distinguish between the correlation identifiers allocated by the LMF (used in this procedure) and the correlation identifiers allocated by the AMF (otherwise used in clause 6.11.1), the two types of correlation identifiers may be selected from different ranges with or without a flag.

[0215] At 626, in the case of a roaming UE, the LMF may select a VGMLC (which may be different from the VGMLC used for steps 603 to 608 and steps 619 to 621). The LMF may then invoke the Nlmf_Location_EventNotify service operation to the selected GMLC with an indication of one or more of the following: the type of event being reported, the (H)GMLC contact address and LDR reference number, the identity of the LMF (if this is a serving LMF), or any location estimate and timestamp of the location estimate obtained at step 625 (if available). If multiple QoS classes were used in the initial location request, the LMF may provide the achieved location QoS accuracy in step 625.

[0216] In some examples, in the case of a roaming UE, the LMF may select the VGMLC for step 626 using NRF services or using configuration information in the LMF, or may use the same VGMLC as steps 603 to 608 (e.g., if the LMF acts as a serving LMF and receives the VGMLC address from the AMF as part of step 614).

[0217] At 627, for roaming UEs, the VGMLC may invoke the Ngmlc_Location_EventNotify service operation to forward the information received in step 626 (e.g., containing the type of event being reported, the LDR reference number, and possible LMF identification) to the HGMLC, which may identify periodic and triggered positioning requests from the LDR reference number.

[0218] For non-roaming UE, step 627 may be skipped.

[0219] In some examples, as an optional procedure for roaming UEs, instead of performing steps 626 and 627, the LMF may directly invoke the Nlmf_Location_EventNotify service operation to the HGMLC.

[0220] In some instances, in the case of movement of the UE to an access network that does not allow event reporting (e.g., an access network in EPS) or otherwise in the case where the UE is unable to send an event report (e.g., due to power outage), the GMLC may not receive event reports at fixed intervals or at intervals equal to or less than the maximum reporting interval for triggering positioning for periodic positioning at step 626 or step 627. In this case, the GMLC may cancel periodic or triggered location reporting, for example, using the procedure defined in clause 6.3.3 of TS23.273. The UE may also cancel periodic or triggered location reporting locally or using the procedure defined in clause 6.3.2 of TS23.273, for example (once the UE can access an access network that is allowed for event reporting).

[0221] At 628, the GMLC may identify the periodic and triggered positioning request received in step 601 (eg, using the LDR reference number received in step 626 or step 627).

[0222] The GMLC may send the type of event being reported, along with any position estimate and timestamp of the position estimate (if available) and the positioning method used, to the external LCS client or AF (e.g., via the NEF). The GMLC may also send the LDR reference number to the LCS client. The GMLC may also verify the UE privacy requirements before reporting the event and any position to the external LCS client or AF. If multiple QoS classes were used in the initial location request, the LMF may provide the achieved location QoS accuracy in step 625.

[0223] At 629, the UE may continue to monitor for additional periodic or triggering events and may initiate steps 622 through 628 each time a triggering event is detected.

[0224] In some examples, the Le interface (NEW / AF GMLC / LCS client interface) can support multi-location response (MLR).

[0225] In some examples, the Le interface can reuse the MLP reports defined in OMA MLP 3.3-3.5, clause 5.2.3.2. The Le interface can also reuse the subscription and notification mechanisms of the NEF interface. Both options can use asynchronous HTTP support, which can utilize an HTTP server deployed on the client side.

[0226] To allow for synchronous calls defined by the LIR description in clause 4.1a.4 TS 23.273, the Le interface 3GPP SBI and OMA MLP scenarios / protocols may be enhanced using server push defined in HTTP / 2 (referenced in clause 4.9.5 of TS 29.501 and clause 5.2.5 of TS 29.500).

[0227] refer to Figure 7 , which illustrates the process according to some examples.

[0228] The AF or LCS client may send an MLP or subscription request to the NEF or GMLC at step 701. The MLP and nef_eventExposure_subscribe requests may contain an indication of current and intermediate responses, such as a "CURRENT_AND_INTERMEDIATE" request type, to accept MLR within the LCS session.

[0229] At step 702, the NEF / GMLC may perform positioning based on the motion of the UE and / or the network / based on periodic triggers, for example, using any of the previously described methods.

[0230] At step 703 and step 703x, GMLC / NEF may use HTTP / 2 server push for one or more INTERMEDIATE responses. The response may use a tag to indicate whether it is an INTERMEDIATE or FINAL response.

[0231] At step 704, the AF / LCS client may process one or more INTERMEDIATE responses if the QoP is met or not met.

[0232] At steps 705 to 706, the NEF or GMLC may send a FINAL response to the AF or LCS client, which may process the FINAL response, for example, as defined in TS 23.273.

[0233] Thus, an example has been described in which an external client may request the location of a target UE based on one or more requirements. The network may process the request and provide one or more responses to the client containing information identifying the location of the target UE. The target UE location may be determined based on one or more trigger conditions, such as periodicity, or mobility / mobility events associated with the target UE.

[0234] In some instances, an apparatus is provided, which includes a component for performing any of the above steps. For example, in some examples, a first device is provided, including a component for the following operations: receiving a location request for a target user equipment from a client device, wherein the request includes an indication for supporting one or more intermediate responses, one or more trigger conditions for the one or more intermediate responses, and one or more location accuracy requirements; based on the received request, sending a request to a second network device to provide the location of the target user equipment, wherein the request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements; receiving one or more responses from the second network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment; and sending one or more responses to the client device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment and an indication of whether the one or more responses sent include intermediate responses or final responses.

[0235] In some examples, the first device may include at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first network device to at least: receive a location request for a target user equipment from a client device, wherein the request includes an indication for supporting one or more intermediate responses, one or more trigger conditions for the one or more intermediate responses, and one or more location accuracy requirements; based on the received request, send a request to a second network device to provide the location of the target user equipment, wherein the request includes the one or more trigger conditions and the one or more location accuracy requirements; receive one or more responses from the second network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment; and send one or more responses to the client device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment and an indication of whether the sent one or more responses include an intermediate response or a final response.

[0236] In some examples, a second device is provided, comprising components for: receiving a request from a first network device to provide a location of a target user equipment, wherein the request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements for one or more intermediate responses; based on the received request, sending a request for information identifying the location of the target user equipment to a third network device, wherein the sent request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements; receiving one or more responses from the third network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment; and sending one or more responses to the first network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment and an indication of whether the sent one or more responses include an intermediate response or a final response.

[0237] In some examples, the second network device may include at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second network device to at least: receive a request from the first network device to provide a location of a target user equipment, wherein the request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements for one or more intermediate responses; based on the received request, send a request to a third network device for information identifying the location of the target user equipment, wherein the sent request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements; receive one or more responses from the third network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment; and send one or more responses to the first network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment and an indication of whether the sent one or more responses include an intermediate response or a final response.

[0238] In some examples, a third network device is provided, comprising components for: receiving a request for information identifying a location of a target user equipment from a second network device, wherein the sent request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements; in response to determining that the one or more trigger conditions are met, determining the location of the target user equipment based on the one or more location accuracy requirements; and sending one or more responses to the second network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment.

[0239] In some examples, the third network device may include at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the third network device to at least: receive a request for information identifying a location of a target user equipment from a second network device, wherein the sent request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements; in response to determining that the one or more trigger conditions are met, determine the location of the target user equipment based on the one or more location accuracy requirements; and send one or more responses to the second network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment.

[0240] The client device may include one of: an external client, a public safety answering point (PSAP), an application function (AF), or a network exposure function (NEF). The first device may include one of: a gateway mobile positioning center (GMLC), a location retrieval function (LRF), or a network exposure function (NEF). The second device may include one of: an access and mobility management function (AMF) or an access node (AN). The third device may include a location management function (LMF).

[0241] It should be understood that the apparatus may include or be coupled to other units or modules, such as a radio component or a radio head, for or for transmitting and / or receiving. Although the apparatus has been described as one entity, different modules and memories may be implemented in one or more physical or logical entities.

[0242] Note that while some embodiments have been described with respect to 5G networks, similar principles may be applied with respect to other networks and communication systems. Thus, while certain embodiments are described above by way of example with reference to certain example architectures for wireless networks, technologies, and standards, the embodiments may be applied to any other suitable form of communication system in addition to the communication system shown and described herein.

[0243] It is also noted herein that while the above describes example embodiments, there are several variations and modifications which may be made to the disclosed solution without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0244] As used herein, “at least one of: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions, where a list of two or more elements is combined by “and” or “or”, mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all the elements.

[0245] In general, various embodiments may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects of the disclosure may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. Although various aspects of the disclosure may be illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representation, it is well understood that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof as non-limiting examples.

[0246] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware circuit implementations only (such as analog implementations only and / or digital circuits), and (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (if applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits with software / firmware, and (ii) software and memory that work together with any portion of a hardware processor (including a digital signal processor) with software to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions, and (c) hardware circuits and / or processors such as microprocessor(s) or portion(s) of a microprocessor(s) that require software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but where the software is not required for operation, the software may not be present.

[0247] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or its) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0248] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by computer software executable by a data processor of a mobile device, such as in a processor entity, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. Computer software or programs (also referred to as program products, including software routines, applets and / or macros) may be stored in any device-readable data storage medium, and they include program instructions for performing specific tasks. A computer program product may include one or more computer executable components that are configured to perform an embodiment when the program is running. One or more computer executable components may be at least one software code or a portion thereof.

[0249] Also in this regard, it should be noted that any block of the logic flow as in the accompanying drawings may represent program steps, or interconnected logic circuits, blocks and functions, or a combination of program steps and logic circuits, blocks and functions. The software may be stored on physical media such as memory chips or memory blocks implemented within a processor, magnetic media such as hard disks or floppy disks, and optical media such as DVDs and their data variants CDs. Physical media are non-transitory media.

[0250] The term "non-transitory" as used herein is a limitation of the medium itself (ie, tangible, not a signal), not a limitation on data storage persistence (eg, RAM versus ROM).

[0251] The memory may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. As non-limiting examples, the data processor may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may include one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an FPGA, a gate-level circuit, and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture.

[0252] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced in various components such as integrated circuit modules. The design of integrated circuits is a highly automated process. Complex and powerful software tools are available to convert logic level designs into semiconductor circuit designs that are ready to be etched and formed on semiconductor substrates.

[0253] The scope of protection sought by various embodiments of the present disclosure is set out by the independent claims. Embodiments and features described in this specification that do not fall within the scope of the independent claims, if any, should be interpreted as examples that help understand the various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0254] The foregoing description has provided a complete and informative description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure by way of non-limiting examples. However, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims, various modifications and adaptations may become apparent to those skilled in the relevant art in view of the foregoing description. However, all such and similar modifications of the teachings of the present disclosure will still fall within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. In fact, there is another embodiment comprising a combination of one or more embodiments with any other embodiment previously discussed.

Claims

1. A first network device, comprising components for the following operations: receiving, from a client device, a location request for a target user equipment, wherein the request includes an indication for supporting one or more intermediate responses, one or more trigger conditions for the one or more intermediate responses, and one or more location accuracy requirements; Based on the received request, sending a request to a second network device to provide the location of the target user equipment, wherein the request includes the one or more trigger conditions and the one or more location accuracy requirements; receiving one or more responses from the second network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment; as well as One or more responses are sent to the client device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment and an indication of whether the sent one or more responses include an intermediate response or a final response.

2. The first network device according to claim 1, wherein the one or more trigger conditions include one or more of the following: a network mobility event associated with the target user equipment occurs; the determined movement of the user equipment is greater than a threshold amount; A duration has elapsed since the previous response was sent. 3 . The first network device according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more location accuracy requirements include at least a first accuracy requirement and a second accuracy requirement, wherein the second accuracy requirement is more precise than the first accuracy requirement.

4. The first network device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each of the one or more responses comprises one of the following: said information identifying the determined position of said target user equipment and an indication that the response is an intermediate response; or The information identifies the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is a final response.

5. The first network device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in: The first network device includes one of the following: a gateway mobile positioning center, a location retrieval function, or a network opening function; The client device includes one of: an external client, a public safety answering point, an application function, or a network opening function; and The second network equipment comprises an access and mobility management function or an access node.

6. A second network device, comprising components for: receiving, from a first network device, a request to provide a location of a target user equipment, wherein the request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements for one or more intermediate responses; Based on the received request, sending a request to a third network device, the request being for information identifying the location of the target user equipment, wherein the sent request includes the one or more trigger conditions and the one or more location accuracy requirements; receiving one or more responses from the third network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment; as well as One or more responses are sent to the first network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment and an indication of whether the sent one or more responses include an intermediate response or a final response.

7. The second network device according to claim 6, wherein the one or more trigger conditions include one or more of the following: a network mobility event associated with the target user equipment occurs; the determined movement of the user equipment is greater than a threshold amount; A duration has elapsed since the previous response was sent.

8. The second network device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the one or more location accuracy requirements include at least a first accuracy requirement and a second accuracy requirement, wherein the second accuracy requirement is more precise than the first accuracy requirement.

9. The second network device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein each of the one or more responses comprises one of the following: said information identifying the determined position of said target user equipment and an indication that the response is an intermediate response; or The information identifies the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is a final response.

10. The second network device according to any one of claims 6 to 9, in: The first network device includes one of the following: a gateway mobile positioning center, a location retrieval function, or a network opening function; The second network equipment comprises an access and mobility management function or an access node; and The third network device includes a location management function.

11. A third network device, comprising components for the following operations: receiving a request for information identifying a location of a target user equipment from a second network device, wherein the request sent includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements; in response to determining that the one or more triggering conditions are satisfied, determining the location of the target user equipment based on the one or more location accuracy requirements; as well as One or more responses are sent to the second network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment. 12 . The third network device of claim 11 , wherein determining the location of the target user equipment comprises selecting a positioning method based on the one or more location accuracy requirements.

13. The third network device according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the one or more trigger conditions include one or more of the following: a network mobility event associated with the target user equipment occurs; the determined movement of the user equipment is greater than a threshold amount; A duration has elapsed since the previous response was sent.

14. The third network device of claim 13, wherein the one or more trigger conditions include the duration, and wherein the third network device includes means for: determining that movement of the user equipment is greater than a threshold amount and reducing the duration; or It is determined that movement of the user equipment is less than a threshold amount and the duration is increased. 15 . The third network device according to claim 11 , wherein the one or more location accuracy requirements include at least a first accuracy requirement and a second accuracy requirement, wherein the second accuracy requirement is more precise than the first accuracy requirement.

16. The third network device of claim 15, wherein determining the location of the target user equipment include: determining the location of the target user equipment based on the first accuracy requirement; as well as A response is sent to the second network device, the response including the information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is an intermediate response.

17. The third network device according to claim 15 or 16, wherein determining the location of the target user equipment include: determining a location of the target user equipment based on the second accuracy requirement; as well as A response is sent to the second network device, the response including the information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment and an indication that the response is a final response.

18. The device according to any one of claims 11 to 17, in: The second network equipment comprises an access and mobility management function or an access node; and The third network device includes a location management function.

19. A first network device, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the first network device at least: receiving, from a client device, a location request for a target user equipment, wherein the request includes an indication for supporting one or more intermediate responses, one or more trigger conditions for the one or more intermediate responses, and one or more location accuracy requirements; Based on the received request, sending a request to a second network device to provide the location of the target user equipment, wherein the request includes the one or more trigger conditions and the one or more location accuracy requirements; receiving one or more responses from the second network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment; as well as One or more responses are sent to the client device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment and an indication of whether the sent one or more responses include an intermediate response or a final response.

20. A second network device, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the second network device at least: receiving, from a first network device, a request to provide a location of a target user equipment, wherein the request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements for one or more intermediate responses; Based on the received request, sending a request to a third network device, the request being for information identifying the location of the target user equipment, wherein the sent request includes the one or more trigger conditions and the one or more location accuracy requirements; receiving one or more responses from the third network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment; as well as One or more responses are sent to the first network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment and an indication of whether the sent one or more responses include an intermediate response or a final response.

21. A third network device, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the third network device at least: receiving a request for information identifying a location of a target user equipment from a second network device, wherein the request sent includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements; in response to determining that the one or more triggering conditions are satisfied, determining the location of the target user equipment based on the one or more location accuracy requirements; as well as One or more responses are sent to the second network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment.

22. A method performed by a first network device, the method include: receiving, from a client device, a location request for a target user equipment, wherein the request includes an indication for supporting one or more intermediate responses, one or more trigger conditions for the one or more intermediate responses, and one or more location accuracy requirements; Based on the received request, sending a request to a second network device to provide the location of the target user equipment, wherein the request includes the one or more trigger conditions and the one or more location accuracy requirements; receiving one or more responses from the second network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment; as well as One or more responses are sent to the client device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment and an indication of whether the sent one or more responses include an intermediate response or a final response.

23. A method performed by a second network device, the method include: receiving, from a first network device, a request to provide a location of a target user equipment, wherein the request includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements for one or more intermediate responses; Based on the received request, sending a request to a third network device, the request being for information identifying the location of the target user equipment, wherein the sent request includes the one or more trigger conditions and the one or more location accuracy requirements; receiving one or more responses from the third network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment; as well as One or more responses are sent to the first network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the location of the target user equipment and an indication of whether the sent one or more responses include an intermediate response or a final response.

24. A method performed by a third network device, the method include: receiving a request for information identifying a location of a target user equipment from a second network device, wherein the request sent includes one or more trigger conditions and one or more location accuracy requirements; in response to determining that the one or more triggering conditions are satisfied, determining the location of the target user equipment based on the one or more location accuracy requirements; as well as One or more responses are sent to the second network device, the one or more responses including information identifying the determined location of the target user equipment.

Images