Method and apparatus for route tracking in wireless communications

Abstract

A method, an apparatus, and a program for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight route tracking using a meeting point in wireless communication are provided. In one example, a method implemented by a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) includes receiving a downlink transmission including a meeting monitoring request; transmitting a first uplink transmission including a response based on the meeting monitoring request; initiating a discovery process to detect the presence of a target UAV associated with the meeting monitoring request; and transmitting a second uplink transmission including a monitoring report associated with the target UAV.

Description

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 422,308, filed on November 3, 2022, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth below and for all applicable purposes. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to communication networks. One or more embodiments disclosed herein relate to methods, devices, and programs for route tracking in wireless communication. For example, methods and devices for using rendezvous points for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight route tracking are provided.

[0004] In one embodiment, a method implemented in a wireless transmit and / or receive unit (WTRU) for wireless communication includes: receiving a downlink transmission containing a rendezvous monitoring request (e.g., from a network entity); and transmitting a first uplink transmission containing a response based on the rendezvous monitoring request (e.g., to the network entity). The method further includes: initiating a discovery process for detecting the presence of a target unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) associated with the rendezvous monitoring request; and transmitting a second uplink transmission containing a monitoring report associated with the target UAV (e.g., to the network entity).

[0005] In one embodiment, a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) for wireless communication is provided, which includes circuitry that includes a processor, a transmitter, a receiver, and / or a memory. The WTRU is configured to: receive a downlink transmission containing a rendezvous monitoring request (e.g., from a network entity), and transmit a first uplink transmission containing a response based on the rendezvous monitoring request (e.g., to the network entity). The WTRU is further configured to: initiate a discovery process for detecting the presence of a target UAV associated with the rendezvous monitoring request; and transmit a second uplink transmission containing a monitoring report associated with the target UAV (e.g., to the network entity). Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006] A more detailed understanding can be obtained from the following detailed description given by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The figures in such drawings are examples as in the detailed description. Accordingly, the figures (drawings) and the detailed description should not be regarded as restrictive, and other equally valid examples are possible and may be. In addition, the same reference numerals ("marks") in each figure indicate the same elements, and in which:

[0007] Figure 1A is a system diagram showing an exemplary communication system;

[0008] Figure 1B is a system diagram showing an exemplary wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) that can be used within the Figure 1A illustrated communication system;

[0009] Figure 1C is a system diagram showing an exemplary radio access network (RAN) and an exemplary core network (CN) that can be used within the Figure 1A illustrated communication system;

[0010] Figure 1D is a system diagram showing yet another exemplary RAN and yet another exemplary CN that can be used within the Figure 1A illustrated communication system;

[0011] Figure 2 is a system diagram showing an example of UAV route tracking using rendezvous (RDV) points according to one or more embodiments;

[0012] Figure 3 is a signal flow diagram showing an example of UAV tracking using RDV points according to one or more embodiments; and

[0013] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an exemplary method of UAV route tracking using RDV points according to one or more embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments and / or examples disclosed herein. However, it will be understood that such embodiments and examples may be practiced without some or all of the specific details set forth herein. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the following description. Additionally, embodiments and examples not specifically described herein may be practiced in lieu of or in combination with the embodiments and other examples explicitly, implicitly, and / or inherently described, disclosed, or otherwise provided (collectively "provided") herein. Although various embodiments are described and / or claimed herein in which devices, systems, apparatuses, etc. and / or any of their elements perform operations, processes, algorithms, functions, etc. and / or any part thereof, it should be understood that any embodiment described and / or claimed herein assumes that any device, system, apparatus, etc. and / or any of their elements is configured to perform any operation, process, algorithm, function, etc. and / or any part thereof.

[0015] Exemplary Communication Systems, Networks, and Devices

[0016] The methods, processes, devices, and systems provided herein are well-suited for communication involving both wired and wireless networks. Regarding Figures 1A to 1DAn overview of various types of wireless devices and infrastructure is provided, where various elements of the network can utilize, execute the methods, devices, and systems provided herein, be arranged in accordance with the methods, devices, and systems provided herein, and / or be adapted to and / or configured for the methods, devices, and systems provided herein.

[0017] Figure 1A FIG. is a system diagram showing an exemplary communication system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communication system 100 may be a multi-access system that provides content such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc. to a plurality of wireless users. The communication system 100 may enable a plurality of wireless users to access such content through shared system resources including wireless broadband. For example, the communication system 100 may employ one or more channel access methods such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero tail (ZT) unique word (UW) discrete Fourier transform (DFT) spread OFDM (ZT UW DTS-s OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block filtered OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), etc.

[0018] As Figure 1AAs shown, the communication system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, a radio access network (RAN) 104 / 113, a core network (CN) 106 / 115, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112. However, it will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d (any of which may be referred to as a “station” and / or “STA”) may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and may include (or be) a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscription-based unit, a pager, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a laptop computer, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fi device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and application (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and application (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of an industrial and / or automation processing chain), a consumer electronic device, a device operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, etc. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be interchangeably referred to as a UE.

[0019] The communication system 100 may also include base station 114a and / or base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, e.g., to facilitate access to one or more communication networks such as the CN 106 / 115, the Internet 110, and / or the network 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node-B (NB), an eNode-B (eNB), a home Node-B (HNB), a home eNode-B (HeNB), a gNode-B (gNB), an NR Node-B (NR NB), a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, etc. Although each of the base stations 114a, 114b is depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0020] Base station 114a may be part of RAN 104 / 113, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as base station controllers (BSCs), radio network controllers (RNCs), relay nodes, etc. Base station 114a and / or base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). These frequencies may be in licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide wireless service coverage to a specific geographic area that may be relatively fixed or may change over time. A cell may also be divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in an embodiment, base station 114a may include three transceivers, i.e., one transceiver for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology and may utilize multiple transceivers for each or any sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to transmit and / or receive signals in a desired spatial direction.

[0021] Base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d via air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, millimeter wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). Any suitable radio access technology (RAT) may be used to establish air interface 116.

[0022] More specifically, as described above, communication system 100 may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, etc. For example, base station 114a in RAN 104 / 113 and WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) that may use Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) to establish air interface 116. WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0023] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies, such as the evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) that may use Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and / or LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro) to establish the air interface 116.

[0024] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies, such as the New Radio (NR) radio access that may use NR to establish the air interface 116.

[0025] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may jointly implement LTE radio access and NR radio access using, for example, the dual connectivity (DC) principle. Accordingly, the air interface used by the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., eNBs and gNBs).

[0026] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., WiMAX), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), etc.

[0027] Figure 1AThe base station 114b therein can be, for example, a wireless router, a home Node-B, a home eNode-B, or an access point, and can utilize any suitable RAT to facilitate wireless connections in a local area such as a commercial premise, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an aviation corridor (e.g., for drones), a road, etc. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRU102c, 102d can implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRU 102c, 102d can implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRU 102c, 102d can utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR, etc.) to establish any one of a small cell, a pico cell, or a femto cell. As Figure 1A shown, the base station 114b can be directly connected to the Internet 110. Thus, the base station 114b may not need to access the Internet 110 via the CN 106 / 115.

[0028] The RAN 104 / 113 can communicate with the CN 106 / 115, which can be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data can have different quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as different throughput requirements, latency requirements, fault tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, etc. The CN 106 / 115 can provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, prepaid calls, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform advanced security functions such as user authentication. Although Figure 1A not shown, it will be understood that the RAN 104 / 113 and / or the CN 106 / 115 can communicate directly or indirectly with other RANs that employ the same RAT or a different RAT as the RAN 104 / 113. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104 / 113 that may be utilizing NR radio technology, the CN 106 / 115 can also communicate with another RAN (not shown) that employs any one of GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or Wi-Fi radio technology.

[0029] CN 106 / 115 can also serve as a gateway for WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. The PSTN 108 can include a circuit-switched telephone network that provides plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 can include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and / or Internet Protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP Internet protocol suite. The network 112 can include wired and / or wireless communication networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the network 112 can include another CN connected to one or more RANs, and the other CN can employ the same RAT or a different RAT as the RAN 104 / 114.

[0030] Some or all of the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communication system 100 can include multi-mode capabilities (e.g., the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d can include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links). For example, Figure 1A the illustrated WTRU 102c can be configured to communicate with a base station 114a that can employ a cellular-based radio technology and with a base station 114b that can employ IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0031] Figure 1B is a system diagram showing an exemplary WTRU 102. As Figure 1B shown, the WTRU 102 can include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, transmit / receive elements 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, a non-removable memory 130, a removable memory 132, a power supply 134, a Global Positioning System (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other elements / peripherals 138, etc. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 can include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with the embodiments.

[0032] The processor 118 can be a general-purpose processor, a dedicated processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) circuit, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, etc. The processor 118 can perform signal encoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functions that enable the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 can be coupled to a transceiver 120, which can be coupled to a transmit / receive element 122. Although Figure 1B the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 are depicted as separate components, it will be appreciated that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 can be integrated together, for example, in an electronic package or a chip.

[0033] The transmit / receive element 122 can be configured to transmit signals to or receive signals from a base station (e.g., base station 114a) via an air interface 116. For example, in an embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 can be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In an embodiment, for example, the transmit / receive element 122 can be a transmitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive, for example, IR, UV, or visible light signals. In an embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 can be configured to transmit and / or receive both RF signals and optical signals. It will be appreciated that the transmit / receive element 122 can be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0034] Although the transmit / receive element 122 is depicted as a single element in Figure 1B the WTRU 102 can include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. For example, the WTRU 102 can employ MIMO technology. Thus, in an embodiment, the WTRU 102 can include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals via the air interface 116.

[0035] The transceiver 120 can be configured to modulate the signals to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and demodulate the signals received by the transmit / receive element 122. As described above, the WTRU 102 can have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver 120 can include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs (e.g., such as NR and IEEE 802.11).

[0036] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to and may receive user input data from: a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, and / or a display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. Additionally, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in any type of suitable memory such as a non-removable memory 130 and / or a removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, etc. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in a memory that is not actually located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0037] The processor 118 may receive power from a power supply 134 and may be configured to distribute power to other components in the WTRU 102 and / or control the power to those other components. The power supply 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power supply 134 may include one or more dry cells (e.g., nickel cadmium (NiCd), nickel zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium ion (Li-ion), etc.), a solar cell, a fuel cell, etc.

[0038] The processor 118 may also be coupled to a GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to or instead of information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) via an air interface 116 and / or determine its location based on the timing of signals received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may obtain location information by any suitable location determination method while remaining consistent with the embodiments.

[0039] The processor 118 may also be coupled to other elements / peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules / units that provide additional features, functionality, and / or wired or wireless connections. For example, the elements / peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an electronic compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (e.g., for photos and / or videos), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands-free headset, Modules, FM radio units, digital music players, media players, video game player modules, Internet browsers, virtual reality and / or augmented reality (VR / AR) devices, activity trackers, etc. The component / peripheral 138 may include one or more sensors, which may be one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a Hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, an orientation sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor; a geographical location sensor; an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, and / or a humidity sensor.

[0040] The WTRU 102 may include a full-duplex radio, where some or all of the transmission and reception of signals (e.g., associated with a particular subframe for both uplink (e.g., for transmission) and downlink (e.g., for reception)) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous. The full-duplex radio may include an interference management unit to reduce and / or substantially eliminate self-interference via hardware (e.g., chokes) or signal processing via a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or via processor 118). In an embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include a half-duplex radio, where some or all of the transmission and reception of signals (e.g., associated with a particular subframe for either uplink (e.g., for transmission) or downlink (e.g., for reception)).

[0041] Figure 1C is a system diagram showing the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to an embodiment. As described above, the RAN 104 may employ E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRU 102a, 102b, and 102c via the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also communicate with the CN 106.

[0042] The RAN 104 may include eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, but it will be understood that the RAN 104 may include any number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with the embodiment. The eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c via the air interface 116. In an embodiment, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, for example, the eNode-B 160a may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to and receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a.

[0043] Each of eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c may be associated with a specific cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, user scheduling in the uplink (UL) and / or downlink (DL), etc. As shown in FIG. 10, eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with each other via the X2 interface.

[0044] Figure 1C The illustrated CN 106 may include a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 162, a Serving Gateway (SGW) 164, and a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (PGW) 166. Although each of the foregoing elements is depicted as part of CN 106, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0045] MME 162 may be connected to each of eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c in RAN 104 via the S1 interface and may act as a control node. For example, MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a specific serving gateway during the initial contact of WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, etc. MME 162 may provide control plane functions for handover between RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) employing other radio technologies such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0046] SGW 164 may be connected to each of eNode Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in RAN 104 via the S1 interface. SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to and from WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. SGW 164 may perform other functions such as anchoring the user plane during handover between eNode-Bs, triggering paging when DL data is available for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing the context of WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, etc.

[0047] SGW 164 may be connected to PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to a packet switched network such as the Internet 110 to facilitate communication between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0048] CN 106 may facilitate communication with other networks. For example, CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to a circuit-switched network such as the PSTN 108 to facilitate communication between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional landline communication devices. For example, CN 106 may include an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) as an interface between CN 106 and the PSTN 108 or may communicate therewith. Additionally, CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0049] Although the WTRU is depicted as a wireless terminal in Figures 1A to 1D it is contemplated that in some representative embodiments, such a terminal may (e.g., temporarily or permanently) use a wired communication interface that utilizes a communication network.

[0050] In a representative embodiment, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0051] A WLAN in infrastructure basic service set (BSS) mode may have an access point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP may have access to or an interface with a distribution system (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that loads and / or unloads traffic to / from the BSS. Traffic going to an STA from outside the BSS may reach the STA through the AP and may be delivered to the STA. Traffic from an STA to a destination outside the BSS may be sent to the AP for delivery to the corresponding destination. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be sent through the AP, e.g., where the source STA may send traffic to the AP and the AP may deliver the traffic to the destination STA. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be considered and / or referred to as peer-to-peer traffic. Peer-to-peer traffic may be sent between the source STA and the destination STA using direct link setup (DLS) (e.g., sent directly between them). In some representative embodiments, DLS may use 802.11e DLS or 802.11z tunnel DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and STAs within the IBSS or using the IBSS (e.g., all STAs) may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS communication mode may sometimes be referred to in this document as an "ad hoc" communication mode.

[0052] When operating in 802.11ac infrastructure mode or a similar operating mode, the AP can transmit beacons on a fixed channel, such as the primary channel. The primary channel can be of a fixed width (e.g., a bandwidth of 20 MHz wide) or a width dynamically set via signaling. The primary channel can be the operating channel of the BSS and can be used by the STA to establish a connection with the AP. In some representative embodiments, Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA) can be implemented, for example, in an 802.11 system. For CSMA / CA, the STA (e.g., each STA), including the AP, can sense the primary channel. If the primary signal is sensed / detected and / or determined to be busy by a particular STA, the particular STA can back off. One STA (e.g., only one station) can transmit in a given BSS at any given time.

[0053] High Throughput (HT) STAs can communicate using a 40 MHz wide channel, for example, by combining the primary 20 MHz channel with an adjacent or non - adjacent 20 MHz channel to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[0054] Very High Throughput (VHT) STAs can support channels that are 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and / or 160 MHz wide. The 40 MHz and / or 80 MHz channels can be formed by combining consecutive 20 MHz channels. The 160 MHz channel can be formed by combining eight consecutive 20 MHz channels or by combining two non - consecutive 80 MHz channels, which can be referred to as an 80 + 80 configuration. For the 80 + 80 configuration, after channel coding, the data can be passed through a fragment parser that can divide the data into two streams. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) processing and time - domain processing can be performed on each stream separately. The streams can be mapped to two 80 MHz channels, and the data can be transmitted by the transmitting STA. At the receiver of the receiving STA, the above operations for the 80 + 80 configuration can be reversed, and the combined data can be sent to the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, entity, etc.

[0055] 802.11af and 802.11ah support operation modes below 1 GHz. The channel operation bandwidth and carriers are reduced in 802.11af and 802.11ah as compared to those used in 802.11n and 802.11ac. 802.11af supports 5 MHz, 10 MHz, and 20 MHz bandwidths in the TV white space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.11ah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.11ah may support meter type control / machine type communication (MTC), such as MTC devices in a macro coverage area. MTC devices may have certain capabilities, for example, limited capabilities, including supporting (e.g., only supporting) certain and / or limited bandwidths. MTC devices may include a battery with a battery life higher than a threshold (e.g., to maintain a very long battery life).

[0056] A WLAN system that can support multiple channels and channel bandwidths (such as 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11af, and 802.11ah) includes a channel that can be designated as a primary channel. The primary channel may have a bandwidth equal to the maximum common operation bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be set and / or restricted by the STA that supports the minimum bandwidth operation mode among all STAs operating in the BSS. In an example of 802.11ah, for an STA that supports (e.g., only supports) the 1 MHz mode (e.g., an MTC type device), the primary channel may be 1 MHz wide, even if the AP and other STAs in the BSS support 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 16 MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operation modes. Carrier sensing and / or network allocation vector (NAV) setting may depend on the state of the primary channel. If the primary channel is busy, for example, due to an STA (which only supports the 1 MHz operation mode) transmitting to the AP, the entire available frequency band may be considered busy even if most of the frequency bands remain idle and may be available.

[0057] In the United States, the available frequency band that can be used by 802.11ah is 902 MHz to 928 MHz. In Korea, the available frequency band is 917.5 MHz to 923.5 MHz. In Japan, the available frequency band is 916.5 MHz to 927.5 MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11ah is 6 MHz to 26 MHz, depending on the country code.

[0058] Figure 1Dis a system diagram showing RAN 113 and CN 115 according to one embodiment. As described above, RAN 113 may employ NR radio technology to communicate with WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c via air interface 116. RAN 113 may also communicate with CN 115.

[0059] RAN 113 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, but it will be understood that RAN 113 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with the embodiment. gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c via air interface 116. In an embodiment, gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, gNBs 180a, 180b may utilize beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c. Thus, for example, gNB 180a may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to WTRU 102a and / or receive wireless signals from that WTRU. In one embodiment, gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, gNB 180a may transmit multiple component carriers to WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be located in unlicensed spectrum while the remaining component carriers may be located in licensed spectrum. In one embodiment, gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement coordinated multi-point (CoMP) technology. For example, WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from gNB 180a and gNB 180b (and / or gNB 180c).

[0060] WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with a scalable digital architecture. For example, the OFDM symbol interval and / or the OFDM subcarrier interval may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the radio transmission spectrum. WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframes or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of various lengths or scalable lengths (e.g., including different numbers of OFDM symbols and / or lasting for different lengths of absolute time).

[0061] gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c can be configured to communicate with WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c in a stand-alone configuration and / or a non-stand-alone configuration. In a stand-alone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c can communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c without also accessing another RAN (e.g., such as eNode Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c). In a stand-alone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c can use one or more of gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c as a mobility anchor. In a stand-alone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c can communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c using signals in an unlicensed band. In a non-stand-alone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c can communicate / connect with gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c while also communicating / connecting with another RAN (such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c). For example, WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c can implement the DC principle to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c and one or more eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c substantially simultaneously. In a non-stand-alone configuration, eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c can serve as the mobility anchor for WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c, and gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c can provide additional coverage and / or throughput to serve WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c.

[0062] Each of gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c can be associated with a specific cell (not shown) and can be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, user scheduling in UL and / or DL, support for network slicing, dual connectivity, interworking between NR and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data towards user plane functions (UPFs) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information towards access and mobility management functions (AMFs) 182a, 182b, etc. As Figure 1D shown, gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c can communicate with each other via the Xn interface.

[0063] Figure 1DThe illustrated CN 115 may include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one session management function (SMF) 183a, 183b, and at least one data network (DN) 185a, 185b. Although each of the foregoing elements is described as part of CN 115, it will be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0064] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected via an N2 interface to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 and may act as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, supporting network slicing (e.g., handling different protocol data unit (PDU) sessions with different requirements), selecting a particular SMF 183a, 183b, managing the registration area, terminating NAS signaling, mobility management, etc. The AMF 182a, 182b may use network slicing, for example, to customize the CN support for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c based on the type of service the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c are utilizing. For example, different network slices may be established for different use cases, such as services relying on ultra-reliable low-latency (URLLC) access, services relying on enhanced massive mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services for machine type communication (MTC) access, etc. The AMF 162 may provide control plane functions for handovers between the RAN 113 and other RANs (not shown) employing other radio technologies (such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro) and / or non-3GPP access technologies (such as Wi-Fi).

[0065] The SMF 183a, 183b may be connected via an N11 interface to the AMF 182a, 182b in the CN 115. The SMF 183a, 183b may also be connected via an N4 interface to the UPF 184a, 184b in the CN 115. The SMF 183a, 183b may select and control the UPF 184a, 184b and configure the routing of traffic through the UPF 184a, 184b. The SMF 183a, 183b may perform other functions, such as managing and allocating UE IP addresses, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, providing downlink data notifications, etc. The PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP-based, Ethernet-based, etc.

[0066] UPF 184a and 184b can be connected to one or more of gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in RAN 113 via the N3 interface, and the gNB can provide access to a packet switched network (such as the Internet 110) for WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c, for example, to facilitate communication between WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. UPF 184, 184b can perform other functions such as routing and forwarding packets, implementing user plane policies, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering downlink packets, providing mobile anchoring, etc.

[0067] CN 115 can facilitate communication with other networks. For example, CN 115 can include an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) as an interface between CN 115 and the PSTN 108 or can communicate with the IP gateway. Additionally, CN 115 can provide access to other networks 112 for WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c, and the other networks can include other wired and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. In an embodiment, WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c can be connected to DNs 185a, 185b via UPF 184a, 184b through the N3 interface to UPF 184a, 184b and the N6 interface between UPF 184a, 184b and the local data network (DN) 185a, 185b.

[0068] In view of Figures 1A to 1D and Figures 1A to 1D the corresponding descriptions, one or more of the functions described herein with respect to any of the following can be performed by one or more emulation elements / devices (not shown): WTRU 102a to 102d, base stations 114a to 114b, eNode-Bs 160a to 160c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNBs 180a to 180c, AMFs 182a to 182b, UPFs 184a to 184b, SMFs 183a to 183b, DNs 185a to 185b, and / or any other element / device described herein. The emulation device can be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more or all of the functions described herein. For example, the emulation device can be used to test other devices and / or simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0069] The simulation device can be designed to implement one or more tests on other devices in a laboratory environment and / or an operator network environment. For example, one or more simulation devices can perform one or more or all functions when fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network, in order to test other devices within the communication network. One or more simulation devices can perform one or more or all functions when temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The simulation device can be directly connected to another device for testing purposes and / or perform tests using over-the-air wireless communication.

[0070] One or more simulation devices can perform one or more (including all) functions when not implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, the simulation device can be used in a test laboratory and / or a test scenario in a non-deployed (e.g., test) wired and / or wireless communication network, in order to implement tests on one or more components. One or more simulation devices can be test equipment. The simulation device can transmit and / or receive data using a direct RF connection and / or wireless communication via an RF circuit (e.g., which can include one or more antennas).

[0071] Introduction

[0072] Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flight path tracking is crucial for applications in Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), especially for those Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) missions or autonomously navigating UAVs. Since the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 16, 3GPP has defined several mechanisms for implementing UAV position tracking or flight path monitoring via the 3GPP cellular network.

[0073] In one example, the 3GPP network can provide UAV tracking information to Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Traffic Management (UTM) and / or UTM Service Supplier (USS) via the Network Exposure Function (NEF) and / or the UAS Network Function (NF). In 3GPP, various tracking modes are supported. For example, in the "UAV Position Report Mode", the UAS NF initiates the 3GPP location service procedure to obtain the UAV's location information and report it to the USS. In another example, in the "UAV Presence Monitoring Mode", the network monitors whether the UAV appears in the monitored area and reports the presence information to the USS.

[0074] In some recent implementations, a mechanism is defined or used to monitor location deviation using a service enabling architecture layer (SEAL) location management server that obtains location information from a 5G system (5GS), 5G core (5GC) network, or from an application client, and determines whether the client is within or outside an area of interest, and then reports it to an application server. This can potentially be used to monitor whether a UAV deviates from its planned flight route.

[0075] 3GPP is continuously researching how to further improve the support of 5GS for UAS applications, including how to provide information to the USS to enhance flight monitoring and control, flight route management, etc.

[0076] Some current mechanisms for 3GPP networks to track or monitor the location of a UAV require the UAV to be able to communicate with the 3GPP cellular network (e.g., support Uu). However, this may be a challenge for most currently serving UAVs and may remain so in the near future. It is very difficult to monitor the flight route of those UAVs in BVLOS flight and new or improved mechanisms need to be introduced in the 3GPP network. Therefore, new or enhanced methods or mechanisms are needed to enable the 3GPP network to monitor the flight route of UAVs (e.g., those that do not support Uu).

[0077] Overview

[0078] In various embodiments, methods and procedures for flight route tracking in wireless communication are provided. In one embodiment, in response to a request from the USS / network, using (or at) multiple rendezvous points, one or more WTRUs perform flight monitoring using a PC5 link and report the results back to the network. In some examples, the PC5 link is a reference point between a ProSe-capable WTRU for control and a user plane for 5G ProSe direct discovery, 5G ProSe direct communication, and 5G ProSe WTRU-to-network relay.

[0079] In various embodiments, the methods and procedures for flight route tracking discussed herein include: performing flight route tracking on a UAV that does not have Uu communication capabilities by using a rendezvous point selected by the network that is capable of detecting the target UAV using sidelink (SL) communication.

[0080] In various embodiments, the methods and procedures for flight path tracking discussed herein relate to tracking a UAV without a cellular network connection. In one example, compared to a UAV tracking mechanism that relies on 3GPP network positioning services, the enhanced procedures have much lower complexity and the signaling overhead is almost negligible. Detection of the target UAV is mainly based on direct PC5 discovery / communication, for example, between a rendezvous (RDV) point and the target UAV, which reliably confirms the presence of the UAV near the RDV point. RDV points are fixed installations and are not power-limited. They can operate continuously and have a relatively large communication range. RDV points can be operated by a USS or a separate service provider and provide monitoring services for all USSs without the USSs and cellular network operators incurring operating costs.

[0081] Representative procedures for UAV flight path monitoring using rendezvous (RDV) points

[0082] In one embodiment, one or more UAVs may not have Uu communication capabilities but may be able to perform sidelink (SL) communication, such as PC5 communication, in a spectrum (e.g., a dedicated spectrum or an unlicensed spectrum).

[0083] In one example, an RDV point WTRU (or simply an RDV point) refers to a ground station or a fixed installation that is capable of performing cellular communication (e.g., communicating with a USS via a 5G cellular network) and sidelink communication with a UAV. RDV points can be installed along the potential flight path of the UAV. RDV points can be assets of a cellular network operator or a UAS monitoring service provider (not necessarily the same USS of the UAV being monitored), and these providers may have a service agreement with the cellular network operator, and information about the RDV points (e.g., their location (e.g., GPS coordinates)) is obtained by or known in the 5GS.

[0084] When a USS sends a flight path monitoring request to the 5GS (e.g., using the Network Exposure Function (NEF) or the UAS NF in the 5GS to invoke the 5GS network exposure service / API for flight path monitoring), it can provide the application layer ID of the target UAV and the planned flight path. The planned flight path can include information about multiple waypoints associated with the estimated time of arrival. In addition, it can provide some or all of the following information:

[0085] Monitoring mode : For example, the rendezvous mode. For example, in the rendezvous mode, the network checks whether the target UAV appears near the selected RDV point without continuously tracking the UAV's position.

[0086] Communication capabilities of the target UAV, for example, whether the target UAV supports Uu or only supports PC5, the frequency bands it can communicate on, the range of its PC5 communication, etc., and / or

[0087] The token that the UAV will use to prove its true identity. This token is also pre-configured in the UAV.

[0088] The 5GS (e.g., UAS NF) can select an RDV point based on its known location and the received flight route waypoints. The 5GS can select an RDV point that is within the communication range of the UAV and close to the flight route waypoints. After selecting the RDV point, the 5GS NF can send a rendezvous monitoring request to the RDV point via a NAS message. The NAS rendezvous monitoring request can include the following information: 1) UAV application layer identifier (e.g., CAA-class UAV ID); 2) a token associated with the UAV identifier; 3) monitoring time period: this time period can be selected based on the estimated time of arrival near the RDV point; 4) communication mode (e.g., PC5) and parameters (e.g., spectrum, range, etc.); 5) passive mode or active mode. The passive mode means that the RDV point passively monitors the appearance of the target UAV, e.g., by receiving the broadcast remote identification information of the target UAV; the active mode means that the RDV point actively searches / finds the target UAV at the estimated time of arrival, e.g., by transmitting a PC5 discovery message; and / or 6) USS address information (in the case where the RDV point WTRU reports directly to the USS via a user plane connection).

[0089] In one embodiment, the UAS NF (or NEF) can use the UDM service and the WTRU parameter update procedure to send the above information related to RDV monitoring to the selected RDV point WTRU. The RDV point can monitor the target UAV within the specified time period.

[0090] In one example, if passive mode monitoring is performed, the RDV point detects the presence of the target UAV by reading the remote identification broadcast of the UAV (e.g., RID broadcast via the PC5 link), which contains at least the identifier information of the UAV. If an RID broadcast with the target UAV identifier is detected, the RDV point considers that the target UAV has appeared at the RDV point. If the target UAV is not detected after the end of the monitoring time period, the RDV point considers that the target UAV has not appeared at the RDV point. The RDV point also records the time when the target UAV is detected as the time of arrival of the UAV.

[0091] In another example, if active mode monitoring is performed, the RDV point starts broadcasting discovery signals during the monitoring time period, such as PC5 discovery messages. For example, the RDV point can use the Prose model B discovery procedure and broadcast a PC5 discovery solicitation message over the PC5 link. In the solicitation message, pre-configured UAV monitoring service codes, target UAV information (such as the target UAV identifier), etc. can be included. If a PC5 discovery response carrying the expected token is received from the target UAV, the RDV point considers that the target UAV has appeared at the RDV point. If no response is received, or the token in the received response is incorrect, after the monitoring time period ends, the RDV point considers that the target UAV has not appeared at the RDV point. The RDV point also records the time when the response is received as the arrival time of the UAV. After the RDV point has detected the target UAV, it can also initiate PC5 communication with the target UAV to receive more information, such as the precise location of the target UAV, battery status, future flight path information, etc.

[0092] The UAV to be tracked can be pre-configured with a monitoring service code and a token to prove its true identity. The USS can also configure multiple waypoints for the UAV as rendezvous locations. Note that the RDV positions configured in the WTRU can be different from those RDV point positions selected by the network. When the UAV flies near the RDV position, it can start monitoring PC5 discovery messages over the PC5 link. If the "target UAV information" in the discovery message matches its identity, the UAV can respond with a PC5 response message and include its token. In another example, if the UAV does not detect (or fails to detect) a PC5 discovery message when the UAV is near the configured RDV point, the UAV can also initiate a PC5 discovery solicitation by including the pre-configured monitoring service code and its UAV identifier. The nearby RDV point WTRU can detect this solicitation, respond to it, and consider that the UAV has appeared at the RDV point.

[0093] The UAV can maneuver autonomously, such as reducing its altitude to be able to communicate better with the RDV point.

[0094] After the monitoring time period ends, the RDV point sends a rendezvous report to the 5GS via NAS signaling, and the 5GS further forwards it to the requesting USS. The RDV report can contain any of the following information: tracking result (e.g., whether the target UAV has appeared near the RDV point); RDV point location; arrival time of the target UAV; UAV location information; UAV flight path information; and / or UAV status information (e.g., battery, etc.).

[0095] In some examples, the RDV point WTRU can establish a user plane connection (e.g., PDU session) in the network and send the report directly to the USS.

[0096] Representative procedures for UAV tracking

[0097] The cellular network is an important driving factor for tracking UAVs. In some implementations, a large number of traditional UAVs cannot perform direct cellular communication or do not support the Uu link. In one embodiment, Figure 2 An example of an advanced system architecture for UAV tracking using RDV points is shown, which enables a 3GPP network (such as 5GS) to monitor the flight path of UAVs that do not support Uu. In this example, multiple rendezvous (RDV) points WTRUs (or RDV points) are selected along the planned route according to the request of the USS (or the network), as Figure 2 shown. The selected RDV points (RDV Point 1, RDV Point 2, and RDV Point 3) perform flight monitoring using, for example, the PC5 link and report the monitoring results back to the network (such as AMF, NEF / UAS NF, and / or USS). The network can be 5GS as Figure 2 shown.

[0098] Figure 3 An exemplary signal flow diagram of the process for UAV tracking using RDV points is shown. In this example, one or more of the following operations are performed.

[0099] Operation 1: The USS sends a UAV tracking request to 5GS (such as NEF or UAS NF) using the 5GS network exposure service or API. In the request, the USS may include the target UAV identifier (e.g., the UAV application layer identifier, such as the CAA-class UAV ID), the planned flight route (which may include multiple waypoints and the estimated arrival time at each waypoint), the rendezvous tracking mode indication (which indicates to 5GS that only the presence of the UAV near certain waypoints needs to be confirmed), the rendezvous point location (e.g., GPS coordinates), the token associated with the target UAV (which will be used to prove the identity of the UAV), the communication capabilities of the target UAV (such as whether the UAV supports Uu or PC5), the communication spectrum and range, etc.

[0100] Operation 2: After receiving the tracking request and identifying that the rendezvous tracking mode is used, NEF or UAS NF compares the available RDV point WTRU information (e.g., their locations) with the received UAV flight route and the requested RDV points, and selects those WTRUs that can be used for tracking purposes. If the USS does not provide the requested RDV points, NEF or UAS NF can select the RDV point locations based on the flight route and the RDV point WTRU locations along the flight route.

[0101] Operation 3: The NEF or UAS NF uses the UDM service (Nudm_UECM_Get) to obtain the serving AMF function by providing the WTRU ID of the selected RDV point WTRU.

[0102] Operation 4: The NEF or UAS NF constructs an RDV monitoring request message and sends it to the serving AMF (e.g., using the Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer service). The RDV monitoring request may include the target UAV ID (e.g., application layer identifier), a token associated with the UAV ID, the monitoring time period (e.g., start time and end time of monitoring), the communication mode (e.g., PC5), and relevant radio parameters (e.g., frequency band, etc.), the monitoring mode (e.g., passive mode or active mode).

[0103] Operation 5: The serving AMF forwards the RDV monitoring request message to the RDV point WTRU using NAS procedures such as DL NAS transfer, WTRU configuration update, etc. If the WTRU is in the idle mode, the serving AMF may page the WTRU to bring it into the connected mode and then forward the message.

[0104] Operation 6: The RDV point WTRU may confirm receipt of the RDV monitoring request message by sending an RDV response to the AMF, which will forward it to the NEF or UAS NF.

[0105] Operation 7: When the monitoring time period starts, the RDV point WTRU may start broadcasting a PC5 discovery solicitation message over the PC5 link (e.g., if the active monitoring mode is indicated). The discovery solicitation message may include a pre-configured UAV monitoring service code, target UAV information (e.g., UAV application layer identifier).

[0106] Operation 8: The target UAV may be configured to monitor the PC5 discovery messages throughout the flight, or, if it is also configured with the RDV point location, it may start monitoring only when it is close to the RDV point (e.g., within a 1 km radius of the RDV point location). If it detects a PC5 discovery message and the target UAV information matches its UAV identifier, it sends a discovery response over the PC5 link. In the response, it includes its own identifier and a pre-configured token associated with that identifier. If the token matches the token received in the RDV monitoring request, the RDV point WTRU considers that the target UAV has appeared at the RDV point.

[0107] Operation 9: Optionally, the UAV or the RDV point WTRU may also initiate a PC5 communication procedure to obtain more detailed information from the UAV, such as the precise location of the UAV, flight path information, battery information, etc.

[0108] Operation 10: The RDV point WTRU sends a RDV monitoring report to the serving AMF, for example, using an UL NAS transport message. The monitoring report may include the target UAV ID, tracking results, arrival time, and other UAV information. The AMF forwards the report (e.g., the RDV monitoring report) to the NEF or the UAS NF.

[0109] Operation 11: The NEF or the UAS NF forwards the report to the USS.

[0110] In one embodiment, Figure 4 An exemplary method 400 for UAV route tracking using an RDV point is shown. In this example, the method implemented by the WTRU includes: receiving a downlink transmission comprising a rendezvous monitoring request; transmitting a first uplink transmission comprising a response based on the rendezvous monitoring request; initiating a discovery process for detecting the presence of a target UAV associated with the rendezvous monitoring request; and transmitting a second uplink transmission comprising a monitoring report associated with the target UAV.

[0111] In the method, the rendezvous monitoring request indicates an identifier (ID) of the target UAV, a token associated with the ID of the target UAV, a monitoring time period, a communication mode, a set of radio parameters, and / or a monitoring mode. The communication mode may indicate communication using a sidelink or a PC5 link. The set of radio parameters may include any one of the following: spectrum, communication range using a PC5 link, and frequency band. The monitoring mode may include a passive mode and / or an active mode.

[0112] In one example, the passive mode indicates that the RDV point passively monitors the presence of the target UAV, and the active mode indicates that the RDV point actively searches for the target UAV by transmitting one or more discovery messages using a sidelink or a PC5 link at an estimated arrival time. In some cases, the passive mode and / or passive monitoring discussed herein refers to a monitoring mode configured or performed when the RDV point detects one or more UAVs (e.g., the target UAV) by monitoring and / or receiving broadcast signals from one or more UAVs. The active mode and / or active monitoring / search discussed herein is a monitoring mode configured or performed when the RDV point transmits a discovery signal and detects one or more UAVs by receiving a response signal in response to the transmitted discovery signal.

[0113] In one example, the rendezvous monitoring request is received in a downlink non-access stratum (NAS) transport message or a configuration update message.

[0114] In one example, a response is transmitted using a first uplink NAS transport message.

[0115] In one example, a second uplink NAS transport message is used to transmit a monitoring report. In some cases, user plane communication (e.g., a PDU session) is used to transmit the monitoring report. In one example, the monitoring report indicates an identifier (ID) of a target UAV, a tracking result, an arrival time, and / or a set of UAV information.

[0116] In one example, the set of UAV information includes any one of the following: location information of the target UAV, flight path information of the target UAV, and status information of the target UAV.

[0117] In some examples, the network entity includes a serving access and mobility management function (AMF).

[0118] In one embodiment, Figure 4 The illustrated method 400 is implemented by a WTRU (e.g., WTRU 102 in FIG. 1). For example, the WTRU includes circuitry that includes a processor, a transmitter, a receiver, and / or a memory, and is configured to: receive a downlink transmission including a rendezvous monitoring request (e.g., from a network entity), transmit a first uplink transmission including a response (e.g., to the network entity) based on the rendezvous monitoring request, initiate a discovery process for detecting the presence of a target UAV associated with the rendezvous monitoring request, and transmit a second uplink transmission including a monitoring report associated with the target UAV (e.g., to the network entity).

[0119] In one example, the rendezvous monitoring request indicates an identifier (ID) of a target UAV, a token associated with the ID of the target UAV, a monitoring time period, a communication mode, a set of radio parameters, and / or a monitoring mode. The communication mode may indicate communication using a sidelink or a PC5 link. The set of radio parameters may include any one of the following: spectrum, communication range using a PC5 link, and frequency band.

[0120] In one example, the monitoring mode may include a passive mode and / or an active mode. The passive mode indicates that the RDV point passively monitors the presence of the target UAV, and the active mode indicates that the RDV point actively searches for the target UAV by transmitting one or more discovery messages using a sidelink or a PC5 link at an estimated arrival time. In some cases, the passive mode and / or passive monitoring discussed herein refers to a monitoring mode configured or performed when the RDV point detects one or more UAVs (e.g., the target UAV) by monitoring and / or receiving broadcast signals from one or more UAVs. The active mode and / or active monitoring / search discussed herein is a monitoring mode configured or performed when the RDV point transmits a discovery signal and detects one or more UAVs by receiving a response signal in response to the transmitted discovery signal.

[0121] In one example, a rendezvous monitoring request is received in a downlink non-access stratum (NAS) transport message or a configuration update message.

[0122] In one example, a first uplink NAS transport message is used to transmit a response.

[0123] In one example, a second uplink NAS transport message is used to transmit a monitoring report. In some cases, a user plane communication (e.g., a PDU session) is used to transmit the monitoring report. In one example, the monitoring report indicates an identifier (ID) of a target UAV, a tracking result, an arrival time, and / or a set of UAV information.

[0124] In one example, the set of UAV information includes any one of the following: location information of the target UAV, flight path information of the target UAV, and status information of the target UAV.

[0125] In some examples, the network entity includes a service access and mobility management function (AMF).

[0126] Conclusion

[0127] Although the features and elements are provided above in particular combinations, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that each feature or element can be used alone or in any combination with other features and elements. The present disclosure is not limited in terms of the specific embodiments described in this application, which are intended to be illustrative of various aspects. Many modifications and variations can be made without departing from its spirit and scope, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Any element, act, or instruction used in the description of this application should not be construed as critical or essential to the invention unless expressly provided as such. Functional equivalent methods and devices within the scope of the present disclosure, other than those enumerated herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. Such modifications and changes are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. The present disclosure is limited only by the terms of the appended claims and the full scope of the equivalents given by such claims. It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific methods or systems herein.

[0128] For simplicity, the foregoing embodiments were discussed in terms of the terminology and structure of devices having infrared capabilities (i.e., infrared transmitters and receivers). However, the embodiments discussed are not limited to these systems, but can be applied to other systems using other forms of electromagnetic or non-electromagnetic waves (such as sound waves).

[0129] It will also be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the term "video" or the term "image" can mean any of a snapshot, a single image, and / or multiple images displayed over a period of time. As another example, when referred to herein, the term "user equipment" and its abbreviation "UE", the term "remote", and / or the term "head-mounted display" or its abbreviation "HMD" can mean or include (i) a wireless transmit and / or receive unit (WTRU); (ii) any of a number of embodiments of a WTRU; (iii) a device having wireless and / or wired capabilities (e.g., wearable) that is specifically configured with some or all of the structure and functionality of a WTRU; (iii) a device having wireless and / or wired capabilities that is configured with less than all of the structure and functionality of a WTRU; or (iv) a similar device. Reference is made herein Figures 1A to 1D Details of an example WTRU are provided, which example WTRU can represent any WTRU set forth herein. As another example, the various disclosed embodiments herein are described above and below as utilizing a head-mounted display. Those skilled in the art will recognize that devices other than a head-mounted display can be utilized and that some or all of the present disclosure and the various disclosed embodiments can be modified accordingly without undue experimentation. Examples of such other devices can include drones or other devices configured to stream information to provide an augmented reality experience.

[0130] Additionally, the methods provided herein can be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware incorporated into a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of computer-readable media include electronic signals (transmitted via wired or wireless connections) and computer-readable storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), registers, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical media, and optical media such as CD-ROM disks and digital versatile disks (DVDs). A processor associated with software can be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for a WTRU, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, or any host computer.

[0131] Variations of the methods, devices, and systems provided above are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. Given the wide variety of embodiments that can be applied, it should be understood that the illustrated embodiments are only examples and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of the appended claims. For example, the embodiments provided herein include handheld devices that can include or be used with any suitable voltage source (such as a battery, etc.) that provides any suitable voltage.

[0132] In addition, in the embodiments provided above, a processing platform, a computing system, a controller, and other devices including a processor are mentioned. These devices may include at least one central processing unit (“CPU”) and a memory. According to the practice of those skilled in the art of computer programming, references to actions and symbolic representations of operations or instructions may be executed by various CPUs and memories. Such actions and operations or instructions may be referred to as “executed,” “computer-executed,” or “CPU-executed.”

[0133] Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the operations or instructions of actions and symbolic representations include the manipulation of electrical signals by the CPU. The electrical system represents data bits, and the data bits may cause a final conversion or reduction of the electrical signal and maintain the data bits in a memory location in the storage system, thereby reconfiguring or otherwise changing the operation of the CPU and other processing of the signal. The memory location maintaining the data bits is a physical location having specific electrical, magnetic, optical, or organic characteristics corresponding to or representing the data bits. It should be understood that the embodiments are not limited to the above platforms or CPUs, and other platforms and CPUs may support the provided methods.

[0134] The data bits may also be maintained on a computer-readable medium, which includes magnetic disks, optical disks, and any other volatile (e.g., random access memory (RAM)) or non-volatile (e.g., read-only memory (ROM)) mass storage systems readable by the CPU. The computer-readable medium may include a computer-readable medium that exists only on the processing system or a cooperative or interconnected computer-readable medium distributed among multiple interconnected processing systems that may be local or remote to the processing system. It should be understood that the embodiments are not limited to the above memories, and other platforms and memories may support the provided methods.

[0135] In an illustrative embodiment, any operation, process, etc. described herein may be implemented as computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable instructions may be executed by a processor of a mobile unit, a network element, and / or any other computing device.

[0136] The differences between the hardware implementation and the software implementation in all aspects of the system are small. The use of hardware or software is generally (but not always, as in some cases, the choice between hardware and software may become important) a design choice representing a cost - efficiency trade - off. There may be various vehicles (e.g., hardware, software, and / or firmware) by which the processes and / or systems and / or other technologies described herein can be implemented, and the preferred vehicle can change depending on the context in which the processes and / or systems and / or other technologies are deployed. For example, if the implementer determines that speed and accuracy are of utmost importance, then the implementer can choose a predominantly hardware and / or firmware vehicle. If flexibility is most important, then the implementer can choose a predominantly software implementation. Alternatively, the implementer can choose some combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0137] The foregoing detailed description has set forth various embodiments of the apparatus and / or processes by use of block diagrams, flowcharts, and / or examples. Insofar as such block diagrams, flowcharts, and / or examples include one or more functions and / or operations, those skilled in the art will understand that each function and / or operation within such block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples can be implemented, individually and / or jointly, by a wide variety of hardware, software, firmware, or virtually any combination thereof. In one embodiment, several portions of the subject matter described herein can be implemented via application - specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field - programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), and / or other integrated formats. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that all or part of some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein can be equivalently implemented in integrated circuits, as one or more computer processes running on one or more computers (e.g., as one or more processes running on one or more computer systems), as one or more processes running on one or more processors (e.g., as one or more processes running on one or more microprocessors), as firmware, or virtually as any combination thereof, and, given the present disclosure, designing the circuitry and / or writing the code for the software and / or firmware would be entirely within the skill of those in the art. Additionally, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein can be distributed as a process product in a variety of forms, and illustrative examples of the subject matter described herein apply regardless of the particular type of signal - bearing medium used for actual distribution. Examples of signal - bearing media include, but are not limited to, the following: recordable media such as floppy disks, hard disk drives, CDs, DVDs, digital tapes, computer memories, etc.; and transmissive media such as digital and / or analog communication media (e.g., fiber optic cables, waveguides, wired communication links, wireless communication links, etc.).

[0138] Those skilled in the art will recognize that in the art, devices and / or processes are typically described in the manner set forth herein, and thereafter engineering practices are used to integrate such described devices and / or processes into a data processing system. That is, at least a portion of the devices and / or processes described herein can be integrated into a data processing system through a reasonable amount of experimentation. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a typical data processing system generally can include a system unit enclosure, a video display device, memories such as volatile and non-volatile memories, processors such as microprocessors and digital signal processors, computing entities such as operating systems, drivers, graphical user interfaces, and application programs, one or more interaction devices such as touchpads or screens, and / or one or more in a control system including feedback loops and control motors (e.g., feedback for sensing position and / or speed; control motors for moving and / or adjusting components and / or amounts). A typical data processing system can be implemented using any suitable commercially available components, such as those commonly found in data computing / communication and / or network computing / communication systems.

[0139] The subject matter described herein sometimes illustrates different components that are included within or connected to different other components. It should be understood that such depicted architectures are merely examples, and in fact many other architectures can be implemented that achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components for achieving the same functionality is effectively "associated" such that the desired functionality can be achieved. Thus, any two components combined herein to achieve a particular functionality can be regarded as being "associated" with each other such that the desired functionality is achieved regardless of the architecture or intermediate components. Similarly, any two such associated components can also be regarded as being "operably connected" or "operably coupled" to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components that can be so associated can also be regarded as being "operably coupled" to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include (but are not limited to) components that are physically mateable and / or physically interact, and / or components that interact wirelessly and / or communicate wirelessly, and / or components that interact logically and / or can interact logically.

[0140] As for substantially any plural and / or singular terms used herein, those skilled in the art can convert from plural to singular and / or from singular to plural as appropriate for the context and / or application. For clarity, various singular / plural permutations may be explicitly set forth herein.

[0141] Those skilled in the art will understand that, generally, the terms used herein and particularly in the appended claims (e.g., the subject matter of the appended claims) are generally intended to be “open” terms (e.g., the term “comprising” should be interpreted as “comprising but not limited to”, the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least”, the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to”, etc.). Those skilled in the art will further understand that if an intention is to express a specific number of introduced claim recitations, then such intention will be expressly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation, there is no such intention. For example, the term “a single” or similar language can be used where only one item is desired. To assist understanding, the following appended claims and / or the description herein may include the use of introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce multiple claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed as implying that a claim recitation introduced by the indefinite article “a” or “an” limits any particular claim including such introduced claim recitation to only embodiments including one such recitation, even if the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” as well as the indefinite article “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and / or “an” should be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”). The same is true for the use of the definite article to introduce a claim recitation. Additionally, even if a specific number of introduced claim recitations is expressly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., reciting only “two recitations” without further modifiers means at least two recitations or two or more recitations). Further, in those instances where a convention similar to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, generally, such construction is intended to convey what those skilled in the art will understand (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” will include, but not be limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention similar to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, such meaning is generally expected in the sense that those skilled in the art will understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” will include, but not be limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc.). Those skilled in the art will further understand that in fact any disjunctive word and / or phrase presenting two or more alternatives (whether in the specification, claims, or drawings) should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the items, any one of the items, or both of the items. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B”.In addition, as used herein, the term "any" followed by a list of items and / or a list of multiple categories of items is intended to include "any", "any combination", "any plurality", and / or "any combination of any plurality" individually or in combination with other items and / or other categories of items. Further, as used herein, the term "set" is intended to include any number of items, including zero. Additionally, as used herein, the term "number" is intended to include any number, including zero. And the term "plurality" as used herein is intended to be synonymous with "multiple".

[0142] In addition, in instances where the present disclosure is described in terms of a Markush group, those skilled in the art will recognize that the present disclosure is also thereby described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members within the Markush group.

[0143] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, for any and all purposes, such as in providing a written description, all ranges disclosed herein also cover any and all possible sub-ranges and combinations of sub-ranges thereof. Any listed range can be readily identified as fully describing and enabling the same range to be broken down into at least equal halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, tenths, etc. By way of non-limiting example, each range discussed herein can be readily broken down into a lower third, middle third, and upper third, etc. As will also be understood by those skilled in the art, all language such as "at most", "at least", "greater than", "less than", etc. includes the recited numbers and refers to ranges that can then be further broken down into sub-ranges as discussed above. Finally, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, ranges include each individual member. Thus, for example, a group having 1 to 3 units refers to a group having 1, 2, or 3 units. Similarly, a group having 1 to 5 units refers to a group having 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 units, and so on.

[0144] In addition, unless otherwise stated, the claims should not be construed as limited to the recited order or elements. Further, the use of the term "means for" in any claim is intended to invoke 35 U.S.C.§112, paragraph 6 or the means-plus-function claim format, and any claim that does not contain the term "means for" is not intended to be construed in such a manner.

[0145] A processor associated with software can be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), user equipment (UE), terminal, base station, mobility management entity (MME), or evolved packet core (EPC), or any host computer. The WTRU can be used in conjunction with modules implemented in hardware and / or software, including software defined radio (SDR), as well as other components such as cameras, camera modules, video telephones, speaker telephones, vibration devices, speakers, microphones, television transceivers, hands-free headsets, keyboards, modules, frequency modulation (FM) radio units, near field communication (NFC) modules, liquid crystal display (LCD) display units, organic light emitting diode (OLED) display units, digital music players, media players, video game console modules, Internet browsers, and / or any wireless local area network (WLAN) or ultra-wideband (UWB) module.

[0146] Although the invention has been described in terms of a communication system, it is contemplated that the system can be implemented in software on a microprocessor / general purpose computer (not shown). In some embodiments, one or more functions of the various components can be implemented in software that controls the general purpose computer.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), the method comprising: Receiving a downlink transmission from a network entity that includes a rendezvous monitoring request; Transmitting a first uplink transmission to the network entity that includes a response based on the rendezvous monitoring request; Initiating a discovery process for detecting the presence of a target unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) associated with the rendezvous monitoring request; And Transmitting a second uplink transmission to the network entity that includes a monitoring report associated with the target UAV.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the rendezvous monitoring request indicates an identifier (ID) of the target UAV, a token associated with the ID of the target UAV, a monitoring time period, a communication mode, a set of radio parameters, and / or a monitoring mode.

3. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the communication mode indicates communication using a sidelink or a PC5 link.

4. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the set of radio parameters includes any of the following: spectrum, communication range using a PC5 link, and frequency band.

5. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the monitoring mode includes a passive mode and / or an active mode.

6. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein a first monitoring mode indicates that an RDV point monitors the presence of the target UAV, and wherein a second monitoring mode indicates that the RDV point searches for the target UAV by transmitting one or more discovery signals using a sidelink or a PC5 link at an estimated time of arrival.

7. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the rendezvous monitoring request is received in a downlink non-access stratum (NAS) transport message or a configuration update message.

8. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the response is transmitted using a first uplink NAS transport message.

9. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the monitoring report is transmitted using a second uplink NAS transport message.

10. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the monitoring report indicates an identifier (ID) of the target UAV, a tracking result, a time of arrival, and / or a set of UAV information.

11. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the set of UAV information includes any of the following: location information of the target UAV, flight path information of the target UAV, and status information of the target UAV.

12. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the monitoring report is transmitted using user plane communication.

13. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the network entity includes a serving access and mobility management function (AMF).

14. A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) for wireless communication, the WTRU including circuitry that includes a processor, a transmitter, a receiver, and a memory, the circuitry configured to: Receive a downlink transmission from a network entity that includes a rendezvous monitoring request; Transmit a first uplink transmission containing a response to the rendezvous monitoring request to the network entity; Initiate a discovery process for detecting the presence of a target unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) associated with the rendezvous monitoring request; And Transmit a second uplink transmission containing a monitoring report associated with the target UAV to the network entity.

15. The WTRU according to claim 14, wherein the rendezvous monitoring request indicates an identifier (ID) of the target UAV, a token associated with the ID of the target UAV, a monitoring time period, a communication mode, a set of radio parameters, and / or a monitoring mode.

16. The WTRU according to claim 15, wherein the communication mode indicates communication using a sidelink or a PC5 link.

17. The WTRU according to claim 15, wherein the set of radio parameters includes any one of the following: spectrum, communication range using a PC5 link, and frequency band.

18. The WTRU according to claim 15, wherein the monitoring mode includes a passive mode and / or an active mode.

19. The WTRU according to claim 18, wherein the passive mode indicates that the RDV point passively monitors the presence of the target UAV, and wherein the active mode indicates that the RDV point actively searches for the target UAV by transmitting one or more discovery messages using a sidelink or a PC5 link at an estimated time of arrival.

20. The WTRU according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein a first monitoring mode indicates that the RDV point monitors the presence of the target UAV, and wherein a second monitoring mode indicates that the RDV point searches for the target UAV by transmitting one or more discovery signals using a sidelink or a PC5 link at an estimated time of arrival.

21. The WTRU according to any one of claims 15 to 20, wherein the rendezvous monitoring request is received in a downlink non-access stratum (NAS) transport message or a configuration update message.

22. The WTRU according to any one of claims 15 to 21, wherein the response is transmitted using a first uplink NAS transport message.

23. The WTRU according to any one of claims 15 to 22, wherein the monitoring report is transmitted using a second uplink NAS transport message.

24. The WTRU according to any one of claims 15 to 23, wherein the monitoring report indicates an identifier (ID) of the target UAV, a tracking result, a time of arrival, and / or a set of UAV information.

25. The WTRU according to claim 24, wherein the set of UAV information includes any one of the following: location information of the target UAV, flight path information of the target UAV, and status information of the target UAV.

26. The WTRU according to any one of claims 15 to 25, wherein the monitoring report is transmitted using user plane communication.

27. The WTRU according to any one of claims 15 to 26, wherein the network entity includes a serving access and mobility management function (AMF).

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