Method, device and medium for sidelink positioning

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to a method and equipment for sidelink positioning and a computer readable storage medium. In the method, a first network device receives a first request for positioning of a first terminal device relative to a second terminal device, where the first request includes a first identifier of the second terminal device. And the first network equipment obtains information of the second terminal equipment based on the first identifier of the second terminal equipment, and the information of the second terminal equipment comprises at least one of a second identifier of the second terminal equipment, a privacy check result or a position. And the first network equipment enables the positioning of the first terminal equipment to be executed based on the information of the second terminal equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to the telecommunications field, and more specifically, to methods, apparatus, and computer-readable storage media for secondary link location. Background Technology

[0002] This section provides information to facilitate a better understanding of all aspects of this disclosure. Therefore, the description in this section should be read in this light and should not be construed as an admission of what is prior art or what is not prior art.

[0003] Secondary link location and ranging have been studied and specified in 3GPP Release 18 (Rel-18). 3GPP standards provide solutions on how to calculate the distance between two User Equipments (UEs). 3GPP TS23.273 Releases V0.0.0 and TS 23.586 V18.0.0 define procedures for Secondary Link Mobility Initiated Location Request (SL-MO-LR) and Secondary Link Mobility Termination Location Request (SL-MT-LR). The SL-MO-LR procedure enables a UE to obtain secondary link location / ranging results using one or more other UEs, with the assistance of the Location Management Function (LMF) in the serving Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) for UE1. The ranging / SL location results can include absolute location, relative location, or distance and direction, depending on the service request. If the target UE decides to initiate the SL-MO-LR procedure, it includes one or more SL reference UEs / located UEs in its service request. A general procedure is defined in TS 23.586 V18.0.0. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This summary is provided to introduce a series of concepts in a simplified form, which will be further described in the detailed description below. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0005] During SL-MO-LR or SL-MT-LR, the following situations may occur: only the application layer IDs of UE1 to UEn are provided, and these application layer IDs should not be used for messages routed on different PLMNs. In other words, the NF receiving a location request with the application layer ID of UEn cannot determine the PLMN to which UEn belongs to trigger subsequent steps. During SL-MT-LR, the following situations may occur: only the Common Public Subscription Identifier (GPSI) of UE1 to UEn is provided, while the receiving network function (NF) (e.g., GMLC) may still need to obtain the application layer IDs of UE1 to UEn to achieve SL positioning between UE1 and UEn on PC5.

[0006] In order to overcome or mitigate at least one of the above-mentioned or other problems, or to provide a useful solution, embodiments of this disclosure propose methods, devices, and storage media for secondary link localization.

[0007] In a first aspect of this disclosure, a method implemented at a first network device is provided. In this method, the first network device receives a first request for the location of a first terminal device relative to a second terminal device, wherein the first request includes a first identifier of the second terminal device. Based on the first identifier of the second terminal device, the first network device obtains information about the second terminal device, wherein the information about the second terminal device includes at least one of a second identifier of the second terminal device, a privacy check result, or a location. Based on the information about the second terminal device, the first network device causes the location of the first terminal device to be performed.

[0008] In one example, the first identifier includes one of an application layer identifier, a general public subscription identifier, and public land mobile network information. The second identifier includes the other of the application layer identifier, the general public subscription identifier, and the public land mobile network information.

[0009] In one example, the first network device includes at least one of the following: a network device in a first home network of the first terminal device, a network device in a visited network of both the first terminal device and the second terminal device, or a location server associated with the location of the first terminal device.

[0010] In one example, the information includes the second identifier of the second terminal device. The first network device determines the second identifier of the second terminal device based on the mapping between the first identifier and the second identifier of the second terminal device, according to the first identifier of the second terminal device.

[0011] In one example, the first network device sends a second request to the second network device for the information of the second terminal device, wherein the second request includes the first identifier of the second terminal device; and receives the information of the second terminal device from the second network device.

[0012] In one example, the information includes the second identifier of the second terminal device. The second request includes a request for a mapping of the first identifier of the second terminal device to the second identifier of the second terminal device.

[0013] In one example, the information includes the result of the privacy check of the second terminal device. In another example, the second request includes a request for the privacy check of the second terminal device.

[0014] In one example, the first network device identifies the second network device based on the first identifier of the second terminal device.

[0015] In one example, the second network device includes at least one of the following: a network device in the second home network of the second terminal device, and an application server associated with the location of the first terminal device.

[0016] In one example, the first network device sends a third request to the third network device to locate the first terminal device.

[0017] In one example, the third network device includes at least one of the following: a network device in the visited network of both the first terminal device and the second terminal device, or a network device in the second home network of the second terminal device.

[0018] In one example, the first request is received from an application function associated with the location of the first terminal device.

[0019] In a second aspect of this disclosure, a method implemented at a second network device is provided. In this method, the second network device receives a second request for information about a second terminal device from a first network device. The second request includes a first identifier of the second terminal device. The second network device obtains the information about the second terminal device based on the first identifier. The information about the second terminal device includes at least one of a second identifier of the second terminal device, a privacy check result, or a location. The second network device then sends the information about the second terminal device to the first network device.

[0020] In one example, the first identifier includes at least one of an application layer identifier, a general public subscription identifier, and public land mobile network information. In another example, the second identifier includes at least one other identifier among the application layer identifier, the general public subscription identifier, and the public land mobile network information.

[0021] In one example, the information includes the second identifier of the second terminal device. In another example, the second network device determines a mapping between the first identifier of the second terminal device and the second identifier of the second terminal device. Based on the mapping between the first identifier of the second terminal device and the second identifier of the second terminal device, the second network device determines the second identifier of the second terminal device according to the first identifier of the second terminal device.

[0022] In one example, the information includes the result of the privacy check by the second terminal device. In another example, the second network device performs the privacy check by the second terminal device to obtain the result of the privacy check by the second terminal device.

[0023] In one example, the first network device includes at least one of the following: a network device in a first home network of the first terminal device, a network device in a visited network of both the first terminal device and the second terminal device, or a location server associated with the location of the first terminal device.

[0024] In one example, the second network device includes at least one of the following: a network device in the second home network of the second terminal device, and an application server associated with the location of the first terminal device.

[0025] In a third aspect of this disclosure, a first network device is provided. The first network device includes a memory containing instructions. The first network device also includes a processor that executes the instructions to perform the method according to the first aspect.

[0026] In a fourth aspect of this disclosure, a second network device is provided. The second network device includes a memory containing instructions. The second network device also includes a processor that executes the instructions to perform the method according to the second aspect.

[0027] In a fifth aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes components for performing the method according to the first or second aspect.

[0028] In a sixth aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions causing the processing system to perform the method according to the first or second aspect when executed by the processing system.

[0029] Using this disclosure, during the positioning of a first terminal device relative to a second terminal device, the network device determines other information about the second terminal device based on a first identifier of the second terminal device. This scheme allows for the conversion of different information of the located or referenced UE for the positioning of the target UE, which can improve the efficiency of SL positioning. Attached Figure Description

[0030] The above and other objects, features and advantages of this disclosure will become more apparent from the more detailed description of some embodiments of this disclosure in the accompanying drawings, wherein like references generally refer to the same components in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0031] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example communication environment in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0032] Figure 2 This is a signaling diagram illustrating a process for SL positioning according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 3A This is a flowchart illustrating an example SL-MT-LR process without providing an application layer ID, according to some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0034] Figure 3B This is a flowchart illustrating an example SL-MT-LR process without GPSI provided, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 3C This is a flowchart illustrating an example SL-MO-LR process without GPSI provided, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating an example method of SL positioning according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating another example method of SL positioning according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0038] Figure 6 This is a block diagram illustrating the functional structure of a first network device according to some embodiments;

[0039] Figure 7 This is a block diagram illustrating the functional structure of a second network device according to some embodiments;

[0040] Figure 8 This is a block diagram illustrating a communication device according to some embodiments;

[0041] Figure 9This is a block diagram illustrating a computer-readable storage medium according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0042] Figure 10 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of a communication system according to some embodiments;

[0043] Figure 11 This is a block diagram illustrating a UE according to some embodiments;

[0044] Figure 12 This is a block diagram illustrating network nodes according to some embodiments;

[0045] Figure 13 This is a block diagram of a host according to some embodiments;

[0046] Figure 14 This is a block diagram illustrating a virtualized environment in which functionality implemented by some embodiments can be virtualized;

[0047] Figure 15 This is a communication diagram of a host communicating with a UE via a network node through a partial wireless connection, according to some embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0048] Some embodiments conceived herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, other embodiments are included within the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein, and the disclosed subject matter should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example only to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0049] Generally, unless a different meaning is clearly given and / or a different meaning is implied in the context in which the term is used, all terms used herein shall be interpreted according to their common meaning in the relevant art. Unless explicitly stated, all references to "a / an / element, device, component, part, step, etc." shall be publicly interpreted as referring to at least one instance of that element, device, component, part, step, etc. Unless explicitly described as a step following or preceding another step and / or implicitly implied that a step must follow or precede another step, the steps of any method disclosed herein need not be performed in the exact order disclosed. Where appropriate, any feature of any embodiment disclosed herein may be applied to any other embodiment. Similarly, any advantage of any embodiment may be applied to any other embodiment, and vice versa. Other objects, features, and advantages of the appended embodiments will become apparent from the following description.

[0050] References to features, advantages, or similar language in this specification do not imply that all features and advantages achievable with this disclosure should or should be included in any single embodiment of this disclosure. Rather, references to such features and advantages are to be understood as meaning that a particular feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of this disclosure. Furthermore, the features, advantages, and characteristics described in this disclosure may be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. Those skilled in the art will recognize that this disclosure can be practiced without one or more particular features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages that may be identified in a particular embodiment may not be present in all embodiments of this disclosure.

[0051] As used herein, the terms “first,” “second,” etc., refer to distinct elements. The singular forms “a” and “an” are intended to also include the plural forms unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the terms “comprising,” “having,” and “including” specify the presence of the declared features, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. The term “based on” will be understood as “at least partially based on.” The term “one embodiment” will be understood as “at least one embodiment.” The term “another embodiment” will be understood as “at least one other embodiment.” Other explicit and implicit definitions may be included below.

[0052] As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to a device used to access services via an access network and configured to communicate via the access network. A terminal device is capable of communicating with a network node (e.g., a base station) or another terminal device by transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals. For example, a terminal device may include, but is not limited to: mobile phones, smartphones, sensor devices, instruments, vehicles, home appliances, medical devices, media players, cameras, or any type of consumer electronics, such as, but not limited to, televisions, radios, lighting fixtures, tablet computers, laptop computers, or personal computers (PCs). Terminal devices may also include portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-integrated mobile devices or in-vehicle mobile devices capable of transmitting voice and / or data via a wireless connection. In the following description, the terms "terminal device," "user equipment," and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0053] As used herein, the term "network node" refers to a device in a communications network through which terminal devices receive services from the network. The terms "network node" and "network function" are used interchangeably. A network function can be implemented as a network unit on dedicated hardware, a software instance running on dedicated hardware, or a virtualized function instantiated on a suitable platform (e.g., on cloud infrastructure). Network nodes include access network nodes through which terminal devices access the access network. Examples of access network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points) and base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), and new NR Node Bs (gNBs)). In the following description, the terms "access network node," "base station," and "BS" are used interchangeably.

[0054] Network nodes may also include core network nodes. Examples of core network nodes may include one or more of the following functions: Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Evolved Packet Data Gateway (ePGW), Trusted Wireless LAN Access Network (TWLAN) node, Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF), Serving Gateway (SGW), Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (PGW), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier Dehiding Function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Secure Edge Protection Agent (SEPP), Network Open Function (NEF), and / or User Plane Function (UPF).

[0055] As used herein, the term "communication device" refers to a device capable of communication. Examples of communication devices may include terminal devices and network devices.

[0056] As used herein, the term "located UE" refers to a secondary link (SL) reference UE whose location is known or can be known using Uu-based positioning. A located UE can be used to determine the location of a target UE using SL positioning.

[0057] As used herein, the term "location" refers to the function of detecting (e.g., the geographic location of a mobile terminal) and optionally detecting rate. As used herein, the term "ranging" refers to determining the distance between two or more UEs and / or the orientation of one UE (i.e., the target UE) relative to another UE (i.e., the reference UE) via the PC5 interface. As used herein, the term "secondary link location" refers to using PC5 to locate UEs to obtain absolute location, relative location, or ranging information.

[0058] As used herein, the term "relative position" refers to an estimate of the position of a UE relative to other network elements or other UEs. As used herein, the term "relative rate" refers to an estimate of the rate of a UE relative to another UE.

[0059] As used herein, the term "SL reference UE" refers to a UE that supports the positioning of a target UE, for example, by using a secondary link to transmit and / or receive reference signals for positioning, provide positioning-related information, etc. Note that in 3GPP standards or documents, SL reference UE is understood as an "anchor UE." As used herein, "target UE" refers to a UE whose distance, orientation, and / or location are measured using a secondary link with the support of one or more SL reference UEs in ranging-based service and secondary link positioning.

[0060] As used herein, the term "application layer ID" refers to an identifier that identifies a UE with ranging / secondary link localization enabled within the context of a specific application. The format of this identifier is not within the scope of the 3GPP standard.

[0061] The SL-MT-LR procedure is used to estimate the relative position or distance and / or orientation between UEs. The SL-MT-LR procedure enables a Location Service (LCS) client or Application Function (AF) to obtain ranging / sublink positioning results for a group of n UEs (n≥2) (i.e., UE1, UE2, ..., UEn). In this procedure, the Gateway Mobility Location Center (GMLC) determines one of the n UEs to be designated as UE1 (i.e., the target UE in TS 23.586

[40] ), and one or more other UEs are designated as UE2, UE3, ..., UEn (n≥2) (i.e., the reference / located UE in TS 23.586 V18.0.0). Based on the service request, the ranging / sublink positioning results may include the absolute position, relative position or distance and orientation associated with the UE. The procedure for periodic and triggered SL-MT-LR is defined in Clause 6.20.4.

[0062] Note that, in order to check whether an external requester (e.g., AF) is permitted to obtain the location of any UE from UE1 to UEn, the Home (H) GMLC checks the UE LCS privacy profile of any UE belonging to UE1 to UEn. The (H) GMLC calls the Nudm_SDM_Get service operation to the Unified Data Management (UDM) of each of the n UEs to obtain the privacy settings of the UE identified by the UE's GPSI or Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI).

[0063] For secondary links and ranging, roaming is supported in Rel-18 as follows: UEs participating in ranging need to be served by the same PLMN, but these UEs can belong to different PLMNs. However, during SL-MO-LR or SL-MT-LR, the following situation may occur: only the application layer IDs of UE1 to UEn are provided, and these application layer IDs should not be used for messages routed on different PLMNs. In other words, the NF receiving a location request with the application layer ID of UEn cannot determine the PLMN to which UEn belongs to trigger subsequent steps. During SL-MT-LR, the following situation may occur: only the GPSI of UE1 to UEn is provided, while the receiving network function (NF) (e.g., GMLC) may still need to obtain the application layer IDs of UE1 to UEn to achieve SL positioning between UE1 and UEn on PC5.

[0064] If the PLMNs to which UE1-UEn participating in ranging belong are not the same PLMN, and only the application layer ID is provided, there is no solution related to the conversion between GPSI and application layer ID, as well as privacy checks.

[0065] Specific aspects and embodiments of this disclosure can provide solutions to these or other challenges. Some embodiments of this disclosure propose a secondary link localization scheme. Using this scheme, during the localization of a first terminal device relative to a second terminal device, the network device determines other information about the second terminal device based on a first identifier of the second terminal device. This other information includes, for example, at least one of a second identifier of the second terminal device, the result of a privacy check, or its location. This scheme allows for the conversion of different information about the located or referenced UE for the localization of the target UE.

[0066] In one example, using the proposed scheme, services / interfaces / functions between GMLCs belonging to different PLMNs can be defined. Currently, under normal LCS service conditions, the (H) GMLC can send a location request to the visiting (V) GMLC. However, due to the complexity of secondary links and ranging, GMLCs need to provide other services to each other. If UE1's home GMLC is not UE2's home GMLC, the GMLC can request U2's home GMLC to perform a privacy check. If UE1's home GMLC is not UE2's home GMLC, the GMLC can request U2's home GMLC to perform a conversion from GPSI to application layer ID. In this way, a feasible solution is provided when UEs belonging to different PLMNs roam in a third PLMN. SL positioning of the terminal device can be more efficient and effective.

[0067] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown.

[0068] like Figure 1 As shown, the communication environment 100 (which may be part of a communication network) includes a first terminal device 105 belonging to a first network 110 and a second terminal device 115 belonging to a second network 120. Both the first terminal device 105 and the second terminal device 115 roam within a third network 125 and can communicate with each other directly or via network devices (e.g., base stations). In one example, networks 110, 120, and 125 may be PLMNs, which may include the home PLMN (HPLMN) and visited PLMN (VPLMN) of the two terminal devices 105 and 115.

[0069] A network device 130, 135, or 140 is shown in one of networks 110, 120, or 125 for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting. Each of the first network 110, the second network 120, and the third network 125 may include any number of network devices that can perform any network function, such as positioning, ranging, access, and other services. Communication in the communication environment 100 may use any suitable communication technology and follow any communication protocol. In this respect, the scope of this disclosure is not limited.

[0070] In communication environment 100, network devices 130, 135, and 140 can assist the first terminal device 105 and the second terminal device 115 in SL positioning across different networks 110, 120, and 125. The following will refer to... Figure 2 Describe some example implementations.

[0071] Figure 2 This is a signaling diagram illustrating a process 200 for SL positioning according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 200 can be implemented between a first network device 205 and a second network device 210. The two network devices 205 and 210 can be... Figure 1 This can be achieved using network devices 130, 135, and 140, or other network devices not shown.

[0072] like Figure 2 As shown, in process 200, the first network device 205 receives (215) a first request for the location of the first terminal device 105 relative to the second terminal device 110. The first request (which may be a location request) can be received by any device designed to obtain the relative distance, relative position, or relative rate between the first terminal device 105 and the second terminal device 110. In one example, the sender of the first request may include an application server or application function (AF), a location server or location management function (LMF).

[0073] The first network device 205 may include any network device capable of supporting SL positioning of the first terminal device 105. In one example, the first network device 205 may include the first home network of the first terminal device 105 (e.g., Figure 1 The network device 205 may be a network device in the first network 110 or a network device in the visited network of both the first terminal device 105 and the second terminal device 110. Alternatively or additionally, the first network device 205 may include a location server (e.g., LMF) associated with the location of the first terminal device 105.

[0074] The first request includes a first identifier for the second terminal device 110. The first identifier may include any type or form of identifier capable of identifying the second terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the first identifier may include an application layer identifier (ID), a general public subscription identifier (GPSI), and / or public land mobile network (PLMN) information.

[0075] Upon receiving (215) the first request, the first network device 205 obtains (220) information about the second terminal device 110 based on the first identifier of the second terminal device 110. This information may include at least one of the second identifier of the second terminal device 210, the result of a privacy check, or its location. This information may also include any other information that can be used for the SL positioning of the first terminal device 110.

[0076] The first network device 205 can obtain information about the second terminal device 110 in any suitable manner based on a first identifier of the second terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the first network device 205 can determine the second identifier of the second terminal device 110 based on a mapping between the first identifier and a second identifier of the second terminal device. For example, the first network device 205 (e.g., NF) may have a local configuration to map the first identifier of the second terminal device 110 to the second identifier. In embodiments where the first identifier includes one of an application layer identifier (ID), a generic public subscription identifier (GPSI), and / or public land mobile network (PLMN) information, the second identifier may include another of the application layer ID, GPSI, and PLMN information. For example, the first network device 205 can map the application layer ID of the second terminal device 110 to the PLMN information or GPSI of the second terminal device 110.

[0077] In some embodiments, the first network device 205 may request other devices to provide a mapping from the first identifier of the second terminal device 110 to information about the second terminal device 110. For example... Figure 2As shown, the first network device 205 can send (225) a second request for information about the second terminal device 110 to the second network device 210. The second request includes a first identifier of the second terminal device 110. After the second network device 210 receives (230) the second request for information about the second terminal device 110 from the first network device 205, the second network device 210 can obtain (235) the information about the second terminal device based on the first identifier of the second terminal device. Then, the second network device 210 can send (240) the information about the second terminal device 110 to the first network device (105). Accordingly, the first network device 205 can receive (245) the information about the second terminal device 110 from the second network device 210.

[0078] The second network device 210 can be any suitable network device capable of assisting the first terminal device 110 in SL positioning. The first network device 210 can identify the second network device based on a first identifier of the second terminal device 120. In one example, the second network device may include the second home network of the second terminal device 110 (e.g., Figure 1 The network device in the second network 120. For example, the GMLC (as an example of the first network device 205) may request the home GMLC of the second terminal device 110 (as an example of the second network device 210) to perform a conversion from the first identifier to the second identifier of the second terminal device 110. Alternatively or additionally, the second network device 210 may include an application server associated with the location of the first terminal device 105.

[0079] In an embodiment where the information of the second terminal device 110 includes a second identifier of the second terminal device 110, the first network device 205 may send a request to the second network device 210 for a mapping of the first identifier of the second terminal device 105 to the second identifier of the second terminal device 210. This request includes the first identifier of the second terminal device. The first network device 110 can then receive the second identifier of the second terminal device from the second network device 210.

[0080] The second network device 210 can determine the mapping between the first identifier of the second terminal device and the second identifier of the second terminal device; and then, based on the mapping between the first identifier of the second terminal device and the second identifier of the second terminal device, determine the second identifier of the second terminal device according to the first identifier of the second terminal device.

[0081] For example, the first network device 205 can query the AF (as an example implementation of the second network device 210) to obtain the mapping of the application layer ID of the second terminal device 110 to the PLMN information or GPSI of the second terminal device 110.

[0082] In an embodiment where the information of the second terminal device 110 includes the result of the privacy check of the second terminal device 120, the first network device 205 may send a request for a privacy check of the second terminal device 210 to the second network device 210. The third request includes at least one of a first identifier and a second identifier of the second network device. Therefore, after receiving the request, the second network device 210 may perform the privacy check of the second terminal device 110 to obtain the result of the privacy check. Then, the first network device 205 can receive the result of the privacy check of the second terminal device from the second network device 210.

[0083] Based on the information from the second terminal device 110, the first network device 205 causes (250) the location of the first terminal device to be performed. In some embodiments, the first network device 205 may send a third request for the location of the first terminal device 105 to a third network device. The third network device may include at least one of the following: a network device in the visited network of both the first terminal device 105 and the second terminal device 110, or a network device in the second home network of the second terminal device 110.

[0084] For example, the NF (e.g., GMLC or LMF) (as an example implementation of the first network device 205) determines the PLMN information of the second terminal device 110, or, if a mapping to a GPSI is received, derives the PLMN information of the second terminal device 110. The NF sends this request to the PLMN of the second terminal device 110 to obtain the UE ID (GPSI or application layer ID) of the second terminal device 110, or requests to check the UE's privacy profile, and then continues the positioning process.

[0085] The following will refer to Figure 3A , 3B The 3C describes some example processes. In these embodiments, the first terminal device 105 and the second terminal device 110 operate as UE1 and UE2, respectively.

[0086] Figure 3A A flowchart of an example SL-MT-LR process 305 without providing an application layer ID is shown according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0087] In this example, the preconditions are as follows: PLMN1 is the home PLMN of UE1, but UE1 is visiting PLMN3; PLMN2 is the home PLMN of UE2, but UE2 is visiting PLMN3. Depending on the scenario, any one of PLMN1 / PLMN2 / PLMN3 may be the same as or different from each other.

[0088] In step 1, the AF wants to obtain the distance between UE1 and UE2. The AF sends a location request (i.e., SL-MT-LR) to the GMLC of UE1's HPLMMN (i.e., GMLC1) and provides the GPSI of both UEs. However, the application layer ID of UE2, which is necessary for the SL discovery performed by UE1 on PC5, is not provided.

[0089] In step 2, GMLC1 (as an example of the first network device 205) checks the privacy profile of UE1 from its home UDM1; GMLC1 can also obtain the application layer ID of UE1 from the UDR via the NEF in PLMN1 (if not provided in step 1).

[0090] In step 3, GMLC1 determines the home PLMN of UE2 based on UE2's GPSI. GMLC1 sends a request to GMLC2 of PLMN2 (preferably GMLC2, but could be other NFs, such as NEF, as an example of the second network device 210) to request the mapping of UE2's application layer ID to GPSI based on UE2's GPSI; GMLC2 obtains the mapping of UE2's application layer ID to GPSI from the UDR via the NEF in PLMN2 and provides UE2's application layer ID back to GMLC1. Furthermore, GMLC1 sends a request to GMLC2 based on UE2's GPSI to check UE2's privacy. GMLC2 checks UE2's privacy profile from UDM2 in PLMN2.

[0091] In step 4, if the application layer ID of UE2 is obtained and the privacy check of UE2 is normal, GMLC1 continues the SL-MT-LR procedure and sends a request with the GPSI and application layer ID of UE1 and UE2 to the vGMLC in the serving PLMN (PLMN3) to continue the SL-MT-LR procedure. In step 5: the vGMLC can now perform a location request.

[0092] Figure 3B A flowchart of an example SL-MT-LR process 310 without GPSI is shown, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0093] In this example, the preconditions are as follows: PLMN1 is the home PLMN of UE1, but UE1 is visiting PLMN3; PLMN2 is the home PLMN of UE2, but UE2 is visiting PLMN3. Depending on the scenario, any one of PLMN1 / PLMN2 / PLMN3 may be the same as or different from each other. GMLC1 and GMLC2 are examples of the first network device 205 and the second network device 210, respectively.

[0094] In step 1, the AF wants to obtain the distance between UE1 and UE2. The AF sends a location request (i.e., SL-MT-LR) to the GMLC of UE1's HPLMMN (i.e., GMLC1) and provides the application layer IDs of the two UEs.

[0095] In step 2: GMLC1 obtains UE1's GPSI from the UDR via the NEF in PLMN1 (if not provided in step 1). GMLC1 checks UE1's privacy profile based on UE1's home UDM1.

[0096] In step 3: GMLC1 determines the home PLMN of UE2 based on UE2's application layer ID. GMLC1 may have a local configuration to map UE2's application layer ID to UE2's PLMN information or UE2's GPSI. GMLC1 may query the AF to obtain the mapping of UE2's application layer ID to UE2's PLMN information or UE2's GPSI. If UE2's GPSI cannot be obtained from the above steps, but only UE2's PLMN information (i.e., PLMN2) is obtained, GMLC1 sends a request to GMLC2 of PLMN2 (preferably GMLC2, but it can be other NFs, such as NEF) to request the mapping of UE2's application layer ID to GPSI; GMLC2 obtains the mapping of UE2's application layer ID to GPSI from the UDR via the NEF in PLMN2 and provides UE2's GPSI back to GMLC1. In addition, GMLC1 sends a request to GMLC2 using the obtained UE2 ID (e.g., GPSI) to check UE2's privacy. GMLC2 checks UE2's privacy profile from UDM2 in PLMN2.

[0097] In step 4, if the GPSI of UE2 is obtained and the privacy check of UE2 is normal, GMLC1 continues the SL-MT-LR procedure and sends a request with the GPSI and application layer ID of UE1 and UE2 to the vGMLC in the serving PLMN (PLMN3) to continue the SL-MT-LR procedure.

[0098] In step 5, vGMLC can now execute location requests.

[0099] Figure 3C A flowchart of an example SL-MO-LR process 315 without GPSI is shown, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0100] In this example, the preconditions are as follows: PLMN1 is the home PLMN of UE1, but UE1 is visiting PLMN3; PLMN2 is the home PLMN of UE2, but UE2 is visiting PLMN3. Depending on the scenario, any of PLMN1 / PLMN2 / PLMN3 may be the same as or different from each other. UE1-UEn can provide each other's application layer IDs. (That is, in this invention, providing each other's GPSI is not considered.)

[0101] Step 1: UE1 wants to obtain the distance between UE1 and UE2. UE1 sends a location request to the AMF of its serving AMF and LMF to trigger the SL-MO-LR procedure. UE1 provides the application layer IDs of both UEs.

[0102] Step 2: During SL-MO-LR, the LMF can determine the location of UE2 locally, or trigger a 5GC-MT-LR procedure to the GMLC of UE2's PLMN to obtain UE2's absolute location. The LMF can send this request to the GMLC in PLMN3 (i.e., the GMLC within its own PLMN). If the vGMLC is not deployed, subsequent procedures performed by the vGMLC can be performed by the LMF.

[0103] Step 3: The vGMLC (as an example implementation of the first network device 205) determines the home PLMN of UE2 based on UE2's application layer ID. The vGMLC may have a local configuration to map UE2's application layer ID to the UE's PLMN information or UE2's GPSI. The vGMLC may query the AF (as an example implementation of the second network device 205) to obtain the mapping of UE2's application layer ID to the UE's PLMN information or UE2's GPSI. GMLC1 sends a request to the NF of PLMN2 (preferably GMLC2, but it can be other NFs, such as NEF, as another example implementation of the second network device 205) to request the mapping of UE2's application layer ID to GPSI; GMLC2 obtains the mapping of UE2's application layer ID to GPSI from the UDR via the NEF in PLMN2. In addition, GMLC1 uses the obtained UE2 ID (e.g., GPSI) to send a request to GMLC2 to check UE2's privacy. GMLC2 checks UE2's privacy profile from UE2's home UDM2.

[0104] Step 4: If the GPSI of UE2 cannot be obtained from the above steps, but only the PLMN information of UE2 (i.e., PLMN2) is obtained, then the vGMLC sends a location request with the UE2 ID (i.e., the application layer ID) to the GMLC2 of PLMN2. If the GPSI of UE2 is obtained, then the vGMLC sends a location request with the UE2 ID (i.e., the GPSI and / or the application layer ID) to the GMLC2 of PLMN2.

[0105] Step 5: GMLC2 can now perform the MT-LT procedure for UE2.

[0106] In the SL-MO-LR procedure 315, if an application layer ID to GPSI mapping is not obtained for any of these located UEs, the UE is considered a roaming UE. (V) The GMLC either uses its local configuration to obtain the home PLMN ID of the roaming UE or retrieves that information from the AF. (V) The GMLC triggers a 5GC-MT-LR procedure to the home GMLC of each of these roaming located UEs to obtain the UE's absolute location, which can be considered as an example implementation of UE information.

[0107] If vGMLC is not deployed, the subsequent processes performed by vGMLC can be performed by LMF. In this case, LMF can be considered as an example implementation of the first network device 205.

[0108] Figure 4 A flowchart of an example method 400 for SL positioning according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Method 400 can be performed by, for example... Figure 2 The method is implemented by the first network device 205 shown. For discussion purposes, method 400 will be described from the perspective of the first network device 205.

[0109] like Figure 4 As shown, in block 410, a first network device receives a first request for the location of a first terminal device relative to a second terminal device, wherein the first request includes a first identifier of the second terminal device. In block 420, the first network device obtains information about the second terminal device based on the first identifier, wherein the information about the second terminal device includes at least one of a second identifier of the second terminal device, the result of a privacy check, or a location. In block 430, the first network device, based on the information about the second terminal device, causes the location of the first terminal device to be performed.

[0110] In one example, the first identifier includes one of the application layer identifier, the general public subscription identifier, and public land mobile network information. The second identifier includes the other of the application layer identifier, the general public subscription identifier, and public land mobile network information.

[0111] In one example, the first network device includes at least one of the following: a network device in a first home network of the first terminal device, a network device in a visited network of both the first terminal device and the second terminal device, or a location server associated with the location of the first terminal device.

[0112] In one example, the information includes a second identifier for the second terminal device. The first network device determines the second identifier of the second terminal device based on the mapping between the first identifier and the second identifier of the second terminal device.

[0113] In one example, a first network device sends a second request to a second network device for information about a second terminal device, wherein the second request includes a first identifier of the second terminal device; and receives information about the second terminal device from the second network device.

[0114] In one example, the information includes a second identifier of the second terminal device. The second request includes a request for a mapping from the first identifier of the second terminal device to the second identifier of the second terminal device.

[0115] In one example, the information includes the results of a privacy check on the second terminal device. In another example, the second request includes a request for a privacy check on the second terminal device.

[0116] In one example, the first network device identifies the second network device based on the first identifier of the second terminal device.

[0117] In one example, the second network device includes at least one of the following: a network device in the second home network of the second terminal device, and an application server associated with the location of the first terminal device.

[0118] In one example, the first network device sends a third request to the third network device to locate the first terminal device.

[0119] In one example, the third network device includes at least one of the following: a network device in the visited network of both the first terminal device and the second terminal device, or a network device in the second home network of the second terminal device.

[0120] In one example, the first request is received from an application function associated with the location of the first terminal device.

[0121] Figure 5 A flowchart of an example method 500 for SL positioning according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Method 500 can be performed by, for example... Figure 2The second network device 210 shown is used to implement this. For discussion purposes, method 500 will be described from the perspective of the second network device 210.

[0122] like Figure 5 As shown, in block 510, the second network device receives a second request for information about a second terminal device from the first network device. The second request includes a first identifier of the second terminal device. In block 520, the second network device obtains information about the second terminal device based on the first identifier. The information about the second terminal device includes at least one of the second identifier of the second terminal device, the result of a privacy check, or its location. In block 530, the second network device sends the information about the second terminal device to the first network device.

[0123] In one example, the first identifier includes at least one of the following: an application layer identifier, a general public subscription identifier, and public land mobile network information. In another example, the second identifier includes at least one other identifier among the following: an application layer identifier, a general public subscription identifier, and public land mobile network information.

[0124] In one example, the information includes a second identifier of the second terminal device. In another example, the second network device determines a mapping between a first identifier and a second identifier of the second terminal device. Based on this mapping, the second network device determines the second identifier of the second terminal device according to the first identifier.

[0125] In one example, the information includes the result of a privacy check performed by the second terminal device. In another example, the second network device performs the privacy check on the second terminal device to obtain the result of the privacy check.

[0126] In one example, the first network device includes at least one of the following: a network device in a first home network of the first terminal device, a network device in a visited network of both the first terminal device and the second terminal device, or a location server associated with the location of the first terminal device.

[0127] In one example, the second network device includes at least one of the following: a network device in the second home network of the second terminal device, and an application server associated with the location of the first terminal device.

[0128] As referenced above Figure 2 All operations and features described in relation to the first network device 205 and the second network device 210 are equally applicable to methods 400 and 500 and have similar effects. For simplicity, details will be omitted.

[0129] Figure 6 Functional units of a first network device 600 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are shown.

[0130] like Figure 6 As shown, the first network device 600 includes a receiving unit 610 configured to receive a first request for positioning of the first terminal device relative to a second terminal device, wherein the first request includes a first identifier of the second terminal device. The first network device 600 includes an obtaining unit 620 configured to obtain information about the second terminal device based on the first identifier, wherein the information about the second terminal device includes at least one of a second identifier of the second terminal device, a privacy check result, or a location. The first network device 600 further includes a positioning unit 630 configured to perform positioning of the first terminal device based on the information about the second terminal device.

[0131] In some embodiments, the first network device 600 may further include components for implementing, according to a reference Figure 2 The unit of action or operation of any of the above embodiments described in 3.

[0132] Figure 7 Functional units of a second network device 700 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are shown.

[0133] like Figure 7 As shown, the second network device 700 includes a receiving unit 710 configured to: receive a second request for information about a second terminal device from a first network device, wherein the second request includes a first identifier of the second terminal device; an obtaining unit 720 configured to: obtain information about the second terminal device based on the first identifier of the second terminal device, wherein the information about the second terminal device includes at least one of the second identifier of the second terminal device, the result of a privacy check, or the location; and a sending unit 730 configured to: send the information about the second terminal device to the first network device.

[0134] In some embodiments, the second network device 700 may further include components for implementing, according to a reference Figure 2 and 4 The unit of action or operation of any of the above embodiments described.

[0135] Figure 8 A communication device 800 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0136] like Figure 8 As shown, the communication device 800 may include a memory 810 containing instructions 815. The communication device 800 may also include a processor 805 that executes the instructions 815 to implement the instructions according to the reference. Figures 2 to 5 Actions or operations in any of the above-described embodiments.

[0137] In some embodiments, the communication device 800 may operate as a first network node. In these embodiments, the communication device 800 is operable to: receive a first request for the location of a first terminal device relative to a second terminal device, wherein the first request includes a first identifier of the second terminal device; obtain information about the second terminal device based on the first identifier of the second terminal device, wherein the information about the second terminal device includes at least one of a second identifier of the second terminal device, a result of a privacy check, or a location; and, based on the information about the second terminal device, cause the location of the first terminal device to be performed.

[0138] In some embodiments, the communication device 800 may operate as a second network node. In these embodiments, the communication device 800 is operable to: receive a second request for information about a second terminal device from a first network device, wherein the second request includes a first identifier of the second terminal device; obtain information about the second terminal device based on the first identifier of the second terminal device, wherein the information about the second terminal device includes at least one of the second identifier of the second terminal device, the result of a privacy check, or the location; and send the information about the second terminal device to the first network device.

[0139] Processor 805 may include one or more processors, which can be any kind of processing component, such as one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers; and other digital hardware, which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), special-purpose digital logic, etc. If processor 805 includes multiple processors, one of these processors may execute reference... Figures 2 to 5 All the steps described, or some of these processors may perform some of the steps, and other processors may perform the remaining steps. Memory 810 may be any kind of storage component, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory, cache memory, flash memory, optical storage device, etc.

[0140] Figure 9 A computer-readable storage medium according to some embodiments is shown.

[0141] like Figure 9 As shown, the computer-readable storage medium 900 includes instructions 815, which, when executed by the device's processor system, may include one or more processors to perform reference operations via any combination of processors. Figures 2 to 5 Any of the above embodiments described.

[0142] The computer-readable storage medium 900 can be configured to include a memory such as RAM, ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), disk, optical disk, floppy disk, hard disk, removable cassette tape, or flash drive.

[0143] In some embodiments, the means capable of performing method 400 or 500 may include components for performing the corresponding operations of method 400 or 500. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, these components may be implemented as circuits or software modules. Example System

[0144] Figure 10 An example of a communication system 1000 according to some embodiments is shown.

[0145] In this example, the communication system 1000 includes a telecommunications network 1002, which includes an access network 1004 (e.g., a radio access network (RAN)) and a core network 1006 (which includes one or more core network nodes 1008). The access network 1004 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 1010a and 1010b (one or more of which may generally be referred to as network node 1010), or any other similar 3GPP access node or non-3GPP access point. Furthermore, as those skilled in the art will understand, network nodes are not necessarily limited to implementations in which the radio and baseband portions are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Therefore, it will be understood that network nodes include decomposed implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunications network 1002 includes one or more Open RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunications network 1002 that supports ORAN specifications (such as those published by the O-RAN Alliance or any similar organization) and can operate alone or together with other nodes to perform one or more functions of any node in the telecommunications network 1002 (including one or more network nodes 1010 and / or core network node 1008).

[0146] Examples of ORAN network nodes include Open Radio Units (O-RUs), Open Distributed Units (O-DUs), Open Central Units (O-CUs) (including O-CU control planes (O-CU-CPs) or O-CU user planes (O-CU-UPs)), RAN Intelligent Controllers (near real-time or non-real-time) with managed software or software plugins (e.g., near real-time control applications (e.g., xApps) or non-real-time control applications (e.g., rApps)), or any combination thereof (the adjective "open" specifies support for the ORAN specification). Network nodes can support the specification by, for example, supporting interfaces defined by the ORAN specification, such as A1, F1, W1, E1, E2, X2, Xn interfaces, Open Fronthaul User Plane interfaces, or Open Fronthaul Management Plane interfaces. Furthermore, ORAN access nodes can be logical nodes within physical nodes. Additionally, ORAN network nodes can be implemented in a virtualized environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualized environment can include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a service management and orchestration framework via the O-2 interface or similar technologies defined by the O-RAN Consortium. Network node 1010 facilitates direct or indirect connections of user equipment (UE), for example by connecting UE 1012a, 1012b, 1012c and 1012d (one or more of which may generally be referred to as UE 1012) to core network 1006 over one or more wireless connections.

[0147] Example wireless communication over a wireless connection includes sending and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for transmitting information without the use of wires, cables, or other conductors. Furthermore, in various embodiments, the communication system 1000 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that can facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals (whether via a wired or wireless connection). The communication system 1000 may include and interface with any type of communication, telecommunications, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0148] UE 1012 can be any of a variety of communication devices, including wireless devices that are arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network node 1010 and other communication devices. Similarly, network node 1010 is arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with UE 1012 and / or other network nodes or devices in telecommunication network 1002 to enable and / or provide network access (e.g., wireless network access) and / or perform other functions (e.g., management) in telecommunication network 1002.

[0149] In the depicted example, core network 1006 connects network node 1010 to one or more hosts, such as host 1016. These connections can be direct or indirect, via one or more intermediate networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. Core network 1006 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 1008) comprised of hardware and software components. The characteristics of these components may be substantially similar to those described for UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the description generally applies to the corresponding components of core network node 1008. Example core network nodes include one or more of the following functions: Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier Dehiding Function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Agent (SEPP), Network Open Function (NEF), and / or User Plane Function (UPF).

[0150] Host 1016 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than the operator or provider of access network 1004 and / or telecommunications network 1002, and may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. Host 1016 may host various applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include real-time and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services (e.g., retrieving and editing data detected by multiple UEs regarding various environmental conditions), analytics functions, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for alarm and monitoring centers, or any other such functions performed by the server.

[0151] Overall, Figure 10 The communication system 1000 enables connections between the UE, network nodes, and hosts. In this sense, the communication system can be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards, including but not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard (WiFi); and / or any other suitable wireless communication standards, such as Global Microwave Access Interoperability (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC), ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) standards, such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0152] In some examples, telecommunications network 1002 is a cellular network implementing 3GPP standardized features. Therefore, telecommunications network 1002 can support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices connected to it. For example, telecommunications network 1002 can provide ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) services to some UEs while providing enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or massive machine-type communication (mMTC) / massive IoT services to other UEs.

[0153] In some examples, UE 1012 is configured to send and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, the UE may be designed to send information to access network 1004 according to a predetermined schedule when triggered by an internal or external event or in response to a request from access network 1004. Additionally, the UE may be configured to operate in single RAT, multi-RAT, or multi-standard modes. For example, the UE may operate using any one or a combination of Wi-Fi, New Radio (NR), and LTE, i.e., configured for Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC), such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) New Radio-Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0154] In this example, hub 1014 communicates with access network 1004 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 1012c and / or 1012d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 1010b). In some examples, hub 1014 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any other communication device described herein relating to the UE. For example, hub 1014 may be a broadband router that enables the UE to access core network 1006. As another example, hub 1014 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UE. Commands or instructions may be received from the UE, network node 1010, or via executable code, scripts, procedures, or other instructions in hub 1014. As another example, hub 1014 may be a data collector that acts as a temporary storage device for UE data, and in some embodiments, data analytics or other processing may be performed. As another example, hub 1014 may be a content source. For example, for a UE acting as a VR headset, display, speaker, or other media delivery device, hub 1014 can retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensing information via a network node, and then provide them to the UE directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In yet another example, hub 1014 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UE, particularly when one or more UEs are low-power IoT devices.

[0155] Hub 1014 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to network node 1010b. Hub 1014 may also allow different communication schemes and / or scheduling between hub 1014 and UEs (e.g., UEs 1012c and / or 1012d) and between hub 1014 and core network 1006. In other examples, hub 1014 is connected to core network 1006 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Furthermore, hub 1014 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider via access network 1004 and / or to another UE via a direct connection. In some scenarios, a UE may establish a wireless connection with network node 1010 while still being connected via hub 1014 through a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, hub 1014 may be a dedicated hub, that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communication from network node 1010b to UE / from UE to network node 1010b. In other embodiments, hub 1014 may be a non-dedicated hub, that is, a device capable of operating to route communication between the UE and network node 1010b, but also capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for a specific data channel.

[0156] Figure 11 A UE 1100 according to some embodiments is illustrated. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable of, configured to, positioned and / or operable to wirelessly communicate with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of UEs include, but are not limited to, smartphones, mobile phones, cellular phones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, game consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback devices, wearable terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablet computers, laptops, devices with built-in laptops (LEEs), devices with laptops installed (LMEs), smart devices, wireless client devices (CPEs), vehicles, in-vehicle or in-vehicle embedded / integrated wireless devices, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UEs, Machine-Type Communication (MTC) UEs and / or Enhanced MTC (eMTC) UEs.

[0157] The UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example, by implementing 3GPP standards for secondary link communication, dedicated short-range communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, the UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the associated equipment. Instead, the UE may represent a device intended for sale to or operated by a human user but which may not, or initially may not, be associated with a particular human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, the UE may represent a device not intended for sale to or operated by an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0158] UE 1100 includes processing circuitry 1102, which is operatively coupled via bus 1104 to input / output interface 1106, power supply 1108, memory 1110, communication interface 1112, and / or any other component or any combination thereof. A particular UE may utilize... Figure 11 All components or subsets of components are shown. The level of integration between components can vary from UE to UE. Furthermore, a particular UE may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0159] Processing circuitry 1102 is configured to process instructions and data and can be configured to implement any sequential state machine operable to execute instructions of a machine-readable computer program stored in memory 1110. Processing circuitry 1102 can be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., using discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic and appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors (e.g., microprocessors or digital signal processors (DSPs)) and appropriate software; or any combination thereof. For example, processing circuitry 1102 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0160] In this example, input / output interface 1106 can be configured to provide one or more interfaces to input devices, output devices, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of output devices include speakers, sound cards, video cards, displays, monitors, printers, actuators, transmitters, smart cards, another output device, or any combination thereof. Input devices can allow users to capture information into UE 1100. Examples of input devices include touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive displays, cameras (e.g., digital cameras, digital video cameras, webcams, etc.), microphones, sensors, mice, trackballs, steering wheels, scroll wheels, smart cards, etc. Presence-sensitive displays may include capacitive or resistive touch sensors to sense input from the user. Sensors may be, for example, accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt sensors, force sensors, magnetometers, optical sensors, proximity sensors, biometric sensors, etc., or any combination thereof. Output devices can use the same type of interface port as input devices. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port can be used to provide both input and output devices.

[0161] In some embodiments, power supply 1108 is configured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources may be used, such as external power sources (e.g., power outlets), photovoltaic devices, or batteries. Power supply 1108 may also include power circuitry for delivering power from power supply 1108 itself and / or external power sources to various parts of UE 1100 via input circuitry or interfaces (e.g., power cords). The delivery of power may, for example, be used to charge power supply 1108. The power circuitry may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modifications to the power from power supply 1108 to suit the appropriate components of UE 1100 to which power is supplied.

[0162] Memory 1110 may be, or may be configured to include, memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), disk, optical disk, hard disk, removable cassette tape, flash drive, etc. In one example, memory 1110 includes one or more applications 1114 (e.g., operating system, web browser application, widget, utility engine, or other application) and corresponding data 1116. Memory 1110 may store any one or a combination of various operating systems for use by UE 1100.

[0163] The memory 1110 can be configured to include multiple physical drive units, such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, a USB flash drive, an external hard drive, a thumb drive, a pen drive, a key drive, a high-density digital versatile optical disc (HD-DVD) drive, an internal hard drive, a Blu-ray disc drive, a holographic digital data storage (HDDS) disc drive, an external mini dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro DIMM SDRAM, a smart card memory (such as a tamper-proof module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identification modules (SIMs), such as USIM and / or ISIM), other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC can be, for example, an embedded UICC (eUICC), an integrated UICC (iUICC), or a removable UICC, commonly referred to as a "SIM card". The memory 1110 can allow the UE 1100 to access instructions, applications, etc., stored on transient or non-transient storage media to offload or upload data. Articles manufactured using communication systems, for example, may be tangibly embodied in or contained in memory 1110, which may be or include a device-readable storage medium.

[0164] Processing circuitry 1102 can be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using communication interface 1112. Communication interface 1112 may include one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to antenna 1122. Communication interface 1112 may include one or more transceivers for communication (e.g., via one or more remote transceivers capable of wireless communication with another device (e.g., another UE or a network node in the access network). Each transceiver may include transmitter 1118 and / or receiver 1120 adapted to provide network communication (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocation, etc.). Furthermore, transmitter 1118 and receiver 1120 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 1122) and may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0165] In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functions of the communication interface 1112 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as using a Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine location, another similar communication function, or any combination thereof. Communication may be implemented according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Synchronous Optical Network (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), etc.

[0166] Regardless of the sensor type, the UE can provide the output of data captured by its sensors via its communication interface 1112 through a wireless connection with a network node. Data captured by the UE's sensors can be transmitted via another UE through the wireless connection with the network node. The output can be periodic (e.g., every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to balance the reporting load from multiple sensors), responsive to a triggered event (e.g., sending an alarm when humidity is detected), responsive to a request (e.g., a user-initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., real-time video feed of a patient).

[0167] As another example, the UE includes an actuator, motor, or switch associated with a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. The state of the actuator, motor, or switch can change in response to the received wireless input. For example, the UE may include a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a flying drone based on the received input, or control a robotic arm performing a medical procedure based on the received input.

[0168] When taking the form of an Internet of Things (IoT) device, the UE can be a device for one or more application areas, including but not limited to urban wearable technology, extended industry applications, and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such IoT devices include devices that are or are embedded in the following: connected refrigerators or freezers, televisions, connected lighting devices, electricity meters, robotic vacuum cleaners, voice-controlled smart speakers, home security cameras, motion detectors, thermostats, smoke detectors, door / window sensors, flood / humidity sensors, electric door locks, connected doorbells, air conditioning systems such as heat pumps, autonomous vehicles, surveillance systems, weather monitoring devices, vehicle parking monitoring devices, electric vehicle charging stations, smartwatches, fitness trackers, head-mounted displays for augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR), wearable devices for haptic or sensory enhancement, sprinklers, animal or object tracking devices, sensors for monitoring plants or animals, industrial robots, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and any kind of medical device such as heart rate monitors or remote-controlled surgical robots. The UE in the form of an IoT device includes the circuitry and / or software associated with the intended application of the IoT device and for... Figure 11 Other components described in UE 1100 shown.

[0169] As another specific example, in IoT scenarios, a UE can represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurement and sends the results of such monitoring and / or measurement to another UE and / or network node. In this case, the UE can be an M2M device, which can be referred to as an MTC device in the 3GPP context. As a specific example, the UE can implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE can represent a vehicle (e.g., a car, bus, truck), ship, aircraft, or other equipment capable of monitoring and / or reporting its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0170] In practice, any number of UEs can be used together for a single use case. For example, the first UE may be or be integrated into the drone and provide the drone's speed information (obtained via a speed sensor) to a second UE, which acts as a remote controller for operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE can adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g., by controlling the actuators) to increase or decrease the drone's speed. The first UE and / or the second UE may also include multiple functions described above. For example, the UE may include sensors and actuators and handle data communication between both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0171] Figure 12 A network node 1200 according to some embodiments is illustrated. As used herein, a network node refers to a device that is capable of, configured, arranged, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or other network nodes or devices in a telecommunications network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), and NR Node Bs (gNBs)), O-RAN nodes, or components of O-RAN nodes (e.g., O-RUs, O-DUs, O-CUs).

[0172] Base stations can be classified based on the coverage they provide (or in other words, their transmit power level), and therefore, depending on the coverage provided, they can be called femtocells, picocells, microcells, or macrocells. A base station can be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node can also include one or more (or all) portions of a distributed radio base station (e.g., centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in O-RAN access nodes), and / or remote radio units (RRUs) (sometimes referred to as remote radio heads (RRHs)). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as antenna-integrated radios. A portion of a distributed radio base station can also be referred to as a node in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0173] Other examples of network nodes include multi-transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment (such as MSR BS), network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNC) or base station controllers (BSC), base transceiver stations (BTS), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCE), operations and maintenance (O&M) nodes, operations support system (OSS) nodes, self-organizing network (SON) nodes, location nodes (e.g., evolved serving mobile location center (E-SMLC)), and / or minimized drive test (MDT).

[0174] Network node 1200 includes processing circuitry 1202, memory 1204, communication interface 1206, and power supply 1208. Network node 1200 may include multiple physically separate components (e.g., node B components and RNC components, or BTS components and BSC components, etc.), each component may have its own corresponding components. In a specific scenario where network node 1200 includes multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more separate components may be shared among multiple network nodes. For example, a single RNC can control multiple node Bs. In such scenarios, in some cases, each unique node B and RNC pair may be considered a single, separate network node. In some embodiments, network node 1200 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 1204 for different RATs), while some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 1210 may be shared by different RATs). Network node 1200 may also include multiple sets of various example components for integrating different wireless technologies (such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, RFID, or Bluetooth wireless technologies) into network node 1200. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets and other components within network node 1200.

[0175] Processing circuitry 1202 may include one or more of the following, operable to provide network node 1200 functionality individually or in combination with other network node 1200 components (e.g., memory 1204): microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field-programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or coding logic.

[0176] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1202 includes a system-on-a-chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1202 includes one or more of a radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1212 and a baseband processing circuitry 1214. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 1212 and the baseband processing circuitry 1214 may be on separate chips (or chipsets), boards, or units (e.g., radio units and digital units). In alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuitry 1212 and the baseband processing circuitry 1214 may be on the same chip or chipset, board, or unit.

[0177] Memory 1204 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including but not limited to permanent storage devices, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., flash drive, optical disc (CD), or digital video disc (DVD)) and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable storage device that stores information, data, and / or instructions that can be used by processing circuitry 1202. Memory 1204 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including computer programs, software, applications (including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc.) and / or other instructions that can be executed by processing circuitry 1202 and utilized by network node 1200. Memory 1204 may be used to store any calculations performed by processing circuitry 1202 and / or any data received via communication interface 1206. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 1202 and memory 1204 are integrated.

[0178] Communication interface 1206 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network nodes, access networks, and / or UEs. As shown, communication interface 1206 includes a port / terminal 1216 for sending and receiving data to and from the network, for example, via a wired connection. Communication interface 1206 also includes radio front-end circuitry 1218 that may be coupled to antenna 1210 or, in a particular embodiment, is part of antenna 1210. Radio front-end circuitry 1218 includes a filter 1220 and an amplifier 1222. Radio front-end circuitry 1218 may be connected to antenna 1210 and processing circuitry 1202. Radio front-end circuitry 1218 may be configured to modulate the signal transmitted between antenna 1210 and processing circuitry 1202. Radio front-end circuitry 1218 may receive digital data that will be transmitted to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. Radio front-end circuitry 1218 may use a combination of filter 1220 and / or amplifier 1222 to convert the digital data into radio signals with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signals may then be transmitted via antenna 1210. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 1210 can collect radio signals, which are then converted into digital data by radio front-end circuitry 1218. The digital data can then be passed to processing circuitry 1202. In other embodiments, the communication interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0179] In certain alternative embodiments, network node 1200 does not include a separate radio front-end circuitry 1218; instead, processing circuitry 1202 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to antenna 1210. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or part of RF transceiver circuitry 1212 is part of communication interface 1206. In other embodiments, communication interface 1206 includes one or more ports or terminals 1216, radio front-end circuitry 1218, and RF transceiver circuitry 1212 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and communication interface 1206 communicates with baseband processing circuitry 1214, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0180] Antenna 1210 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals. Antenna 1210 may be coupled to radio front-end circuitry 1218 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data and / or signals. In a particular embodiment, antenna 1210 is decoupled from network node 1200 and may be connected to network node 1200 via an interface or port.

[0181] Antenna 1210, communication interface 1206, and / or processing circuitry 1202 can be configured to perform any receive operation and / or specific acquisition operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals can be received from the UE, another network node, and / or any other network device. Similarly, antenna 1210, communication interface 1206, and / or processing circuitry 1202 can be configured to perform any transmit operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals can be transmitted to the UE, another network node, and / or any other network device.

[0182] Power supply 1208 provides power to the various components of network node 1200 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required by each respective component). Power supply 1208 may also include or be coupled to power management circuitry to provide power to the components of network node 1200 for performing the functions described herein. For example, network node 1200 may be connected to an external power source (e.g., mains, power outlet) via input circuitry or an interface (e.g., a cable), whereby the external power source provides power to the power circuitry of power supply 1208. As yet another example, power supply 1208 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack connected to or integrated into the power circuitry. The battery can provide backup power if the external power source fails.

[0183] Embodiments of network node 1200 may include Figure 12Additional components beyond those shown may be used to provide specific aspects of the functionality of the network node, including any functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the topics described herein. For example, network node 1200 may include a user interface device to allow information to be input into and output from network node 1200. This can allow users to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other management functions on network node 1200.

[0184] Figure 13 Based on the block diagram of host 1300 described in this document, host 1300 can be... Figure 10 An embodiment of host 1016. As used herein, host 1300 can be or include various combinations of hardware and / or software, including standalone servers, blade servers, cloud-implemented servers, distributed servers, virtual machines, containers, or processing resources in a server farm. Host 1300 can provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0185] Host 1300 includes processing circuitry 1302, which is operatively coupled via bus 1304 to input / output interface 1306, network interface 1308, power supply 1310, and memory 1312. Other components may be included in other embodiments. These components may be characterized substantially similarly to those shown in the previous figures (e.g., Figure 11 and 12 The device description features are designed to make the description generally applicable to the corresponding components of host 1300.

[0186] Memory 1312 may include one or more computer programs, including one or more host applications 1314 and data 1316. Data 1316 may include user data, such as data generated by the UE for the host 1300 or data generated by the host 1300 for the UE. Embodiments of the host 1300 may utilize some or all of the components shown. Host application 1314 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Multifunction Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding of multiple different classes, types, or implementations of the UE (e.g., mobile phone, desktop computer, wearable display system, head-up display system). Host application 1314 may also provide user authentication and authorization checks and may periodically report health status, routing, and content availability to a central node (e.g., a device in the core network or at the edge). Therefore, host 1300 can select and / or instruct different hosts for overhead services for the UE. Host application 1314 can support various protocols, such as HTTP Real-Time Streaming (HLS), Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), HTTP Dynamic Adaptive Streaming (MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0187] Figure 14 This is a block diagram illustrating a virtualized environment 1400 in which functionality implemented by some embodiments can be virtualized. In the current context, virtualization means creating virtual versions of devices or equipment, which may include virtualized hardware platforms, storage devices, and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device or component thereof described herein and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functionality described herein can be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) in one or more virtual environments 1400 hosted by one or more hardware nodes, such as hardware computing devices operating as network nodes, UEs, core network nodes, or hosts. Furthermore, in embodiments in which virtual nodes do not require radio connectivity (e.g., core network nodes or hosts), the nodes can be fully virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualized environment 1400 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a service management and orchestration framework via an O-2 interface.

[0188] Application 1402 (which may alternatively be referred to as a software instance, virtual device, network function, virtual node, virtual network function, etc.) runs in virtualization environment 1400 to implement certain features, functions, and / or benefits of some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0189] Hardware 1404 includes processing circuitry, memory storing software and / or instructions executable by the hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as network interfaces, input / output interfaces, etc. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1406 (also referred to as a hypervisor or virtual machine monitor (VMM)), provide virtual machines 1408a and 1408b (one or more of which may generally be referred to as virtual machine 1408), and / or perform any functionality, features, and / or benefits described for some embodiments described herein. Virtualization layer 1406 may present virtual operating platforms to virtual machines 1408 that appear to be networked hardware.

[0190] Virtual machine 1408 includes virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual network or interface, and virtual storage devices, and can be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1406. Different embodiments of instances of virtual device 1402 can be implemented on one or more virtual machines 1408, and can be implemented in different ways. In some contexts, hardware virtualization is referred to as Network Functions Virtualization (NFV). NFV can be used to consolidate many types of network devices onto industry-standard, high-capacity server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage devices that can reside in data centers and client devices.

[0191] In the context of NFV, virtual machine 1408 can be a software implementation of a physical machine, which runs programs as if they were executed on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each virtual machine 1408, along with the portion of hardware 1404 that executes that virtual machine (hardware dedicated to that virtual machine and / or hardware shared by that virtual machine with other virtual machines), forms a separate virtual network unit. Still within the context of NFV, the virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions running on one or more virtual machines 1408 above hardware 1404, and corresponds to application 1402.

[0192] Hardware 1404 can be implemented in a standalone network node with general or specific components. Hardware 1404 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1404 may be part of a larger hardware cluster (e.g., in a data center or CPE), where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 1410, which, among other things, oversees the lifecycle management of application 1402. In some embodiments, hardware 1404 is coupled to one or more radio units, each including one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that can be coupled to one or more antennas. The radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more suitable network interfaces and may be used in combination with virtual components to provide a radio-capable virtual node, such as a radio access node or base station. In some embodiments, a control system 1412 may be used to provide signaling, which may alternatively be used for communication between the hardware nodes and the radio units.

[0193] Figure 15 A communication diagram is shown illustrating how host 1502 communicates with UE 1506 via network node 1504 through a partial wireless connection, according to some embodiments. Reference will now be made to... Figure 15 To describe the UE discussed in the preceding paragraphs according to various embodiments (e.g. Figure 10 UE 1012a and / or Figure 11 UE 1100), network nodes (e.g. Figure 10 Network node 1110a and / or Figure 12 Network node 1200) and host (e.g. Figure 10 Host 1016 and / or Figure 13 Example implementation of host 1300.

[0194] Similar to host 1300, embodiments of host 1502 include hardware such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. Host 1502 also includes software stored in or accessible by host 1502 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application operable to provide services to remote users, such as UE 1506 connected via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1550 extending between UE 1506 and host 1502. In providing services to remote users, the host application can provide user data transmitted using the OTT connection 1550.

[0195] Network node 1504 includes hardware that enables it to communicate with host 1502 and UE 1506. Connection 1560 can be direct or via a core network (such as...). Figure 10The core network (1006) and / or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks. For example, an intermediate network could be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0196] UE 1506 includes hardware and software, the software being stored in or accessible by UE 1506 and executable by the UE's processing circuitry. This software includes client applications, such as web browsers or carrier-specific "applications," operable to provide services to human or non-human users via UE 1506 with the support of host 1502. In host 1502, the executing host application can communicate with the executing client application via OTT connection 1550, which terminates between UE 1506 and host 1502. When providing services to a user, the UE's client application can receive request data from the host application of the host and provide user data in response to that request data. OTT connection 1550 can transmit both request data and user data. The UE's client application can interact with the user to generate the user data it provides to the host application via OTT connection 1550.

[0197] OTT connection 1550 can be extended via connection 1560 between host 1502 and network node 1504 and via wireless connection 1570 between network node 1504 and UE 1506 to provide connectivity between host 1502 and UE 1506. Connection 1560 and wireless connection 1570, through which OTT connection 1550 can be provided, have been abstractly drawn to illustrate communication between host 1502 and UE 1506 via network node 1504, without explicitly referencing any intermediate devices or the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0198] As an example of sending data via OTT connection 1550, in step 1508, host 1502 provides user data, which can be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a specific human user interacting with UE 1506. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with UE 1506, which shares data with host 1502 without explicit human interaction. In step 1510, host 1502 initiates a transmission carrying user data toward UE 1506. Host 1502 may initiate the transmission in response to a request sent by UE 1506. This request may be caused by human interaction with UE 1506 or by the operation of a client application executed on UE 1506. According to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the transmission may be performed via network node 1504. Therefore, in step 1512, according to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, network node 1504 sends the user data carried in the transmission initiated by host 1502 to UE 1506. In step 1514, UE 1506 receives user data carried in the transmission, which can be performed by a client application running on UE 1506, which is associated with a host application running by host 1502.

[0199] In some examples, UE 1506 executes a client application that provides user data to host 1502. User data can be provided in response to data received from host 1502. Therefore, in step 1516, UE 1506 can provide user data, which can be done by executing a client application. When providing user data, the client application can further consider user input received from a user via the input / output interface of UE 1506. Regardless of the specific manner in which user data is provided, UE 1506 initiates a transmission of user data to host 1502 via network node 1504 in step 1518. In step 1520, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, network node 1504 receives user data from UE 1506 and initiates a transmission of the received user data to host 1502. In step 1522, host 1502 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by UE 1506.

[0200] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of the OTT service provided to the UE 1506 using OTT connection 1550 (where wireless connection 1570 forms the final segment).

[0201] In the example scenario, host 1502 can collect and analyze plant status information. As another example, host 1502 can process audio and video data that may have been retrieved from the UE for map creation. As another example, host 1502 can collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling traffic congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, host 1502 can store surveillance video uploaded by the UE. As another example, host 1502 can store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR, or AR, which host 1502 can broadcast, multicast, or unicast to the UE. As other examples, host 1502 can be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time-critical power loads to balance generation demand, location services, presentation services (e.g., editing maps based on data collected from remote devices), or any other function that collects, retrieves, stores, analyzes, and / or transmits data.

[0202] In some examples, a measurement process may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rates, latency, and other factors improved thereon in one or more embodiments. Optional network functions may also be available for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1550 between host 1502 and UE 1506 in response to changes in measurement results. The measurement process and / or network functions for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in the software and hardware of host 1502 and / or UE 1506. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or associated with other devices through which the OTT connection 1550 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement process by providing values ​​of the monitored quantities as exemplified above or by providing values ​​of other physical quantities from which the software can calculate or estimate the monitored quantities. Reconfiguration of the OTT connection 1550 may include message formats, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc.; reconfiguration does not require a direct change in the operation of network node 1504. Such processes and functions may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, the measurement may involve proprietary UE signaling, which facilitates host 1502's measurement of throughput, propagation time, latency, etc. Measurements can be made because the software uses an OTT connection 1550 to send messages, especially empty or "dummy" messages, during its monitoring of propagation time, errors, etc.

[0203] While the computing devices described herein (e.g., UE, network node, host) may include combinations of the hardware components shown, other embodiments may include computing devices with different combinations of components. It will be understood that these computing devices may include any suitable combination of hardware and / or software required to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. The determination, calculation, acquisition, or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information, for example, by: converting acquired information into other information; comparing the acquired or converted information with information stored in a network node; and / or performing one or more operations based on the acquired or converted information; and making a determination as a result of said processing. Furthermore, although components are depicted as single boxes located within larger boxes or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, a computing device may include multiple different physical components constituting a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between individual components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of a component may be partitioned between processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any such component may be implemented in software or firmware, while computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0204] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored in memory, which may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions may be provided by processing circuitry without requiring, for example, hard-wired execution of instructions stored on separate or separate device-readable storage media. In any of these particular embodiments, processing circuitry may be configured to perform the described functions regardless of whether instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium are executed. The benefits provided by such functions are not limited to the processing circuitry or other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole and / or generally by the end user and wireless network.

[0205] The solution will be further described below with reference to the text of the contribution to be submitted to 3GPP TS 23.586. Note that some changes are made using... underline To highlight.

[0206] Reason for change

[0207] The following approach has been adopted to support roaming in this release: UEs participating in ranging must be served by the same PLMN, but they can belong to different PLMNs. However, it is not described how GPSI and application layer ID translation will work if UEs belong to different PLMNs.

[0208] If the GMLC receives the GPSI of a UE belonging to a different PLMN, and the (H)GMLC cannot perform the conversion, then the (H)GMLC should query the UE's home GMLC for the application layer ID.

[0209] Additionally, if the UE's home PLMN is different, the (H)GMLC needs to send a request to the UE's home GMLC to check the UE's LCS privacy profile.

[0210] Change Overview

[0211] An interaction with the home GMLC has been added to the GMLC functionality for ID conversion and privacy checks.

[0212] Consequences of not being approved

[0213] The solutions and specifications are insufficient to handle scenarios where UEs come from different PLMNs.

[0214] 4.2.5 Service-based interfaces

[0215] Nlmf: In addition to the related services defined in TS 23.273 [8], if an LMF supports ranging / SL positioning services, it can be used to provide services to other NFs associated with it.

[0216] Ngmlc: In addition to the related services defined in TS 23.273 [8], if the GMLC supports ranging / SL positioning services, it can be used to obtain the location of the located UE / reference UE from the GMLC using the application layer ID in the case of secondary link positioning and ranging operations. Furthermore, it can be used to enable UEs belonging to different PLMNs to obtain the application layer ID and GPSI. Map and examine the privacy profiles of these UEs.

[0217] Nudm: In addition to the services defined for Nudm in TS 23.501 [2], in the case of ranging / SL positioning services, the services provided by UDM are used to obtain subscription information related to AMF during the initial registration process or UE configuration update (UCU) process in order to notify AMF that the subscription information has been changed.

[0218] Npcf: In addition to the services defined for Npcf in TS 23.501 [2], in the case of ranging / SL positioning services, the services provided by H-PCF are used to provide SL positioning and ranging service related parameters to V-PCF for UE and NG-RAN in roaming situations.

[0219] Nudr: In addition to the services defined for Nudr in TS 23.501 [2], in the case of ranging / SL positioning services, the services provided by UDR are used to notify the PCF and UDM of updates to service-related information based on SL positioning and ranging.

[0220] Namf: In addition to the services defined for Namf in TS 23.501 [2], in the case of ranging / SL positioning services, the PCF uses the services provided by the AMF to provide the AMF with ranging / SL positioning service-related parameters for the UE and NG-RAN, and enables the AMF to create or update the UE context related to the ranging / SL positioning service.

[0221] Nnef: In addition to the services defined for Nnef in TS 23.501 [2], in the case of ranging / SL positioning services, the application server uses the services provided by NEF to update the ranging / SL positioning service information of 5GC.

[0222] Nnrf: In addition to the services defined for Nnrf in TS 23.501 [2], in the case of ranging / SL positioning services, the services provided by NRF are used to discover PCFs that support ranging / SL positioning.

[0223] 4.3.9 GMLC

[0224] In addition to the features defined in TS 23.273 [8], GMLC supports the following:

[0225] - By directly accessing the GMLC using additional service parameters for ranging / SL positioning, trusted AF and NF can perform MT-LR.

[0226] - By using additional service parameters for ranging / SL positioning to access GMLC via NEF, AF and NF are able to perform MT-LR.

[0227] - Determine the serving AMF instance for the UE involved in the ranging / SL positioning request and forward the request to the appropriate serving AMF.

[0228] - Receive responses from AMF and event reports from NF and AF, and return ranging / SL positioning results to NF and AF.

[0229] - Perform application layer ID to GPSI or GPSI to application layer ID resolution by querying NEF.

[0230] - Contact the home GMLC of UEs belonging to different PLMNs to retrieve the mapping between GPSI and application layer ID (if...) (Required), and triggers a privacy check for the UE.

[0231] The solution will be further described below with reference to the text of the contribution to be submitted to 3GPP TS 23.273. Note that some changes are made using... underline To highlight.

[0232] Reason for change

[0233] The following approach has been adopted to support roaming in this release: UEs participating in ranging must be served by the same PLMN, but they can belong to different PLMNs. However, it is not described how GPSI and application layer ID translation will work if UEs belong to different PLMNs.

[0234] In the SL-MT-LR case, if the GMLC receives the GPSI of a UE belonging to a different PLMN, and the (H)GMLC cannot perform the conversion, then the (H)GMLC should query the UE's home GMLC for the application layer ID. Additionally, if the UE's home PLMNs are different, the (H)GMLC needs to send a request to the UE's home GMLC to check the UE's LCS privacy profile.

[0235] In the case of SL-MO-LR, when only the UE's application ID is available, the (V)GMLC uses the local configuration to obtain the roaming UE's home PLMN ID, or retrieves that information from the AF.

[0236] Change Overview

[0237] If any UE belongs to another PLMN, add logic so that the (H)GMLC can send a request to the UE's home GMLC for ID conversion and to check LCS privacy data.

[0238] Consequences of not being approved

[0239] The solutions and specifications are insufficient to handle scenarios where UEs come from different PLMNs.

[0240] 6.20.3 SL-MT-LR Procedures Involving LMF

[0241] The SL-MT-LR procedure is used to estimate the relative position or distance and / or orientation between UEs.

[0242] Figure 6.20.3-1 illustrates the process by which an LCS client or AF can obtain ranging / sublink location results for a group of n UEs (n≥2) (i.e., UE1, UE2, ..., UEn). In this process, the GMLC determines that one of the n UEs is designated as UE1 (i.e., the target UE in TS 23.586

[40] ), and one or more other UEs are designated as UE2, UE3, ..., UEn (n≥2) (i.e., the reference / located UE in TS 23.586

[40] ). Based on the service request, the ranging / sublink location results may include absolute location, relative location or range and direction associated with the UE.

[0243] The procedure for periodicity and triggering of SL-MT-LR is defined in Section 6.20.4. Figure 6 .20.3-1: SL-MT-LR process

[0244] Prerequisites: At least one of the n UEs is within coverage and has registered with the serving PLMN.

[0245] 1. The LCS client or AF (via NEF) sends an LCS service request to the (H)GMLC to obtain ranging / sublink positioning results for n UEs. Each UE can be identified by its application layer ID. and / or GPSI and / The request may be identified by SUPI. It may include the required QoS, the required location result (e.g., absolute location, relative location, or distance and / or orientation relative to the UE), and SL reference UE (in the case of relative location, distance, or orientation). (H)GMLC or NEF authorizes the LCS client or AF to use the LCS service. If authorization fails, the remaining steps are skipped, and (H)GMLC or NEF responds to the LCS client or AF with a service authorization failure.

[0246] Furthermore, in step 12, the application layer ID should be used for each of the n UEs to enable UE discovery. If only the GPSI is provided to the (H)GMLC, it can query the NEF to map the application layer ID, as specified in section 4.3.9 of TS 23.586

[40] . If any of the n UEs belongs to another PLMN, then (H)GMLC can send to each of these UEs A UE's home GMLC sends a request to retrieve the mapping between the application layer ID and GPSI (?). Each of these UEs... The GMLC to which it belongs queries the NEF in its own PLMN to map the application layer ID (as in section 4.3.9 of TS 23.586

[40] ). As specified), and send the mapped application layer ID back to (H)GMLC.

[0247] Editor's Note: Whether the application layer ID will be included in LPP operations requires further investigation and coordination with the RAN WG.

[0248] 2. (H) The GMLC calls the Nudm_SDM_Get service operation on the UDM of each of the n UEs to obtain the privacy settings of the UE identified by its GPSI or SUPI. The UDM returns the UE's privacy settings. (H) The GMLC checks the UE's LCS privacy profile. If any of the n UEs belongs to another PLMN, then the (H)GMLC sends a message to the home GMLC of each of these UEs. Request to examine the LCS privacy profiles of these UEs identified by GPSI or SUPI. The home GMLC for each of these UEs. The UE's privacy settings are obtained by querying its own PLMN via the Nudm_SDM_Get service operation. The privacy check results are sent back to (H)GMLC.

[0249] 3. (H) The GMLC uses the GPSI or SUPI of each UE to call the Nudm_UECM_Get service operation one at a time to the UDM of each of the n UEs (for which GPSI or SUPI is available). (H) The GMLC selects the UE that initiated ranging / SL positioning (e.g., regarded as UE1 in the following steps) and selects the corresponding service AMF.

[0250] Note: As defined in Clause 4.2.2.2.2 of TS 23.502

[19] , the UDM knows the serving AMF address when the UE registers with the AMF. As defined in Clause 4.2.2.2.2 of TS 23.502

[19] , the UDM knows the serving (V) GMLC address when the UE registers with the AMF.

[0251] 4. For non-roaming scenarios, this step is skipped. In roaming scenarios, in step 3, the (H)GMLC can receive the (V)GMLC's address (along with the network address of the current serving AMF) from the UDM; otherwise, the (H)GMLC can select an available (V)GMLC in the (V)PLMN using the NRF service in the (H)PLMN based on the (V)PLMN identifier contained in the AMF address received in step 3. Then, the (H)GMLC sends a location request to the (V)GMLC by invoking the Ngmlc_Location_Provide-Location service operation to the (V)GMLC. If the (H)GMLC does not receive the (V)GMLC's address, or the (V)GMLC's address is the same as the (H)GMLC's address, or both PLMN operators agree, the (H)GMLC sends a location service request message to the serving AMF. In this case, step 4 is skipped. (H)-GMLC also provides the AF's LCS client type (if received in step 1), or the LCS client type and other attributes to be sent to the AMF's LCS client in step 5.

[0252] 5. In the case of roaming, the (V)GMLC first authorizes location requests from the (H)GMLC, PLMN, or country to be allowed. If not, an error response is returned. The (H)GMLC or (V)GMLC invokes the Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo service operation to the AMF serving UE1 to request secondary link positioning / ranging location results for n UEs. This service operation includes UE1's SUPI, UE's application layer ID, client type, and may include the required LCS QoS, the required location results (e.g., relative position or range and orientation associated with the UE), and other attributes as received or determined in step 1.

[0253] 6. If UE1 is in CM-IDLE state, the AMF initiates a network-triggered service request procedure to establish a signaling connection with UE1.

[0254] If the signaling connection establishment fails, steps 7-17 are skipped.

[0255] 7-8. If the privacy check indicator indicates that action is required, the same operation as step 7-8 of Section 6.1.2 is performed.

[0256] 9. The serving AMF selects the LMF serving UE1 (e.g., an LMF that supports ranging / secondary link positioning) and sends an Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation service operation to the LMF, which includes the information received in step 5, such as the required location result (e.g., relative position or range and direction between UE pairs), the SL reference UE (in the case of relative position), and the UE's application layer ID (if received in step 5). This service operation includes LCS-related identifiers.

[0257] 10. The LMF uses the Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer service operation to send an SL-MT-LR request to the service AMF as a supplementary service message, and the session ID parameter is set to the LCS-related identifier.

[0258] The SL-MT-LR request may include the application layer IDs of other UEs 2 to n, the type of the desired location result (e.g., relative location or distance and / or direction), and the SL reference UE (in the case of relative location).

[0259] Editor's Note: Whether supplementary service messages or LPPs will be sent from the LMF to the UE requires further investigation and coordination with the RAN WG.

[0260] 11. The Serving AMF uses the DL NAS TRANSPORT message to forward the SL-MT-LR request and the routing identifier equal to the LCS-related identifier to UE1.

[0261] 12. If discovery has not been performed using the procedure defined in Clause 6.4 of TS 23.586

[40] , UE1 may attempt to discover other UEs 2 to n using the application layer IDs of other UEs 2 to n.

[0262] 13. If not yet obtained, UE1 obtains the secondary link location capability of the discovered UE via SLPP.

[0263] 14. UE1 returns a supplemental service SL-MT-LR response to the serving AMF in a UL NAS TRANSPORT message, including the routing identifier received in step 11.

[0264] The SL-MT-LR response indicates which UEs from UE 2 to n have been discovered and the secondary link location capabilities of the discovered UEs.

[0265] 15. The serving AMF forwards the SL-MT-LR response to the LMF indicated by the route identifier received in step 14, and includes an LCS-related identifier equal to the route identifier.

[0266] 16. For SL-MO-LR, such as for Figure 6 As described in steps 10-19 of .20.1-1, ranging / secondary link localization occurs for UE1 and other discovered UEs, the difference being that the ranging / secondary link localization location measurement data or results are always returned to the LMF, and the LMF in Figure 6 Step 13 or 14 of .20.1-1 indicates to UE1 whether the ranging / secondary link location result will be calculated by the LMF (in step 19) or by UE1 (in step 17). For some undiscovered UEs among UEs 2 to n, the LMF interacts with the GMLC to... use UE 2 to n Application layer ID Initiate the 5GC-MT-LR procedure to obtain their absolute positions and calculate the relative position or distance and / or direction associated with the UE.

[0267] 17-20. As in steps 13-15 and 24 of section 6.1.2, the LMF returns the secondary link location / ranging results to the LCS client or AF. The results also include failure information for undiscovered UEs.

[0268] 6.20.1 SL-MO-LR Procedures Involving LMF

[0269] Figure 6 .20.1-1 illustrates a process that enables a UE to obtain secondary link location / ranging results using one or more other UEs with the help of an LMF in the serving PLMN for UE1.

[0270] Ranging / SL positioning results can include absolute position, relative position, or distance and direction, depending on the service request.

[0271] If the target UE decides to initiate the SL-MO-LR procedure, it includes one or more SL reference UEs / located UEs in its service request. For more information on how this general procedure can be used, see TS 23.586

[40] . Figure 6 20.1-1: SL-MO-LR Procedure

[0272] Prerequisites: UE1 is within coverage and registered with the serving PLMN. UEs 2 through n may or may not be within coverage, and if within coverage, they may or may not be registered with the same serving PLMN as UE1.

[0273] 1. When within coverage, the procedures and signaling specified in Section 6.2 of TS 23.586

[40] may be used to supply ranging / SL positioning service authorization and policy / parameter supply to UE 1 to n.

[0274] Note 1: If an instruction for UE-only operation is received, the ranging / sublink positioning control procedure as defined in Clause 6.8 of TS 23.586

[40] is executed.

[0275] 2. UE discovery performed for ranging / SL positioning based on service requests (e.g., received from the application layer) (which include UE1 / ... / UEn), as specified in section 6.4 of TS23.586

[40] :

[0276] - If UE1 is the target UE, then UE1 discovers UEs 2 to n.

[0277] - If UE1 is a located UE, then the target UE (i.e., one of UE2 to n) discovers UE1 (as well as other located UEs in the set of UE2 to n).

[0278] 3. As defined in Clause 5.3 of TS 23.586

[40] , establish secure multicast and / or unicast links between UE 1 to n such that UE 1 can exchange ranging and secondary link positioning protocol (RSPP) messages with each of UE 2 to n via the PC5-U reference point, and may enable UE 2 to n to exchange RSPP messages with each other via PC5-U.

[0279] Editor's Note: Security aspects of RSPP signaling need to be defined or agreed upon by SA WG3.

[0280] 4. If needed, UE1 and UEs 2 through n can communicate via PC5 for authorized ranging / SL positioning and to receive QoS parameters. Based on any service authorization and policy / parameter provision received in step 1, each UE verifies that ranging / SL positioning is permitted, including whether the ranging / SL positioning results can be transmitted to the LCS client or AF (if used). QoS requirements for ranging / SL positioning can also be provided based on the QoS requirements in the service request.

[0281] 5. UE1 can use the multicast and / or unicast links established in step 3 to obtain the secondary link location capability of UE2 to n.

[0282] Steps 4 and 5 can be performed to transmit information about UEs not served by the LMF.

[0283] Note 2: UE2 / ... / UEn is not assumed to be served by the same LMF that serves UE1.

[0284] Editor's Note: Verification is required that RAN2 will provide support for steps 4 and 5.

[0285] 6. Based on the secondary link positioning capability of UE1 / ... / UEn, the target UE determines that SL-MO-LR will be performed. If UE1 is a located UE (i.e., when the target UE is one of UE2 / ... / UEn and has no NAS connection), the target UE initiates an SL-MO-LR service request to UE1.

[0286] 7. If UE1 is in CM-IDLE state, UE1 initiates a UE-triggered service request in order to establish a signaling connection with UE1's service AMF.

[0287] 8. UE1 sends a Supplemental Service SL-MO-LR Request to the Serving AMF in a UL NAS TRANSPORT message. The SL-MO-LR Request indicates to other UEs 2 through n (using application layer IDs), any required auxiliary data, whether location calculation assistance is needed, and whether the location results should be transmitted to the LCS client or the AF. The message will include the identifier of the LCS client or AF and may include the address of the GMLC through which the LCS client or AF should be accessed (via the NEF). Additionally, it may include the service type, indicating which MO-LR service from the LCS client the UE requested. For location calculation assistance from the LMF, this includes the preferred type of secondary link positioning / ranging location results (e.g., absolute position, relative position, or distance and direction between UE pairs) and the required QoS. If UE1 is a located UE, and one of UE2 / ... / UEn is the target UE without a NAS connection, the Supplemental Service SL-MO-LR Request includes an indication that one of UE2 / ... / UEn is the target UE in place of UE1.

[0288] Editor's Note: Whether this indicates a need for auxiliary data from the UE requires further investigation, which will be consistent with the RAN WG.

[0289] 9. The serving AMF selects the LMF serving UE1 (e.g., an LMF that supports secondary link positioning / ranging) and sends an Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation service operation to the LMF, which includes information from the SL-MO-LR request. This service operation includes the LCS-related identifier.

[0290] 10. LMF sends a request to UE1 for the capabilities of UE1 to n.

[0291] Note 3: UE2 / ... / UEn is not assumed to be served by the same LMF serving UE1.

[0292] Editor's Note: Further research is needed on updates when the LMF is still serving UE2 / ... / UEn and is consistent with the RAN.

[0293] 11. UE1 returns its capabilities to LMF. If LMF requests it in step 10, UE1 can also return the capabilities of the UE obtained in step 5.

[0294] 12. UE1 can send a request for specific auxiliary data to LMF.

[0295] 13. The LMF sends the requested auxiliary data to UE1, and UE1 forwards the auxiliary data received from the LMF to UE2 / ... / UEn. The auxiliary data may assist UE1 to n in obtaining secondary link location measurements in step 15, and / or may assist UE1 in calculating secondary link location / ranging results in step 16.

[0296] Note 4: If UE1 includes a message containing the capabilities of UE1 to n in the SL-MO-LR request in step 8, then steps 10 and 11 can be omitted. If UE1 includes a message containing a request for specific auxiliary data in the SL-MO-LR request in step 8, then step 12 can be omitted.

[0297] Editor's Note: Whether steps 10-11 are required will be consistent with RAN WG.

[0298] 14. If the SL-MO-LR request in step 8 indicates a need for location calculation assistance and / or an indication to transmit secondary link positioning / ranging location results to the LCS client or AF, the LMF sends a request for location information to UE1, and may also send a request for location information to UE2 / ... / UEn (if it is served by the LMF). If the LMF determines to apply UE-based SL positioning, the LMF includes an indication of UE-based SL positioning in the request. If absolute location is requested in step 8, the LMF may also provide a list of candidate positioned UEs. If a scheduled location time is received in step 14, the LMF may include the scheduled location time.

[0299] Editor's Note: If a list of candidate located UEs is provided in step 13 or step 14, it needs to be consistent with RAN WG2.

[0300] 15. UE1 initiates a secondary link location / ranging procedure between UE1 to n, wherein UE1 to n obtain secondary link position measurements, and UE2 to n transmit their secondary link position measurements to UE1 and / or LMF (depending on the requested assistance). If the scheduled location time is received in step 14, secondary link location / ranging is performed at the scheduled location time.

[0301] 16. If the absolute location information of the target UE is required in step 8, and if the absolute location of the located UE is not obtained, the target UE sends a request to the located UE to trigger the 5GC-MO-LR procedure so that the located UE can obtain its own absolute location. The QoS requirement received in step 8 is included in this request, and this QoS requirement is used to derive the QoS for the location of the located UE.

[0302] 17. If the LMF determines to use UE-based calculations, at least one of UEs 1 / ... / UEn calculates a secondary link location / ranging result based on the secondary link location measurement obtained in step 15 and possibly using auxiliary data received in step 13. The secondary link location / ranging result may include the absolute position, relative position or range and orientation associated with UE 1 to n.

[0303] 18. If UE1 receives a request for location information in step 14, UE1 sends a response to LMF, including the secondary link location measurement obtained in step 15, the secondary link positioning / ranging location result obtained in step 17 (if step 17 is performed), or the absolute location of the located UE obtained in step 16.

[0304] 19. If the absolute location information of the target UE is required in step 8, and if the absolute location of the located UE is not received in step 18, the LMF can retrieve the location of the located UE locally, or send it to... （V） The GMLC triggers the 5GC-MT-LR procedure to obtain the absolute location of the located UE using the application layer ID of the located UE. The LMF includes the QoS requirement received in step 8 in this request, which is used to derive the QoS for UE location. If a scheduled location time is used, the LMF includes the scheduled location time in its request to the GMLC. As specified in Clause 4.3.9 of TS 23.586 The (V)GMLC retrieves the mapping from the application layer ID to the GPSI. If the application layer ID cannot be obtained for any of these located UEs... If the tier ID is mapped to the GPSI, then the UE is considered a roaming UE. (V) The GMLC uses local configuration to obtain the home PLMN of the roaming UE. ID, or retrieve that information from AF. (V) GMLC triggers 5GC- to the home GMLC of each of these roaming, located UEs. The MT-LR procedure is used to obtain the absolute position of the UE.

[0305] 20. The LMF calculates the secondary link location / ranging position results for UEs 1 to n based on the secondary link location measurement received in step 18 and the absolute position of the located UEs in step 19. Depending on the location request received in step 8, the secondary link location / ranging position results may include the absolute position, relative position or range and direction associated with UEs 1 to n.

[0306] 21. The LMF returns the Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation service operation response to the AMF, including the secondary link location / ranging location result received in step 18 or calculated in step 20.

[0307] 22. If a secondary link location / ranging result is received in step 21, the AMF performs steps 7-12 of section 6.2 to send the secondary link location / ranging result to the GMLC, and to the AF or LCS client (if the secondary link location / ranging result was requested in step 8). The secondary link location / ranging result includes the identifier of the corresponding UE 1 to n received in step 8.

[0308] Note 5: Sending location results and global identifiers for UE 1 to n to the AF or LCS client may require privacy verification from UE 1 to n and / or from the HPLMN of UE 1 to n.

[0309] 23. The LMF returns a Supplemental Service SL-MO-LR response to UE1 in a DL NAS TRANSPORT message, including any secondary link location / ranging results calculated in step 20 (if step 20 is performed). If UE1 is a located UE and the target UE is one of UEs 2 to n without a NAS connection, UE1 can transmit the secondary link location / ranging results to the target UE.

Claims

1. A method (400) implemented at a first network device (205), the method (400) comprising: Receive (410) a first request for the location of the first terminal device (105) relative to the second terminal device (110), wherein the first request includes a first identifier of the second terminal device (110); Based on the first identifier of the second terminal device (110), information of the second terminal device (110) is obtained (420), wherein the information of the second terminal device (110) includes at least one of the second identifier of the second terminal device (110), the result of a privacy check, or the location; and The information of the second terminal device (110) is sent to the third network device for the location of the first terminal device (105).

2. The method (400) according to claim 1, wherein, The first identifier includes one of the following: application layer identifier ID, general public subscription identifier (GPSI), and public land mobile network (PLMN) information. The second identifier includes another of the application layer identifier, the general public subscription identifier, and the public land mobile network information.

3. The method (400) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The first network device (205) includes at least one of the following: The network devices in the first home network of the first terminal device (105) The network devices in the visited network of both the first terminal device and the second terminal device (110), or A location server associated with the location of the first terminal device (105).

4. The method (400) according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The information includes the second identifier of the second terminal device (110), and based on the first identifier of the second terminal device (110), obtaining the information of the second terminal device (110) includes: Based on the mapping between the first identifier of the second terminal device (110) and the second identifier of the second terminal device (110), the second identifier of the second terminal device (110) is determined according to the first identifier of the second terminal device (110).

5. The method (400) according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein, Based on the first identifier of the second terminal device (110), obtaining the information of the second terminal device (110) includes: Sending a second request to the second network device (210) for the information of the second terminal device (110), wherein the second request includes the first identifier of the second terminal device (110); and Receive the information from the second terminal device (110) from the second network device (210).

6. The method (400) according to claim 5, wherein, The information includes the second identifier of the second terminal device (110), and the second request includes a request for mapping the first identifier of the second terminal device (110) to the second identifier of the second terminal device (110).

7. The method (400) according to claim 5, wherein, The information includes the result of the privacy check of the second terminal device (110), and the second request includes a request for the privacy check of the second terminal device (110).

8. The method (400) according to any one of claims 5-7, further comprising: The second network device (210) is determined based on the first identifier of the second terminal device (110).

9. The method (400) according to any one of claims 5-8, wherein, The second network device (200) includes at least one of the following: The network device in the second home network of the second terminal device (110), An application server associated with the location of the first terminal device (105).

10. The method (400) according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein, The positioning of the first terminal device (105) is performed by including: Send a third request to a third network device to locate the first terminal device (105).

11. The method (400) according to claim 10, wherein, The third network device includes at least one of the following: The network devices in the visited network of both the first terminal device (105) and the second terminal device (110), or The network device in the second home network of the second terminal device (110).

12. The method (400) according to any one of claims 1-11, wherein, The first request is received from an application function associated with the location of the first terminal device (105).

13. A method (500) implemented at a second network device (210), the method (500) comprising: A second request for information about a second terminal device (110) is received (510) from a first network device (205), wherein the second request includes a first identifier of the second terminal device (110); Based on the first identifier of the second terminal device (110), the information of the second terminal device (110) is obtained (520), wherein the information of the second terminal device (110) includes at least one of the second identifier of the second terminal device (110), the result of a privacy check, or the location; and The information of the second terminal device (110) is sent (530) to the first network device (205).

14. The method (500) according to claim 13, wherein, The first identifier includes at least one of the following: application layer identifier, general public subscription identifier, and public land mobile network information. The second identifier includes at least one other identifier among the application layer identifier, the general public subscription identifier, and the public land mobile network information.

15. The method (500) according to any one of claims 13-14, wherein, The information includes the second identifier of the second terminal device (110), and based on the first identifier of the second terminal device (110), obtaining the information of the second terminal device (110) includes: Determine the mapping between the first identifier of the second terminal device (110) and the second identifier of the second terminal device (110); and Based on the mapping between the first identifier of the second terminal device (110) and the second identifier of the second terminal device (110), the second identifier of the second terminal device (110) is determined according to the first identifier of the second terminal device (110).

16. The method (500) according to any one of claims 13-15, wherein, The information includes the result of the privacy check of the second terminal device (110), and the information obtained by the second terminal device (110) based on the first identifier of the second terminal device (110) includes: Perform the privacy check of the second terminal device (110) to obtain the result of the privacy check of the second terminal device (110).

17. The method (500) according to any one of claims 13-16, wherein, The first network device (205) includes at least one of the following: The network devices in the first home network of the first terminal device (105) The network devices in the visited network of both the first terminal device and the second terminal device (110), or A location server associated with the location of the first terminal device (105).

18. The method according to any one of claims 13-17, wherein, The second network device (210) includes at least one of the following: The network device in the second home network of the second terminal device (110), An application server associated with the location of the first terminal device (105).

19. A first network device (205), comprising: processor; as well as The memory contains instructions executable by the processor, thereby enabling the first network device (205) to: Receive (410) a first request for the location of the first terminal device (105) relative to the second terminal device (110), wherein the first request includes a first identifier of the second terminal device (110); Based on the first identifier of the second terminal device (110), information of the second terminal device (110) is obtained (420), wherein the information of the second terminal device (110) includes at least one of the second identifier of the second terminal device (110), the result of a privacy check, or the location; and The information of the second terminal device (110) is sent to the third network device for the location of the first terminal device (105).

20. The first network device (205) according to claim 18, wherein, The first network device (205) is also operable to implement the method (400) according to any one of claims 2-12.

21. A second network device (210), comprising: processor; as well as The memory contains instructions executable by the processor, thereby enabling the second network device (210) to: A second request for information about a second terminal device (110) is received (510) from a first network device (205), wherein the second request includes a first identifier of the second terminal device (110); Based on the first identifier of the second terminal device (110), the information of the second terminal device (110) is obtained (520), wherein the information of the second terminal device (110) includes at least one of the second identifier of the second terminal device (110), the result of a privacy check, or the location; and The information of the second terminal device (110) is sent (530) to the first network device (205).

22. The second network device (210) according to claim 20, wherein, The second network device (210) can also be operated to implement the method (500) according to any one of claims 14-18.

23. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions causing the device to perform the method (400) according to any one of claims 1-12 or the method (500) according to any one of claims 13-18 when executed by at least one processor of the device.

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