Methods for supporting non-transmit zone for uncrewed aerial vehicles

Abstract

A network device comprising a processor comprising an access and mobility management function (AMF) configured to receive a non-transmit zone (NTZ) request, the NTZ request indicating one or more NTZs within a network, initiate a WTRU position procedure, the WTRU tracking procedure tracking the location of a target WTRU, determine whether the target WTRU is within an indicated NTZ and the WTRU's connection mode (e.g., Connected Mode, Idle Mode), transmit a PDU session deactivation request to the network based on the determination that the target WTRU is within the indicated NTZ and the WTRU's connection mode, transmit a NTZ enforcement notification to the target WTRU the NTZ enforcement notification, and transmit a NTZ enforcement request to the network the NTZ enforcement request.

Description

METHODS FOR SUPPORTING NON-TRANSMIT ZONE FOR UNCREWED AERIAL VEHICLESCROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 531 ,888 filed August 10, 2023 which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.BACKGROUND

[0002] In addition to technical conditions for MFCN bands and for spectrum compatibility purposes, some spectrum operational restrictions may be defined. This can be done using no-transmit zones, which may be defined at a national level as a geographical area where a wiresless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), such as aerial WTRU (e.g., UAV), is not allowed to operate in a certain frequency band. Additional OOB emission limits specific to aerial WTRU may be defined, for example, to avoid interference to other services in some other bands (e.g. to protect MetSat at 1675-1710 MHz). The requirement may apply to aerial WTRU according to their operational frequency band, e.g., aerial WTRU operating in a specific band and / or a specific channel. In some cases, the operation of aerial WTRU also requires respective cross-border coordination agreements.

[0003] A no-transmit zone may be defined as a geographical area where aerial WTRU is not allowed to transmit for spectrum compatibility purposes in a given harmonized MFCN band or part of a given harmonized MFCN band. One or more studies may define no-transmit zones for spectrum compatibility purposes, for aerial WTRU operating in the relevant frequency bands. A mechanism may be used to ensure that aerial WTRU respect no-transmit zones.SUMMARY

[0004] A network device may comprise a processor comprising an access and mobility management function (AMF). The processor may be configured to receive a nontransmit zone (NTZ) request. The NTZ request may indicates NTZ information and / or identifiers for one or more NTZs within a network. The NTZ information may include ageographic area, one or more frequency bands, and / or a period of time associated with the NTZ. The NTZ may be a geographic area where WTRUs are not allowed to transmit via one or more frequency bands. The processor may be configured to initiate a WTRU positioning procedure. The WTRLI positioning procedure tracking the location of a target WTRU. The WTRU may be an Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

[0005] The processor may be configured to determine whether the target WTRU is within an indicated NTZ. The processor may be configured to determine whether the target WTRU is in a connection mode (e.g., Connected Mode) while in the geographic area of the NTZ. The processor may be configured to transmit an NTZ enforcement notification based on the determination that the target WTRU is within the indicated NTZ.

[0006] The processor may be configured to transmit a PDU session deactivation request to the network based on the determination that the target WTRU is within the indicated NTZ (e.g., and also based on the WTRU being in connection mode). The processor may be configured to transmit an NTZ enforcement notification to the target WTRU.The NTZ enforcement notification may include an indication that only Command and Control (C2) communication is allowed with the target WTRU. The processor may be configured to transmit the NTZ enforcement notification to the target WTRU based on the determination that the target WTRU is within the indicated NTZ and when the WTRU is in a particular connection mode (e.g., Connected Mode, Idle Mode). The NTZ enforcement notification may include any combination of an indication of the one or more NTZs, frequency bands, and / or a period of time.

[0007] The processor may be further configured to transmit a NTZ enforcement request to the network based on the determination that the target WTRU is within the indicated NTZ (e.g., and, in some instances, also based on the WTRU’s connection mode (e.g., Connected Mode)). The NTZ enforcement request may include an indication of an identification of a WTRU (e.g., a target UAV ID), the one or more NTZs, the associated frequency bands, and / or the period of time. The processor may be configured to receive the NTZ enforcement request from the network. The NTZ enforcement request may include a modification or cancellation of the NTZ information. In some examples, the processor may be configured to transmit the NTZ enforcement notification to a WTRUnot within the indicated NTZ. The NTZ enforcement notification may include an indication of the one or more NTZs.

[0008] . The processor may be further configured to determine whether the target WTRU is within the indicated NTZ and in idle mode. The processor may be further configured to transmit a NTZ enforcement notification to the target WTRU based on the determination that the target WTRU is within the indicated NTZ and in idle mode, the NTZ enforcement notification comprising an indication of the one or more NTZs, frequency bands, and a period of time. The processor may be further configured to receive a service request from the target WTRU based on the determination that the target WTRU is within the indicated NTZ and in idle mode. The processor may be further configured to transmit a service rejection message to the target WTRU based on the determination that the target WTRU is within the indicated NTZ and in idle mode.

[0009] A target wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) may comprise a processor. The processor may be configured to receive a non-transmit zone (NTZ) enforcement notification from the network device. The NTZ enforcement notification may include an indication of the one or more NTZs, the frequency bands, and / or the period of time. The processor may be further configured to determine whether the WTRU is within the indicated NTZ. The processor may be further configured to release an RRC connection with the network based on the WTRU being subject to NTZ control. The processor may be further configured to transmit the service request to the network device based on the determination that the WTRU is in idle mode. The processor may be further configured to receive the service rejection message based on whether the WTRU is within the indicated NTZ. The processor may be further configured to generate an alert relating to the NTZ. The processor may be further configured to transmit the indication of the NTZ to a controller of the WTRU.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1A is a system diagram illustrating an example communications system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented.

[0011] FIG. 1 B is a system diagram illustrating an example wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment.

[0012] FIG. 1 C is a system diagram illustrating an example radio access network (RAN) and an example core network (CN) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment.

[0013] FIG. 1 D is a system diagram illustrating a further example RAN and a further example CN that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a process diagram illustrating an example enforcement of a non-transit zone (NTZ) in a 5G network.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating an example communications system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communications system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content, such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc., to multiple wireless users. The communications system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through the sharing of system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communications systems 100 may employ one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero-tail unique-word DFT-Spread OFDM (ZT UW DTS-s OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block-filtered OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), and the like.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1A, the communications system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, a RAN 104 / 113, a CN 106 / 115, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112, though it will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operateand / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, any of which may be referred to as a “station” and / or a “STA”, may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and may include a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscriptionbased unit, a pager, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fi device, an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a headmounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and 102d may be interchangeably referred to as a WTRU.

[0017] The communications systems 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the CN 106 / 115, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node-B, an eNode B, a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, a gNB, a NR NodeB, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. While the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0018] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 104 / 113, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), relay nodes, etc. The base station 114a and / or the base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). These frequencies may be in licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide coverage for a wireless service to a specific geographical area that may be relatively fixed or that maychange over time. The cell may further be divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, i.e. , one for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) technology and may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to transmit and / or receive signals in desired spatial directions.

[0019] The base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0020] More specifically, as noted above, the communications system 100 may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and the like. For example, the base station 114a in the RAN 104 / 113 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may establish the air interface 115 / 116 / 117 using wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High-Speed Downlink (DL) Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High-Speed UL Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0021] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E- UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and / or LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE -A Pro).

[0022] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as NR Radio Access , which may establish the air interface 116 using New Radio (NR).

[0023] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a andthe WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement LTE radio access and NR radio access together, for instance using dual connectivity (DC) principles. Thus, the air interface utilized by WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions sent to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., a eNB and a gNB).

[0024] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), and the like.

[0025] The base station 114b in FIG. 1A may be a wireless router, Home Node B, Home eNode B, or access point, for example, and may utilize any suitable RAT for facilitating wireless connectivity in a localized area, such as a place of business, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a roadway, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. As shown in FIG. 1 A, the base station 114b may have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Thus, the base station 114b may not be required to access the Internet 110 via the CN 106 / 115.

[0026] The RAN 104 / 113 may be in communication with the CN 106 / 115, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have varying quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as differing throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliabilityrequirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, and the like. The CN 106 / 115 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, pre-paid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform high-level security functions, such as user authentication. Although not shown in FIG. 1A, it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 / 113 and / or the CN 106 / 115 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104 / 113, which may be utilizing a NR radio technology, the CN 106 / 115 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) employing a GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E- UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0027] The CN 106 / 115 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include circuit-switched telephone networks that provide plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP) and / or the internet protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired and / or wireless communications networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT.

[0028] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communications system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links). For example, the WTRU 102c shown in FIG. 1 A may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with the base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0029] FIG. 1 B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. As shown in FIG. 1 B, the WTRU 102 may include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, adisplay / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138, among others. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may include any subcombination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0030] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) circuits, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and the like. The processor 118 may perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. While FIG. 1 B depicts the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 as separate components, it will be appreciated that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0031] The transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit signals to, or receive signals from, a base station (e.g., the base station 114a) over the air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In an embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive IR, UV, or visible light signals, for example. In yet another embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive both RF and light signals. It will be appreciated that the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0032] Although the transmit / receive element 122 is depicted in FIG. 1 B as a single element, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[0033] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate the signals that are to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and to demodulate the signals that are received by the transmit / receive element 122. As noted above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.11 , for example.

[0034] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to, and may receive user input data from, the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or organic lightemitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, any type of suitable memory, such as the non-removable memory 130 and / or the removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include random-access memory (RAM), readonly memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0035] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134, and may be configured to distribute and / or control the power to the other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li- ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, and the like.

[0036] The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to, or in lieu of, the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information over the air interface 116 from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) and / or determine its locationbased on the timing of the signals being received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by way of any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0037] The processor 118 may further be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an e-compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photographs and / or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands free headset, a Bluetooth® module, a frequency modulated (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an Internet browser, a Virtual Reality and / or Augmented Reality (VR / AR) device, an activity tracker, and the like. The peripherals 138 may include one or more sensors, the sensors may be one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, an orientation sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor; a geolocation sensor; an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, and / or a humidity sensor.

[0038] The WTRU 102 may include a full duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for both the UL (e.g., for transmission) and downlink (e.g., for reception) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous. The full duplex radio may include an interference management unit 139 to reduce and or substantially eliminate self-interference via either hardware (e.g., a choke) or signal processing via a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or via processor 118). In an embodiment, the WRTU 102 may include a halfduplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for either the UL (e.g., for transmission) or the downlink (e.g., for reception)).

[0039] FIG. 1 C is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ an E-UTRA radiotechnology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0040] The RAN 104 may include eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, the eNode-B 160a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a.

[0041] Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, and the like. As shown in FIG. 10, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another over an X2 interface.

[0042] The CN 106 shown in FIG. 1 C may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, a serving gateway (SGW) 164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway (or PGW) 166. While each of the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0043] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 162a, 162b, 162c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during an initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like. The MME 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0044] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the eNode Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via the S1 interface. The SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164 may perform other functions, such as anchoring user planes during inter-eNode B handovers, triggeringpaging when DL data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing contexts of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like.

[0045] The SGW 164 may be connected to the PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0046] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices. For example, the CN 106 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0047] Although the WTRU is described in FIGS. 1 A-1 D as a wireless terminal, it is contemplated that in certain representative embodiments that such a terminal may use (e.g., temporarily or permanently) wired communication interfaces with the communication network.

[0048] In representative embodiments, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0049] A WLAN in Infrastructure Basic Service Set (BSS) mode may have an Access Point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP may have an access or an interface to a Distribution System (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic in to and / or out of the BSS. Traffic to STAs that originates from outside the BSS may arrive through the AP and may be delivered to the STAs. Traffic originating from STAs to destinations outside the BSS may be sent to the AP to be delivered to respective destinations. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be sent through the AP, for example, where the source STA may send traffic to the AP and the AP may deliver the traffic to the destination STA. The traffic between STAs within a BSS may be considered and / or referred to as peer-to-peer traffic. The peer-to- peer traffic may be sent between (e.g., directly between) the source and destinationSTAs with a direct link setup (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use an 802.11 e DLS or an 802.11 z tunneled DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an Independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and the STAs (e.g., all of the STAs) within or using the IBSS may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS mode of communication may sometimes be referred to herein as an “ad-hoc” mode of communication.

[0050] When using the 802.11ac infrastructure mode of operation or a similar mode of operations, the AP may transmit a beacon on a fixed channel, such as a primary channel. The primary channel may be a fixed width (e.g., 20 MHz wide bandwidth) or a dynamically set width via signaling. The primary channel may be the operating channel of the BSS and may be used by the STAs to establish a connection with the AP. In certain representative embodiments, Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA) may be implemented, for example in in 802.11 systems. For CSMA / CA, the STAs (e.g., every STA), including the AP, may sense the primary channel. If the primary channel is sensed / detected and / or determined to be busy by a particular STA, the particular STA may back off. One STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any given time in a given BSS.

[0051] High Throughput (HT) STAs may use a 40 MHz wide channel for communication, for example, via a combination of the primary 20 MHz channel with an adjacent or nonadjacent 20 MHz channel to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[0052] Very High Throughput (VHT) STAs may support 20MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and / or 160 MHz wide channels. The 40 MHz, and / or 80 MHz, channels may be formed by combining contiguous 20 MHz channels. A 160 MHz channel may be formed by combining 8 contiguous 20 MHz channels, or by combining two non-contiguous 80 MHz channels, which may be referred to as an 80+80 configuration. For the 80+80 configuration, the data, after channel encoding, may be passed through a segment parser that may divide the data into two streams. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) processing, and time domain processing, may be done on each stream separately. The streams may be mapped on to the two 80 MHz channels, and the data may be transmitted by a transmitting STA. At the receiver of the receiving STA, the abovedescribed operation for the 80+80 configuration may be reversed, and the combined data may be sent to the Medium Access Control (MAC).

[0053] Sub 1 GHz modes of operation are supported by 802.11 af and 802.11 ah. The channel operating bandwidths, and carriers, are reduced in 802.11af and 802.11 ah relative to those used in 802.11 n, and 802.11ac. 802.11 af supports 5 MHz, 10 MHz and 20 MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.11 ah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.11 ah may support Meter Type Control / Machine-Type Communications, such as MTC devices in a macro coverage area. MTC devices may have certain capabilities, for example, limited capabilities including support for (e.g., only support for) certain and / or limited bandwidths. The MTC devices may include a battery with a battery life above a threshold (e.g., to maintain a very long battery life).

[0054] WLAN systems, which may support multiple channels, and channel bandwidths, such as 802.11 n, 802.11 ac, 802.11 af, and 802.11 ah, include a channel which may be designated as the primary channel. The primary channel may have a bandwidth equal to the largest common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be set and / or limited by a STA, from among all STAs in operating in a BSS, which supports the smallest bandwidth operating mode. In the example of 802.11 ah, the primary channel may be 1 MHz wide for STAs (e.g., MTC type devices) that support (e.g., only support) a 1 MHz mode, even if the AP, and other STAs in the BSS support 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 16 MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and / or Network Allocation Vector (NAV) settings may depend on the status of the primary channel. If the primary channel is busy, for example, due to a STA (which supports only a 1 MHz operating mode), transmitting to the AP, the entire available frequency bands may be considered busy even though a majority of the frequency bands remains idle and may be available.

[0055] In the United States, the available frequency bands, which may be used by 802.11 ah, are from 902 MHz to 928 MHz. In Korea, the available frequency bands are from 917.5 MHz to 923.5 MHz. In Japan, the available frequency bands are from 916.5MHz to 927.5 MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11 ah is 6 MHz to 26 MHz depending on the country code.

[0056] FIG. 1 D is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 113 and the CN 115 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 113 may employ an NR radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 113 may also be in communication with the CN 115.

[0057] The RAN 113 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 113 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, gNBs 180a, 108b may utilize beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, the gNB 180a may transmit multiple component carriers to the WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on unlicensed spectrum while the remaining component carriers may be on licensed spectrum. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) technology. For example, WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from gNB 180a and gNB 180b (and / or gNB 180c).

[0058] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with a scalable numerology. For example, the OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframe or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of various or scalable lengths (e.g., containing varying number of OFDM symbols and / or lasting varying lengths of absolute time).

[0059] The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be configured to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in a standalone configuration and / or a non-standalone configuration.In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c without also accessing other RANs (e.g., such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c). In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may utilize one or more of gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c as a mobility anchor point. In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using signals in an unlicensed band. In a non-standalone configuration WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with / connect to gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c while also communicating with / connecting to another RAN such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c. For example, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement DC principles to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c and one or more eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c substantially simultaneously. In the non-standalone configuration, eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may serve as a mobility anchor for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may provide additional coverage and / or throughput for servicing WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0060] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, support of network slicing, dual connectivity, interworking between NR and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data towards User Plane Function (UPF) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information towards Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 182a, 182b and the like. As shown in FIG. 1 D, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may communicate with one another over an Xn interface.

[0061] The CN 115 shown in FIG. 1 D may include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one Session Management Function (SMF) 183a, 183b, and possibly a Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b. While each of the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 115, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0062] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via an N2 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, support for network slicing (e g., handling of different PDUsessions with different requirements), selecting a particular SMF 183a, 183b, management of the registration area, termination of NAS signaling, mobility management, and the like. Network slicing may be used by the AMF 182a, 182b in order to customize CN support for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c based on the types of services being utilized WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. For example, different network slices may be established for different use cases such as services relying on ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) access, services relying on enhanced massive mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services for machine type communication (MTC) access, and / or the like. The AMF 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 113 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, and / or non-3GPP access technologies such as WiFi.

[0063] The SMF 183a, 183b may be connected to an AMF 182a, 182b in the CN 115 via an N11 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may also be connected to a UPF 184a, 184b in the CN 115 via an N4 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may select and control the UPF 184a, 184b and configure the routing of traffic through the UPF 184a, 184b. The SMF 183a, 183b may perform other functions, such as managing and allocating WTRU IP address, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, providing downlink data notifications, and the like. A PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP based, Ethernet-based, and the like.

[0064] The UPF 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via an N3 interface, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The UPF 184, 184b may perform other functions, such as routing and forwarding packets, enforcing user plane policies, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering downlink packets, providing mobility anchoring, and the like.

[0065] The CN 115 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 115 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 115 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 115 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wirelessnetworks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers. In one embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to a local Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b through the UPF 184a, 184b via the N3 interface to the UPF 184a, 184b and an N6 interface between the UPF 184a, 184b and the DN 185a, 185b.

[0066] In view of Figures 1 A-1 D, and the corresponding description of Figures 1 A-1 D, one or more, or all, of the functions described herein with regard to one or more of: WTRU 102a-d, Base Station 114a-b, eNode-B 160a-c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNB 180a-c, AMF 182a-ab, UPF 184a-b, SMF 183a-b, DN 185a-b, and / or any other device(s) described herein, may be performed by one or more emulation devices (not shown). The emulation devices may be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more, or all, of the functions described herein. For example, the emulation devices may be used to test other devices and / or to simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0067] The emulation devices may be designed to implement one or more tests of other devices in a lab environment and / or in an operator network environment. For example, the one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network in order to test other devices within the communication network. The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The emulation device may be directly coupled to another device for purposes of testing and / or may performing testing using over-the-air wireless communications.

[0068] The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, including all, functions while not being implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, the emulation devices may be utilized in a testing scenario in a testing laboratory and / or a non-deployed (e.g., testing) wired and / or wireless communication network in order to implement testing of one or more components. The one or more emulation devices may be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communications via RF circuitry (e.g., which may include one or more antennas) may be used by the emulation devices to transmit and / or receive data.

[0069] Any description herein that is described with reference to a WTRU may be equally applicable to an UAV (or vice versa). For example, a WTRU may be configured to perform any of the processes or procedures described herein as being performed by an UAV (or vice versa).

[0070] A no-transmit zone (NTZ) defined for one UAV or a group of UAVs may create issues within a wireless network. The enforcement of NTZ cannot rely solely on the UAV itself. The radio access network (RAN) may ensure that the UL transmission resource is properly scheduled for the target UAV, for example, to abide by NTZ regulations UAV is provided RRC configurations. There are many details on how a wireless network is involved in enforcing the NTZ.

[0071] Such detail may include how the wireless network ensures that an NTZ is properly enforced in the UAV and / or how the wireless network ensures that the UAV does not transmit in the designated NTZs. Uu communications may be safely controlled for a UAV under NTZ control as the network schedules the UL transmission resource. An uncooperative UAV may perform radio transmission(s) in frequency bands that are not allowed (e.g., for sidelink communication). A mechanism may be provided to monitor illegal transmissions in NTZs.

[0072] Such details may further include how the wireless network monitors for illegal transmissions from non-cooperative UAVs in NTZs and / or what counter-measures may be taken. Another issue may be how to maintain necessary critical communication (e.g., C2 communication) for the safety and security of the UAV in NTZs.

[0073] An NTZ in a wireless network may be enforced. The core network (e.g., the Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) network function (UAS NF) in 5G core network) may receive a request from the UAS Service Supplier (USS) / Uncrewed Aerial System Traffic Management (UTM) to enforce one or multiple NTZs.

[0074] The request may comprise identifiers (e.g., Generic Public Subscription Identifiers (GPSIs) or Civil Aerial Authority (CAA) level UAV IDs) of one or multiple UAVs to which the designated NTZs may apply. The request may also apply to one or more (e.g., all) UAVs controlled by the USS / UTM without specifying the affected UAV identifiers. The UAS NF may identify one or more (e.g., all) corresponding UAVs belonging to the requesting USS / UTM.

[0075] The request may comprise NTZ information. The NTZ information may comprise one or a list of designated NTZs. The NTZs may be defined by geographical coordinates or civil codes. For instance, in some examples, the the NTZ may be a geographical area where WTRUs are not allowed to transmit via one or more frequency bands.

[0076] The NTZ information may comprise, for one or multiple NTZs, the frequency bands or spectrums that the UAVs are not allowed to transmit. When the UAVs are not allowed to transmit (e.g., at all) on any frequency, no particular frequency bands may be specified.

[0077] The NTZ information may comprise, for one or multiple NTZs, the period of time during which the NTZs may apply. If no period of time is specified, it may be considered that the NTZ should be immediately enforced until it is canceled or updated.

[0078] The NTZ information may comprise, for one or multiple NTZs, the types of communication (e.g., C2 communication, direct C2 communication, short-range sidelink communication) that are exempted in the NTZs.

[0079] As a result of receiving an NTZ enforcement request, the UAS NF may perform one or more actions. The UAS NF may identify one or more (e.g., all) corresponding UAVs belonging to the requesting USS / UTM, for example, if no particular UAV identifiers are specified in the request.

[0080] The UAS NF may store the content of NTZ enforcement requests in the context of the affected UAVs.

[0081] The UAS NF may locate areas (e.g., cells, Tracking Areas, etc.) in the wireless network corresponding to the NTZs defined in the request, for example, with assistance from other NFs or based on the pre-provisioned information.

[0082] The UAS NF may initiate the UAV tracking procedures to monitor whether the UAV has entered the designated NTZs.

[0083] The UAS NF may locate the serving access and mobility management functions (AMFs) of the affected UAVs and forward the NTZ enforcement request to the serving AMFs. The UAS NF may forward the request to the serving AMFs immediately after it receives the request from the USS / UTM, or it may forward the request to the serving AMFs after it has detected that the affected UAV has entered the NTZs.

[0084] As a result of receiving a NTZ enforcement request for a UAV, the serving AMF may perform one or more actions. The NTZ enforcement request may include the identifiers (e.g., Generic Public Subscription Identifiers (GPSIs) or Civil Aerial Authority (CAA) level UAV IDs) of one or multiple UAVs to which the designated NTZs may apply. The NTZ enforcement request may also apply to one or more (e.g., all) UAVs controlled by the USS / UTM without specifying the affected UAV identifiers. The AMF may identify one or more (e.g., all) corresponding UAVs belonging to the requesting USS / UTM. Further, the NTZ enforcement request may comprise NTZ information, for example, as described herein.

[0085] The serving AMF may initiate a WTRU positioning procedure to obtain the current location of the UAV and determine whether or not the UAV is in the NTZ. The AMF may keep monitoring the WTRU location as long as the UAV is subject to NTZ control. For example, the AMF may determine a location of a WTRU based on the request to enforce the NTZ. The AMF may determine that the WTRU is in proximity of the NTZ based on the determined location of the WTRU. On a condition that the WTRU is determined to be in proximity of the NTZ, the AMF may send a message to the WTRU that includes at least a portion of the NTZ information and / or an indication that the WTRU is subject to NTZ control.

[0086] While the UAV is in the NTZ and in connected mode, the serving AMF may inform the SMF to deactivate or put on hold one, multiple, or all the PDU sessions of the WTRU. For example, if the NTZ request indicates the UAV is not allowed to transmit on any frequency and C2 communication (e.g., only 02 communication) is exempted, the AMF may deactivate one or more (e.g., all) PDU sessions except those for C2 communication. If the PDU Session for C2 communication is also deactivated, the AMF may trigger the procedure for the UAV to switch C2 communication to direct C2 communication, i.e. , C2 communication over PC5.

[0087] While the UAV is in the NTZ and in connected mode, the serving AMF may inform the serving RAN that the UAV is subject to NTZ control. The AMF may inform the RAN of the frequency bands (or no transmission on any frequency) that the UAV is not allowed to transmit. The RAN should avoid scheduling UL transmission on those frequency bands. If the UAV is not allowed to transmit on any frequency band, the RANmay release the RRC connection and inform the WTRLI that the connection is released due to NTZ control.

[0088] While the UAV is in the NTZ and in connected mode, the serving AMF may inform the SMF to buffer downlink data which might cause the UAV to respond using UL transmission.

[0089] While the UAV is in the NTZ and in idle mode, the AMF may inform the UAV (e.g., via NAS signaling) that it is in the NTZ. For instance, the AMF may send a message to the UAV that includes at least a portion of the NTZ information and / or includes an indication that the WTRU is subject to NTZ control. The AMF may inform the UAV (e.g., via NAS signaling) that communication may be restricted due to NTZ control. For example, the AMF may inform the UAV that C2 communication (e.g., only C2 communication) is allowed. Or, if the C2 communication is not exempted, the UAV may switch to direct C2 communication method. The AMF may also inform the UAV of the NTZ area and the period of time that the NTZ lasts so that the UAV may re-try communication when it is out of the NTZ. The UAV may also forward the NTZ information to its controller.

[0090] While the UAV is in the NTZ and in idle mode, the AMF may reject the entire service request or registration request from the UAV. The AMF may also reject the activation of some PDU sessions in the “list of PDU Sessions to be activated” in the service request. For example, one or more (e.g., all) PDU Sessions except that for C2 communication may be rejected if the NTZ enforcement request indicates C2 communication (e.g., only C2 communication) can be exempted from the NTZ control.

[0091] If the UAV is not in the NTZ, the AMF may inform the UAV (e.g., via NAS signaling) about the potential NTZs (e.g., NTZs that are nearby or in the UAV trajectory) so the UAV application may maneuver the UAV to avoid the NTZs if that is authorized by the USS / UTM. The UAV may also forward the NTZ information to its controller.

[0092] If the UAV performs a handover and switches to a new serving RAN, the source RAN, which has received the NTZ enforcement request, may pass the NTZ enforcement information to the target RAN which may continue to enforce the NTZ. When the UAV changes the serving AMF due to mobility, the old serving AMF, whichhas received the NTZ enforcement request, may pass the NTZ enforcement information to the new serving AMF which may continue to enforce the NTZ.

[0093] FIG. 2 is a process diagram illustrating an example call flow 200 for enforcement of a non-transit zone (NTZ) in a 5G network.

[0094] At 1 , the UAS NF may receive an NTZ enforcement notification from the USS / UTM. The NTZ enforcement notification message may comprise one or more target UAV IDs, one or more NTZs, frequency band(s) associated with the NTZ, and / or a period of time. The NTZ enforcement notification message may comprise identifiers (e.g., Generic Public Subscription Identifiers (GPSIs) or Civil Aerial Authority (CAA) level UAV IDs) of one or multiple UAVs to which the designated NTZs may apply.

[0095] For example, as noted above, the NTZ enforcement notification message may include NTZ information. The NTZ information may comprise one or a list of designated NTZs. The NTZs may be defined by geographical coordinates or civil codes. For instance, in some examples, the the NTZ may be a geographical area where WTRUs are not allowed to transmit via one or more frequency bands. The NTZ information may comprise, for one or multiple NTZs, the frequency bands or spectrums that the UAVs are not allowed to transmit. When the UAVs are not allowed to transmit (e.g., at all) on any frequency, no particular frequency bands may be specified. The NTZ information may comprise, for one or multiple NTZs, the period of time during which the NTZs may apply. If no period of time is specified, it may be considered that the NTZ should be immediately enforced until it is canceled or updated. The NTZ information may comprise, for one or multiple NTZs, the types of communication (e.g., C2 communication, direct C2 communication, short-range sidelink communication) that are exempted in the NTZs.

[0096] At 2, the UAS NF may initiate a UAV tracking procedure to monitor whether a UAV has entered the one or more NTZs designated in the NTZ enforcement notification.

[0097] At 3, the UAS NF may send (e.g., forward) the NTZ enforcement request to the AMF. The UAS NF may determine that the AMF is a serving AMF of the affected UAV. The UAS NF may forward the request to the serving AMFs immediately after it receives the request from the USS / UTM. The UAS NF may forward the request to the serving AMFs after it has detected that the affected UAV has entered the one or more NTZs.

[0098] At 4, the AMF may initiate a WTRLI position procedure. The serving AMF may initiate a WTRU positioning procedure to obtain the current location of the UAV and / or determine whether or not the UAV is within the one or more NTZs. The AMF may continue monitoring the WTRU location as long as the UAV is subject to NTZ control.

[0099] At 5, the AMF may determine whether a target UAV is within the one or more NTZs. As noted herein, on a condition that the WTRU is determined to be in proximity of the NTZ, the AMF may send a message to the WTRU, where the first message may include at least a portion of the NTZ information and / or an indication that the WTRU is subject to NTZ control.

[0100] In 6a, if the UAV is within an NTZ and in connected mode, the serving AMF may transmit a PDU session deactivation request to the SMF / UPF. The request may comprise a deactivation of one, multiple, or all PDU sessions of a target WTRU.

[0101] At 7a, while the UAV is within the NTZ and in connected mode, the AMF may transmit a NTZ enforcement notification to the UAV with the indicated NTZ. The NTZ enforcement notification may indicate the any combination of NTZ information, such as one or more NTZs, the frequency bands, and / or the period of time.

[0102] At 8a, while the UAV is within the NTZ and in connected mode, the AMF may transmit a NTZ enforcement request to the RAN. The NTZ enforcement request may indicate a target UAV ID, the one or more NTZs, the frequency bands, and / or the period of time.

[0103] At 9a, while the UAV is within the NTZ and in connected mode, the RAN may release the RRC connection and inform the WTRU that the connection is released due to NTZ control.

[0104] At 6b, if the UAV is within the NTZ and in idle mode, the AMF may transmit a NTZ enforcement notification to the UAV within the one or more NTZs. The NTZ enforcement notification may indicate the one or more NTZs, the frequency bands, and / or the period of time.

[0105] At 7b, while the UAV is within the NTZ and in idle mode, the AMF may receive a service request from the UAV. At 8b, while the UAV is within the NTZ and in idle mode, the AMF may transmit a service rejection message due to NTZ control.

[0106] The NTZ control may be modified or disarmed for one or more reasons. The USS / UTM may initiate the modification or cancellation of a previous NTZ enforcement request. The modification may indicate new NTZ areas and / or new banned frequency bands. Accordingly, the UAS NF and the serving AMFs may take one or more actions to modify the enforcement.

[0107] If the NTZ control is canceled, the UAS NF and the serving AMF may inform the RAN and / or the WTRU that they are no longer subjected to NTZ control. The UAS NF or the serving AMF may detect that the UAV is out of the NTZ or that the NTZ period of time has passed. As a result, the UAS NF or the serving AMF may send NTZ disarm information to the RAN or WTRU, which may stop NTZ enforcement.

[0108] A UAV subject to NTZ control and restricted from communication may take one or more actions. For communications not scheduled by the RAN (e.g., communication over PC5 link), the UAV may choose a spectrum that the NTZ does not restrict for communication unless the communication over PC5 is exempted from NTZ enforcement. For communication that may require large bandwidth and may suffer QoS deterioration due to restricted frequency bands, the UAV may delay the communication until it is not restricted by the NTZ. The UAV may try to find alternative communication paths, such as non-3GPP connections (e.g., WIFI connection, satellite connection, etc.), to avoid the communication restriction. The UAV may try to maneuver out of the NTZ area, under the authorization of the USS / UTM, to avoid the communication restriction.

[0109] When a UAV is subject to NTZ control, the core network may monitor the illegal data activities on some PDU sessions (assuming the CN has not deactivated these PDU Sessions) and / or trigger an alert if illegal data activities are detected. After receiving the NTZ enforcement request and determining that the target UAV is under NTZ control (e.g., within the NTZ area), the serving AMF may inform the SMF that the UAV is under NTZ control and / or the PDU sessions that should be restricted. The SMF may invoke the UPF services to monitor the data activities on those restricted PDU sessions. If data packets are received on those restricted PDU Sessions, the UPF may send an illegal data transmission event report to the SMF.

[0110] The event report may include such information as the PDU session IDs on which the illegal data transmission is detected, the timestamp of the detected illegal data transmission, and / or the size of the received illegal data packets.

[0111] The SMF may include additional information to the event report, such as the DNN related to the PDU session, and may forward it to the AMF. The AMF may forward the event report to the USS / UTM (e.g., through the UAS NF / NEF).

[0112] The CN may instruct the serving RAN to perform surveillance of illegal radio transmission over an air interface. Radio transmissions over the Uu interface are scheduled by the RAN and, as such, the utilized spectrum is safely controlled. Air interface surveillance is mainly targeted for other types of radio transmission (e.g., communication over PC5 / sidelink), for which an uncooperative UAV may choose a spectrum that it may not be allowed to use in the NTZ.

[0113] Multiple specific NTZ surveillance devices (NTZ-SD), capable of receiving UAV broadcast or unicast transmission on target spectrum (e.g., support PC5-based receiving), may be deployed in NTZs and connected to a RAN. When a UAV is subject to the NTZ control, and there is a request to monitor the UAV for illegal transmission (e.g., requested by the USS), the serving AMF may instruct the serving RAN to activate the surveillance. The request may include the target UAV identifier (e.g., CAA-level UAV ID), area, period of surveillance time, etc.

[0114] The serving RAN may locate one or more NTZ-SDs in the target NTZ and instruct them to monitor any transmission from the target UAV. The NTZ-SD reports to the RAN any detected illegal radio transmission, including the detected UAV identifier, type of communication (e.g., broadcast or unicast), timestamp of the detected radio transmission, etc. The RAN may forward the report back to the CN, which may forward the report to the USS.

Claims

CLAIMS:1 . A first network node comprising: a processor configured to: receive a request to enforce a non-transmit zone (NTZ), wherein the request indicates NTZ information, and wherein the request comprises identifiers for one or more WTRUs for which the NTZ applies; determine a location of a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) based on the request to enforce the NTZ; determine that the WTRU is in proximity of the NTZ based on the determined location of the WTRU; and on a condition that the WTRU is determined to be in proximity of the NTZ, send a first message to the WTRU, wherein the first message comprises at least a portion of the NTZ information and an indication that the WTRU is subject to NTZ control.

2. The first network node of claim 1 , wherein the NTZ information comprises an indication of a geographic area, an indication of one or more frequency bands, or an indication of a period of time.

3. The first network node of claim 1 or 2, wherein the processor is configured to: send a second message to a second network node, wherein the second message indicates that one or more Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions of the WTRU should be deactivated.

4. The first network node of claim 1 or 2, wherein the processor is configured to: send a second message to a second network node, wherein the second message indicates that only Command and Control (C2) communication via the first network node or the second network node is allowed with the WTRU.

5. The first network node of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the processor is configured:on a condition that the WTRU is determined to not be in the proximity of the NTZ, send a third message to the WTRU, wherein the third message informs the WTRU about the NTZ.

6. The first network node of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the NTZ is the geographical area where WTRUs are not allowed to transmit via one or more frequency bands.

7. The first network node of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the processor is configured to: receive a second request to enforce the non-transmit zone NTZ, wherein the second request modifies or cancels the NTZ information.

8. The first network node of any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the WTRU is an Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

9. A method performed by a first network node, the method comprising: receiving a request to enforce a non-transmit zone (NTZ), wherein the request indicates NTZ information, and wherein the request comprises identifiers for one or more WTRUs for which the NTZ applies; determining a location of a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) based on the request to enforce the NTZ; determining that the WTRU is in proximity of the NTZ based on the determined location of the WTRU; and on a condition that the WTRU is determined to be in proximity of the NTZ, sending a first message to the WTRU, wherein the first message comprises at least a portion of the NTZ information and an indication that the WTRU is subject to NTZ control.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the NTZ information comprises an indication of a geographic area, an indication of one or more frequency bands, or an indication of a period of time.11 . The method of claim 9 or 10, further comprising: sending a second message to a second network node, wherein the second message indicates that one or more Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions of the WTRU should be deactivated.

12. The method of claim 9 or 10, further comprising: sending a second message to a second network node, wherein the second message indicates that only Command and Control (C2) communication via the first network node or the second network node is allowed with the WTRU.

13. The method of any of claims 9 to 12, further comprising: on a condition that the WTRU is determined to not be in the proximity of the NTZ, sending a third message to the WTRU, wherein the third message informs the WTRU about the NTZ.

14. The method of any of claims 9 to 13, wherein the NTZ is the geographical area where WTRUs are not allowed to transmit via one or more frequency bands.

15. The method of any of claims 9 to 14, further comprising: receiving a second request to enforce the NTZ, wherein the second request modifies or cancels the NTZ information.

16. The method of any of claims 9 to 15, wherein the WTRU is an Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

17. A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) comprising: a processor configured to:receive a message from a network node, wherein the message comprises information relating to a non-transmit zone (NTZ) and an indication that the WTRU is subject to NTZ control; determine whether the WTRU is subject to NTZ control; and release an RRC connection with the network node based on the WTRU being subject to NTZ control.

18. The WTRU of claim 17, wherein the information relating to the NTZ comprises an indication of a geographic area of the NTZ, an indication of one or more frequency bands associated with the NTZ, or an indication of a period of time associated with the NTZ.

19. The WTRU of claim 17 or 18, wherein the processor is configured to: send a service request message to the network node based on the WTRU being in Idle Mode; and receive a service rejection message from the network node based on the WTRU being subject to NTZ control.

20. The WTRU of any of claim 17, 18, or 19, wherein the processor is configured to: generate an alert relating to the NTZ or send an indication of the NTZ to a controller of the WTRU.

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