Storing UE positioning capabilities in a network

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) positioning capability is stored in the core network to reduce positioning latency if the UE indicates that its positioning capability is stable and / or valid for a long period of time. The UE may provide its positioning capability to a location server during a location session along with an indication of whether the positioning capability is stable. The location server may enable storage of the UE's positioning capability in the core network, e.g., in the location server or another entity in the core network, such as an access and mobility management function (AMF), if there is an indication that the positioning capability is stable. The AMF may include a UE identifier in a location request to enable the location server to obtain the UE positioning capability if the UE positioning capability is stored in the location server, or to enable the location server to include the UE positioning capability if stored in the AMF.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 171,072, entitled "STORAGE OF UE POSITIONING CAPABILITIES IN A NETWORK," filed on April 5, 2021, and U.S. Non-Provisional Application No. 17 / 710,792, entitled "SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR STORAGE OF UE POSITIONING CAPABILITIES IN A NETWORK," filed on March 31, 2022, both of which are assigned to the assignee of this application and are expressly incorporated by reference in their entireties herein.

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to communications, and more particularly, to techniques for supporting location services for user equipment (UE). [Background technology]

[0003]

[0003] Wireless communication systems have evolved through various generations, including first generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including intermediate 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third generation (3G) high-speed data, Internet-enabled wireless service, and fourth generation (4G) service (e.g., LTE or WiMax). The fifth generation (5G) new wireless (NR) standard calls for higher data rates, a greater number of connections, and better coverage, among other improvements. 5G NR by the Next Generation Mobile Network Alliance is designed to provide data rates of tens of megabits per second to each of tens of thousands of users, and data rates of one gigabit per second to a few dozen workers on an office floor.

[0004]

[0004] In some applications, it may be useful or necessary to be able to obtain the location of a mobile device through a wireless communication system. For example, this may enable tracking of a mobile device for applications such as navigation assistance, public safety assistance, or management of moving objects in a factory or warehouse. It may also assist in providing one-time location of a wireless caller in an emergency service call, or one-time or multiple location of a person, vehicle, or other object. Power efficiency and reduced latency during such positioning services may generally be desirable. Summary of the Invention

[0005]

[0005] The positioning capabilities of a user equipment (UE) are stored in the core network to reduce positioning latency when the UE indicates that its positioning capabilities are stable and / or valid for a long period of time. The UE may provide its positioning capabilities to a location server during a location session along with an indication of whether the positioning capabilities are stable. The location server may enable storage of the UE's positioning capabilities in the core network, for example in the location server or another entity in the core network, such as an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), when there is an indication that the positioning capabilities are stable. The AMF may include a UE identifier in a location request to enable the location server to retrieve the UE positioning capabilities if the UE positioning capabilities are stored in the location server, or to enable the location server to include the UE positioning capabilities if stored in the AMF.

[0006]

[0006] In one implementation, a method implemented by a user equipment (UE) for supporting positioning of the UE in a wireless network includes receiving a request for a positioning capability message from a location server in a core network of the wireless network and sending a provided positioning capability message to the location server, where the provided positioning capability message comprises the UE's positioning capability and an indication of whether the UE's positioning capability is stable or variable, where if the indication indicates that the UE's positioning capability is stable, the UE's positioning capability is stored in the core network.

[0007]

[0007] In one implementation, a user equipment (UE) configured to support positioning of the UE in a wireless network includes a wireless transceiver configured to communicate wirelessly with entities in the wireless network, at least one memory, and at least one processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive, via the wireless transceiver, a request for a positioning capabilities message from a location server in a core network of the wireless network, and to send, via the wireless transceiver, a provided positioning capabilities message to the location server, wherein the provided positioning capabilities message comprises a positioning capability of the UE and an indication as to whether the UE's positioning capability is stable or variable, wherein the UE's positioning capability is stored in the core network if the indication indicates that the UE's positioning capability is stable.

[0008]

[0008] In one implementation, a user equipment (UE) configured to support UE positioning in a wireless network includes means for receiving a request for a positioning capability message from a location server in a core network of the wireless network and means for sending a provided positioning capability message to the location server, where the provided positioning capability message comprises the UE's positioning capability and an indication of whether the UE's positioning capability is stable or variable, where if the indication indicates that the UE's positioning capability is stable, the UE's positioning capability is stored in the core network.

[0009]

[0009] In one implementation, a non-transitory storage medium includes stored program code thereon, the program code operable to configure at least one processor in a user equipment (UE) to support positioning of the UE in a wireless network, the program code comprising instructions for receiving a request for a positioning capabilities message from a location server in a core network of the wireless network and sending a provided positioning capabilities message to the location server, the provided positioning capabilities message comprising the UE's positioning capabilities and an indication of whether the UE's positioning capabilities are stable or variable, wherein if the indication indicates that the UE's positioning capabilities are stable, the UE's positioning capabilities are stored in the core network.

[0010]

[0010] In one implementation, a method performed by a location server in a core network of a wireless network for supporting positioning of a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network includes receiving a positioning capability of the UE in a first location session, the positioning capability of the UE being received from the UE in response to a request for positioning capability sent to the UE or being received unsolicited from the UE, the positioning capability including an indication as to whether the positioning capability is stable or variable, and enabling storage of the UE's positioning capability in the core network if the indication indicates that the positioning capability is stable.

[0011]

[0011] In one implementation, a location server in a core network of a wireless network configured to support positioning of user equipment (UE) in the wireless network includes an external interface configured to communicate wirelessly with entities in the wireless network, at least one memory, and at least one processor coupled to the external interface and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive a positioning capability of the UE in a first location session via the external interface, the positioning capability of the UE being received from the UE in response to a request for positioning capability sent to the UE or being received unsolicited from the UE, the positioning capability including an indication as to whether the positioning capability is stable or variable, and the processor is further configured to enable storage of the positioning capability of the UE in the core network if the indication indicates that the positioning capability is stable.

[0012]

[0012] In one implementation, a location server in a core network of a wireless network configured to support positioning of a user equipment (UE) in the wireless network includes means for receiving a positioning capability of the UE in a first location session, the positioning capability of the UE being received from the UE in response to a request for positioning capability sent to the UE or being received unsolicited from the UE, the positioning capability including an indication as to whether the positioning capability is stable or variable, and means for enabling storage of the UE's positioning capability in the core network if the indication indicates that the positioning capability is stable.

[0013]

[0013] In one implementation, a non-transitory storage medium has stored thereon program code, the program code operable to configure at least one processor in a location server in a core network of a wireless network to support positioning of a user equipment (UE) in the wireless network, the program code comprising instructions for receiving a positioning capability of the UE in a first location session; receiving a positioning capability of the UE in response to a request for positioning capability sent to the UE or receiving the positioning capability unsolicited from the UE, the positioning capability including an indication as to whether the positioning capability is stable or variable; and enabling storage of the positioning capability of the UE in the core network if the indication indicates that the positioning capability is stable.

[0014]

[0014] In one implementation, a method performed by a first entity in a core network of a wireless network to support positioning of a user equipment (UE) in the wireless network includes, when the UE indicates that the positioning capability is stable, storing the positioning capability of the UE and sending a location request to a location server, wherein the location request includes the stored positioning capability of the UE.

[0015]

[0015] In one implementation, a first entity in a core network of a wireless network configured to support positioning of a user equipment (UE) in the wireless network includes an external interface configured to communicate wirelessly with entities in the wireless network, at least one memory, and at least one processor coupled to the external interface and the at least one memory, where the at least one processor is configured to store a positioning capability of the UE when the UE indicates that the positioning capability is stable, and to send a location request via the external interface to a location server, where the location request includes the stored positioning capability of the UE.

[0016]

[0016] In one implementation, a first entity in a core network of a wireless network configured to support positioning of a user equipment (UE) in the wireless network includes means for storing a positioning capability of the UE when the UE indicates that the positioning capability is stable, and means for sending a location request to a location server, where the location request includes the stored positioning capability of the UE.

[0017]

[0017] In one implementation, a non-transitory storage medium includes stored program code thereon, the program code operable to configure at least one processor in a first entity in a core network of a wireless network to support positioning of a user equipment (UE) in the wireless network, the program code comprising instructions for storing a positioning capability of the UE when the UE indicates that the positioning capability is stable and sending a location request to a location server, wherein the location request includes the stored positioning capability of the UE.

[0018]

[0018] In one implementation, a method performed by a first entity in a core network of a wireless network to support positioning of a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network includes receiving a location request for the UE and sending a location request message to a location server, where the location request message comprises identification information of the UE, where the UE's positioning capability and the UE's identification information are stored by the location server when there is an indication from the UE that the UE's positioning capability is stable.

[0019]

[0019] In one implementation, a first entity in a core network of a wireless network configured to support positioning of a user equipment (UE) in the wireless network includes an external interface configured to communicate wirelessly with entities in the wireless network, at least one memory, and at least one processor coupled to the external interface and the at least one memory, where the at least one processor is configured to receive a location request for the UE via the external interface, and to send a location request message to a location server via the external interface, where the location request message comprises identification information of the UE, where the UE's positioning capability and the UE's identification information are stored by the location server when there is an indication from the UE that the UE's positioning capability is stable.

[0020]

[0020] In one implementation, a first entity in a core network of a wireless network configured to support positioning of a user equipment (UE) in the wireless network includes means for receiving a location request for the UE and means for sending a location request message to a location server, where the location request message comprises identification information of the UE, where the UE's positioning capability and the UE's identification information are stored by the location server when there is an indication from the UE that the UE's positioning capability is stable.

[0021]

[0021] In one implementation, a non-transitory storage medium includes stored program code thereon, the program code operable to configure at least one processor in a first entity in a core network of a wireless network to support positioning of a user equipment (UE) in the wireless network, the program code comprising instructions for receiving a location request for the UE and sending a location request message to a location server, wherein the location request message comprises identification information of the UE, and wherein the UE positioning capabilities and the UE identification information are stored by the location server when there is an indication from the UE that the UE's positioning capabilities are stable.

[0022]

[0022] The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in the explanation of various aspects of the present disclosure and are provided merely to illustrate, not to limit, the aspects. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1]

[0023] FIG. 1 illustrates a high-level system architecture of a wireless communication system according to one aspect of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2]

[0024] FIG. 2 shows a signaling flow illustrating various messages sent between components of a communication system for storing the positioning capabilities of a UE in a core network. [Diagram 3]

[0025] FIG. 2 shows a signaling flow illustrating various messages sent between components of a communication system for storing the positioning capabilities of a UE in a core network. [Figure 4]

[0026] FIG. 2 shows a signaling flow illustrating various messages sent between components of a communication system for storing the positioning capabilities of a UE in a core network. [Diagram 5]

[0027] 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating certain example features of a UE configured for storing UE positioning capabilities in a core network. [Figure 6]

[0028] 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating certain example features of a location server configured for storing UE positioning capabilities in a core network. [Figure 7]

[0029] 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating certain example features of entities in a core network. [Figure 8]

[0030] 4 is a flowchart for an example method for supporting location services for the UE, the method being implemented by the UE. [Figure 9]

[0031] 4 is a flowchart for an example method for supporting location services for a UE, performed by a location server. [Figure 10]

[0032] 4 is a flowchart for an example method for supporting location services for a UE, performed by an entity in a core network. [Figure 11]

[0033] 4 is a flowchart for an example method for supporting location services for a UE, performed by an entity in a core network. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024]

[0034] Elements, phases, steps, and / or actions with the same reference label in different drawings may correspond to one another (e.g., may be similar or equivalent to one another). Additionally, some elements in various drawings are labeled using a numeric prefix followed by an alphabetic or numeric suffix. Elements with the same numeric prefix but different suffixes may be different instances of the same type of element. A numeric prefix without a suffix is ​​used herein to refer to an element with that numeric prefix. For example, different instances of base stations 110-1, 110-2, 110-3 are shown in FIG. 1. In that case, a reference to base station 110 refers to any of base stations 110-1, 110-2, 110-3.

[0025]

[0035] Aspects of the present disclosure are provided in the following description and associated drawings, directed to various examples provided for illustration purposes. Alternative aspects may be devised without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements of the present disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the present disclosure.

[0026]

[0036] The words "exemplary" and / or "example" are used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" and / or "example" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Similarly, the term "aspects of the present disclosure" does not require that all aspects of the present disclosure include the described feature, advantage or mode of operation.

[0027]

[0037] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the information and signals described below may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the following description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the particular application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, etc.

[0028]

[0038] Further, many aspects are described in terms of a sequence of actions to be performed, for example, by elements of a computing device. It will be appreciated that the various actions described herein may be performed by specific circuitry (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Furthermore, a sequence of actions described herein may be considered to be embodied as a whole in any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, cause or instruct an associated processor of a device to perform the functions described herein. Thus, various aspects of the present disclosure may be embodied in a number of different forms, all of which are contemplated to fall within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, for each of the aspects described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspect may be described herein, for example, as "logic configured to" perform the described actions.

[0029]

[0039] The terms "user equipment" (UE) and "base station" as used herein are not intended to be specific or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT) unless otherwise stated. Generally, a UE may be any wireless communication device used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network (e.g., a mobile phone, a router, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a consumer tracking device for tracking consumer items, luggage, assets, or entities such as individuals and pets, a wearable (e.g., a smart watch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headsets, etc.), a vehicle (e.g., an automobile, a motorcycle, a bicycle, etc.), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.). A UE may be mobile or (e.g., at some times) stationary and may communicate with a radio access network (RAN). The term "UE" as used herein may be referred to interchangeably as an "access terminal" or "AT", "client device", "wireless device", "subscriber device", "subscriber terminal", "subscriber station", "user terminal" or UT, "mobile terminal", "mobile station", "mobile device", or variations thereof. In general, a UE may communicate with a core network via the RAN, through which the UE may be connected to external networks, such as the Internet, and other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for a UE, such as via a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (e.g., based on IEEE 802.11, etc.), etc.

[0030]

[0040] Depending on the network in which it is deployed, the base station may operate according to one of several RATs in communication with the UE and may alternatively be referred to as an access point (AP), network node, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), New Radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as gNB), etc. Furthermore, in some systems, the base station may provide purely edge node signaling functions, while in other systems, it may provide additional control and / or network management functions. A communication link through which a UE may send signals to a base station is referred to as an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., reverse traffic channel, reverse control channel, access channel, etc.). A communication link through which a base station may send signals to a UE is referred to as a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., paging channel, control channel, broadcast channel, forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) may refer to either a UL / reverse traffic channel or a DL / forward traffic channel.

[0031]

[0041] The term "base station" may refer to a single physical transmission point or multiple physical transmission points that may or may not be collocated. For example, when the term "base station" refers to a single physical transmission point, the physical transmission point may be an antenna of the base station corresponding to a cell of the base station. When the term "base station" refers to multiple collocated physical transmission points, the physical transmission point may be an array of antennas of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or in cases where the base station employs beamforming). When the term "base station" refers to multiple non-collocated physical transmission points, the physical transmission point may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transport medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-collocated physical transmission points may be a serving base station that receives measurement reports from a UE and a neighbor base station whose reference RF signal the UE is measuring.

[0032]

[0042] To support UE positioning, two broad classes of location solutions have been defined: control plane and user plane. In the control plane (CP) location, signaling related to positioning and its support may be carried over existing network (and UE) interfaces and using existing protocols dedicated to the transfer of signaling. In the user plane (UP) location, signaling related to positioning and its support may be carried as part of other data, using protocols such as Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP).

[0033]

[0043] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®) has defined control plane location solutions for UEs using radio access according to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM®) (2G), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) (3G), LTE (4G), and New Radio (NR) for the fifth generation (5G). These solutions are defined in 3GPP Technical Specifications (TS) 23.271 and 23.273 (common part), 43.059 (GSM access), 25.305 (UMTS access), 36.305 (LTE access), and 38.305 (NR access). The Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) has similarly defined a UP location solution known as Secure User Plane Location (SUPL), which may be used to locate UEs accessing any of several radio interfaces supporting IP packet access, such as General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) with GSM, GPRS with UMTS, or IP access with LTE or NR.

[0034]

[0044] Both CP and UP location solutions may employ a location server (LS) to support positioning. The location server may be part of or accessible from a serving or home network for the UE, or may simply be accessible via the Internet or via a local intranet. When positioning of the UE is required, the location server may trigger a session with the UE (e.g., a CP location session or a SUPL session) to coordinate location measurements by the UE and the determination of the UE's estimated location. During the location session, the location server may request the UE's positioning capabilities (or the UE may provide them to the location server without a request), provide assistance data to the UE (e.g., if requested by the UE or in the absence of a request), and may request location estimates or measurements from the UE, e.g., for Assisted GNSS (A-GNSS), UL-TDOA, DL-TDOA, AoD, AoA, multi-cell RTT (also referred to as multi-RTT), and / or Extended Cell ID (ECID) position methods. The assistance data may be used by the UE to collect and measure GNSS signals and / or positioning reference signals (PRS) by providing the UE with expected characteristics of these signals, such as frequency, expected time of arrival, signal coding, signal Doppler, etc.

[0035]

[0045] In UE-based operating modes, assistance data may also or instead be used by the UE to help determine a location estimate from obtained location measurements (e.g., where the assistance data provides satellite ephemeris data in the case of A-GNSS positioning, or other base station characteristics such as base station location and PRS timing in the case of terrestrial positioning using, e.g., DL-TDOA, DL-AoD, multi-RTT, etc.).

[0036]

[0046] In the UE-assisted operation mode, the UE may return location measurements to the location server, and the location server may then determine an estimated location of the UE based on these measurements and possibly also other known or configured data (e.g., satellite ephemeris data for A-GNSS location, or base station characteristics including base station location and possibly PRS timing, e.g., in case of terrestrial positioning using DL-TDOA, DL-AoD, multi-RTT, etc.).

[0037]

[0047] In another standalone mode of operation, the UE may perform location-related measurements without positioning assistance data from a location server and may further calculate a location or change in location without positioning assistance data from a location server. Location methods that may be used in the standalone mode include GPS and GNSS (e.g., where the UE obtains satellite orbit data from data broadcast by the GPS and GNSS satellites themselves), as well as sensors.

[0038]

[0048] For 3GPP CP location, the location server may be an Enhanced Serving Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC) in case of LTE access, a Standalone SMLC (SAS) in case of UMTS access, a Serving Mobile Location Center (SMLC) in case of GSM access, or a Location Management Function (LMF) in case of 5G NR access. For OMA SUPL location, the location server may be a SUPL Location Platform (SLP) which may act as either (i) a Home SLP (H-SLP) if it is in or associated with the UE's home network or provides the UE with a persistent subscription for location services, (ii) a Discovery SLP (D-SLP) if it is in or associated with some other (non-home) network or is not associated with a network, (iii) an Emergency SLP (E-SLP) if it supports location for emergency calls initiated by the UE, or (iv) a Visited SLP (V-SLP) if it is in or associated with the serving network or current local area for the UE.

[0039]

[0049] During the location session, the location server and the UE may exchange messages defined according to some positioning protocol to coordinate the determination of the estimated location. Possible positioning protocols may include, for example, the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) defined by 3GPP in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 37.355, and the LPP Extension (LPPe) protocol defined by OMA in OMA TSs OMA-TS-LPPe-V1_0, OMA-TS-LPPe-V1_1, and OMA-TS-LPPe-V2_0. The LPP and LPPe protocols may be used in combination when an LPP message contains one embedded LPPe message. The combined LPP and LPPe protocols may be referred to as LPP / LPPe. LPP and LPP / LPPe may be used to help support 3GPP control plane solutions for LTE or NR access, in which case LPP or LPP / LPPe messages are exchanged between the UE and the E-SMLC or between the UE and the LMF. LPP or LPPe messages may be exchanged between the UE and the E-SMLC via a serving mobility management entity (MME) and a serving eNodeB (eNB) for the UE. LPP or LPPe messages may also be exchanged between the UE and the LMF via a serving access and mobility management function (AMF) and a serving NR NodeB (gNB) for the UE. LPP and LPP / LPPe may also be used to help support OMA SUPL solutions for many types of wireless access that support IP messaging (such as LTE, NR, and WiFi), where LPP or LPP / LPPe messages may be exchanged between a SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET), the term used for a UE that uses SUPL, and an SLP, and may be transported within a SUPL message, such as a SUPL POS or SUPL POS INIT message.

[0040]

[0050] A location server and a base station (e.g., an eNodeB (eNB) for LTE access or an NR NodeB (gNodeB or gNB) for NR access) may exchange messages to enable the location server to (i) obtain a position measurement for a particular UE from the base station or (ii) obtain location information from the base station that is not related to a particular UE, such as location coordinates of antennas for the base station, cells (e.g., cell identity) supported by the base station, cell timing for the base station, and / or parameters for signals transmitted by the base station, such as PRS signals. For LTE access, the LPP A (LPPa) protocol defined in 3GPP TS 36.455 may be used to transfer such messages between a base station that is an eNodeB and a location server that is an E-SMLC. For NR access, the New Radio Positioning Protocol A (NRPPa) protocol defined in 3GPP TS 38.455 may be used to transfer such messages between a base station that is a gNodeB and a location server that is an LMF.

[0041]

[0051] During a location session, the location server typically obtains positioning capabilities from the UE, for example, in response to a request for positioning capabilities sent by the location server to the UE. The UE's positioning capabilities are used to determine the type of positioning procedure and positioning measurements to use during the location session, and to generate and provide any necessary assistance data to the UE accordingly. Obtaining the UE's positioning capabilities by signaling to and from the UE increases the latency in the location session and may also slightly increase the UE's power consumption. If the UE's positioning capabilities can be obtained before starting the location session, for example, by storing the positioning capabilities in the core network before the positioning request is received by the core network, the positioning latency (and UE power consumption) is reduced. For example, storing the positioning capabilities in the core network can reduce the positioning latency by approximately 50-100 milliseconds (ms). In the case of users where the external Location Service (LCS) client is a person rather than a machine or server, the latency requirement may be on the order of a few seconds, in which case a reduction in latency of 50-100 ms is negligible. However, a reduction in latency of, for example, 50-100 ms may be advantageous in the case of users with low latency requirements (e.g., less than 1 second), which may be relevant for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) UEs, or where the external LCS client is a machine or server rather than a person. Storing the UE's positioning capabilities in the core network may require additional overhead on the entities in the core network and on the UE, which may not be justified for all users, but may be advantageous for some users. However, the UE's positioning capabilities may not always be static and may vary depending on the UE implementation, UE state, and user configuration. A consequence of the varying positioning capabilities is that any positioning capabilities previously stored by the core network may be incorrect at a later point in time.

[0042]

[0052] As described herein, the positioning capabilities of the UE may be stored in the core network in a manner that reduces or eliminates errors caused by changes in the positioning capabilities. For example, the positioning capabilities of the UE may be stored in the core network in response to an indication that the positioning capabilities of the UE are stable and / or valid in the long term, e.g., the positioning capabilities of the UE are fixed and do not change over time. The UE, in one implementation, may provide its positioning capabilities to a location server during a location session and may include an indication of whether the positioning capabilities are stable and / or do not change. The location server may enable storage of the UE's positioning capabilities in the core network if the positioning capabilities are indicated as stable (or do not change). In some implementations, the location server may store the positioning capabilities of the UE. The positioning capabilities of the UE may be associated with a UE identity, for example, and stored in the location server. A second entity in the core network, e.g., the AMF, can provide the UE identification information to the location server in a location request for a subsequent location session, which the location server can use to obtain the positioning capabilities of the UE. In some implementations, the location server can send the UE's positioning capabilities to a second entity (e.g., the AMF) in the core network for storage. For example, the location server can include the UE's positioning capabilities in a location response message to the second entity during a first location session for storage, and the second entity can later obtain the UE's positioning capabilities in a subsequent location session and include them in a location request to the location server. In another implementation, the UE can provide its positioning capabilities to an entity (e.g., the AMF) in the core network before entering a location session, e.g., during the UE's registration, and the entity can store the UE's positioning capabilities based on an indication of stability (or non-mutability).The UE may, for example, include an explicit indication that its positioning capabilities are stable (or non-variable), or the transmission of the positioning capabilities by the UE may be an implicit indication that the positioning capabilities are stable (or non-variable). In a subsequent location session, the entity may obtain the UE's positioning capabilities and include them in a location request to the location server.

[0043]

[0053] FIG. 1 illustrates an architecture based on a non-roaming 5G network that supports UE positioning by storing the UE's positioning capabilities in the core network, as described herein. FIG. 1 illustrates a communication system 100 with a UE 102, which may be referred to herein as a "target UE" since the UE 102 may be the target of a location request. FIG. 1 also illustrates components of a 5G network with a Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) 112, including base stations (BSs) that may be referred to as New Radio (NR) Node Bs or gNBs 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, and Next Generation eNBs (ng-eNBs) 114, and a Fifth Generation (5G) Core Network (5GCN) 150 in communication with an external client 130. The 5G network may be referred to as a New Radio (NR) network, the NG-RAN 112 may be referred to as an NR RAN or 5G RAN, and the 5GCN 150 may be referred to as a Next Generation (NG) Core Network (NGC). The communication system 100 may further utilize information from a space vehicle (SV) 190 for a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, or Beidou, or some other local or regional satellite positioning system (SPS), such as IRNSS, EGNOS, or WAAS. Additional components of the communication system 100 are described below. The communication system 100 may include additional or alternative components.

[0044]

[0054] 1 shows a serving gNB 110-1 for the UE 102, as well as neighbor gNBs 110-2, 110-3, and ng-eNB 114. The neighbor gNBs may be gNBs that are capable of receiving and measuring uplink (UL) signals transmitted by the UE 102 and / or transmitting downlink (DL) reference signals (RS), e.g., positioning reference signals (PRS), that may be received and measured by the UE 102.

[0045]

[0055] An entity in the NG-RAN 112 that transmits a DL reference signal (RS) to be measured by the UE 102 for a particular location session is generally referred to as a "transmission point" (TP) and may include one or more of the serving gNB 110-1 and neighbor gNBs 110-2, 110-3, and ng-eNB 114.

[0046]

[0056] Entities in the NG-RAN 112 that receive and measure UL signals (e.g., RS) transmitted by the UE 102 for a particular location session are generally referred to as "reception points" (RPs) and may include the serving gNB 110-1 and one or more of the neighbor gNBs 110-2, 110-3, and ng-eNB 114.

[0047]

[0057] It should be noted that FIG. 1 only provides a generalized view of the various components, and that any or all of those components may be utilized as appropriate, and that each of those components may be duplicated or omitted as necessary. In particular, while only one UE 102 is shown, it will be understood that many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) may utilize the communication system 100. Similarly, the communication system 100 may include more or fewer SV190, gNBs 110-1, 110-2, external clients 130, and / or other components. The illustrated connections connecting the various components in the communication system 100 include data and signaling connections, which may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. Furthermore, the components may be rearranged, combined, separated, substituted, and / or omitted depending on the desired functionality.

[0048]

[0058] Although FIG. 1 illustrates a 5G-based network, similar network implementations and configurations may be used for other communication technologies, such as 3G, Long Term Evolution (LTE), and IEEE 802.11 WiFi. For example, if a wireless local area network (WLAN), e.g., an IEEE 802.11 air interface, is used, the UE 102 may communicate with a WiFi access network (AN) as opposed to an NG-RAN, and thus the component 112 may be referred to herein as an AN or RAN, as indicated by the terms “RAN,” “(R)AN,” or “(R)AN 112.” In the case of an AN (e.g., an IEEE 802.11 AN), the AN may be connected (e.g., in the 5GCN 150) to a non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF) (not shown in FIG. 1), which is connected to the AMF 154.

[0049]

[0059] The UE 102 may be an electronic device and may be referred to as a device, a mobile device, a wireless device, a mobile terminal, a terminal, a mobile station (MS), a secure user plane location (SUPL) enabled terminal (SET), or some other name. The UE 102 may be a standalone device or may be embedded in another device to be monitored or tracked, for example, a factory tool. Moreover, the UE 102 may correspond to a smart watch, digital glasses, a fitness monitor, a smart car, a smart appliance, a cell phone, a smartphone, a laptop, a tablet, a PDA, a consumer tracking device for tracking entities such as consumer items, packages, assets, or individuals and pets, a control device, or some other portable or movable device. The UE 102 may include a single entity or may include multiple entities, such as in a personal area network where a user may employ audio, video and / or data I / O devices and / or body sensors and separate wireline or wireless modems. Typically, but not necessarily, the UE 102 may support wireless communications using one or more radio access technologies (RATs), such as GSM, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), LTE, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), IEEE 802.11 WiFi (also known as Wi-Fi), Bluetooth (BT), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), 5G New Radio (NR) (e.g., using NG-RAN 112 and 5GCN 150), etc. The UE 102 may also support wireless communications using a wireless local area network (WLAN), which may connect to other networks (e.g., the Internet) using, for example, a digital subscriber line (DSL) or packet cable.Use of one or more of these RATs may enable the UE 102 to communicate with an external client 130 (e.g., via a UPF 158 in the 5GCN 150, or possibly via a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 160) and / or enable the external client 130 to receive location information regarding the UE 102 (e.g., via the GMLC 160).

[0050]

[0060] The UE 102 may enter into a connection with a wireless communication network that may include the NG-RAN 112. In one example, the UE 102 may communicate with the cellular communication network by transmitting wireless signals to or receiving wireless signals from a cellular transceiver in the NG-RAN 112, such as the gNB 110-1. The transceiver provides user plane and control plane protocol termination towards the UE 102 and may be referred to as a base station, base transceiver station, radio base station, radio transceiver, radio network controller, transceiver function, base station subsystem (BSS), extended service set (ESS), or some other suitable terminology.

[0051]

[0061] In certain implementations, the UE 102 may have circuitry and processing resources capable of obtaining location-related measurements. The location-related measurements obtained by the UE 102 may include measurements of signals received from the SV 190 and / or may include measurements of signals received from fixed terrestrial transmitters at known locations (such as, for example, the gNB 110). The UE 102, or the LMF 152 to which the UE 102 may send measurements, may then obtain a location estimate for the UE 102 based on these location-related measurements using any one of a number of position methods, such as, for example, GNSS, Aided GNSS (A-GNSS), Angle of Departure (AoD), Downlink Time Difference of Arrival (DL-TDOA), Round Trip Time (RTT), Multi-RTT, WLAN (also referred to as WiFi) positioning, or Enhanced Cell ID (ECID), or a combination thereof. In some of these techniques (e.g., A-GNSS, RTT, Multi-RTT, and DL-TDOA), pseudoranges or timing differences may be measured at the UE 102 to three or more terrestrial transmitters (e.g., gNBs) fixed at known locations, or to four or more SV190s with precisely known orbit data, or a combination thereof, based at least in part on pilots, positioning reference signals (PRS), or other positioning related signals transmitted by transmitters or satellites and received at the UE 102.

[0052]

[0062] 1 may correspond, for example, to a Location Management Function (LMF) 152 or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP) 162 and may be capable of providing positioning assistance data to the UE 102 including, for example, information regarding signals to be measured (e.g., expected signal timing, signal coding, signal frequency, signal Doppler), terrestrial transmitter (e.g., gNB) locations and identification information, and / or signal, timing and orbit information for GNSS SVs to facilitate positioning techniques such as A-GNSS, AoD, DL-TDOA, RTT, multi-RTT and ECID. This facilitation may include improving signal collection and measurement accuracy by the UE 102 and, in some cases, enabling the UE 102 to calculate its estimated location based on the location measurements. For example, a location server (e.g., LMF152 or SLP162) may include an almanac, also referred to as a base station almanac (BSA), that indicates the locations and identification information of cellular and / or local transceivers in a particular area or areas, such as a particular venue, and may provide information describing signals transmitted by a cellular base station or AP (e.g., gNB110 or WiFi AP), such as transmit power and signal timing. The UE 102 may obtain measurements of signal strength (e.g., received signal strength indication (RSSI)) for signals received from the cellular transceiver and / or the local transceiver, and / or may obtain the signal-to-noise ratio (S / N), reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), time of arrival (TOA), angle of arrival (AoA), angle of departure (AoD), receive time minus transmit time difference (Rx-Tx), or round-trip signal propagation time (RTT) between the UE 102 and the cellular transceiver (e.g., gNB 110) or the local transceiver (e.g., WiFi access point (AP)).The UE 102 may use these measurements along with assistance data (e.g., terrestrial almanac data or GNSS satellite data such as GNSS almanac and / or GNSS ephemeris information) received from a location server (e.g., LMF 152 or SLP 162) or broadcast by base stations (e.g., gNBs 110-1, 110-2) in the NG-RAN 112 to determine a location for the UE 102.

[0053]

[0063] In some implementations, a network entity is used to assist in the location of the UE 102. For example, an entity in the network, such as gNBs 110-1, 110-2, may measure UL signals transmitted by the UE 102. The UL signals may include or comprise UL reference signals, such as UL Positioning Reference Signals (PRS) or UL Sounding Reference Signals (SRS). The entity (e.g., gNBs 110-1, 110-2) that obtains the location measurements may then forward the location measurements to the UE 102 or the LMF 152, which may use the measurements to determine a location estimate for the UE 102. Examples of location measurements that may use UL signals may include RSSI, RSRP, RSRQ, TOA, Rx-Tx, AoA, and RTT.

[0054]

[0064] The estimate of the location of the UE 102 may be referred to as a location, location estimate, location fix, fix, position, position estimate or position fix, and may be geodetic and thus provide location coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) for the UE 102 that may or may not include an altitude component (e.g., height above sea level, height or depth above ground, floor or basement level). Alternatively, the location of the UE 102 may be expressed as a civic location (e.g., as a postal address or as a designation of some point or small area in a building, such as a particular room or floor). The location of the UE 102 may also be expressed as an area or volume (defined either geodetically or in urban form) within which the UE 102 is expected to be located with some probability or confidence level (e.g., 67%, 95%, etc.). The location of the UE 102 may further be a relative location comprising distance and direction or relative X, Y (and Z) coordinates defined relative to some origin in a known location, which may be defined, for example, geodesically, with respect to a city, or by reference to a point, area, or volume depicted on a map, floor plan, or building plan. The location may be expressed as an absolute location estimate for the UE, such as a location coordinate or address, or as a relative location estimate for the UE, such as a distance and direction from a previous location estimate or from a known absolute location. The location of the UE may include a linear velocity, an angular velocity, a linear acceleration, an angular acceleration, an angular orientation for the UE, e.g., an orientation of the UE relative to a fixed global or local coordinate system, an identification of a trigger event for identifying the location of the UE, or some combination of these. For example, the trigger event may include an area event, a motion event, or a velocity event. An area event may be, for example, the UE moving into, moving out of, and / or remaining in a defined area. A motion event may include, for example, movement of the UE by a threshold straight-line distance or a threshold distance along the UE trajectory.A speed event may include, for example, the UE achieving a minimum or maximum speed, a threshold increase and / or decrease in speed, and / or a threshold change in direction. In the description contained herein, use of the term location may include any of these variations unless otherwise specified. When calculating the location of a UE, it is common to determine the values ​​of local x, y, and possibly z coordinates and then, if necessary, convert the local coordinates to absolute coordinates (e.g., for latitude, longitude, and altitude above or below mean sea level).

[0055]

[0065] As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of gNBs 110 in the NG-RAN 112 may be connected to each other, for example, directly as shown in FIG. 1 or indirectly via other gNBs 110. Access to the 5G network is provided to the UE 102 via wireless communication between the UE 102 and one or more of the gNBs 110, where the gNBs 110 may provide wireless communication access to the 5GCN 150 for the UE 102 using 5G (e.g., NR). In FIG. 1, the serving gNB for the UE 102 is assumed to be gNB 110-1, while other gNBs (e.g., gNBs 110-2, 110-3, or ng-eNB 114) may act as a serving gNB if the UE 102 moves to another location or as a secondary gNB to provide additional throughput and bandwidth to the UE 102. Some gNBs in FIG. 1 (e.g., gNB 110-2, 110-3, or ng-eNB 114) may be configured to function as positioning-only beacons that may transmit signals (e.g., directional PRS) to assist in positioning of UE 102, but may not receive signals from UE 102 or from other UEs.

[0056]

[0066] As mentioned, although Figure 1 illustrates nodes configured to communicate according to a 5G communication protocol, nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols, such as, for example, an LTE protocol, may be used. Such nodes configured to communicate using different protocols may be controlled, at least in part, by the core network. Thus, the RAN may include any combination of gNBs 110, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) supporting LTE, or other types of base stations or access points.

[0057]

[0067] The gNBs 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, and the ng-eNB 114 may communicate with an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 154, which may communicate with a Location Management Function (LMF) 152 for positioning functions. The AMF 154 may support mobility of the UE 102, including cell changes and handovers, and may participate in supporting signaling connections to the UE 102 and possibly helping to establish and release Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions for the UE 102 supported by the UPF 158. Other functions of the AMF 154 may include termination of the control plane (CP) interface from the NG-RAN 112, termination of non-access stratum (NAS) signaling connections from UEs such as the UE 102, NAS encryption and integrity protection, registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, and access authentication and authorization.

[0058]

[0068] The GMLC 160 may support location requests for the UE 102 received from the external client 130 and may forward such location requests to the serving AMF 154 for the UE 102. The AMF 154 may then forward the location request to the LMF 152, which may obtain one or more location estimates for the UE 102 (e.g., according to a request from the external client 130) and return the location estimate(s) to the AMF 154, which may return the location estimate(s) to the external client 130 via the GMLC 160. The GMLC 160 may contain subscription information for the external client 130 and may authenticate and authorize location requests for the UE 102 from the external client 130. GMLC160 may further initiate a location session for UE102 by sending a location request for UE102 to AMF154, and may include identification information for UE102 and the type of location being requested (e.g., a current location, or a periodic or triggered location sequence) in the location request.

[0059]

[0069] As shown, a Unified Data Management (UDM) 161 may be connected to the GMLC 160. The UDM 161 is similar to a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) for LTE access, and if necessary, the UDM 161 may be combined with the HSS. The UDM 161 is a central database containing user-related and subscription-related information of the UE 102, and may perform the following functions: UE authentication, UE identity, access authorization, registration and mobility management, subscription management, and short message service management.

[0060]

[0070] 1, external clients 130 may be connected to the core network 150 via the GMLC 160 and / or the SLP 162. External clients 130 may optionally be connected to the core network 150 via the Internet 175 and / or to an SLP 164 that is external to the 5GCN 150. External clients 130 may be a server, a web server, or a user device such as a personal computer, UE, etc.

[0061]

[0071] A network exposure function (NEF) 163 may be included to support services including location services from an external client 130 for an Internet of Things (IoT) UE. The NEF 163 may function, for example, to obtain a current or last known location of the UE 102, and may obtain an indication of a change in location for the UE 102, or an indication of when the UE 102 will be available (or reachable). An external client 130 (e.g., an external client 130 that is an application function (AF) 132) may access the NEF 163 to obtain location information of the UE 102. The NEF 163 may be connected to the GMLC 160 to support the last known location, current location, and / or delayed periodic location and triggered location of the UE 102. If necessary, the NEF 163 may include or be combined with the GMLC 160 and may then obtain location information of the UE 102 from the LMF 152 via the AMF 154.

[0062]

[0072] The LMF 152 and the gNB 110-1 may communicate using NRPPa, where NRPPa messages are transferred between the gNB 110-1 and the LMF 152 via the AMF 154. Additionally, the LMF 152 and the UE 102 may communicate using the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) defined in 3GPP TS37.355, where LPP (or LPP / LPPe) messages are transferred between the UE 102 and the LMF 152 via the serving AMF 154 and the serving gNB 110-1 for the UE 102. For example, LPP messages may be transferred between the AMF 154 and the UE 102 using a 5G Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocol. The LPP protocol may be used to support positioning of the UE 102 using UE-aided and / or UE-based position methods, such as Aided GNSS (A-GNSS), Real Time Kinematic (RTK), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Angle of Departure (AoD), DL Time Difference of Arrival (DL-TDOA), Round Trip Time (RTT), Multi-RTT, and / or Extended Cell Identity (ECID). The NRPPa protocol may be used to support positioning of the UE 102 using network-based position methods, such as UL-TDOA or ECID (when used in conjunction with measurements obtained by or received from the gNB 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, or ng-eNB 114), and / or may be used by the LMF 152 to obtain location related information from the gNB 110, such as parameters defining positioning reference signal (PRS) transmissions from the gNB 110 for support of DL-TDOA, AoD, Multi-RTT, or other positioning methods.

[0063]

[0073] The gNBs 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, or ng-eNB 114 may communicate with the AMF 154 using a Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP), for example, as defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.413. The NGAP may enable the AMF 154 to request the location of the UE 102 from a serving gNB 110-1 for a target UE 102, and may enable the gNB 110-1 to return the location for the UE 102 to the AMF 154.

[0064]

[0074] A gNB (e.g., gNB 110-1) may communicate with the UE 102 using a Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol, e.g., as defined in 3GPP TS 38.331. The RRC may enable a gNB (e.g., gNB 110-1) to request that a UL SRS or UL PRS be transmitted to the UE 102 to enable the gNB 110-1 and / or other gNBs 110 to obtain a UL position measurement of the transmitted UL SRS or UL PRS.

[0065]

[0075] As previously mentioned, in a UE-assisted position method, the UE 102 may obtain location measurements (e.g., RSSI, Rx-Tx, RTT, multi-RTT, AoA, reference signal time difference (RSTD), RSRP and / or RSRQ measurements for the gNB 110, or ng-eNB 114 or WLAN APs, or GNSS pseudorange, code phase and / or carrier phase measurements for the SV 190) and send those measurements to an entity performing a location server function, e.g., the LMF 152, or the SLP 162, for computation of a location estimate for the UE 102. In a UE-based position method, the UE 102 may obtain location measurements (which may be the same or similar to the location measurements for the UE-assisted position method, for example) and compute a location of the UE 102 (e.g., with the aid of assistance data received from a location server such as the LMF 152 or the SLP 162). In a network-based location method, one or more base stations (e.g., gNB110) or APs may obtain location measurements (e.g., RSSI, RTT, AoD, RSRP, RSRQ, Rx-Tx or TOA measurements for signals transmitted by UE102) and / or receive measurements obtained by UE102 and may send those measurements to a location server, e.g., LMF152, for calculation of a location estimate for UE102.

[0066]

[0076] The gNB 110 in the NG-RAN 112 may also broadcast positioning assistance data to UEs, such as UE 102.

[0067]

[0077] As shown, a Session Management Function (SMF) 156 connects the AMF 154 and the UPF 158. The SMF 156 may have the ability to control both the local UPF and the central UPF within a PDU session. The SMF 156 may manage the establishment, modification, and release of PDU sessions for the UE 102, perform IP address allocation and management for the UE 102, act as a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server for the UE 102, and select and control the UPF 158 for the UE 102.

[0068]

[0078] The User Plane Function (UPF) 158 may support voice and data bearers for the UE 102 and enable voice and data access of the UE 102 to other networks such as the Internet 175. The functions of the UPF 158 may include external PDU session points of interconnection to data networks, packet (e.g., Internet Protocol (IP)) routing and forwarding, user plane portion of packet inspection and policy rule enforcement, quality of service (QoS) handling for the user plane, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering. The UPF 158 may be connected to the SLP 162 to enable support of the location of the UE 102 using SUPL. The SLP 162 may further be connected to or accessible from the external client 130.

[0069]

[0079] Although FIG. 1 illustrates a network architecture for a non-roaming UE, with preferred and well-known modifications, it should be understood that a corresponding network architecture may be provided for a roaming UE.

[0070]

[0080] As described above, during a location session, the location server typically obtains a positioning capability from the UE 102, which is used to determine the type of positioning procedures and positioning measurements to use during the location session and to generate and provide any necessary assistance data to the UE 102 accordingly. Signaling between the location server (e.g., LMF 152 or SLP 162) and the UE 102 during the location session to obtain the positioning capability of the UE 102 increases the latency in the location session. Positioning latency can be reduced if the positioning capability of the UE 102 can be obtained and stored in the core network 150 before starting the location session. In that case, the positioning capability of the UE 102 can also be obtained for the location session without requiring signaling between the location server and the UE 102.

[0071]

[0081] Storing the positioning capabilities of the UE 102 in the core network 150 can reduce positioning latency by approximately 50-100 ms. In some user cases, such as where there is a low latency requirement (e.g., less than 1 second) (as may be associated with an IIoT UE or where the external LCS client is a machine or server), the reduction in positioning latency by storing the positioning capabilities of the UE 102 in the core network 150 can be advantageous, whereas in other user cases (such as where the external LCS client is a person), the reduction in positioning latency can be negligible.

[0072]

[0082] Furthermore, the positioning capabilities of the UE 102 may not always be fixed (also referred to as static) but may instead vary depending on the UE implementation, conditions, and user settings. For example, the user may be allowed to disable location support for unrestricted services (e.g., location requests from external unrestricted LCS clients 130). In that case, when a location server (e.g., LMF 152) requests the positioning capabilities of the UE 102, the UE 102 may respond without positioning capabilities or with some limited, minimal set of capabilities. One exception is if the UE 102 is aware of an emergency service call, when the UE 102 may provide its complete set of capabilities to the location server.

[0073]

[0083] In another scenario, a Cellular Internet of Things (CIoT) UE whose battery level is low may turn off positioning support to conserve battery power for more important tasks such as communicating with an external server. In a third scenario, a user may configure certain location areas and / or times during which the UE 102 will support location requests from non-regulated LCS clients by sending a minimum or zero set of positioning capabilities to the location server. One example in this case is a hospital or airport employee who allows accurate location during working hours but not outside of working hours.

[0074]

[0084] The above examples and scenarios may not, and do not always need to, be supported by all UEs 102 since home Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs) can offer different levels of privacy and location Quality of Service (QoS) subscriptions in the Home GMLC (HGMLC), however, the UE vendor may still provide the user with some form of control over the location capabilities of the UE, as described above.

[0075]

[0085] Thus, the positioning capabilities of the UE 102 may not be static, but may vary depending on user preferences or other external conditions such as battery level. A consequence of varying positioning capabilities is that any positioning capabilities previously stored by the network may be incorrect at a later point in time.

[0076]

[0086] Thus, in one implementation, the UE 102 may provide its positioning capabilities to the serving AMF 154 prior to entering a location session using NAS messaging, e.g., within a NAS registration request. The AMF 154 stores the positioning capabilities of the UE 102 and subsequently provides it to a location server, e.g., the LMF 152, as part of any location request for the UE 102 sent to the location server.

[0077]

[0087] The positioning capability may be provided by the UE 102 using a different coding than that used in the LPP to provide the positioning capability to the LMF 152, e.g., the positioning capability may be coded using new NAS parameters. However, this may increase the impact of both the UE 102 and the LMF 152 to support the new coding and decoding. In another implementation, the UE 102 can provide the positioning capability using existing LPP coding, e.g., by including an LPP providing capability message in a NAS message (e.g., included in new NAS parameters), which may again have new signaling impacts.

[0078]

[0088] The UE 102 may resend its positioning capabilities to the AMF 154 whenever there is a change in the positioning capabilities, which in principle may support the variation of the positioning capabilities of the UE 102. However, this would result in extra UE 102 and AMF 154 impacts. Furthermore, there may also be privacy issues, since sending the positioning capabilities to the serving PLMN may effectively tell the serving PLMN when the user disabled or re-enabled the location support of the UE 102. For example, a (e.g., foreign) user may not want the local PLMN operator to know the changes in the positioning capabilities. Thus, in one implementation, the UE 102 may provide the positioning capabilities to the AMF 154 only if the positioning capabilities are fixed and do not change. Thus, receiving the positioning capabilities from the UE 102 in a NAS message may be an implicit indication that the positioning capabilities are stable (and not variable), and the AMF 154 may store the positioning capabilities of the UE 102 accordingly.

[0079]

[0089] FIG. 2 illustrates a signaling flow 200 showing various messages sent between components of the communication system 100 depicted in FIG. 1 before and during a location session to store the positioning capabilities of the UE 102 provided by the UE 102 in a NAS message in the core network 150. FIG. 2 is presented as a non-limiting example. For example, while FIG. 2 illustrates the use of the LMF 152 as a location server, it should be understood that other types of location servers, such as the SLP 162 (shown in FIG. 1), may be used. Additionally, while FIG. 2 illustrates the use of 5G network entities, other types of networks may be used, such as entities of an LTE network, where the NG-RAN 112 is replaced by an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EU Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)), the AMF 154 is replaced by a Mobility Management Entity (MME), and the LMF 152 is replaced by an E-SMLC, if desired. Additionally, it will be understood that any number of intervening devices not shown can relay signaling and assist in implementing the functions shown in Figure 2. Further, additional signaling and processes may be present.

[0080]

[0090] In stage 1, the UE 102 sends a NAS message including UE positioning capabilities to the AMF 154. The NAS message may be a request for a NAS procedure, such as, for example, a NAS registration request, or may provide information to the AMF 154. The UE positioning capabilities may be encoded in the NAS parameters or may be provided using existing LPP encoding, for example, in an LPP provided capabilities message in the NAS message. In one implementation, the UE 102 may include an explicit indication of whether the positioning capabilities of the UE 102 are stable (or non-variable). In another implementation, the UE 102 may send the positioning capabilities of the UE 102 to the AMF 154 only if the positioning capabilities are stable (i.e., non-variable), and thus including the positioning capabilities in the NAS message is an implicit indication that the positioning capabilities of the UE 102 are stable.

[0081]

[0091] In stage 2, the AMF 154 stores the UE positioning capabilities, for example if the positioning capabilities are indicated to be stable (non-variable) or are implicitly stable (non-variable).

[0082]

[0092] In stage 3, the AMF 154 receives a location request for the UE 102. The location request may be received, for example, from the UE 102 or from the GMLC 160 (shown in FIG. 1).

[0083]

[0093] At stage 4, the AMF 154 retrieves the UE positioning capability of the UE 102 from storage and sends a location request for the UE 102 including the UE positioning capability to the LMF 152. For example, the AMF 154 may provide the location request and the UE positioning capability to the LMF 152 via an Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation request message.

[0084]

[0094] In stage 5, the LMF 152 may initiate a location session and perform a positioning procedure with the UE 102 based on the UE positioning capability received in stage 4. During this location session, the LMF 152 does not need to request or receive the UE positioning capability from the UE 102 itself. The location of the UE 102 may be obtained by the LMF 152 during stage 5 using known positioning techniques, which may be selected based on the UE positioning capability received in stage 4.

[0085]

[0095] In stage 6, the LMF 152 provides a location response including the UE location to the AMF 154. For example, the LMF 152 may provide the location response to the AMF 154 in an Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation response message.

[0086]

[0096] In step 7, the AMF 154 provides the UE location to the requesting entity, e.g., the UE 102 or the GMLC 160.

[0087]

[0097] In one implementation, the UE 102 can provide its positioning capabilities to the LMF 152 using LPP during a location session, for example, if requested by the LMF 152 as part of positioning the UE 102. The LMF 152 then stores the positioning capabilities of the UE 102 and uses them for any future location sessions with the UE. The AMF 154 can, for example, include a UE identifier in a location request for the UE 102, which is associated with the UE's positioning capabilities when stored by the LMF 152 to enable the LMF 152 to identify the UE 102 and obtain its positioning capabilities during future location requests. The UE identifier can be, for example, a Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI) or Permanent Equipment Identifier (PEI), or some other AMF 154-determined identifier, such that the SUPI and PEI of the UE 102 can be hidden from the LMF 152.

[0088]

[0098] If storing the UE positioning capabilities in the LMF 152, the UE positioning capabilities may only be useful if the same LMF 152 is used later to position the UE 102, rather than a different LMF 152. In addition, if the positioning capabilities of the UE 102 change at a later point in time, the LMF 152 may use an incorrect positioning capability in a subsequent location session. This last disadvantage may be overcome if the UE 102 also includes (e.g., in the LPP Provide Capability message) an indication of whether its positioning capabilities are stable (i.e., non-variable). A UE 102 whose positioning capabilities cannot change should, for example, indicate that its positioning capabilities are stable. Otherwise, the UE 102 may indicate that its positioning capabilities are not stable. For positioning capabilities that are not stable, the LMF 152 may, for example, choose not to store the positioning capabilities. The stability indicator may be useful. The reason is that very low latency requirements are most commonly associated with IIoT UEs, or any other autonomous UEs without a user, for which location deactivation and reactivation should not occur and positioning capabilities are stable. In contrast, a UE 102 with a user (e.g., a smartphone or tablet) whose location may be deactivated and reactivated would typically not require extremely low latency, even for emergency calls. As a result, the positioning capability storage restriction for UEs with stable positioning capabilities may not penalize UEs with non-stable positioning capabilities very much.

[0089]

[0099] FIG. 3 illustrates a signaling flow 300 showing various messages sent between components of the communication system 100 depicted in FIG. 1 to store UE positioning capabilities in the LMF 152. FIG. 3 is presented as a non-limiting example. For example, while FIG. 3 illustrates the use of the LMF 152 as a location server, it should be understood that other types of location servers, such as the SLP 162 (shown in FIG. 1), may be used. Additionally, while FIG. 3 illustrates the use of 5G network entities, other types of networks, such as entities of an LTE network, may be used, where the NG-RAN 112 may be replaced by an E-UTRAN, the AMF 154 may be replaced by an MME, and the LMF 152 may be replaced by an E-SMLC, as appropriate. Additionally, it should be understood that any number of intervening devices not shown may relay signaling and assist in implementing the functions shown in FIG. 3. Additionally, additional signaling and processes may exist.

[0090]

[0100] In stage 1, the AMF 154 receives a location request for the UE 102. The location request may be received, for example, from the UE 102 or from the GMLC 160 (shown in FIG. 1).

[0091]

[0101] In stage 2, the AMF 154 sends a location request for the UE 102 including the UE identifier to the LMF 152. The UE identifier may be, for example, the SUPI or PEI of the UE 102, or may be another identifier of the UE 102 determined by the AMF 154 to hide the SUPI and PEI of the UE 102 from the LMF 152, for example, for privacy purposes. The location request and the UE identifier may be provided by the AMF 154 to the LMF 152 via, for example, an Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation request message.

[0092]

[0102] In block 3, shown in some stages, the LMF 152 may trigger a location session and perform a positioning procedure with the UE 102.

[0093]

[0103] In stage 3A, if the UE positioning capabilities were stored by LMF 152 in a previous location session (as further described in stage 3G), LMF 152 may obtain the stored positioning capabilities of UE 102 based on the UE identifier received from AMF 154 in stage 2.

[0094]

[0104] In stage 3B, if the UE positioning capabilities of the UE 102 have not been previously stored by the LMF 152, e.g., if the UE positioning capabilities were not found in storage in stage 3A, the LMF 152 may send a request for positioning capabilities, e.g., via an LPP request capability message, to the UE 102. If the UE positioning capabilities of the UE 102 were obtained in stage 3A, the LMF 152 does not send a request for positioning capabilities to the UE 102 in a subsequent location session.

[0095]

[0105] In stage 3C, if stage 3B was performed, UE 102 may provide its positioning capabilities to LMF 152, e.g., via an LPP Provide Capability message. UE 102 provides an indication of the stability of its positioning capabilities. For example, the indication of stability may indicate that the UE positioning capabilities are fixed and do not change, or may indicate that the UE positioning capabilities are not fixed and may vary. In some implementations, stage 3C may be performed instead of stage 3B, for example, if UE 102 sent its positioning capabilities to LMF 152 unsolicited before LMF 152 was able to perform stage 3B.

[0096]

[0106] In stage 3D, the LMF 152 and the UE 102 exchange various LPP messages to generate and obtain location information, such as positioning measurements performed by the UE 102 and / or a location determined by the UE 102, for example, for positioning of the UE 102.

[0097]

[0107] In stage 3E, the LMF 152 and one or more entities within the NG-RAN 112 (e.g., the gNB 110) may exchange various NRPPa messages to generate and obtain location information, such as positioning measurements performed by the gNB 110 for positioning of the UE 102.

[0098]

[0108] In stage 3F, the LMF 152 may determine a location of the UE 102 based on the location information received from the UE 102 and / or the NG-RAN 112 in stages 3D and 3E, respectively. The positioning measurements performed by the UE 102 in stage 3D and / or the positioning measurements performed by the NG-RAN 112 in stage 3E, as well as the location determination of the UE 102, may be determined by the LMF 152 using known positioning techniques, which may be selected by the LMF 152 based on the UE positioning capabilities obtained in stage 3A or stage 3C.

[0099]

[0109] In stage 3G, if the LMF 152 did not previously store the positioning capability of the UE 102, the LMF 152 stores the positioning capability of the UE 102 and a UE identifier if the UE 102 indicated in the positioning capability message received in stage 3C that its positioning capability is stable (i.e., non-variable). Thus, the positioning capability of the UE 102 may be associated with the UE identifier, e.g., SUPI or PEI, or the AMF-generated identifier of the UE 102 received in stage 2, and stored by the LMF 152. If the UE 102 indicated that its positioning capability is not stable (i.e., may be variable), the LMF 152 may not store the UE positioning capability.

[0100]

[0110] In step 4, the LMF 152 provides a location response to the AMF 154 that includes the location of the UE 102 determined in step 3F. For example, the LMF 152 may provide the location response to the AMF 154 in an Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation response message.

[0101]

[0111] In stage 5, the AMF 154 provides the UE location to the requesting entity, e.g., the UE 102 or the GMLC 160.

[0102]

[0112] In another implementation, the UE 102 may provide its positioning capability to the LMF 152 using LPP during a location session, similar to the implementation described in FIG. 3, but the LMF 152 returns the UE 102's positioning capability to the AMF 154 along with the UE 102's location when the UE 102's positioning is completed. The AMF 154 then stores the UE 102's positioning capability and provides it to the LMF 152 for any new location request for the UE 102. Thus, for the first location request, the AMF 154 does not include the UE positioning capability in the location request sent to the LMF 152, but receives the UE positioning capability from the LMF 152. The AMF 154 can then include the positioning capability in any subsequent location request for the UE 102 sent to the LMF 152 or another LMF. This implementation can overcome the limitation of limiting the storage of the UE positioning capability to only one LMF 152.

[0103]

[0113] FIG. 4 illustrates a signaling flow 400 showing various messages sent between components of the communication system 100 depicted in FIG. 1 to store UE positioning capabilities received during a location session in the AMF 154. FIG. 4 is presented as a non-limiting example. For example, while FIG. 4 illustrates the use of the LMF 152 as a location server, it should be understood that other types of location servers may be used. Additionally, while FIG. 4 illustrates the use of 5G network entities, other types of networks may be used, such as entities of an LTE network, where the NG-RAN 112 may be replaced by an E-UTRAN, the AMF 154 may be replaced by an MME, and the LMF 152 may be replaced by an E-SMLC, if desired. Additionally, it should be understood that any number of intervening devices not illustrated may relay signaling and assist in implementing the functions illustrated in FIG. 4. Additionally, additional signaling and processes may exist.

[0104]

[0114] In stage 1, the AMF 154 receives a location request for the UE 102. The location request may be received, for example, from the UE 102 or from the GMLC 160 (shown in FIG. 1).

[0105]

[0115] In stage 2, if the UE positioning capabilities were previously stored by the AMF 154 (as further described in stage 6), the AMF 154 may obtain the stored UE positioning capabilities of the UE 102.

[0106]

[0116] In stage 3, the AMF 154 sends a location request for the UE 102, including the UE positioning capability of the UE 102, to the LMF 152, if obtained in stage 2. The location request and the UE positioning capability (if included) may be provided by the AMF 154 to the LMF 152, for example, via an Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation request message.

[0107]

[0117] In block 4, which is shown with several steps, the LMF 152 may trigger a location session and perform a positioning procedure with the UE 102.

[0108]

[0118] In step 4A, if the UE positioning capability of the UE 102 was not provided in the location request received in step 3, the LMF 152 may send a request for positioning capability to the UE 102, for example via an LPP request capability message. If the UE positioning capability of the UE 102 was received in step 3, the LMF 152 does not send a request for positioning capability to the UE 102.

[0109]

[0119] In stage 4B, if stage 4A was performed, the UE 102 may provide its positioning capabilities to the LMF 152, e.g., via an LPP Provide Capability message. The UE 102 provides an indication of the stability of its positioning capabilities. For example, the indication of stability may indicate that the UE positioning capabilities are fixed and do not change, or may indicate that the UE positioning capabilities are not fixed and may vary. In some implementations, stage 4B may be performed instead of stage 4A, for example, if the UE 102 sent its positioning capabilities to the LMF 152 unsolicited before the LMF 152 was able to perform stage 4A.

[0110]

[0120] In stage 4C, the LMF 152 and the UE 102 exchange various LPP messages to generate and obtain location information, such as, for example, positioning measurements performed by the UE 102 and / or a location determined by the UE 102 for positioning of the UE 102.

[0111]

[0121] In stage 4D, the LMF 152 and one or more entities within the NG-RAN 112 (e.g., the gNB 110) may exchange various NRPPa messages to generate and obtain location information, such as positioning measurements performed by the gNB 110, for positioning of the UE 102.

[0112]

[0122] In stage 4E, the LMF 152 may determine a location of the UE 102 based on the location information received from the UE 102 and / or the NG-RAN 112 in stages 4C and 4D, respectively. The location measurements performed by the UE 102 in stage 4C and / or the location measurements performed by the NG-RAN 112 in stage 4D, as well as the location determination of the UE 102, may be determined by the LMF 152 using known positioning techniques, which may be selected by the LMF 152 based on the UE positioning capabilities obtained in stage 3 or stage 4B.

[0113]

[0123] In stage 5, the LMF 152 provides a location response to the AMF 154 including the location of the UE 102 determined in stage 4E. For example, the LMF 152 may provide the location response to the AMF 154 in an Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation response message. If the UE 102 indicated that its positioning capability is stable (i.e., non-variable), the location response may include the UE positioning capability of the UE 102 received in stage 4B. If the UE 102 indicated that its positioning capability is not stable (i.e., may vary), the LMF 152 may not include the UE positioning capability in the location response to the AMF 154.

[0114]

[0124] In step 6, if the AMF 154 receives the UE positioning capability of the UE 102 from the LMF 152 in the location response in step 5, the AMF 154 stores the positioning capability of the UE 102.

[0115]

[0125] In step 7, the AMF 154 provides the UE location to the requesting entity, e.g., the UE 102 or the GMLC 160.

[0116]

[0126] FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic block diagram illustrating some example features of a UE 500, which may be, for example, the UE 102 illustrated in FIG. 1, configured to support the location of the UE 500 by providing storage in a core network with positioning capabilities, for example as described herein. The UE 500 may implement, for example, the signal flows illustrated in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4, the process flows illustrated in FIG. 8, and the techniques disclosed herein. The UE 500 may include, for example, one or more processors 502, which may be operably coupled to one or more connections 506 (e.g., buses, lines, fibers, links, etc.) to a non-transitory computer-readable medium 520 and a memory 504, a memory 504, an external interface (e.g., a wireless network interface), such as at least one wireless transceiver illustrated as a WWAN transceiver 510 and a WLAN transceiver 512, an SPS receiver 515, and one or more sensors 513. The SPS receiver 515 may receive and process SPS signals, for example, from the SV 190 illustrated in FIG. 1. The one or more sensors 513 may be, for example, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) that may include one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, magnetometers, etc. The UE 500 may further include additional items not shown, such as, for example, a user interface that may include a display, a keypad such as a virtual keypad on the display or other input device through which a user may interface with the UE. In some example implementations, all or a portion of the UE 500 may take the form of a chipset or the like.

[0117]

[0127] The at least one wireless transceiver may be a transceiver 510 for a WWAN communication system and a transceiver 512 for a WLAN communication system, or may be a combined transceiver for both WWAN and WLAN. The WWAN transceiver 510 may include a transmitter 510t and a receiver 510r coupled to one or more antennas 511 for transmitting (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more downlink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) wireless signals and converting signals from wireless signals to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to wireless signals. The WLAN transceiver 512 may include a transmitter 512t and a receiver 512r coupled to one or more antennas 511 or separate antennas for transmitting (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more downlink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) wireless signals and converting signals from wireless signals to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to wireless signals. The transmitters 510t and 512t may include multiple transmitters, which may be separate components or combined / integrated components, and / or the receivers 510r and 512r may include multiple receivers, which may be separate components or combined / integrated components.The WWAN transceiver 510 may be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with base stations and / or one or more other devices) according to various radio access technologies (RATs), such as 5G New Radio (NR), Global System for Mobile (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), etc. The new radio may use mm-wave and / or sub-6 GHz frequencies. The WLAN transceiver 512 may be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with access points and / or one or more other devices) according to various radio access technologies (RATs), such as 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth, Zigbee, etc. The transceivers 510 and 512 may be communicatively coupled, for example, by optical and / or electrical connections, to a transceiver interface that may be at least partially integrated with the transceivers 510 and 512 .

[0118]

[0128] In some embodiments, the UE 500 may include an antenna 511, which may be internal or external. The UE antenna 511 may be used to transmit and / or receive signals that are processed by the wireless transceivers 510 and 512. In some embodiments, the UE antenna 511 may be coupled to the wireless transceivers 510 and 512. In some embodiments, measurements of signals received (transmitted) by the UE 500 may be performed at the point of connection between the UE antenna 511 and the wireless transceivers 510 and 512. For example, measurement points of reference for received (transmitted) RF signal measurements may be the input (output) terminal of the receiver 510r (transmitter 510t) and the output (input) terminal of the UE antenna 511. In a UE 500 with multiple UE antennas 511 or an antenna array, the antenna connectors may be considered as virtual points representing the aggregate output (input) of the multiple UE antennas. In some embodiments, the UE 500 may measure received signals, including signal strength and TOA measurements, and the raw measurements may be processed by one or more processors 502.

[0119]

[0129] The one or more processors 502 may be implemented using a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. For example, the one or more processors 502 may be configured to perform functions described herein by implementing one or more instructions or program code 508 on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as the medium 520 and / or the memory 504. In some embodiments, the one or more processors 502 may represent one or more circuits configurable to perform at least a portion of a data signal computing procedure or process related to the operation of the UE 500.

[0120]

[0130] The medium 520 and / or memory 504 may store instructions or program code 508, which includes executable code or software instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors 502, cause the one or more processors 502 to operate as a special-purpose computer programmed to perform the techniques disclosed herein. As shown in the UE 500, the medium 520 and / or memory 504 may include one or more components or modules that may be implemented by the one or more processors 502 to perform the methods described herein. Although the components or modules are shown as software in the medium 520 that is executable by the one or more processors 502, it should be understood that the components or modules may be stored in the memory 504 or may be dedicated hardware either in the one or more processors 502 or external to the processor.

[0121]

[0131] A number of software modules and data tables may reside in the medium 520 and / or memory 504 and be utilized by the one or more processors 502 to manage both the communications and functionality described herein. It should be appreciated that the organization of the contents of the medium 520 and / or memory 504 as shown in the UE 500 is only an example, and thus the functionality of the modules and / or data structures may be combined, separated, and / or structured in different ways depending on the implementation of the UE 500.

[0122]

[0132] The medium 520 and / or the memory 504 may include a positioning session module 522 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 502, configures the one or more processors 502 to engage in a positioning session with a location server through a serving base station, e.g., via the wireless transceiver 510, including receiving a positioning capability request message, receiving a request for location information, e.g., positioning measurements for a UE-assisted positioning process, or a position estimate for a UE-based positioning process. The one or more processors 502 are configured to send a response to the location service request, e.g., by providing positioning capabilities and the requested location information. The one or more processors 502 may be configured to send a positioning capabilities response to an indication of stability of the positioning capabilities, e.g., via the transceiver 510.

[0123]

[0133] The medium 520 and / or the memory 504 may include a NAS messaging module 524 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 502, configures the one or more processors 502 to send a NAS message to the AMF via the transceiver 510 and to include the UE positioning capabilities encoded in the NAS parameters or encoded in the LPP message. The one or more processors 502 may be configured to include an indication of the stability of the positioning capabilities or to include the positioning capabilities in the NAS message only if the positioning capabilities are stable.

[0124]

[0134] The medium 520 and / or the memory 504 may include a positioning capabilities stability module 526 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 502, configures the one or more processors 502 to determine when the positioning capabilities are stable, e.g., fixed and not changing.

[0125]

[0135] The methods described herein may be implemented by various means depending on the application. For example, the methods may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. In the case of a hardware implementation, the one or more processors 502 may be implemented within one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or combinations thereof.

[0126]

[0136] For a firmware and / or software implementation, the methods may be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the functions described herein. Any machine-readable medium tangibly embodying instructions may be used in implementing the methods described herein. For example, software code may be stored in non-transitory computer-readable medium 520 or memory 504 coupled to and executed by one or more processors 502. The memory may be implemented within the one or more processors or external to the one or more processors. The term "memory" as used herein may refer to any type of long-term memory, short-term memory, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, or other memory, and should not be limited to a particular type or number of memories, or the type of medium on which the memory is stored.

[0127]

[0137] If implemented in firmware and / or software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or program code 508 on a non-transitory computer readable medium, such as the medium 520 and / or memory 504. Examples include computer readable media encoded with data structures and computer readable media encoded with computer program code 508. For example, a non-transitory computer readable medium with program code 508 stored thereon may include program code 508 for supporting location of a UE by storing UE positioning capabilities in a core network in a manner according to the disclosed embodiments. The non-transitory computer readable medium 520 includes physical computer storage media. A storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such non-transitory computer readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code 508 in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer, where disk and disc as used herein include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically and discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer readable media.

[0128]

[0138] In addition to being stored on the computer-readable medium 520, the instructions and / or data may be provided as signals on a transmission medium contained in a communications device. For example, a communications device may include a wireless transceiver 510 having signals indicative of instructions and data. The instructions and data are configured to cause one or more processors to implement the functions outlined in the claims. That is, the communications device includes a transmission medium with signals indicative of information for performing the disclosed functions.

[0129]

[0139] The memory 504 may represent any data storage mechanism. The memory 504 may include, for example, a primary memory and / or a secondary memory. The primary memory may include, for example, a random access memory, a read-only memory, etc. Although shown in this example as being separate from the one or more processors 502, it should be understood that all or a portion of the primary memory may be provided within the one or more processors 502 or may possibly be co-located / coupled with the one or more processors 502. The secondary memory may include, for example, the same or similar type of memory as the primary memory, and / or one or more data storage devices or systems, such as, for example, a disk drive, an optical disk drive, a tape drive, a solid-state memory drive, etc.

[0130]

[0140] In some implementations, the secondary memory may be operatively receptive of, or possibly configurable to couple to, a non-transitory computer-readable medium 520. Thus, in some example implementations, the methods and / or apparatuses presented herein may take the form, in whole or in part, of a computer-readable medium 520, which may include computer-implementable program code 508 stored thereon, which, when executed by one or more processors 502, may be operatively enabled to perform all or a portion of the example operations described herein. The computer-readable medium 520 may be part of the memory 504.

[0131]

[0141] FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic block diagram illustrating some example features of a location server 600, e.g., the LMF 152 or SLP 162 shown in FIG. 1, or an E-SMLC, configured to support positioning of a UE (e.g., UE 102) by enabling storage of UE positioning capabilities in a core network as described herein. The location server 600 may implement the signaling flows illustrated in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4, the process flows illustrated in FIG. 9, and the algorithms disclosed herein. The location server 600 may include one or more processors 602, memory 604, and an external interface 616 (e.g., a wireline or wireless network interface to base stations and / or entities in the core network), which may be operatively coupled, for example, to a non-transitory computer-readable medium 620 and one or more connections 606 (e.g., a bus, a line, a fiber, a link, etc.) to the memory 604. In some example implementations, all or a portion of the location server 600 may take the form of a chipset or the like.

[0132]

[0142] The one or more processors 602 may be implemented using a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. For example, the one or more processors 602 may be configured to perform functions described herein by implementing one or more instructions or program code 608 on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as the medium 620 and / or the memory 604. In some embodiments, the one or more processors 602 may represent one or more circuits configurable to perform at least a portion of a data signal computing procedure or process related to the operation of the location server 600.

[0133]

[0143] The medium 620 and / or memory 604 may store instructions or program code 608, which includes executable code or software instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors 602, cause the one or more processors 602 to operate as a special-purpose computer programmed to perform the techniques disclosed herein. As shown in the location server 600, the medium 620 and / or memory 604 may include one or more components or modules that may be implemented by the one or more processors 602 to perform the methods described herein. Although the components or modules are shown as software in the medium 620 that is executable by the one or more processors 602, it should be understood that the components or modules may be stored in the memory 604 or may be dedicated hardware either in the one or more processors 602 or external to the processor.

[0134]

[0144] A number of software modules and data tables may reside in the medium 620 and / or memory 604 and be utilized by the one or more processors 602 to manage both the communications and the functionality described herein. It should be appreciated that the organization of the contents of the medium 620 and / or memory 604 as shown in the location server 600 is only an example, and thus the functionality of the modules and / or data structures may be combined, separated, and / or structured in different manners depending on the implementation of the location server 600.

[0135]

[0145] The medium 620 and / or memory 604 may include a positioning session module 622 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 602, configures the one or more processors 602 to engage in a positioning session with the UE through a serving base station and with the AMF via the external interface 616, e.g., as described herein, including receiving a location service request including a UE positioning capability or a UE identifier and for obtaining a UE positioning capability, e.g., from a storage or by sending a request for a positioning capability to the UE, and sending a request for location information, such as a positioning measurement, e.g., for a UE-assisted positioning process, or a position estimate, e.g., for a UE-based positioning process. The one or more processors 602 are configured to receive a response to the location service request, including, e.g., receiving the positioning capability including an indication of stability of the UE positioning capability and the requested location information from the UE. The one or more processors 602 may be further configured to determine a position estimate for the UE based on the received positioning measurements, such as Rx-Tx, AoA, TOA, RSRP, or other types of measurements, such as those using WiFi or SPS measurements. The one or more processors 602 may be configured to send a location response to the AMF via the external interface 616, which may include the determined UE location and, in some implementations, the UE positioning capabilities if indicated as stable by the UE.

[0136]

[0146] The medium 620 and / or the memory 604 may include a positioning capability storage module 624 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 602, configures the one or more processors 602 to enable storage of the UE's positioning capability in the core network when the UE indicates that its positioning capability is stable. For example, the one or more processors 602 may enable the UE's positioning capability to be stored in the location server 600, e.g., in the memory 604 or another storage medium, when the UE's positioning capability is indicated as stable. The one or more processors 602 may be configured to associate the UE positioning capability with a UE identifier in a location request received from the AMF. The one or more processors 602 may further be configured to retrieve the UE positioning capability from the storage using the UE identifier in the location request received from the AMF. In another example, the one or more processors 602 may enable the UE positioning capability to be stored by sending the UE positioning capability to the AMF for storage when the UE positioning capability is indicated as stable. For example, the one or more processors 602 may be enabled to send the UE positioning capability to the AMF in a location response.

[0137]

[0147] The methods described herein may be implemented by various means depending on the application. For example, the methods may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. In the case of a hardware implementation, the one or more processors 602 may be implemented within one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or combinations thereof.

[0138]

[0148] For a firmware and / or software implementation, the methods may be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, and so on) that perform the functions described herein. Any machine-readable medium tangibly embodying instructions may be used in implementing the methods described herein. For example, software code may be stored in non-transitory computer-readable medium 620 or memory 604 coupled to and executed by one or more processors 602. The memory may be implemented within the one or more processors or external to the one or more processors. The term "memory" as used herein may refer to any type of long-term memory, short-term memory, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, or other memory, and should not be limited to a particular type or number of memories, or the type of medium on which the memory is stored.

[0139]

[0149] If implemented in firmware and / or software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or program code 608 on a non-transitory computer readable medium, such as the medium 620 and / or memory 604. Examples include computer readable media encoded with data structures and computer readable media encoded with computer program code 608. For example, a non-transitory computer readable medium with program code 608 stored thereon may include program code 608 for supporting location of a UE by enabling storage of UE positioning capabilities in a core network in a manner consistent with disclosed embodiments. The non-transitory computer readable medium 620 includes physical computer storage media. A storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such non-transitory computer-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code 608 in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer, where disk and disc as used herein include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically and discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0140]

[0150] In addition to being stored on the computer-readable medium 620, the instructions and / or data may be provided as signals on a transmission medium contained in a communications device. For example, the communications device may include an external interface 616 having signals indicative of instructions and data. The instructions and data are configured to cause one or more processors to implement the functions outlined in the claims. That is, the communications device includes a transmission medium with signals indicative of information to perform the disclosed functions.

[0141]

[0151] Memory 604 may represent any data storage mechanism. Memory 604 may include, for example, primary memory and / or secondary memory. Primary memory may include, for example, random access memory, read-only memory, etc. Although shown in this example as being separate from the one or more processors 602, it should be understood that all or a portion of the primary memory may be provided within the one or more processors 602 or possibly co-located / coupled with the one or more processors 602. Secondary memory may include, for example, the same or similar type of memory as the primary memory, and / or one or more data storage devices or systems, such as, for example, disk drives, optical disk drives, tape drives, solid state memory drives, etc.

[0142]

[0152] In some implementations, the secondary memory may be operatively receptive of, or possibly configurable to couple to, a non-transitory computer-readable medium 620. Thus, in some example implementations, the methods and / or apparatuses presented herein may take the form, in whole or in part, of a computer-readable medium 620, which may include computer-implementable program code 608 stored thereon, which, when executed by one or more processors 602, may be operatively enabled to perform all or a portion of the example operations described herein. The computer-readable medium 620 may be part of the memory 604.

[0143]

[0153] 7 is a schematic block diagram illustrating some example features of an AMF 700, such as the AMF 154 of FIG. 1, enabled to support positioning of a UE (e.g., UE 102) by enabling storage of a UE positioning capability in the core network as described herein. The AMF 700 may implement the signaling flows illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the process flows illustrated, for example, in FIG. 10, and the techniques disclosed herein. The AMF 700 may include, for example, one or more processors 702, memory 704, an external interface 716 (e.g., a wireline or wireless network interface with other NG-RAN entities and entities in the core network, such as a GMLC location server, directly or via one or more intervening entities), which may be operatively coupled to a non-transitory computer-readable medium 720 and one or more connections 706 (e.g., a bus, line, fiber, link, etc.) to the memory 704. The AMF 700 may further include additional items not shown, such as, for example, a user interface, which may include a display, a keypad, such as a virtual keypad on the display, or other input device, through which a user may interface with the AMF. In some example implementations, all or a portion of the AMF 700 may take the form of a chipset, or the like. It should be noted that the AMF 700 shown in FIG. 7 may correspond to (e.g., perform the functionality of) other types of core network nodes, such as an MME, in some cases.

[0144]

[0154] The one or more processors 702 may be implemented using a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. For example, the one or more processors 702 may be configured to perform functions described herein by implementing one or more instructions or program code 708 on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as the medium 720 and / or the memory 704. In some embodiments, the one or more processors 702 may represent one or more circuits configurable to perform at least a portion of a data signal computing procedure or process related to the operation of the AMF 700.

[0145]

[0155] The medium 720 and / or memory 704 may store instructions or program code 708, which, when executed by the one or more processors 702, include executable code or software instructions that cause the one or more processors 702 to operate as a special-purpose computer programmed to perform the techniques disclosed herein. As shown in the AMF 700, the medium 720 and / or memory 704 may include one or more components or modules that may be implemented by the one or more processors 702 to perform the methods described herein. Although the components or modules are shown as software in the medium 720 that is executable by the one or more processors 702, it should be understood that the components or modules may be stored in the memory 704 or may be dedicated hardware either in the one or more processors 702 or external to the processors. Several software modules and data tables may reside in the medium 720 and / or memory 704 and be utilized by the one or more processors 702 to manage both the communications and the functions described herein. It should be appreciated that the organization of the contents of the medium 720 and / or memory 704 shown in AMF700 is merely an example, and thus the functionality of the modules and / or data structures may be combined, separated, and / or structured in different ways depending on the implementation of AMF700.

[0146]

[0156] The medium 720 and / or the memory 704 may include a NAS messaging module 722 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 702, configures the one or more processors 702 to receive, via the external interface 716, a NAS message from the UE, which may include the UE positioning capabilities encoded in the NAS parameters or encoded in an LPP message. The NAS message may include an explicit or implicit indication of whether the UE's positioning capabilities are stable.

[0147]

[0157] The medium 720 and / or memory 704 may include a positioning session module 724 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 702, configures the one or more processors 702 to initiate and engage in a positioning session between the LMF and the UE through a serving base station via an external interface 716, e.g., as described herein, including receiving a location request for the UE from, e.g., the UE or GMLC, and sending the location request for the UE to the LMF, and to receive a location response from the LMF including the location of the UE, and to forward the location of the UE to the initiating entity, e.g., the UE or GMLC. The one or more processors 702 may be configured to include a UE identifier in the location request sent to the LMF. The one or more processors 702 may be configured to include the UE positioning capabilities of the UE when stored in the AMF 700. The one or more processors 702 for receiving the UE positioning capabilities of the UE in a location response from the LMF via the external interface 716.

[0148]

[0158] The medium 720 and / or the memory 704 may include a positioning capability storage module 726 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 702, configures the one or more processors 702 to enable storage of the UE's positioning capability in the core network when the UE indicates that its positioning capability is stable. For example, the one or more processors 702 may be enabled to store the UE positioning capability in the AMF 700, e.g., in the memory 704 or another storage medium, when there is a NAS message that explicitly or implicitly indicates that the UE positioning capability is stable. The one or more processors 702 may be enabled to store the UE positioning capability in the AMF 700, e.g., in the memory 704 or another storage medium, when the UE positioning capability is received in a location response message from the LMF. The one or more processors 702 may be further configured to retrieve the UE positioning capability from the storage and to include the UE positioning capability in a location request sent to the LMF.

[0149]

[0159] The medium 720 and / or the memory 704 may include a UE identifier module 728 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 702, configures the one or more processors 702 to generate an identifier for the UE and to include the UE identifier in a location request sent to the LMF via the external interface 716. The UE identifier may be, for example, a SUPI or PEI of the UE, or may be generated by the AMF 700, for example, to hide the UE's SUPI and PEI from the location server for privacy considerations.

[0150]

[0160] The methods described herein may be implemented by various means depending on the application. For example, the methods may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. In the case of a hardware implementation, the one or more processors 702 may be implemented within one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or combinations thereof.

[0151]

[0161] For a firmware and / or software implementation, the methods may be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, and so on) that perform the functions described herein. Any machine-readable medium tangibly embodying instructions may be used in implementing the methods described herein. For example, software code may be stored in non-transitory computer-readable medium 720 or memory 704 coupled to and executed by the one or more processors 702. The memory may be implemented within the one or more processors or external to the one or more processors. The term "memory" as used herein may refer to any type of long-term memory, short-term memory, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, or other memory, and should not be limited to a particular type or number of memories, or the type of medium on which the memory is stored.

[0152]

[0162] If implemented in firmware and / or software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or program code 708 on a non-transitory computer readable medium, such as the medium 720 and / or memory 704. Examples include computer readable media encoded with data structures and computer readable media encoded with computer program code 708. For example, a non-transitory computer readable medium with program code 708 stored thereon may include program code 708 for supporting location of a UE by enabling storage of UE positioning capabilities in a core network in a manner consistent with the disclosed embodiments. The non-transitory computer readable medium 720 includes physical computer storage media. A storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such non-transitory computer-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code 708 in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer, where disk and disc as used herein include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and blu-ray discs, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically and discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0153]

[0163] In addition to being stored on the computer-readable medium 720, the instructions and / or data may be provided as signals on a transmission medium contained in a communications device. For example, the communications device may include an external interface 716 having signals indicative of instructions and data. The instructions and data are configured to cause one or more processors to implement the functions outlined in the claims. That is, the communications device includes a transmission medium with signals indicative of information for performing the disclosed functions.

[0154]

[0164] Memory 704 may represent any data storage mechanism. Memory 704 may include, for example, primary memory and / or secondary memory. The primary memory may include, for example, random access memory, read-only memory, etc. Although shown in this example as being separate from the one or more processors 702, it should be understood that all or a portion of the primary memory may be provided within the one or more processors 702 or may possibly be co-located / coupled with the one or more processors 702. The secondary memory may include, for example, the same or similar type of memory as the primary memory, and / or one or more data storage devices or systems, such as, for example, disk drives, optical disk drives, tape drives, solid state memory drives, etc.

[0155]

[0165] In some implementations, the secondary memory may be operatively receptive of, or in some cases configurable to couple to, a non-transitory computer-readable medium 720. Thus, in some example implementations, the methods and / or apparatuses presented herein may take the form, in whole or in part, of a computer-readable medium 720, which may include computer-implementable program code 708 stored thereon, which, when executed by one or more processors 702, may be operable to perform all or a portion of the example operations described herein. The computer-readable medium 720 may be part of the memory 704.

[0156]

[0166] FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 800 for supporting positioning of a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network, performed by a UE, such as the UE 102 shown in FIG. 1, in a manner consistent with the disclosed implementation.

[0157]

[0167] At block 802, the UE receives a request for a positioning capabilities message from a location server in a core network of the wireless network, e.g., as shown in step 3B of Figure 3 and step 4A of Figure 4. Means for receiving a request for a positioning capabilities message from a location server in a core network of the wireless network may include, e.g., a wireless transceiver 510 and one or more processors 502 with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 504 and / or medium 520 of the UE 500, such as a positioning session module 522, as shown in Figure 5.

[0158]

[0168] In block 804, the UE sends a provided positioning capability message to the location server, the provided positioning capability message comprising the UE's positioning capability and an indication as to whether the UE's positioning capability is stable or variable, where if the indication indicates that the UE's positioning capability is stable, the UE's positioning capability is stored in the core network, e.g., as shown in steps 3C and 3G of FIG. 3 and steps 4B and 6 of FIG. 4. A means for sending a provided positioning capability message to a location server, the provided positioning capability message comprising the UE's positioning capability and an indication as to whether the UE's positioning capability is stable or variable, and if the indication indicates that the UE's positioning capability is stable, the UE's positioning capability is stored in the core network, the means may include, for example, a wireless transceiver 510 as shown in FIG. 5 and one or more processors 502 with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 504 and / or medium 520 of the UE 500, such as a positioning session module 522 and a positioning capability stability module 526.

[0159]

[0169] In some implementations, the indication of whether the UE's positioning capabilities are stable or variable reveals whether the UE's positioning capabilities are valid for a period of time (i.e., fixed) or may change over time.

[0160]

[0170] In some implementations, the positioning capability of the UE may be stored in a location server. In some implementations, the positioning capability of the UE may be stored in a second entity in the core network. For example, the location server may be a location management function (e.g., LMF 152) and the second entity may be an access and mobility management function (e.g., AMF 154). The UE may be, for example, an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) UE with a fixed positioning capability, and the indication indicates that the positioning capability of the UE is stable.

[0161]

[0171] In some implementations, the request for a positioning capability message is a positioning message for a first location session, and the indication indicates that the UE's positioning capability is stable. In that case, the UE may further receive a positioning message for a second location session following the first location session, where the positioning message for the second location session does not include a request for a positioning capability message, for example, as described in step 3B of FIG. 3 and step 4A of FIG. 4. The second location session may include, for example, a location server. The second location session may include, for example, a second location server different from the location server. A means for receiving a positioning message for a second location session following a first location session, where the positioning message for the second location session does not include a request for a positioning capabilities message, may include, for example, a wireless transceiver 510 as shown in FIG. 5 and one or more processors 502 with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 504 and / or medium 520 of the UE 500, such as a positioning session module 522 and a positioning capabilities stability module 526.

[0162]

[0172] FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 900 for supporting positioning of a user equipment (e.g., UE 102) in a wireless network, implemented by a location server such as LMF 152 shown in FIG. 1 in a manner consistent with the disclosed implementation.

[0163]

[0173] In block 902, the location server may receive a positioning capability of the UE in a first location session, the positioning capability of the UE being received from the UE in response to a request for positioning capabilities sent to the UE or being received unsolicited from the UE, the positioning capability including an indication as to whether the positioning capability is stable or variable, e.g., as shown in step 3C of Figure 3 and step 4B of Figure 4. A means for receiving a positioning capability of the UE in a first location session, the positioning capability of the UE being received from the UE in response to a request for positioning capabilities sent to the UE or being received unsolicited from the UE, the positioning capability including an indication as to whether the positioning capability is stable or variable, may include, e.g., an external interface 616 and one or more processors 602 with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 604 and / or medium 620 of the location server 600, such as a positioning session module 622, as shown in Figure 6.

[0164]

[0174] At block 904, the location server enables storage of the UE's positioning capabilities in the core network if the indication indicates that the positioning capabilities are stable, e.g., as shown in step 3G of Figure 3 or steps 5 and 6 of Figure 4. Means for enabling storage of the UE's positioning capabilities in the core network if the indication indicates that the positioning capabilities are stable may include, e.g., the external interface 616 and one or more processors 602 with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 604 and / or medium 620 of the location server 600, such as a positioning session module 622 and a positioning capabilities storage module 624, as shown in Figure 6.

[0165]

[0175] In some implementations, the indication of whether the positioning capability is stable or variable reveals whether the positioning capability is valid for a period of time (i.e., fixed) or is subject to change over time.

[0166]

[0176] In one implementation, the location server may further conduct a second location session with the UE subsequent to the first location session, e.g., as described in stage 3A of Figure 3 and stage 2 of Figure 4. Means for conducting a second location session with the UE subsequent to the first location session may include, e.g., an external interface 616 and one or more processors 602 with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 604 and / or medium 620 of the location server 600, such as a positioning session module 622, as shown in Figure 6. The location server may obtain the positioning capabilities of the UE stored in the core network to enable the conducting of the second location session, e.g., as described in stage 3A of Figure 3 or stage 3 of Figure 4. The means for obtaining the UE's positioning capabilities stored in the core network to enable the implementation of the second location session may include, for example, the external interface 616 and one or more processors 602 comprising dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 604 and / or medium 620 in the location server 600, such as a positioning session module 622, as shown in Fig. 6. Enabling the storage of the UE's positioning capabilities in the core network may comprise storing the positioning capabilities in the location server, for example as described in stage 3G of Fig. 3. In this case, the location server may further receive a first location request for the UE for the first location session from a second entity in the core network, the first location request comprising the UE identification information, for example as described in stage 2 of Fig. 3.Means for receiving a first location request for a UE for a first location session from a second entity in a core network, the first location request comprising a UE identification (or UE identifier), the means may include, for example, an external interface 616 and one or more processors 602 comprising dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 604 and / or medium 620 in the location server 600, such as a positioning session module 622, as shown in FIG. 6. In this case, the location server may store the UE identification in association with a positioning capability in the location server, as described in, for example, stage 3G of FIG. 3. For example, the location server may store both the positioning capability and the UE identification. Means for storing the UE identification in association with a positioning capability in the location server may include, for example, one or more processors 602 comprising dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 604 and / or medium 620 of the location server 600, such as a positioning capability storage module 624, as shown in FIG. 6. In this case, the location server may receive a second location request for the UE for a second location session from the second entity, the second location request comprising the UE identification information, and obtaining the positioning capabilities of the UE stored in the core network is based on the UE identification information, e.g., as described in step 2 and step 3A of Figure 3. Means for receiving a second location request for the UE for a second location session from the second entity, the second location request comprising the UE identification information, and obtaining the positioning capabilities of the UE stored in the core network is based on the UE identification information, may include, e.g., an external interface 616 and one or more processors 602 comprising dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 604 and / or medium 620 of the location server 600, such as a positioning session module 622 and a positioning capability storage module 624, as shown in Figure 6.The location server may be, for example, a location management function (eg, LMF 152) and the second entity may be an access and mobility management function (eg, AMF 154).

[0167]

[0177] In one implementation, enabling storage of the UE's positioning capabilities in the core network comprises sending the positioning capabilities to a second entity in the core network, e.g., for storage at the second entity, e.g., as described in step 5 of Figure 4. The location server may further send a location response for the first location session to the second entity, the positioning capabilities being included in the location response, e.g., as described in step 5 of Figure 4. Means for sending a location response for the first location session to the second entity, the positioning capabilities being included in the location response, may include, e.g., the external interface 616 and one or more processors 602 with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 604 and / or medium 620 of the location server 600, such as a positioning session module 622 and a positioning capabilities storage module 624, as shown in Figure 6. The location server may obtain the UE's positioning capabilities stored in the core network by receiving a location request for a second location session from the second entity, the location request including the UE's positioning capabilities stored in the second entity, e.g., as described in stage 3 of Figure 4. Means for receiving a location request for a second location session from the second entity, the location request including the UE's positioning capabilities stored in the second entity, may include, e.g., an external interface 616 and one or more processors 602 with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 604 and / or medium 620 of the location server 600, such as a positioning session module 622, as shown in Figure 6. The location server may be, for example, a location management function (e.g., LMF 152) and the second entity may be an access and mobility management function (e.g., AMF 154).

[0168]

[0178] FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 1000 for supporting positioning of a user equipment (e.g., UE 102) in a wireless network, performed by a first entity in a core network of the wireless network, such as the AMF 154 shown in FIG. 1, in a manner consistent with the disclosed implementation.

[0169]

[0179] In block 1002, the first entity may store a positioning capability of the UE when the UE indicates that the positioning capability is stable (e.g., not variable), e.g., as described in step 2 of Figure 2 and step 6 of Figure 4. Means for storing a positioning capability of the UE when the UE indicates that the positioning capability is stable may include, e.g., the external interface 716 and one or more processors 702 with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 704 and / or medium 720 of the AMF 700, such as a positioning capability storage module 726, as shown in Figure 7.

[0170]

[0180] In block 1004, the first entity may send a location request to the location server, the location request including the stored positioning capabilities of the UE, e.g., as described in step 4 of FIG. 2 and step 3 of FIG. 4. The first entity may be, for example, an access and mobility management function (e.g., AMF 154), and the location server may be a location management function (e.g., LMF 152). The means for sending the location request to the location server, the location request including the stored positioning capabilities of the UE, may include, for example, the external interface 716 and one or more processors 702 shown in FIG. 7, with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 704 and / or medium 720 of the AMF 700, such as a positioning session module 724.

[0171]

[0181] In one implementation, the first entity may receive a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message from the UE, the NAS message including the UE's positioning capability and an indication of whether the positioning capability is stable or variable, e.g., as described in step 1 of FIG. 2. Means for receiving a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message from the UE, the NAS message including the UE's positioning capability and an indication of whether the positioning capability is stable, may include, e.g., an external interface 716 and one or more processors 702 with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 704 and / or medium 720 of the AMF 700, such as a NAS messaging module 722, as shown in FIG. 7. The positioning capability in the NAS message may be included, e.g., in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) Providing Capability message that is included as a parameter in the NAS message.

[0172]

[0182] In one implementation, the first entity may receive the UE's positioning capabilities from the second entity in the core network for storage in response to the second entity receiving from the UE the UE's positioning capabilities and an indication that the positioning capabilities are stable (e.g., not variable), e.g., as described in step 4B and step 5 of Figure 4. Means for receiving the UE's positioning capabilities from the second entity in the core network for storage in response to the second entity receiving from the UE the UE's positioning capabilities and an indication that the positioning capabilities are stable may include, e.g., the external interface 716 and one or more processors 702 with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 704 and / or medium 720 in the AMF 700, such as a positioning session module 724, as shown in Figure 7. The positioning capability may be received in a location response sent by a second entity for a first location session, and the location request sent to the location server may be for a second location session subsequent to the first location session, e.g., as described in steps 3 and 5 of Fig. 4. The second entity may be, for example, a location server. The second entity may be, for example, a second location server different from the location server.

[0173]

[0183] FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 1100 for supporting positioning of a user equipment (e.g., UE 102) in a wireless network, performed by a first entity in a core network of the wireless network, such as the AMF 154 shown in FIG. 1, in a manner consistent with the disclosed implementation.

[0174]

[0184] In block 1102, the first entity receives a location request for the UE, as shown in stage 1 of Figure 3. The means for receiving the location request for the UE may include, for example, the external interface 716 and one or more processors 702 with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 704 and / or medium 720 of the AMF 700, such as a positioning session module 724, as shown in Figure 7.

[0175]

[0185] In block 1104, the first entity sends a location request message to the location server, the location request message comprising the UE's identity (e.g., identifier), and the UE's positioning capability and the UE's identity are stored by the location server, e.g., when there is an indication from the UE that the UE's positioning capability is stable (e.g., not variable), as described in steps 2, 3A, and 3G of FIG. 3. The UE's identity may be, for example, the UE's Subscriber Permanent Identifier (SUPI) or Permanent Equipment Identifier (PEI). The UE's identity may be, for example, an identifier generated by the first entity. 7, for example, an external interface 716 and one or more processors 702 with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 704 and / or medium 720 of the AMF 700, such as a positioning session module 724 and a UE identifier module 728. The first entity may be, for example, an access and mobility management function (e.g., the AMF 154), and the location server may be a location management function (e.g., the LMF 152).

[0176]

[0186] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0177]

[0187] Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in various ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0178]

[0188] The various example logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed using a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0179]

[0189] The methods, sequences and / or algorithms described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software modules may reside in a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, a read only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a register, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., UE). Alternatively, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal.

[0180]

[0190] In one or more exemplary aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of the medium. As used herein, disk and disc include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically and discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0181]

[0191] In view of this description, embodiments may include different combinations of features. Example implementations are described in the following numbered clauses.

[0182]

[0192] Clause 1. A method implemented by a user equipment (UE) for supporting positioning of the UE in a wireless network, the method comprising: receiving a request for a positioning capability message from a location server in a core network of the wireless network; and sending a provided positioning capability message to the location server, the provided positioning capability message comprising a positioning capability of the UE and an indication of whether the UE's positioning capability is stable or variable, wherein the UE's positioning capability is stored in the core network if the indication indicates that the UE's positioning capability is stable.

[0183]

[0193] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the indication of whether the positioning capability of the UE is stable or variable identifies whether the positioning capability of the UE is valid for a period of time or is subject to change over time.

[0184]

[0194] Clause 3. The method of clause 1, wherein the positioning capabilities of the UE are stored in a location server.

[0185]

[0195] Clause 4. The method of clause 1, wherein the positioning capability of the UE is stored in a second entity in the core network.

[0186]

[0196] Clause 5. The method according to clause 4, wherein the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF) and the second entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0187]

[0197] Clause 6. The method of any of clauses 1 to 5, wherein the UE is an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) UE with a fixed positioning capability and the indication indicates that the positioning capability of the UE is stable.

[0188]

[0198] Clause 7. The method of any of clauses 1 to 6, wherein the request for the positioning capability message is a positioning message for a first location session, where the indication indicates that the UE's positioning capability is stable, and the method further comprises receiving a positioning message for a second location session subsequent to the first location session, where the positioning message for the second location session does not include a request for the positioning capability message.

[0189]

[0199] Clause 8. The method of clause 7, wherein the second location session includes a location server.

[0190]

[0200] Clause 9. The method of clause 7, wherein the second location session includes a second location server different from the location server.

[0191]

[0201] Clause 10. A user equipment (UE) configured for supporting positioning of the UE in a wireless network, comprising: a wireless transceiver configured to communicate wirelessly with an entity in the wireless network; at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive a request for a positioning capabilities message from a location server in a core network of the wireless network via the wireless transceiver, and to send a provided positioning capabilities message to the location server via the wireless transceiver, wherein the provided positioning capabilities message comprises a positioning capability of the UE and an indication of whether the UE's positioning capability is stable or variable, wherein the UE's positioning capability is stored in the core network if the indication indicates that the UE's positioning capability is stable.

[0192]

[0202] Clause 11. The UE of clause 10, wherein the indication of whether the positioning capability of the UE is stable or variable identifies whether the positioning capability of the UE is valid for a period of time or is subject to change over time.

[0193]

[0203] Clause 12. The UE of clause 10, wherein a positioning capability of the UE is stored in a location server.

[0194]

[0204] Clause 13. The UE of clause 10, wherein a positioning capability of the UE is stored in a second entity in the core network.

[0195]

[0205] Clause 14. The UE according to clause 13, wherein the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF) and the second entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0196]

[0206] Clause 15. The UE of any of clauses 10 to 14, wherein the UE is an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) UE with a fixed positioning capability, and the indication indicates that the positioning capability of the UE is stable.

[0197]

[0207] Clause 16. A UE as described in any of clauses 10 to 15, wherein the request for a positioning capability message is a positioning message for a first location session, wherein the indication indicates that the UE's positioning capability is stable, and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive a positioning message for a second location session following the first location session, wherein the positioning message for the second location session does not include a request for a positioning capability message.

[0198]

[0208] Clause 17. The UE of clause 16, wherein the second location session includes a location server.

[0199]

[0209] Clause 18. The UE of clause 16, wherein the second location session includes a second location server different from the location server.

[0200]

[0210] Clause 19. A user equipment (UE) configured for supporting positioning of the UE in a wireless network, comprising: means for receiving a request for a positioning capability message from a location server in a core network of the wireless network; and means for sending a provided positioning capability message to the location server, the provided positioning capability message comprising a positioning capability of the UE and an indication of whether the positioning capability of the UE is stable or variable, wherein the positioning capability of the UE is stored in the core network if the indication indicates that the positioning capability of the UE is stable.

[0201]

[0211] Clause 20. The UE of clause 19, wherein the indication of whether the positioning capability of the UE is stable or variable identifies whether the positioning capability of the UE is valid for a period of time or is subject to change over time.

[0202]

[0212] Clause 21. The UE of clause 19, wherein a positioning capability of the UE is stored in a location server.

[0203]

[0213] Clause 22. The UE of clause 19, wherein a positioning capability of the UE is stored in a second entity within the core network.

[0204]

[0214] Clause 23. The UE of clause 22, wherein the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF) and the second entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0205]

[0215] Clause 24. The UE of any of clauses 19 to 23, wherein the UE is an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) UE with a fixed positioning capability, and the indication indicates that the positioning capability of the UE is stable.

[0206]

[0216] Clause 25. A UE as described in any of clauses 19 to 24, wherein the request for a positioning capability message is a positioning message for a first location session, wherein the indication indicates that the UE's positioning capability is stable, and the method further comprises means for receiving a positioning message for a second location session following the first location session, wherein the positioning message for the second location session does not include a request for a positioning capability message.

[0207]

[0217] Clause 26. The UE of clause 25, wherein the second location session includes a location server.

[0208]

[0218] Clause 27. The UE of clause 25, wherein the second location session includes a second location server different from the location server.

[0209]

[0219] Clause 28. A non-transitory storage medium having program code stored thereon, the program code operable to configure at least one processor within a user equipment (UE) to support positioning of the UE in a wireless network, the program code comprising instructions for receiving a request for a positioning capabilities message from a location server in a core network of the wireless network and sending a provided positioning capabilities message to the location server, the provided positioning capabilities message comprising a positioning capability of the UE and an indication of whether the positioning capability of the UE is stable or variable, wherein the positioning capability of the UE is stored in the core network if the indication indicates that the positioning capability of the UE is stable.

[0210]

[0220] Clause 29. A non-transitory storage medium as described in clause 28, wherein the indication of whether the positioning capability of the UE is stable or variable identifies whether the positioning capability of the UE is valid for a period of time or is subject to change over time.

[0211]

[0221] Clause 30. A non-transitory storage medium according to clause 28, wherein the positioning capabilities of the UE are stored in a location server.

[0212]

[0222] Clause 31. The non-transitory storage medium according to clause 28, wherein the positioning capability of the UE is stored in a second entity within the core network.

[0213]

[0223] Clause 32. The non-transitory storage medium according to clause 31, wherein the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF) and the second entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0214]

[0224] Clause 33. The non-transitory storage medium of any of clauses 28 to 32, wherein the UE is an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) UE with a fixed positioning capability, and the indication indicates that the positioning capability of the UE is stable.

[0215]

[0225] Clause 34. A non-transitory storage medium as described in any of clauses 28 to 33, wherein the request for a positioning capability message is a positioning message for a first location session, where the instructions indicate that the UE's positioning capability is stable, and the program code further comprises instructions for receiving a positioning message for a second location session subsequent to the first location session, where the positioning message for the second location session does not include a request for a positioning capability message.

[0216]

[0226] Clause 35. The non-transitory storage medium of clause 34, wherein the second location session includes a location server.

[0217]

[0227] Clause 36. The non-transitory storage medium of clause 34, wherein the second location session includes a second location server different from the location server.

[0218]

[0228] Clause 37. A method, performed by a location server in a core network of a wireless network, for supporting positioning of a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network, comprising: receiving a positioning capability of the UE in a first location session; the positioning capability of the UE being received from the UE in response to a request for positioning capability sent to the UE or being received unsolicited from the UE, the positioning capability including an indication as to whether the positioning capability is stable or variable; and enabling storage of the positioning capability of the UE in the core network if the indication indicates that the positioning capability is stable.

[0219]

[0229] Clause 38. The method of clause 37, wherein the indication of whether the positioning capability is stable or variable identifies whether the positioning capability is valid over a period of time or is subject to change over time.

[0220]

[0230] Clause 39. The method of clause 37, further comprising conducting a second location session with the UE subsequent to the first location session, and obtaining a positioning capability of the UE stored in the core network to enable conducting the second location session.

[0221]

[0231] Clause 40. The method of clause 39, wherein enabling storage of a positioning capability of the UE in the cocore network comprises storing the positioning capability in a location server.

[0222]

[0232] Clause 41. The method of clause 40, further comprising receiving a first location request for the UE from a second entity in the core network for a first location session, wherein the first location request comprises a UE identification information, storing the UE identification information in association with a positioning capability in the location server, and receiving a second location request for the UE from the second entity for a second location session, wherein the second location request comprises the UE identification information, and wherein obtaining the positioning capability for the UE stored in the core network is based on the UE identification information.

[0223]

[0233] Clause 42. The method according to clause 41, wherein the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF) and the second entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0224]

[0234] Clause 43. The method of clause 39, wherein enabling storage of a positioning capability of the UE in the core network comprises sending the positioning capability to a second entity in the core network for storage at the second entity.

[0225]

[0235] Clause 44. The method of clause 43, further comprising sending a location response for the first location session to the second entity, wherein the positioning capabilities are included in the location response.

[0226]

[0236] Clause 45. The method of clause 44, wherein obtaining the positioning capabilities of the UE stored in the core network comprises receiving a location request for a second location session from a second entity, wherein the location request includes the positioning capabilities of the UE stored in the second entity.

[0227]

[0237] Clause 46. The method according to clause 43, wherein the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF) and the second entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0228]

[0238] Clause 47. A location server in a core network of a wireless network configured to support positioning of a user equipment (UE) in the wireless network, comprising: an external interface configured to communicate wirelessly with entities in the wireless network; at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the external interface and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive, via the external interface, a positioning capability of the UE in a first location session, the positioning capability of the UE being received from the UE in response to a request for positioning capability sent to the UE or being received unsolicited from the UE, the positioning capability including an indication as to whether the positioning capability is stable or variable, and the processor is further configured to enable storage of the positioning capability of the UE in the core network if the indication indicates that the positioning capability is stable.

[0229]

[0239] Clause 48. The location server of clause 47, wherein the indication of whether the positioning capability is stable or variable identifies whether the positioning capability is valid for a period of time or is subject to change over time.

[0230]

[0240] Clause 49. The location server of clause 47, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to conduct a second location session with the UE subsequent to the first location session, and to retrieve positioning capabilities of the UE stored in the core network to enable conducting the second location session.

[0231]

[0241] Clause 50. The location server of clause 49, wherein the at least one processor is configured to enable storage of a positioning capability of the UE in the core network by being configured to store the positioning capability in the location server.

[0232]

[0242] Clause 51. The location server of clause 50, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive, via the external interface, a first location request for the UE for a first location session from a second entity in the core network, where the first location request comprises a UE identification information, and to store the UE identification information in association with a positioning capability in the location server, and further configured to receive, via the external interface, a second location request for the UE for a second location session from the second entity, where the second location request comprises the UE identification information, and where obtaining the positioning capability for the UE stored in the core network is based on the UE identification information.

[0233]

[0243] Clause 52. The location server according to clause 51, wherein the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF) and the second entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0234]

[0244] Clause 53. The location server of clause 49, wherein the at least one processor is configured to enable storage of the positioning capabilities of the UE in the core network by being configured to send the positioning capabilities via the external interface to a second entity in the core network for storage in the second entity.

[0235]

[0245] Clause 54. The location server of clause 53, wherein the at least one processor is configured to send a location response for the first location session to the second entity via the external interface, wherein the positioning capability is included in the location response.

[0236]

[0246] Clause 55. The location server of clause 54, wherein at least one processor is configured to receive a location request for a second location session from a second entity via an external interface, thereby obtaining a positioning capability of the UE stored in the core network, wherein the location request includes the positioning capability of the UE stored in the second entity.

[0237]

[0247] Clause 56. The location server according to clause 53, wherein the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF) and the second entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0238]

[0248] Clause 57. A location server in a core network of a wireless network configured to support positioning of a user equipment (UE) in the wireless network, the location server comprising: means for receiving a positioning capability of the UE in a first location session; and means for enabling storage of the positioning capability of the UE in the core network if the indication indicates that the positioning capability is stable, the location server receiving the positioning capability of the UE in a first location session, the positioning capability of the UE being received from the UE in response to a request for positioning capability sent to the UE or being received unsolicited from the UE, the positioning capability including an indication as to whether the positioning capability is stable or variable.

[0239]

[0249] Clause 58. The location server of clause 57, wherein the indication of whether the positioning capability is stable or variable identifies whether the positioning capability is valid for a period of time or is subject to change over time.

[0240]

[0250] Clause 59. The location server of clause 57, further comprising means for conducting a second location session with the UE subsequent to the first location session, and means for retrieving positioning capabilities of the UE stored in the core network to enable conducting the second location session.

[0241]

[0251] Clause 60. The location server of clause 59, wherein the means for enabling storage of a positioning capability of the UE in the core network stores the positioning capability in the location server.

[0242]

[0252] Clause 61. The location server of clause 60, further comprising means for receiving from a second entity in the core network a first location request for the UE for a first location session, wherein the first location request comprises a UE identification information, means for storing the UE identification information in association with a positioning capability in the location server, and means for receiving from the second entity a second location request for the UE for a second location session, wherein the second location request comprises the UE identification information, and wherein the means for obtaining the positioning capability for the UE stored in the core network uses the UE identification information.

[0243]

[0253] Clause 62. The location server according to clause 61, wherein the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF) and the second entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0244]

[0254] Clause 63. The location server of clause 59, wherein the means for enabling storage of the positioning capability of the UE in the core network sends the positioning capability to a second entity in the core network for storage at the second entity.

[0245]

[0255] Clause 64. The location server of clause 63, further comprising means for sending a location response for the first location session to the second entity, wherein the positioning capabilities are included in the location response.

[0246]

[0256] Clause 65. The location server of clause 64, wherein the means for obtaining the UE's positioning capabilities stored in the core network comprises means for receiving a location request for a second location session from a second entity, the location request including the UE's positioning capabilities stored in the second entity.

[0247]

[0257] Clause 66. The location server according to clause 63, wherein the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF) and the second entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0248]

[0258] Clause 67. A non-transitory storage medium having program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a location server in a core network of a wireless network to support positioning of a user equipment (UE) in the wireless network, the program code comprising instructions for receiving a positioning capability of the UE in a first location session; and, if the positioning capability of the UE is received from the UE in response to a request for positioning capability sent to the UE or is received unsolicited from the UE, the positioning capability including an indication as to whether the positioning capability is stable or variable, and enabling storage of the positioning capability of the UE in the core network if the indication indicates that the positioning capability is stable.

[0249]

[0259] Clause 68. A non-transitory storage medium as described in clause 67, wherein the indication as to whether the positioning capability is stable or variable identifies whether the positioning capability is valid over a period of time or is subject to change over time.

[0250]

[0260] Clause 69. The non-transitory storage medium of clause 67, wherein the program code further comprises instructions for conducting a second location session with the UE subsequent to the first location session, and obtaining a positioning capability of the UE stored in the core network to enable conducting the second location session.

[0251]

[0261] Clause 70. The non-transitory storage medium of clause 69, wherein the instructions for enabling storage of a positioning capability of the UE in the core network comprise instructions for storing the positioning capability in a location server.

[0252]

[0262] Clause 71. The non-transitory storage medium of clause 70, wherein the program code further comprises instructions for receiving a first location request for the UE from a second entity in the core network for a first location session, wherein the first location request comprises a UE identification information, storing the UE identification information in association with a positioning capability in the location server, and receiving a second location request for the UE from the second entity for a second location session, wherein the second location request comprises the UE identification information, and wherein the instructions for obtaining the positioning capability for the UE stored in the core network use the UE identification information.

[0253]

[0263] Clause 72. The non-transitory storage medium according to clause 71, wherein the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF) and the second entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0254]

[0264] Clause 73. The non-transitory storage medium of clause 69, wherein the instructions for enabling storage of a positioning capability of the UE in the core network comprise instructions for sending the positioning capability to a second entity in the core network for storage at the second entity.

[0255]

[0265] Clause 74. The non-transitory storage medium of clause 73, wherein the program code comprises instructions for sending a location response for the first location session to the second entity, wherein the positioning capabilities are included in the location response.

[0256]

[0266] Clause 75. The non-transitory storage medium of clause 74, wherein the instructions for obtaining a positioning capability of the UE stored in the core network comprise instructions for receiving a location request for a second location session from a second entity, wherein the location request includes the positioning capability of the UE stored in the second entity.

[0257]

[0267] Clause 76. The non-transitory storage medium according to clause 73, wherein the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF) and the second entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0258]

[0268] Clause 77. A method performed by a first entity in a core network of a wireless network for supporting positioning of a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network, the method comprising: if the UE indicates that the positioning capability is stable, storing a positioning capability of the UE and sending a location request to a location server, wherein the location request includes the stored positioning capability of the UE.

[0259]

[0269] Clause 78. The method of clause 77, further comprising receiving a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message from the UE, the NAS message including a positioning capability of the UE and an indication of whether the positioning capability is stable or variable.

[0260]

[0270] Clause 79. The method of clause 78, wherein the positioning capability in the NAS message is included in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) Provided Capability message that is included as a parameter in the NAS message.

[0261]

[0271] Clause 80. The method of clause 77, further comprising receiving, from a second entity in the core network for storage, a positioning capability of the UE in response to the second entity receiving from the UE a positioning capability of the UE and an indication that the positioning capability is stable.

[0262]

[0272] Clause 81. The method of clause 80, wherein the positioning capability is received in a location response sent by the second entity for a first location session, and the location request sent to the location server is for a second location session subsequent to the first location session.

[0263]

[0273] Clause 82. The method of clause 81, wherein the second entity is a location server.

[0264]

[0274] Clause 83. The method of clause 81, wherein the second entity is a second location server different from the location server.

[0265]

[0275] Clause 84. The method according to any of clauses 77 to 83, wherein the first entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) and the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF).

[0266]

[0276] Clause 85. A first entity in a core network of a wireless network configured to support positioning of a user equipment (UE) in the wireless network, the first entity comprising: an external interface configured to communicate wirelessly with entities in the wireless network, at least one memory, and at least one processor coupled to the external interface and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to store a positioning capability of the UE when the UE indicates that the positioning capability is stable, and to send a location request via the external interface to a location server, wherein the location request includes the stored positioning capability of the UE.

[0267]

[0277] Clause 86. The first entity of clause 85, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive, via the external interface, a non-access stratum (NAS) message from the UE, the NAS message including a positioning capability of the UE and an indication of whether the positioning capability is stable or variable.

[0268]

[0278] Clause 87. The first entity according to clause 86, wherein the positioning capability in the NAS message is included in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) Provided Capability message that is included as a parameter in the NAS message.

[0269]

[0279] Clause 88. The first entity of clause 85, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive, in response to the second entity receiving from the UE, a positioning capability of the UE and an indication that the positioning capability is stable, from a second entity in the core network via the external interface for storage.

[0270]

[0280] Clause 89. The first entity according to clause 88, wherein the positioning capability is received in a location response sent by the second entity for a first location session, and the location request sent to the location server is for a second location session subsequent to the first location session.

[0271]

[0281] Clause 90. The first entity according to clause 89, wherein the second entity is a location server.

[0272]

[0282] Clause 91. The first entity according to clause 89, wherein the second entity is a second location server different from the location server.

[0273]

[0283] Clause 92. The first entity according to any of clauses 85 to 91, wherein the first entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) and the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF).

[0274]

[0284] Clause 93. A first entity in a core network of a wireless network configured to support positioning of a user equipment (UE) in the wireless network, the first entity comprising: means for storing a positioning capability of the UE when the UE indicates that the positioning capability is stable; and means for sending a location request to a location server, wherein the location request includes the stored positioning capability of the UE.

[0275]

[0285] Clause 94. The first entity of clause 93, further comprising means for receiving a non-access stratum (NAS) message from the UE, the NAS message including a positioning capability of the UE and an indication of whether the positioning capability is stable or variable.

[0276]

[0286] Clause 95. The first entity according to clause 94, wherein the positioning capability in the NAS message is included in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) Provided Capability message that is included as a parameter in the NAS message.

[0277]

[0287] Clause 96. The first entity of clause 93, further comprising means for receiving, from a second entity in the core network for storage, a positioning capability of the UE in response to the second entity receiving from the UE a positioning capability of the UE and an indication that the positioning capability is stable.

[0278]

[0288] Clause 97. The first entity as described in clause 96, wherein the positioning capability is received in a location response sent by the second entity for a first location session, and the location request sent to the location server is for a second location session subsequent to the first location session.

[0279]

[0289] Clause 98. The first entity according to clause 97, wherein the second entity is a location server.

[0280]

[0290] Clause 99. The first entity of clause 97, wherein the second entity is a second location server different from the location server.

[0281]

[0291] Clause 100. The first entity according to any of clauses 93 to 99, wherein the first entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) and the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF).

[0282]

[0292] Clause 101. A non-transitory storage medium having program code stored thereon, the program code operable to configure at least one processor in a first entity in a core network of a wireless network to support positioning of a user equipment (UE) in the wireless network, the program code comprising instructions for storing a positioning capability of the UE when the UE indicates that the positioning capability is stable, and sending a location request to a location server, wherein the location request includes the stored positioning capability of the UE.

[0283]

[0293] Clause 102. The non-transitory storage medium of clause 101, wherein the program code further comprises instructions for receiving a non-access stratum (NAS) message from the UE, the NAS message including a positioning capability of the UE and an indication of whether the positioning capability is stable or variable.

[0284]

[0294] Clause 103. The non-transitory storage medium of clause 102, wherein the positioning capability in the NAS message is included in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) Provided Capability message that is included as a parameter in the NAS message.

[0285]

[0295] Clause 104. The non-transitory storage medium of clause 101, the program code comprising instructions for receiving, from a second entity in the core network for storage, a positioning capability of the UE in response to the second entity receiving from the UE the positioning capability of the UE and an indication that the positioning capability is stable.

[0286]

[0296] Clause 105. The non-transitory storage medium of clause 104, wherein the positioning capability is received in a location response sent by the second entity for the first location session, and the location request sent to the location server is for a second location session subsequent to the first location session.

[0287]

[0297] Clause 106. The non-transitory storage medium of clause 105, wherein the second entity is a location server.

[0288]

[0298] Clause 107. The non-transitory storage medium of clause 105, wherein the second entity is a second location server different from the location server.

[0289]

[0299] Clause 108. The non-transitory storage medium according to any one of clauses 101 to 107, wherein the first entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) and the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF).

[0290]

[0300] Clause 109. A method, performed by a first entity in a core network of a wireless network, for supporting positioning of a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network, comprising: receiving a location request for the UE; and sending a location request message to a location server, wherein the location request message comprises an identification information of the UE, and wherein the UE's positioning capability and the UE's identification information are stored by the location server upon an indication from the UE that the UE's positioning capability is stable.

[0291]

[0301] Clause 110. The method of clause 109, wherein the identity of the UE is a Subscriber Permanent Identifier (SUPI) or a Permanent Equipment Identifier (PEI) of the UE.

[0292]

[0302] Clause 111. The method of clause 109, wherein the identity of the UE is an identifier generated by the first entity.

[0293]

[0303] Clause 112. The method according to any of clauses 109 to 111, wherein the first entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) and the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF).

[0294]

[0304] Clause 113. A first entity in a core network of a wireless network configured to support positioning of a user equipment (UE) in the wireless network, the first entity comprising: an external interface configured to communicate wirelessly with entities in the wireless network, at least one memory, and at least one processor coupled to the external interface and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive a location request for the UE via the external interface, and to send a location request message to a location server via the external interface, wherein the location request message comprises an identification information of the UE, and wherein the UE's positioning capability and the UE's identification information are stored by the location server upon an indication from the UE that the UE's positioning capability is stable.

[0295]

[0305] Clause 114. The first entity according to clause 113, wherein the identification information of the UE is a Subscriber Permanent Identifier (SUPI) or a Permanent Equipment Identifier (PEI) of the UE.

[0296]

[0306] Clause 115. The first entity according to clause 113, wherein the identity of the UE is an identifier generated by the first entity.

[0297]

[0307] Clause 116. The first entity according to any of clauses 113 to 115, wherein the first entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) and the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF).

[0298]

[0308] Clause 117. A first entity in a core network of a wireless network configured to support positioning of a user equipment (UE) in the wireless network, the first entity comprising: means for receiving a location request for the UE; and means for sending a location request message to a location server, wherein the location request message comprises an identification information of the UE, and wherein the UE's positioning capability and the UE's identification information are stored by the location server upon an indication from the UE that the UE's positioning capability is stable.

[0299]

[0309] Clause 118. The first entity according to clause 117, wherein the identification information of the UE is a Subscriber Permanent Identifier (SUPI) or a Permanent Equipment Identifier (PEI) of the UE.

[0300]

[0310] Clause 119. The first entity according to clause 117, wherein the identity of the UE is an identifier generated by the first entity.

[0301]

[0311] Clause 120. The first entity according to any of clauses 117 to 119, wherein the first entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) and the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF).

[0302]

[0312] Clause 121. A non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon program code operable to configure at least one processor in a first entity in a core network of a wireless network to support positioning of a user equipment (UE) in the wireless network, the program code comprising instructions for receiving a location request for the UE and sending a location request message to a location server, wherein the location request message comprises an identification information of the UE, and wherein the positioning capability of the UE and the identification information of the UE are stored by the location server upon an indication from the UE that the positioning capability of the UE is stable.

[0303]

[0313] Clause 122. The non-transitory storage medium according to clause 121, wherein the identification information of the UE is a Subscriber Permanent Identifier (SUPI) or a Permanent Equipment Identifier (PEI) of the UE.

[0304]

[0314] Clause 123. The non-transitory storage medium according to clause 121, wherein the identity of the UE is an identifier generated by the first entity.

[0305]

[0315] Clause 124. The non-transitory storage medium according to any one of clauses 121 to 123, wherein the first entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) and the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF).

[0306]

[0316] Although the above disclosure illustrates exemplary aspects of the present disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps and / or actions of the method claims according to the aspects of the present disclosure described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of the present disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated.

Claims

1. 1. A method implemented by a user equipment (UE) for supporting positioning of the UE in a wireless network, comprising: receiving a request for a positioning capabilities message from a location server in a core network of the wireless network; and sending a provided positioning capability message to the location server, the provided positioning capability message comprising a positioning capability of the UE and an indication as to whether the positioning capability of the UE is stable or variable, wherein the positioning capability of the UE is stored in the core network if the indication indicates that the positioning capability of the UE is stable.

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of whether the positioning capability of the UE is stable or variable reveals whether the positioning capability of the UE is valid for a period of time or is subject to change over time.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the positioning capabilities of the UE are stored in the location server.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the positioning capabilities of the UE are stored in a second entity within the core network.

5. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF) and the second entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

6. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE is an Industrial Internet of Things (IioT) UE with fixed positioning capability, and the indication indicates that the positioning capability of the UE is stable.

7. The request for a positioning capability message is a positioning message for a first location session, wherein the indication indicates that the positioning capability of the UE is stable, and the method further comprises:

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a positioning message for a second location session subsequent to the first location session, wherein the positioning message for the second location session does not include a request for a positioning capabilities message, and wherein the second location session includes the location server or includes a second location server different from the location server.

8. 1. A user equipment (UE) configured for supporting UE positioning in a wireless network, comprising: a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with entities in the wireless network; At least one memory; at least one processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and to the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor: receiving a request for a positioning capability message from a location server in a core network of the wireless network via the wireless transceiver; A user equipment (UE) configured to send a provided positioning capability message to the location server via the wireless transceiver, the provided positioning capability message comprising a positioning capability of the UE and an indication as to whether the positioning capability of the UE is stable or variable, wherein the positioning capability of the UE is stored in the core network if the indication indicates that the positioning capability of the UE is stable.

9. A method for supporting positioning of a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network, the method being performed by a location server in a core network of the wireless network, the method comprising: receiving a positioning capability of the UE in a first location session, the positioning capability of the UE being received from the UE in response to a request for positioning capability sent to the UE or being received unsolicited from the UE, the positioning capability including an indication of whether the positioning capability is stable or variable; enabling storage of the positioning capability of the UE in the core network if the indication indicates that the positioning capability is stable; A method comprising:

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the indication of whether the positioning capability is stable or variable specifies whether the positioning capability is valid over a period of time or is subject to change over time.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising conducting a second location session with the UE subsequent to the first location session, and obtaining the positioning capabilities of the UE stored in the core network to enable the conducting of the second location session.

12. The enabling of storing the positioning capabilities of the UE in the core network comprises storing the positioning capabilities in the location server; The method comprises: receiving a first location request for the UE for the first location session from a second entity in the core network, wherein the first location request comprises a UE identity; storing said UE identity in association with said positioning capability in said location server; receiving a second location request for the UE for the second location session from the second entity; and wherein the second location request comprises the UE identity, and wherein obtaining the positioning capabilities of the UE stored in the core network is based on the UE identity; 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF) and the second entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

13. The method of claim 12, wherein enabling storage of the positioning capabilities of the UE in the core network comprises sending the positioning capabilities to a second entity within the core network for storage at the second entity; The method further comprises sending a location response for the first location session to the second entity, wherein the positioning capabilities are included in the location response; 12. The method of claim 11, wherein obtaining the positioning capabilities of the UE stored in the core network comprises receiving a location request for the second location session from the second entity, wherein the location request includes the positioning capabilities of the UE stored in the second entity.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the location server is a Location Management Function (LMF) and the second entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

15. A location server in a core network of a wireless network configured to support positioning of user equipment (UE) in the wireless network, comprising: an external interface configured to wirelessly communicate with entities in the wireless network; At least one memory; at least one processor coupled to the external interface and to the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor: receiving, via the external interface, a positioning capability of the UE in a first location session, the positioning capability of the UE being received from the UE in response to a request for positioning capability sent to the UE or being received unsolicited from the UE, the positioning capability including an indication of whether the positioning capability is stable or variable. enabling storage of the positioning capability of the UE in the core network if the indication indicates that the positioning capability is stable; A location server configured to:

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