METHOD AND NETWORK SYSTEM FOR PERFORMING A SIDELINK POSITIONING / RANGING PROCESS IN A COMMUNICATION SYSTEM - Patent application

Abstract

[Solution] The present invention relates to a method for performing a sidelink positioning process and / or ranging process in a communication system, the communication system including a network system (20), a first user equipment (UE1) and a second user equipment (UE2), the network system (20) including a network function (NF), an integrated data management function (UDM) and an access and mobility management function (AMF), the method including the steps of: - registering (110) UE1 and UE2 with the network system (20); - the NF sending (120) a data retrieval request to the UDM; - the NF receiving (130) privacy profile data from the UDM; - the NF evaluating (140) the privacy profile data of UE1 and UE2; and - if, as a result of the previous evaluation, user consent to share location information exists, performing (150) a sidelink positioning process and / or ranging process.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for performing a sidelink positioning and / or ranging process (also referred to as SL positioning / ranging or ranging / SL positioning) in a communication system, in particular in a 5G communication system. The present invention also relates to a method for providing assistance information to a network function for performing ranging / SL positioning in a communication system and a method for providing position estimation data corresponding to a first user equipment (also referred to as UE1) and a second user equipment (also referred to as UE2). The present invention also relates to a network system adapted to be implemented in a communication system, in particular in a 5G communication system. Finally, the present invention relates to a User Equipment (UE) and a computer program product implemented in the communication system. [Background technology]

[0002] Ranging and SL positioning are important functions in communication systems such as 5G communication systems. In some applications, the mentioned technologies enable efficient communication between two vehicles (also called V2V or vehicle-to-vehicle communication), or between a vehicle and another part located close to the vehicle, for example a traffic light or a monitoring device in a construction area (also called V2X or vehicle-to-everything communication). Therefore, in important applications such as autonomous driving, ranging / SL positioning are important technologies.

[0003] Due to the importance of ranging / SL positioning, different techniques have been proposed to provide highly accurate positioning measurements in different communication standards, such as the 5G communication standard.

[0004] However, for reasons of privacy protection, a user who registers his / her user equipment in a communication system and uses various communication services (such as voice services and messaging services) of a communication provider may not agree to share his / her current location (i.e., the current location of the user equipment he / she is using) with the provider. However, the techniques proposed by the prior art do not provide an effective means for processing the user's consent to sharing location information.

[0005] In view of the above, the object of the present invention is to provide a method for performing a ranging / SL positioning process in a communication system (especially a 5G communication system), which can effectively handle the privacy preferences of a user. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, according to one aspect of the present invention, a method is proposed for performing a sidelink positioning process and / or ranging process in a communication system, particularly a 5G communication system, where the communication system includes a network system, a first user equipment (UE1) and a second user equipment (UE2), the network system includes a network function (NF), a unified data management function (UDM) and an access and mobility management function (AMF), the method comprising the steps of: registering UE1 and UE2 in the network system; and the NF sending a data retrieval request to the UDM, the data retrieval request instructing the UDM to provide privacy profile data of UE1 and UE2. The method includes the steps of: prompting, the privacy profile data indicating whether there is a first user who agrees to share location information associated with UE1 and whether there is a second user who agrees to share location information associated with UE2; - the NF receiving the privacy profile data from the UDM; - the NF evaluating the privacy profile data of UE1 and UE2; and - if the previous evaluation results in a first user who agrees to share location information associated with UE1 and a second user who agrees to share location information associated with UE2, performing a sidelink positioning process and / or ranging process.

[0007] The present invention allows for effective handling of user privacy preferences without adversely affecting the ranging / SL positioning process. Moreover, the present invention allows for the implementation of additional measures in existing network architectures without causing compatibility issues.

[0008] The communication system according to the present invention may be a 5G communication system or any other communication system based on the architecture of a 5G communication system. For example, the method according to the present invention may be applied to a communication system based on the 5G standard but not including all the functions provided in the 5G standard. The method may also be applied to a communication system including other additional functional entities not included in the 5G standard (e.g. a communication system including future communication standards including substantially the same network architecture, in particular the functional entities as described above and the functional entities related to the method according to the present invention). Preferably, the network system may be realized as a 5G core network system.

[0009] A ranging / SL positioning process can be performed between a first UE and a second UE. However, the ranging / SL positioning process may include additional UEs. The ranging process is generally known from the prior art. Ranging refers to the process of determining the distance between two or more UEs via the PC5 interface. S1 positioning refers to the process of positioning a UE using the PC5 interface.

[0010] The network system according to the present invention may be a computer system including a processing unit, a storage unit and a communication unit.

[0011] The network function may be a Location Management Function (LMF), an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) or any other network function. Thus, in some embodiments of the present invention, the NF may be the same as or different from the AMF, which will be further described below. The AMF is typically configured to interact with the access network and the UE. The AMF may support the establishment of an encrypted signaling connection to the UE, where the AMF may allow the UE to register, authenticate, and move between different radio cells in the network. The LMF may be configured to provide the functionality of determining the location of the UE.

[0012] According to the present invention, registration of UE1 / UE2 to a network system may include registration of UE1 / UE2 to an AMF, and exchange of authentication data, configuration parameters, etc. between each UE and the AMF.

[0013] The NF sending the data search request to the UDM may include sending a UE1 ID and a UE2 ID for identifying each UE.

[0014] The privacy profile data may include different types of information. For example, the privacy profile data may include a first binary flag indicating whether user consent is granted for UE1 and a second binary flag indicating whether user consent is granted for UE2. The privacy profile data may also include domain-specific consent data or time-specific consent data to be able to handle more specific privacy preferences. Thus, the privacy profile data may indicate an absolute permission of consent to location sharing or consent to location sharing depending on predefined conditions. Preferably, the privacy profile data for at least one UE may be bound to the SUPI or GPSI of the corresponding UE.

[0015] Preferably, the step of evaluating the privacy profile data of UE1 and UE2 includes the steps of: - the NF determining whether the privacy profile data includes domain-specific consent data of UE1 and / or UE2; and - if it is determined that the privacy profile data includes domain-specific consent data of UE1 and / or UE2: - the NF obtaining location estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the domain-specific consent data; and - the NF determining whether the domain-specific consent data matches the location estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the obtained domain-specific consent data.

[0016] The domain-specific consent data may also be referred to as domain-dependent consent data. For example, the domain-specific consent data may indicate that user consent is granted for a particular domain, such as a particular country, province, city, district, or town. The indicated domain may be encoded in the location data in text form or in the GPS location data. For example, the domain-specific consent data may include different fields indicating the country and city for which user consent is granted. Alternatively, the domain-specific consent data may include a GPS location defining a particular location and additional distance data to indicate the distance from the encoded GPS location for which user consent is granted. The domain-specific consent data may define contiguous domains or may define separate domains that are not connected to each other. For example, the domain-specific consent data may define two cities in different provinces or two towns in different cities for which user consent to location information sharing is granted.

[0017] Preferably, the NF is different from the AMF, and wherein the step of obtaining location estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the domain-specific agreement data includes: -the NF sending a request message to the AMF to obtain location estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the domain-specific agreement data; and -the NF receiving from the AMF the location estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the requested domain-specific agreement data.

[0018] Preferably, the step of sending a request message to obtain position estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the domain-specific agreement data may include a step of: -NF sending a request message to a UDM to obtain position estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the domain-specific agreement data; and -UDM sending a request message to an AMF to obtain position estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the domain-specific agreement data; and / or the step of receiving from the AMF position estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the requested domain-specific agreement data may include a step of: -UDM receiving from the AMF position estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the requested domain-specific agreement data; and -NF receiving from the UDM position estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the requested domain-specific agreement data.

[0019] Therefore, according to the various embodiments of the present invention described above, communication between the NF and the AMF may be performed directly or indirectly via UDM.

[0020] Preferably, the step of evaluating the privacy profile data of UE1 and UE2 includes the steps of: - determining whether the privacy profile data includes time-specific consent data of UE1 and / or UE2; and - if it is determined that the privacy profile data includes time-specific consent data of UE1 and / or UE2: - determining whether the requirements of the time-specific consent data are met.

[0021] The time-specific consent data may also be referred to as time-dependent consent data. For example, the time-specific consent data may include predefined fields indicating a particular day of the week and / or a particular time for which user consent to location information sharing is granted. According to an illustrative example, the time-specific consent data may indicate that user consent is granted from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Outside the defined time, the user may not consent to sharing his location information. Instead, the time-specific consent data may indicate that the user does not consent to a particular time. For example, the time-specific consent data may indicate that location information may not be shared from 5:00 p.m. on Friday to 8:00 a.m. on Monday. Similarly, the time-specific consent data may indicate that location information may not be shared on a particular day of the month or during a particular period of the year.

[0022] Preferably, if the previous evaluation results in a first user agreeing to share location information associated with UE1 and a second user agreeing to share location information associated with UE2, the step of performing a sidelink positioning process and / or ranging process includes: the NF sending a sidelink positioning process request and / or ranging process request to UE1; the UE1 initiating the requested sidelink positioning process and / or the requested ranging process for UE2; and the UE1 providing a sidelink positioning process result and / or ranging process result to the NF.

[0023] The communication between the NF and UE1 may be direct (especially if the NF is the same as the AMF) or indirect via the AMF (if the NF is different from the AMF, as described below).

[0024] Preferably, the NF is different from the AMF, and the step of sending a sidelink positioning process request and / or ranging process request to UE1 includes: the NF sending a sidelink positioning process request and / or ranging process request to the AMF; and the AMF sending a sidelink positioning process request and / or ranging process request to UE1; and the step of providing a sidelink positioning process result and / or ranging process result to the NF includes: the UE1 providing the sidelink positioning process result and / or ranging process result to the AMF; and the AMF providing the sidelink positioning process result and / or ranging process result to the NF.

[0025] Therefore, the NF can indirectly communicate with UE1 via the AMF.

[0026] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for providing assistance information to a network function (NF) by a unified data management function (UDM), for performing a sidelink positioning process and / or ranging process in a communication system, particularly a 5G communication system, wherein the communication system includes a network system, a first user equipment (UE1) and a second user equipment (UE2), the network system includes a network function (NF), a unified data management function (UDM) and an access and mobility management function (AMF), the method comprising the steps of: - the UDM receiving a data retrieval request from the NF; The data retrieval request includes steps of prompting the UDM to provide privacy profile data of UE1 and UE2, the privacy profile data indicating whether a first user exists who agrees to share location information associated with UE1 and whether a second user exists who agrees to share location information associated with UE2; the UDM retrieving the privacy profile data of UE1 and UE2 from a database within the UDM, in particular from the UDM's Unified Data Repository (UDR); and the UDM sending the retrieved privacy profile data of UE1 and UE2 to the NF.

[0027] The UDM can be implemented as a front-end for user subscription data stored in a database. This database is also called Unified Data Repository (UDR). Typically, when a UE connects to a network system, the UDM authenticates the access and performs some checks for supported features. Now, the subscription data is stored in the UDM, which typically defines different types of network or user policies. The data stored in the UDM is provided as a service to other network functions (NFs), in particular the AMF, PCF and NEF.

[0028] Preferably, the UDM is configured to receive privacy profile data of UE1 and UE2 and update a database regarding the current privacy settings of UE1 and UE2. The privacy profile data can be stored in the UDR as subscription data.

[0029] Preferably, the privacy profile data includes domain-specific consent data of UE1 and / or UE2.

[0030] Preferably, the method may include the steps of: - the UDM receiving a request message from the NF to obtain position estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the domain-specific agreement data; and - when the UDM sends a request message to the AMF to obtain position estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the domain-specific agreement data, - when the UDM receives from the AMF the position estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the requested domain-specific agreement data, - the UDM sending to the NF the position estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the requested domain-specific agreement data.

[0031] Preferably, the privacy profile data includes time-specific consent data of UE1 and / or UE2.

[0032] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for providing location estimation data of a first user equipment (UE1) and a second user equipment (UE2) by an access and mobility management function (AMF) is proposed, which is used for performing a sidelink positioning process and / or ranging process in a communication system, in particular a 5G communication system, where the communication system includes a network system, a first user equipment (UE1) and a second user equipment (UE2), and the network system includes a network function (NF), a unified data management function (UDM) and an access and mobility management function (AMF), the method includes the steps of: - the AMF receiving a request message from the NF or the UDM to obtain location estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with domain-specific agreement data; and - the AMF sending the location estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the requested domain-specific agreement data to the requesting NF or the requesting UDM.

[0033] Preferably, the location estimation data includes a tracking area identifier (TAI) or a cell ID, in particular an NR cell global identifier (NCGI).

[0034] According to another aspect of the present invention, a network system implementable in a communication system, in particular a 5G communication system, is proposed, wherein the network system includes a network function (NF), an integrated data management function (UDM), and an access and mobility management function (AMF), wherein the NF is configured to: send a data retrieval request to the UDM, the data retrieval request prompting the UDM to provide privacy profile data of a first user equipment (UE1) and a second user equipment (UE2), the privacy profile data indicating whether a first user who agrees to share location information associated with UE1 exists and whether a second user who agrees to share location information associated with UE2 exists; receive the privacy profile data from the UDM; evaluate the privacy profile data of UE1 and UE2; and if the previous evaluation results in a first user who agrees to share location information associated with UE1 exists and a second user who agrees to share location information associated with UE2 exists, initiate a sidelink positioning process and / or ranging process.

[0035] The network system may include a computing unit, a communication module, and a storage medium. The network system may be realized as a 5G core network system applicable to a 5G communication system.

[0036] Preferably, the NF is further configured to: - determine whether the privacy profile data includes domain-specific consent data for UE1 and / or UE2; - if it is determined that the privacy profile data includes domain-specific consent data for UE1 and / or UE2: - obtain location estimation data for UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the domain-specific consent data; and - determine whether the domain-specific consent data matches the location estimation data for UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the obtained domain-specific consent data.

[0037] Preferably, the NF is different from the AMF, and the NF is further configured to: - send a request message to the AMF to obtain location estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the domain-specific agreement data; and - receive from the AMF the location estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the requested domain-specific agreement data.

[0038] Preferably, the NF is further configured to: - send a request message to the UDM to obtain location estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the domain-specific agreement data; and - receive from the UDM the location estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the requested domain-specific agreement data.

[0039] Preferably, the NF is further configured to: - determine whether the privacy profile data includes time-specific consent data for UE1 and / or UE2; and - if it is determined that the privacy profile data includes time-specific consent data for UE1 and / or UE2: - determine whether the requirements for the time-specific consent data are met.

[0040] Preferably, the NF is further configured to: - send a sidelink positioning process request and / or a ranging process request to UE1; and - receive a sidelink positioning process result and / or a ranging process result from UE1.

[0041] Preferably, the NF is different from the AMF, and the NF is further configured to: - send a sidelink positioning process request and / or a ranging process request to the AMF; and - receive a sidelink positioning process result and / or a ranging process result from the AMF.

[0042] According to another aspect of the present invention, a network system implementable in a communication system, in particular a 5G communication system, is proposed, where the network system includes a network function (NF), an integrated data management function (UDM), and an access and mobility management function (AMF), where the UDM is configured to: receive a data retrieval request from the NF, the data retrieval request prompting the UDM to provide privacy profile data of UE1 and UE2, the privacy profile data indicating whether a first user who agrees to share location information associated with UE1 exists and whether a second user who agrees to share location information associated with UE2 exists; retrieve the privacy profile data of UE1 and UE2 from a database in the UDM, in particular an integrated data repository (UDR) of the UDM; and transmit the retrieved privacy profile data of UE1 and UE2 to the NF.

[0043] Preferably, the UDM is further configured to receive privacy profile data of UE1 and UE2 to update a database regarding the current privacy settings of UE1 and UE2.

[0044] Preferably, the privacy profile data includes domain-specific consent data of UE1 and / or UE2.

[0045] Preferably, the UDM is further configured to: - receive a request message from the NF to obtain position estimation data for UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the domain-specific agreement data; - send a request message to the AMF to obtain position estimation data for UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the domain-specific agreement data; - receive from the AMF position estimation data for UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the requested domain-specific agreement data; and - send to the NF the position estimation data for UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the requested domain-specific agreement data.

[0046] Preferably, the privacy profile data includes time-specific consent data of UE1 and / or UE2.

[0047] According to another aspect of the present invention, a network system implementable in a communication system, in particular a 5G communication system, is proposed, where the network system includes a Network Function (NF), an Unified Data Management Function (UDM) and an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), where the AMF is configured to: receive, from the NF or the UDM, a request message for obtaining location estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with domain-specific agreement data; and transmit, to the requesting NF or the requesting UDM, the location estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the requested domain-specific agreement data.

[0048] Preferably, the location estimation data includes a tracking area identifier (TAI) or a cell ID, in particular an NR cell global identifier (NGCI).

[0049] According to another aspect of the present invention, a User Equipment (UE) is proposed which can be implemented in a communication system, in particular a 5G communication system, where the UE includes a processing unit, a communication unit and a storage unit, the storage unit having privacy profile data stored therein, the privacy profile data indicating whether or not there is a user who consents to sharing location information associated with UE1.

[0050] Preferably, the privacy profile data includes domain-specific consent data.

[0051] Preferably, the privacy profile data includes time-specific consent data. Effect of the Invention

[0052] According to another aspect of the invention, a computer program product is proposed which, when executed by a processing unit, causes the processing unit to carry out any of the methods described above. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0053] Reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the ranging / sidelink positioning process according to the present invention. [Diagram 3] 2 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a method according to the present invention; [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing more detailed method steps for evaluating privacy profile data of UE1 and UE2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 5 is a flowchart illustrating more detailed method steps for obtaining UE1 and / or UE2 location estimation data associated with region-specific agreement data according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a method according to the present invention, in which an NF is configured to communicate with an AMF via a UDM; [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a method according to the present invention in which an NF is configured to directly communicate with AMF communication; [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic diagram of user equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0054] In FIG. 1, a schematic diagram of a communication system according to the present invention is shown. The communication system shown in FIG. 1 corresponds to a typical 5G communication system known in the prior art. The communication system includes a network system 20, a user equipment (UE), an access network (called NG-RAN or Next Generation Radio Access Network), a user plane function (UPF), and a data network (DN). The network system 20 includes several functions, such as an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), a network exposure function (NEF), a unified data management function (UDM), a policy control function (PCF), a direct discovery name management service (DDNMF), and additional network functions (NFs). The UE is connected to the network system 20 via an interface N1. More specifically, the UE is connected to the AMF of the network system 20 via an interface N1. And the AMF is connected to the NG-RAN via an interface N2. The different functions of the network system 20 can interact with each other and exchange data. For example, the UDM can provide subscription data of user equipment to other network functions. Data retrieval from the UDM can be initiated by sending a corresponding request to the UDM. The network system 20 is connected to the UPF, which is connected to the DN. According to the prior art, the communication system shown in FIG. 1 is in principle called a 5G communication system. However, the present invention can also be implemented in other communication systems that do not fully meet all the requirements of the 5G communication standard, but only implement some core elements related to the method according to the present invention.

[0055] In FIG. 2, a schematic diagram of a ranging / SL positioning process known in the prior art is shown. In step 1, the application layer provides ranging / SL positioning parameters to the ranging layer. In step 2, the first user equipment UE1 can send a ranging / SL positioning request to the second user equipment UE2, the third user equipment UE3 and / or the fourth user equipment UE4. The ranging / SL positioning request can be broadcast from UE1 to other UEs. The corresponding message can include the application layer ID of UE1, the application ID of the target UE and the required quality of service (QoS). In response to the ranging / SL positioning request being received, if the application layer ID of UE2 is matched, UE2 can return a ranging / SL positioning response to UE1 (see step 3). Then, in steps 4 to 6, UE1 can initiate the SL positioning process, UE1 or UE2 can obtain positioning measurement data and calculate the ranging / SL positioning result, and UE1 and UE2 can share the ranging / SL positioning result. Finally, in step 7, the ranging layer of UE1 can provide the ranging / SL positioning result to the application layer.

[0056] In Fig. 3, an embodiment of the method 100 according to the invention is shown. In a first step 110, UE1 and UE2 are registered in the network system. This step is usually performed by the AMF of the network system. After the registration process, some subscription data related to UE1 and UE2 can be stored in the database of the UDM. In a second step 120, the NF sends a data retrieval request to the UDM. The data retrieval request prompts the UDM to provide privacy profile data of UE1 and UE2. The privacy profile data indicates whether the first user's consent to share location information associated with UE1 is granted or not, and whether the second user's consent to share location information associated with UE2 is granted or not. In a third step 130, the NF receives the privacy profile data from the UDM. In a fourth step 140, the NF evaluates the received privacy profile data associated with UE1 and UE2. In a fifth step 150, if the previous evaluation in step 140 results in a first user agreeing to share location information associated with UE1 and a second user agreeing to share location information associated with UE2, perform an SL positioning / ranging process in a fifth step 150. In other words, if the first and second users agree that the location information of their UEs can be shared with the network system, start the S1 positioning / ranging process.

[0057] In Fig. 4, step 140 of the method for evaluating privacy profile data of UE1 and UE2 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in more detail. According to a first sub-step 142, it is determined whether the privacy profile data received by the UDM contains domain-specific consent data of UE1 and / or UE2. This determination step is performed by the NF, which may be the AMF or any other network function body of the network system. If it is determined that the privacy profile data contains domain-specific consent data of at least one of UE1 and UE2, in a second sub-step 144, the NF obtains the location estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the domain-specific consent data. If the privacy profile data contains domain-specific consent data of the two UEs, it obtains the location estimation data of each UE accordingly. To obtain the location estimation data, any process known in the prior art can be implemented. For example, the NF can estimate the location of UE1 / UE2 by evaluating the cell ID of UE1 / UE2. Also, a tracking area identifier (TAI) can be used to identify one (rough) location of the UE. In a third sub-step 146, the NF determines whether the domain-specific consent data matches the location estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the obtained domain-specific consent data. For example, if the domain-specific consent data indicates that the first user has consent to share his / her location information in a certain city and the location estimation data indicates that the first user (i.e. his / her user equipment UE1) is located in the same city, the obtained location estimation data matches the domain-specific consent data. In this case, the user consent to share location information is given for the first user's current location. However, if the user consent to share location information is not given for the first user's current location, the ranging / SL positioning process can be stopped and a corresponding notification can be generated. If it is determined in the first sub-step 142 that the privacy profile data of UE1 and UE2 does not include domain-specific consent data, the location estimation data is not obtained (see sub-step 148).

[0058] In Fig. 5, step 144 of the method for obtaining location estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with domain-specific agreement data according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in more detail. According to the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, in a first sub-step 144a, a request message for obtaining location estimation data associated with domain-specific agreement data is sent from the NF to the AMF. Then, in a second sub-step 144b, the NF receives from the AMF the location estimation data of UE1 and / or UE2 associated with the requested domain-specific agreement data. If the NF is the same as the AMF, the step shown in Fig. 5 is not necessary.

[0059] In Fig. 6, another embodiment of the method according to the present invention is shown, where the NF is configured to communicate with the AMF via UDM. According to the embodiment shown in Fig. 6, the NF is realized as a 5G Core Network Function (5GC NF). The steps of the method realized in the embodiment shown in Fig. 6 are as follows:

[0060] Step 1: Service authorization and policy / parameter provisioning processes are performed between UE1 / UE2 and the network system respectively.

[0061] Step 2: The 5GC NF sends a message (e.g., Nudm_SDM_Get Request) to the UDM to discover the serving AMF of UE1 / UE2 based on the UE1 / UE2 ID (e.g., the GPSI of UE1 / UE2). If the 5GC NF is the serving AMF of the UE, no AMF discovery is needed. The 5GC NF can also check with the UDM whether the AF has the authority to obtain the SL positions of UE1 and UE2. At the same time, the 5GC NF requests the user consent preferences of UE1 and UE2 from the UDM. Note that for UE1 and UE2 (reference and target UEs) to be able to discover each other to perform SL positioning, they should preferably be close to each other. Therefore, it is preferable that the UEs are served by the same serving AMF.

[0062] Step 3: UDM matches the SL positioning privacy profile of the UE based on UE1 ID and UE2 ID, and checks the user consent preferences of UE1 and UE2.

[0063] Step 4: The UDM returns the UE's user consent preferences to the 5GC NF.

[0064] Step 5: The 5GC NF checks the user consent preferences of the two UEs. If no UEs or only one UE grants user consent for SL positioning, the 5GC NF discontinues the network-assisted SL positioning service. If both the two UEs grant user consent without location restriction, the 5GC NF proceeds to step 11. If both the two UEs grant user consent but it is restricted to a certain area, the 5GC NF proceeds to step 6. If the 5GC NF is the same as the AMF of the UE, the 5GC NF skips steps 6 to 9 and proceeds to step 10.

[0065] Step 6: The 5GC NF sends a request message (eg, Nudm_ParameterProvision_Get Request) to the UDM to request the rough location of UE1 / UE2 (eg, the TAI or Cell-ID of UE1 / UE2).

[0066] Step 7: The UDM sends a request message (eg, Namf_Location_ProvideLocationInfo Request) to the AMF.

[0067] Step 8: The AMF of UE1 / UE2 sends a response message (e.g., Namf_Location_ProvideLocationInfo Response) to the UDM, which includes the rough location of UE1 / UE2 (e.g., the TAI or Cell-ID of UE1 / UE2).

[0068] Step 9: The UDM returns a message (eg, Nudm_ParameterProvision_GetResponse) including the rough location of UE1 / UE2 (eg, TAI or Cell-ID of UE1 / UE2) to the 5GC NF.

[0069] Step 10: The 5GC NF checks based on the rough location of the UE1 / UE2 whether the UE1 / UE2 is located within the area for which user consent has been granted.

[0070] Step 11: If the two UEs have given user consent at their current locations, the 5GC NF sends a SL positioning service request to the AMF of the UE (eg, UE1). If the 5GC NF is the AMF, this step can be skipped.

[0071] Step 12: The AMF forwards the SL positioning service request to UE1 through the NAS. Note that UE1 may be a target UE or a reference UE according to a request from the 5GC NF.

[0072] Step 13: UE1 initiates a SL positioning process to UE2 to trigger measurement and result calculation. The SL positioning process includes sidelink positioning discovery and service operation.

[0073] Step 14: UE1 sends the SL positioning result to AMF.

[0074] Step 15: The AMF forwards the SL positioning result to the 5GC NF. If the 5GC NF is the AMF, this step can be skipped.

[0075] In FIG. 7, another embodiment of the method according to the present invention is shown, where the NF is configured to communicate directly with the AMF (rather than via the UDM according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 6). Similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the NF is again realized as a 5G Core Network Function (5GC NF). According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the communication between the NF and the AMF is direct (see steps 6 and 7 in FIG. 7). Except for the direct communication between the NF and the AMF shown in steps 6 and 7, the additional steps 1 to 5 and 8 to 13 shown in FIG. 7 correspond to steps 1 to 5 and 10 to 15 shown in FIG. 6.

[0076] Finally, in figure 8, a user equipment (UE) according to the invention is shown. The UE comprises a processing unit 32, a communication unit 34 and a storage unit 36.

Claims

1. A method for performing a sidelink positioning and / or ranging process in a communication system, in particular a 5G communication system, the communication system comprising a network system (20), a first user equipment (UE1) and a second user equipment (UE2), the network system (20) comprising a network function (NF), an integrated data management function (UDM) and an access and mobility management function (AMF), the method comprising: - registering (110) UE1 and UE2 in said network system (20); - the NF sending (120) a data retrieval request to a UDM, the data retrieval request prompting the UDM to provide privacy profile data of the UE1 and the UE2, the privacy profile data indicating whether there is a first user who agrees to share location information associated with UE1 and whether there is a second user who agrees to share location information associated with UE2; - the NF receiving (130) the privacy profile data from the UDM; - the NF evaluates (140) the privacy profile data of the UE1 and the UE2; performing (150) the sidelink positioning process and / or the ranging process if the previous evaluation results in a first user agreeing to share location information associated with UE1 and a second user agreeing to share location information associated with UE2. method.

2. The step of evaluating (140) the privacy profile data of the UE1 and the UE2 comprises: - the NF determining (142) whether the privacy profile data includes domain-specific consent data for the UE1 and / or the UE2; - if it is determined that the privacy profile data includes domain-specific consent data for the UE1 and / or the UE2: - the NF obtaining (144) location estimation data for the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the region-specific agreement data; the NF determining (146) whether the region-specific agreement data matches the location estimation data of the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the obtained region-specific agreement data, The method of claim 1.

3. The NF is different from the AMF, The step of obtaining (144) location estimation data for the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the region-specific agreement data comprises: - the NF sending (144a) to the AMF a request message to obtain the location estimation data of the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the region-specific agreement data; the NF receiving (144b) from the AMF the location estimation data of the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the requested region-specific agreement data; The method of claim 2.

4. - sending (144a) a request message for obtaining the location estimation data of the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the region-specific consent data, - the NF sending the request message to the UDM to obtain the location estimation data of the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the domain-specific agreement data; the UDM sending the request message to the AMF to obtain the location estimation data of the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the region-specific agreement data; and / or receiving (144b) from the AMF the location estimation data of the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the requested region-specific agreement data, the UDM receiving from the AMF the location estimation data of the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the requested region-specific agreement data; the NF receiving from the UDM the location estimation data of the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the requested region-specific agreement data, The method according to claim 3.

5. The step of evaluating (140) the privacy profile data of the UE1 and the UE2 comprises: - determining whether the privacy profile data includes time-specific consent data of the UE1 and / or the UE2; - if it is determined that the privacy profile data includes the time-specific consent data of the UE1 and / or the UE2: - determining whether the time-specific consent data requirements are met, The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. If the previous evaluation results in a first user agreeing to share location information associated with UE1 and a second user agreeing to share location information associated with UE2, the step of performing 150 the sidelink positioning process and / or the ranging process may further include: - the NF sending a sidelink positioning process request and / or a ranging process request to the UE1; - the UE1 initiating a requested sidelink positioning process and / or a requested ranging process towards the UE2; the UE1 providing a sidelink positioning process result and / or a ranging process result to the NF; The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The NF is different from the AMF, - transmitting a sidelink positioning process request and / or a ranging process request to the UE1; the NF sending a sidelink positioning process request and / or a ranging process request to the AMF; the AMF sending a sidelink positioning process request and / or a ranging process request to the UE1; and - providing sidelink positioning process results and / or ranging process results to the NF, the UE1 providing a sidelink positioning process result and / or a ranging process result to the AMF; the AMF providing a sidelink positioning process result and / or a ranging process result to the NF; The method according to claim 6.

8. A method for providing assistance information to a network function (NF) by an integrated data management function (UDM), used for performing a sidelink positioning process and / or ranging process in a communication system, particularly a 5G communication system, the communication system comprising a network system (20), a first user equipment (UE1) and a second user equipment (UE2), the network system (20) comprising the network function (NF), the integrated data management function (UDM) and an access and mobility management function (AMF), the method comprising: receiving a data retrieval request from the NF, the UDM prompting the UDM to provide privacy profile data for the UE1 and the UE2, the privacy profile data indicating whether there is a first user who agrees to share location information associated with the UE1 and whether there is a second user who agrees to share location information associated with the UE2; - the UDM retrieving the privacy profile data of the UE1 and the UE2 from a database in the UDM, in particular from a Unified Data Repository (UDR) of the UDM; the UDM sending the retrieved privacy profile data of the UE1 and the UE2 to the NF; method.

9. the UDM is configured to receive the privacy profile data of the UE1 and the UE2 and update a database regarding the current privacy settings of the UE1 and the UE2; The method according to claim 8.

10. the privacy profile data includes domain-specific consent data of the UE1 and / or the UE2; 10. The method according to claim 8 or 9.

11. - the UDM receiving from the NF a request message for obtaining location estimation data of the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the region-specific agreement data; the UDM sending a request message to the AMF to obtain location estimation data of the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the region-specific agreement data; the UDM receiving from the AMF location estimation data of the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the requested region-specific agreement data; the UDM transmitting to the NF location estimation data of the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the requested region-specific agreement data, The method of claim 10.

12. the privacy profile data includes time-specific consent data of the UE1 and / or the UE2; The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11.

13. A method for providing location estimation data of a first user equipment (UE1) and a second user equipment (UE2) by an access and mobility management function (AMF), used for performing a sidelink positioning process and / or ranging process in a communication system, in particular a 5G communication system, said communication system comprising a network system (20), a first user equipment (UE1) and a second user equipment (UE2), said network system (20) comprising a network function (NF), an integrated data management function (UDM) and an access and mobility management function (AMF), said method comprising: - the AMF receiving from an NF or UDM a request message for obtaining the location estimation data of the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with region-specific agreement data; the AMF transmitting location estimation data of the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the requested region-specific agreement data to a requesting NF or a requesting UDM; method.

14. The location estimation data includes a tracking area identifier (TAI) or a cell ID, in particular a NR Cell Global Identifier (NGCI), The method of claim 13.

15. A network system that can be implemented in a communication system, particularly a 5G communication system, the network system including a network function (NF), a unified data management function (UDM), and an access and mobility management function (AMF), the NF comprising: - sending a data retrieval request to the UDM, the data retrieval request prompting the UDM to provide privacy profile data of a first user equipment (UE1) and a second user equipment (UE2), the privacy profile data indicating whether a first user exists that agrees to share location information associated with the UE1 and whether a second user exists that agrees to share location information associated with the UE2; - receiving the privacy profile data from the UDM; - evaluating the privacy profile data of the UE1 and the UE2, is configured to initiate a sidelink positioning and / or ranging process if the previous evaluation results in a first user agreeing to share location information associated with the UE1 and a second user agreeing to share location information associated with the UE2; Network system.

16. The NF further comprises: - determining whether the privacy profile data includes domain-specific consent data for the UE1 and / or the UE2; - if it is determined that the privacy profile data includes domain-specific consent data for the UE1 and / or the UE2: - obtaining location estimation data for the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the region-specific agreement data; - configured to determine whether the region-specific agreement data matches the location estimation data of the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the obtained region-specific agreement data; The network system according to claim 15.

17. The NF is different from the AMF, The NF further comprises: sending a request message to the AMF to obtain location estimation data of the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the region-specific agreement data; configured to receive from the AMF location estimation data of the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the requested region-specific agreement data; The network system according to claim 16.

18. The NF further comprises: sending a request message to the UDM to obtain the location estimation data of the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the region-specific agreement data; configured to receive from the UDM the location estimation data of the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the requested region-specific agreement data; 18. The network system according to claim 17.

19. The NF further comprises: - determining whether the privacy profile data includes time-specific consent data for the UE1 and / or the UE2; If it is determined that the privacy profile data includes time-specific consent data of the UE1 and / or the UE2: - configured to determine whether the time-specific consent data requirements are met; The network system according to any one of claims 15 to 18.

20. The NF further comprises: - sending a sidelink positioning process request and / or a ranging process request to the UE1; - configured to receive sidelink positioning process results and / or ranging process results from said UE1; The network system according to any one of claims 15 to 19.

21. The NF is different from the AMF, The NF further comprises: - sending a sidelink positioning process request and / or a ranging process request to the AMF; configured to receive sidelink positioning process results and / or ranging process results from the AMF; 21. The network system according to claim 20.

22. A network system that can be implemented in a communication system, particularly a 5G communication system, the network system including a network function (NF), a unified data management function (UDM), and an access and mobility management function (AMF), the UDM comprising: receiving a data retrieval request from the NF, the data retrieval request prompting the UDM to provide privacy profile data of a first user equipment (UE1) and a second user equipment (UE2), the privacy profile data indicating whether there is a first user who agrees to share location information associated with the UE1 and whether there is a second user who agrees to share location information associated with the UE2; - retrieving the privacy profile data of the UE1 and the UE2 from a database in the UDM, in particular from a Unified Data Repository (UDR) of the UDM; configured to transmit the retrieved privacy profile data of the UE1 and the UE2 to the NF; Network system.

23. The UDM is further configured to receive the privacy profile data of the UE1 and the UE2 and update a database regarding the current privacy settings of the UE1 and the UE2.

23. The network system according to claim 22.

24. the privacy profile data includes domain-specific consent data of the UE1 and / or the UE2; 23. The network system according to claim 21 or 22.

25. The UDM further comprises: receiving a request message from the NF for obtaining location estimation data for the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the region-specific agreement data; sending a request message to the AMF to obtain location estimation data of the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the region-specific agreement data; receiving from the AMF location estimation data for the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the requested region-specific agreement data; configured to transmit to the NF location estimation data of the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the requested region-specific agreement data; 25. The network system according to claim 24.

26. the privacy profile data includes time-specific consent data of the UE1 and / or the UE2; The network system according to any one of claims 22 to 25.

27. A network system that can be implemented in a communication system, particularly a 5G communication system, the network system including a network function (NF), a unified data management function (UDM), and an access and mobility management function (AMF), the AMF comprising: receiving a request message from the NF or the UDM for obtaining location estimation data for UE1 and / or UE2 associated with region-specific agreement data; - configured to transmit to a requesting NF or a requesting UDM the location estimation data of the UE1 and / or the UE2 associated with the requested region-specific agreement data, Network system.

28. The location estimation data includes a tracking area identifier (TAI) or a cell ID, in particular a NR Cell Global Identifier (NGCI), 28. The network system according to claim 27.

29. A User Equipment (UE) for use in a communication system, particularly a 5G communication system, the UE comprising a processing unit (32), a communication unit (34) and a storage unit (36), the storage unit (36) having privacy profile data stored therein, the privacy profile data indicating whether or not a user consent exists to share location information associated with the UE. U.E.

30. the privacy profile data includes domain-specific consent data; 30. The UE of claim 29.

31. the privacy profile data includes time-specific consent data; 31. The UE of claim 29 or 30.

32. When executed by a processing unit (32), causing said processing unit (32) to carry out the method according to claims 1 to 14, Computer program products.

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