Apparatus and method

Abstract

A device (200) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: an information acquisition unit (231) that acquires path information at least indicating a movement path of said device; and a communication processing unit (235) that transmits, to a base station (100), a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message containing the path information. The path information contains at least one piece of point-related information relating to a point on the movement path. The point-related information contains identification information for identifying the point-related information.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is based on Japanese Application No. 2021-138946, filed on August 27, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Technical Field]

[0002] The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and a method. [Background technology]

[0003] In Release 15 of the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) (registered trademark), several functions for UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) as user equipment (UE) are discussed and specified as work items for LTE (Long Term Evolution) (Non-Patent Document 1).

[0004] One of the specified functions is the Flight Path function, in which the UAV reports its flight path to the network in response to a request from the network. This is expected to be useful for controlling handovers, beamforming, and other operations based on the UAV's movement plan on the network side (Non-Patent Document 2).

[0005] Although the Flight Path function has not yet been specified in NR (New Radio), the use of the Flight Path function is mentioned in the proposal of the work item for Release 18 (Non-Patent Documents 3 to 5). [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0006] [Non-Patent Document 1] 3GPP TS 36.331 V15.14.0 (2021-06), “3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); Radio Resource Control (RRC); protocol specification (Release 15)” [Non-patent document 2] 3GPP TSG-RAN WG2 Meeting #101bis Sanya, China, 16 - 20 Apr 2018, R2-1805125, Huawei, HiSilicon, CMCC, Fraunhofer, Nokia, Nokia Shanghai Bell, Lenovo, Motorola Mobility, InterDigital, KDDI, "Discussion on flight path information" [Non-patent document 3] 3GPP TSG RAN - RAN-Rel-18 workshop, Online, 2021-06-28 - 2021-07-02, RWS-210190, Ericsson, "Motivation for Rel-18 UAV" [Non-patent document 4] 3GPP TSG RAN Rel-18 workshop, Electronic Meeting, June 28 - July 2, 2021, RWS-210254, Lenovo, Motorola Mobility, "Discussion on UAV Swarm Support in NR RAN for Rel-18" [Non-Patent Document 5] 3GPP TSG RAN Rel-18 workshop, Electronic Meeting, June 28- July 2, 2021, RWS-210474, ZTE, Sanechips, "Support of UAV for 5G Advanced" Summary of the Invention

[0007] As a result of detailed investigations by the inventors, the following problem was found. That is, the mechanism of Release 15 described in Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2 does not take into consideration changes and additions of route information. For example, assuming that the above mechanism is applied to changes or additions of route information, the route information is reported using signaling every time the route information is changed or added. In this case, the entire route information is reported, not just the changed or added part of the route information. Therefore, there is a risk that the redundantly reported route information will reduce the efficiency of signaling.

[0008] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an apparatus and method that can suppress a decrease in signaling efficiency even when route information reported using signaling is partially changed or added.

[0009] An apparatus (200) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes an information acquisition unit (231) that acquires route information indicating at least a movement route of the apparatus, and a communication processing unit (235) that transmits an RRC (Radio Resource Control) message including the route information to a base station (100), wherein the route information includes one or more point-related information related to points on the movement route, and the point-related information includes identification information for identifying the point-related information.

[0010] An apparatus (100) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a communication processing unit (145) that receives, from a user equipment (200), an RRC (Radio Resource Control) message including route information indicating at least a movement route of the user equipment (200), and an information acquisition unit (141) that acquires the route information included in the RRC message, wherein the route information includes one or more point-related information regarding points on the movement route, and the point-related information includes identification information for identifying the point-related information.

[0011] A method performed by an apparatus (200) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes obtaining route information indicating at least a movement route of the apparatus, and transmitting an RRC (Radio Resource Control) message including the route information to a base station (100), wherein the route information includes one or more point-related information regarding points on the movement route, and the point-related information includes identification information for identifying the point-related information.

[0012] A method performed by an apparatus (100) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes receiving an RRC (Radio Resource Control) message from a user equipment (200) including route information indicating at least a movement route of the user equipment (200), and acquiring the route information included in the RRC message, wherein the route information includes one or more point-related information related to points on the movement route, and the point-related information includes identification information for identifying the point-related information.

[0013] According to the present disclosure, even if route information reported using signaling is partially changed or added, it is possible to suppress a decrease in signaling efficiency. Note that the present disclosure may achieve other effects instead of or in addition to the effect. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2]FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of communication control based on a movement route of a user equipment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic functional configuration of a base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic hardware configuration of a base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic functional configuration of a user device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic hardware configuration of a user device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of route information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a schematic flow of a process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a schematic flow of a process according to a first modified example of the embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, elements that can be similarly described will be designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0016] The explanation will be given in the following order: 1. System Configuration 2. Base Station Configuration 3. User equipment configuration 4. Example of operation 5. Variations

[0017] <1. System configuration> An example of the configuration of a system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Referring to Fig. 1, the system 1 includes a base station 100 and a user equipment (UE) 200.

[0018] For example, the system 1 is a system that complies with the 3GPP Technical Specification (TS). More specifically, the system 1 is a system that complies with the TS of 5G or NR (New Radio). Of course, the system 1 is not limited to this example. For example, the system 1 may be a system that complies with the TS of LTE, LTE-A (LTE Advanced), or 4G.

[0019] (1)Base station 100 The base station 100 is a node in a Radio Access Network (RAN) and communicates with UEs (eg, UEs 200) located within a coverage area 10 of the base station 100.

[0020] For example, the base station 100 communicates with a UE (e.g., the UE 200) using a RAN protocol stack. For example, the protocol stack includes Radio Resource Control (RRC), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), Radio Link Control (RLC), Medium Access Control (MAC), and a physical (PHY) layer protocol. Alternatively, the protocol stack may include only some of these protocols, rather than all of them.

[0021] For example, the base station 100 is a gNB. The gNB is a node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations toward the UE and is connected to a 5G Core Network (5GC) via an NG interface. Alternatively, the base station 100 may be an en-gNB. The en-gNB is a node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations toward the UE and operates as a secondary node in E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0022] The base station 100 may include multiple nodes. The multiple nodes may include a first node hosting a higher layer included in the protocol stack and a second node hosting a lower layer included in the protocol stack. The higher layer may include RRC, SDAP, and PDCP, and the lower layer may include RLC, MAC, and a PHY layer. The first node may be a central unit (CU), and the second node may be a distributed unit (DU). The multiple nodes may include a third node that performs processing below the PHY layer, and the second node may perform processing above the PHY layer. The third node may be a radio unit (RU).

[0023] Alternatively, the base station 100 may be one of the plurality of nodes, or may be connected to other units of the plurality of nodes.

[0024] The base station 100 may be an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) donor or an IAB node.

[0025] (2)UE200 The UE 200 communicates with the base station 100. For example, the UE 200 communicates with the base station 100 when the UE 200 is located within the coverage area 10 of the base station 100.

[0026] For example, the UE 200 communicates with a base station (eg, the base station 100) using the above protocol stack.

[0027] In particular, the UE 200 is mounted on a moving object. For example, the moving object may be an aircraft such as a UAV, or a vehicle such as an autonomous vehicle or a manually driven vehicle with a navigation function. A moving path may be set in advance for the moving object. The UE 200 can benefit from communication control based on the moving path by reporting the moving path to the network (i.e., the base station 100). The reporting of the moving path may be supported, for example, by a Flight Path mechanism or by other moving path reporting mechanisms.

[0028] 2, for example, the UE 200 reports a set movement route to the base station 100. The base station 100 performs processing for, for example, handover or beamforming in advance based on the future position of the UE 200 estimated from the reported movement route. This makes it possible to perform communication control appropriate for the position when the UE 200 arrives at the estimated position.

[0029] <2. Base station configuration> An example of the configuration of the base station 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0030] (1) Functional configuration First, an example of a functional configuration of a base station 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Referring to Fig. 3, the base station 100 includes a radio communication unit 110, a network communication unit 120, a storage unit 130, and a processing unit 140.

[0031] The wireless communication unit 110 transmits and receives signals wirelessly. For example, the wireless communication unit 110 receives signals from UEs and transmits signals to UEs.

[0032] The network communication unit 120 receives signals from the network and transmits signals to the network.

[0033] The storage unit 130 stores various information for the base station 100 .

[0034] The processing unit 140 provides various functions of the base station 100. The processing unit 140 includes an information acquisition unit 141, a control unit 143, and a communication processing unit 145. The processing unit 140 may further include other components in addition to these components. That is, the processing unit 140 may perform operations other than those of these components. The specific operations of the information acquisition unit 141, the control unit 143, and the communication processing unit 145 will be described in detail later.

[0035] For example, the processing unit 140 (communication processing unit 145) communicates with a UE (e.g., UE 200) via the radio communication unit 110. For example, the processing unit 140 (communication processing unit 145) communicates with another node (e.g., a network node in a core network or another base station) via the network communication unit 120.

[0036] (2) Hardware configuration Next, an example of a hardware configuration of the base station 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Referring to Fig. 4, the base station 100 includes an antenna 181, an RF (radio frequency) circuit 183, a network interface 185, a processor 187, a memory 189, and a storage 191.

[0037] Antenna 181 converts signals into radio waves and radiates the radio waves into space. Antenna 181 also receives radio waves in space and converts the radio waves into signals. Antenna 181 may include a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna, or may be a single antenna for both transmission and reception. Antenna 181 may be a directional antenna and may include multiple antenna elements.

[0038] The RF circuit 183 performs analog processing of signals transmitted and received via the antenna 181. The RF circuit 183 may include a high-frequency filter, an amplifier, a modulator, a low-pass filter, and the like.

[0039] The network interface 185 is, for example, a network adapter, and transmits signals to and receives signals from a network.

[0040] The processor 187 performs digital processing of signals transmitted and received via the antenna 181 and the RF circuit 183. The digital processing includes processing of a protocol stack of the RAN. The processor 187 also processes signals transmitted and received via the network interface 185. The processor 187 may include multiple processors or may be a single processor. The multiple processors may include a baseband processor that performs the digital processing and one or more processors that perform other processing.

[0041] Memory 189 stores programs executed by processor 187, parameters related to the programs, and various other information. Memory 189 may include at least one of a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a random access memory (RAM), and a flash memory. All or a part of memory 189 may be included within processor 187.

[0042] The storage 191 stores various information and may include at least one of an SSD (Solid State Drive) and an HDD (Hard Disc Drive).

[0043] The wireless communication unit 110 may be implemented by an antenna 181 and an RF circuit 183. The network communication unit 120 may be implemented by a network interface 185. The memory unit 130 may be implemented by a storage 191. The processing unit 140 may be implemented by a processor 187 and a memory 189.

[0044] A part or all of the processing unit 140 may be virtualized. In other words, a part or all of the processing unit 140 may be implemented as a virtual machine. In this case, a part or all of the processing unit 140 may operate as a virtual machine on a physical machine (i.e., hardware) including a processor, memory, etc., and a hypervisor.

[0045] Considering the above hardware configuration, base station 100 may include a memory (i.e., memory 189) that stores a program, and one or more processors (i.e., processor 187) that can execute the program, and the one or more processors may execute the program to perform the operations of processing unit 140. The program may be a program that causes the processor to perform the operations of processing unit 140.

[0046] <3. User device configuration> An example of the configuration of the UE 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0047] (1) Functional configuration First, an example of a functional configuration of the UE 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Referring to Fig. 5, the UE 200 includes a radio communication unit 210, a storage unit 220, and a processing unit 230.

[0048] The wireless communication unit 210 transmits and receives signals wirelessly. For example, the wireless communication unit 210 receives a signal from a base station and transmits the signal to the base station. For example, the wireless communication unit 210 receives a signal from another UE and transmits the signal to the other UE.

[0049] The storage unit 220 stores various information for the UE 200 .

[0050] The processing unit 230 provides various functions of the UE 200. The processing unit 230 includes an information acquisition unit 231, a control unit 233, and a communication processing unit 235. The processing unit 230 may further include other components in addition to these components. That is, the processing unit 230 may also perform operations other than those of these components. The specific operations of the information acquisition unit 231, the control unit 233, and the communication processing unit 235 will be described in detail later.

[0051] For example, the processing unit 230 (communication processing unit 235) communicates with a base station (for example, the base station 100) or other UEs via the wireless communication unit 210.

[0052] (2) Hardware configuration Next, an example of a hardware configuration of the UE 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Referring to Fig. 6, the UE 200 includes an antenna 281, an RF circuit 283, a processor 285, a memory 287, and a storage 289.

[0053] Antenna 281 converts signals into radio waves and radiates the radio waves into space. Antenna 281 also receives radio waves in space and converts the radio waves into signals. Antenna 281 may include a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna, or may be a single antenna for both transmission and reception. Antenna 281 may be a directional antenna and may include multiple antenna elements.

[0054] The RF circuit 283 performs analog processing of signals transmitted and received via the antenna 281. The RF circuit 283 may include a high-frequency filter, an amplifier, a modulator, a low-pass filter, and the like.

[0055] The processor 285 performs digital processing of signals transmitted and received via the antenna 281 and the RF circuitry 283. The digital processing includes processing of a RAN protocol stack. The processor 285 may include multiple processors or may be a single processor. The multiple processors may include a baseband processor that performs the digital processing and one or more processors that perform other processing.

[0056] The memory 287 stores programs executed by the processor 285, parameters related to the programs, and various other information. The memory 287 may include at least one of a ROM, an EPROM, an EEPROM, a RAM, and a flash memory. All or a part of the memory 287 may be included within the processor 285.

[0057] The storage 289 stores various information and may include at least one of an SSD and an HDD.

[0058] The wireless communication unit 210 may be implemented by an antenna 281 and an RF circuit 283. The memory unit 220 may be implemented by a storage 289. The processing unit 230 may be implemented by a processor 285 and a memory 287.

[0059] The processing unit 230 may be implemented by a system on chip (SoC) including a processor 285 and a memory 287. The SoC may include an RF circuit 283, and the wireless communication unit 210 may also be implemented by the SoC.

[0060] Considering the above hardware configuration, UE 200 may include a memory (i.e., memory 287) that stores a program, and one or more processors (i.e., processor 285) that can execute the program, and the one or more processors may execute the program to perform the operation of processing unit 230. The program may be a program that causes the processor to execute the operation of processing unit 230.

[0061] <4. Example of operation> 7 and 8, an example of the operation of the base station 100 and the UE 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

[0062] (1) Operation of UE200 The UE 200 reports the route information to the base station 100. Thereafter, when the route information is changed, the UE 200 reports the changed part of the route information to the base station 100. The operation of the UE 200 and related information will be described in detail below.

[0063] (1-1) Reporting route information The UE 200 reports the route information to the base station 100. Specifically, the UE 200 (information acquisition unit 231) acquires route information indicating at least the movement route of the UE 200. The UE 200 (communication processing unit 235) transmits an RRC message including the acquired route information to the base station 100.

[0064] More specifically, the UE 200 transmits an RRC message A including information indicating the availability of route information to the base station 100. When the UE 200 receives an RRC message B including route request information from the base station 100, the UE 200 transmits an RRC message C including route information to the base station 100. Hereinafter, the above series of processes is also referred to as a route information reporting procedure on the UE 200 side.

[0065] For example, RRC message A is RRC SetupComp, ReestablishmentComp, ResumeComp, ReconfigurationComp, etc. Furthermore, RRC message B is UEInformationRequest, and RRC message C is UEInformationResponse. Furthermore, for example, information indicating the availability of route information is flightPathInfoAvailable or information equivalent thereto, route request information is flightPathInfoReq or information equivalent thereto, and route information is flightPathInfoReport or information equivalent thereto.

[0066] The route information will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 7. The route information is point-related information relating to points (waypoints) on a travel route, and includes one or more pieces of point-related information. The point-related information also includes identification information for identifying the point-related information.

[0067] More specifically, the route information includes a sequence of point-related information. Furthermore, the identification information included in the point-related information is an index of the sequence. For example, the route information may be a FlightPathInfoReport as shown in information 21 in FIG. 7, and may include a sequence of WayPointLocation, which is point-related information. Furthermore, the identification information may be an index included in WayPointLocation. In this way, since the identification information is an index, it is possible to identify point-related information without defining and managing information for identifying the point-related information in a new system.

[0068] Furthermore, the location-related information includes a plurality of other pieces of information in addition to the identification information. Specifically, the plurality of other pieces of information includes at least location information indicating locations on the travel route and time information indicating times related to the locations. For example, as shown in information 21 in FIG. 7, Location-related informationThe WayPointLocation includes a wayPointLocation that indicates the location of the point and a timeStamp that indicates the arrival time at the point. In this way, the point-related information is composed of multiple pieces of information, so that the changed parts of the route information, which will be described later, can be subdivided. Therefore, by subdividing the changed parts of the route information to be reported, it is possible to reduce the effort required for signaling to report changes to the route information.

[0069] (1-2) Reporting changes to route information When the route information is changed, UE200 reports the changed part of the route information to base station 100. Specifically, UE200 (communication processing unit 235) transmits a first RRC message including first route information, and after transmitting the first RRC message, transmits a second RRC message including second route information. The second route information includes one or more pieces of point-related information including identification information that is the same as identification information included in one of some of the one or more pieces of point-related information included in the first route information.

[0070] More specifically, when the route information is changed after transmitting an RRC message including the route information as in (1-1) above, UE200 transmits an RRC message including a changed portion of the route information. The changed portion of the route information is at least one piece of location-related information that has been changed among the sequence of location-related information included in the reported route information. Note that the transmission of the changed portion of the route information may be performed using the route information reporting procedure on the UE200 side described above.

[0071] For example, assume that the reported FlightPathInfoReport includes a sequence of 10 WayPointLocations, WayPointLocation[0]-[9] (index=0..9). When the third to fifth and eighth points (index=2..4,7) of the sequence are changed, the UE 200 transmits WayPointLocation[2]-[4], [7] to the base station 100 as the changed part of the route information (i.e., second route information).

[0072] The change in the route information may be a change in all of the information included in the point-related information, or a change in part of the information included in the point-related information.

[0073] In the latter case, some of the multiple other information included in each of the one or more pieces of point-related information included in the changed portion of the route information (i.e., the second route information) may be empty. For example, if only the time information included in the point-related information is changed, the fields of the other information (here, the point information) except for the index may be blank. In this way, by reporting only the changed portion of the point-related information, signaling for reporting the changed portion of the route information can be made more efficient.

[0074] (2) Operation of the base station 100 The base station 100 registers and manages the route information reported from the UE 200. After that, when a change in the route information is reported from the UE 200, the base station 100 updates the registered route information based on the change in the route information. The operation of the base station 100 and related information will be described in detail below. Note that detailed description of content that is substantially the same as the description of the operation of the UE 200 will be omitted.

[0075] (2-1) Registering route information The base station 100 registers the route information received from the UE 200. Specifically, the base station 100 (communication processing unit 145) receives an RRC message including the route information from the UE 200. The base station 100 (information acquisition unit 141) acquires the route information included in the received RRC message. The base station 100 (control unit 143) registers the acquired route information.

[0076] For example, base station 100 receives the above-mentioned RRC message A including information indicating the availability of route information from UE 200. Base station 100 transmits the above-mentioned RRC message B including route request information to UE 200. Thereafter, base station 100 receives the above-mentioned RRC message C including route information from UE 200. Hereinafter, the above series of processes is also referred to as a route information reporting procedure on the base station 100 side.

[0077] The received route information may be registered and managed as RRC-related information.

[0078] (2-2) Update the changed part of the route information When a changed portion of the route information is reported from UE 200, base station 100 updates the route information. Specifically, base station 100 (communication processing unit 145) receives a first RRC message including first route information, and after receiving the first RRC message, receives a second RRC message including second route information. Base station 100 (control unit 143) updates the point-related information included in the first route information that includes identification information identical to identification information included in any of one or more pieces of point-related information included in the second route information, based on the point-related information included in the second route information.

[0079] More specifically, the base station 100 receives an RRC message including route information as in (2-1) above, and then receives an RRC message including a changed portion of the route information. The changed portion of the route information is at least one piece of location-related information that has been changed among the sequence of location-related information included in the registered route information. Note that the changed portion of the route information may be received using the route information reporting procedure on the base station 100 side described above.

[0080] For example, assume that a registered FlightPathInfoReport includes a sequence of 10 WayPointLocations, WayPointLocation[0]-[9]. When WayPointLocation[2]-[4],[7] is received as a changed portion of the route information (i.e., second route information), the base station 100 updates [2]-[4],[7] of the registered sequence WayPointLocation[0]-[9] based on the received WayPointLocation[2]-[4],[7]. In other words, it can be said that [2]-[4],[7] of the registered sequence WayPointLocation[0]-[9] are replaced.

[0081] If some of the multiple other information included in the point-related information included in the changed portion of the route information (i.e., the second route information) is empty, the base station 100 (control unit 143) does not update some of the multiple other information, but updates the registered route information for the non-empty other information. For example, if a value is stored only in the time information field included in the point-related information, and the fields of the other information (point information in this case) except for the index are blank, the base station 100 updates only the time information for the point-related information.

[0082] (3) Processing flow Referring to FIG. 8, an example of processing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

[0083] The UE 200 transmits an RRC message including route information to the base station 100 (S310). For example, the UE 200 transmits an RRC message including route information including location-related information (sequence [0]-[9]) to the base station 100 using the above-mentioned route information reporting procedure. The base station 100 receives the RRC message using the above-mentioned route information reporting procedure. The base station 100 registers the received location-related information.

[0084] When the route information is changed, the UE 200 transmits an RRC message including the changed portion of the route information to the base station 100 (S320). For example, the UE 200 identifies the changed point-related information (sequence [2]-[4], [7]) in the sequence of point-related information included in the route information. The UE 200 transmits an RRC message including route information that includes the identified point-related information (sequence [2]-[4], [7]) but does not include other point-related information (sequence [0]-[1], [5]-[6], [8]-[9]) to the base station 100 using the above-mentioned route information reporting procedure. The base station 100 updates the registered route information for point-related information (sequence [2]-[4], [7]) whose index matches the point-related information included in the received route information.

[0085] Instead of the above-described route information reporting procedure, an RRC message including route information or a changed portion of the route information may be transmitted from the UE 200 to the base station 100 at any timing.

[0086] As described above, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, an RRC message including route information of UE 200 is transmitted to a base station, and the route information includes one or more pieces of point-related information, and the point-related information includes identification information for identifying the point-related information. This makes it possible to report only changed pieces of point-related information among the one or more pieces of point-related information included in the route information to base station 100. Therefore, even if route information reported using signaling is partially changed, it is possible to suppress a decrease in signaling efficiency. As a result, waste of radio resources and power consumption for communication are suppressed.

[0087] <5. Variations> First and second modified examples according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Note that two or more of these modified examples may be combined.

[0088] (1) First Variation: Additional Route Information In the above-described embodiment of the present disclosure, the changed portion of the route information is transmitted. However, the transmission of the partial route information according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to this example.

[0089] As a first modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure, additional route information may be transmitted to the base station 100.

[0090] Specifically, the UE 200 (communication processing unit 235) transmits a first RRC message including first route information, and after transmitting the first RRC message, transmits a second RRC message including second route information. The second route information includes one or more pieces of location-related information including identification information different from identification information included in any of the one or more pieces of location-related information included in the first route information.

[0091] More specifically, when route information is added after transmitting an RRC message including route information as in (1-1) above, UE200 transmits an RRC message including the additional route information. The additional route information includes point-related information that is different from any of the point-related information in the sequence of point-related information included in the reported route information. Note that the transmission of the additional route information may be performed using the route information reporting procedure on the UE200 side described above.

[0092] For example, assume that the reported FlightPathInfoReport includes a sequence of 10 WayPointLocations, WayPointLocation[0]-[9]. When three new WayPointLocations (index=10..12) are added to the sequence, the UE 200 transmits WayPointLocation

[10] -

[12] to the base station 100 as additional route information (i.e., second route information).

[0093] On the other hand, the base station 100 (communication processing unit 145) receives a first RRC message including the first route information, and after receiving the first RRC message, receives a second RRC message including the second route information. The base station 100 (control unit 143) adds, to the first route information, one or more pieces of location-related information included in the second route information, which includes identification information different from identification information included in any of the one or more pieces of location-related information included in the first route information.

[0094] More specifically, after receiving an RRC message including route information as in (2-1) above, base station 100 receives an RRC message including additional route information. The additional route information includes point-related information that is different from any of the point-related information in the sequence of point-related information included in the registered route information. Note that the reception of the additional route information may be performed using the route information reporting procedure on the base station 100 side described above.

[0095] For example, assume that a registered FlightPathInfoReport includes a sequence of 10 WayPointLocations, WayPointLocation[0]-[9]. When WayPointLocation

[10] -

[12] is received as additional route information (i.e., second route information), the base station 100 adds WayPointLocation

[10] -

[12] to the registered sequence WayPointLocation[0]-[9]. As a result, the registered sequence becomes WayPointLocation[0]-

[12] .

[0096] Furthermore, an example of processing according to this modified example will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Note that a description of processing that is substantially the same as the processing in Fig. 8 will be omitted.

[0097] The UE 200 transmits an RRC message including the route information to the base station 100 (S410). For example, an RRC message including the route information including the location-related information (sequence [0]-[9]) is transmitted to the base station 100.

[0098] When the route information is added, the UE 200 transmits an RRC message including the additional route information to the base station 100 (S420). For example, when new point-related information is added to the sequence of point-related information included in the route information, the UE 200 transmits an RRC message including route information that includes the added point-related information (sequence

[10] -

[12] ) and does not include the reported point-related information (sequence [0]-[9]) to the base station 100 using the above-mentioned route information reporting procedure. The base station 100 adds the point-related information included in the received route information to the sequence of point-related information of the registered route information.

[0099] Thus, according to the first modified example of the embodiment of the present disclosure, a first RRC message including first route information is transmitted from UE 200 to base station 100, and then a second RRC message including second route information is transmitted. The second route information includes one or more pieces of point-related information including identification information different from identification information included in any of the one or more pieces of point-related information included in the first route information. Base station 100 adds the one or more pieces of point-related information included in the second route information to the first route information.

[0100] In the Release 15 mechanism, the entire route information for unreachable routes is reported. Therefore, route information for unreachable routes among the reported route information is reported redundantly. This redundant route information may reduce the efficiency of signaling.

[0101] In contrast, according to this modification, only the added point-related information can be reported to the base station 100. Therefore, even if route information to be reported using signaling is added, it is possible to suppress a decrease in signaling efficiency. As a result, waste of radio resources and power consumption for communication are suppressed.

[0102] In addition, in the Release 15 mechanism, to avoid duplicate reports, the UE may report additional route information when it reaches the end of a route indicated by previously reported route information. However, if the UE cannot communicate with the network (i.e., the base station) when it arrives at the end of the route, the reporting of the additional route information may be delayed. This may result in a situation where the base station does not have the additional route information.

[0103] In contrast, according to this modification, only the added location-related information is reported, so that duplicate reports can be avoided and reporting can be performed at any timing possible. Therefore, since the additional route information can be reported before the route end is reached, it is possible to avoid a situation where the additional route information does not exist at the base station.

[0104] (2) Second Variant: Compliance with Other TS In the above-described example of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the system 1 is a system that complies with 5G or NR TS. However, the system 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to this example.

[0105] In a second variant of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the system 1 may be a system compliant with other 3GPP TSs. As an example, the system 1 may be a system compliant with LTE, LTE-A, or 4G TSs, and the base station 100 may be an eNB (evolved Node B). Alternatively, the base station 100 may be an ng-eNB. As another example, the system 1 may be a system compliant with 3G TSs, and the base station 100 may be a Node B. As yet another example, the system 1 may be a system compliant with next-generation (e.g., 6G) TSs.

[0106] Alternatively, the system 1 may be a system that complies with the TS of another standardization organization for mobile communications.

[0107] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that these embodiments are merely examples and that various modifications are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

[0108] For example, the steps in the processes described herein do not necessarily have to be performed in chronological order according to the order depicted in the flowcharts or sequence diagrams. For example, the steps in the processes may be performed in an order different from that depicted in the flowcharts or sequence diagrams, or may be performed in parallel. Furthermore, some of the steps in the processes may be deleted, and additional steps may be added to the processes.

[0109] For example, a method including the operation of one or more components of the apparatus described herein may be provided, or a program for causing a computer to execute the operation of the components may be provided. Also, a non-transitory tangible computer-readable storage medium having the program recorded thereon may be provided. Naturally, such methods, programs, and non-transitory tangible computer-readable storage media are also included in the present disclosure.

[0110] For example, in this disclosure, user equipment (UE) may be referred to by other names such as a mobile station, mobile terminal, mobile device, mobile unit, subscriber station, subscriber terminal, subscriber device, subscriber unit, wireless station, wireless terminal, wireless device, wireless unit, remote station, remote terminal, remote device, or remote unit.

[0111] For example, in the present disclosure, "transmit" may mean performing processing at least one layer in a protocol stack used for transmission, or may mean physically transmitting a signal wirelessly or via a wire. Alternatively, "transmit" may mean a combination of performing processing at least one layer and physically transmitting a signal wirelessly or via a wire. Similarly, "receive" may mean performing processing at least one layer in a protocol stack used for reception, or may mean physically receiving a signal wirelessly or via a wire. Alternatively, "receive" may mean a combination of processing at least one layer and physically receiving a signal wirelessly or via a wire. The at least one layer may be rephrased as at least one protocol.

[0112] For example, in this disclosure, "obtain / acquire" may mean obtaining information from stored information, obtaining information from information received from other nodes, or obtaining information by generating the information.

[0113] For example, in this disclosure, "include" and "comprise" do not mean including only the listed items, but may mean including only the listed items or may include additional items in addition to the listed items.

[0114] For example, in this disclosure, "or" does not mean an exclusive or, but rather a logical or.

[0115] The technical features included in the above-described embodiments may be expressed as the following features: Naturally, the present disclosure is not limited to the following features.

[0116] (Feature 1) A user device (200), an information acquisition unit (231) that acquires route information indicating at least a moving route of the user equipment; a communication processing unit (235) that transmits an RRC (Radio Resource Control) message including the route information to a base station (100); Equipped with the route information includes one or more point-related information regarding points on the travel route; The point-related information includes identification information for identifying the point-related information. User equipment.

[0117] (Feature 2) the location-related information includes a plurality of other pieces of information in addition to the identification information; A part of the plurality of other information included in each of the one or more pieces of point-related information included in the route information is empty. Feature 1. The user equipment of feature 1.

[0118] (Feature 3) The plurality of other information includes at least point information indicating points on the travel route and time information indicating times related to the points. 3. The user equipment according to feature 2.

[0119] (Feature 4) the communication processing unit transmits a first RRC message including first route information, and after transmitting the first RRC message, transmits a second RRC message including second route information; The second route information includes one or more pieces of location-related information that include the same identification information as the identification information included in any of the part of the location-related information among the one or more pieces of location-related information included in the first route information. The user device according to any one of features 1 to 3.

[0120] (Feature 5) the communication processing unit transmits a first RRC message including first route information, and after transmitting the first RRC message, transmits a second RRC message including second route information; The second route information includes one or more pieces of location-related information that include identification information different from the identification information included in any of the one or more pieces of location-related information included in the first route information. The user device according to any one of features 1 to 4.

[0121] (Feature 6) the one or more pieces of point-related information are a sequence of the point-related information; The identification information is an index of the sequence The user device according to any one of features 1 to 5.

[0122] (Feature 7) a communication processing unit (145) that receives, from the user equipment (200), a radio resource control (RRC) message including route information indicating at least a moving route of the user equipment (200); an information acquisition unit (141) that acquires the route information included in the RRC message; Equipped with the route information includes one or more point-related information regarding points on the travel route; The point-related information includes identification information for identifying the point-related information. Base station (100).

[0123] (Feature 8) the communication processing unit receives a first RRC message including first route information, and after receiving the first RRC message, receives a second RRC message including second route information; The method further includes a control unit (143) that updates the spot-related information included in the first route information, the spot-related information including the same identification information as the identification information included in any one or more pieces of spot-related information included in the second route information, based on the spot-related information included in the second route information. 8. The base station of claim 7.

[0124] (Feature 9) the communication processing unit receives a first RRC message including first route information, and after receiving the first RRC message, receives a second RRC message including second route information; a control unit (143) that adds, to the first route information, one or more pieces of spot-related information included in the second route information, the identification information being different from the identification information included in any of the one or more pieces of spot-related information included in the first route information. 9. The base station according to any one of features 7 to 8.

[0125] (Feature 10) A method performed by a user equipment (200), comprising: Obtaining route information indicating at least a route of travel of the user equipment; Transmitting an RRC (Radio Resource Control) message including the route information to a base station (100); Including, the route information includes one or more point-related information regarding points on the travel route; The point-related information includes identification information for identifying the point-related information. method.

[0126] (Feature 11) A method performed by a base station (100), comprising: receiving a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message from the user equipment (200), the RRC message including route information indicating at least a moving route of the user equipment; Obtaining the route information included in the RRC message; Including, the route information includes one or more point-related information regarding points on the travel route; The point-related information includes identification information for identifying the point-related information. method.

[0127] (Feature 12) Obtaining route information indicating at least a moving route of the user equipment (200); Transmitting an RRC (Radio Resource Control) message including the route information to a base station (100); A program that causes a computer to execute the the route information includes one or more point-related information regarding points on the travel route; The point-related information includes identification information for identifying the point-related information. program.

[0128] (Feature 13) receiving a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message from the user equipment (200), the RRC message including route information indicating at least a moving route of the user equipment; Obtaining the route information included in the RRC message; A program that causes a computer to execute the the route information includes one or more point-related information regarding points on the travel route; The point-related information includes identification information for identifying the point-related information. program.

[0129] (Feature 14) Obtaining route information indicating at least a moving route of the user equipment (200); Transmitting an RRC (Radio Resource Control) message including the route information to a base station (100); A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium on which a program for causing a computer to execute the above is recorded, the route information includes one or more point-related information regarding points on the travel route; The point-related information includes identification information for identifying the point-related information. Non-transitive physical recording medium.

[0130] (Feature 15) receiving a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message from the user equipment (200), the RRC message including route information indicating at least a moving route of the user equipment; Obtaining the route information included in the RRC message; A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium on which a program for causing a computer to execute the above is recorded, the route information includes one or more point-related information regarding points on the travel route; The point-related information includes identification information for identifying the point-related information. Non-transitive physical recording medium.

Claims

1. A communication device, an information acquisition unit that acquires route information including information fields that indicate each of a plurality of points; a communication processing unit that transmits a first RRC (Radio Resource Control) message including information indicating availability of the route information to a base station; Equipped with The communication processing unit receiving a second RRC message from the base station, the second RRC message including information for requesting transmission of the route information; In response to receiving the second RRC message including information for requesting transmission of the route information, transmitting a third RRC message including the route information including an information field indicating each of the plurality of points to the base station; The information field indicating each of the plurality of points includes an empty information field. Communication equipment.

2. The information field indicating each of the plurality of locations includes an information field having a value corresponding to each of the plurality of locations. The communication device according to claim 1 .

3. The communication processing unit When at least one of the plurality of points indicated by an information field included in the route information previously transmitted to the base station is changed, the first RRC message including information indicating availability of the route information is transmitted to the base station. The communication device according to claim 1 .

4. the first RRC message includes any one of an RRC connection establishment completion message, an RRC connection re-establishment completion message, and an RRC connection reconfiguration completion message; the second RRC message includes a UEInformationRequest message; the third RRC message includes a UEInformationResponse message; The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. the route information includes an information field indicating each of a plurality of timestamps; Each of the plurality of timestamps indicates a time to reach each of the plurality of points. The communication device according to claim 1 .

6. The route information includes information on a flight route or a movement route. The communication device according to claim 1 .

7. A base station, a communication processing unit that receives, from a communication device, a first RRC (Radio Resource Control) message including information indicating availability of route information including information fields indicating each of a plurality of points; an information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating availability of the route information included in the first RRC message; Equipped with The communication processing unit transmitting a second RRC message including information for requesting transmission of the route information to the communication device; receiving, from the communication device, a third RRC message including the route information, the third RRC message including an information field indicating each of the plurality of points, in response to transmission of the second RRC message including information for requesting transmission of the route information; The information field indicating each of the plurality of points includes an empty information field. Base station.

8. The information field indicating each of the plurality of locations includes an information field having a value corresponding to each of the plurality of locations. The base station of claim 7.

9. The communication processing unit receiving, from the communication device, the first RRC message including information indicating availability of the route information when at least one of the plurality of points indicated by an information field included in the route information previously transmitted to the base station is changed; The base station of claim 7.

10. the first RRC message includes any one of an RRC connection establishment completion message, an RRC connection re-establishment completion message, and an RRC connection reconfiguration completion message; the second RRC message includes a UEInformationRequest message; the third RRC message includes a UEInformationResponse message; The base station according to any one of claims 7 to 9.

11. the route information includes an information field indicating each of a plurality of timestamps; Each of the plurality of timestamps indicates a time to reach each of the plurality of points. The base station of claim 7.

12. The route information includes information on a flight route or a movement route. The base station of claim 7.

13. 1. A method performed by a communication device, comprising: Obtaining route information including information fields indicating each of a plurality of points; transmitting a first RRC (Radio Resource Control) message to a base station, the first RRC message including information indicating availability of the route information; receiving a second RRC message from the base station, the second RRC message including information for requesting transmission of the route information; In response to receiving the second RRC message including information for requesting transmission of the route information, transmitting to the base station a third RRC message including the route information including an information field indicating each of the plurality of points; The information field indicating each of the plurality of points includes an empty information field. method.

14. The information field indicating each of the plurality of locations includes an information field having a value corresponding to each of the plurality of locations. The method of claim 13.

15. The first RRC message including information indicating the availability of the route information is transmitted to the base station when at least one of the plurality of points indicated by an information field included in the route information previously transmitted to the base station is changed. The method of claim 13.

16. the first RRC message includes any one of an RRC connection establishment completion message, an RRC connection re-establishment completion message, and an RRC connection reconfiguration completion message; the second RRC message includes a UEInformationRequest message; the third RRC message includes a UEInformationResponse message; The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15.

17. the route information includes an information field indicating each of a plurality of timestamps; Each of the plurality of timestamps indicates a time to reach each of the plurality of points. The method of claim 13.

18. The route information includes information on a flight route or a movement route. The method of claim 13.

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