Methods, apparatus, and programs for real-time UAV connectivity monitoring and location reporting.

Abstract

To provide a method and an apparatus for real-time network monitoring and position update.SOLUTION: In an unmanned aerial system, a location report indicating location information of user equipment (UE) is notified to an unmanned aerial system application enabler (UAE) server from a location management (LM) server. A first network event notification indicating a connection status of the UE with a network is notified to the UAE server from a network resource management (NRM) server. In response to detecting a re-connected status of the UE, a second networking event notification is notified to the UAE server from the NRM server. The second networking event notification indicates that the UE reconnects to the network. Further, the second networking event notification, identification information of the UAE server, and most recently updated location information of the UE from the LM server are recorded by the UAE server.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 746,777, filed May 17, 2022, "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REAL TIME UAV CONNECTION MONITORING AND LOCATION REPORTING", which claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 190,676, filed May 19, 2021, "Method and Apparatus for Real Time UAV Connection Monitoring and Location Reporting". The disclosure of the prior application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0002] This disclosure relates to unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) communication.

Background Art

[0003] The description of the background art provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. The research of the inventors is not admitted as prior art to this disclosure, either explicitly or implicitly, to the extent that it is described in this background art section and in aspects of the description that may not be admitted as prior art at the time of filing.

[0004] An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or crewless aircraft can include an aircraft without a human pilot, crew, or passengers. A UAV is a component of an unmanned aerial vehicle system (UAS). The UAS can further include a ground controller and a communication system with the UAV. Communication systems have been developed to support the connection requirements of unmanned aerial vehicle systems.

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] Aspects of this disclosure provide methods and apparatus for real-time network connectivity status monitoring and location reporting for unmanned aerial systems (UAS), such as those in the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network. In some examples, the apparatus for real-time network connectivity status monitoring and location reporting includes a receiving circuit and a processing circuit.

[0006] A part of this disclosure provides a real-time network monitoring and location updating method for user equipment (UE) in a Service Enabler Architecture Layer (SEAL) architecture. In this method, location reports can be received by an Unmanned Aerial System Application Enabler (UAE) server from a Location Management (LM) server in the SEAL architecture. The location reports can indicate the location information of the UE. A first network event notification associated with the UE can be received by the UAE server from a Network Resource Management (NRM) server in the SEAL architecture. The first network event notification can indicate the connection status of the UE to the network. In response to the detection of the UE's reconnection status, a second networking event notification can be received by the UAE server from the NRM server, where the second networking event notification can indicate that the UE is reconnecting to the network. (i) the second networking event notification, (ii) the identification information of the UAE server, and (iii) the last updated location information of the UE from the LM server can be recorded by the UAE server.

[0007] In some embodiments, upon receiving a location report from an LM server, the UAE server may record a timestamp associated with the location report, which may indicate the time the location report was received.

[0008] In this method, in response to a first network event notification indicating a UE connection loss event, the UAE server can record the event and its associated timestamp, which can indicate the time the event occurred.

[0009] In this method, the timestamp of the second network event notification can be recorded by the UAE server, and the timestamp can indicate the time when the UE reconnected to the network.

[0010] In some embodiments, the UAE server can record a timestamp of the last updated location information. The timestamp may indicate the time when the UE's last updated location information was received.

[0011] In this method, location updates between the LM server and the LM client can be triggered by the UAE server.

[0012] In some embodiments, a location update can trigger the LM server to send a location request to the LM client. A location report can be sent by the LM client to the LM server in response to the location request. The location report may indicate the last updated location.

[0013] In some embodiments, the UAE server may subscribe to (i) real-time network monitoring from the NRM server and (ii) location updates from the LM server.

[0014] According to another aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a processing circuit. The processing circuit can be configured to perform any of the methods described above.

[0015] A part of the present disclosure also provides a non-temporary computer-readable medium that, when executed by a computer, stores instructions causing the computer to perform any of the methods described above.

[0016] The following detailed description and accompanying drawings will further clarify the characteristics, properties, and various advantages of the disclosed protected subject matter. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of an unmanned aerial vehicle system (100) according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a network functional model (200) for a Service Enabler Architecture Layer (SEAL) according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] A process (300) for real-time monitoring of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) network connectivity status and updating of location is shown according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] This flowchart outlines the process of real-time network connectivity status monitoring and / or location updating according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram of a computer system according to one embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0018] Referring to Figure 1, the unmanned aerial vehicle system (UAS) (100) may include an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (101) and a controller (102). The controller (102) may communicate control commands from the controller (102) to the UAV (101) using a data link (103). The controller (102) may include at least one communication circuit configured to provide communication via the data link (103) via very high frequency (VHF) and / or very high frequency (UHF), and / or other radio technologies capable of analog and / or digital radio communication. The controller (102) may control the power levels of one or more propulsion devices (114), such as motors and / or engines, of the UAV (101), and / or control surfaces of a model aircraft (not shown). More abstract commands such as pitch, yaw, and roll, similar to commands for helicopters and / or aircraft, may be used. An experienced pilot can operate the UAV(101) with basic controls without relying on advanced onboard processing of control signals within the UAV(101). The UAV(101) can take the form of a helicopter and / or any other aircraft.

[0019] Advances in onboard electronic design allow for the offloading of specific tasks from a human operator (or user) 113 to the UAV(101) itself. Many UAVs, such as UAV(101), may include sensors (104) coupled to an onboard control circuit (105) to detect the attitude and acceleration of UAV(101). The onboard control circuit (105) may be a computer system with a reduced and / or absent user interface. Information acquired by sensors (104), in addition to control inputs received from the controller (102) via a data link (103), allows UAV(10) to remain stable unless a positive control input is received from the controller (102).

[0020] The UAV(101) may include a receiver (106) for one of the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) operated by the United States. Figure 1 shows a single satellite (108) that can provide a communication signal (107) to represent the GNSS. However, the receiver (106) of the UAV(101) may receive communications from a GNSS including three or more, typically four or more direct-wave satellites, to triangulate the spatial position of the UAV(101). A GNSS receiver such as receiver (106) can determine the spatial and temporal position of the UAV(101) with considerable accuracy. The UAV(101) may often be able to augment the GNSS with additional sensors on the UAV(101), often on the most important vertical (e.g., Z) axis (e.g., ultrasonic and / or lidar sensors), to enable a soft landing (not shown). The UAV(101) with GNSS capabilities can provide users with "flight home" and "auto-landing" functions. Therefore, the UAV(101) can fly to a position defined as the home position in the event of a simple command from the controller(102) (e.g., pressing a single button), or in the event of a loss of data link(103) from the controller or other timeout of meaningful control input.

[0021] The UAV(101) may also include one or more cameras(109). In some cases, the UAV(101) may include a gimbal-mounted camera as one of the cameras(109). The gimbal-mounted camera may be used to record photos and / or videos of sufficient quality for the user(113) of the UAV(101), for example, at high-definition television resolution. The UAV(101) may also include other cameras(110) to cover some or all of the axes of motion. Onboard signal processing based on the signals of the other cameras(110) can be used to prevent the UAV(101) from colliding with both stationary and moving objects.

[0022] In some cases, the UAV (101) can include a "main" camera as one of the cameras (109). The signal of the "main" camera can be communicated in real time to a human user (e.g., user (113)) via a data link (111), and can be displayed on a display device (112) included in, attached to, and / or separated from the controller. The data link (111) may be the same as or different from the data link (103). Thus, the UAV (101) can fly well away from the line of sight of a human pilot using a technique known as "first-person view" (FPV).

[0023] As a result of technological development, UAVs such as the UAV (101) have become considerably easier to fly, and as a result, are popular not only among professional UAV pilots and certain affluent hobbyists, but also among the general public. As a result, millions of UAVs are sold every year compared to the thousands (at most) of model helicopters that were sold about 15 years ago. At the same time, the knowledge, proficiency, and involvement of the user community have, on average, decreased.

[0024] The Service Enablement Architecture Layer (SEAL) can support vertical applications (e.g., UAVs and vehicle-to-everything (V2X)). The SEAL functional entities on the user equipment (UE) and the server can be grouped into SEAL clients (plural) and SEAL servers (plural), respectively. SEAL can include a common service set (e.g., group management, location management) and reference points. SEAL can provide its services to the Vertical Application Layer (VAL). The VAL can include VAL clients (e.g., UAVs) and VAL servers.

[0025] Figure 2 shows an exemplary functional model (200) on a network for a Service-Enable Architecture Layer (SEAL). The model (200) can be used for network resource management and includes a Vertical Application Layer (VAL) (206) and a SEAL (207) on a 3GPP radio network such as a 3GPP network system (213) to support vertical applications (e.g., UAV and Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) applications). The model (200) is shown as a functional architecture including common application plane entities and signaling plane entities. The common service set of the model (200) (e.g., group management, configuration management, location management) can be shared across vertical applications.

[0026] As shown in Figure 2, the VAL (206) can include a VAL client (201) and a VAL server (203). The SEAL (207) can include a SEAL client (202) and a SEAL server (204). The VAL client (201) and the SEAL client (202) can be communicatively coupled to each other to form a user device (212). The SEAL functional architecture shown in Figure 2 can take into account extremely important and common capabilities for supporting other vertical applications.

[0027] Referring to Figure 2, the VAL client (201) can communicate with the VAL server (203) via the VAL-UU (205) reference point. The VAL-UU (205) can support both unicast and multicast delivery modes.

[0028] SEAL functional entities on user devices (212) and servers can be grouped into SEAL clients (202) and SEAL servers (204), respectively. SEAL (207) can include a common set of services (e.g., group management, location management) and reference points. SEAL (207) can provide services to VAL (206).

[0029] A SEAL client (202) can communicate with a SEAL server (204) via a SEAL-UU (209) reference point. The SEAL-UU (209) can support both unicast and multicast distribution modes. A SEAL client (202) can provide service enabler layer support functionality to a VAL client (201) via a SEAL-C reference point (208). A VAL server (203) can communicate with a server (204) via a SEAL-S (211) reference point. A SEAL server (204) can communicate with an underlying 3GPP network system, such as a 3GPP network system (213), using the respective 3GPP interface (e.g., 210) specified by the 3GPP network system.

[0030] Specific SEAL clients (202) and SEAL servers (204), along with their specific SEAL-UU (209) reference points and specific network interfaces (210) of the 3GPP network system (213), can be configured in the respective network-based functional model for each SEAL service.

[0031] The VAL client (201) can provide client-side functionality to support vertical applications (e.g., UAV, V2X clients). The VAL client (201) can support interaction with the SEAL client (202).

[0032] The VAL server (203) can provide server-side functionality to support vertical applications (e.g., UAVs, V2X application servers).

[0033] The SEAL client (202) can provide client-side functions corresponding to specific SEAL services, such as location management, group management, configuration management, identity management, key management, and network resource management. The SEAL client can support interaction with the VAL client (201). The SEAL client can also support interaction with corresponding SEAL clients between two UEs. For example, the first SEAL client (e.g., SEAL client (202)) of the first UE (e.g., UE (212)) can interact with the second SEAL client (not shown) of the second UE (not shown).

[0034] The SEAL server (204) can provide server-side functions corresponding to specific SEAL services, such as location management, group management, configuration management, identity management, key management, and network resource management. The SEAL server (204) can also support interaction with the VAL server (203).

[0035] This disclosure includes exemplary information flows and data points that can be provided to enable real-time network status reporting and location updates for UAS operation under a 3GPP network using the SEAL architecture.

[0036] Figures 2 and 3 illustrate the network resource and location management of the SEAL architecture.

[0037] The Network Resource Management (NRM) server (304) shown in Figure 3 can be a SEAL functional entity that provides management of 3GPP system network resources (e.g., unicast, multicast) to support VAL applications (or VAL clients) (201). VAL applications may include, for example, UAV and V2X.

[0038] Interactions related to network resource management functions between the NRM client and the NRM server (304) can be supported by the NRM-UU reference point. In Figure 2, the NRM client can operate as a SEAL client (202), and the NRM-UU can operate as a SEAL-UU (209).

[0039] Interactions related to network resource management functions between the VAL server (203) and the network resource management server (204) can be supported by an NRM-S reference point. The NRM-S reference point can function as a SEAL-S reference point (211). In some embodiments, the UAE server (303) in Figure 3 can function as the VAL server (203) in Figure 2, and the NRM server (304) in Figure 3 can function as the SEAL server (204) in Figure 2.

[0040] Similarly, SEAL location management can provide UAS location information. For example, a location management (LM) client (301) can interact with an LM server (302) and provide location data to a UAE server (303). The LM client (301) can operate as a SEAL client (202), and the LM server (302) can operate as a SEAL server (204). Interactions related to location management functions between the LM server (302) and the LM client (301) can be supported by an LM-S reference point, which can function as a SEAL-S reference point (211) in Figure 2.

[0041] To obtain network and location information, the UAE server (303) may subscribe to a connection monitoring service from the NRM server (304) for both the UAV and / or UAV clients, as well as for the UAV's location information from the LM server (302). In some embodiments, the UAE server (303) may subscribe to a monitoring event application programming interface (API) for connection monitoring by the NRM server (304) for both the UAV and / or UAV clients.

[0042] An exemplary procedure for a VAL server to join an NRM server may include the following steps: (i) The VAL server (e.g., UAE server (303)) sends a monitoring event subscription request to the NRM server (e.g., NRM server (304)), requesting the NRM server to monitor events related to the VAL UE (e.g., UAV) in accordance with the subscription request, and may include information related to events of interest to the VAL server. (ii) The NRM server may check whether the VAL server is permitted to initiate a monitoring event subscription request, and if permitted, may respond with a monitoring event subscription response message indicating a successful subscription status, along with the subscription information to the VAL server. The VAL service ID may be used by the NRM server to derive event-specific information in 3GPP core network services (e.g., QoS requirements in analytical event subscriptions) based on the local configuration. The NRM server maps the VAL group ID (if received) to an external group ID known to the 3GPP core network. (iii) Based on the information of the events of interest in the subscription request message, if applicable, the NRM server may subscribe to UE monitoring events (e.g., LOSS_OF_CONNECTIVITY, COMMUNICATION_FAILURE, etc.) for the set of UEs (VALUE) in the subscription request. (iv) Based on the information of the events of interest in the subscription request message, if applicable, the NRM server may subscribe to UE analysis events (e.g., ABNORMAL_BEHAVIOUR, etc.) for the set of UEs (VALUE) in the subscription request.

[0043] In some embodiments, the UAE server (303) can subscribe to UAV location information and location deviation monitoring events from the LM server (302).

[0044] An exemplary procedure for subscribing to location information to the LM server (302) may include the following steps: (i) The VAL server sends a location subscription request to the location management server to subscribe to the location information of one or more VAL users and / or VAL UEs. The request may include instructions for supplemental location information. (ii) The location management server may check whether the VAL server is authorized to initiate a location subscription request. In addition, the location management server may initiate a location reporting configuration with the UE's location management client for immediate reporting. (iii) The location management server may optionally subscribe to UE location information from the 3GPP core network for the UEs. If instructions for supplemental location information are included in step 1, the UE location information is obtained from the 3GPP core network. (iv) The location management server determines the UE location information of the UEs received in steps 3 and 4. (v) The location management server replies a location subscription response indicating the subscription status and, if immediate reporting was requested, replies the VAL UE's location information.

[0045] When the UAE server is subscribed to connection monitoring, location information, and location deviation monitoring events as described above, the UAE server (303) can receive location reports from the LM server (302), as shown in step (S305) of Figure 3. The location reports may provide the location information of the UE. The UAE server (303) can record a current location report timestamp. In some embodiments, the UAE server (303) can receive location reports and / or location deviation monitoring event notifications from the LM server (302). In some embodiments, the UAE server (303) can record a current location report timestamp. In one example, the current location report timestamp may indicate the time the location report was received by the UAE server (303), the time the location report was sent from the LM server (302), or the time the UE location report was generated. In another example, the current location report timestamp may indicate the time the UE location information was captured.

[0046] An exemplary procedure for event-triggered location notification may include the following steps: (i) The location management server receives the latest location information of the UE according to the location reporting procedure. (ii) The location management server may optionally receive the UE location information from the 3GPP core network. If supplemental location information is indicated in the subscription, the UE location information is obtained from the 3GPP core network. (iii) Based on configurations such as subscriptions, periodic location timers, and location management servers, the latest user location information is triggered to report to the VAL server (e.g., UAE server (303)). The location management server determines the UE location information received in steps 1 and 2, including supplemental location information (if indicated). (iv) The location management server sends a location report containing the latest location information of one or more VAL users and / or VAL UEs to the VAL server or a previously configured location management client. (v) The VAL server may further share this location information with a group or other VAL users and / or VAL UEs.

[0047] An exemplary procedure for monitoring location deviations may include the following steps: (i) The VAL server (e.g., UAE server (303)) sends a monitoring location subscription request to the LM server. (ii) The LM server (e.g., LM server 302)) processes the information of the region of interest in the request and then subscribes to UE location monitoring with appropriate parameter mapping. Based on the subscription, the LM server periodically receives VAL UE location information from the 3GPP core network. (iii) The LM server periodically acquires VAL UE location information. (iv) After the subscriptions in steps 2 and 3 are successful, the LM server sends a monitoring location subscription response indicating acceptance of the VAL server's request and monitors the location of the VAL UE to verify whether the VAL UE is within the region of interest. (v) If the location information received from the location management client does not match that of the core network, the LM server may consider VAL UE to be outside its designated area of ​​interest and may notify the VAL server of the “Notify Mismatch Location” message. (vi) If the current location of a VAL UE is from a location management client, the core network matches, and it is not within the region of interest received from the VAL server in a monitoring location subscription request message, the LM may consider the VAL UE to be outside its designated region of interest and may notify the VAL server that the current location of the VAL UE is outside the region of interest and that the VAL UE ID is in the "Notify Absence" message. (vii) If the VAL UE's current location is within the region of interest, the LMS can periodically notify the VAL server ("Notify Presence" message) according to the "Notify_Interval" value in the "Monitor Location Subscription Request" message, indicating that the VAL UE is within the region of interest along with its current location information.

[0048] The exemplary data points shown in Table 1 may be provided by the LM server to the requesting location management client and / or VAL server to report location information.

[0049] [Table 1]

[0050] In some embodiments, the current location reporting timestamp can take one of several different time formats, such as ISO 8610 (e.g., yyyy-month-dayTHH:MM:SS), RFC 1123 (e.g., Monday, DD month YYYY HH:MM:SS time zone), or Coordinated Universal Time (UTC:yyyy-mm-ddTHH:MM:SS).

[0051] In step (S306), the UAE server (303) may receive a network event notification from the NRM server (304). This event may relate to a loss of reachability of a UE (e.g., a UAV or UAV-C). For example, the UAE server (303) may receive a network event notification called "Loss_of_connectivity_notification," which indicates a loss of connectivity of the UE to the 3GPP network. The UAE server (303) may then record such an event with a current timestamp. The timestamp may indicate the time the UE was unreachable. The timestamp may also indicate when the network event notification was received by the UAE server (303) or sent from the NRM server (304).

[0052] In some embodiments, the UAE server (303) can receive monitoring event notifications (or network event notifications) from the NRM server (304). For example, the procedure for the NRM server (e.g., NRM server (304)) to notify the VAL server (e.g., UAE server (303)) of VAL UE-related events may include the following steps: (i) If applicable, the NRM server receives VAL UE-related monitoring event notifications from the 3GPP core network. (ii) If applicable, the NRM server receives VAL UE-related analysis event notifications from the 3GPP core network. (iii) The NRM server notifies the VAL server of the VAL UE-related events in a monitoring event notification message. If multiple events are notified, the NRM server can aggregate the notifications and send them to the VAL server.

[0053] In step (S307), the NRM server (304) may send a notification to the UAE server (303) when a UE reconnection status is detected. The notification may indicate that the UE has reconnected to a network such as a 3GPP network (213).

[0054] In step (S308), the UAE server (303) may record such events, along with the last known location information and timestamp, in addition to the current timestamp. Thus, the UAE server (303) may record a notification from the NRM server (304) indicating that the UE has reconnected to the network, and the timestamp associated with the notification. The timestamp may indicate the time the notification was received or sent. The timestamp may also indicate when the UE reconnected to the network. Similarly, the UAE server may record the UE's last updated location information and associated timestamp from the LM server (302). The timestamp associated with the last updated location information may indicate one or more of the following: the time the last updated location information was generated, the time the last updated location information was sent by the LM server (302), and the time the last updated location information was received by the UAE server (303).

[0055] In some embodiments, the UAE server (303) may record notifications of UE reconnection and associated timestamps, as well as the UE's last known location and associated timestamps. The LM server may provide one or more data points, such as those shown in Table 2, to the VAL server (e.g., the UAE server) or location management client.

[0056] [Table 2]

[0057] In some embodiments, as shown in step (308), when the UAE server (303) receives notification of a UE reconnection, the UAE server (303) may further trigger a location update. For example, the UAE server (303) may trigger a location update. Thus, the LM server (302) may request UE location information by sending a location request to the LM client (301). The VAL user or VAL UE is notified and asked for permission to share its location. The LM client (e.g., 301) responds to the location management server with a report containing the location information. Furthermore, the LM server (302) may send the UE's location report to the UAE server (303) to provide real-time location information for the UE.

[0058] In some embodiments, the UAE server (303) can record the data points shown in Table 3. The data points can be recorded, for example, in step (308) of Figure 3.

[0059] [Table 3]

[0060] As shown in Table 3, network event information can be included in notifications from the NRM server (304) indicating a loss of connectivity for the UE. Network event information can also be included in notifications from the NRM server (304) to indicate the reconnection of the UE. The UAE server ID can be an identifier (or identification information) for the UAE server (303) that provides real-time network connectivity status monitoring and location updates. Location information can indicate updated location information received from the LM server (302). Updated location information can include the last updated location information. For example, the last updated location information may be the last updated location information obtained from the LM server before the UE was disconnected from the network. The last updated location information may also be the last updated location information obtained from the LM server after the UE reconnected to the network.

[0061] Figure 4 shows the real-time network monitoring and location update process (400). As shown in Figure 4, the process (400) can start from step (S401) and proceed to step (S410), and the location report can be received by the first server, for example, from a second server. The location report can be received by the Unmanned Aerial System Application Enabler (UAE) server from the SEAL architecture's Location Management (LM) server. The location report can indicate the location information of the UE.

[0062] In step (S420), the first network event notification associated with the UE can be received by the UAE server from the Network Resource Management (NRM) server in the SEAL architecture. The first network event notification may indicate the status of the UE's connection to the network.

[0063] In step (S430), in response to detecting the UE's reconnection status, the UAE server may receive a second networking event notification from the NRM server, which may indicate that the UE has reconnected to the network.

[0064] In step (S440), the UAE server may record (i) a second networking event notification, (ii) identification information of the UAE server, and (iii) the last updated location information of the UE from the LM server.

[0065] In some embodiments, upon receiving a location report from an LM server, the UAE server may record a timestamp associated with the location report, which may indicate the time the location report was received.

[0066] In process (400), in response to a first network event notification indicating a UE connection loss event, the UAE server may record the event and the timestamp associated with the event, the timestamp may indicate the time the event occurred.

[0067] In process (400), the UAE server can record a timestamp for the second network event notification, and the timestamp can indicate the time when the UE reconnected to the network.

[0068] In some embodiments, the UAE server can record a timestamp of the last updated location information. The timestamp may indicate the time when the UE's last updated location information was received.

[0069] In process (400), location updates between the LM server and the LM client may be triggered by the UAE server.

[0070] In some embodiments, a location update can trigger the LM server to send a location request to the LM client. A location report can be sent by the LM client to the LM server in response to the location request. The location report may indicate the last updated location.

[0071] In some embodiments, the UAE server may subscribe to (i) real-time network monitoring from the NRM server and (ii) location updates from the LM server.

[0072] The above-described mode of communication for unmanned aerial vehicles can be implemented in both the controller and the UAV as computer software that uses computer-readable instructions and is physically stored in one or more computer-readable media, such as one or more non-temporary computer-readable storage media. For example, Figure 5 shows a computer system 600 suitable for carrying out a particular embodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

[0073] Computer software can be coded using any suitable machine code or computer language that can undergo assembly, compilation, linking, or similar mechanisms to create code that contains instructions that can be executed directly or via interpretation, microcode execution, etc., by a computer central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), etc.

[0074] Instructions can be executed on various types of computers or their components, including, for example, personal computers, tablet computers, servers, smartphones, gaming devices, and Internet of Things devices.

[0075] The components shown in Figure 5 for the computer system (600) are essentially illustrative and are not intended to imply any limitation on the scope of use or functionality of the computer software implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The configuration of the components should be interpreted as having no dependence or requirement on any one or combination of components shown in the exemplary embodiments of the computer system (600).

[0076] The computer system (600) may include certain human interface input devices. Such human interface input devices may respond to input from one or more human users using, for example, haptic input (keystrokes, swipes, data glove movements, etc.), audio input (voice, applause, etc.), visual input (gestures, etc.), and olfactory input (not shown). Human interface devices may also be used to capture certain media that are not necessarily directly related to conscious human input, such as audio (voices, music, ambient sounds, etc.), images (scanned images, photographic images acquired from still image cameras, etc.), and video (2D video, 3D video including stereoscopic video, etc.).

[0077] The input human interface device may include one or more of the following (only one of each is illustrated): keyboard (601), mouse (602), trackpad (603), touchscreen (610), data glove (not shown), joystick (605), microphone (606), scanner (607), and camera (608).

[0078] The computer system (600) may also include certain human interface output devices. Such human interface output devices may stimulate the senses of one or more human users, for example, through tactile output, sound, light, and smell / taste. Such human interface output devices may include tactile output devices (e.g., tactile feedback via a touchscreen (610), data glove (not shown), or joystick (605), although there may also be tactile feedback devices that do not function as input devices), audio output devices (e.g., speakers (609), headphones (not shown)), visual output devices (e.g., screens (610) including CRT screens, LCD screens, plasma screens, OLED screens (with or without touchscreen input functionality, with or without tactile feedback functionality, some of which may output two-dimensional visual output or output beyond three dimensions by means such as stereographic output), virtual reality glasses (not shown), holographic displays, and smoke tanks (not shown)), and printers (not shown).

[0079] The computer system (600) may also include human-accessible storage devices and associated media, such as optical media including CD / DVD ROM / RW (620) with CD / DVD or similar media (621), thumb drives (622), removable hard drives or solid-state drives (623), legacy magnetic media such as tapes and floppy disks (not shown), and dedicated ROM / ASIC / PLD-based devices such as security dongles (not shown).

[0080] Furthermore, those skilled in the art should understand that the term “computer-readable medium” as used in relation to the subject matter of this disclosure does not include transmission media, carrier waves, or other transient signals.

[0081] The computer system (600) may also include an interface (654) to one or more communication networks (655). The networks may be, for example, wireless, wired, or optical. Networks may further be local, wide-area, metropolitan, vehicle and industrial, real-time, latency-tolerant, etc. Examples of networks include local area networks such as Ethernet and wireless LANs; cellular networks such as GSM, 3G, 4G, 5G, and LTE; wired or wireless wide-area digital networks for television, including cable TV, satellite TV, and terrestrial broadcast TV; and vehicle and industrial networks such as CANBus. Certain networks generally require an external network interface adapter connected to a specific general-purpose data port or peripheral bus (649) (e.g., a USB port on the computer system (600)), while others are generally integrated into the core of the computer system (600) by connection to a system bus, as described below (e.g., an Ethernet interface to a PC computer system or a cellular network interface to a smartphone computer system). Using any of these networks, the computer system (600) may communicate with other entities. Such communications can be unidirectional, receive-only (e.g., broadcast television), transmit-only (e.g., CANbus to a specific CANbus device), or bidirectional to other computer systems using, for example, local or wide-area digital networks. Specific protocols and protocol stacks may be used on each of those networks and network interfaces, as described above.

[0082] The aforementioned human interface devices, human-accessible memory devices, and network interfaces may be connected to the core (640) of the computer system (600).

[0083] A core (640) may include one or more central processing units (CPUs) (641), graphics processing units (GPUs) (642), dedicated programmable processing units in the form of field-programmable gate areas (FPGAs) (643), hardware accelerators for specific tasks (644), graphics adapters (650), and the like. These devices may be connected via a system bus (648) along with read-only memory (ROM) (645), random-access memory (646), internal mass storage such as internal non-user-accessible hard drives, SSDs, etc. (647). In some computer systems, the system bus (648) may be accessible in the form of one or more physical plugs to allow expansion with additional CPUs and GPUs, etc. Peripheral devices may be connected directly to the core's system bus (648) or via a peripheral bus (649). For example, a screen (610) may be connected to a graphics adapter (650). Peripheral bus architectures include PCI, USB, etc.

[0084] The CPU (641), GPU (642), FPGA (643), and accelerator (644) can execute certain instructions that, when combined, can constitute the aforementioned computer code. This computer code can be stored in ROM (645) or RAM (646). Temporary data can also be stored in RAM (646), while permanent data can be stored, for example, in internal mass storage (647). High-speed storage and retrieval to any of the memory devices can be enabled by the use of cache memory, which may be closely associated with one or more CPUs (641), GPUs (642), mass storage (647), ROM (645), and RAM (646), etc.

[0085] Computer-readable media may contain computer code for performing various computer operations. The media and computer code may be specifically designed and configured for the purposes of this disclosure, or they may be of a type readily available and well-known to those skilled in computer software technology.

[0086] For example, but not limited to, an architecture, in particular a computer system (600) having a core (640), can provide functionality as a result of a processor (including a CPU, GPU, FPGA, accelerator, etc.) running software embodied in one or more tangible computer-readable media. Such computer-readable media may be user-accessible mass storage as described above, and media associated with specific storage of the core (640) having a non-transient nature, such as mass storage (647) or ROM (645) inside the core. Software implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure may be stored in such devices and executed by the core (640). The computer-readable media may include one or more memory devices or chips, depending on the specific needs. The software may cause the core (640), specifically the processor (including a CPU, GPU, and FPGA, etc.) within it, to execute specific processes or specific parts of specific processes as described herein, including defining data structures stored in RAM (646) and modifying such data structures according to processes defined by the software. In addition, or as an alternative, a computer system may provide functionality as a result of logic (e.g., accelerators (644)) hardwired into circuitry or otherwise embodied, which may operate in place of or with software, to perform a particular process or a particular part of a particular process described herein. Where appropriate, references to software may encompass logic, and vice versa. Where necessary, references to computer-readable media may encompass circuitry that houses software for execution (e.g., integrated circuits (ICs)), circuitry that embodies logic for execution, or both. This disclosure encompasses any appropriate combination of hardware and software.

[0087] While this disclosure has described several exemplary embodiments, there are many modifications, substitutions, and alternative equivalents within the scope of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will therefore understand that numerous systems and methods not expressly shown or described herein can be devised to embody the principles of this disclosure and thus fall within its spirit and scope. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 100 Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) 101 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) 102 Controllers 103 Data Link 104 Sensor 105 Control circuit 106 Receiver 107 Communication signals 108 satellite 109 Camera 110 Other cameras 111 Data Link 112 Display Devices 113 Operator or user 114 Propulsion device 200 Function Models 201 VAL Client 202 SEAL Client 203 VAL Server 204 SEAL Server, Network Resource Management Server 205 VAL-UU 206 Vertical Application Layer (VAL) 207 SEAL 208 SEAL-C reference point 209 SEAL-UU 210 3GPP interface 211 SEAL-S reference point 212 User devices 213 3GPP Network System 300 processes 301 Location Management (LM) Client 302 LM Server 303 UAE Server 304 NRM Server 400 processes 600 Computer Systems 601 Keyboard 602 Mouse 603 Trackpad 605 Joystick 606 Microphone 607 Scanner 608 Camera 609 Speaker 610 Touchscreen 621 CD / DVD or similar media 620 Optical media 622 Thumb Drive 623 Removable hard drive or solid-state drive 640 cores 641 Central Processing Unit (CPU) 642 Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) 643 Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) 644 Hardware Accelerators 645 Read-only memory (ROM) 646 Random Access Memory (RAM) 647 Internal large-capacity storage 647 SSD 648 System Bus 649 Local buses 650 Graphics Adapter 654 Interface 655 Communication Network 1410 screen 1450 Graphics Adapter 1800 Computer System 1854 Interface 1855 Communication Network

Claims

1. A method for real-time network monitoring and location updating for user equipment (UE) in a Service Enabler Architecture Layer (SEAL) architecture, The steps include: receiving a location report from a location management (LM) server of the SEAL architecture via an Unmanned Aerial System Application Enabler (UAE) server, wherein the location report indicates the location information of the UE; The UAE server receives a first network event notification associated with the UE from a network resource management (NRM) server in the SEAL architecture, wherein the first network event notification indicates the network connection status of the UE. The UAE server receives monitoring event notifications from the NRM server, and if multiple monitoring events are notified, the NRM server aggregates the monitoring event notifications and sends them to the UAE server. The steps include: in response to detecting the reconnection status of the UE, the UAE server receives a second network event notification from the NRM server, wherein the second network event notification indicates that the UE has reconnected to the network; The UAE server records (i) the second network event notification, (ii) the identification information of the UAE server, and (iii) the last updated location information of the UE from the LM server. A method for providing this.

2. A step in which, in response to receiving the location report from the LM server, the UAE server records a timestamp associated with the location report, wherein the timestamp indicates one of the time the location report was received by the UAE server, the time the location report was transmitted by the LM server, and the time the location report was generated by the LM server, The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. In response to the first network event notification indicating a loss of connection event of the UE, the UAE server records the event and a timestamp associated with the event, wherein the timestamp indicates the time the event occurred. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

4. A step of recording a timestamp of the second network event notification by the UAE server, wherein the timestamp indicates the time when the UE reconnected to the network, The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

5. A step of recording a timestamp of the last updated location information by the UAE server, wherein the timestamp indicates one of the following: the time when the last updated location information of the UE was received by the UAE server, the time when the last updated location information of the UE was transmitted by the LM server, and the time when the last updated location information of the UE was generated. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

6. The UAE server triggers a location update between the LM server and the LM client, The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

7. The triggering step further includes causing the LM server to send a location information request to the LM client, The method according to claim 6, wherein the location report is transmitted by the LM client to the LM server in response to the location information request, and the location report indicates the last updated location information.

8. The UAE server is subscribed to (i) the real-time network monitoring from the NRM server and (ii) the location updates from the LM server. The method according to claim 1.

9. A processing circuit configured to perform the method described in any one of claims 1 to 8, Device.

10. A program that, when executed by at least one processor of an Unmanned Aerial System Application Enabler (UAE) server, includes instructions causing the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

Images