Network or ground assisted DAA for uavs

Abstract

Systems, methods, and instrumentalities are disclosed herein for a device, such as an uncrewed (e.g., unmanned) aerial vehicle (UAV) application enabling (UAE) client, performing one or more UAE layer assisted ground based detect and avoid (DAA) processes. The device may may send a registration request message to a server. The registration request message may include a local DAA ground station (LOGS) capability. The device may receive a registration response message from the server. The registration response message may indicate that a registration has been successful or the registration has failed. The device may receive a configuration request message from the server. The configuration request message may include configuration information associated with an uncrewed aerial system (UAS) service supplier (USS). Based on the configuration request message, the device may provide ground-based DAA assistance to a monitored UAV. The device may send an event report to the server.

Description

NETWORK OR GROUND ASSISTED DAA FOR UAVSCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 574,408, filed on April 4, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.BACKGROUND

[0002] Mobile communications using wireless communication continue to evolve. A fifth generation of mobile communication radio access technology (RAT) may be referred to as 5G new radio (NR). A previous (legacy) generation of mobile communication RAT may be, for example, fourth generation (4G) long term evolution (LTE).SUMMARY

[0003] Systems, methods, and instrumentalities are disclosed herein for a device, such as an uncrewed (e.g., unmanned) aerial vehicle (UAV) application enabling (UAE) client, performing one or more UAE layer assisted ground based detect and avoid (DAA) processes. For example, a device may include one or more processors configured to perform one or more of the following.

[0004] In some examples, the device, such as a UAE client, may send a registration request message to a server. The UAE client may be, or may include, a local-DAA-ground station (GS). The server may be, or may include, a UAE server. The registration request message may be, or may include, a local DAA ground station (LDGS) capability. In some examples, the registration request may include (e.g., may further include) contextual information. The contextual information may include one or more of the following: frequency of broadcasting information, UAV mobility information, wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) type information, monitoring range information, a local-DAA-GS identification (ID), an LDGS ID, or battery status information. The UAV mobility information may include at least one of the following: position information, direction information, speed information, on-ground information, airborne information, or mounted on fixed structure information. The WTRU type information may indicate whether the device is an UAV or a ground station.

[0005] In some examples, the device may receive a registration response message from the server. The registration response message may indicate (e.g., be configured to indicate) that a registration has been successful or the registration has failed.

[0006] In some examples, the device may receive a configuration request message from the server. The configuration request message may be, or may include, configuration information associated with an uncrewed aerial system (UAS) service supplier (USS). For example, the configuration information may be, or may include, a UAS ID associated with a target UAV for which ground based DAA assistance is requested. The configuration information may be for a respective USS.

[0007] In some examples, based on the configuration request message, the device may provide ground- based DAA assistance to a monitored UAV. The configuration request message may be, or may include, at least one of a DAA configuration request message or a DAA policy request message. The at least one of the DAA configuration request message or the DAA policy request message may be, or may include, at least one of a DAA triggering threshold, a time validity, or a reporting frequency. The DAA configuration request message or the DAA policy request message may be received by the server from the USS.

[0008] In some examples, the device may send an event report to the server. The event report may be based on the monitored UAV having a flight path conflict. The event report may be, or may further include, at least one of the following: a detected flight path conflict information associated with at least one UAV, a resolved flight path conflict information associated with at least one UAV, at least one ID associated with a UAV that has a flight path conflict, tracking results associated with the monitored UAV, a time of arrival associated with the monitored UAV, or information associated with the monitored UAV. The information associated with the monitored UAV may be, or may include, a list of target UAVs. The list of target UAVs may be, or may include, at least one of a list of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) level UAV IDs or associated alerts.

[0009] In some examples, the device may receive at least one of a USS identification configuration or a UAV identification configuration. The device may match a UAV remote ID with the at least one of the USS identification configuration or the UAV identification configuration. The device may monitor the UAV based on the matched UAV remote ID.

[0010] In some examples, the device may receive a request message (e.g., a first request message) from the server. The request message (e.g., the first request message) may be, or may include, an indication to store a DAA configuration associated with the USS or an indication to delete the DAA configuration associated with the USS. Based on the request message (e.g., the first request message), the device may store the DAA configuration associated with the USS or delete the DAA configurationassociated with the USS. The device may send a response message to the server. The response message may indicate (e.g., may be configured to indicate) an acknowledgement of addition of the DAA configuration associated with the USS or an acknowledgement of deletion of the DAA configuration associated with the USS.

[0011] In some examples, the device may determine whether a flight path conflict exists with the monitored UAV. Based on a determination, the device may perform a deconfliction procedure on the monitored UAV, e.g., based on the flight path conflict.

[0012] In some examples, the device may receive a request message (e.g., a second request message) from the USS via the server. For example, the USS may send the request message (e.g., the second request message) to the server. The server may send the request message (e.g., the second request message) to the device. The request message (e.g., the second request message) may be, or may include, a DAA flight path update request for the monitored UAV and identification information associated with the monitored UAV. The DAA flight path update may be, or may include, an updated flight path.

[0013] In some examples, the device may track one or more USS IDs.

[0014] Systems, methods, and instrumentalities are disclosed herein for a UAE server performing a UAE layer assisted ground based DAA, e.g., via LDGS.

[0015] In some examples, a device, such as a UAE server, may be configured to perform one or more of the following.

[0016] The device may receive a DAA management request. For example, the device may receive a DAA management request from a server, such as a USS server. The USS server may be configured to manage LDGS capability. The DAA management request may include at least one of the following information: a list of UAS ID, geographical area information, a DAA triggering threshold, a time validity, or a reporting frequency. In some examples, the list of UAS IDs may include (e.g., may further include) a list of CAA level UAV IDs. The list of CAA level UAV IDs may be associated with (e.g., may be from) a list of target UAVs.

[0017] The device may send a response message to the USS server. The response message may indicate a positive result to the DAA management request or a negative result for the DAA management request.

[0018] The device may receive a DAA flight path update request from the USS server. The DAA flight path update request may include an updated flight path. The DAA flight path update request may include (e.g., may further include) UAV identification for a list of UAVs that are in a range of a UAE client. The updated flight path may be configured to avoid a flight path conflict.

[0019] Systems, methods, and instrumentalities are disclosed herein for a network- or ground-assisted DAA for an UAV.

[0020] In examples, a device, such as an UAE client, may send a request message (e.g., a first request message) to a server. The request message (e.g., the first request message) may be, or may include, at least one of a network-assisted or ground-based mechanism for detect and avoid (NW-DAA) capability or contextual information. The contextual information may be or may include, at least one of the frequency of broadcasting information, UAV mobility information, a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) type information, monitoring range information, or battery status information.

[0021] The UAV mobility information may be or may include, at least one of position information, direction information, speed information, on-ground information, airborne information, or mounted on fixed structure information. The WTRU type information may be, or may include, at least one of the UAV or a ground station.

[0022] The UAE client may be (e.g., function as) a local-DAA-ground station (local-DAA-GS or LDGS). The server may be (e.g., function as) a UAE server.

[0023] The device may receive a response message. The response message may be, or may include, a success indication or a failure indication.

[0024] The device may receive a request message (e.g., a second request message) from the server. The request message (e.g., the second request message) may be, or may include, configuration information associated with an USS. The configuration information may be, or may include, a UAS ID associated with a target UAV for which ground based DAA assistance is requested. The second request message may be or may include, an NW-DAA configuration request message, and the NW-DAA configuration request message is received by the server from the USS.

[0025] Based on the request message (e.g., the second request message), the device may monitor one or more target UAVs. The device may determine whether a flight path conflict exists with the one or more target UAVs.

[0026] Based on a determination that the flight path conflict exists with the one or more target UAVs, the device may send an event report. The event report may be, or may include, at least one of IDs associated with the target UAVs that have the flight path conflict, tracking results associated with the target UAVs, time of arrival associated with the target UAVs, or information associated with the target UAVs.

[0027] In examples, upon a request of a USS, e.g., via a UAE server, a UAE client that is acting as a local DAA server on behalf of one or more USS may perform one or more of the following: perform flight path monitoring using Uu link, PC5 link, and / or on non-3GPP communication with the UAVs in proximity;based on one or more configurations and / or policies received from the USS, e.g., via the UAE server, the local DAA server may assist with DAA de-confliction of UAVs; report the results back to the UAE server (e.g., towards the USS); and / or receive an updated configuration or a new flightpath for one or a subset of UAVs from the UAE server.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] FIG. 1 A is a system diagram illustrating an example communications system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented.

[0029] FIG. 1 B is a system diagram illustrating an example wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment.

[0030] FIG. 1 C is a system diagram illustrating an example radio access network (RAN) and an example core network (ON) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1 A according to an embodiment.

[0031] FIG. 1 D is a system diagram illustrating a further example RAN and a further example ON that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment.

[0032] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of an unmanned (e.g., uncrewed) aerial system (UAS) application layer function model.

[0033] FIG. 3 illustrates an example detect and avoid (DAA) deconfliction using a Local-DAA-ground station (GS) (Local-DAA-GS).

[0034] FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B illustrate an example associated with an uncrewed (e.g., unmanned) aerial vehicle (UAV) Application Enabling (UAE) layer support for an NW-DAA using a UAE client.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] FIG. 1 A is a diagram illustrating an example communications system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communications system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content, such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc., to multiple wireless users. The communications system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through the sharing of system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communications systems 100 may employ one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero-tail unique-word DFT-Spread OFDM (ZT UWDTS-s OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block-filtered OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), and the like.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 1A, the communications system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, a RAN 104 / 113, a ON 106 / 115, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112, though it will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, any of which may be referred to as a “station” and / or a “STA”, may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and may include a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscription-based unit, a pager, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fi device, an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and 102d may be interchangeably referred to as a UE.

[0037] The communications systems 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the CN 106 / 115, the I nternet 110, and / or the other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node-B, an eNode B, a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, a gNB, a NR NodeB, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. While the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0038] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 104 / 113, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), relay nodes, etc. The base station 114a and / or the base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). These frequencies may be in licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide coverage for a wireless service to a specific geographical area that may be relatively fixed or that may change over time. The cell may further bedivided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, i.e. , one for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) technology and may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to transmit and / or receive signals in desired spatial directions.

[0039] The base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0040] More specifically, as noted above, the communications system 100 may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and the like. For example, the base station 114a in the RAN 104 / 113 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may establish the air interface 115 / 116 / 117 using wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High-Speed Downlink (DL) Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High-Speed UL Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0041] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and / or LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[0042] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as NR Radio Access, which may establish the air interface 116 using New Radio (NR).

[0043] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement LTE radio access and NR radio access together, for instance using dual connectivity (DC) principles. Thus, the air interface utilized by WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions sent to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., a neNB and a gNB).

[0044] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), and the like.

[0045] The base station 114b in FIG. 1 A may be a wireless router, Home Node B, Home eNode B, or access point, for example, and may utilize any suitable RAT for facilitating wireless connectivity in a localized area, such as a place of business, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a roadway, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. As shown in FIG. 1A, the base station 114b may have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Thus, the base station 114b may not be required to access the Internet 110 via the CN 106 / 115.

[0046] The RAN 104 / 113 may be in communication with the CN 106 / 115, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have varying quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as differing throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, and the like. The CN 106 / 115 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, pre-paid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform high-level security functions, such as user authentication. Although not shown in FIG. 1A, it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 / 113 and / or the CN 106 / 115 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104 / 113, which may be utilizing a NR radio technology, the CN 106 / 115 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) employing a GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0047] The CN 106 / 115 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include circuit- switched telephone networks that provide plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP) and / or the internet protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wiredand / or wireless communications networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT.

[0048] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communications system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links). For example, the WTRU 102c shown in FIG. 1A may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with the base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0049] FIG. 1 B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. As shown in FIG. 1 B, the WTRU 102 may include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138, among others. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0050] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) circuits, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and the like. The processor 118 may perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. While FIG. 1 B depicts the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 as separate components, it will be appreciated that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0051] The transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit signals to, or receive signals from, a base station (e.g., the base station 114a) over the air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In an embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive IR, UV, or visible light signals, for example. In yet another embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive both RF and light signals. It willbe appreciated that the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0052] Although the transmit / receive element 122 is depicted in FIG. 1 B as a single element, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[0053] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate the signals that are to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and to demodulate the signals that are received by the transmit / receive element 122. As noted above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and I EEE 802.11 , for example.

[0054] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to, and may receive user input data from, the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, any type of suitable memory, such as the non-removable memory 130 and / or the removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0055] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134, and may be configured to distribute and / or control the power to the other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, and the like.

[0056] The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to, or in lieu of, the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information over the air interface 116 from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) and / or determineits location based on the timing of the signals being received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by way of any suitable locationdetermination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0057] The processor 118 may further be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an e-compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photographs and / or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands free headset, a Bluetooth® module, a frequency modulated (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an Internet browser, a Virtual Reality and / or Augmented Reality (VR / AR) device, an activity tracker, and the like. The peripherals 138 may include one or more sensors, the sensors may be one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, an orientation sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor; a geolocation sensor; an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, and / or a humidity sensor.

[0058] The WTRU 102 may include a full duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for both the UL (e.g., for transmission) and downlink (e.g., for reception) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous. The full duplex radio may include an interference management unit to reduce and or substantially eliminate self-interference via either hardware (e.g., a choke) or signal processing via a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or via processor 118). In an embodiment, the WRTU 102 may include a half-duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for either the UL (e.g., for transmission) or the downlink (e.g., for reception)).

[0059] FIG. 1 C is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ an E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0060] The RAN 104 may include eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, the eNode-B 160a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a.

[0061] Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, and the like. As shown in FIG. 1 C, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another over an X2 interface.

[0062] The CN 106 shown in FIG. 1 C may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, a serving gateway (SGW) 164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway (or PGW) 166. While each of the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0063] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during an initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like. The MME 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0064] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the eNode Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via the S1 interface. The SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164 may perform other functions, such as anchoring user planes during inter- eNode B handovers, triggering paging when DL data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing contexts of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like.

[0065] The SGW 164 may be connected to the PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0066] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices. For example, the CN 106 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0067] Although the WTRU is described in FIGS. 1 A-1 D as a wireless terminal, it is contemplated that in certain representative embodiments that such a terminal may use (e.g., temporarily or permanently) wired communication interfaces with the communication network.

[0068] In representative embodiments, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0069] A WLAN in Infrastructure Basic Service Set (BSS) mode may have an Access Point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP may have an access or an interface to a Distribution System (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic in to and / or out of the BSS. Traffic to STAs that originates from outside the BSS may arrive through the AP and may be delivered to the STAs. Traffic originating from STAs to destinations outside the BSS may be sent to the AP to be delivered to respective destinations. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be sent through the AP, for example, where the source STA may send traffic to the AP and the AP may deliver the traffic to the destination STA. The traffic between STAs within a BSS may be considered and / or referred to as peer-to- peer traffic. The peer-to-peer traffic may be sent between (e.g., directly between) the source and destination STAs with a direct link setup (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use an 802.11e DLS or an 802.11 z tunneled DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an Independent BSS (I BSS) mode may not have an AP, and the STAs (e.g., all of the STAs) within or using the IBSS may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS mode of communication may sometimes be referred to herein as an “ad- hoc” mode of communication.

[0070] When using the 802.11 ac infrastructure mode of operation or a similar mode of operations, the AP may transmit a beacon on a fixed channel, such as a primary channel. The primary channel may be a fixed width (e.g., 20 MHz wide bandwidth) or a dynamically set width via signaling. The primary channel may be the operating channel of the BSS and may be used by the STAs to establish a connection with the AP. In certain representative embodiments, Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA) may be implemented, for example, in 802.11 systems. For CSMA / CA, the STAs (e.g., every STA), including the AP, may sense the primary channel. If the primary channel is sensed / detected and / or determined to be busy by a particular STA, the particular STA may back off. One STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any given time in a given BSS.

[0071] High Throughput (HT) STAs may use a 40 MHz wide channel for communication, for example, via a combination of the primary 20 MHz channel with an adjacent or nonadjacent 20 MHz channel to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[0072] Very High Throughput (VHT) STAs may support 20MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and / or 160 MHz wide channels. The 40 MHz, and / or 80 MHz, channels may be formed by combining contiguous 20 MHzchannels. A 160 MHz channel may be formed by combining 8 contiguous 20 MHz channels, or by combining two non-contiguous 80 MHz channels, which may be referred to as an 80+80 configuration. For the 80+80 configuration, the data, after channel encoding, may be passed through a segment parser that may divide the data into two streams. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) processing, and time domain processing, may be done on each stream separately. The streams may be mapped on to the two 80 MHz channels, and the data may be transmitted by a transmitting STA. At the receiver of the receiving STA, the above described operation for the 80+80 configuration may be reversed, and the combined data may be sent to the Medium Access Control (MAC).

[0073] Sub 1 GHz modes of operation are supported by 802.11af and 802.11 ah. The channel operating bandwidths, and carriers, are reduced in 802.11 af and 802.11 ah relative to those used in 802.11 n, and802.11 ac. 802.11 af supports 5 MHz, 10 MHz and 20 MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.11 ah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz bandwidths using non- TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.11 ah may support Meter Type Control / Machine-Type Communications, such as MTC devices in a macro coverage area. MTC devices may have certain capabilities, for example, limited capabilities including support for (e.g., only support for) certain and / or limited bandwidths. The MTC devices may include a battery with a battery life above a threshold (e.g., to maintain a very long battery life).

[0074] WLAN systems, which may support multiple channels and channel bandwidths, such as 802.11 n,802.11 ac, 802.11 af, and 802.11 ah, include a channel which may be designated as the primary channel. The primary channel may have a bandwidth equal to the largest common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be set and / or limited by a STA, from among all STAs in operating in a BSS, which supports the smallest bandwidth operating mode. In the example of 802.11 ah, the primary channel may be 1 MHz wide for STAs (e.g., MTC type devices) that support (e.g., only support) a 1 MHz mode, even if the AP, and other STAs in the BSS support 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 16 MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and / or Network Allocation Vector (NAV) settings may depend on the status of the primary channel. If the primary channel is busy, for example, due to a STA (which supports only a 1 MHz operating mode), transmitting to the AP, the entire available frequency bands may be considered busy even though a majority of the frequency bands remains idle and may be available.

[0075] In the United States, the available frequency bands, which may be used by 802.11 ah, are from 902 MHz to 928 MHz. In Korea, the available frequency bands are from 917.5 MHz to 923.5 MHz. In Japan, the available frequency bands are from 916.5 MHz to 927.5 MHz. The total bandwidth available for802.11 ah is 6 MHz to 26 MHz depending on the country code.

[0076] FIG. 1 D is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 113 and the CN 115 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 113 may employ an NR radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 113 may also be in communication with the CN 115.

[0077] The RAN 113 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 113 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, gNBs 180a, 108b may utilize beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, the gNB 180a may transmit multiple component carriers to the WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on unlicensed spectrum while the remaining component carriers may be on licensed spectrum. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) technology. For example, WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from gNB 180a and gNB 180b (and / or gNB 180c).

[0078] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with a scalable numerology. For example, the OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframe or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of various or scalable lengths (e.g., containing varying number of OFDM symbols and / or lasting varying lengths of absolute time).

[0079] The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be configured to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in a standalone configuration and / or a non-standalone configuration. In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c without also accessing other RANs (e.g., such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c). In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may utilize one or more of gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c as a mobility anchor point. In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using signals in an unlicensed band. In a non-standalone configuration WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with / connect to gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c while also communicating with / connecting to another RAN such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c. For example, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement DC principles to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c and one or more eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160csubstantially simultaneously. In the non-standalone configuration, eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may serve as a mobility anchor for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may provide additional coverage and / or throughput for servicing WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0080] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, support of network slicing, dual connectivity, interworking between NR and E- UTRA, routing of user plane data towards User Plane Function (UPF) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information towards Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 182a, 182b and the like. As shown in FIG. 1 D, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may communicate with one another over an Xn interface.

[0081] The CN 115 shown in FIG. 1 D may include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one Session Management Function (SMF) 183a, 183b, and possibly a Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b. While each of the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 115, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0082] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via an N2 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, support for network slicing (e.g., handling of different PDU sessions with different requirements), selecting a particular SMF 183a, 183b, management of the registration area, termination of NAS signaling, mobility management, and the like. Network slicing may be used by the AMF 182a, 182b in order to customize CN support for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c based on the types of services being utilized WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. For example, different network slices may be established for different use cases such as services relying on ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) access, services relying on enhanced massive mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services for machine type communication (MTC) access, and / or the like. The AMF 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 113 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, and / or non-3GPP access technologies such as WiFi.

[0083] The SMF 183a, 183b may be connected to an AMF 182a, 182b in the CN 115 via an N11 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may also be connected to a UPF 184a, 184b in the CN 115 via an N4 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may select and control the UPF 184a, 184b and configure the routing of traffic through the UPF 184a, 184b. The SMF 183a, 183b may perform other functions, such as managing and allocating UE IP address, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, providingdownlink data notifications, and the like. A PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP based, Ethernetbased, and the like.

[0084] The UPF 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via an N3 interface, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet- switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The UPF 184, 184b may perform other functions, such as routing and forwarding packets, enforcing user plane policies, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering downlink packets, providing mobility anchoring, and the like.

[0085] The CN 115 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 115 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 115 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 115 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers. In one embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to a local Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b through the UPF 184a, 184b via the N3 interface to the UPF 184a, 184b and an N6 interface between the UPF 184a, 184b and the DN 185a, 185b.

[0086] In view of Figures 1 A-1 D, and the corresponding description of Figures 1 A-1 D, one or more, or all, of the functions described herein with regard to one or more of: WTRU 102a-d, Base Station 114a-b, eNode-B 160a-c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNB 180a-c, AMF 182a-b, UPF 184a-b, SMF 183a-b, DN 185a-b, and / or any other device(s) described herein, may be performed by one or more emulation devices (not shown). The emulation devices may be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more, or all, of the functions described herein. For example, the emulation devices may be used to test other devices and / or to simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0087] The emulation devices may be designed to implement one or more tests of other devices in a lab environment and / or in an operator network environment. For example, the one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network in order to test other devices within the communication network. The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The emulation device may be directly coupled to another device for purposes of testing and / or may performing testing using over-the-air wireless communications.

[0088] The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, including all, functions while not being implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, the emulation devices may be utilized in a testing scenario in a testing laboratory and / or a non-deployed (e.g., testing) wired and / or wireless communication network in order to implement testing of one or more components. The one or more emulation devices may be testing equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communications via RF circuitry (e.g., which may include one or more antennas) may be used by the emulation devices to transmit and / or receive data.

[0089] Systems, methods, and instrumentalities are disclosed herein for a device, such as an uncrewed (e.g., unmanned) aerial vehicle (UAV) application enabling (UAE) client, performing one or more UAE layer assisted ground based detect and avoid (DAA) processes. For example, a device may include one or more processors configured to perform one or more of the following.

[0090] In some examples, the device, such as a UAE client, may send a registration request message to a server. The UAE client may be, or may include, a local-DAA-ground station (GS). The server may be, or may include, a UAE server. The registration request message may be, or may include, a local DAA ground station (LDGS) capability. In some examples, the registration request may include (e.g., may further include) contextual information. The contextual information may include one or more of the following: frequency of broadcasting information, UAV mobility information, wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) type information, monitoring range information, a local-DAA-GS identification (ID), an LDGS ID, or battery status information. The UAV mobility information may include at least one of the following: position information, direction information, speed information, on-ground information, airborne information, or mounted on fixed structure information. The WTRU type information may indicate whether the device is an UAV or a ground station.

[0091] In some examples, the device may receive a registration response message from the server. The registration response message may indicate (e.g., be configured to indicate) that a registration has been successful or the registration has failed.

[0092] In some examples, the device may receive a configuration request message from the server. The configuration request message may be, or may include, configuration information associated with an uncrewed aerial system (UAS) service supplier (USS). For example, the configuration information may be, or may include, a UAS ID associated with a target UAV for which ground based DAA assistance is requested. The configuration information may be for a respective USS.

[0093] In some examples, based on the configuration request message, the device may provide ground- based DAA assistance to a monitored UAV. The configuration request message may be, or may include, atleast one of a DAA configuration request message or a DAA policy request message. The at least one of the DAA configuration request message or the DAA policy request message may be, or may include, at least one of a DAA triggering threshold, a time validity, or a reporting frequency. The DAA configuration request message or the DAA policy request message may be received by the server from the USS.

[0094] In some examples, the device may send an event report to the server. The event report may be based on the monitored UAV having a flight path conflict. The event report may be, or may further include, at least one of the following: a detected flight path conflict information associated with at least one UAV, a resolved flight path conflict information associated with at least one UAV, at least one ID associated with a UAV that has a flight path conflict, tracking results associated with the monitored UAV, a time of arrival associated with the monitored UAV, or information associated with the monitored UAV. The information associated with the monitored UAV may be, or may include, a list of target UAVs. The list of target UAVs may be, or may include, at least one of a list of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) level UAV IDs or associated alerts.

[0095] In some examples, the device may receive at least one of a USS identification configuration or a UAV identification configuration. The device may match a UAV remote ID with the at least one of the USS identification configuration or the UAV identification configuration. The device may monitor the UAV based on the matched UAV remote ID.

[0096] In some examples, the device may receive a request message (e.g., a first request message) from the server. The request message (e.g., the first request message) may be, or may include, an indication to store a DAA configuration associated with the USS or an indication to delete the DAA configuration associated with the USS. Based on the request message (e.g., the first request message), the device may store the DAA configuration associated with the USS or delete the DAA configuration associated with the USS. The device may send a response message to the server. The response message may indicate (e.g., may be configured to indicate) an acknowledgement of addition of the DAA configuration associated with the USS or an acknowledgement of deletion of the DAA configuration associated with the USS.

[0097] In some examples, the device may determine whether a flight path conflict exists with the monitored UAV. Based on a determination, the device may perform a deconfliction procedure on the monitored UAV, e.g., based on the flight path conflict.

[0098] In some examples, the device may receive a request message (e.g., a second request message) from the USS via the server. For example, the USS may send the request message (e.g., the second request message) to the server. The server may send the request message (e.g., the second requestmessage) to the device. The request message (e.g., the second request message) may be, or may include, a DAA flight path update request for the monitored UAV and identification information associated with the monitored UAV. The DAA flight path update may be, or may include, an updated flight path.

[0099] In some examples, the device may track one or more USS IDs.

[0100] Systems, methods, and instrumentalities are disclosed herein for a UAE server performing a UAE layer assisted ground based DAA, e.g., via LDGS.

[0101] In some examples, a device, such as a UAE server, may be configured to perform one or more of the following.

[0102] The device may receive a DAA management request. For example, the device may receive a DAA management request from a server, such as a USS server. The USS server may be configured to manage LDGS capability. The DAA management request may include at least one of the following information: a list of UAS ID, geographical area information, a DAA triggering threshold, a time validity, or a reporting frequency. In some examples, the list of UAS IDs may include (e.g., may further include) a list of CAA level UAV IDs. The list of CAA level UAV IDs may be associated with (e.g., may be from) a list of target UAVs.

[0103] The device may send a response message to the USS server. The response message may indicate a positive result to the DAA management request or a negative result for the DAA management request.

[0104] The device may receive a DAA flight path update request from the USS server. The DAA flight path update request may include an updated flight path. The DAA flight path update request may include (e.g., may further include) UAV identification for a list of UAVs that are in a range of a UAE client. The updated flight path may be configured to avoid a flight path conflict.

[0105] An application layer may support (e.g., configured to support) a local-detect and avoid (DAA)- ground station (GS) (local-DAA-GS) for a network-assisted and / or ground-based mechanism for DAA (NW- DAA).

[0106] A device, such as a particular type of uncrewed (e.g., unmanned) aerial vehicle (UAV) Application Enabling (UAE) client called a Local-DAA-GS, may be used and / or configured. In examples, the UAE Client may have a particular NW-DAA capability and / or may communicate with one or more UAE servers with NW-DAA capabilities in a network on one hand and on the other hand may communicate with one or more legacy UAE Clients without NW-DAA capability. The UAE Client with NW-DAA capability (e.g., the Local-DAA-GS) may be a UAE client (e.g., a regular advanced UAE Client) that does not communicate with one or more other UAE Clients.

[0107] In examples, the UAE Client (e.g., the local-DAA-GS) may be configured to perform one or more of the following processes.

[0108] The UAE client (e.g., the local-DAA-GS) may send a request, such as a registration request message, to a UAE server. The request, e.g., the registration request, may include NW-DAA capability. For example, one or more UAE clients may indicate UAE client NW-DAA capability and / or UAE client contextual information (e.g., frequency of broadcasting, UAV mobility information (e.g., position, direction, speed, on-ground, airborne, mounted on a fixed structure, etc.), WTRU type (e.g., a UAV, a ground station, and / or the like), monitoring range, and / or battery status).

[0109] The UAE client may receive a response message, such as a registration response. The response message, e.g., the registration response, may be or may include, a success indication or a failure indication, and / or may include a cause value associated with the corresponding indication.

[0110] The UAE client may receive a request, such as an NW-DAA configuration request, from the UAE server. The configuration request may be or may include, one or more (e.g., all) of the parameters that are received by the UAE server from an unmanned (e.g., uncrewed) aerial system (UAS) service supplier (USS).

[0111] If the UAE client is selected by the USS to serve one or more USSs, the UAE client may receive configuration information associated with (e.g., pertaining to) the corresponding USSs (e.g., each USS). The UAE server may provide an aggregate configuration that includes one or more (e.g., all) USSs, e.g., where ground-based DAA service is provided by the UAE client. For a (e.g., each) USS, the configuration may include one or more UAS IDs, identifying an uncrewed (e.g., unmanned) aerial vehicle (UAV) for which ground-based DAA assistance is requested.

[0112] The UAE client may keep track of the USSs (e.g., USS IDs) for which the UAE client may monitor (e.g., is required to monitor) the UAV, e.g., for DAA purposes.

[0113] The UAE client may store (e.g., respectively delete) the NW-DAA configuration associated with the USS based on the request. For example, the UAE client may determine whether the UAE client is to add (e.g., respectively delete) a configuration pertaining to a particular USS.

[0114] The UAE client may send a response, such as an NW-DAA support configuration response, to the UAE server to acknowledge the addition and / or removal of the configuration.

[0115] The UAE client (e.g., the local-DAA-GS) may track the target UAVs based on the configuration / policy received from the USS (e.g., based on matching UAV Remote ID with the configured USS / UAV identification) and enforce deconfliction for the detected UAV that may potentially collide.

[0116] The UAE client for tracking and monitoring purposes may utilize the Service Enabler Architecture Layer (SEAL). For example, the UAE client may initiate communication with a SEAL server and / or provide the target UAV IDs to get the location associated with the target UAVs.

[0117] The UAE client may send to the UAE server a message, such as an NW-DAA client event report. For example, the event report may indicate a detected and / or resolved flight path conflict with one or more UAVs in proximity. The report may indicate, and / or may include, the list of target UAVs (e.g., a list of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) level UAV IDs and / or associated alerts). The message (e.g., the event report) may include an updated trajectory for a target UAV, e.g., with a cause of DAA.

[0118] The UAE client may receive a request, such as an NW-DAA flightpath update request or NW- DAA server event information, for the selected target UAVs and / or the identification information from the USS, e.g., via the UAE server.

[0119] The UAE client may broadcast and / or unicast the change of flight path information, e.g., due to DAA, to the respective target UAVs, e.g., over control or user plane signaling. The exchange of updated flight paths between the UAE client and the target UAVs may be based on the DAA configuration and / or a supported communication mode. The UAE layer may inform the application.

[0120] The UAE client may send to the UAE server a response, such as a DAA flightpath update response or NW-DAA server event acknowledgement, to indicate a change of flight path. The UAE client may include information (e.g., relevant additional information such as a cause code and / or value) about the reason for the change of flightpath (e.g., list of coordinates) and / or an actual new flightpath in the message.

[0121] In examples, the UAE Server may be configured to perform one or more of the following processes.

[0122] The UAE server may indicate to the serving USS one or more of the following: the UAE server NW-DAA capability and / or possible UAE server contextual information (e.g., the network area that the UAE server may serve for NW-DAA purposes based on network coverage information), a list of NW-DAA enabled client WTRUs registered, the status associated with the client WTRUs (e.g., being active / passive), type being UAV or ground-station, monitoring range, battery status, and / or multi-USS support.

[0123] The UAE server may perform authentication. The authorization process may check and / or interact with the USS in the process and indicate NW-DAA capabilities and / or identification information of the UAE client / server.

[0124] The UAE server may receive a request, such as an NW-DAA management request, from a serving USS, e.g., for managing NW-DAA. The request may include a (e.g., list of) Local-DAA-GS (e.g., theUAE client) identification information, one or more NW-DAA configuration parameters, an NW-DAA policy, an area of interest for enabling the UAE client, and / or the like.

[0125] The UAE server may send a response to the USS. The response may indicate the enablement or disablement of NW-DAA capability.

[0126] The UAE server may send a report, such as an NW-DAA client event report, to the USS. The one or more reports (e.g., NW-DAA client event reports) may be used to update flight path information and / or be stored at the USS, of a (e.g., each) target UAV within the range of the UAE client. The NW-DAA client event report may also be, or may also include, the target UAV ID, the tracking result, the time of arrival, and / or other UAV information.

[0127] The USS may acknowledge an alert to the UAE server.

[0128] The UAE server may receive from the USS a request, such as a DAA flightpath update request. The DAA flightpath update request may include UAV identification and new / corrected flight path information for a list of UAVs that in the range of the UAE client. The UAE server may verify whether the request is authorized as described herein, e.g., before sending a request for a change of flight path to the UAE client.

[0129] The UAE server may send to the USS a response message, such as a DAA flightpath response, to confirm a change of flightpath for one or more selected UAVs. The UAE server may include information (e.g., relevant additional information) about the reason for the change of flightpath and / or the actual new flightpath in the message.

[0130] One or more detect and avoid (DAA) mechanisms (e.g., in a 3GPP system) may be configured for a UAV. The one or more DAA mechanisms may be configured to use one or more direct communications, e.g., for the purpose of short-range collision avoidance. The aspects, such as architectural modifications, with respect to the current direct communications, e.g., using PC5 (e.g., ProSe, C-V2X, and / or the like), to support direct UAV to UAV communication, e.g., for the purpose of DAA, may be considered.

[0131] DAA may be considered as one of the features (e.g., the essential features) to enable safety for one or more Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) UAV operations. Ensuring DAA security for safety may be configured for the DAA.

[0132] One or more DAA procedures and / or mechanisms may utilize PC5 communication between UAVs for detect and avoid, e.g., based on one or more Aircraft-to-anything (A2X) procedures.

[0133] One or more UAS application enablement services for assisting a UAS application with DAA handling may include one or more of the following: support of the registration of the UAE client’s DAAassistance capability with the UAE server; support the distribution of the DAA application policy from the UAS application specific server to the UAE server; and / or support the UAS application with DAA.

[0134] DAA based on direct communication between the UAVs and the network-assisted and / or between the UAVs and the ground-based mechanism may be configured. One or more of the following may be considered: study whether and how to enable a network-assisted / ground-based mechanism for DAA (e.g., NW-DAA), such as one or more the architectural impacts of the support for NW-DAA; whether and what information is needed for NW-DAA; and / or whether and how to provide unmanned aircraft system traffic management (UTM) and UAVs with the information collected or generated by the 5G system for the purpose of NW-DAA.

[0135] In examples, the DAA configuration with existing information that is collected and / or generated in a system, such as a 5G system (5GS), may be utilized to enable NW-DAA. In examples, the DAA may determine any and / or what type of new information may be collected and / or generated in the system (e.g., the 5GS) to support NW-DAA.

[0136] A UAV flight route may be tracked. For example, UAV flight route tracking may be important for one or more UAS applications, especially for one or more BVLOS missions and / or UAVs that navigate autonomously. One or more mechanisms may be configured to enable the UAV location tracking or flight route monitoring, e.g., through a 3GPP cellular network.

[0137] A 3GPP network may provide UAV tracking information to a USS via network exposure function (NEF) and / or UAS network function (NF). One or more tracking modes may be supported. For example, with a UAV location report mode, the UAS NF may initiate a 3GPP location service procedure, e.g., to obtain location information associated with the UAV and / or to report the location information to the USS. With a UAV presence monitoring mode, the network may monitor whether the UAV shows up in a monitoring area and may report the presence information to the USS.

[0138] An example mechanism for location deviation monitoring may use a SEAL location management server. The server, e.g., the SEAL location management server, may fetch the location information from the 5GC and / or from the application client and may determine whether the client is inside or outside an area of interest and report the determination back to the application server. The mechanism described herein may be used for monitoring whether a UAV has deviated from its planned flight route.

[0139] The 3GPP network may be configured to provide support (e.g., 5GS support) for one or more UAS applications, e.g., including how to provide information to the USS to enhance flight monitoring and control, flight route management, etc.

[0140] A UAV Application Enabling (UAE) framework may be configured. For example, the 3GPP may have a framework to provide support for one or more UAV applications. FIG. 2 illustrates an example UAS application layer functional model. As illustrated in FIG. 2, a UAE client, that resides in a WTRU, may provide an Application Programming Interface (API) to a UAS client application and may interface with a UAE server. The UAE server may provide an API to a UAS server application (e.g., USS). The UAE server may also interface with a 5GC (e.g., directly) via Network Exposure Function (NEF) API and / or via Service Enabler Architecture Layer (SEAL) services.

[0141] One or more USSs may configure one or more communication issues between a UAS and a USS.

[0142] The number of UAVs may have been rapidly growing in recent years, and one or more applications enabled by UAVs may be expanding into a wide variety of industries. In a UTM framework, one or more USSs may operate while serving the same geographical area for traffic management and deconfliction from other operations of the UAVs. The USS may also need to track the UAV, e.g., via the network API.

[0143] The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and / or National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) may have identified several use cases and potential parameters (e.g., requirements) for better capability level provision and / or UAV flight operations resilience. In an example, a UAS may establish a connection with a USS, may share a location associated with the UAS during the flight, and / or may ensure to make (e.g., periodically make) the flight updates available to the USS / UTM network. During the flight, the UAS may experience a loss of performance capabilities, e.g., due to connection instability and / or the lack of availability at the USS level. For example, the USS may reach its maximum capacity of serving the possible number of UAVs (e.g., traffic management) and may no longer support one or more additional new UAVs. An explicit intent of having one or more (e.g., multiple) USSs may arise in case of operational cost constraints. For example, a particular USS may be more equipped / suitable for certain mission / UAV types (e.g., within a specific area).

[0144] DAA for collision avoidance of UAVs may be configured. The one or more UAVs may communicate (e.g., communicate directly) over PC5 communication, e.g., utilizing the A2X mechanism to avoid collisions by timely detection of potential collision with other UAVs.

[0145] One or more new parameters (e.g., requirements) may be configured for one or more different scenarios, such as pre-flight or in-flight network status monitoring, UAV DAA, reliability of Command and Control (C2) traffic for UAV, and / or flexible control of UAV communication over the identified flight zone. A network-assisted / ground-based mechanism for DAA for tactical deconfliction and collision avoidanceand / or UTM control of UAV flight paths may be considered, e.g., as a complement for DAA based on PC5 reference point.

[0146] For a network assisted or a ground station-based flight path monitoring and DAA, the ground station may be able to communicate with one or more UAVs, e.g., utilizing PC5, the air interface between a WTRU and 3GPP radio access network (Uu), and / or non-3GPP communications. The communication mechanism for the purpose of network-assisted / ground-based mechanisms for DAA between the ground station and the USS may not have been specified yet. To support the network assisted or ground-based DAA for one or more UAVs, enabling an application layer support for a network-assisted or ground-based DAA mechanism may be configured.

[0147] A ground station for network assisted DAA may be called a Local-DAA-GS.

[0148] In examples, a local-DAA-GS may be a stationary / fixed WTRU (e.g., with a calibrated precise location, connected to power source and / or with better computation capabilities than a regular UAV). In examples, the local-DAA-GS may be a UAV on the ground or airborne (e.g., with power constraints). The Local-DAA-GS may be assumed to be a WTRU that has the capability, called network assisted DAA (NW- DAA), to support network-assisted / ground-based mechanism for DAA functionality. The NW-DAA capability may leverage the ability associated with the Local-DAA-GS to track flight paths of UAVs within the monitoring range and / or help with the deflection of potential collisions between the UAVs. FIG. 3 illustrates an example associated with DAA deconfliction using the Local-DAA-GS.

[0149] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the Local-DAA-GS may have the capability to communicate with one or more UAVs. For example, the local-DAA-GS may communicate with one or more legacy UAVs over Uu and / or one or more DAA capable UAVs over PC5 and Uu. The local-DAA-GS may communicate with one or more UAVs, e.g., using non-3GPP specific communication technologies. The local-DAA-GS may support one or more SEAL services for UAV path monitoring or tracking.

[0150] The local-DAA-GS may be registered and communicate with one or more USSs, e.g., via UAE server over the user-plane (e.g., application layer). For example, the local-DAA-GS may be enabled to support an UAS application layer, to receive policy and configurations from the USS, to provide one or more DAA reports to the USS, and / or to receive one or more updated flight paths for the UAVs within the range of Local-DAA-GS.

[0151] As described herein, the Local-DAA-GS may be mentioned as a UAE client. The target WTRUs (e.g., one or more UAVs in the range of the Local-DAA-GS) may be mentioned as target UAVs.

[0152] A UAE layer may be configured to provide support for an NW-DAA using a Local-DAA-GS. For example, a UAE client (e.g., a Local-DAA-GS) within its monitoring range may be capable of flight pathtracking, monitoring, and / or assisting a UAV to detect potential collision and suggest updated flight path to avoid anticipated collisions. Local-DAA-GS may be operated by the USS and / or a service provider. The UAE client may register with a USS, e.g., via a UAE server over the UAE layer to enable an application layer support for NW-DAA. The UAE client may register with one or more (e.g., multiple) USSs and may send one or more reports, e.g., based on the received policy from a (e.g., each) USS. For example, the UAE client may serve as a shared resource among one or more (e.g., multiple) USSs for the purpose of the ground-based DAA. The UAE client may provide collision detection (e.g., early local potential collision detection) between UAVs served by different USSs in a coordinated manner.

[0153] The USS, via the UAE server, may provide one or more configurations and / or policies to the UAE client. The USS may assist the UAVs within the monitoring range, e.g., to enable NW-DAA based on the received DAA policy without an external indication (e.g., without an explicit request from the UAE server or the USS). In an example, the UAE client may simply monitor and track flight paths of the UAVs within the range associated with the UAE client and report (e.g., periodically report) the flight paths to the USS. The USS may then instruct a (e.g., each) UAV to update the flight path that may encounter a potential collision with another UAV.

[0154] The UAE client may communicate with the UAV over Uu, PC5, non-3GPP enabled technology over control and / or the user plane for monitoring and DAA purposes.

[0155] The USS and / or the UAE server may serve one or more (e.g., multiple) UAE clients (e.g., simultaneously) and may also keep track of transferring the context / information of UAVs that move from a monitoring range associated with one UAE client to a monitoring range associated with another UAE client.

[0156] FIGs. 4A-B illustrate an example associated with a UAE layer support for an NW-DAA using a UAE client. For example, as illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, one or more processes may enable an application layer to support the UAE client for network assisted DAA. One or more processes illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B may or may not be performed (e.g., skipped).

[0157] As illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, a UAE client may perform registration. For example, FIGs. 4A-B illustrate an example for network assisted DAA (NW-DAA) support capability registration between a UAE client and a UAE server.

[0158] As illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, the UAE client, which may be a Local-DAA-GS, may send a request, such as a registration request message, to a server, such as the UAE server. The request, e.g., the registration request message, may include a Local-DAA-GS ID (e.g., LDGS ID) and / or an NW-DAA capability (e.g., LDGS capability). The UAE client may further indicate (e.g., using the registration request message) UAE client NW-DAA capability (e.g., LDGS capability) and / or UAE client contextual information.The UAE client contextual information may be, or may include, one or more of the following: the frequency of broadcasting, UAV mobility information (e.g., position, direction, speed, on-ground, airborne, mounted on a fixed structure, etc.), WTRU type (e.g., UAV, ground station, and / or the like), monitoring range information, a local-DAA-GS ID, an LDGS ID, battery status information, and / or the like.

[0159] As illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, the UAE client may receive a response message, such as a registration response message. The response message (e.g., the registration response message) may provide a success indication or a failure indication. For example, if the UAE server does not support the NW-DAA capability, the UAE server may send a failure indication (e.g., indicating that the registration has failed). If the UAE client receives the failure indication, the UAE client may attempt to register with another UAE server. If the UAE server supports the NW-DAA capability, the UAE server may send a success indication (e.g., indicating that the registration has been successful).

[0160] As illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, the UAE server may indicate, to the serving USS, the UAE server NW-DAA capability and / or possible UAE server contextual information (e.g., the network area that the UAE server may serve for NW-DAA purposes based on network coverage information), a list of NW-DAA enabled client WTRUs registered, the status of the client WTRUs being active / passive, type being UAV or ground-station, monitoring range information, battery status information, and / or multi-USS support.

[0161] As illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, the UAE server may perform authentication and authorization checks. The UAE server may interact with the USS in the process and indicate NW-DAA capabilities and / or the identification information of the UAE client / server. The UAE server may send a response message, e.g., a registration response message, to the UAE client. The response message, e.g., the registration response message, may include a success indication if the UAE server supports such capability. The response message (e.g., the registration response message) may include a failure indication if the UAE server does not support such capability.

[0162] As illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, NW-DAA management by the USS and configuration by the UAE server may be configured to enable the NW-DAA at the UAE client.

[0163] In some examples, as illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, the UAE server may receive a request, e.g., a request message such as an NW-DAA management request message, from a serving USS for managing NW-DAA. The request may be, or may include one or more of the following: a (e.g., list of) Local-DAA-GS (e.g., a UAE client) identification information, a list of UAS identification information, one or more NW-DAA configuration parameters, an NW-DAA policy, a geographical area of interest for enabling the selection of one or more relevant UAE clients, e.g., by the UAE server, the periodicity to collect UAV information, e.g., by the UAE client, and / or the like. The USS may determine the list of UAE clients based on the locationassociated with the UAE clients. The UAE server may select the UAE clients (e.g., the Local-DAA-GSs) that are NW-DAA capable and / or based on the location relative to the area of interest and the radio capabilities (e.g., such as monitoring range described herein) to provide the NW-DAA configuration (e.g., as described herein). The UAE server may keep a mapping between the USS and one or more UAE clients that are assigned for DAA assistance. In one example, the UAE server may keep a mapping between the UAE client and the one or more USSs for which ground-based DAA service is provided. If the request is to add a configuration, the UAE server may store the configuration parameters associated with NW-DAA in the UAE client context. If the request is to remove a configuration, the UAE server may check that the configuration is associated with the requesting USS, e.g., before deleting the configuration from the UAE client context and sending a request to the UAE client.

[0164] In some examples, as illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, the UAE client may receive a configuration request message from the server. The configuration request message may include configuration information associated with an uncrewed aerial system (UAS) service supplier (USS). As described herein, the configuration request message may include a DAA configuration request message and / or a DAA policy request message. The DAA configuration request message and / or the DAA policy request message may include one or more of the following: a DAA triggering threshold, a time validity, or a reporting frequency. The DAA configuration request message and / or the DAA policy request message may be received by the server from the USS. For example, the configuration information may be, or may include, a UAS ID associated with a target UAV for which ground based DAA assistance is requested. The configuration information may be for a respective USS.

[0165] The NW-DAA configuration parameters and policy may have two parts: one for the UAE server and another for the UAE client (e.g., the Local-DAA-GS).

[0166] The NW-DAA co nfi g u ration / pol icy may include one or more parameters / rules on whether and how the UAE client (e.g., the Local-DAA-GS) may act in terms of tracking UAVs within its monitoring range, whether the UAE client is authorized to detect, and / or avoid potential collisions between target UAVs. For example, the UAE client may manage flight path conflict resolution based on the configurations (e.g., as illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, such as one or more DAA triggering thresholds, e.g., that may guide the Local- DAA-GS to detect a conflict and / or when to trigger a deconfliction for the target UAVs, and may report to the USS, e.g., the updated flight paths of the target UAVs. In one example, the USS may manage DAA, e.g., based on the tracking feedback from the UAE client (e.g., as illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B). The NW-DAA configuration / policy may include a monitoring time period and / or validity period, e.g., the time period based on the UAE client capability, location, battery status, and type of WTRU, and / or the like.

[0167] The UAE client may have an active mode or a passive mode. For example, the UAE client may monitor (e.g., passively monitor) the appearance of a target UAV, e.g., by receiving a Broadcast Remote Identification information associated with the target UAV. For example, the UAE client may search / discover (e.g., actively search / discover) the target UAV at the estimated time of arrival, e.g., by transmitting one or more discovery messages, such as one or more PC5 discovery messages. One or more NW-DAA policy rules may apply considering the UAE client and / or the target UAVs in-coverage and out-of-coverage status and / or mode of communication between the UAE client and / or the target UAVs.

[0168] In some examples, as illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B and as described herein, the UAE client may provide ground-based DAA assistance to a monitored UAV based on the configuration request message. For example, the UAE client may determine whether a flight path conflict exists with a monitored UAV. Based on a determination that the flight path conflict exists with the monitored UAV, the UAV client may perform a deconfliction procedure on the monitored UAV.

[0169] As illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, the UAE server may send a response message, such as an NW- DAA management response message, to the USS indicating the enablement or disablement (e.g., positive or negative acknowledgement) of the NW-DAA capability. If the UAS server receives a positive acknowledgement, the UAS server timestamp, and / or stored the NW-DAA application policy, the UAS server may execute the NW-DAA configuration and / or may perform one or more processes illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B (e.g., one or more processes 5-7 illustrated in FIG. 4A).

[0170] As illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, after the execution of NW-DAA configuration, the UAE server may send an indication (e.g., an NW-DAA support management complete indication) to the USS.

[0171] As illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, the UAE client may receive a request, e.g., a request message such as an NW-DAA configuration request message, from the UAE server. The request may be to add or delete the NW-DAA configuration. The configuration request may include one or more (e.g., some or all) of the parameters (e.g., as illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B).

[0172] If the UAE client is selected by the USS to serve one or more USSs, the UAE client may receive configuration information pertaining to a (e.g., each) USS. The UAE server may provide an aggregate configuration that includes one or more (e.g., all) USSs, e.g., for which ground-based DAA service is provided by the UAE client. For a (e.g., each) USS, the configuration may include one or more UAS IDs identifying the UAV for which ground-based DAA assistance is requested.

[0173] The UAE client may keep track of the USSs (e.g., USS IDs) for which the UAE client needs to (e.g., is required to) monitor the UAV, e.g., for DAA purposes. The UAE client may use the USS ID information to detect UAVs served by the USS. For example, the UAE client may use the USS ID and / orthe UAS ID to match against a Remote ID broadcasted by a UAV in proximity to determine whether the UAV is subject to ground-based DAA assistance.

[0174] As illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, the UAE client may store (e.g., may respectively delete) the NW- DAA configuration associated with the USS, e.g., based on the request, whether the request is to add (e.g., respectively delete) a configuration pertaining to a particular USS.

[0175] As illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, the UAE client may send a response, e.g., a response message such as an NW-DAA support configuration response message, to the UAE server, e.g., to acknowledge the addition / removal of the configuration.

[0176] As illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, the UAE client managed DAA may configure the UAE client to manage the detect and avoid operation for one or more target UAVs within the range of a UAE client.

[0177] As illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, the UAE client (e.g., the Local-DAA-GS) may track the target UAVs based on the configuration / policy received from the USS (e.g., based on matching of UAV remote ID with configured USS / UAV identification) and / or enforce deconflict for the detected UAV that can potentially collide. The UAE client may update the flight paths of the target UAVs and / or may communicate with the target UAVs. The communication mode between the UAE client and the legacy UAVs may be over Uu. The communication mode between the UAE client and the DAA capable UAVs may be over Uu and / or PC5. The communication mode between the UAE client and the UAVs that support non-3GPP specific communication technologies may be over non-3GPP access technologies.

[0178] The UAE client for the tracking and monitoring purposes may utilize SEAL, e.g., by communicating with a SEAL server and / or by providing the target UAV IDs to get the location.

[0179] As illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, the UAE client may send, to the UAE server, a report, e.g., event report such as an NW-DAA client event report. The report (e.g., the NW-DAA client event report) may indicate a detected or resolved flight path conflict with one or more UAVs in proximity. The report (e.g., the NW-DAA client event report) may include the list of target UAVs (e.g., list of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) level UAV IDs and / or associated alerts). The message may include updated trajectory per a target UAV with a cause of DAA. The UAE server may send the NW-DAA client event report to the USS. The reports may be used to update flight path information and / or may be stored at the USS, e.g., of the (e.g., each) target UAV within the range of the UAE client. The NW-DAA client event report may include the target UAV ID (e.g., CAA-level UAV ID), the tracking result, presence reporting that includes the location and / or time of arrival (e.g., if / when a UAV enters the monitoring range of a UAE client), location and / or time departure (e.g., if / when a UAV leaves the monitoring range of a UAE client), and / or other UAV related information.

[0180] In some examples, as illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, the UAE client may send an event report to the server. As described herein, the event report may be, or may include, one or more of the following: at least one of a detected flight path conflict information associated with at least one UAV, a resolved flight path conflict information associated with at least one UAV, at least one ID associated with a UAV that has a flight path conflict, tracking results associated with the monitored UAV, a time of arrival associated with the monitored UAV, or information associated with the monitored UAV. For example, the information associated with the monitored UAV may include a list of target UAVs. The list of target UAVs may include at least one of a list of CAA level UAV IDs or associated alerts. In some examples, the UAE client may send the event report to the server based on the monitored UAV having a flight path conflict.

[0181] As illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, the USS may acknowledge the alert to the UAE client, e.g., via the UAE server.

[0182] As illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, the USS may manage DAA. For example, the UAE client may skip (e.g., not perform) the detect and avoid operation. The USS may manage the DAA for the target UAVs via the UAE client.

[0183] As illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, the USS may receive one or more flight path monitoring reports from the UAE client, e.g., via the UAE server. Based on the reports, the USS may determine one or more (e.g., any) potential collisions. The determination may be based on the anticipated flight paths for one or more (e.g., all) the target UAVs that are reported by the UAE clients and / or have directly registered to the USS. Based on the overall information at the USS, the USS may perform deconfliction and flight path update for the UAVs that are potentially in danger.

[0184] As illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, the UAE server may receive, from the USS, a request, such as a DAA flightpath update request. The request, e.g., the DAA flightpath update request, may be, or may include, UAV identification and / or new / corrected flight path information for a list of UAVs that are in the range of the UAE client. The UAE servers may verify that the request is authorized as described herein before sending a request for change of the flight path to the UAE client. The UAE client may receive a request, such as a DAA flightpath update request, for the selected target UAVs and / or the identification information from the UAE server.

[0185] As illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, the UAE client may broadcast / unicast the change of flight path information, e.g., due to DAA, to the respective target UAVs, e.g., over control or user plane signaling. The exchange of updated flight path between the UAE client and the target UAVs may be based on DAA configuration and / or supported communication mode. The UAE layer may inform the application.

[0186] As illustrated in FIGs. 4A-B, the UAE client may send, to the UAE server, a response, such as a DAA flightpath update response, to indicate a change of flight path. The UAE client may include relevant additional information about the reason for change of flightpath and / or actual new flightpath in the message. The UAE server may send, to the USS, a response, such as a DAA flightpath response, to confirm a change of flightpath for the selected UAVs. The UAE server may include relevant additional information about the reason for change of flightpath and / or actual new flightpath in the message.

[0187] The processes described above may be implemented in a computer program, software, and / or firmware incorporated in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer and / or processor. Examples of computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, electronic signals (transmitted over wired and / or wireless connections) and / or computer-readable storage media. Examples of computer- readable storage media include, but are not limited to, a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a register, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as, but not limited to, internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical media, and / or optical media such as CD-ROM disks, and / or digital versatile disks (DVDs). A processor in association with software may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for use in a WTRU, terminal, base station, RNC, and / or any host computer.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is Claimed:

1. A device comprising: a processor configured to: send a registration request message to a server, wherein the registration request message comprises a local detect and avoid (DAA) ground station (LDGS) capability; receive a registration response message from the server, wherein the registration response message is configured to indicate that a registration has been successful or the registration has failed; receive a configuration request message from the server, wherein the configuration request message comprises configuration information associated with an uncrewed aerial system (UAS) service supplier (USS); based on the configuration request message, provide ground-based DAA assistance to a monitored uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV); and send an event report to the server.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a UAV Application Enabling (UAE) client, wherein the UAE client comprises a local-DAA-ground station (GS), and wherein the server is a UAE server.

3. The device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the configuration request message comprises at least one of a DAA configuration request message or a DAA policy request message, wherein the at least one of the DAA configuration request message or the DAA policy request message comprises at least one of a DAA triggering threshold, a time validity, or a reporting frequency, and wherein the DAA configuration request message or the DAA policy request message is received by the server from the USS.

4. The device of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the configuration information comprises a UAS identification (ID) associated with a target UAV for which ground based DAA assistance is requested, wherein the configuration information is for a respective USS, wherein the event report comprises at least one of a detected flight path conflict information associated with at least one UAV, a resolved flight path conflict information associated with at least one UAV, at least one ID associated with a UAV that has a flight path conflict, tracking results associated with the monitored UAV, a time of arrival associated with themonitored UAV, or information associated with the monitored UAV, wherein the information associated with the monitored UAV comprises a list of target UAVs, and wherein the list of target UAVs comprises at least one of a list of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) level UAV IDs or associated alerts.

5. The device of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the processor is configured to: receive at least one of a USS identification configuration or a UAV identification configuration; match a UAV remote ID with the at least one of the USS identification configuration or the UAV identification configuration; and monitor the UAV based on the matched UAV remote ID.

6. The device of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the processor is configured to: receive a request message from the server, wherein the request message comprises an indication to store a DAA configuration associated with the USS or an indication to delete the DAA configuration associated with the USS; based on the request message, store the DAA configuration associated with the USS or delete the DAA configuration associated with the USS; and send a response message to the server, wherein the response message is configured to indicate an acknowledgement of addition of the DAA configuration associated with the USS or an acknowledgement of deletion of the DAA configuration associated with the USS.

7. The device of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the processor is configured to: determine whether a flight path conflict exists with the monitored UAV; and perform a deconfliction procedure on the monitored UAV based on the flight path conflict.

8. The device of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the request message is a first request message, and wherein the processor is configured to: receive a second request message from the USS via the server, wherein the second request message comprises a DAA flight path update request for the monitored UAV and identification information associated with the monitored UAV, and wherein the DAA flight path update comprises an updated flight path.

9. The device of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the processor is further configured to track one or more USS IDs.

10. The device of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the event report to the server is sent based on the monitored UAV having a flight path conflict, and wherein the registration request message further comprises contextual information, wherein the contextual information comprises at least one of frequency of broadcasting information, UAV mobility information, a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) type information, monitoring range information, a local-DAA-GS ID, an LDGS ID, or battery status information, and wherein the UAV mobility information comprises at least one of position information, direction information, speed information, on-ground information, airborne information, or mounted on fixed structure information, and wherein the WTRU type information comprises at least one of an UAV or a ground station.

11. A method implemented by a device, comprising: sending a registration request message to a server, wherein the registration request message comprises a local detect and avoid ground station (LDGS) capability; receiving a registration response message, wherein the registration response message is configured to indicate that a registration has been successful or the registration has failed; receiving a configuration request message from the server, wherein the configuration request message comprises configuration information associated with an uncrewed aerial system (UAS) service supplier (USS); based on the configuration request message, providing ground-based DAA assistance to a monitored uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV); and based on the monitored UAV, sending an event report to the server.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the device is a UAV Application Enabling (UAE) client, wherein the UAE client comprises a local-DAA-ground station (GS), and wherein the server is a UAE server.

13. The method of any one of claim 11 or 12, wherein the configuration request message comprises at least one of a DAA configuration request message or a DAA policy request message, wherein the at least one of the DAA configuration request message or the DAA policy request message comprisesat least one of a DAA triggering threshold, a time validity, or a reporting frequency, and wherein the DAA configuration request message or the DAA policy request message is received by the server from the USS.

14. The method of any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the configuration information comprises a UAS identification (ID) associated with a target UAV for which ground based DAA assistance is requested, wherein the configuration information is for a respective USS, wherein the event report comprises at least one of a detected flight path conflict information associated with at least one UAV, a resolved flight path conflict information associated with at least one UAV, at least one ID associated with a UAV that has a flight path conflict, a tracking result associated with the monitored UAV, a time of arrival associated with the monitored UAV, or information associated with the monitored UAV, wherein the information associated with the monitored UAV comprises a list of target UAVs, and wherein the list of target UAVs comprises at least one of a list of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) level UAV IDs or associated alerts.

15. The method of any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the method comprises: receiving at least one of a USS identification configuration or a UAV identification configuration; matching a UAV remote ID with the at least one of the USS identification configuration or the UAV identification configuration; and monitoring UAV based on the matched UAV remote ID.

16. The method of any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein the method comprises: receiving a request message from the server, wherein the request message comprises an indication to store a DAA configuration associated with the USS or an indication to delete the DAA configuration associated with the USS; based on the request message, storing the DAA configuration associated with the USS or delete the DAA configuration associated with the USS; and sending a response message to the server, wherein the response message is configured to indicate an acknowledgement of addition of the DAA configuration associated with the USS or an acknowledgement of deletion of the DAA configuration associated with the USS.

17. The method of any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein the method comprises: determining whether a flight path conflict exists with the monitored UAV; andperforming a deconfliction procedure on the monitored UAV based on the flight path conflict.

18. The method of any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein the request message is a first request message, and wherein the method comprises: receiving a second request message from the server, wherein the second request message comprises a DAA flight path update request for the monitored UAV and identification information associated with the monitored UAV.

19. The method of any one of claims 11 to 18, wherein the method further comprises: tracking one or more USS IDs.

20. The method of any one of claims 11 to 19, wherein the registration request message further comprises contextual information, wherein the contextual information comprises at least one of frequency of broadcasting information, UAV mobility information, a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) type information, monitoring range information, a local-DAA-GS ID, an LDGS ID, or battery status information, and wherein the UAV mobility information comprises at least one of position information, direction information, speed information, on-ground information, airborne information, or mounted on fixed structure information, and wherein the WTRU type information comprises at least one of an UAV or a ground station.

21. A device comprising: a processor configured to: receive a detect and avoid (DAA) management request from an uncrewed aerial system (UAS) service supplier (USS) server, wherein the DAA management request comprises at least one of a list of UAS identifications (IDs), geographical area information, a DAA triggering threshold, a time validity, or a reporting frequency; send a response message to the USS server, wherein the response message indicates a positive result to the DAA management request or a negative result to the DAA management request; and receive a DAA flight path update request from the USS server, wherein the DAA flight path update request comprises an updated flight path.

22. The device of claim 21 , wherein the device is an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) Application Enabling (UAE) server, and wherein the USS server is configured to manage a local DAA ground station (LDGS) capability.

23. The device of any one of claims 21 or 22, wherein the list of UAS IDs further comprises a list of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) level UAV IDs, and wherein the list of CAA level UAV IDs is associated with a list of target UAVs.

24. The device of any one of claims 21 to 23, wherein the DAA flight path update request further comprises UAV identification for a list of UAVs that are in a range of a UAE client, and wherein the updated flight path is configured to avoid a flight path conflict.

25. A method implemented by a device, comprising: receiving a detect and avoid (DAA) management request from an uncrewed aerial system (UAS) service supplier (USS) server, wherein the DAA management request comprises at least one of a list of UAS identifications (IDs), geographical area information, a DAA triggering threshold, a time validity, or a reporting frequency; sending a response message to the USS server, wherein the response message indicates a positive result to the DAA management request or a negative result to the DAA management request; and receiving a DAA flight path update request from the USS server, wherein the DAA flight path update request comprises an updated flight path.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the device is an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) Application Enabling (UAE) server, and wherein the USS server is configured to manage a local DAA ground station (LDGS) capability.

27. The device of any one of claims 25 or 26, wherein the list of UAS IDs further comprises a list of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) level UAV IDs, and wherein the list of CAA level UAV IDs is associated with a list of target UAVs.

28. The device of any one of claims 25 to 27, wherein the DAA flight path update request further comprises UAV identification for a list of UAVs that are in a range of a UAE client, and wherein the updated flight path is configured to avoid a flight path conflict.

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