UE and object association management function

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses are described herein for a UE-object association management function (AsMF) to support services such as sensing (enablement) and location management. The following is a summary of proposed capabilities of the service. In an example, a server or client with AsMF may receive information associated with UE-object associations. The server or client with AsMF may determine to perform UE-object association management operations. The server or client with AsMF may send one or more messages associated with the management of UE-object associations. The server or client with AsMF may receive a request from a requestor. The server or client with AsMF may determine UE-object associations. The server or client with AsMF may send one or more messages associated with the determined UE-object associations.

Description

2024P00810WQUE AND OBJECT ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONCROSS REFERENCE TO PRIOIRTY INFORMATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 718,113, filed on 1 1 / 08 / 2024, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety into this application.BACKGROUND

[0002] Currently there is a lack of methods or functionalities to identify the association between user equipments (UEs) and objects and / or manage the dynamic relationships and linkage between the UE information and object information. Accordingly, there is a need for improved techniques for identifying the association between UEs and objects and / or managing the dynamic relationships and linkage between the UE information and object information.SUMMARY

[0003] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to limitations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure. Throughout this specification, the terms user equipment (UE) and wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) may be used interchangeably.

[0004] The 3GPP system may obtain information of UEs such as their location, mobility, distribution, etc. With sensing technology, the 3GPP system may also obtain information of objects such as their size, shape, location, mobility, etc. Information of UEs and information of objects are obtained and managed separately by different entities in the network. A UE and an object may share the same or similar location when they are co-located (e.g. a user holding / carrying a smartphone) or the object is the actual physical form of the UE (e.g. as in a network-connected drone or autonomous vehicle). However, the system may not be aware of such relationships. For example, the system may not know that a UE may appear in sensing results and thus may be unable to associate the location information of the UE with the location information of the sensed object. Techniques are disclosed herein for a UE-object association management function (AsMF) to provide awareness of UE-object associations and dynamically manage the associations, which may support and enhance various services and functions in the 3GPP system such as sensing functions or sensing enablement service, location managementservice, metaverse / XR (enablement) services, etc. The proposed function may support functionality including but not limited to: an UE-object association management procedure, dynamic UE-object association management, and AsMF-assisted enhanced sensing enablement procedure, and an AsMF- assisted enhanced location-based service procedure.

[0005] In an example, a server or client with AsMF may receive information associated with UE-object associations. The information may be received from a UE, an application client on the UE, an application / service enabler client with AsMF on the UE, a VAL server, an application / service enabler server, etc. The information may include association type, information of UEs and objects in the associations, association period, association status, policies on the conditions and events of when to establish / update / terminate associations, policies on what UE or object can be associated, policies on what information of the UE / object can be linked to or shared with the associated object / UE, etc. The information may include AIML models that can be used to learn / determine what UE or object can be associated, when to establish / update / terminate associations, what information of the UE / object can be linked to or shared with the associated object / UE, etc. The information may include analytics information that can be used to determine / predict what UE or object can be associated, when to establish / update / terminate associations, what information of the UE / object can be linked to or shared with the associated object / UE, etc. The information may be included in an association management request or an association management subscription request.

[0006] The server or client with AsMF may determine to perform UE-object association management operations. The determining may be based on association information, association policies, AIML models, analytics information, etc. The management operations may include monitoring and obtaining information of UEs and objects, maintaining and updating association related information, determining whether / when an association can be established / updated / terminated, exposing UE and / or object information, etc. The determining may be based on the detection of conditions and events such as the distance between the UE and the object crossing a threshold, schedule and / or expiration of associations, update and / or management operations performed regarding other associations, change of status of the application / session related to the associations, receiving triggers from AIML or analytics related services, etc.

[0007] The server or client with AsMF may send one or more messages associated with the management of UE-object associations. The message may be sent to the requestor of the management (subscription) request. The message may include new and / or updated association information, association policies, AIML models, analytics information, etc.

[0008] The server or client with AsMF may receive a request from a requestor. The request may be received from a VAL server / client, a sensing enablement server / client, a location management server / client, a metaverse / XR enablement server / client, etc. The request may be a subscription request. The request may include a request to find UEs / objects that can be associated with a target object / U E, information of the target object / U E, association information of the target object / U E, association policies / AIML models / analytics information for the target object / U E, etc.

[0009] The server or client with AsMF may determine UE-object associations. The determining may be based on the target object / UE information, association information, association policies, AIML models, analytics information, etc. The determining may include determining the association type, association period, the information linkage / sharing between the associated UE and object, etc. The determining may include finding neighbor associations regarding one or more neighbor objects / UEs of the target object / UE. The determining may be based on association related information that is obtained before or after receiving the request.

[0010] The server or client with AsMF may send one or more messages associated with the determined UE-object associations. The message may be sent to the requestor or a notification target specified by the requestor. The message may be a notification message that is sent according to the notification criteria specified by the requestor. The message may be sent to the UEs involved in the associations.

[0011] In some examples, an apparatus may receive association information. The association information may include a condition. The condition may indicate whether to identify an association between a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) and an object. The condition may indicate that the association between the WTRU and the object is identified based on location information of the WTRU and location information of the object. The apparatus may determine the association between the WTRU and the object, for example, based on the condition being met. The apparatus may send a message indicating the association between the WTRU and the object. The association between the WTRU and the object may associate the location information of the WTRU obtained by a location service and the location information of the object determined based on an object sensing service.

[0012] The apparatus may assist an object sensing service for the object based on the association information. The apparatus may determine that the WTRU can be associated with the object based on the association information. The apparatus may determine the location information of the object based on the location information of the WTRU. For example, when the apparatus assists the sensing service of the object, the apparatus may determine that the WTRU can be associated with theobject based on the association information and determine the location information of the object based on the location information of the WTRU.

[0013] The apparatus may assist a location-based service of the WTRU based on the association information. The apparatus may determine that the object can be associated with the WTRU based on the association information. The apparatus may determine the location information of the WTRU based on the location information of the object. For example, when the apparatus assists the location-based service of the WTRU, the apparatus may determine that the object can be associated with the WTRU based on the association information and determine the location information of the WTRU based on the location information of the object

[0014] The association information may indicate a list of objects that can be associated with the WTRU. The object may be a part of the list of objects. The association information may indicate a list of WTRUs that can be associated with the object. The WTRU may be a part of the list of WTRUs.

[0015] The apparatus may determine the location information of the WTRU based on the location information of the object The apparatus may determine the location information of the object based on the location information of the WTRU.

[0016] The association information may indicate an association period. The apparatus may manage the association between the WTRU and the object for the association period. The association information may indicate an association type. The apparatus may determine the association between the WTRU and the object based on the association type.

[0017] The apparatus may receive a subscription request. The subscription request may include notification criteria. The notification criteria may indicate a notification is to be sent, for example, when an association between the WTRU and the object is created or terminated. The apparatus may send a notification, for example, based on the notification criteria.

[0018] The apparatus may perform a method comprising one or more of the following steps. For example, the method performed by the apparatus may include receiving association information. The association information may include a condition. The condition may indicate whether to identify an association between a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) and an object The condition may indicate that the association between the WTRU and the object is identified based on location information of the WTRU and location information of the object. The method performed by the apparatus may include determining the association between the WTRU and the object, for example, based on the condition being met. The method performed by the apparatus may include sending a message indicating the2024P00810WQ association between the WTRU and the object. The method performed by the apparatus may include assisting a location-based service of the WTRU based on the association information.

[0019] The method performed by the apparatus may include determining that the object can be associated with the WTRU based on the association information. The method performed by the apparatus may include determining the location information of the WTRU based on the location information of the object. For example, when the method performed by the apparatus includes assisting the location-based service of the WTRU, the method may include determining that the object can be associated with the WTRU based on the association information and determining the location information of the WTRU based on the location information of the object.

[0020] The association information may indicate a list of objects that can be associated with the WTRU. The object may be a part of the list of objects. The association information may indicate a list of WTRUs that can be associated with the object. The WTRU may be a part of the list of WTRUs.

[0021] The method performed by the apparatus may include determining the location information of the WTRU based on the location information of the object. The method performed by the apparatus may include determining the location information of the object based on the location information of the WTRU.

[0022] The association information may indicate an association type. The method performed by the apparatus may include determining the association between the WTRU and the object based on the association type.

[0023] The method performed by the apparatus may include receiving a subscription request. The subscription request may include notification criteria. The notification criteria may indicate a notification is to be sent, for example, when an association between the WTRU and the object is created or terminated. The method performed by the apparatus may include sending a notification based on the notification criteria.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to facilitate a more robust understanding of the application, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are referenced with like numerals. These drawings should not be construed to limit the application and are intended only to be illustrative.

[0025] FIG. 1 shows an example of UEs and objects in separate layers;

[0026] FIG. 2 shows an example scenario of tracking;

[0027] FIG. 3 shows an example of an association management function as part of a sensing enablement service;

[0028] FIG. 4 shows an association management function as part of location management service;

[0029] FIG. 5 shows an example UE-object association management procedure;

[0030] FIG. 6 shows an example AsMF assisting sensing enablement service;

[0031] FIG. 7 shows an example of neighbor associations;

[0032] FIG. 8 shows an AsMF assisting location-based service;

[0033] FIG. 9 shows another example AsMF assisting location-based service;

[0034] FIG. 10 shows an example GUI for association management request;

[0035] FIG. 1 1 shows an example GUI for displaying and managing UE-object associations;

[0036] FIG. 12A illustrates an example communications system;

[0037] FIG. 12B shows a system diagram of an example RAN and core network;

[0038] FIG. 12C shows a system diagram of an example RAN and core network;

[0039] FIG. 12D shows a system diagram of an example RAN and core network;

[0040] FIG. 12E illustrates another example communications system;

[0041] FIG. 12F is a block diagram of an example apparatus or device, such as a WTRU; and

[0042] FIG. 12G is a block diagram of an exemplary computing system.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

[0043] Methods are described herein related to a UE-object association management function (AsMF) to provide awareness of UE-object associations and dynamically manage the associations, which may support and enhance various services and functions in the 3GPP system such as sensing functions or sensing enablement service, location management service, metaverse / XR (enablement) services, etc.

[0044] The following abbreviations are described herein:

[0045] The following terms are described herein:

[0046] 3GPP wireless sensing is a technology to acquire information about characteristics of an environment and / or objects within the environment (or area of interest) as described in 3GPP TS22.137, Service requirements for Integrated Sensing and Communication; V19.1.0 (2024-04). 3GPP sensing uses sensing signals in the form of radio waves to determine the presence, distance (range), angle, shape, velocity, or motion of objects. 3GPP sensing relies on analyzing the transmissions, reflections, and scattering of wireless sensing signals, where the sensing signals may be transmitted and received by a RAN node or a UE. Sensing may be monostatic or bistatic The object may be a 3GPP UE or non-3GPP device that is connected to the 3GPP network, or it may be a non-connected object which passively reflects the sensing signals.

[0047] Sensing capabilities in the 3GPP network may provide new possibilities for enhanced usage of the telecommunication infrastructure in areas of object detection and tracking, environment monitoring and human motion monitoring. The capabilities may provide input to various verticals such as UAVs, smart home, V2X, and factories. Example use cases of 3GPP sensing may include:

[0048] Object and intruder detection for smart home, on a highway, for railways, for factory, for predefined secure areas around critical infrastructure;

[0049] Collision avoidance and trajectory tracking of UAVs, vehicles, AGVs;

[0050] Automotive maneuvering and navigation;

[0051] Public safety search and rescue;

[0052] Rainfall monitoring and flooding; and

[0053] Health and sports monitoring.

[0054] The 3GPP system may obtain information of UEs such as their location, mobility, distribution, etc. With sensing technology, the 3GPP system may also obtain information of objects such as their size, shape, location, mobility, etc. Information of objects may be derived based on sensing results and / or provided by the application layer. Information of UEs and information of objects are obtained and managed separately by different entities in the system.

[0055] A UE and an object may share the same or similar location when they are co-located (e.g. a user holding / carrying a smartphone) or the object is the actual physical form of the UE (e.g. as in a network-connected drone or autonomous vehicle). However, the system may not be aware of such relationships between the UEs and objects. FIG. 1 shows an example of UEs and objects in separate layers in the system 200.

[0056] For example, the system may track the location information of a UE (e.g. a smartphone 202), while at the same time try to sense an object represented as a user in the form of a person 204. However, the system is not aware of the physical form of the UE or that the UE belongs to the user beingsensed. As a result, the system is unable to associate the location information of the UE with the location information of the object, i.e. the human user.

[0057] In another example, a fleet of drones 206 may report their location information to the network as UEs 208. The location reporting may be limited or stopped as the battery power drains. At the same time, the drones may be detected by sensing devices, which indicate their location information as objects. However, the system is unable to link the drone UEs' reported location information with the sensing results due to lack of knowledge on the relationships between them.

[0058] FIG. 2 illustrates another example scenario. In FIG. 2, a tracking service 300 is tracking a human object 302 using sensing devices 304 (e.g., cell towers equipped with sensing capabilities). As the human 302 gets on a vehicle, indicated at 306, the sensing devices are no longer able to detect the human object but are able to detect the vehicle object as indicated at 308. The vehicle has a UE that connects to the 3GPP system, whose location information can be obtained from the 3GPP network. Since the human is on board the vehicle, the location information of the vehicle UE is equivalent to that of the human. However, the tracking service is unaware of the association between the human and the vehicle UE, thus has to continue trying to track the human, which may be less efficient or may yield results with lower precision / accuracy. Even if the tracking service is aware that the human object and the vehicle UE are co-located, it may need authorization to be able to utilize the vehicle UE’s location information to locate the human object. Moreover, as the human gets off the vehicle, as indicated at 310, the tracking service may need to be made aware that the vehicle UE's location information is no longer able to represent the human’s location.

[0059] Currently there is a lack of methods or functionalities to identify the association between UEs and objects, manage the dynamic relationships and linkage between the UE information and object information.

[0060] Methods and apparatuses are described herein for a UE-object association management function (AsMF) to support services such as sensing (enablement) and location management. The following is a summary of proposed capabilities of the service.

[0061] A server or client with AsMF may be capable ofreceiving information associated with UE-object associations. The information may be received from a UE, an application client on the UE, an application / service enabler client with AsMF on the UE, a VAL server, an application / service enabler server, etc. The information may include association type, information of UEs and objects in the associations, association period, association status, policies on the conditions and events of when to establish / update / terminate associations, policies on what UE or object can be associated, policies onwhat information of the UE / object can be linked to or shared with the associated object / UE, etc. The information may include AIML models that can be used to learn / determine what UE or object can be associated, when to establish / update / terminate associations, what information of the UE / object can be linked to or shared with the associated object / UE, etc. The information may include analytics information that can be used to determine / predict what UE or object can be associated, when to establish / update / terminate associations, what information of the UE / object can be linked to or shared with the associated object / UE, etc. The information may be included in an association management request or an association management subscription request.

[0062] A server or client with AsMF may be capable of determining to perform UE-object association management operations. The determining may be based on association information, association policies, AIML models, analytics information, etc. The management operations may include monitoring and obtaining information of UEs and objects, maintaining and updating association related information, determining whether / when an association can be established / updated / terminated, exposing UE and / or object information, etc. The determining may be based on the detection of conditions and events such as the distance between the UE and the object crossing a threshold, schedule and / or expiration of associations, update and / or management operations performed regarding other associations, change of status of the application / session related to the associations, receiving triggers from AIML or analytics related services, etc.

[0063] A server or client with AsMF may be capable of sending one or more messages associated with the management of UE-object associations. The message may be sent to the requestor of the management (subscription) request. The message may include new and / or updated association information, association policies, AIML models, analytics information, etc.

[0064] A server or client with AsMF may be capable of receiving a request from a requestor. The request may be received from a VAL server / client, a sensing enablement server / client, a location management server / client, a metaverse / XR enablement server / client, etc. The request may be a subscription request. The request may include a request to find UEs / objects that can be associated with a target object / UE, information of the target object / UE, association information of the target object / UE, association policies / AIML models / analytics information for the target object / UE, etc.

[0065] A server or client with AsMF may be capable of determining UE-object associations. The determining may be based on the target object / UE information, association information, association policies, AIML models, analytics information, etc. The determining may include determining the association type, association period, the information linkage / sharing between the associated UE andobject, etc. The determining may include finding neighbor associations regarding one or more neighbor objects / UEs of the target object / UE. The determining may be based on association related information that is obtained before or after receiving the request.

[0066] A server or client with AsMF may be capable of sending one or more messages associated with the determined UE-object associations The message may be sent to the requestor or a notification target specified by the requestor. The message may be a notification message that is sent according to the notification criteria specified by the requestor. The message may be sent to the UEs involved in the associations.

[0067] FIG. 3 illustrates an example architecture for implementing the proposed UE-object association management function (AsMF) as part of a sensing enablement service within the context of a 3GPP system. The service architecture may support sensing enablement client(s) and server(s). A sensing enablement server 402 may allow VAL servers 404 to request a sensing task to be performed by sensing devices (e.g. via the SES-S interface 406). The sensing enablement server 402 may also be accessed by sensing enablement client(s) 408 (e.g. via the SES-UU interface 410) on behalf of VAL clients 412 which interface to the sensing enablement client(s) 408 (e.g. via the SES-C interface 414). The sensing enablement server / client may interface to other functions and services in a 3GPP system, such as SEAL location management server / client 416 (e.g. via the SEAL-X interface 418), (application layer) data collection and coordination function, analytics service (e g. NWDAF, ADAES), core network, RAN functions, etc. The sensing enablement clients 408, 420 on different UEs 422, 424 may interface with each other (e.g. via the SES-PC5 interface 426).

[0068] FIG. 4 illustrates an example architecture for implementing the proposed UE-object association management function (AsMF) as part of a SEAL location management service within the context of a 3GPP system. The service architecture may support location management client(s) and server(s). A location management server 502 may allow VAL servers 504 to request UE location information or trigger location reporting (e.g. via the LM-S interface 506). The location management server 502 may interact with location management client(s) 508 (e.g. via the LM-UU interface 510) to configure location reporting and receive location reports. The location management server / client may interface to other functions and services in a 3GPP system, such as sensing enablement server / client 512 (e.g. via the SEAL-X interface 514), (application layer) data collection and coordination function, analytics service (e.g. NWDAF, ADAES), core network, RAN functions, etc. The location management clients 508, 516 on different UEs 518, 520 may interface with each other (e.g. via the LM-PC5 interface 522).

[0069] Via the interfaces shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4, the service entities may support one or more features defined hereinafter. One or more of the interfaces may be mapped to existing interfaces defined in a 3GPP system. These existing interfaces may be enhanced with one or more of the features defined hereinafter.

[0070] Note, one skilled in the art will recognize that the architecture shown in FIG 3 or FIG. 4 is not intended to limit or exclude other possible architectural options for supporting UE-object association management function within a 3GPP system. For example, the UE-object association management function may be realized as features of other services within a 3GPP system such as but not limited to an XR (enablement) service, metaverse (enablement) service, analytics (enablement) service, a core network function, etc.

[0071] Note that the UE-object association management function shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 and described herein may also be deployed by a cloud service provider offering sensing and / or positioning functions / capabilities which may or may not communicate with a 3GPP network. The cloud service provider may expose APIs for application servers or clients to access UE-object association management function described hereinafter.

[0072] Note, one skilled in the art will also recognize that the term client and server referenced throughout may be realized as software deployed on one or more network apparatuses comprising processor(s), memory, and network interface(s). The apparatuses may be deployed as cloud apparatuses, edge apparatuses, or device apparatuses. One or more servers and / or clients of the same or different type may be deployed on a single apparatus. A single server or client may be split and deployed across multiple apparatuses. The functionality of one type of server or client may be combined or consolidated with the functionality of another type of server or client and deployed together with one another on one or more apparatuses.

[0073] Throughout this disclosure, the UE-object association management function may refer to the function implemented on a server entity (e.g. sensing enablement server, location management server), or on a client entity (e.g. sensing enablement client, location management client), or both of them.

[0074] Association Information and Association Policies are described herein. Information of (known) objects that may be associated with a specific UE and the corresponding management policies, AIML models, and / or analytics may be described as UE-centric association information, as shown in Table 1 (which may include information that is specified from the perspective of the UE). The UE-centric association information may be provided by the UE (and / or the corresponding AsMF client entity) and updated by the UE and / or the AsMF.Table 1. UE-centric association information

[0075] What objects may or may not be associated with a specific UE and the corresponding management policies may be described in UE-centric association policies, AIML models, and / or analytics, as shown in Table 2 (which may include information and policies that are specified from the perspective of the UE). Objects that are associated with a UE based on association policies, AIML models, and / or analytics may be added to the list of associated objects in the UE-centric association information shown in Table 1. In other words, the AsMF may use the UE-centric association policies, AIML models, and / or analytics depicted in Table 2 to create and manage associations between UEs and objects as depicted in Table 1. The UE-centric association policies, AIML models, analytics information may be provided by the UE (and / or the corresponding AsMF client entity) and updated by the UE and / or the AsMF.Table 2. UE-centric association policies, AIML models, analytics information

[0076] Examples of UE-centric association policies may include the following:

[0077] For example, a vehicle UE may be configured with a policy that if an object with characteristics of a human (as specified in object information criteria) is co-located with the vehicle UE for at least 5 minutes (as specified in association conditions), then the object may be associated with the vehicle UE with association type "co-location”. During the association, location information of the vehicle UE may be linked to the object, and vice versa (as specified in information linkage policies). If the distance between the human object and the UE exceeds 3 meters (dissociation conditions), then the association should be terminated.

[0078] For example, a phone UE may specify a policy that a "user” type association can be established only when the “owner” object is in the vicinity of the UE, an “owner” type association can be established only when there is no existing “owner” type association.

[0079] For example, a ride-share vehicle UE may be configured with a policy that objects associated with other UEs which have an active session of the ride-share application can be associated with the vehicle UE as “users” while the location information of the vehicle UE can be shared to such objects. The policy may further specify that if a “user” objects becomes co-located with the vehicle UE, the association type will be updated to both “user” and “co-location" while the vehicle UE’s capability information can also be linked / shared to such object.

[0080] Information of (known) UEs that may be associated with a specific object and the corresponding management policies , AIML model, and / or analytics information may be described in object-centric association information, as shown in Table 3 (which may include information that is specified from the perspective of the object). The object-centric association information may be provided by a VAL server / client and updated by the VAL server / client and / or the AsMF.Table 3. Object-centric association information

[0081] Object-centric association policies, AIML model, and / or analytics information, as shown in Table 4 may describe what UEs may or may not be associated with a specific object and the corresponding management policies, AIML model, and / or analytics information. For example, these object-centric association policies, AIML model, and / or analytics information, as shown in Table 4, may include information and policies that are specified from the perspective of the object. UEs that are associated with the object based on the association policies, AIML model, and / or analytics informationmay be added to the list of associated UEs in the association information. The object-centric association policies, AIM L model, analytics information may be provided by a VAL server / client and updated by the VAL server / client and / or the AsMF.Table 4. Object-centric association policies

[0082] The association information, policies, AIML models and analytics information maintained by the AsMF may be shared with other entities in the system (e.g. the core network).

[0083] An UE-Object Association Management Procedure is described herein. The UE-object association management function (AsMF) may receive a request to manage the associated objects for one or more UEs or manage the associated UEs for one or more objects. The AsMF may be hosted on a client or server entity. The requestor may be a UE or a VAL client / server. In some examples, the requestor may be a client entity (e.g. sensing enablement client, location management client) with AsMF client functionality that sends the request to a server entity (e.g. sensing enablement server, location management server) with AsMF server functionality. An example procedure is shown in FIG. 5. The operations performed by the AsMF 602 may be performed by a server entity, a client entity, or both. The procedures defined in the figure may be sequenced in an order different than is shown, in parallel with each other, or concurrently with each other. Some procedures in the figure may be skipped and / or performed independent of other procedures.

[0084] Step 1 : A requestor 604 may send a UE-object association management request 606 to the AsMF 602. The request may be a one-time request, a subscription request, or may be implied by one or more messages from the requestor to the AsMF. The request may include association information and association policies AIML model, and / or analytics information as described in Table 1 to Table 4. Inaddition, the requestor may also specify notification criteria and notification target in the request, indicating when a notification should be sent and what information needs to be included in the notification.

[0085] Step 2: The AsMF 602 may process the received request and send a response 608 to the requestor 604. If the request 606 in step 1 is for a subscription, the AsMF assigns an identifier for the subscription and saves a local context for the subscription.

[0086] Step 3: The AsMF 602 may perform UE-object association management operations 610 based on the received association information and policies (and / or Al models, analytics information), such as monitoring and receiving information of the relevant UEs and objects, detecting trigger conditions and events, establishing new associations, updating or terminating existing associations, etc.

[0087] The management operations may include monitoring and obtaining information of objects listed in the UE-centric association information to detect trigger conditions / events for establishing or terminating associations.

[0088] The management operations may include monitoring and obtaining information of UEs listed in the object-centric association information to detect trigger conditions / events for establishing or terminating associations.

[0089] The management operations may include maintaining and updating association information.

[0090] The management operations may include exposing UE and / or object information based on information linkage policies, AIML models or analytics information.

[0091] The management operations may include determining whether / when an object can be associated with a UE based on UE-centric association policies, AIML models or analytics information, updating UE-centric association information when the object is associated with the UE.

[0092] The management operations may include determining whether / when a UE can be associated with an object based on object-centric association policies, AIML models or analytics information, updating object-centric association information when the UE is associated with the object.

[0093] The AsMF may monitor and detect trigger conditions / events to establish / update / terminate associations.

[0094] For example, the AsMF may monitor and detect trigger conditions / events for establishing associations when receiving UE / object information that matches the size, shape, or other characteristics as described in “UE / object information criteria” in the corresponding association policies.

[0095] For example, the AsMF may monitor and detect trigger conditions / events for establishing an association when a UE and an object have been co-located or in each other’s vicinity for a certain period of time.

[0096] For example, the AsMF may monitor and detect trigger conditions / events for establishing an association when a UE and an object share the same or similar route / trajectory.

[0097] For example, the AsMF may monitor and detect trigger conditions / events for establishing associations between UEs and objects involved in the same application session when the session starts.

[0098] For example, the AsMF may monitor and detect trigger conditions / events for terminating an association between a UE and an object when the distance between the UE and the object has exceeded a certain threshold.

[0099] For example, the AsMF may monitor and detect trigger conditions / events for terminating an association when the expiration time defined in the “association period” is reached.

[0100] For example, the AsMF may monitor and detect trigger conditions / events for terminating associations between UEs and objects involved in an application session when the session ends.

[0101] For example, the AsMF may monitor and detect trigger conditions / events for receiving a trigger message / request / notification from an AIML (enablement) service or an analytics service to establish / update / terminate a UE-object association.

[0102] The AsMF may monitor and detect trigger conditions / events for a combination of the above conditions / events.

[0103] More examples are elaborated in the following sections.

[0104] Step 4: The AsMF 602 may send one or more notifications 612 to the requestor 604 or the designated notification target regarding the performed management operations and / or updated association information. The AsMF 602 may also share the association information with other services and / or entities in the network.

[0105] Step 5: The AsMF 602 may record the association information, association policies and management operations that are involved in the previous steps to generate AIML models and / or analytics information related to the associations, indicated as 614, which may be generated by the AsMF 602 internally or by leveraging AIM L / analytics service(s) external to the AsMF 602. If the AIML models and / or analytics information are generated by an external service, the AsMF 602 may send the data / information to the service and receive the trained models and / or the generated analytics informationfrom the service. The AsMF 602 may update the association information and association policies (Table 1 to Table 4) with the generated / received AIML models and / or analytics information.

[0106] UE-object association related analytics may include the following. The AsMF (or the corresponding analytics service) may collect analytics input information that may include UE / object- centric association information and association policies (Table 1 to Table 4), UE information (e.g. UE location / mobility information), object information (e.g. characteristics, location / mobility information, sensing results), detected trigger conditions / events for association / dissociation, management operations performed by the AsMF (establishing / updating / terminating UE-object associations, updating association information), etc. Based on the analytics input information, analytics output information may be generated by the AsMF or the corresponding analytics service. The analytics output information may include statistics and predictions of association information and association policies (Table 1 to Table 4), such as predicted UE-object association and the corresponding association type and association period, etc.

[0107] For example, a commuter carrying their phone UE is associated with the commuting vehicle object every morning with association type ‘‘co-location” and association period of one hour. Analytics information may be generated, which may predict that the same association will be established during the same time period in the upcoming days.

[0108] In another example, multiple UEs (each representing a human user or an application on the UE) in the same Metaverse / XR session are “operating” the same machine object either physically or virtually. The UEs may be associated with the object with association type “session” and / or “user”. Some of the UEs may link their location information to the object (e.g. the UEs that are physically operating the machine) while the other UEs may not allow to link their location information (e.g. the UEs that are virtually / remotely operating the machine). Analytics information may be generated. Generated analytics information may predict (for each associated UE) whether the UE location information can be linked to the machine object the next time the session is activated.

[0109] AIML models for UE-object association may include the following. The AsMF, by itself or by leveraging an AIML (enablement) service, may learn from the existing and / or past UE-object associations to train AIML models, which may be used to determine UE-object association related information such as if / when an association may be established / updated / terminated, what information of a UE can be shared to the associated object, what information of an object can be linked to the associated UE, etc.

[0110] In one example, a ride-share user forgot to take their phone when they got off the vehicle. According to the association policies, the association between the user and the vehicle UE shouldbe terminated as the ride-share session ends. However, based on the observations that the user is no longer co-located with their phone UE (which is permanently associated with the user) and the user has been associated with the vehicle UE, the AIML models may determine that the association between the user and the vehicle UE should remain active and the location information of the vehicle UE will continue being shared to the user (associated object)

[0111] The AIML models may be used to determine whether association exists among multiple co-located UEs and objects. For example, at a crowded intersection, a large number of pedestrian objects, vehicle objects and UEs may be co-located. As a result, sensing results for this area may not accurately or sufficiently reflect the object information that is used to establish associations. The AIML models may be used to distinguish objects / UEs from each other and establish associations based on information such as their past / planned routes, mobility patterns, etc.

[0112] In another example, an object may not have its information linkage policies configured. When the object is associated with a UE with association type "co-location", the AIML models may determine whether the size / shape information of the object can be linked to the associated UE (e.g. the object and UE can be linked when the physical form of the UE is “inside" the object).

[0113] An AsMF Assisting Sensing Enablement Service is described herein. A sensing enablement service may need the location information of a target object for a sensing task such as tracking the target object. The location information of the target object may be derived from sensing results. The proposed AsMF may be used to assist the sensing enablement service (or the corresponding sensing functions) in identifying UEs that can be associated with the target object such that the location information of the associated UEs (sourced from the 3GPP network) may be used to substitute / complement / enhance the location information of the target object.

[0114] FIG. 6 provides an example procedure of the AsMF assisting a sensing enablement service. The operations performed by the AsMF may be performed by a server entity 702, a client entity 704, or both. Note that although shown in the figure as separate entities, the AsMF and the requestor 706 may be implemented as the same entity (e.g. a sensing enablement server) and the interactions between them may be internal processing / operations. The procedures defined in the figure may be sequenced in an order different than is shown, in parallel with each other, or concurrently with each other. Some procedures in the figure may be skipped and / or performed independent of other procedures.

[0115] Step 1 : One or more UEs 708 may provide UE-centric association information and association policies, AIML models or analytics information, indicated as 710, to the AsMF 702 as described in FIG. 5.

[0116] Step 2: The AsMF 702 may receive a (subscription) request 712 from a requestor 706 (e.g. a sensing enablement service, a VAL server / client) to find UEs that are or can be associated with a target object. For example, a sensing enablement service may want to find if there is any UE in the vicinity of the target object and can be associated with the object so that the UE’s location information (sourced from the 3GPP network) can be used to locate / track the object when sensing results of the object are not available (such as in the example of FIG. 2). The request 712 may include location and mobility information of the target object. The request 712 may also include object-centric association information and policies, AIM L models or analytics information.

[0117] Step 3: The AsMF 702 may discover UEs, indicated as 714, that are in the vicinity of the target object and obtain their information, such as the identifiers of a list of UEs and their location information. The information may be obtained from the 3GPP network 716 (e.g. via NWDAF). The AsMF 702 may check if the discovered UEs have provided their association information and policies, AIML models or analytics information in step 1 . For UEs that have not provided their association information or policies, AIML models or analytics information, the AsMF may request such information from the UEs. If the target object is a mobile object, the AsMF may repeat this step with updated location information of the target object to obtain updated list of UEs.

[0118] Step 4: Based on the association information and policies, AIML models or analytics information received in previous steps, the AsMF 702 may determine UEs that can be associated with the target object, indicated as 718. For example, based on the UE-centric association policies, AIML models or analytics information, the AsMF may determine UEs that are allowed to be associated with the target object. Alternatively and / or additionally, the AsMF may determine UEs that can be associated with the target object based on object-centric association policies, AIML models or analytics information. The AsMF may establish new associations and / or update existing associations between the determined UEs and the target object.

[0119] Step 5 : The AsMF 702 may send a response / notification 720 to the requestor 706 regarding the determined UEs that are associated with the target object. The notification 720 may include identifiers of the associated UEs (and also may include their location information).

[0120] Step 6: The AsMF 702 may send a notification 722 to each UE that has been associated with the target object. The notification 722 may include the association type (determined based on association policies, AIML models or analytics information) and information of the target object.

[0121] The procedure described in FIG. 6 may be applied as a solution for the problem described in FIG. 2.

[0122] For example, the vehicle UE may provide association information including the physical object of vehicle as the associated object. The vehicle UE may further provide association policies, AIML models or analytics information specifying that co-located human objects (passengers) can be associated with the UE and the UE’s location information can be linked to the associated passengers.

[0123] For example, a sensing enablement service tracking a target human object may request the AsMF to find UEs that can be associated with the target human. The sensing enablement service may provide location and mobility information of the target human (derived from sensing results) to the AsMF. Alternatively or additionally, the sensing enablement service may provide location / mobility and characteristics information of a vehicle object which is detected at the last-seen location of the target human. For example, location / mobility and characteristics information of a vehicle object, which is detected at the last-seen location of the target human, may be provided if the sensing enablement service lost track of the human due to the human boarding the vehicle.

[0124] For example, based on the location and mobility information of the target human and / or the vehicle, the AsMF may discover more than one UE at the target location. The AsMF may further determine which of the discovered UEs can be associated with the human. For example, if the AsMF has received characteristics information of the vehicle object, the AsMF may examine the UE- centric association information to identify whether any of the discovered UE has an associated object with "physical form” type that matches the descriptions of the vehicle. Alternatively or additionally, the AsMF may compare the location / mobility information of the discovered UEs with the location / mobility information of the human or vehicle object, and determine which UE(s) can be associated with the human object based on the association policies, AIML models or analytics information (e.g. whether the UE is in the vicinity of the human / vehicle object, whether the UE is moving in the same velocity / direction as the human / vehicle object).

[0125] For example, the AsMF may determine the vehicle UE to be associated with the human object. The vehicle UE’s location information may be linked to the human object. In this case, even when the human object cannot be detected / sensed by the sensing enablement service, the human object can still be tracked using the associated UE’s location information.

[0126] For example, the AsMF may further determine a phone UE to be associated with the human object. The phone UE may belong to the target human or another passenger on the same vehicle. Having both the vehicle UE and the phone UE associated with the same object, both the phone UE’slocation information and the vehicle UE’s location information are linked to the same object, which may be used to improve the KPIs of location information for the object and the UEs.

[0127] The AsMF may be leveraged by the sensing enablement service to configure sensing devices and / or sensing operations. For example, if the sensing enablement service is tracking a target object and the target object is associated with a UE, then the sensing operations may be deactivated or paused since the UE's location information may be used to indicate the location of the target object. The sensing operations may be activated if the target object is dissociated with the UE.

[0128] An AsMF Assisting Location-based Service is described herein. Location-based services (e.g. location-based applications, location management service, metaverse / XR (enablement) services) may benefit from using location information of the UE's associated objects that is sourced from sensing functions or sensing enablement services. For example, the location information of the associated objects may be used to validate and / or calibrate UE location information.

[0129] For example, FIG. 7 shows two pairs of UE-object associations, where UE / WTRU 1 , indicated as 802, has an associated Object A, indicated as 804, (with association type "physical form”) and UE / WTRU 2, indicated as 806, has an associated Object B, indicated as 808, (with association type “co-location”). The system may be able to obtain the UE location information for UE / WTRU 2 (e.g. sourced from the network) and the distance (relative location) information 810 between the two associated objects (e.g. sourced from sensing functions or sensing enablement services). Then the system may derive the location information of UE / WTRU 1 (and Object A) if the location information of UE / WTRU 1 is not available. If the system has obtained UE / WTRU Ts location information from other sources, it can be correlated with the derived location information (e.g. for validation / calibration)

[0130] FIG. 8 provides an example procedure of the AsMF assisting a location-based service. The operations performed by the AsMF may be performed by a server entity 902, a client entity 904, or both. Note that although shown in the figure as separate entities, the AsMF and the sensing enablement service 906 or the requestor 908 may be implemented as the same entity (e.g. a sensing enablement server, a location management server) and the interactions between them may be internal processing / operations. The procedures defined in the figure may be sequenced in an order different than is shown, in parallel with each other, or concurrently with each other. Some procedures in the figure may be skipped and / or performed independent of other procedures.

[0131] For some examples, it may be assumed that the AsMF has received association information and association policies, Al ML models or analytics information for one or more UEs as described in FIG. 5.

[0132] Step 1 : The AsMF 902 may receive a (subscription) request 910 from a requestor 908 (e.g. a location management server, a VAL server / client, a metaverse / XR (enablement) server) to find objects that are or can be associated with a target UE / WTRU 912. For example, a VAL server or a SEAL location management server may want to identify a target UE’s physical form (associated object with type "physical form”) or if there is any object in the vicinity of the target UE that can be associated with the target UE so that the object's location information can be used to supplement the UE’s location information (e.g. for location information fusion). The request 910 may include the identifier of the target UE / WTRU 912 and other information of the target UE / WTRU 912. The request 910 may include filter criteria on the association type (e.g. “physical form”, “co-location”, “vicinity”) since the requestor 908 may only be interested in objects that are close to the UE so that their location information can be used to correlate with the UE’s location information.

[0133] Step 2: As indicated at 914, the AsMF may request the target UE’s association information and policies, AIML models or analytics information. For example, the AsMF may request such information if the target UE’s association information and policies, AIML models or analytics information are not available at the AsMF.

[0134] Step 3 : Based on the target UE’s association information and association policies, AIML models or analytics information, the AsMF 902 may determine, as indicated at 916, an initial list of objects associated with the target UE / WTRU that match the filter criteria in the request in step 1. For example, the AsMF 902 may identify the physical form of the target UE / WTRU by discovering the associated object with association type “physical form” and find objects that are co-located with the target UE / WTRU by discovering the associated object with association type “co-location”. The AsMF 902 may establish new associations and / or update existing associations between the determined objects and the target UE / WTRU.

[0135] Step 4: The AsMF 902 may obtain information of the initial list of associated objects (such as their location information), as indicated at 918. For example, the AsMF 902 may request a sensing enablement service 906 to detect and / or track the associated objects and request their location / mobility information. The AsMF 902 may further send a request (e.g. to the sensing enablement service) to detect other neighbor objects that are co-located with or in the vicinity of the initial list of associated objects. Based on the target UE’s association information and policies, AIML models or analytics information, the associated objects may change. Then the AsMF 902 may repeat this step to obtain information of the updated objects.

[0136] Step 5: The AsMF 902 may further determine, as indicated at 920, whether the neighbor objects detected in step 4 can also be associated with the target UE or other UEs. For example, Object B is detected in the vicinity of Object A, which is the physical form of UE 1 (target UE). Based on the association information and association policies, AIML models or analytics information of UE 2 and / or Object B, the AsMF 902 may determine that Object B is associated with UE 2. The AsMF 902 may establish new associations and / or update existing associations between the determined objects and the target UE.

[0137] Step 6: The AsMF 902 may send a response / notification 922 to the requestor 908 or the designated notification target regarding the determined objects that are associated with the target UE. The notification 922 may include information of the associated objects such as their location and mobility information (sourced from sensing functions or sensing enablement services). The location / mobility information of the associated objects can be used to supplement the target UE’s location / mobility information. For example, the target UE’s location information may only show the UE is in a building while the associated object's location information may show which floor the UE is on. The notification 922 may further include association information of neighbor objects that are associated with UEs other than the target UE. Information of such neighbor associations may be used to calibrate or validate the location information of the target UE, as described in the example in FIG. 7.

[0138] Step 7: The AsMF 902 may send a notification 924 to the target UE / WTRU 912 and / or the other UEs associated with neighbor objects as identified in step 5. The notification 924 may include association type (determined based on association policies, AIML models or analytics information) and information of the objects associated with the UEs.

[0139] FIG. 9 provides another example procedure of the AsMF assisting a location-based service. The operations performed by the AsMF may be performed by a server entity, a client entity, or both. Note that although not shown in the figure, the AsMF client entity 1002 and the location-based service client 1004 may be implemented as the same entity and the interactions between them may be internal processing / operations. The AsMF client entity may also be implemented as a sensing enablement client that interacts with the location-based service client and the sensing enablement server. The procedures defined in the figure may be sequenced in an order different than is shown, in parallel with each other, or concurrently with each other. Some procedures in the figure may be skipped and / or performed independent of other procedures.

[0140] For some examples, it may be assumed that the AsMF has received association information and association policies, Al ML models or analytics information for one or more UEs as described in FIG. 5.

[0141] Step 1 : The AsMF client 1002 may receive a (subscription) request 1006 from a requestor 1004 (location-based service client hosted on the same UE) to find objects that are or can be associated with the hosting UE and / or the location information of the associated object.

[0142] Step 2: The AsMF 1002 may obtain information of its associated objects (which may be determined based on the association information of the UE). The AsMF 1002 may also request, as indicated at 1008, to detect other neighbor objects that are co-located with the associated objects or in the vicinity of the associated objects (similar to step 4 of FIG. 8). The information may be obtained from a sensing enablement service 1010.

[0143] Step 3: The AsMF 1002 may send a response / notification, as indicated at 1012, to the requestor 1004 or the designated notification target regarding the associated objects of the hosting UE and their location information

[0144] Step 4: The AsMF 1002 may request, as indicated at 1014, association information and association policies, AIML models or analytics information from neighbor UEs / WTRUs 1016 using UE-to-UE communication methods.

[0145] Step 5: Based on the neighbor UEs' 1016 association information and association policies, AIML models or analytics information, the AsMF 1002 of the target UE / WTRU 1018 may determine, as indicated at 1020, whether the neighbor UEs / WTRUs 1016 can be associated with the neighbor objects that are detected in step 2. The AsMF 1002 may establish new associations and / or update existing associations between the neighbor UEs / WTRUs 1016 and neighbor objects.

[0146] Step 6: The AsMF 1002 may send a response / notification 1022 to the requestor 1004 or the designated notification target regarding the neighbor associations determined in step 5.

[0147] Step 7: The AsMF 1002 of the target UE / WTRU 1018 may share the information related to its own associations and neighbor associations with the neighbor UEs / WTRUs 1016 by sending one or more messages / notifications as indicated at 1024. The messages / notifications 1024 may include association type and information of the associated objects.

[0148] In one embodiment, the information elements referenced in the UE-object association management procedures (such as but not limited to those defined in Table 1 to Table 4) may be implemented in a RESTful service. The RESTful resources may have unique addresses (e.g. URIs, URNs, etc.) and may also have one or more attributes that comprise resource data and / or metadata.These resources may be created, retrieved, discovered, updated, or deleted by the servers / clients implementing AsMF (e.g. sensing enablement servers / clients, location management servers / clients), VAL servers / clients, as well as other entities in the system such as but not limited to those shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. Servers and clients implementing the AsMF may support RESTful APIs based on these resources These APIs may be based on RESTful protocols such as HTTP and CoAP.

[0149] In another embodiment, the information elements referenced in the UE-object association management procedures (such as but not limited to those defined in Table 1 to Table 4) may be implemented as topics within a topic space of a message broker (e.g., MQTT broker, AMQP broker, etc.). A server and / or client implementing AsMF may function as the message broker. Alternatively, the message broker may be hosted external to the server and / or client implementing AsMF. For example, by another entity in the system which the server or client implementing AsMF may communicate with. A server and / or client implementing AsMF may send and / or receive publish and / or subscribe requests to topics within a message broker. The topics may have unique addresses (e.g. topic names, etc.) and also one or more attributes that contain topic data and / or metadata.

[0150] FIG. 10 shows an example graphical user interface (GUI) for UE-object association management request. The requestor may specify association information 1 102, association policies 1104 (and the corresponding AIML models 1 106 and analytics information 1 108), notification setting 11 10, and other information in the request

[0151] FIG. 11 shows an example GUI for visually displaying and managing the UE-object associations. Objects, UEs and associations displayed may be clicked to show detailed information.

[0152] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) develops technical standards for cellular telecommunications network technologies, including radio access, the core transport network, and service capabilities - including work on codecs, security, and quality of service. Recent radio access technology (RAT) standards comprise WCDMA (commonly referred as 3G), LTE (commonly referred as 4G), LTE-Advanced standards, and New Radio (NR), which is also referred to as “5G”. 3GPP NR standards development is expected to continue and comprise the definition of next generation radio access technology (new RAT), which is expected to comprise the provision of new flexible radio access below 7 GHz, and the provision of new ultra-mobile broadband radio access above 7 GHz. The flexible radio access is expected to consist of a new, non-backwards compatible radio access in new spectrum below 7 GHz, and it is expected to comprise different operating modes that may be multiplexed together in the same spectrum to address a broad set of 3GPP NR use cases with diverging requirements. The ultra-mobile broadband is expected to comprise cmWave and mmWave spectrum that may provide theopportunity for ultra-mobile broadband access for, e.g., indoor applications and hotspots. In particular, the ultra-mobile broadband is expected to share a common design framework with the flexible radio access below 7 GHz, with cmWave and mmWave specific design optimizations.

[0153] 3GPP has identified a variety of use cases that NR is expected to support, resulting in a wide variety of user experience requirements for data rate, latency, and mobility. The use cases comprise the following general categories: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) ultra-reliable low-latency Communication (URLLC), massive machine type communications (mMTC), network operation (e.g., network slicing, routing, migration and interworking, energy savings), and enhanced vehicle- to-everything (eV2X) communications, which may comprise any of Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication (V2V), Vehicle- to-lnfrastructure Communication (V2I), Vehicle-to-Network Communication (V2N), Vehicle-to-Pedestrian Communication (V2P), and vehicle communications with other entities. Specific service and applications in these categories comprise, e.g., monitoring and sensor networks, device remote controlling, bidirectional remote controlling, personal cloud computing, video streaming, wireless cloud-based office, first responder connectivity, automotive ecall, disaster alerts, real-time gaming, multi-person video calls, autonomous driving, augmented reality, tactile internet, virtual reality, home automation, robotics, and aerial drones to name a few. All of these use cases and others are contemplated herein.

[0154] FIG. 12A illustrates an example communications system 100 in which the systems, methods, and apparatuses described and claimed herein may be used The communications system 100 may comprise wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, 102e, 102f, and / or 102g, which generally or collectively may be referred to as WTRU 102 or WTRUs 102. The communications system 100 may comprise, a radio access network (RAN) 103 / 104 / 105 / 103b / 104b / 105b, a core network 106 / 107 / 109, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, other networks 112, and Network Services 1 13. 113. Network Services 113 may comprise, for example, a V2X server, V2X functions, a ProSe server, ProSe functions, loT services, video streaming, federated learning (FL) services, and / or edge computing, etc.

[0155] It may be appreciated that the concepts disclosed herein may be used with any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102 may be any type of apparatus or device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. In the example of FIG. 12A, each of the WTRUs 102a-d is depicted in FIGs. 12A-12E as a hand-held wireless communications apparatus. It is understood that with the wide variety of use cases contemplated for wireless communications, each WTRU may comprise or be comprised in any type of apparatus or device configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals, including, by way of example only, userequipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a pager, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a laptop, a tablet, a netbook, a notebook computer, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, consumer electronics, a wearable device such as a smart watch or smart clothing, a medical or eHealth device, a robot, industrial equipment, a drone, a vehicle such as a car, bus or truck, a train, or an airplane, and the like.

[0156] The communications system 100 may also comprise a base station 1 14a and a base station 1 14b. In the example of FIG. 12A, each base stations 114a and 1 14b is depicted as a single element. In practice, the base stations 114a and 1 14b may comprise any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements. Base stations 1 14a may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the core network 106 / 107 / 109, the Internet 1 10, Network Services 113, and / or the other networks 1 12. Similarly, base station 114b may be any type of device configured to wiredly and / or wirelessly interface with at least one of the Remote Radio Heads (RRHs) 118a, 1 18b, Transmission and Reception Points (TRPs) 119a, 1 19b, and / or Roadside Units (RSUs) 120a and 120b to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the core network 106 / 107 / 109, the Internet 110, other networks 1 12, and / or Network Services 113. RRHs 1 18a, 118b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102, e.g., WTRU 102c, to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the core network 106 / 107 / 109, the Internet 1 10, Network Services 113, and / or other networks 112.

[0157] TRPs 119a, 1 19b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRU 102d, to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the core network 106 / 107 / 109, the Internet 110, Network Services 113, and / or other networks 112. RSUs 120a and 120b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRU 102e or 102f, to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the core network 106 / 107 / 109, the Internet 110, other networks 112, and / or Network Services 113. 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 Next Generation Node-B (gNode B), a satellite, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like.

[0158] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 103 / 104 / 105, which may also comprise other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a Base Station Controller (BSC), a Radio Network Controller (RNC), relay nodes, etc. Similarly, the base station 1 14b may be part of the RAN 103b / 104b / 105b, which may also comprise other base stations and / or network elements (notshown), such as a BSC, a RNC, relay nodes, etc. The base station 114a may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals within a particular geographic region, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). Similarly, the base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive wired and / or wireless signals within a particular geographic region, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). The cell may further be divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, for example, the base station 114a may comprise three transceivers, e.g., one for each sector of the cell. The base station 114a may employ Multiple-Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology and, therefore, may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell, for instance

[0159] The base station 1 14a may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102g over an air interface 115 / 1 16 / 1 17, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., Radio Frequency (RF), microwave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, cmWave, mmWave, etc.). The air interface 115 / 116 / 117 may be established using any suitable Radio Access Technology (RAT).

[0160] The base station 114b may communicate with one or more of the RRHs 118a and 118b, TRPs 119a and 1 19b, and / or RSUs 120a and 120b, over a wired or air interface 115b / 116b / 117b, which may be any suitable wired (e.g., cable, optical fiber, etc.) or wireless communication link (e.g., RF, microwave, IR, UV, visible light, cmWave, mmWave, etc.). The air interface 115b / 116b / 117b may be established using any suitable RAT.

[0161] The RRHs 1 18a, 118b, TRPs 119a, 119b and / or RSUs 120a, 120b, may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102c, 102d, 102e, 102f over an air interface 115c / 116c / 117c, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., RF, microwave, IR, ultraviolet UV, visible light, cmWave, mmWave, etc.) The air interface 115c / 116c / 117c may be established using any suitable RAT.

[0162] The WTRUs 102 may communicate with one another over a direct air interface 115d / 116d / 117d, such as Sidelink communication which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., RF, microwave, IR, ultraviolet UV, visible light, cmWave, mmWave, etc.) The air interface 115d / 116d / 117d may be established using any suitable RAT.

[0163] 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 1 14a in the RAN 103 / 104 / 105 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, or RRHs 118a, 1 18b, TRPs 1 19a, 1 19b and / or RSUs 120a and 120b in the RAN 103b / 104b / 105b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d, 102e, and 102f, may implement a radio technology such as Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may establish the air interface 115 / 1 16 / 1 17 and / or 115c / 116c / 117c respectively using Wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA may comprise communication protocols such as High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may comprise High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0164] The base station 114a in the RAN 103 / 104 / 105 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102g, or RRHs 1 18a and 118b, TRPs 119a and 1 19b, and / or RSUs 120a and 120b in the RAN 103b / 104b / 105b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d, may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which may establish the air interface 115 / 116 / 117 or 1 15c / 116c / 117c respectively using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), for example. The air interface 115 / 116 / 117 or 115c / 116c / 117c may implement 3GPP NR technology. The LTE and LTE-A technology may comprise LTE D2D and / or V2X technologies and interfaces (such as Sidelink communications, etc.) Similarly, the 3GPP NR technology may comprise NR V2X technologies and interfaces (such as Sidelink communications, etc.)

[0165] The base station 114a in the RAN 103 / 104 / 105 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102g or RRHs 118a and 118b, TRPs 119a and 1 19b, and / or RSUs 120a and 120b in the RAN 103b / 104b / 105b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d , 102e, and 102f may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.16 (e.g., Worldwide Interoperability 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.

[0166] The base station 114c in FIG. 12A 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 train, an aerial, a satellite, a manufactory, a campus, and the like. The base station 1 14c and the WTRUs 102, e.g., WTRU 102e, may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). Similarly, the base station 1 14c and the WTRUs 102, e.g., WTRU 102d, may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). The base station 114c and the WTRUs 102, e.g., WRTU 102e, may utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, NR, etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. As shown in FIG. 12A, the base station 114c may have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Thus, the base station 114c may not be required to access the Internet 110 via the core network 106 / 107 / 109.

[0167] The RAN 103 / 104 / 105 and / or RAN 103b / 104b / 105b may be in communication with the core network 106 / 107 / 109, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, messaging, authorization and authentication, applications, and / or Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102. For example, the core network 106 / 107 / 109 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, pre-paid calling, Internet connectivity, packet data network connectivity, Ethernet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform high-level security functions, such as user authentication.

[0168] Although not shown in FIG. 12A, it may be appreciated that the RAN 103 / 104 / 105 and / or RAN 103b / 104b / 105b and / or the core network 106 / 107 / 109 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 103 / 104 / 105 and / or RAN 103b / 104b / 105b or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 103 / 104 / 105 and / or RAN 103b / 104b / 105b, which may be utilizing an E-UTRA radio technology, the core network 106 / 107 / 109 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) employing a GSM or NR radio technology.

[0169] The core network 106 / 107 / 109 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102 to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may comprise circuit- switched telephone networks that provide Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS). The Internet 1 10 may comprise 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 the internet protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP internet protocol suite. The other networks 112 may comprise wired or wireless communications networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may comprise any type of packet data network (e.g., an IEEE 802.3 Ethernet network) or another core network connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 103 / 104 / 105 and / or RAN 103b / 104b / 105b or a different RAT.

[0170] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, 102e, and 102f in the communications system 100 may comprise multi-mode capabilities, e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, 102e, and 102f may comprise multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links. For example, the WTRU 102g shown in FIG. 12A may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with the base station 1 14c, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0171] Although not shown in FIG. 12A, it may be appreciated that a User Equipment may make a wired connection to a gateway. The gateway maybe a Residential Gateway (RG). The RG mayprovide connectivity to a Core Network 106 / 107 / 109. It may be appreciated that many of the ideas contained herein may equally apply to UEs that are WTRUs and UEs that use a wired connection to connect to a network. For example, the ideas that apply to the wireless interfaces 1 15, 116, 1 17 and 115c / 116c / 117c may equally apply to a wired connection.

[0172] FIG. 12B is a system diagram of an example RAN 103 and core network 106. As noted above, the RAN 103 may employ a UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c over the air interface 115. The RAN 103 may also be in communication with the core network 106. As shown in FIG. 12B, the RAN 103 may comprise Node-Bs 140a, 140b, and 140c, which may each comprise one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c over the air interface 115. The Node-Bs 140a, 140b, and 140c may each be associated with a particular cell (not shown) within the RAN 103. The RAN 103 may also comprise RNCs 142a, 142b. It may be appreciated that the RAN 103 may comprise any number of Node-Bs and Radio Network Controllers (RNCs.)

[0173] As shown in FIG. 12B, the Node-Bs 140a, 140b may be in communication with the RNC 142a. Additionally, the Node-B 140c may be in communication with the RNC 142b The Node-Bs 140a, 140b, and 140c may communicate with the respective RNCs 142a and 142b via an lub interface. The RNCs 142a and 142b may be in communication with one another via an lur interface. Each of the RNCs 142aand 142b may be configured to control the respective Node-Bs 140a, 140b, and 140c to which it is connected. In addition, each of the RNCs 142aand 142b may be configured to carry out or support other functionality, such as outer loop power control, load control, admission control, packet scheduling, handover control, macro-diversity, security functions, data encryption, and the like.

[0174] The core network 106 shown in FIG. 12B may comprise a media gateway (MGW) 144, a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) 146, a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) 148, and / or a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) 150. While each of the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the core network 106, it may be appreciated that any one of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the core network operator.

[0175] The RNC 142a in the RAN 103 may be connected to the MSC 146 in the core network 106 via an luCS interface. The MSC 146 may be connected to the MGW 144. The MSC 146 and the MGW 144 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c, and traditional land-line communications devices.

[0176] The RNC 142a in the RAN 103 may also be connected to the SGSN 148 in the core network 106 via an luPS interface. The SGSN 148 may be connected to the GGSN 150. The SGSN 148and the GGSN 150 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c, and IP-enabled devices.

[0177] The core network 106 may also be connected to the other networks 112, which may comprise other wired or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0178] FIG. 12C is a system diagram of an example RAN 104 and core network 107. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ an E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the core network 107.

[0179] The RAN 104 may comprise eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c, though it may be appreciated that the RAN 104 may comprise any number of eNode-Bs. The eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c may each comprise one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c over the air interface 116. For example, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, the eNode-B 160a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a.

[0180] Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 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 uplink and / or downlink, and the like. As shown in FIG 12C, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c may communicate with one another over an X2 interface.

[0181] The core network 107 shown in FIG. 12C may comprise a Mobility Management Gateway (MME) 162, a serving gateway 164, and a Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway 166. While each of the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the core network 107, it may be appreciated that any one of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the core network operator.

[0182] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 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, and 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during an initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c, and the like. The MME 162 may also provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM or WCDMA.

[0183] The serving gateway 164 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c in the RAN 104 via the S1 interface. The serving gateway 164 may generally route and forwarduser data packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c. The serving gateway 164 may also perform other functions, such as anchoring user planes during inter-eNode B handovers, triggering paging when downlink data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c, managing and storing contexts of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c, and the like.

[0184] The serving gateway 164 may also be connected to the PDN gateway 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 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.

[0185] The core network 107 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the core network 107 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c with access to circuit- switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c and traditional land-line communications devices. For example, the core network 107 may comprise, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the core network 107 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the core network 107 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c with access to the networks 112, which may comprise other wired or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0186] FIG. 12D is a system diagram of an example RAN 105 and core network 109. The RAN 105 may employ an NR radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a and 102b over the air interface 1 17 The RAN 105 may also be in communication with the core network 109. A Non-3GPP Interworking Function (N3IWF) 199 may employ a non-3GPP radio technology to communicate with the WTRU 102c over the air interface 198. The N3IWF 199 may also be in communication with the core network 109.

[0187] The RAN 105 may comprise gNode-Bs 180a and 180b. It may be appreciated that the RAN 105 may comprise any number of gNode-Bs. The gNode-Bs 180a and 180b may each comprise one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a and 102b over the air interface 117. When integrated access and backhaul connection are used, the same air interface may be used between the WTRUs and gNode-Bs, which may be the core network 109 via one or multiple gNBs. The gNode-Bs 180a and 180b may implement MIMO, MU-MIMO, and / or digital beamforming technology. Thus, the gNode-B 180a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a. It should be appreciated that the RAN 105 may employ of other types of base stations such as an eNode-B. It may also be appreciated the RAN 105 may employ more than one type of base station. For example, the RAN may employ eNode-Bs and g ode-Bs.

[0188] The N3IWF 199 may comprise a non-3GPP Access Point 180c. It may be appreciated that the N3IWF 199 may comprise any number of non-3GPP Access Points. The non-3GPP Access Point 180c may comprise one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102c over the air interface 198. The non-3GPP Access Point 180c may use the 802.11 protocol to communicate with the WTRU 102c over the air interface 198.

[0189] Each of the gNode-Bs 180a and 180b 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 uplink and / or downlink, and the like. As shown in FIG. 12D, the gNode-Bs 180a and 180b may communicate with one another over an Xn interface, for example.

[0190] The core network 109 shown in FIG. 12D may be a 5G core network (5GC). The core network 109 may offer numerous communication services to customers who are interconnected by the radio access network. The core network 109 comprises a number of entities that perform the functionality of the core network. As used herein, the term "core network entity" or “network function” refers to any entity that performs one or more functionalities of a core network. It is understood that such core network entities may be logical entities that are implemented in the form of computer-executable instructions (software) stored in a memory of, and executing on a processor of, an apparatus configured for wireless and / or network communications or a computer system, such as system 90 illustrated in FIG. 12G.

[0191] In the example of FIG. 12D, the 5G Core Network 109 may comprise an access and mobility management function (AMF) 172, a Session Management Function (SMF) 174, User Plane Functions (UPFs) 176a and 176b, a User Data Management Function (UDM) 197, an Authentication Server Function (AUSF) 190, a Network Exposure Function (NEF) 196, a Policy Control Function (PCF) 184, a Non-3GPP Interworking Function (N3IWF) 199, a User Data Repository (UDR) 178. While each of the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the 5G core network 109, it may be appreciated that any one of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the core network operator. It may also be appreciated that a 5G core network may not consist of all of these elements, may consist of additional elements, and may consist of multiple instances of each of these elements. FIG. 12D shows that network functions directly connect to one another, however, it should be appreciated that they may communicate via routing agents such as a diameter routing agent or message buses.

[0192] In the example of FIG. 12D, connectivity between network functions is achieved via a set of interfaces, or reference points. It may be appreciated that network functions may be modeled, described, or implemented as a set of services that are invoked, or called, by other network functions orservices. Invocation of a Network Function service may be achieved via a direct connection between network functions, an exchange of messaging on a message bus, calling a software function, etc.

[0193] The AMF 172 may be connected to the RAN 105 via an N2 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the AMF 172 may be responsible for registration management, connection management, reachability management, access authentication, access authorization. The AMF may be responsible forwarding user plane tunnel configuration information to the RAN 105 via the N2 interface. The AMF 172 may receive the user plane tunnel configuration information from the SMF via an N1 1 interface. The AMF 172 may generally route and forward NAS packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c via an N1 interface. The N1 interface is not shown in FIG. 12D

[0194] The SMF 174 may be connected to the AMF 172 via an N11 interface. Similarly, the SMF may be connected to the PCF 184 via an N7 interface, and to the UPFs 176a and 176b via an N4 interface. The SMF 174 may serve as a control node. For example, the SMF 174 may be responsible for Session Management, IP address allocation for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c, management and configuration of traffic steering rules in the UPF 176a and UPF 176b, and generation of downlink data notifications to the AMF 172.

[0195] The UPF 176a and UPF176b may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c with access to a Packet Data Network (PDN), such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c and other devices. The UPF 176a and UPF 176b may also provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c with access to other types of packet data networks. For example, Other Networks 112 may be Ethernet Networks or any type of network that exchanges packets of data. The UPF 176a and UPF 176b may receive traffic steering rules from the SMF 174 via the N4 interface. The UPF 176a and UPF 176b may provide access to a packet data network by connecting a packet data network with an N6 interface or by connecting to each other and to other UPFs via an N9 interface. In addition to providing access to packet data networks, the UPF 176 may be responsible packet routing and forwarding, policy rule enforcement, quality of service handling for user plane traffic, downlink packet buffering.

[0196] The AMF 172 may also be connected to the N3IWF 199, for example, via an N2 interface. The N3IWF facilitates a connection between the WTRU 102c and the 5G core network 170, for example, via radio interface technologies that are not defined by 3GPP. The AMF may interact with the N3IWF 199 in the same, or similar, manner that it interacts with the RAN 105.

[0197] The PCF 184 may be connected to the SMF 174 via an N7 interface, connected to the AMF 172 via an N15 interface, and to an Application Function (AF) 188 via an N5 interface. The N15 andN5 interfaces are not shown in FIG. 12D. The PCF 184 may provide policy rules to control plane nodes such as the AMF 172 and SMF 174, allowing the control plane nodes to enforce these rules. The PCF 184 may send policies to the AMF 172 for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c so that the AMF may deliver the policies to the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c via an N1 interface. Policies may then be enforced, or applied, at the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c.

[0198] The UDR 178 may act as a repository for authentication credentials and subscription information. The UDR may connect to network functions, so that network function may add to, read from, and modify the data that is in the repository. For example, the UDR 178 may connect to the PCF 184 via an N36 interface. Similarly, the UDR 178 may connect to the NEF 196 via an N37 interface, and the UDR 178 may connect to the UDM 197 via an N35 interface.

[0199] The UDM 197 may serve as an interface between the UDR 178 and other network functions. The UDM 197 may authorize network functions to access of the UDR 178. For example, the UDM 197 may connect to the AMF 172 via an N8 interface, the UDM 197 may connect to the SMF 174 via an N10 interface Similarly, the UDM 197 may connect to the AUSF 190 via an N13 interface. The UDR 178 and UDM 197 may be tightly integrated.

[0200] The AUSF 190 performs authentication related operations and connects to the UDM 178 via an N13 interface and to the AMF 172 via an N12 interface.

[0201] The NEF 196 exposes capabilities and services in the 5G core network 109 to Application Functions (AF) 188. Exposure may occur on the N33 API interface. The NEF may connect to an AF 188 via an N33 interface, and it may connect to other network functions in order to expose the capabilities and services of the 5G core network 109.

[0202] Application Functions 188 may interact with network functions in the 5G Core Network 109. Interaction between the Application Functions 188 and network functions may be via a direct interface or may occur via the NEF 196. The Application Functions 188 may be considered part of the 5G Core Network 109 or may be external to the 5G Core Network 109 and deployed by enterprises that have a business relationship with the mobile network operator.

[0203] Network Slicing is a mechanism that may be used by mobile network operators to support one or more 'virtual' core networks behind the operator’s air interface. This involves 'slicing' the core network into one or more virtual networks to support different RANs or different service types running across a single RAN. Network slicing enables the operator to create networks customized to provide optimized solutions for different market scenarios which demands diverse requirements, e.g ., in the areas of functionality, performance and isolation.

[0204] 3GPP has designed the 5G core network to support Network Slicing. Network Slicing is a good tool that network operators may use to support the diverse set of 5G use cases (e.g., massive loT, critical communications, V2X, and enhanced mobile broadband) which demand very diverse and sometimes extreme requirements. Without the use of network slicing techniques, it is likely that the network architecture would not be flexible and scalable enough to efficiently support a wider range of use cases need when each use case has its own specific set of performance, scalability, and availability requirements. Furthermore, introduction of new network services should be made more efficient.

[0205] Referring again to FIG. 12D, in a network slicing scenario, a WTRU 102a, 102b, or 102c may connect to an AMF 172, via an N1 interface. The AMF may be logically part of one or more slices. The AMF may coordinate the connection or communication of WTRU 102a, 102b, or 102c with one or more UPF 176a and 176b, SMF 174, and other network functions. Each of the UPFs 176a and 176b, SMF 174, and other network functions may be part of the same slice or different slices. When they are part of different slices, they may be isolated from each other in the sense that they may utilize different computing resources, security credentials, etc.

[0206] The core network 109 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the core network 109 may comprise, or may communicate with, an IP gateway, such as an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server, that serves as an interface between the 5G core network 109 and a PSTN 108. For example, the core network 109 may comprise, or communicate with a short message service (SMS) service center that facilities communication via the short message service. For example, the 5G core network 109 may facilitate the exchange of non-IP data packets between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c and servers or applications functions 188. In addition, the core network 170 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c with access to the networks 1 12, which may comprise other wired or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0207] The core network entities described herein and illustrated in FIGs. 12A, 12C, 12D, and 12E are identified by the names given to those entities in certain existing 3GPP specifications, but it is understood that in the future those entities and functionalities may be identified by other names and certain entities or functions may be combined in future specifications published by 3GPP, including future 3GPP NR specifications. Thus, the particular network entities and functionalities described and illustrated in FIGs. 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D, and 12E are provided by way of example only, and it is understood that the subject matter disclosed and claimed herein may be embodied or implemented in any similar communication system, whether presently defined or defined in the future.

[0208] FIG. 12E illustrates an example communications system 111 in which the systems, methods, apparatuses described herein may be used. Communications system 1 11 may comprise Wireless Transmit / Receive Units (WTRUs) A, B, C, D, E, F, a base station gNB 121 , a V2X server 124, and Road Side Units (RSUs) 123a and 123b. In practice, the concepts presented herein may be applied to any number of WTRUs, base station gNBs, V2X networks, and / or other network elements. One or several or all WTRUs A, B, C, D, E, and F may be out of range of the access network coverage 131 . WTRUs A, B, and C form a V2X group, among which WTRU A is the group lead and WTRUs B and C are group members.

[0209] WTRUs A, B, C, D, E, and F may communicate with each other over a Uu interface 129 via the gNB 121 if they are within the access network coverage 131. In the example of FIG. 12E, WTRUs B and F are shown within access network coverage 131 . WTRUs A, B, C, D, E, and F may communicate with each other directly via a Sidelink interface (e.g., PC5 or NR PC5) such as interface 125a, 125b, or 128, whether they are under the access network coverage 131 or out of the access network coverage 131. For instance, in the example of FIG. 12E, WRTU D, which is outside of the access network coverage 131 , communicates with WTRU F, which is inside the coverage 131 .

[0210] WTRUs A, B, C, D, E, and F may communicate with RSU 123a or 123b via a Vehicle- to-Network (V2N) 133 or Sidelink interface 125b. WTRUs A, B, C, D, E, and F may communicate to a V2X Server 124 via a Vehicle-to-lnfrastructure (V2I) interface 127. WTRUs A, B, C, D, E, and F may communicate to another UE via a Vehicle-to-Person (V2P) interface 128.

[0211] FIG. 12F is a block diagram of an example apparatus or device WTRU 102 that may be configured for wireless communications and operations in accordance with the systems, methods, and apparatuses described herein, such as a WTRU 102 of FIG. 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D, or 12E. As shown in FIG. 12F, the example WTRU 102 may comprise a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmi t / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad / indicators 128, nonremovable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and other peripherals 138. It may be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may comprise any sub-combination of the foregoing elements. Also, the base stations 114a and 1 14b, and / or the nodes that base stations 114a and 114b may represent, such as but not limited to transceiver station (BTS), a Node- B, a site controller, an access point (AP), a home node-B, an evolved home node-B (eNodeB), a home evolved node-B (HeNB), a home evolved node-B gateway, a next generation node-B (gNode-B), and proxy nodes, among others, may comprise some or all of the elements depicted in FIG. 12F and described herein.

[0212] The processor 1 18 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 Array (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 1 18 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. While FIG. 12F depicts the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 as separate components, it may be appreciated that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0213] The transmit / receive element 122 of a UE may be configured to transmit signals to, or receive signals from, a base station (e.g., the base station 114a of FIG. 12A) over the air interface 115 / 116 / 117 or another UE over the air interface 115d / 116d / 117d. For example, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. The transmit / receive element 122 may be an emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive IR, UV, or visible light signals, for example. The transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and receive both RF and light signals. It may be appreciated that the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of wireless or wired signals.

[0214] In addition, although the transmit / receive element 122 is depicted in FIG. 12F as a single element, the WTRU 102 may comprise any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, the WTRU 102 may comprise two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 1 15 / 1 16 / 1 17.

[0215] 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 comprise multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, for example NR and IEEE 802.11 or NR and E-UTRA, or to communicate with the same RAT via multiple beams to different RRHs, TRPs, RSUs, or nodes.

[0216] 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 / indicators 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display unit. Theprocessor 1 18 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad / indicators 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 comprise random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may comprise a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. 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 that is hosted in the cloud or in an edge computing platform or in a home computer (not shown).

[0217] 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 comprise one or more dry cell batteries, solar cells, fuel cells, and the like.

[0218] 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 1 15 / 1 16 / 117 from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) and / or determine its location based on the timing of the signals being received from two or more nearby base stations. It may be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by way of any suitable location-determination method.

[0219] The processor 118 may further be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may comprise 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 comprise various sensors such as an accelerometer, biometrics (e.g., finger print) sensors, an e-compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photographs or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port or other interconnect interfaces, 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, and the like.

[0220] The WTRU 102 may be comprised in other apparatuses or devices, such as a sensor, consumer electronics, a wearable device such as a smart watch or smart clothing, a medical or eHealth device, a robot, industrial equipment, a drone, a vehicle such as a car, truck, train, or an airplane. The WTRU 102 may connect to other components, modules, or systems of such apparatuses or devices viaone or more interconnect interfaces, such as an interconnect interface that may comprise one of the peripherals 138.

[0221] FIG. 12G is a block diagram of an exemplary computing system 90 in which one or more apparatuses of the communications networks illustrated in FIGs. 12A, 12C, 12D and 12E may be embodied, such as certain nodes or functional entities in the RAN 103 / 104 / 105, Core Network 106 / 107 / 109, PSTN 108, Internet 110, Other Networks 112, or Network Services 113. Computing system90 may comprise a computer or server and may be controlled primarily by computer readable instructions, which may be in the form of software, wherever, or by whatever means such software is stored or accessed. Such computer readable instructions may be executed within a processor 91 , to cause computing system 90 to do work. The processor 91 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 Array (FPGAs) circuits, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and the like. The processor91 may perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the computing system 90 to operate in a communications network. Coprocessor81 is an optional processor, distinct from main processor 91 , that may perform additional functions or assist processor 91. Processor 91 and / or coprocessor 81 may receive, generate, and process data related to the methods and apparatuses disclosed herein.

[0222] In operation, processor 91 fetches, decodes, and executes instructions, and transfers information to and from other resources via the computing system’s main data-transfer path, system bus 80. Such a system bus connects the components in computing system 90 and defines the medium for data exchange. System bus 80 typically comprises data lines for sending data, address lines for sending addresses, and control lines for sending interrupts and for operating the system bus. An example of such a system bus 80 is the PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus.

[0223] Memories coupled to system bus 80 comprise random access memory (RAM) 82 and read only memory (ROM) 93. Such memories comprise circuitry that allows information to be stored and retrieved. ROMs 93 generally contain stored data that may not easily be modified. Data stored in RAM82 may be read or changed by processor 91 or other hardware devices. Access to RAM 82 and / or ROM 93 may be controlled by memory controller 92. Memory controller 92 may provide an address translation function that translates virtual addresses into physical addresses as instructions are executed. Memory controller 92 may also provide a memory protection function that isolates processes within the systemand isolates system processes from user processes. Thus, a program running in a first mode may access only memory mapped by its own process virtual address space; it may not access memory within another process’s virtual address space unless memory sharing between the processes has been set up.

[0224] In addition, computing system 90 may contain peripherals controller 83 responsible for communicating instructions from processor 91 to peripherals, such as printer 94, keyboard 84, mouse 95, and disk drive 85.

[0225] Display 86, which is controlled by display controller 96, is used to display visual output generated by computing system 90. Such visual output may comprise text, graphics, animated graphics, and video The visual output may be provided in the form of a graphical user interface (GUI). Display 86 may be implemented with a CRT-based video display, an LCD-based flat-panel display, gas plasmabased flat-panel display, or a touch-panel. Display controller 96 comprises electronic components required to generate a video signal that is sent to display 86.

[0226] Further, computing system 90 may contain communication circuitry, such as for example a wireless or wired network adapter 97, that may be used to connect computing system 90 to an external communications network or devices, such as the RAN 103 / 104 / 105, Core Network 106 / 107 / 109, PSTN 108, Internet 110, WTRUs 102, or Other Networks 1 12 of FIGs. 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D, and 12E, to enable the computing system 90 to communicate with other nodes or functional entities of those networks. The communication circuitry, alone or in combination with the processor 91 , may be used to perform the transmitting and receiving steps of certain apparatuses, nodes, or functional entities described herein.

[0227] It is understood that any or all of the apparatuses, systems, methods and processes described herein may be embodied in the form of computer executable instructions (e.g., program code) stored on a computer-readable storage medium which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, such as processors 118 or 91 , cause the one or more processors to perform and / or implement the systems, methods and processes described herein. Specifically, any of the steps, operations, or functions described herein may be implemented in the form of such computer executable instructions, executing on the processor(s) of an apparatus or computing system configured for wireless and / or wired network communications. Computer readable storage media comprises volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any non-transitory (e.g., tangible or physical) method or technology for storage of information, but such computer readable storage media do not comprise signals. Computer readable storage media comprise, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or otheroptical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other tangible or physical medium which may be used to store the desired information and which may be accessed by a computing system.

Claims

What is claimed:1 . An apparatus comprising: one or more processors configured to: receive association information, wherein the association information comprises a condition that indicates whether to identify an association between a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) and an object, wherein the condition indicates that the association between the WTRU and the object is identified based on location information of the WTRU and location information of the object; determine the association between the WTRU and the object based on the condition being met; and send a message indicating the association between the WTRU and the object.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the association between the WTRU and the object associates the location information of the WTRU obtained by a location service and the location information of the object determined based on an object sensing service.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to: assist an object sensing service for the object based on the association information.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein, to assist the sensing service of the object, the one or more processors are configured to: determine that the WTRU can be associated with the object based on the association information; and determine the location information of the object based on the location information of the WTRU.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to: assist a location-based service of the WTRU based on the association information.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein, to assist the location-based service of the WTRU, the one or more processors are configured to: determine that the object can be associated with the WTRU based on the association information; and determine the location information of the WTRU based on the location information of the object.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the association information indicates a list of objects that can be associated with the WTRU, wherein the object is part of the list of objects.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the association information indicates a list of WTRUs that can be associated with the object, wherein the WTRU is part of the list of WTRUs.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to: determine the location information of the WTRU based on the location information of the object; or determine the location information of the object based on the location information of the WTRU.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the association information indicates an association period; and wherein the one or more processors are configured to manage the association between the WTRU and the object for the association period.11 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the association information indicates an association type; and wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the association between the WTRU and the object based on the association type.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive a subscription request, wherein the subscription request comprises notification criteria indicating a notification is to be sent when an association between the WTRU and the object is created or terminated; and wherein one or more processors configured to send a notification based on the notification criteria.

13. A method performed by an apparatus, the method comprising: receiving association information, wherein the association information comprises a condition that indicates whether to identify an association between a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) andan object, wherein the condition indicates that the association between the WTRU and the object is identified based on location information of the WTRU and location information of the object; determining the association between the WTRU and the object based on the condition being met; and sending a message indicating the association between the WTRU and the object14. The method of claim 13, wherein the method comprises: assisting a location-based service of the WTRU based on the association information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, to assist the location-based service of the WTRU, the method comprises: determining that the object can be associated with the WTRU based on the association information; and determining the location information of the WTRU based on the location information of the object.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the association information indicates a list of objects that can be associated with the WTRU, wherein the object is part of the list of objects.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the association information indicates a list of WTRUs that can be associated with the object, wherein the WTRU is part of the list of WTRUs.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the method comprises: determining the location information of the WTRU based on the location information of the object; or determining the location information of the object based on the location information of the WTRU.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the association information indicates an association type; and the method comprises: determining the association between the WTRU and the object based on the association type.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the method comprises: receiving a subscription request, wherein the subscription request comprises notification criteria indicating a notification is to be sent when an association between the WTRU and the object is created or terminated; and sending a notification based on the notification criteria.

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