Communication method and device for supporting authentication of unmanned aerial vehicle in wireless communication system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12477333-B2
Application number	US-202217700832-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 22, 2022
Priority date	Mar 24, 2021
Publication date	Nov 18, 2025
Grant date	Nov 18, 2025

Abstract

A method and apparatus for supporting authentication of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in a wireless communication system, the method performed by an access and mobility management function (AMF) in a wireless communication system supporting authentication of an unmanned aerial system (UAS) including at least one of an UAV or an unmanned aerial vehicle controller (UAVC) is provided. The method includes receiving, from the UAS, a packet data unit (PDU) session establishment request including information associated with the UAV for the authentication and connection establishment, selecting, based on the information associated with the UAV, a session management function (SMF) supporting an authentication related function for the UAS, and transmitting, to the selected SMF, the PDU session establishment request.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method performed by a network exposure function (NEF) in a wireless communication system supporting authentication of an unmanned aerial system (UAS) including at least one of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or an unmanned aerial vehicle controller (UAVC), the method comprising:
receiving a mobility-related request for the UAS from an UAS service supplier (USS) or an unmanned aerial traffic management (UTM) requested for flight path authorization of the UAS; identifying a network entity managing first mobility-related information of the UAS based on identification information of the UAS; receiving the first mobility-related information of the UAS from the identified network entity; and transmitting, to the USS or the UTM, second mobility-related information obtained from the first mobility-related information of the UAS, the second mobility-related information being used for the flight path authorization of the UAS.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
converting an external identifier of the UAS into an internal identifier of the UAS, the internal identifier being the identification information of the UAS, wherein the mobility-related request includes the external identifier of the UAS, wherein the external identifier includes a civil aviation authority (CAA)-level identifier of the UAS, and wherein the internal identifier includes a 5G subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) as subscriber concealed ID.

3 . The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the first mobility-related information includes at least one of information on a mobility-restricted area or information on a currently assigned radio access technology (RAT)/frequency selection priority (RFSP) index, and wherein the information on the mobility-restricted area is represented as a list of service-prohibited areas or a list of service-permitted areas.

4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
converting the first mobility-related information into the second mobility-related information, wherein the second mobility-related information includes at least one of first information on a local area or second information on a RAT type and a frequency band currently used by the UAS, wherein the first information is converted from a tracking area ID (TAI) which is area information represented in the wireless communication system, and wherein the second information is converted from a currently assigned RFSP index.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the network entity managing the first mobility-related information is either an access and mobility management function (AMF) or a policy control function-access and mobility (PCF-AM).

6 . A network exposure function (NEF) in a wireless communication system supporting authentication of an unmanned aerial system (UAS) including at least one of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or an unmanned aerial vehicle controller (UAVC), the NEF comprising:
a transceiver; and a processor configured to:
receive, through the transceiver, a mobility-related request for the UAS from an UAS service supplier (USS) or an unmanned aerial traffic management (UTM) requested for flight path authorization of the UAS,
identify a network entity managing first mobility-related information of the UAS based on identification information of the UAS,
receive, through the transceiver, the first mobility-related information of the UAS from the identified network entity, and
transmit, to the USS or the UTM through the transceiver, second mobility-related information obtained from the first mobility-related information of the UAS, the second mobility-related information being used for the flight path authorization of the UAS.

7 . The NEF of claim 6 , further comprising:
converting an external identifier of the UAS into an internal identifier of the UAS, the internal identifier being the identification information of the UAS, wherein the mobility-related request includes the external identifier of the UAS, wherein the external identifier includes a civil aviation authority (CAA)-level identifier of the UAS, and wherein the internal identifier includes a 5G subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) as subscriber concealed ID.

8 . The NEF of claim 6 ,
wherein the first mobility-related information includes at least one of information on a mobility-restricted area or information on a currently assigned radio access technology (RAT)/frequency selection priority (RFSP) index, and wherein the information on the mobility-restricted area is represented as a list of service-prohibited areas or a list of service-permitted areas.

9 . The NEF of claim 8 , the processor is further configured to convert the first mobility-related information into the second mobility-related information,
wherein the second mobility-related information includes at least one of first information on a local area or second information on a RAT type and a frequency band currently used by the UAS, wherein the first information is converted from a tracking area ID (TAI) which is area information represented in the wireless communication system, and wherein the second information is converted from a currently assigned RFSP index.

10 . The NEF of claim 6 , wherein the network entity managing the first mobility-related information is either an access and mobility management function (AMF) or a policy control function-access and mobility (PCF-AM).

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Jungshin
• Han Yoonseon
• Moon Sangjun

Classifications

• H04W76/10

  Connection setup · CPC title

• H04B7/18506 Primary

  Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service · CPC title

• H04W88/18

  Service support devices; Network management devices · CPC title

• H04W84/06

  Airborne or Satellite Networks (space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185) · CPC title

• H04W12/06

  Authentication · CPC title