Content for  TR 22.872  Word version:  16.1.0

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) or drones for professional or leisure applications are used for several missions. During their mission, they might be connected to a remote user or a Mission Application Server to report regularly or by burst mission information that are processed to generated added value products. The Mission information that is reported is often images of the environment that is flown over. The images can be optical or another type of sensor, such as an infrared sensor. The images are in general tagged with Meta Data describing the mission. In such a context, the images often need to be geo-localised with a high accuracy in order to allow recombining the images as a sequence of image representing a given scene compared or superimposed onto a ground digital map. This allows generating benefit information from the recombined images mapped on a given existing reference. In other situations, several flights are performed over the same area, and the mission of the drone's sensor is to provide information to evaluate particular environmental evolutions at various dates. For automatic processing of the flow of images, the images and therefore the UAV shall be accurately geo-localised with absolute positions information. In addition, during the landing phase, the UAV operations need also precise 3D geo-localisation information in order to allow automatic landing

The user's drone is equipped with a Navigation Unit, comprising a UE with a 5G communication module and a 5G positioning module. This positioning module can use a combination of 3GPP technologies and non-3GPP technologies. This includes, but not limited to, GNSS (e.g. BeiDou, Galileo, GLONASS and GPS), Terrestrial Beacon Systems, Bluetooth, WLAN, RFID, and sensors, to allow the Navigation Unit system to determine UAV position-related data. The UAV Mission Application Centre is connected to a 5G Network. The Centre includes algorithms to process the images and generate added value information from a series of images in sequences or at various dates. The environment of use is primarily outdoor, including urban areas and rural areas (wide coverage area).

The 5G positioning module enables the 3GPP system to determine position, velocity (or velocity profile) and date. The frequency of the determination shall be regular typically every second. The need for reporting the information can vary depending on the applications. In some implementations, the UAV system may use the information directly, and thereof, this information is not reported as such to the Mission Application Centre. In some cases, the information shall be reported in quasi real time in order to allow a remote control of the mission. In case where the position-related data is used in the processing and analysis of the images collected by the UAV, the Mission Application Centre processes the images reported by the UAV, either in real time or in post processing when the UAV has landed and uploaded its images bank to the server. Very low latency is not mandatory. In the case where the Navigation Unit information is used for landing operations, the position information are reported to the on-board flight computer to control the flight in order to ensure a smooth landing. Latency need to be commensurate to the velocity of the UAV in the landing phase to maintain the relevancy of the accuracy requirements.

The images are georeferenced using the position-related data provided by the UAV Navigation Unit, as part of Meta Data describing each image. Based on this Meta Data, the Mission Application Centre can recombine precisely a sequence of images to generate a scene precisely located in space. The Centre can also compare the environment situations by processing various images taken at various dates, with a common position reference, or by comparing the images with any other sources of geo-localised information.

The 5G system shall be able to provide positioning service to support drones applications with [10] cm horizontal and vertical position accuracy, 99% availability, for UE moving at [150] km/h outdoor. The 5G system shall be able to provide positioning service to support applications with under [50] cm/s horizontal and vertical velocity accuracy and [2]° bearing accuracy, over 99% availability, for UE moving at speed up to [150] km/h outdoor. The 5G System shall be able to provide positioning service to support applications with a TTFF less than [10] s. The 5G system shall be able to provide positioning service such that the UE's power consumption will be less than [200] mW in the worst case. The 5G System shall support mechanisms to protect positioning-related data against tampering. The 5G System shall support mechanisms to detect tampering attempts on the position-related data. The 5G System shall be able to ensure the positioning related data are secured, and shall allow the protection of the user's privacy.

Medication and cures need to be transported between two different buildings (for instance, pharmacy to a dedicated unit) inside a hospital made up of several buildings on several hectares with large green areas or between two different hospitals (in the same city). Drones can be used for these transportations. Some hospitals may organise and pool their stock of medication and production of cures. Some hospitals, part of a same group or not, may exchange medication, for instance, in case one face empty stock, or is not equipped to store some cures (e.g. chemotherapy). In all these cases and situations, medication and cures need to be transported between two distinct locations, in a trusted, secure and time-controlled process. The locations may be distant from several tens of kilometres. Drones can be used to ensure such transportation. In addition to transport between buildings, drones can be used to transport life-saving equipment (e.g. AED) from a predetermined location to an arbitrary outdoor (or even indoor) location in close vicinity of a patient (e.g. suffering of Sudden Cardiac Arrest). Also a drone (could be the same drone delivering the life-saving equipment) needs to hover over the scene and provide a live video feed to an emergency call centre, enabling better life saving support. The drone flies at low altitude. The drone needs to maintain a continuous connection with the mobile network, which requires the network supports continuous wireless coverage in low altitude flight scenarios. During the whole delivery process, the position and the status of the drone needs to monitored and logged in order to ensure the full traceability of the delivery, as well as the security of the delivery. A drone and remote control are connected to the mobile network. A continuous connection with the mobile network is needed, especially in the case of transport between two hospitals requiring a way in the public domain. The drone is piloted with remote mode, the data being transmitted via the network Position accuracy is defined to minimise risk of damage to property or life in densely populated areas. Extreme Real-Time Communications are addressed in the NGMN 5G white paper [5].

The drone and its payload container are equipped with 5G communication modules, smart lock as well as a 5G positioning module. This positioning module can use a combination of 3GPP technologies and non-3GPP technologies. A drone and remote control are connected to the mobile network. The drone is piloted with remote mode, the data being transmitted via the network.

Tom needs to receive a cure in emergency in Hospital A, the one close to the place he lives. The cure must be delivered within the next 24 hours, but is not available in Hospital A. The doctors consider Tom's health does not allow transporting him to another Hospital. Fortunately, Hospital A is organised with other Hospitals in the region to manage such circumstances: it was agreed in the past that the stock of this cure would be centralised in Hospital B and the cure distributed when needed using drones. Hospital A's Pharmacist requests the delivery of the cure using the Hospital specific drone system. The trajectory and details of the delivery (including a unique identifier linking the delivery operation, ID of the patient, ID of Hospital A and B, ID of the cure, etc.) are defined in the delivery management application and loaded in the drone and its payload container. The container can only be opened upon arrival in duly identified and authorized locations (Hospital A and Hospital B), and if handled by authorized personnel. The drone leaves Hospital A and reaches Hospital B less than one hour later. Meanwhile, Hospital B's Pharmacy prepared the cure, put it in an adequate and secured container ready for transportation. Upon arrival of the drone, after reporting its arrival, Hospital B's Pharmacist unlocks the drone and its container using his ID, introduces the cure into the drone's payload container and locks it again with his ID. The drone flies back to Hospital A, where upon arrival, the Pharmacist of Hospital A proceeds with similar actions as above to retrieve the cure from the container. The cure has reached the Pharmacy of Hospital A, and can now be handled as if it came out of the stock of Hospital A. During the whole operation, all relevant information about the drone's trajectory, the status and content of the container are logged. In addition, the drone's positioning module enabled the determination of its position in a secure way, resilient to spoofing and tampering attempt, this to prevent errors in the delivery, misuse and attempt to smuggle the cure.

Tom receives the cure in due time. The handling of the delivery is more efficient than the former system used by Hospital A and B, which relied on ambulances or taxi delivery, particularly expensive in case of emergency and in night shifts. All information about the operation are authenticated, exchanged and logged with adequate security for traceability

The 5G system shall support:

• Round trip latency less than [150 ms], including all network components.
• Due to the consequences of failure being loss of property or life, reliability goal is [near 100%.]
• Reliability to be at the same level for current aviation Air Traffic Control (ATC). Link supports command and control of vehicles in controlled airspace. The integrity of the position needs to be ensured in compliance with the regulations.
• Priority, Precedence, Preemption (PPP) mechanisms shall be used to ensure sufficient reliability metrics are reached.
• Position is to be authenticated, and logged in the system for security and traceability.

For en-route phases and hovering over an emergency scene, the 5G system shall be able to provide positioning service with [50 cm] horizontal position accuracy and a [30 cm] vertical accuracy, 99% availability, for the moving UE at the speed of up to [50km/hour]. The accuracy needs to be met throughout the 5G positioning service area. The environment of use for en-route phase is outdoor, mainly unobstructed. During docking phases (take-off and landing), the 5G system shall be able to provide positioning service with [50 cm] horizontal position accuracy and a [10 cm] vertical accuracy, 99.9% availability for quasi stationery UE in enhanced positioning area of [10m2]. The environment of use for the docking-phase is outdoor, but may suffer obstruction from buildings in the vicinity of the drone's docking stations. The 5G System shall support mechanisms to protect positioning-related data against tampering. The 5G System shall support mechanisms to detect tampering attempts on the position-related data.