Communication method, user equipment, and network device

• US 10,051,459 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2015
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Device Company Limited (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Device Dongguan Co Ltd (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Wang, Jian, Xu, Kai, Wang, Ke
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsegaye, Saba
• Application Number:
  US14/973,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20160105791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0466 the resource being a scrambling code
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/14 between corresponding nodes

Abstract

Embodiments relate to a communication method, user equipment, and a network device. A discovery message sent by second user equipment indicates cell information of the user equipment, so that first user equipment that receives the discovery message sends a communication request to a network device according to the discovery message. The communication request indicates the cell information of the second user equipment. The network device sends a paging message to the second user equipment according to a cell message of the second user equipment, which saves resources in a paging process of direct communication.

Claims

1. A first user equipment, comprising:

a receiver, configured to receive a discovery message sent by a second user equipment using a codeword resource, wherein the the codeword resource corresponds to a discovery area identifier of the second user equipment, and wherein the discovery area identifier is an identifier of an area in which the second user equipment is located, and the discovery area identifier has a length that is shorter than a length of a cell identifier of a cell in which the second user equipment is located;

a processor coupled to the receiver and configured to acquire the discovery area identifier of the second user equipment using the correspondence between the codeword resource and the discovery area identifier; and

a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to send a communication request to a network device according to the discovery message, wherein the communication request is used to request to communicate with the second user equipment, and the communication request indicates the discovery area identifier of the second user equipment, wherein the network device sends a paging message to the second user equipment according to the communication request and the discovery area identifier of the second user equipment.

2. The first user equipment according to claim 1, wherein:

the discovery area identifier of the second user equipment corresponds to a single discovery area in the area in which the second user equipment is located.

3. The first user equipment according to claim 1, wherein:

the codeword resource comprises a scrambling codeword, and the correspondence between a discovery area identifier and the codeword resource comprises a correspondence between the discovery area identifier and the scrambling codeword; and

the processor is further configured to descramble the discovery message using the scrambling codeword, and determine that the scrambling codeword that is used to perform the descrambling successfully is the scrambling codeword used by the discovery message.

4. The first user equipment according to claim 1, wherein:

the codeword resource comprises a demodulation reference symbol sequence, and the correspondence between the discovery area identifier and the codeword resource comprises a correspondence between the discovery area identifier and the demodulation reference symbol sequence; and

the processor is further configured to perform channel estimation and decoding on the discovery message by using the demodulation reference symbol sequence, and determine that the demodulation reference symbol sequence that is used to perform the channel estimation and decoding successfully is the demodulation reference symbol sequence used by the discovery message.

5. The first user equipment according to claim 1, wherein the discovery area identifier is a sequence number of a sequence of cells located in the area in which the second user equipment is located.

6. A second user equipment, comprising:

a processor, configured to;

determine, according to a correspondence between a discovery area identifier of the second user equipment and a codeword resource, the codeword resource corresponding to the discovery area identifier of the second user equipment, wherein the discovery area identifier is an identifier of an area in which the second user equipment is located, and the discovery area identifier has a length that is shorter than a length of a cell identifier of a cell in which the second user equipment is located; and

generate a discovery message; and

a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to send the discovery message using the codeword resource corresponding to the discovery area identifier of the second user equipment, the codeword resource indicating the discovery area identifier of the second user equipment, so that a first user equipment that receives the discovery message, determines the discovery area identifier of the second user equipment according to the correspondence, and sends a communication request to a network device according to the discovery message, wherein the communication request is used to request to communicate with the second user equipment, and the communication request indicates the discovery area identifier of the second user equipment, so that the network device sends a paging message to the second user equipment according to the communication request and the discovery area identifier of the second user equipment.

7. The second user equipment according to claim 6, wherein the codeword resource comprises a scrambling codeword, and the correspondence between the discovery area identifier and the codeword resource comprises a correspondence between the discovery area identifier and the scrambling codeword.

8. The second user equipment according to claim 6, wherein the codeword resource comprises a demodulation reference symbol sequence, and the correspondence between the discovery area identifier and the codeword resource comprises a correspondence between the discovery area identifier and the demodulation reference symbol sequence.

9. The second user equipment according to claim 6, wherein the correspondence between the discovery area identifier of the second user equipment and the codeword resource comprises a mapping relationship in a form of a list.

10. The second user equipment according to claim 6, wherein the correspondence between the discovery area identifier of the second user equipment and the codeword resource comprises a mapping table.

11. The second user equipment according to claim 6, wherein the correspondence between the discovery area identifier of the second user equipment and the codeword resource is calculated using a set formula.

12. The second user equipment according to claim 6, wherein the correspondence between the discovery area identifier of the second user equipment and the codeword resource is delivered to the second user equipment by the network device.

13. The second user equipment according to claim 6, wherein the correspondence between the discovery area identifier of the second user equipment and the codeword resource is pre-stored in the second user equipment.

14. A second user equipment, comprising:

a processor, configured to;

determine, according to a correspondence between a discovery area identifier and a resource, the resource corresponding to the discovery area identifier of the second user equipment, wherein the resource is a time resource or a frequency resource, wherein the discovery area identifier is an identifier of an area in which the second user equipment is located, and the discovery area identifier has a length that is shorter than a length of a cell identifier of a cell in which the second user equipment is located; and

generate a discovery message; and

a transmitter, coupled to the processor and configured to send the discovery message using the resource corresponding to the discovery area identifier of the second user equipment, the resource indicating the discovery area identifier of the second user equipment,

wherein a first user equipment that receives the discovery message sends a communication request to a network device according to the resource used for the sending of the discovery message, wherein the communication request is used to request to communicate with the second user equipment, and the communication request indicates the discovery area identifier of the second user equipment, so that the network device sends a paging message to the second user equipment according to the communication request and the discovery area identifier of the second user equipment.

15. The second user equipment according to claim 14, wherein:

the resource is a frequency resource used by a current cell.

16. The second user equipment according to claim 14, wherein:

the resource is a time resource used by a current cell.