Inter-user equipment discovery method, apparatus, and system

• US 10,097,985 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2017
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: He, Yue, Jin, Hui, Yi, Qiang, Ouyang, Guowei
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nimesh
• Application Number:
  US15/816,782
• Publication Number:
  US 20180098209A1
• Time in Patent Office: 326 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

An inter-user equipment discovery method, apparatus and system are disclosed. In an embodiment, the method includes sending, by first user equipment, a discovery request message to a first proximity-based service entity, wherein the discovery request message comprises initial location information of the first user equipment and receiving a discovery response message sent by the first proximity-based service entity, wherein the discovery response message comprises a first code word of the first user equipment. The method further include generating a discovery message according to location offset information and the first code word, wherein the location offset information is an offset between a current location and an initial location of the first user equipment and broadcasting the discovery message, wherein the discovery message is used by a second user equipment to determine a location of the first user equipment.

Claims

1. A discovery method comprising:

sending, by first user equipment, a discovery request message to a first proximity-based service entity, wherein the discovery request message comprises initial location information of the first user equipment;

receiving a discovery response message sent by the first proximity-based service entity, wherein the discovery response message comprises a first code word of the first user equipment;

obtaining location offset information of the first user equipment;

generating a discovery message according to the location offset information and the first code word, wherein the location offset information is an offset between a current location and an initial location of the first user equipment; and

broadcasting the discovery message, wherein the discovery message is used by a second user equipment to determine a location of the first user equipment according to the initial location information and the location offset information after obtaining the initial location information and the location offset information.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending current location information of the first user equipment to the first proximity-based service entity, when the offset between the current location and the initial location of the first user equipment is greater than a preset maximum offset, so that the first proximity-based service entity updates the initial location information by using the current location information of the first user equipment.

3. A discovery method comprising:

receiving, by a first proximity-based service entity, a discovery request message sent by first user equipment, wherein the discovery request message comprises initial location information of the first user equipment;

receiving a match report message sent by second user equipment, wherein the match report message comprises a discovery message that is broadcast by the first user equipment, that is obtained by the second user equipment, and that comprises location offset information of the first user equipment, wherein both the first user equipment and the second user equipment belong to the first proximity-based service entity; and

sending the initial location information to the second user equipment, so that the second user equipment determines a location of the first user equipment according to the initial location information and the location offset information;

or

obtaining positioning information according to the initial location information and the match report message; and

sending the positioning information to the second user equipment, wherein the positioning information is used to indicate a location of the first user equipment.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein obtaining positioning information according to the initial location information and the match report message comprises determining the location of the first user equipment according to the initial location information and the location offset information, and wherein the positioning information comprises location information of the first user equipment.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein match report message further comprises location information of the second user equipment, wherein obtaining positioning information according to the initial location information and the match report message comprises determining the location of the first user equipment according to the initial location information and the location offset information and determining a distance between the first user equipment and the second user equipment according to the location of the first user equipment and a location of the second user equipment, and wherein the positioning information comprises distance information between the first user equipment and the second user equipment.

6. A user equipment comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing programming for execution by the processor, the programming including instructions to;

send a discovery request message to a first proximity-based service entity, wherein the discovery request message comprises initial location information of the user equipment;

receive a discovery response message sent by the first proximity-based service entity, wherein the discovery response message comprises a first code word of the user equipment;

obtain location offset information of the user equipment, and generate a discovery message according to the location offset information and the first code word, wherein the location offset information is an offset between a current location and an initial location of the user equipment; and

broadcast the discovery message, wherein the discovery message is used by a second user equipment to determine a location of the user equipment according to the initial location information and the location offset information after obtaining the initial location information and the location offset information.

7. The user equipment according to claim 6, further comprising the instructions to send current location information of the user equipment to the first proximity-based service entity, when the offset between the current location and the initial location of the user equipment is greater than a preset maximum offset, so that the first proximity-based service entity updates the initial location information by using the current location information of the user equipment.