Opportunistic wide area network and device to device coexistence

• US 10,098,170 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2016
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Maheshwari, Ankit, Krishnamoorthy, Parthasarathy, Kumar, Akash, Ukil, Aritra
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, DUC CHI
• Application Number:
  US15/371,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20180160456A1
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods and apparatus for wireless communication, and more specifically to opportunistic wide area network (WAN) and device to device (D2D) coexistence. According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, a method of wireless communications by an apparatus is provided. The method generally includes communicating with a base station using fewer wireless chains than supported by the apparatus, determining at least a first wireless chain of the wireless chains is available for communicating, and communicating, via device-to-device communications, with another apparatus using one of the at least a first wireless chain while communicating with the base station.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication by an apparatus, comprising:

communicating with a base station using fewer wireless chains than supported by the apparatus;

determining at least a first wireless chain of the wireless chains is available for communicating with another apparatus while the apparatus is in a connected mode discontinuous reception (CDRX) on period associated with the base station; and

communicating, via device-to-device communications, with the other apparatus using one of the at least a first wireless chain while communicating with the base station during the CDRX on period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least a first wireless chain is not used to communicate with the base station while transmitting to the other apparatus.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining is based on a TDD UL/DL subframe configuration associated with the at least a first wireless chain.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining is based on the TDD UL/DL subframe configuration having a plurality of consecutive downlink subframes.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the determining comprises determining the at least a first wireless chain is available for transmitting based on the TDD UL/DL subframe configuration; and

the communicating, via device-to-device communications, with the other apparatus comprises transmitting, via device-to-device communications, to the other apparatus using one of the at least a first wireless chain of the wireless chains.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining is based on the scheduled TDD UL/DL subframe configuration having at a plurality of consecutive uplink subframes.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the determining comprises determining the at least first wireless chain is available for receiving based on the TDD UL/DL subframe configuration; and

the communicating, via device-to-device communications, with the other apparatus comprises receiving, via device-to-device communications, from the other apparatus using one of the at least a first wireless chain of the wireless chains.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating with the other apparatus includes at least one of transmitting to the other apparatus or receiving from the other apparatus.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to use two or more downlink carriers, and the determining at least a first wireless chain of the wireless chains is available for communicating comprises determining a wireless chain of the wireless chains is scheduled for each downlink carrier of the two or more downlink carriers.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein communicating, via device-to-device communications, with the other apparatus using one of the at least a first wireless chain while communicating with the base station includes transmitting, via device-to-device communications, to the other apparatus using one of the at least a first wireless chain of the wireless chains.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the apparatus is configured to use two or more downlink carriers, and the determining at least a first wireless chain of the wireless chains is available for communicating comprises determining that a downlink carrier of the two or more downlink carriers uses a downlink only frequency band.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the downlink only frequency band comprises at least one of bands 29, 32, 252, 253, unlicensed bands NII-1 and NII-3, or portions of band 66.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the apparatus supports using two or more carriers, and the determining at least a first wireless chain of the wireless chains is available for communicating comprises determining the apparatus is configured to use fewer carriers than supported by the apparatus.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein communicating, via device-to-device communications, with the other apparatus using one of the at least a first wireless chain while communicating with the base station includes transmitting, via device-to-device communications, to the other apparatus using one of the at least a first wireless chain of the wireless chains.

15. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

means for communicating with a base station using fewer wireless chains than supported by the apparatus;

means for determining at least a first wireless chain of the wireless chains is available for communicating with another apparatus while the apparatus is in a connected mode discontinuous reception (CDRX) on period associated with the base station; and

means for communicating, via device-to-device communications, with the other apparatus using one of the at least a first wireless chain while communicating with the base station during the CDRX on period.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the determination is based on a TDD UL/DL subframe configuration associated with the at least a first wireless chain.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus is configured to use two or more downlink carriers, and the determining at least a first wireless chain of the wireless chains is available for communicating comprises determining a wireless chain of the wireless chains is scheduled for each downlink carrier of the two or more downlink carriers.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus supports using two or more carriers, and the determining at least a first wireless chain of the wireless chains is available for communicating comprises determining the apparatus is configured to use fewer carriers than supported by the apparatus.

19. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

an interface for communicating with a base station using fewer wireless chains than supported by the apparatus;

a processor configured to determine at least a first wireless chain of the wireless chains is available for communicating with another apparatus while the apparatus is in a connected mode discontinuous reception (CDRX) on period associated with the base station and to communicate, via device-to-device communications, with the other apparatus using one of the at least a first wireless chain while communicating with the base station during the CDRX on period.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the determination is based on a TDD UL/DL subframe configuration associated with the at least a first wireless chain.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the apparatus is configured to use two or more downlink carriers, and the determining at least a first wireless chain of the wireless chains is available for communicating comprises determining a wireless chain of the wireless chains is scheduled for each downlink carrier of the two or more downlink carriers.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the apparatus supports using two or more carriers, and the determining at least a first wireless chain of the wireless chains is available for communicating comprises determining the apparatus is configured to use fewer carriers than supported by the apparatus.

23. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for:

communicating with a base station using fewer wireless chains than supported by an apparatus;

determining at least a first wireless chain of the wireless chains is available for communicating with another apparatus while the apparatus is in a connected mode discontinuous reception (CDRX) on period associated with the base station; and

communicating, via device-to-device communications, with the other apparatus using one of the at least a first wireless chain while communicating with the base station during the CDRX on period.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the determining is based on a TDD UL/DL subframe configuration associated with the at least a first wireless chain.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the apparatus is configured to use two or more downlink carriers, and the determining at least a first wireless chain of the wireless chains is available for communicating comprises determining a wireless chain of the wireless chains is scheduled for each downlink carrier of the two or more downlink carriers.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the apparatus supports using two or more carriers, and the determining at least a first wireless chain of the wireless chains is available for communicating comprises determining the apparatus is configured to use fewer carriers than supported by the apparatus.