Terminal clustering

• US 10,117,087 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2014
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Zhu, Chenxi, Ito, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Christine
• Application Number:
  US14/908,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20160192176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,757 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0456 Selection of precoding matrices or codebooks, e.g. using matrices antenna weighting
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0639 Using selective indices, e.g. of a codebook, e.g. pre-distortion matrix index [PMI] or for beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/241 taking into account channel quality metrics, e.g. SIR, SNR, CIR, Eb/lo
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/242 taking into account path loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/243 taking into account interferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0473 the resource being transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/006 in the downlink, i.e. towards the terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data

Abstract

A method includes checking for a first cluster beacon associated with a first cluster. The first cluster is an open cluster. The method further includes transmitting a second cluster beacon associated with a second cluster. Transmitting the second cluster beacon is done in response to failing to receive the first cluster beacon. The method further includes receiving a first request in response to transmitting the second cluster beacon. The first request includes a request by a first terminal to join the second cluster. The method further includes receiving a second request in response to transmitting the second cluster beacon. The second request includes a request by a second terminal to join the second cluster.

Claims

1. A method of joining a first cluster including a first cluster head, the method comprising:

receiving a first cluster beacon from the first cluster head, the first cluster beacon associated with the first cluster, the first cluster beacon including first cluster control information, including a first status indicator configured to indicate, at least, that the first cluster is at a cluster size capacity or is not at the cluster size capacity, the first cluster control information further including a first time synchronization indicator configured to indicate, at least, whether the first cluster head is time-synchronized with a predetermined timing source external to the first cluster head;

receiving a second cluster beacon from a second cluster head, the second cluster beacon associated with a second cluster, the second cluster beacon including second cluster control information, including a second status indicator configured to indicate, at least, that the second cluster is at the cluster size capacity or is not at the cluster size capacity, the second cluster control information further including a second time synchronization indicator configured to indicate, at least, whether the second cluster head is time-synchronized with a predetermined timing source external to the second cluster head;

choosing to join the first cluster based at least in part on the first status indicator and the first time synchronization indicator of the first cluster control information and the second status indicator and the second time synchronization indicator of the second cluster control information; and

transmitting a request to join the first cluster to the first cluster head.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first cluster control information includes a first cluster identifier;

the second cluster control information includes a second cluster identifier; and

the request to join the first cluster includes the first cluster identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein choosing to join the first cluster is further based at least in part on a first relative mobility of the first cluster head and a second relative mobility of the second cluster head, the first relative mobility based at least in part on the first cluster beacon, and the second relative mobility based at least in part on the second cluster beacon.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

choosing to join the second cluster;

transmitting a request to join the second cluster;

receiving a communication from the first cluster; and

transmitting the communication to the second cluster.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a high received power threshold from the first cluster head; and

increasing a terminal-to-terminal transmission power based at least in part on the high received power threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the predetermined timing source external to the first cluster head and the predetermined timing source external to the second cluster head includes at least one of a global positioning system (GPS) timing source, a broadcast network, and a cellular network.

7. A terminal including a non-transitory computer-readable medium having encoded therein programming code executable by a processor to perform operations comprising:

checking for a first cluster beacon from a first cluster head, the first cluster beacon associated with a first cluster, the first cluster beacon including first cluster control information, including a first status indicator configured to indicate, at least, that the first cluster is at a cluster size capacity or is not at the cluster size capacity, the first cluster control information further including a first time synchronization indicator configured to indicate, at least, whether the first cluster head is time-synchronized with a predetermined timing source external to the first cluster head;

checking for a second cluster beacon from a second cluster head, the second cluster beacon associated with a second cluster, the second cluster beacon including second cluster control information, including a second status indicator configured to indicate, at least, that the second cluster is at the cluster size capacity or is not at the cluster size capacity, the second cluster control information further including a second time synchronization indicator configured to indicate, at least, whether the second cluster head is time-synchronized with a predetermined timing source external to the second cluster head;

in response to receiving the first cluster beacon and failing to receive the second cluster beacon, transmitting a request to join the first cluster; and

in response to receiving the first cluster beacon and receiving the second cluster beacon;

choosing to join the first cluster based at least in part on the first status indicator and the first time synchronization indicator of the first cluster control information and the second status indicator and the second time synchronization indicator of the second cluster control information, and

transmitting a request to join the first cluster.

8. The terminal of claim 7, wherein prioritizing the first cluster relative to the second cluster is further based at least in part on one or more of:

a first cluster status of the first cluster control information and a second cluster status of the second cluster control information;

a first relative mobility of the first cluster head and a second relative mobility of the second cluster head; and

a first cluster identifier of the first cluster control information and a second cluster identifier of the second cluster control information.

9. The terminal of claim 7, wherein in response to failing to receive the first cluster beacon and failing to receive the second cluster beacon, the operations further include:

electing to become a third cluster head; and

transmitting a third cluster beacon associated with a third cluster.

10. The terminal of claim 9, the terminal including:

an authentication security function;

an authorization security function; and

an accounting security function.

11. The terminal of claim 9, wherein the operations further include:

checking for a fourth cluster beacon from a fourth cluster head, the fourth cluster beacon associated with a fourth cluster, the fourth cluster beacon including fourth cluster control information;

determining via the fourth cluster control information that the fourth cluster has a higher priority relative to the third cluster; and

disbanding the third cluster.

12. The terminal of claim 7, wherein at least one of the predetermined timing source external to the first cluster head and the predetermined timing source external to the second cluster head includes at least one of a global positioning system (GPS) timing source, a broadcast network, and a cellular network.