Resource selection in device to device communication

• US 10,142,999 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2014
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Panteleev, Sergey, Shilov, Mikhail, Khoryaev, Alexey, Chatterjee, Debdeep
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Peter
• Application Number:
  US15/023,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20160234855A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,523 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/17 Detection of non-compliance or faulty performance, e.g. response deviations H04B17/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/1694 Allocation of channels in TDM/TDMA networks, e.g. distributed multiplexers Passive Optical Networks H04Q11/0062
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0098 Signalling of the activation or deactivation of component carriers, subcarriers or frequency bands
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0215 based on user or device properties, e.g. MTC-capable devices services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] H04W4/70; wireless resource selection or allocation plan definition based on terminal or device properties H04W72/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/08 Load balancing or load distribution transferring a connection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0069 in case of dual connectivity, e.g. decoupled uplink/downlink
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00692 using simultaneous multiple data streams, e.g. cooperative multipoint [CoMP], carrier aggregation [CA] or multiple input multiple output [MIMO] allocation of physical resources in CoMP or in CA H04L5/0035
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/305 Handover due to radio link failure control signalling for hand-off failure H04W36/0079
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/06 based on traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 : Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 : using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 : Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/346 : distributing total power among users or channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 : Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/002 : Mutual synchronization
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 : Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/02 : by periodical registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 : Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 : based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/52 : based on load
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 : using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 : based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/004 : in the uplink, i.e. towards network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 : Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 : Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 : Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/18 : Management of setup rejection or failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/19 : Connection re-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 : Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 : Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 : Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 : Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 : Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 : Service support devices; Network management devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 : between access points
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless communication device is configured to perform resource allocation of device-to-device (D2D) communication in a UE. Synchronization establishing circuitry is provided to acquire radio resource synchronization and to establish a time-frequency resource grid having resource units allocation to a D2D communication. Signal metric evaluation circuitry is provided to evaluate resource unit(s) of a received signal using a signal metric when the time-frequency resource grid has been established. Radio resource selection circuitry is provided to select a time resource of the time-frequency resource grid for allocation to a D2D communication depending upon a result of the resource unit evaluation. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. A device-to-device, D2D, communication circuitry, for use in a device of a wireless communication network, the device being configured to transmit and receive device-to-device communications, the circuitry comprising:

synchronization establishing circuitry to acquire radio resource synchronization and to establish a time-frequency resource grid for a D2D communication, the time-frequency resource grid having a plurality of resource units for allocation to a D2D connection;

signal metric evaluation circuitry to evaluate signal metrics of resource units of the plurality of resource units when the time-frequency resource grid has been established; and

radio resource selection circuitry to compare the signal metrics to a lower threshold value and an upper threshold value, and select a time resource of the time-frequency resource grid for allocation to the D2D communication based on said comparison of the signal metrics to the lower threshold value and the upper threshold value,

wherein the radio resource selection circuitry is to select the time resource by selecting from at least a subset of time resources of the time-frequency resource grid currently available for allocation to a new D2D transmission, the time resource being select to minimize a number of constituent resource units for which the signal metric is evaluated to lie between the lower threshold value and the upper threshold value.

2. The device-to-device communication circuitry of claim 1, wherein the radio resource selection circuitry selects a subset of resource units of the resource grid as candidate transmission resource units by:

selecting a predetermined number of resource units of the resource grid having a lowest value of the signal metric;

or

selecting all resource units of the resource grid having a signal metric value less than the upper threshold value.

3. The device-to-device communication circuitry of claim 2, wherein the radio resource selection circuitry is to select a resource unit for allocation to the D2D communication from the subset comprising the candidate transmission resource units.

4. The device-to-device communication circuitry of claim 1, wherein the radio resource selection circuitry is to use a resource unit evaluation to determine if a transmitter of a received signal corresponding to a resource unit has a transmission range that partially overlaps a transmission range of a device containing the device-to-device communication circuitry.

5. The device-to-device communication circuitry of claim 1, wherein the radio resource selection circuitry is to use a resource unit evaluation to determine if a transmitter of a received signal corresponding to a resource unit is located in close proximity to a device containing the device-to-device communication circuitry.

6. The device-to-device communication circuitry of claim 1, wherein the upper and lower threshold values are:

configured by an evolved node B, eNB;

configured by a cluster head user equipment, UE;

or

autonomously calculated by a device containing the device-to-device communication circuitry.

7. The device-to-device communication circuitry of claim 1, wherein the radio resource selection circuitry is to select a frequency sub-channel corresponding to the selected time resource by performing:

a random selection of a time-frequency resource unit corresponding to the selected time resource;

or

selection of a time-frequency resource unit within the selected time resource based upon a corresponding signal metric value.

8. The device-to-device communication circuitry of claim 1, wherein the signal metric evaluation circuitry is to calculate the signal metric based on energy measurements from at least one antenna of the device.

9. The device-to-device communication circuitry of claim 1, wherein the time-frequency resource grid has a periodic structure and wherein the time resource selection is based on a signal metric evaluation in a measurement period and wherein the radio resource selection circuitry is to allocate to the D2D communication a time resource having a corresponding position to the selected time-frequency resource in the time resource grid in a period subsequent to the measurement period.

10. The device-to-device communication circuitry of claim 9, wherein the period is a Long Term Evolution, LTE, radio frame and the resource unit comprises at least one LTE physical resource block.

11. The device-to-device communication circuitry of claim 1, wherein the signal metric comprises or is based on received signal power, received signal quality, or received signal strength.

12. The device-to-device communication circuitry of claim 1, wherein the device comprises:

a user equipment;

a pico node;

a femto node;

or

a relay node.

13. One or more non-transitory, computer-readable media having instructions that, when executed, cause a wireless equipment to allocate resources for peer-to-peer communication between wireless equipment at a same hierarchical level of a wireless communication network, to allocate resources, the wireless equipment is to:

acquire synchronization for device-to-device, D2D, transmission and configure an N by M time-frequency resource structure comprising N frequency sub-channels having a fixed sub-channel bandwidth by M time units having a fixed duration, the structure having M*N time-frequency resource entities, where M and N are integers greater than or equal to one;

measure for at least a subset of resource entities of the time-frequency resource structure, a signal characteristic of a signal received in the corresponding resource entity;

select one of the M time units of the time-frequency resource structure as a preferred time unit for allocation to a forthcoming D2D transmission by the wireless equipment, based upon an analysis of the signal characteristics of the at least a subset of the resource entities, the analysis based on a lower threshold P_LT and an upper threshold P_HT and an estimate of a proximity of a transmitter of the corresponding received signal to the wireless equipment,

wherein the analysis is to further include counting a number, N_T, of resource entities within a given time unit having a signal characteristic P_i such that P_LT<

P_i<

P_HT and wherein the time unit selected as being preferred for allocation to a D2D transmission is a time unit that minimizes N_T.

14. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein to measure the signal characteristic the wireless equipment is to apply the upper threshold P_HT to estimate the proximity of the transmitter of the signal received in the corresponding resource entity.

15. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein the signal characteristic is a signal power measurement, a signal strength measurement, or a signal quality measurement and wherein when the measured signal characteristic lies above the upper threshold P_HT, a transmitter of the received signal is determined to be close enough to have a substantially overlapping transmission range with the wireless equipment.

16. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein when the measured signal characteristic has a value up to the lower threshold value P_LT, a transmitter of the received signal is determined to be far enough from the wireless equipment to have a substantially non-overlapping transmission range with the wireless equipment.

17. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the wireless equipment to select for allocation to the D2D transmission a resource entity by selecting a frequency sub-channel within the selected time unit of the time-frequency resource structure by:

random selection;

or

depending upon the signal characteristic for the corresponding resource entity.

18. A device-to-device, D2D, communication circuitry, for use in a user equipment (UE) of a wireless communication network, the circuitry comprising:

means for establishing synchronization configured to acquire radio resource synchronization and to establish a time-frequency resource grid for a D2D communication, the time-frequency resource grid having a plurality of resource units for allocation to a D2D connection;

means for evaluating signal metrics of resource units of the plurality of resource units when the time-frequency resource grid has been established; and

means for comparing the signal metrics to a lower threshold value and an upper threshold value; and

means for selecting a time resource of the time-frequency resource grid for allocation to the D2D communication based on said comparison of the signal metrics to the lower threshold value and the upper threshold value,

wherein means for selecting is to select the time resource by selecting from at least a subset of time resources of the time-frequency resource grid currently available for allocation to a new D2D transmission, the time resource being select to minimize a number of constituent resource units for which the signal metric is evaluated to lie between the lower threshold value and the upper threshold value.

19. The device-to-device communication circuitry of claim 18, wherein the means for selecting the time resource is to select for allocation to the D2D communication a frequency resource lying within the selected time resource.