User equipment and protocol and methods for device-to-device communication

• US 10,327,163 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2017
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Heo, Youn Hyoung, Zong, Pingping, Stojanovski, Alexandre Saso, Luft, Achim
• Primary Examiner(s): Mew, Kevin D
• Application Number:
  US15/858,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20180192309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 536 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4856 resumption being on a different machine, e.g. task migration, virtual machine migration G06F9/5088 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/12 by using return channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1607 Details of the supervisory signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1854 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1887 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/12 Avoiding congestion; Recovering from congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/122 by diverting traffic away from congested entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0035 Resource allocation in a cooperative multipoint environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/03 Reselecting a link using a direct mode connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/32 by location or mobility data, e.g. speed data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 : Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 : Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0274 : by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 : Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 : Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 : in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 : Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/18 : Management of setup rejection or failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 : Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/38 : triggered by timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 : Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 : between access points
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Embodiments of a UE and methods for D2D communication are generally described herein. The UE may transmit, as part of an in-network communication session, a D2D discovery status message. The D2D discovery status message may indicate an initiation or termination of a D2D discovery operation at the UE and may indicate if the UE is announcing or monitoring as part of the D2D discovery operation. The D2D discovery operation may be at least partly for configuring a D2D communication session between the UE and one or more other UEs. The UE may transmit, as part of the D2D discovery operation, a D2D discovery signal for reception at one or more other UEs. The UE may transmit and receive D2D packets over a direct link to a second UE as part of the D2D communication session.

Claims

1. An apparatus of a User Equipment (UE) to operate in accordance with a direct discovery communication mode, comprising:

processing circuitry configured to;

decode, from a broadcast message received from an Evolved Node B (eNB), a system information block (SIB), wherein the SIB comprises one or more system information parameters to indicate one or more frequencies for use in the direct discovery communication mode, and wherein during the direct discovery communication mode, the UE is configured to directly communicate with a second UE;

during a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connected mode, initiate a transmission of a message to the eNB to initiate the direct discovery communication mode and to request assignment of dedicated resources for the direct discovery communication mode, the dedicated resources including one or more frequencies indicated by the one or more system information parameters; and

encode a discovery signal for transmission to the second UE on the dedicated resources during the direct discovery communication mode; and

memory configured to store the one or more system information parameters.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to utilize one or more frequencies, indicated by the one or more system information parameters of the SIB, to monitor one or more additional discovery signals.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to configure the UE to receive an additional discovery signal on the dedicated resources.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein during RRC connected mode, the processing circuitry is configured to initiate the transmission of the message to the eNB to terminate the direct discovery communication mode and to release an assignment of the dedicated resources for the direct discovery communication mode.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the additional discovery signal is a discovery signal from the second UE.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message indicates whether the UE is to announce or monitor as part of the direct discovery communication mode.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus initiates the transmission of the message to the eNB during an RRC connection setup procedure.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable hardware storage device that stores instructions for execution by one or more processors of a station (STA), the instructions to configure the one or more processors to:

decode, from a broadcast message received from an Evolved Node B (eNB), a system information block (SIB), wherein the SIB comprises one or more system information parameters to indicate one or more frequencies for use in the direct discovery communication mode, and wherein during the direct discovery communication mode, the UE is configured to directly communicate with a second UE;

during a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connected mode, initiate a transmission of a message to the eNB to initiate the direct discovery communication mode and to request assignment of dedicated resources for the direct discovery communication mode, the dedicated resources including one or more frequencies indicated by the one or more system information parameters; and

encode a discovery signal for transmission to the second UE on the dedicated resources during the direct discovery communication mode.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 8, wherein the instructions are to further configure the one or more processors to utilize one or more frequencies, indicated by the one or more system information parameters of the SIB, to monitor one or more additional discovery signals.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 9, wherein the instructions are to further configure the one or more processors to configure the UE to receive an additional discovery signal on the dedicated resources.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 8, wherein during RRC connected mode, the instructions are to further configure the one or more processors to initiate the transmission of the message to the eNB to terminate the direct discovery communication mode and to release an assignment of the dedicated resources for the direct discovery communication mode.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 10, wherein the additional discovery signal is a discovery signal from the second UE.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 8, wherein the message indicates whether the UE is to announce or monitor as part of the direct discovery communication mode.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 8, wherein the instructions are to further configure the one or more processors to initiate the transmission of the message to the eNB during an RRC connection setup procedure.

15. A method of direct discovery communication, the method comprising:

decoding, from a broadcast message received from an Evolved Node B (eNB), a system information block (SIB), wherein the SIB comprises one or more system information parameters to indicate one or more frequencies for use in the direct discovery communication mode, and wherein during the direct discovery communication mode, a UE is configured to directly communicate with a second UE;

during a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connected mode, initiate a transmission of a message to the eNB to initiate the direct discovery communication mode and to request assignment of dedicated resources for the direct discovery communication mode, the dedicated resources including one or more frequencies indicated by the one or more system information parameters; and

encode a discovery signal for transmission to the second UE on the dedicated resources during the direct discovery communication mode.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising utilizing one or more frequencies, indicated by the one or more system information parameters of the SIB, to monitor one or more additional discovery signals.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving an additional discovery signal on the dedicated resources.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising initiating, during RRC connected mode, the transmission of the message to the eNB to terminate the direct discovery communication mode and to release an assignment of the dedicated resources for the direct discovery communication mode.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the additional discovery signal is a discovery signal from the second UE.

20. A system comprising:

an Evolved Node B (eNB); and

a User Equipment (UE), the UE configured to;

decode, from a broadcast message received from the eNB, a system information block (SIB), wherein the SIB comprises one or more system information parameters to indicate one or more frequencies for use in the direct discovery communication mode, and wherein during the direct discovery communication mode, the UE is configured to directly communicate with a second UE;

during a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connected mode, initiate a transmission of a message to the eNB to initiate the direct discovery communication mode and to request assignment of dedicated resources for the direct discovery communication mode, the dedicated resources including one or more frequencies indicated by the one or more system information parameters; and

encode a discovery signal for transmission to the second UE on the dedicated resources during the direct discovery communication mode.