Method and apparatus for transmitting synchronization signal

• US 10,383,070 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2017
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2014
• 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: Liu, Deping, Li, Qiang, Berggren, Fredrik
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Jr., Michael J
• Application Number:
  US15/411,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20170135054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0015 one node acting as a reference for the others
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• 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 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method and an apparatus for transmitting a synchronization signal. The method of the present invention includes: determining, by a first terminal, a D2D type, where the D2D type includes D2D discovery and D2D communication; and transmitting, by the first terminal, a synchronization signal according to the determined D2D type. Therefore, synchronization signals transmitted by terminals of different D2D types do not affect each other, avoiding that a second terminal detects and receives a synchronization signal that does not correspond to a D2D type of the second terminal and ensuring that user direct-connection communication can be performed correctly and efficiently.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting a synchronization signal, comprising:

determining, by a first terminal, a device to device (D2D) type, wherein the D2D type comprises D2D discovery and D2D communication; and

transmitting, by the first terminal, a synchronization signal according to the determined D2D type.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

when the first terminal is inside a network coverage area, receiving, by the first terminal, configuration information of a system, wherein the configuration information comprises resource information that is configured by the system and of the synchronization signal, and an indication for sending the synchronization signal.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein when the configuration information comprises the indication for sending the synchronization signal, the transmitting, by the first terminal, a synchronization signal according to the D2D type comprises:

transmitting, by the first terminal, on a resource that is configured by the system and of the synchronization signal, the synchronization signal according to a correspondence between the determined D2D type and a synchronization signal.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein transmitting, by the first terminal, a synchronization signal according to the determined D2D type comprises:

transmitting a physical D2D synchronization channel (PD2DSCH) if the first terminal is of type D2D communication, not transmitting a PD2DSCH if the first terminal is of type D2D discovery.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the synchronization signal comprises:

a D2D synchronization signal;

or

a D2D synchronization signal and a physical D2D synchronization channel;

wherein the D2D synchronization signal comprises a primary D2D synchronization signal and a secondary D2D synchronization signal.

6. A method for receiving a synchronization signal, comprising:

determining, by a second terminal, a device to device (D2D) type, wherein the D2D type comprises D2D discovery and D2D communication; and

detecting and receiving, by the second terminal, a synchronization signal according to the determined D2D type.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the detecting and receiving, by the second terminal, a synchronization signal according to the determined D2D type comprises:

when the second terminal is inside a network coverage area, detecting and receiving a synchronization signal of an adjacent cell and/or a synchronization signal transmitted by a terminal that is outside the network coverage area;

or

when the second terminal is outside a network coverage area, detecting and receiving a synchronization signal transmitted by a terminal that is inside the network coverage area and/or a synchronization signal transmitted by a terminal that is outside the network coverage area.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the detecting and receiving, by the second terminal, a synchronization signal according to the determined D2D type comprises:

detecting and receiving a physical D2D synchronization channel (PD2DSCH) if the second terminal is of type D2D communication;

detecting no PD2DSCH if the second terminal of type D2D discovery.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the synchronization signal comprises:

a D2D synchronization signal;

or

a D2D synchronization signal and a physical D2D synchronization channel;

wherein the D2D synchronization signal comprises a primary D2D synchronization signal and a secondary D2D synchronization signal.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the detecting and receiving, by the second terminal, a synchronization signal according to the determined D2D type comprises:

detecting and receiving, by the second terminal, the synchronization signal according to a predefined correspondence between a D2D type and a synchronization signal.

11. An apparatus for transmitting a synchronization signal, comprising:

a processor, configured to determine a device to device (D2D) type, wherein the D2D type comprises D2D discovery and D2D communication; and

a transmitter, configured to transmit a synchronization signal according to the D2D type determined by the processing module.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

a receiver, configured to;

when the apparatus is inside a network coverage area, receive configuration information of a system, wherein the configuration information comprises resource information that is configured by the system and of the synchronization signal, and an indication for sending the synchronization signal.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the transmitter is configured to:

when the configuration information comprises the indication for sending the synchronization signal, transmit, on a resource that is configured by the system and of the synchronization signal, the synchronization signal according to a correspondence between the D2D type determined by the processing module and a synchronization signal.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the transmitter, is configured to:

transmit a physical D2D synchronization channel (PD2DSCH) if the apparatus is of type D2D communication, not transmit a PD2DSCH if the apparatus is of type D2D discovery.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the synchronization signal sent by the transmitter comprises:

a D2D synchronization signal;

or

a D2D synchronization signal and a physical D2D synchronization channel;

wherein the D2D synchronization signal comprises a primary D2D synchronization signal and a secondary D2D synchronization signal.

16. An apparatus for receiving a synchronization signal, comprising:

a processor, configured to determine a device to device (D2D) type, wherein the D2D type comprises D2D discovery and D2D communication; and

a receiver, configured to detect and receive a synchronization signal according to the D2D type determined by the processing module.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the receiver is configured to:

when the apparatus is inside a network coverage area, detect and receive a synchronization signal of an adjacent cell and/or a synchronization signal transmitted by a terminal that is outside the network coverage area;

or

when the apparatus is outside a network coverage area, detect and receive a synchronization signal transmitted by a terminal that is inside the network coverage area and/or a synchronization signal transmitted by a terminal that is outside the network coverage area.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the receiver is configured to:

detect and receive the physical D2D synchronization channel (PD2DSCH) if the apparatus is of type D2D communication;

detect no PD2DSCH if the second terminal of type D2D discovery.

19. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

a transmitter, configured to transmit, according to the D2D type determined by the processing module and the detected and received synchronization signal, a signal corresponding to the D2D type;

or

the receiver, further configured to receive, according to the D2D type determined by the processing module and the detected and received synchronization signal, a signal corresponding to the D2D type.

20. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the synchronization signal received by the receiver comprises:

a D2D synchronization signal;

or

a D2D synchronization signal and a physical D2D synchronization channel;

wherein the D2D synchronization signal comprises a primary D2D synchronization signal and a secondary D2D synchronization signal.

21. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, comprising computer program codes which when executed by a computer processor cause the compute processor to execute the steps of:

determining a device to device (D2D) type, wherein the D2D type comprises D2D discovery and D2D communication; and

instructing a transmitter to transmit, a physical D2D synchronization channel (PD2DSCH) if the first terminal is of type D2D communication, not transmitting a PD2DSCH if the first terminal is of type D2D discovery.

22. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, comprising computer program codes which when executed by a computer processor cause the compute processor to execute the steps of:

determining a device to device (D2D) type, wherein the D2D type comprises D2D discovery and D2D communication; and

instructing a receiver to detect and receive, a physical D2D synchronization channel (PD2DSCH) if the second terminal is of type D2D communication;

detecting no PD2DSCH if the second terminal of type D2D discovery.