D2D communications in a cellular network

• US 10,440,525 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2017
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Lincoln, Bo, Bjorkegren, Hakan, Fodor, Gabor, Gunnarsson, Fredrik, Kronander, Jonas, Wallen, Anders
• Primary Examiner(s): Kamara, Mohamed A
• Application Number:
  US15/572,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20190075430A1
• Time in Patent Office: 951 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method performed by a first transceiver device in D2D communication with second transceiver devices in a cellular network comprises transmitting a reference signal comprising an identity of the first transceiver device, and receiving feedback messages from the second transceiver devices, where a feedback message comprises the identity of the first and an identity of the second transceiver device, and channel characteristics of a radio channel between the first and the second transceiver device, where the channel characteristics are estimated by the second transceiver device. The method further comprises deciding, based on the feedback messages, whether a second transceiver device should be included in a set of intended devices to which the first transceiver device will perform a transmission of a communication signal. The method also comprises performing a transmission of the communication signal to the set of intended devices, where the transmission is adapted to the set of intended devices based on the feedback messages received from the intended devices.

Claims

1. A method performed by a first transceiver device in device-to-device, D2D, communication with at least one second transceiver device in a cellular network, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

transmitting a reference signal comprising information about an identity of the first transceiver device;

receiving at least one feedback message from a respective second transceiver device, each feedback message comprising information about the identity of the first transceiver device, information about an identity of the respective second transceiver device that sent the feedback message, and channel characteristics of a radio channel between said first transceiver device and said respective second transceiver device, where said channel characteristics are estimated by said respective second transceiver device;

deciding whether said respective second transceiver device should be included in or excluded from a set of intended devices to which said first transceiver device will perform a transmission of at least one communication signal, said deciding being based on the at least one received feedback message; and

performing a transmission of said at least one communication signal to said set of intended devices, said transmission being adapted to the set of intended devices based on the feedback messages received from the respective second transceiver devices included in the set.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmission of said at least one communication signal is adapted to the set of intended devices by deciding transmission mode and/or determining transmission parameters for the transmission, based on the feedback messages received from the respective second transceiver devices included in the set.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said transmission mode is one of unicast mode, multicast mode and broadcast mode.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said transmission parameters comprise at least one of:

transmission power;

modulation and coding rate;

beam selection or beam shape;

numerology of an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing, OFDM, system;

source coding of a payload.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said reference signal is acquired from a network node in the cellular network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said reference signal is pre-configured in the first transceiver device, and/or determined by the first transceiver device and/or selected by the first transceiver device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting a reference signal comprises broadcasting the reference signal.

8. An apparatus in a first transceiver device, configured to perform device-to-device, D2D, communication with at least one second transceiver device in a cellular network,

wherein the apparatus is configured to transmit a reference signal comprising information about an identity of the first transceiver device;

wherein the apparatus is configured to receive at least one feedback message from a respective second transceiver device, each feedback message comprising information about the identity of the first transceiver device, information about an identity of the respective second transceiver device that sent the feedback message, and channel characteristics of a radio channel between said first transceiver device and said respective second transceiver device, where said channel characteristics are estimated by said respective second transceiver device;

wherein the apparatus is configured to decide, based on the at least one received feedback message, whether said respective second transceiver device should be included in or excluded from a set of intended devices to which said first transceiver device will perform a transmission of at least one communication signal; and

wherein the apparatus is configured to perform a transmission of said at least one communication signal to said set of intended devices, said transmission being adapted to the set of intended devices based on the feedback messages received from the respective second transceiver devices included in the set.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus is configured to adapt said transmission of said at least one communication signal to the set of intended devices by deciding transmission mode and/or determining transmission parameters for the transmission, based on the feedback messages received from the respective second transceiver devices included in the set.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said transmission mode is one of unicast mode, multicast mode and broadcast mode.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said transmission parameters comprise at least one of:

transmission power;

modulation and coding rate;

beam selection or beam shape;

numerology of an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing, OFDM, system;

source coding of a payload.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said reference signal is acquired from a network node in the cellular network.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said reference signal is pre-configured in the first transceiver device, and/or determined by the first transceiver device and/or selected by the first transceiver device.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus is configured to transmit a reference signal by broadcasting the reference signal.

15. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus comprises a processor and a memory, the memory comprising instructions executable by the processor, whereby the processor is operative to perform device-to-device, D2D, communication with at least one second transceiver device in a cellular network.

16. The apparatus of claim 8, configured to operate within a communication device.

17. A nontransitory computer readable storage medium comprising a computer program for performing device-to-device, D2D, communication with at least one second transceiver device in a cellular network, wherein the computer program comprises instructions, which when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform:

preparing a reference signal comprising information about an identity of the first transceiver device for transmission;

inputting at least one feedback message received from a respective second transceiver device, each feedback message comprising information about the identity of the first transceiver device, information about an identity of the respective second transceiver device that sent the feedback message, and channel characteristics of a radio channel between said first transceiver device and said respective second transceiver device, where said channel characteristics are estimated by said respective second transceiver device;

deciding, based on the at least one received feedback message, whether said respective second transceiver device should be included in or excluded from a set of intended devices to which said first transceiver device will perform a transmission of at least one communication signal; and

preparing a transmission of said at least one communication signal to said set of intended devices, said transmission being adapted to the set of intended devices based on the feedback messages received from the respective second transceiver devices included in the set.

18. An apparatus in a first transceiver device for performing device-to-device, D2D, communication with at least one second transceiver device in a cellular network, wherein the apparatus comprises:

a transmitter module for transmitting a reference signal comprising information about an identity of the first transceiver device;

a receiver module for receiving at least one feedback message from a respective second transceiver device, each feedback message comprising information about the identity of the first transceiver device, information about an identity of the respective second transceiver device that sent the feedback message, and channel characteristics of a radio channel between said first transceiver device and said respective second transceiver device, where said channel characteristics are estimated by said respective second transceiver device;

a decision module for deciding, based on the at least one received feedback message, whether said respective second transceiver device should be included in or excluded from a set of intended devices to which said first transceiver device will perform a transmission of at least one communication signal; and

a transmitter module for performing a transmission of said at least one communication signal to said set of intended devices, said transmission being adapted to the set of intended devices based on the feedback messages received from the respective second transceiver devices included in the set.