Radio terminal apparatus and method therefor

• US 10,462,670 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2015
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Aminaka, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Rahman, Shawnchoy
• Application Number:
  US15/562,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20180084425A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,429 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties
• 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 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

A radio terminal apparatus (113) is configured to perform D2D communication with at least one radio terminal (121-124) belonging to a second group (group 2) when a predetermined condition is satisfied. The predetermined condition includes that a first radio terminal (110) belonging to a first group (group 1) to which the radio terminal apparatus (113) belongs gives the second group (group 2) implicit or explicit permission to perform D2D communication between the first and second groups (groups 1 and 2). It is thus, for example, possible to contribute to improving security of device-to-device (D2D) communication performed between D2D communication groups.

Claims

1. A radio terminal apparatus comprising:

at least one radio transceiver; and

at least one processor coupled to the at least one radio transceiver, wherein

the at least one processor is configured to perform device-to-device (D2D) communication by using the at least one radio transceiver,

the at least one processor is configured to perform D2D communication with at least one radio terminal belonging to a second group when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the predetermined condition including that a first radio terminal belonging to a first group to which the radio terminal apparatus belongs gives, to the second group different from the first group, implicit or explicit permission to perform D2D communication between the first and second groups, and

the at least one processor is configured to broadcast a communication setting related to D2D communication between the radio terminal apparatus and the second group when the radio terminal apparatus cannot communicate with the first radio terminal directly or through another radio terminal belonging to the first group.

2. The radio terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the implicit or explicit permission is given by the first radio terminal by performing at least one of:

requesting a radio terminal belonging to the second group to perform D2D communication;

performing D2D communication with a radio terminal belonging to the second group;

notifying a radio terminal belonging to the second group of a communication setting necessary for D2D communication between the first and second groups;

asking a radio terminal belonging to the second group for data transmission to the first group; and

transmitting explicit permission information to a radio terminal belonging to the second group.

3. The radio terminal apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the communication setting necessary for D2D communication between the first and second groups includes one or both of an identifier related to the first group and radio resource information.

4. The radio terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition further includes that the radio terminal apparatus cannot communicate with the first radio terminal directly or through another radio terminal belonging to the first group.

5. The radio terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive from a network the communication setting related to D2D communication between the radio terminal apparatus and the second group.

6. The radio terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to transmit the communication setting related to D2D communication between the radio terminal apparatus and the second group in response to a request sent from a radio terminal belonging to the second group.

7. The radio terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to perform D2D communication within the first group by using a dedicated radio resource exclusively configured for the first group and perform inter-group D2D communication by using a common radio resource commonly configured for a plurality of groups including the first and second groups.

8. The radio terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to restrict communication quality or a communication content in D2D communication between the radio terminal apparatus and the second group compared to that in D2D communication performed within the first group.

9. The radio terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the D2D communication includes at least one of direct communication and direct discovery.

10. A radio terminal apparatus comprising:

at least one radio transceiver; and

at least one processor coupled to the at least one radio transceiver, wherein

the at least one processor is configured to perform device-to-device (D2D) communication by using the at least one radio transceiver,

the at least one processor is configured to, when the radio terminal apparatus cannot communicate with any radio terminal belonging to a first group to which the radio terminal apparatus belongs, perform D2D communication with a first radio terminal belonging to a second group different from the first group and give implicit or explicit permission to the second group, and

the implicit or explicit permission permits the second group to perform D2D communication with a radio terminal that belongs to the first group and is different from the radio terminal apparatus.

11. The radio terminal apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the implicit or explicit permission is given by the radio terminal apparatus by performing at least one of:

requesting the first radio terminal to perform D2D communication;

performing D2D communication with the first radio terminal;

notifying the first radio terminal of a communication setting necessary for D2D communication between the first and second groups;

asking the first radio terminal for data transmission to the first group; and

transmitting explicit permission information to the first radio terminal.

12. The radio terminal apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the communication setting includes one or both of an identifier related to the first group and radio resource information.

13. The radio terminal apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive from a network a communication setting related to D2D communication between the radio terminal apparatus and the second group.

14. The radio terminal apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the second group is selected from a plurality of groups by the network based on at least one of:

a distance between the radio terminal apparatus and a radio terminal belonging to the second group;

a type of an application used by the radio terminal apparatus in D2D communication; and

an attribute of the radio terminal apparatus or the first group.

15. The radio terminal apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive from the first radio terminal a communication setting related to D2D communication between the radio terminal apparatus and the second group.

16. The radio terminal apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is configured to perform D2D communication between the radio terminal apparatus and the first radio terminal in accordance with a communication setting pre-configured in the radio terminal apparatus.

17. A method performed by a radio terminal apparatus configured to perform device-to-device (D2D) communication with a radio terminal by using at least one radio transceiver, the method comprising:

performing D2D communication with at least one radio terminal belonging to a second group when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the predetermined condition including that a first radio terminal belonging to a first group to which the radio terminal apparatus belongs gives, to the second group different from the first group, implicit or explicit permission to perform D2D communication between the first and second groups;

wherein the method further comprises broadcasting a communication setting related to D2D communication between the radio terminal apparatus and the second group when the radio terminal apparatus cannot communicate with the first radio terminal directly or through another radio terminal belonging to the first group.