QoS differentiation method for distributed network-assisted FBE-compliant UE cooperation in unlicensed spectrum

• US 10,652,755 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2019
• Issued: 05/12/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2016
• 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: Salem, Mohamed Adel
• Primary Examiner(s): Brandt, Christopher M
• Application Number:
  US16/415,718
• Publication Number:
  US 20190274054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 361 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/006 in the downlink, i.e. towards the terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0808 using carrier sensing, e.g. carrier sense multiple access [CSMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

Methods and devices are provided to enable a cooperating group of user equipments (UEs) to access a second spectrum band as frame based equipment (FBE) for device-to-device (D2D) sidelink transmission within the group. In an embodiment, a UE operating as a cooperating UE (CUE) in a cooperating group of UEs receives a group-specific CPC message from the network over a first spectrum band, the group-specific CPC message comprising information related to channel access for transmission of traffic intended for a target UE (TUE). The UE receives traffic intended for the TUE from the network over the first spectrum band and accesses a second spectrum band as FBE in accordance with a set of channel access parameters corresponding to the traffic to relay the traffic to the TUE via D2D sidelink transmission over the second spectrum band.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a cooperating user equipment (CUE) in a cooperating group of UEs for a target UE (TUE), a group-specific common-parameters configuration (CPC) message from a transmit point (TP) over a first spectrum band, the group-specific CPC message comprising information related to channel access for transmission of traffic intended for the TUE;

receiving, by the CUE, traffic intended for the TUE from the TP over the first spectrum band; and

accessing, by the CUE, a second spectrum band as frame based equipment (FBE) in accordance with a set of channel access parameters corresponding to the traffic intended for the TUE to relay the traffic to the TUE via device-to-device (D2D) sidelink transmission over the second spectrum band.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information related to channel access for transmission of traffic intended for the TUE comprises at least one of:

a priority class index associated with the traffic intended for the TUE; and

a priority class index-specific subset of the set of channel access parameters.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the group-specific CPC message further comprises information indicating a selected channel in the second spectrum band for CUEs in the group to access as frame based equipment (FBE) to relay traffic to the TUE.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the priority class index-specific subset of the set of channel access parameters corresponding to the priority class index associated with traffic intended for the TUE comprises a maximum sidelink burst length parameter and a minimum frame period parameter.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the group-specific CPC message further comprises information indicating a reference time point, t_o, to start cycles of a frame period for accessing the second spectrum band as FBE; and

the method further comprises setting the frame period for accessing the second spectrum band as FBE according to the minimum frame period parameter and starting a cycle of the frame period at the reference time point, t_o.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein accessing the second spectrum band as FBE comprises starting a clear channel assessment (CCA) process at a predetermined amount of time in advance of a start time of the cycle of the frame period for accessing the second spectrum band as FBE.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein accessing the second spectrum band as FBE further comprises, in response to the CCA process indicating that a channel in the second spectrum band that has been assigned to the group is available, transmitting, over the available channel in the second spectrum band, a sidelink burst in accordance with the maximum sidelink burst length parameter, the sidelink burst including at least a portion of the received traffic intended for the TUE.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to receiving a probing beacon request message from the TP over the first spectrum band, the probing beacon request message identifying the TUE and a granted time instant, measuring a received signal strength of a probing beacon transmitted by the TUE on a channel in the second spectrum band at the granted time instant.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

in response to receiving a probing beacon feedback polling message from the TP over the first spectrum band, transmitting a probing response message to the TP over the first spectrum band, the probing response message comprising probing feedback information indicating received signal strengths of probing beacons transmitted by TUEs, including the TUE of the cooperating group of UEs, and corresponding TUE identifiers (TUE IDs).

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first spectrum band is a licensed spectrum band and the second spectrum band is an unlicensed spectrum band.

11. A method comprising, in a target mode, in which a user equipment (UE) acts a target UE (TUE) in a cooperating group of UEs that includes the TUE and at least one cooperating UE (CUE):

receiving, by the TUE, a probing beacon request message from a transmission point (TP) over a first spectrum band, the TP not being a member of the cooperating group of UEs, and the probing beacon request message including information indicating grant of a time instant to the TUE to transmit a probing beacon on a channel in a second spectrum band;

initiating, by the TUE, a clear channel assessment (CCA) a predetermined time in advance of the granted time instant; and

in response to the CCA indicating that the channel is available, broadcasting, by the TUE, the probing beacon on the channel in the second spectrum band at the granted time instant.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, in the target mode, in response to a second CCA indicating that the channel is not available, transmitting a rescheduling request to the TP over the first spectrum band, the rescheduling request requesting that the TUE'"'"'s granted time instant for transmission of the probing beacon be rescheduled.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising, in response to receiving a second probing beacon request message from the TP over the first spectrum band, the second probing beacon request message indicating grant of a second time instant to an other TUE to transmit a second probing beacon on a second channel in the second spectrum band:

measuring a received signal strength of the second probing beacon broadcasted by the other TUE on the second channel in the second spectrum band at the granted second time instant; and

storing a record of measured received signal strengths of probing beacons transmitted by other TUEs and corresponding TUE IDs.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising, in response to receiving a polling message from the TP over the first spectrum band, transmitting a probing response message to the TP over the first spectrum band, the probing response message comprising probing feedback information based on the TUE'"'"'s stored record of measured received signal strengths of probing beacons transmitted by other TUEs and corresponding TUE IDs.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising, in the target mode, in response to detecting an end of a last of at least one sidelink transmission from the at least one CUE over the second spectrum band, multi-casting a response message over the second spectrum band to the group, the response message indicating an end to the sidelink transmissions to the TUE.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein multi-casting the response message over the second spectrum band to the group further comprises multi-casting closed-loop power control (CLPC) information for the at least one CUE.

17. A user equipment (UE) comprising:

a wireless interface;

a processor operatively coupled to the wireless interface; and

a computer readable storage medium operatively coupled to the processor, the computer readable storage medium storing programming for execution by the processor, the programming comprising instructions for operating in a cooperation mode, in which the UE acts as a cooperating UE (CUE) in a cooperating group of UEs, wherein the instructions for operating in the cooperation mode comprise instructions to;

receive, via the wireless interface, a group-specific common-parameters configuration (CPC) message from a transmit point (TP) over a first spectrum band, the group-specific CPC message comprising information related to channel access for transmission of traffic intended for a target UE (TUE) in the group;

receive traffic intended for the TUE from the TP over the first spectrum band; and

access a second spectrum band as FBE in accordance with a set of channel access parameters corresponding to the traffic intended for the TUE to relay the traffic to the TUE via device-to-device (D2D) sidelink transmission over the second spectrum band.

18. The UE of claim 17, wherein the information related to channel access for transmission of traffic intended for the TUE comprises at least one of:

a priority class index associated with the traffic intended for the TUE; and

a priority class index-specific subset of the set of channel access parameters.

19. The UE of claim 17, wherein the group-specific CPC message further comprises information indicating a selected channel in the second spectrum band for CUEs in the group to access as frame based equipment (FBE) to relay traffic to the TUE.

20. The UE of claim 18, wherein the priority class index-specific subset of the set of channel access parameters corresponding to the priority class index associated with traffic intended for the TUE comprises a maximum sidelink burst length parameter and a minimum frame period parameter.

21. The UE of claim 20, wherein:

the group-specific CPC message further comprises information indicating a reference time point, t_o, to start cycles of a frame period for accessing the second spectrum band as FBE; and

wherein the instructions for operating in the cooperation mode comprise instructions to set the frame period for accessing the second spectrum band as FBE according to the minimum frame period parameter and starting a cycle of the frame period at the reference time point, t_o.

22. The UE of claim 21, wherein the instructions to access the second spectrum band as FBE comprise instructions to start a clear channel assessment (CCA) process at a predetermined amount of time in advance of a start time of the cycle of the frame period for accessing the second spectrum band as FBE.

23. The UE of claim 22, wherein the instructions to access the second spectrum band as FBE further comprise instructions to:

in response to the CCA process indicating that a channel in the second spectrum band that has been assigned to the group is available, transmit, via the wireless interface, a sidelink burst over the available channel in the second spectrum band in accordance with the maximum sidelink burst length parameter, the sidelink burst including at least a portion of the received traffic intended for the TUE.

24. The UE of claim 17, wherein the programming further comprises instructions to:

detect an end of a last of at least one sidelink transmission from at least one CUE over the second spectrum band; and

in response to detecting the end of the last of the at least one sidelink transmission, multi-cast a message over the second spectrum band to the group to indicate an end to sidelink transmissions to the TUE.