WIRELESS COMMUNICATION METHODS AND APPARATUS SUPPORTING PAGING AND PEER TO PEER COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20070291714A1
• Filed: 01/10/2007
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Laroia, Rajiv, Li, Junyi, Richardson, Tom, Lane, Frank
• Granted Patent: US 8,755,362 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0602 Systems characterised by the synchronising information used
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2601 Multicarrier modulation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/261 Details of reference signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0016 Time-frequency-code
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0035 Resource allocation in a cooperative multipoint environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/16 Performing reselection for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/244 using a network of reference devices, e.g. beaconing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/04 TPC
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• 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 84/042 : Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 : adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 : adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Methods and apparatus supporting efficient paging in a wireless communications system supporting both access node based communications and peer to peer communications are described. Paging timing intervals are set aside in the timing structure such that multi-mode wireless terminals can monitor, e.g., in an infrastructure band, for pages from a base station whether the wireless terminal is operating in a base station attachment point mode or is operating in a peer to peer communications mode. Wireless terminals operating in a peer to peer mode, e.g., using a non-infrastructure band, suspends peer to peer communications during the paging intervals. The time periods, in which the wireless terminal checks pages are, in some embodiments, predetermined, so that both the wireless terminal and base station are synchronized on when a page should be delivered. This synchronization helps reduce the wastage of session time in the peer to peer sessions.

Claims

1. A communications method comprising:

operating a first wireless terminal capable of supporting peer to peer mode operations and cellular network operations, said operating a first wireless terminal including;

monitoring for paging signals from a base station during a first set of time intervals which are paging time intervals; and

during a second set of time intervals which do not overlap said first set of time intervals participating in a peer to peer communications session.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein during said first set of time intervals, the first wireless terminal does not transmit peer to peer signals.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein during said first set of time intervals, the first wireless terminal also does not receive peer to peer signals.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first and second time intervals are interleaved.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising

during at least a portion of some of said second time intervals, operating the first wireless terminal to transmit a wireless terminal identifier used for peer to peer communications.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

operating the first wireless terminal, in response to receiving a page directed to said wireless terminal during one of said first time intervals, to terminate said peer to peer communications session.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said terminating is performed by said first wireless terminal after the first wireless terminal decides whether to establish a communications link to said base station in response to the page directed to said wireless terminal or to continue with said peer to peer communications session.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the same frequency band is used for paging and for peer to peer communications.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein different frequency bands are used for paging and for peer to peer communications.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

operating the first wireless terminal to switch a frequency band of a receiver in said wireless terminal when switching between monitoring for pages during a first time interval and operating in a peer to peer mode during a second time interval.

11. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

operating a second wireless terminal capable of supporting peer to peer mode operations and cellular network operations, the step of operating a second wireless terminal including;

monitoring for paging signals from a base station during a third set of time intervals which are paging time intervals; and

during said second set of time intervals which do not overlap said first or third sets of time intervals participating in a peer to peer communications session.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said first and third paging time intervals overlap.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

operating a third wireless terminal in a peer to peer communications session during which at least some first time intervals occur, wherein said third wireless terminal does not perform paging operations between the start and end of its peer to peer communications session and remains silent during said first time intervals occurring between the start and end of its peer to peer communications session.

14. A wireless terminal comprising:

a time interval determination module for determining first and second sets of time intervals, said first and second sets of time intervals being no overlapping sets, said first set of time intervals being paging time intervals;

a cellular network communications module for supporting cellular network communications operations;

a page signal monitoring module for monitoring for paging signals from a base station during the first set of time intervals; and

a peer to peer communications module for supporting peer to peer communications signaling operations during the second set of time intervals but not said first set of time intervals.

15. The wireless terminal of claim 14, wherein said peer to peer communications module includes a peer to peer transmission control module which restrains the wireless terminal from transmitting peer to peer signals during said first time intervals.

16. The wireless terminal of claim 15, wherein during said first set of time intervals, the first wireless terminal also does not detect peer to peer signals.

17. The wireless terminal of claim 15, wherein the first and second time intervals are interleaved.

18. The wireless terminal of claim 17, further comprising

a wireless terminal identification signal generation module for generating a wireless terminal identifier used for peer to peer communications;

and

wherein said peer to peer communication module controls said transmitter to transmit the wireless terminal identification signal during at least a portion of some of said second time intervals.

19. The wireless terminal of claim 18, wherein said wireless terminal identification signal is an OFDM beacon signal burst including at least one beacon symbol.

20. The wireless terminal of claim 15, further comprising:

a decision module for deciding between establishing a communications link with a base station from which a page was received or continuing with an on-going peer to peer communication session.

21. The wireless terminal of claim 20, further comprising:

peer to peer communications session termination module for terminating a peer to peer communications session in response to a received page directed to said wireless terminal.

22. The wireless terminal of claim 17, wherein the same frequency band is used for paging and for peer to peer communications.

23. The wireless terminal of claim 17, wherein different frequency bands are used for paging and for peer to peer communications.

24. The wireless terminal of claim 23, further comprising:

a tunable receiver responsive to a mode control signal for switching between different frequency bands used for paging and peer to peer communications.

25. A wireless terminal comprising:

time interval determination means for determining first and second sets of time intervals, said first and second sets of time intervals being no overlapping sets, said first set of time intervals being paging time intervals;

cellular network communications means for supporting cellular network communications operations;

page signal monitoring means for monitoring for paging signals from a base station during the first set of time intervals; and

peer to peer communications means for supporting peer to peer communications signaling operations during the second set of time intervals but not said first set of time intervals.

26. The wireless terminal of claim 25, wherein said peer to peer communications means includes peer to per transmission control means which restrains the wireless terminal from transmitting peer to peer signals during said first time intervals.

27. The wireless terminal of claim 26, wherein the first and second time intervals are interleaved.

28. The wireless terminal of claim 26, further comprising:

decision means for deciding between establishing a communications link from which a page was received or continuing with an on-going peer to peer communication.

29. The wireless terminal of claim 27, wherein the same frequency band is used for paging and for peer to peer communications.

30. The wireless terminal of claim 27, wherein different frequency bands are used for paging and for peer to peer communications.

31. A computer readable medium embodying machine executable instructions for controlling a wireless terminal capable of supporting peer to peer mode operations and cellular network operations to implement a method, the method comprising:

monitoring for paging signals from a base station during a first set of time intervals which are paging time intervals; and

during a second set of time intervals which do not overlap said first set time intervals participating in a peer to peer communications session.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein during said first set of time intervals, the first wireless terminal does not transmit peer to peer signals.

33. The computer readable medium of claim 32, wherein during said first set of time intervals, the first wireless terminal also does not receive peer to peer signals.

34. The computer readable medium of claim 32, wherein the first and second time intervals are interleaved.

35. The computer readable medium of claim 32, further embodying machine executable instructions for:

operating the first wireless terminal, in response to receiving a page directed to said wireless terminal during one of said first time intervals, to terminate said peer to peer communications session.

36. The computer readable medium of claim 34, wherein the same frequency band is used for paging and for peer to peer communications.

37. The computer readable medium of claim 34, wherein different frequency bands are used for paging and for peer to peer communications.

38. The computer readable medium of claim 37, further embodying machine executable instructions for:

switching a frequency band of a receiver in said first wireless terminal when switching between monitoring for pages during a first time interval and operating in a peer to peer mode during a second time interval.

39. An apparatus comprising:

a wireless terminal processor configured to;

determine first and second sets of time intervals, said first and second sets of time intervals being no overlapping sets, said first set of time intervals being paging time intervals;

support cellular network communications operations;

monitor for paging signals from a base station during the first set of time intervals; and

support peer to peer communications signaling operations during the second set of time intervals but not said first set of time intervals.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein said wireless terminal processor is further configured to:

restrain the apparatus from transmitting peer to peer signals during said first time intervals.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the first and second time intervals are interleaved.

42. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein said wireless terminal processor is further configured to:

decide between establishing a communications link from which a page was received or continuing with an on-going peer to peer communication.

43. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the same frequency band is used for paging and for peer to peer communications.

44. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein different frequency bands are used for paging and for peer to peer communications.