METHODS AND APPARATUS RELATED TO PEER TO PEER DEVICE

• US 20080069033A1
• Filed: 06/18/2007
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Laroia, Rajiv, Li, Junyi
• Granted Patent: US 8,929,281 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/243 taking into account interferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/245 taking into account received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/246 where the output power of a terminal is based on a path parameter calculated in said terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/30 using constraints in the total amount of available transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal

Abstract

Methods and apparatus related to the sharing of wide area network (WAN) uplink bandwidth with peer to peer communication signaling usage are described. Typically, a base station uses its WAN uplink band to receive uplink signals from wireless terminals using the base station as a point of network attachment. In accordance with a feature, a base station injects a signal, e.g., a beacon signal, into its WAN uplink bandwidth, e.g., its WAN frequency division duplex (FDD) uplink band. A peer to peer wireless terminal scans the uplink bandwidth, detects the base station signal, evaluates the received base station signal, and controls peer to peer transmission as a function of the evaluation. Control of peer to peer transmission includes adjusting peer to peer transmission power as a function of the evaluated base station signal. The communications band used for peer to peer communications is, in some embodiments, the same uplink band.

Claims

1. A method of operating a wireless communication terminal, the method comprising:

scanning an uplink bandwidth to detect a signal from a base station;

evaluating the signal from the base station; and

transmitting a peer-to-peer signal, responsive to the evaluating the signal from the base station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal from the base station is a beacon signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating the signal from the base station includes evaluating a transmission pattern of the base station signal.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

continuing to monitor the base station signal after transmitting said peer to peer signal; and

reducing a transmission power responsive to continued monitoring of the base station signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said uplink bandwidth includes a set of frequencies used for devices to transmit signals to said base station.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said signal from said base station has a predetermined format.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said signal from the base station is transmitted at a predetermined time.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein transmitting a peer-to-peer signal includes transmitting the peer to peer signal using some of said set of frequencies.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating the signal from the base station includes:

measuring the power level of the signal from the base station.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein said beacon signal is a signal including less than 3 tones in an OFDM symbol.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

continuing to monitor for an additional base station signal after transmitting the peer to peer signal; and

adjusting transmission power in response to detecting a difference between the received power of the additional base station signal and said signal from the base station.

12. A wireless communications terminal comprising:

a scanning module for scanning an uplink bandwidth to detect a signal from a base station;

a signal evaluation module for evaluating the signal from the base station; and

a wireless transmitter for transmitting a peer-to-peer signal, responsive to the evaluating of the signal from the base station.

13. The wireless communications terminal of claim 12, wherein the signal from the base station is a beacon signal.

14. The wireless communications terminal of claim 12, wherein said signal evaluation module includes a transmission pattern evaluation module for evaluating a transmission pattern of the base station signal.

15. The wireless communications terminal of claim 12, wherein said signal scanning module continues to monitor base station signaling after transmitting said peer to peer signal, the wireless communications terminal further comprising:

a power control module for reducing a transmission power responsive to continued monitoring of base station signaling.

16. The wireless communications terminal of claim 12, wherein said uplink bandwidth includes a set of frequencies used for devices to transmit signals to said base station, the wireless communications terminal further comprising:

stored information identifying said set of frequencies.

17. The wireless communications terminal of claim 12, wherein said signal from said base station has a predetermined format, the wireless communications terminal further comprising:

stored information identifying said predetermined format.

18. The wireless communications terminal of claim 17, wherein said signal from the base station is transmitted at a predetermined time, the wireless terminal further comprising:

stored recurring schedule information identifying said predetermined time of base station transmission into the uplink bandwidth.

19. The wireless communications terminal of claim 16, wherein said wireless transmitter further includes a tuner and wherein said tuner is set to use some of said set of frequencies when transmitting a peer-to-peer signal.

20. The wireless communications terminal of claim 12, wherein said signal evaluation module include a power measurement module for measuring the power level of the signal from the base station.

21. The wireless communications terminal of claim 13, wherein said beacon signal is a signal including less than 3 tones in an OFDM symbol.

22. The wireless communications terminal of claim 20, wherein said scanning module continues to monitor for an additional base station signal after transmitting the peer to peer signal;

the wireless terminal further comprising;

a transmission power control module for adjusting transmission power in response to detecting a difference between the received power of the additional base station signal and said signal from the base station.

23. A wireless communications device, comprising:

scanning means for scanning an uplink bandwidth to detect a signal from a base station;

means for evaluating the signal from the base station; and

means for transmitting a peer-to-peer signal, responsive to the evaluating of the signal from the base station.

24. The wireless communications device of claim 23, wherein the signal from the base station is a beacon signal.

25. The wireless communications device of claim 23, wherein said means for evaluating the signal from the base station includes means for evaluating a transmission pattern of the base station signal.

26. The wireless communications device of claim 23, wherein said uplink bandwidth includes a set of frequencies used for devices to transmit signals to said base station, the wireless communications device further comprising:

means for identifying said set of frequencies from stored information.

27. The wireless communications device of claim 23, wherein said signal from said base station has a predetermined format, the wireless communications device further comprising:

means for identifying said predetermined format from stored information.

28. The wireless communications terminal of claim 23, wherein said means for evaluating includes means for measuring the power level of the signal from the base station.

29. A computer readable medium embodying machine executable instructions for controlling a wireless communication terminal to implement a method, the method comprising:

scanning an uplink bandwidth to detect a signal from a base station;

evaluating the signal from the base station; and

transmitting a peer-to-peer signal, responsive to the evaluating the signal from the base station.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the signal from the base station is a beacon signal.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein evaluating the signal from the base station includes evaluating a transmission pattern of the base station signal.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein said uplink bandwidth includes a set of frequencies used for devices to transmit signals to said base station.

33. The computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein said signal from said base station has a predetermined format.

34. The computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein evaluating the signal from the base station includes:

measuring the power level of the signal from the base station.

35. An apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to;

scan an uplink bandwidth to detect a signal from a base station;

evaluate the signal from the base station; and

transmit a peer-to-peer signal, responsive to the evaluating the signal from the base station.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the signal from the base station is a beacon signal.

37. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the processor configuration to control peer to peer transmission power to evaluate the signal from the base station further includes being configured to evaluate a transmission pattern of the base station signal.

38. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein said uplink bandwidth includes a set of frequencies used for devices to transmit signals to said base station.

39. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein said signal from said base station has a predetermined format.

40. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein said processor configuration to evaluate the signal from the base station further includes being configured to:

measure the power level of the signal from the base station.

41. A method of operating a base station, comprising:

receiving, during a first period of time, uplink signals from cellular communications devices transmitting to said base station in an uplink frequency band;

transmitting to at least some of said communications devices using a second frequency band which is different from said uplink frequency band, said second frequency band being a downlink frequency band; and

transmitting a broadcast signal during a second period of time, in said uplink frequency band.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein said broadcast signal is a beacon signal.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein said broadcast signal is a power transmission level control signal.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein said power transmission level control signal is a peer to peer power transmission level control signal.

45. The method of claim 41, wherein said uplink signals from cellular communications devices are received during said first period of time in the presence of peer to peer communications signals transmitted in said uplink frequency band which interfere with said uplink signals.

46. A base station, comprising:

a wireless receiver module for receiving, during a first period of time, uplink signals from cellular communications devices transmitting to said base station in an uplink frequency band;

a wireless transmitter module for transmitting to at least some of said cellular communications devices using a downlink frequency band and for transmitting a broadcast signal during a second period of time, in said uplink frequency band, wherein said uplink frequency band and said downlink frequency band are different.

47. The base station of claim 46, wherein said first and second periods of time are non-overlapping.

48. The base station of claim 46, wherein said broadcast signal is a beacon signal, the base station further comprising:

a beacon signal generation module for generating a beacon signal to be transmitted into said uplink frequency band.

49. The base station of claim 46, wherein said broadcast signal is a power transmission level control signal.

50. The base station of claim 49, wherein said power transmission level control signal is a peer to peer power transmission level control signal.

51. The base station of claim 46, wherein said uplink signals from cellular communications devices are received during said first period of time in the presence of peer to peer communications signals transmitted in said uplink frequency band which interfere with said uplink signals.

52. The base station of claim 48, wherein said base station also transmits beacon signals into the downlink frequency band, in addition to the beacon signals in the uplink frequency band.

53. The base station of claim 48, wherein the beacon signals into the downlink band are used by cellular communications devices and wherein the beacon signals into the uplink frequency band are used by peer to peer communications devices.

54. The base station of claim 48, wherein at least one beacon signal in the downlink band is used by a cellular communications device for base station identification, and wherein at least one beacon signal into the uplink frequency band is used by a peer to peer communications device for peer to peer transmission power control

55. A base station, comprising:

wireless receiver means for receiving, during a first period of time, uplink signals from cellular communications devices transmitting to said base station in an uplink frequency band;

means for transmitting to at least some of said cellular communications devices using a downlink frequency band and for transmitting a broadcast signal during a second period of time, in said uplink frequency band, wherein said uplink frequency band and said downlink frequency band are different.

56. The base station of claim 55, wherein said broadcast signal is a beacon signal, the base station further comprising:

means for generating a beacon signal to be transmitted into said uplink frequency band.

57. The base station of claim 55, wherein said broadcast signal is a power transmission level control signal.

58. The base station of claim 55, wherein said uplink signals from cellular communications devices are received during said first period of time in the presence of peer to peer communications signals transmitted in said uplink frequency band which interfere with said uplink signals.

59. The base station of claim 56, wherein said base station further comprises:

means for transmitting beacon signals into the downlink frequency band, in addition to the beacon signals in the uplink frequency band.

60. The base station of claim 56, wherein the beacon signals into the downlink band are used by cellular communications devices and wherein the beacon signals into the uplink frequency band are used by peer to peer communications devices.

61. A computer readable medium embodying machine executable instructions for controlling a base station to implement a method, the method comprising:

receiving, during a first period of time, uplink signals from cellular communications devices transmitting to said base station in an uplink frequency band;

transmitting to at least some of said communications devices using a second frequency band which is different from said uplink frequency band, said second frequency band being a downlink frequency band; and

transmitting a broadcast signal during a second period of time, in said uplink frequency band.

62. The computer readable medium of claim 61, wherein said broadcast signal is a beacon signal.

63. The computer readable medium of claim 61, wherein said broadcast signal is a power transmission level control signal.

64. The computer readable medium of claim 63, wherein said power transmission level control signal is a peer to peer power transmission level control signal.

65. The computer readable medium of claim 61, wherein said uplink signals from cellular communications devices are received during said first period of time in the presence of peer to peer communications signals transmitted in said uplink frequency band which interfere with said uplink signals.

66. An apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive, during a first period of time, uplink signals from cellular communications devices transmitting to a base station including the base station processor, in an uplink frequency band;

transmit to at least some of said communications devices using a second frequency band which is different from said uplink frequency band, said second frequency band being a downlink frequency band; and

transmit a broadcast signal during a second period of time, in said uplink frequency band.

67. The apparatus of claim 66, wherein said broadcast signal is a beacon signal.

68. The apparatus of claim 66, wherein said broadcast signal is a power transmission level control signal.

69. The apparatus of claim 68, wherein said power transmission level control signal is a peer to peer power transmission level control signal.

70. The apparatus of claim 66, wherein said uplink signals from cellular communications devices are received during said first period of time in the presence of peer to peer communications signals transmitted in said uplink frequency band which interfere with said uplink signals.