NETWORK-ASSISTED PEER DISCOVERY

• US 20110258313A1
• Filed: 04/12/2011
• Published: 10/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Bhushan, Naga, Palanki, Ravi, Wang, Renqiu, Mallik, Siddhartha
• Granted Patent: US 8,812,657 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/438 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1061 using node-based peer discovery mechanisms static access to replicated servers H04L67/1006; service discovery H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1063 Discovery through centralising entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1068 Discovery involving direct consultation or announcement among potential requesting and potential source peers
• 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

Abstract

Techniques for performing network-assisted peer discovery to enable peer-to-peer (P2P) communication are described. In one design, a device registers with a network entity (e.g., a directory agent) so that the presence of the device and possibly other information about the device can be made known to the network entity. The network entity collects similar information from other devices. The device sends a request to the network entity, e.g., during or after registration. The request includes information used to match the device with other devices, e.g., information about service(s) provided by the device and/or service(s) requested by the device. The directory agent matches requests received from all devices, determines a match between the device and at least one other device, and sends a notification to perform peer discovery. The device performs peer discovery in response to receiving the notification from the network entity.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

performing registration by a first device with a network entity for assistance for peer discovery;

receiving a notification from the network entity to perform peer discovery; and

performing peer discovery by the first device in response to receiving the notification from the network entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing registration comprises

sending identification information, or location information, or both for the first device to the network entity.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a request from the first device to the network entity, wherein the request comprises information used to match the first device with other devices, and wherein the notification is determined by the network entity based on the request.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the information used to match the first device with other devices comprises information indicative of at least one service provided by the first device, or at least one service requested by the first device, or a wildcard service indicating that the first device is requesting all available services, or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the notification is generated by the network entity based on a match between the first device and at least one other device, the match being determined based on the request from the first device.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the request is valid for a predetermined period of time.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the request is valid until canceled by the first device or removed by the network entity based on a trigger.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

sending an updated request to the network entity due to a change in operating status of the first device, or a change in location of the first device, or a change in battery status of the first device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing peer discovery comprises transmitting a proximity detection signal by the first device to announce presence of the first device and enable at least one other device to detect the first device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing peer discovery comprises detecting at least one proximity detection signal transmitted by at least one other device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing peer discovery comprises

receiving at least one parameter to use for peer discovery from a network, and

performing peer discovery in accordance with the at least one parameter.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one parameter indicates whether to transmit a proximity detection signal, or a particular pilot sequence to use for the proximity detection signal, or time-frequency resources to use to transmit the proximity detection signal, or whether to receive proximity detection signals, or time-frequency resources on which to receive proximity detection signals, or a combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing peer discovery comprises

communicating with a second device via a network by the first device to determine at least one parameter to use for peer discovery, and

performing peer discovery in accordance with the at least one parameter.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving an address of the second device from the network entity, and

establishing a connection between the first device and the second device via the network based on the address of the second device.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a second device by the first device via peer discovery;

measuring received signal strength of a proximity detection signal from the second device; and

reporting the received signal strength for the second device to a network.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving an indication to use peer-to-peer (P2P) communication or wide area network (WAN) communication between the first and second devices; and

communicating with the second device via P2P communication or WAN communication as conveyed by the indication.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing peer discovery based on a first radio technology; and

communicating directly with a second device based on a second radio technology different from the first radio technology.

18. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

means for performing registration by a first device with a network entity for assistance for peer discovery;

means for receiving a notification from the network entity to perform peer discovery; and

means for performing peer discovery by the first device in response to receiving the notification from the network entity.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

means for sending a request from the first device to the network entity, wherein the request comprises information used to match the first device with other devices, and wherein the notification is determined by the network entity based on the request.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the means for performing peer discovery comprises

means for receiving at least one parameter to use for peer discovery from a network, and

means for performing peer discovery in accordance with the at least one parameter.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the means for performing peer discovery comprises

means for communicating with a second device via a network to determine at least one parameter to use for peer discovery, and

means for performing peer discovery in accordance with the at least one parameter.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

means for detecting a second device via peer discovery;

means for receiving an indication to use peer-to-peer (P2P) communication or wide area network (WAN) communication between the first and second devices; and

means for communicating with the second device via P2P communication or WAN communication as conveyed by the indication.

23. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

at least one processor configured to perform registration by a first device with a network entity for assistance for peer discovery, to receive a notification from the network entity to perform peer discovery, and to perform peer discovery by the first device in response to receiving the notification from the network entity.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the at least one processor is configured to send a request from the first device to the network entity, wherein the request comprises information used to match the first device with other devices, and wherein the notification is determined by the network entity based on the request.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive at least one parameter to use for peer discovery from a network, and to perform peer discovery in accordance with the at least one parameter.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the at least one processor is configured to communicate with a second device via a network to determine at least one parameter to use for peer discovery, and to perform peer discovery in accordance with the at least one parameter.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the at least one processor is configured to detect a second device via peer discovery, to receive an indication to use peer-to-peer (P2P) communication or wide area network (WAN) communication between the first and second devices, and to communicate with the second device via P2P communication or WAN communication as conveyed by the indication.

28. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one processor to perform registration by a first device with a network entity for assistance for peer discovery,

code for causing the at least one processor to receive a notification from the network entity to perform peer discovery, and

code for causing the at least one processor to perform peer discovery by the first device in response to receiving the notification from the network entity.

29. A method for supporting wireless communication, comprising:

performing registration for a first device by a network entity to provide assistance for peer discovery;

determining whether to inform the first device to perform peer discovery; and

sending a notification by the network entity to the first device in response to a decision to inform the first device to perform peer discovery.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the performing registration comprises

receiving identification information, or location information, or both for the first device by the network entity.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

receiving a request from the first device by the network entity, wherein the request comprises information used to match the first device with other devices, and wherein whether to inform the first device to perform peer discovery is determined by the network entity based on the request.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the determining whether to inform the first device to perform peer discovery comprises

performing request matching to match requests from a plurality of devices including the first device, and

determining to inform the first device to perform peer discovery based on a match between the first device and at least one other device.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the performing request matching comprises determining the match between the first device and the at least one other device based on requests from the first device and the at least one other device.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the determining the match comprises determining the match based further on location information for the first device and the at least one other device.

35. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

retaining the request from the first device for a predetermined period of time by the network entity.

36. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

retaining the request from the first device until the request is canceled by the first device or is removed by the network entity based on a trigger.

37. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

receiving an updated request from the first device due to a change in operating status of the first device, or a change in location of the first device, or a change in battery status of the first device.

38. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

sending an address of a second device from the network entity to the first device, wherein the first device establishes a connection with the second device via a network based on the address of the second device.

39. The method of claim 29, wherein the network entity provides assistance for peer discovery for a particular application.

40. The method of claim 29, wherein the network entity provides assistance for peer discovery for devices in a network for a plurality of applications.

41. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

means for performing registration for a first device by a network entity to provide assistance for peer discovery;

means for determining whether to inform the first device to perform peer discovery; and

means for sending a notification by the network entity to the first device in response to a decision to inform the first device to perform peer discovery.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, further comprising:

means for receiving a request from the first device by the network entity, wherein the request comprises information used to match the first device with other devices, and wherein whether to inform the first device to perform peer discovery is determined by the network entity based on the request.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the means for determining whether to inform the first device to perform peer discovery comprises

means for performing request matching to match requests from a plurality of devices including the first device, and

means for determining to inform the first device to perform peer discovery based on a match between the first device and at least one other device.

44. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

at least one processor configured to perform registration for a first device by a network entity to provide assistance for peer discovery, to determine whether to inform the first device to perform peer discovery, and to send a notification by the network entity to the first device in response to a decision to inform the first device to perform peer discovery.

45. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive from the first device a request comprising information used to match the first device with other devices, and to determine whether to inform the first device to perform peer discovery based on the request.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the at least one processor is configured to perform request matching to match requests from a plurality of devices including the first device, and to determine to inform the first device to perform peer discovery based on a match between the first device and at least one other device.

47. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one processor to perform registration for a first device by a network entity to provide assistance for peer discovery,

code for causing the at least one processor to determine whether to inform the first device to perform peer discovery, and

code for causing the at least one processor to send a notification by the network entity to the first device in response to a decision to inform the first device to perform peer discovery.

48. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

performing peer discovery by a first device;

detecting at least one device by the first device via peer discovery;

measuring received signal strength of at least one proximity detection signal from the at least one device;

reporting the received signal strength and identification information for the at least one device to a network; and

receiving information related to one or more devices among the at least one device from the network.

49. The method of claim 48, further comprising:

obtaining a device identity (ID) of each of the at least one device based on a proximity detection signal received from each device, wherein the identification information comprises the device ID of each device.

50. The method of claim 48, further comprising:

sending a request from the first device to the network, the request comprising information used to match the first device with other devices;

receiving a notification from the network to perform peer discovery, the notification being determined based on the request from the first device; and

performing peer discovery by the first device in response to receiving the notification from the network.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein the notification is determined based further on the received signal strength and the identification information for the at least one device reported to the network by the first device.

52. The method of claim 48, further comprising:

determining whether to engage in peer-to-peer (P2P) communication with any of the one or more devices based on the information received from the network.

53. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

means for performing peer discovery by a first device;

means for detecting at least one device by the first device via peer discovery;

means for measuring received signal strength of at least one proximity detection signal from the at least one device;

means for reporting the received signal strength and identification information for the at least one device to a network; and

means for receiving information related to one or more devices among the at least one device from the network.

54. The apparatus of claim 53, further comprising:

means for sending a request from the first device to the network, the request comprising information used to match the first device with other devices;

means for receiving a notification from the network to perform peer discovery, the notification being determined based on the request from the first device; and

means for performing peer discovery by the first device in response to receiving the notification from the network.

55. The apparatus of claim 53, further comprising:

means for determining whether to engage in peer-to-peer (P2P) communication with any of the one or more devices based on the information received from the network.

56. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

at least one processor configured to perform peer discovery by a first device, to detect at least one device by the first device via peer discovery, to measure received signal strength of at least one proximity detection signal from the at least one device, to report the received signal strength and identification information for the at least one device to a network, and to receive information related to one or more devices among the at least one device from the network.

57. The apparatus of claim 56, wherein the at least one processor is configured to send a request from the first device to the network, the request comprising information used to match the first device with other devices, to receive a notification from the network to perform peer discovery, the notification being determined based on the request from the first device, and to perform peer discovery by the first device in response to receiving the notification from the network.

58. The apparatus of claim 56, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine whether to engage in peer-to-peer (P2P) communication with any of the one or more devices based on the information received from the network.

59. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one processor to perform peer discovery by a first device,

code for causing the at least one processor to detect at least one device by the first device via peer discovery,

code for causing the at least one processor to measure received signal strength of at least one proximity detection signal from the at least one device,

code for causing the at least one processor to report the received signal strength and identification information for the at least one device to a network, and

code for causing the at least one processor to receive information related to one or more devices among the at least one device from the network.

60. A method for supporting wireless communication, comprising:

receiving a notification of a plurality of devices designated to perform peer discovery;

determining at least one parameter to use for peer discovery by the plurality of devices; and

sending the at least one parameter to at least one device among the plurality of devices.

61. The method of claim 60, wherein the at least one parameter indicates whether to transmit a proximity detection signal, or a particular pilot sequence to use for the proximity detection signal, or time-frequency resources to use to transmit the proximity detection signal, or whether to receive proximity detection signals, or time-frequency resources on which to receive proximity detection signals, or a combination thereof.

62. The method of claim 60, further comprising:

receiving a pilot measurement report from the first device, the pilot measurement report comprising received signal strength of a proximity detection signal from a second device detected by the first device via peer discovery;

selecting peer-to-peer (P2P) communication or wide area network (WAN) communication for the first and second devices based on the pilot measurement report; and

sending an indication to use P2P communication or WAN communication to the first device.

63. The method of claim 62, wherein the selecting P2P communication or WAN communication comprises

selecting P2P communication if the received signal strength is above a threshold, and

selecting WAN communication if the received signal strength is below the threshold.

64. The method of claim 60, wherein the receiving the notification, the determining the at least one parameter, and the sending the at least one parameter are performed by a serving base station or a network controller for one or more devices among the plurality of devices.

65. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

means for receiving a notification of a plurality of devices designated to perform peer discovery;

means for determining at least one parameter to use for peer discovery by the plurality of devices; and

means for sending the at least one parameter to at least one device among the plurality of devices.

66. The apparatus of claim 65, further comprising:

means for receiving a pilot measurement report from the first device, the pilot measurement report comprising received signal strength of a proximity detection signal from a second device detected by the first device via peer discovery;

means for selecting peer-to-peer (P2P) communication or wide area network (WAN) communication for the first and second devices based on the pilot measurement report; and

means for sending an indication to use P2P communication or WAN communication to the first device.

67. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

at least one processor configured to receive a notification of a plurality of devices designated to perform peer discovery, to determine at least one parameter to use for peer discovery by the plurality of devices, and to send the at least one parameter to at least one device among the plurality of devices.

68. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive a pilot measurement report from the first device, the pilot measurement report comprising received signal strength of a proximity detection signal from a second device detected by the first device via peer discovery, to select peer-to-peer (P2P) communication or wide area network (WAN) communication for the first and second devices based on the pilot measurement report, and to send an indication to use P2P communication or WAN communication to the first device.

69. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one processor to receive a notification of a plurality of devices designated to perform peer discovery,

code for causing the at least one processor to determine at least one parameter to use for peer discovery by the plurality of devices, and

code for causing the at least one processor to send the at least one parameter to at least one device among the plurality of devices.