Mechanism for controlling device-to-device discovery procedcure

• US 20130064138A1
• Filed: 09/12/2011
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Renesas Mobile Corporation (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Hakola, Sami-Jukka, Koskela, Timo, Turtinen, Samuli
• Application Number:
  US13/199,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20130064138A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/255
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• 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 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

There is provided a mechanism for registering and attaching a UE to a D2D discovery function. After identifying an ID information of at least one PLMN assigned for a D2D discovery and communication, a request for registering and attaching the UE to the D2D discovery function at the identified PLNM is sent to the network. The network sends a grant for the D2D discovery together with an indication corresponding to an identity of the at least one PLMN used for communicating resources dedicated to the D2D discovery and communication.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising

an identification processing portion configured to receive and identify an identification information of at least one communication network assigned for a device-to-device discovery and communication,

a request processing portion configured to send a request for registering and attaching a communication network element to a device-to-device discovery function at the at least one communication network assigned for the device-to-device discovery and communication, and

a response processing portion configured to receive and process a message indicating a grant for the device-to-device discovery, the message comprising an indication corresponding to an identity of the at least one communication network used for communicating resources dedicated to the device-to-device discovery and communication.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the indication comprised in the message indicating the grant for the device-to-device discovery includes an identity allocated to the communication network element to be registered and attached to the device-to-device discovery function which corresponds to a temporary identity of the at least one communication network.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification information of the at least one communication network assigned for the device-to-device discovery and communication is received in a system information block as one of

a part of a list of identities of communication networks sharing a same network access portion, and

a separate data field comprised in the system information block.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the request processing portion is configured to include the identification information of the at least one communication network assigned for the device-to-device discovery and communication into the request for registering and attaching the communication network element to the device-to-device discovery function, and

the response processing portion is configured to receive, as the message indicating the grant for the device-to-device discovery, the response message directed to the request comprising the identification information of the at least one communication network.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the request processing portion is configured to send as the request for registering and attaching the communication network element to the device-to-device discovery function a connection establishing request message including a cause code indicating a device-to-device discovery as the cause for the connection establishing request,

wherein, when a connection is setup in response to the connection establishing request, the at least one communication network assigned for the device-to-device discovery and communication is set as the communication network selected by the communication network element, and

the response processing portion is configured to receive, as the message indicating the grant for the device-to-device discovery, a connection reconfiguration message comprising the indication corresponding to an identity of the at least one communication network used for communicating resources dedicated to the device-to-device discovery and communication.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the response processing portion is further configured to receive with the connection reconfiguration message as the message indicating the grant for the device-to-device discovery a timer value indicating a time for which the registration for the device-to-device discovery is valid.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising

an authentication and security processing portion configured to conduct, when the connection is setup in response to the connection establishing request, an authentication and security activation, wherein the communication network element'"'"'s own network is used for performing authentication.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the communication network element is in an idle state.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the request processing portion is configured to send as the request for registering and attaching the communication network element to the device-to-device discovery function a connection reestablishing request message including a cause code indicating a device-to-device discovery as the cause for the connection reestablishing request, and

the response processing portion is configured to receive, as the message indicating the grant for the device-to-device discovery, a connection reestablishment message comprising the indication corresponding to an identity of the at least one communication network used for communicating resources dedicated to the device-to-device discovery and communication.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the request processing portion is further configured to include in the connection reestablishing request message as the request for registering and attaching the communication network element to the device-to-device discovery function a data field indicating the selected at least one communication network for the device-to-device discovery.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the response processing portion is further configured to receive with the connection reestablishment message as the message indicating the grant for the device-to-device discovery a timer value indicating a time for which the registration for the device-to-device discovery is valid.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the communication network element is in a connected state.

13. An apparatus comprising

an identification transmission portion configured to send an identification information of at least one communication network assigned for a device-to-device discovery and communication,

a request receiving portion configured to receive and process a request for registering and attaching a communication network element to a device-to-device discovery function at the at least one communication network assigned for the device-to-device discovery and communication, and

a granting processing portion configured to decide on a grant for the device-to-device discovery and to send a message indicating the grant for the device-to-device discovery, the message comprising an indication corresponding to an identity of the at least one communication network used for communicating resources dedicated to the device-to-device discovery and communication.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the indication comprised in the message indicating the grant for the device-to-device discovery includes an identity allocated to the communication network element to be registered and attached to the device-to-device discovery function which corresponds to a temporary identity of the at least one communication network.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the identification transmission portion is configured to send the identification information of the at least one communication network assigned for the device-to-device discovery and communication in a system information block as one of

a part of a list of identities of communication networks sharing a same network access portion, and

a separate data field comprised in the system information block.

16. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the request receiving portion is configured to receive, in the request for registering and attaching the communication network element to the device-to-device discovery function, the identification information of the at least one communication network assigned for the device-to-device discovery and communication, and

the granting processing portion is configured to send, as the message indicating the grant for the device-to-device discovery, a response message directed to the request comprising the identification information of the at least one communication network.

17. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the request receiving portion is configured to receive, as the request for registering and attaching the communication network element to the device-to-device discovery function, a connection establishing request message including a cause code indicating a device-to-device discovery as the cause for the connection establishing request,

wherein, when a connection is setup in response to the connection establishing request, the granting processing portion is configured to send, as the message indicating the grant for the device-to-device discovery, a connection reconfiguration message comprising the indication corresponding to an identity of the at least one communication network used for communicating resources dedicated to the device-to-device discovery and communication.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the granting processing portion is further configured to send with the connection reconfiguration message as the message indicating the grant for the device-to-device discovery a timer value indicating a time for which the registration for the device-to-device discovery is valid.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising

an authentication and security processing portion configured to conduct, when the connection is setup in response to the connection establishing request, an authentication and security activation, wherein the communication network element'"'"'s own network is used for performing authentication.

20. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the communication network element is in an idle state.

21. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the request receiving portion is configured to receive, as the request for registering and attaching the communication network element to the device-to-device discovery function, a connection reestablishing request message including a cause code indicating a device-to-device discovery as the cause for the connection reestablishing request, and

the granting processing portion is configured to send, as the message indicating the grant for the device-to-device discovery, a connection reestablishment message comprising the indication corresponding to an identity of the at least one communication network used for communicating resources dedicated to the device-to-device discovery and communication.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the request receiving portion is further configured to receive in the connection reestablishing request message as the request for registering and attaching the communication network element to the device-to-device discovery function a data field indicating the selected at least one communication network for the device-to-device discovery.

23. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the granting processing portion is further configured to send with the connection reestablishment message as the message indicating the grant for the device-to-device discovery a timer value indicating a time for which the registration for the device-to-device discovery is valid.

24. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the communication network element is in a connected state.

25. A method comprising

receiving and identifying an identification information of at least one communication network assigned for a device-to-device discovery and communication,

sending a request for registering and attaching a communication network element to a device-to-device discovery function at the at least one communication network assigned for the device-to-device discovery and communication, and

receiving and processing a message indicating a grant for the device-to-device discovery, the message comprising an indication corresponding to an identity of the at least one communication network used for communicating resources dedicated to the device-to-device discovery and communication.