Device-To-Device Discovery Resource Allocation

• US 20130188546A1
• Filed: 02/01/2012
• Published: 07/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Renesas Mobile Corporation (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Turtinen, Samuli, Hakola, Sami-Jukka, Koskela, Timo K., Isokangas, Jari, Ojala, Jussi K.
• Granted Patent: US 9,380,442 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

The specification and drawings present a new method, apparatus and software related product (e.g., a computer readable memory) for implementing a D2D discovery resource allocation by a network for D2D discovery by UEs belonging to multiple cells in a D2D discovery area, e.g., in LTE wireless systems. A network such as LTE may determine an allocation of one or more resources (UL and/or DL) for a device-to-device discovery among a plurality of UEs located in multiple cells of the network in a D2D discovery area. The allocation of the one or more resources is then may be provided by the network to the plurality of UEs for performing, using these one or more resources, the D2D discovery between any two UEs of the plurality of UEs located in the multiple cells in the D2D discovery area.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, by a network, allocation of one or more resources for device-to-device discovery among a plurality of user equipments located in multiple cells of the network in a device-to-device discovery area; and

providing the allocation of the one or more resources to the plurality of user equipments for performing, using the one or more resources, the device-to-device discovery between any two user equipments of the plurality of user equipments located in the multiple cells.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the allocation of the one or more resources to the plurality of user equipments is provided by eNBs of the multiple cells using synchronous subframes on a multicast channel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the allocation of the one or more resources is performed by at least one network element and providing the allocation of the one or more resources to the plurality of user equipments comprises providing the allocation of the one or more resources to eNBs of the multiple cells in the device-to-device discovery area for configuring the plurality of user equipments for the device-to-device discovery using the one or more resources.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the configuring by the eNBs the plurality of user equipments for the device-to-device discovery using the one or more resources is performed via synchronous subframes transmitted by the eNBs of the multiple cells.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the synchronous subframes are Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service Single Frequency Network subframes.

6. The method of claim 1, performed by a multi-cell/multicast coordination entity, wherein said providing the allocation of the one or more resources to the plurality of user equipments comprises providing to eNBs of the multiple cells the allocation of one or more resources for sending to the plurality of user equipments to perform the device-to-device discovery between any two user equipments of the plurality of user equipments using the one or more resources.

7. The method of claim 1, performed by a first eNB of eNBs of the multiple cells, wherein said providing the allocation of the one or more resources to the plurality of user equipments comprises providing by the first eNB to all other eNBs of the multiple cells the allocation of one or more resources for sending by all eNBs of the multiple cells to the plurality of user equipments the allocation of one or more resources to perform the device-to-device discovery between any two user equipments of the plurality of user equipments using the one or more resources.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the device-to-device discovery area is a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service Single Frequency Network area.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the allocated one or more resources comprise at least a part of a bandwidth of a physical uplink shared channel.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the allocated one or more resources comprise at least one resource for a downlink multimedia broadcast multicast service single frequency network subframes.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the allocated one or more resources comprise at least one subframe on an uplink channel which maps from a downlink multimedia broadcast multicast service single frequency network subframe.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the network is configured to drop or defer any other information on the uplink channel to avoid a collision with the at least one subframe.

13. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor and a memory storing a set of computer instructions, in which the memory storing the computer instructions is configured with at least one processor to cause the apparatus to;

determine an allocation of one or more resources for a device-to-device discovery among a plurality of user equipments located in multiple cells of the network in a device-to-device discovery area; and

provide the allocation of the one or more resources to the plurality of user equipments for performing, using the one or more resources, the device-to-device discovery between any two user equipments of the plurality of user equipments located in the multiple cells.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the allocation of the one or more resources to the plurality of user equipments is provided by eNBs of the multiple cells using synchronous subframes on a multicast channel.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the determining the allocation of the one or more resources is performed by at least one network element and providing the allocation of the one or more resources to the plurality of user equipments comprises providing the allocation of the one or more resources to eNBs of the multiple cells in the device-to-device discovery area for configuring the plurality of user equipments for the device-to-device discovery using the one or more resources.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, performed by a multi-cell/multicast coordination entity, wherein said providing the allocation of the one or more resources to the plurality of user equipments comprises providing to eNBs of the multiple cells the allocation of one or more resources for sending to the plurality of user equipments to perform the device-to-device discovery between any two user equipments of the plurality of user equipments using the one or more resources.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, performed by a first eNB of eNBs of the multiple cells, wherein said providing the allocation of the one or more resources to the plurality of user equipments comprises providing by the first eNB to all other eNBs of the multiple cells the allocation of one or more resources for sending by all eNBs of the multiple cells to the plurality of user equipments the allocation of one or more resources to perform the device-to-device discovery between any two user equipments of the plurality of user equipments using the one or more resources.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the device-to-device discovery area is a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service Single Frequency Network area.

21. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the allocated one or more resources comprise at least a part of a bandwidth of a physical uplink shared channel.

16-17. -17. (canceled)

22-30. -30. (canceled)

31. A method, comprising:

receiving, by an eNB from a network, allocation of one or more resources for device-to-device discovery among a plurality of user equipments located in multiple cells of the network in a device-to-device discovery area, the eNB comprises one of the multiple cells; and

configuring, by the eNB in synchronization with other eNBs of the multiple cells and based on the allocation of the one or more resources, the plurality of user equipments for performing, using the one or more resources, the device-to-device discovery between any two user equipments of the plurality of user equipments located in the multiple cells.

32. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor and a memory storing a set of computer instructions, in which the memory storing the computer instructions is configured with at least one processor to cause the apparatus to;

receive from a network allocation of one or more resources for device-to-device discovery among a plurality of user equipments located in multiple cells of the network in a device-to-device discovery area, the apparatus comprises an eNB of one of the multiple cells; and

configure, in synchronization with other eNBs of the multiple cells and based on the allocation of the one or more resources, the plurality of user equipments for performing, using the one or more resources, the device-to-device discovery between any two user equipments of the plurality of user equipments located in the multiple cells.