APPARATUS AND METHOD TO ENABLE DEVICE-TO-DEVICE (D2D) DISCOVERY IN CELLULAR NETWORKS

• US 20130273923A1
• Filed: 01/31/2013
• Published: 10/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Li, Qinghua, Li, Honggang, Yin, Hujun, Fwu, Jong-Kae, Zhu, Yuan, Chen, Xiaogang, Mukherjee, Amitav
• Granted Patent: US 9,325,485 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0001 Arrangements for dividing the transmission path duplexing H04L5/14; multiplexing of different sources on one path H04J
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0044 allocation of payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0064 Rate requirement of the data, e.g. scalable bandwidth, data priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0094 Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0226 based on location or mobility handoff or reselection H04W36/00; mobile application services making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0268 using specific QoS parameters for wireless networks, e.g. QoS class identifier [QCI] or guaranteed bit rate [GBR] negotiating SLA or negotiating QoS H04W28/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0016 Hand-off preparation specially adapted for end-to-end data sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 : Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 : in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 : using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0808 : using carrier sensing, e.g. carrier sense multiple access [CSMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 : Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/19 : Connection re-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An apparatus and method of allowing user equipment (UE) to transmit information directly with other user equipment, using a device-to-device (D2D) mode is disclosed herein. A D2D UE (dUE1) that wishes so communicate to another UE (dUE2) in D2D mode makes various communications requests to an Evolved Node B (eNB), which can facilitate the connection between dUE1 and dUE2 by having the dUE1 measure the signals from dUE2 to help establish a D2D connection between the dUE1 and the dUE2.

Claims

1. User equipment comprising processing circuitry to couple the user equipment to a second user equipment (dUE2) in a device-to-device (D2D) configuration, wherein the processing circuitry is arranged to:

receive control channel information regarding the dUE2 from an evolved Node B (eNB) for a D2D connection;

measure signal strength information regarding the dUE2; and

transmit the signal strength information to the eNB.

2. The user equipment of claim 1 wherein the signal strength information is measured from one of a control channel or a feedback channel of the dUE2.

3. The user equipment of claim 2 wherein the signal strength information is measured from a channel training signal from the dUE2;

and

further wherein the channel training signal is selected from;

a Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), a Precoding Matrix Indicator (PMI), a Rank Indicator (RI), an uplink sounding signal, or an uplink reference signal.

4. The user equipment of claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry is further arranged to:

receive D2D information from the eNB; and

establish the D2D connection with the dUE2 using the D2D information.

5. The user equipment of claim 4 wherein the D2D information comprises information to allow a D2D connection via a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network to the dUE2.

6. The user equipment of claim 4 wherein said D2D information comprises information to allow a D2D connection via WiFi to the dUE2.

7. The user equipment of claim 1 wherein the control channel information includes allocation information of a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) of the dUE2.

8. A method for coupling a first user equipment (dUE1) to a second user equipment (dUE2) in a device-to-device (D2D) cluster operating within a Long Term Evolution (LTE) cell, said method comprising:

receiving a request from the dUE1 to communicate with the dUE2 in a D2D cluster;

sending first information regarding the dUE2 to the dUE1;

receiving second information from the dUE1 regarding communications between the dUE1 and the dUE2;

allocating a set of resources for D2D use by the dUE1 and the dUE2 based on the first and second information; and

transmitting information regarding the set of resources to both the dUE1 and the dUE2.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the method is performed by an evolved node (eNB).

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the first information comprises allocation information regarding a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) of the dUE2.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the first information is selected from a Channel Quality Indication information (CQI), a Precoding Matrix Indicator information (PMI), and a Rank Indicator (RI).

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the second information comprises signal strength information between the dUE1 and the dUE2.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the set of resources comprises a set of LTE resources.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein the set of resources comprises a set of WiFi resources.

15. The method of claim 8 wherein sending first information regarding the dUE2 to the dUE1 is skipped if the request from the dUE1 contains the first information regarding the dUE2.

19. The evolved node B of claim 14 wherein said first information comprises allocation information regarding the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) of the dUE2.

20. The evolved node B of claim 14 wherein said uplink information is selected from Channel Quality Indication information (CQI), Precoding Matrix Indicator information (PMI), and Rank Indicator information (RI).

16. An evolved Node B (eNB) comprising:

a transceiver; and

processing circuitry adapted to;

receive a request from a first user equipment (dUE1) to communicate with a second user equipment (dUE2) in a device to device (D2D) cluster;

send first information regarding the dUE2 to the dUE1;

receive second information from the dUE1 regarding communications between the dUE1 and the dUE2;

allocate a set of resources for D2D use by the dUE1 and the dUE2; and

transmit information regarding the set of resources to both the dUE1 and the dUE2, wherein said information regarding the set of resources enables the dUE1 and the dUE2 to send and receive communications in a D2D mode.

17. The evolved node B of claim 16 wherein the information regarding the set of resources allows D2D communication via LTE.

18. The evolved node B of claim 16 wherein the information regarding the set of resources allows D2D communication via WiFi.