METHODS AND APPARTUS TO DETERMINE DISTANCE BETWEEN DEVICES FOR DEVICE TO DEVICE COMMUNICATION AND PROXIMITY SERVICES

• US 20130316727A1
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Published: 11/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: EDGE, Stephen William
• Granted Patent: US 9,648,651 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

Various systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media for communicating from device to device are described. Device to Device (D2D) communication may bypass use of a network when devices are in communicable proximity of each other. Knowledge of the relative locations of devices that either are already in D2D mode or are not yet in D2D mode but are capable of using D2D mode may be useful. Therefore, various techniques are described for determining distance between two or more devices. Relative locations may also be used to determine the proximity of two devices for some proximity service of common interest.

Claims

1. A method for determining a distance between a first device and a second device, the method comprising:

determining a first time of arrival for a first signal from a first base station sent to the second device via the first device;

determining a second time of arrival for a second signal sent directly from a second base station to the second device; and

determining the distance between the first device and the second device using the first and the second times of arrivals.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first base station serves the first device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the first base station and the second base station are the same base station;

the same base station serves the first and the second devices; and

the same base station aligns timing of the first device and the second device to a common serving base station time.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the second base station serves the second device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first and the second base stations are synchronized and timing of the first device and the second device is aligned to a common serving base station time.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining a third time of arrival for a third signal from the second base station sent to the second device via the first device;

determining a fourth time of arrival for a fourth signal sent directly from the first base station to the second device; and

determining the distance between the first device and the second device using the first, second, third and fourth times of arrival.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first base station and the second base station are not synchronized.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the distance between the first device and the second device comprises obtaining a difference between the first and the fourth times of arrival and between the second and the third times of arrival.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the distance between the first device and the second device comprises obtaining a difference between the first and second times of arrival.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a messaging protocol used for sending and receiving signals is one of Long Term Evolution Positioning Protocol (LPP), LPP Extensions (LPPe) and Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the distance between the first device and the second device is lower than or higher than a threshold; and

enabling or disabling, respectively, communication between the first device and the second device using a device-to-device mode, wherein the device-to-device mode comprises the first device and the second device communicating with each other without sending data through the first base station or the second base station.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the distance between the first device and the second device is lower than a threshold; and

informing each of the first device and second device of being in proximity to the other device for one or more proximity services of interest to each of the first device and second device.

13. A device, comprising:

a transceiver configured to;

receive a first signal from a first base station sent to the device via a second device; and

receive a second signal sent directly from a second base station to the device; and

a processor configured to;

determine a first time of arrival for the first signal;

determine a second time of arrival for the second signal; and

determine a distance between the device and the second device using the first and the second times of arrivals.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the first base station serves the second device.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein:

the first base station and the second base station are the same base station;

the same base station serves the device and the second device; and

the same base station aligns timing of the device and the second device to a common serving base station time.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the second base station serves the device.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the first and the second base stations are synchronized and timing of the device and the second device is aligned to a common serving base station time.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein

the transceiver is further configured to:

receive a third signal from the second base station sent to the device via the second device; and

receive a fourth signal sent directly from the first base station to the device; and

the processor is further configured to;

determine a third time of arrival for the third signal;

determine a fourth time of arrival for the fourth signal; and

determine the distance between the device and the second device using the first, second, third and fourth times of arrival.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein the first base station and the second base station are not synchronized.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein determining the distance between the device and the second device, by the processor, comprises obtaining a difference between the first and the fourth times of arrival and between the second and the third times of arrival.

21. The device of claim 13, wherein determining the distance between the device and the second device comprises obtaining a difference between the first and second times of arrival.

22. The device of claim 13, wherein a messaging protocol used for sending and receiving signals is one of Long Term Evolution Positioning Protocol (LPP), LPP Extensions (LPPe) and Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol.

23. The device of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine that the distance between the device and the second device is lower than or higher than a threshold; and

enable or disabling, respectively, communication between the device and the second device using a device-to-device mode, wherein the device-to-device mode comprises the device and the second device communicating with each other without sending data through the first base station or the second base station.

24. The device of claim 13, wherein the process is further configured to:

determine that the distance between the first device and the second device is lower than a threshold; and

inform, using the transceiver, each of the first device and second device of being in proximity to the other device for one or more proximity services of interest to each of the first device and second device.

25. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprises instructions executable by a processor, the instructions comprising instructions to:

determine a first time of arrival for a first signal from a first base station sent to a second device via a first device;

determine a second time of arrival for a second signal sent directly from a second base station to the second device; and

determine a distance between the first device and the second device using the first and the second times of arrivals.

26. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the instructions executable by a processor further comprise instructions to:

determine that the distance between the first device and the second device is lower than or higher than a threshold; and

enable or disable, respectively, communication between the first device and the second device using a device-to-device mode, wherein the device-to-device mode comprises the first device and the second device communicating with each other without sending data through the first base station or the second base station.

27. A device, comprising:

means for determining a first time of arrival for a first signal from a first base station sent to the device via a second device;

means for determining a second time of arrival for a second signal sent directly from a second base station to the device; and

means for determining a distance between the device and the second device using the first and the second times of arrivals.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein the first base station serves the second device.

29. The device of claim 28, wherein:

the first base station and the second base station are the same base station;

the same base station serves the device and the second device; and

the same base station aligns timing of the device and the second device to a common serving base station time.

30. The device of claim 28, wherein the second base station serves the device.

31. The device of claim 30, wherein the first and the second base stations are synchronized and timing of the device and the second device is aligned to a common serving base station times.

32. The device of claim 30, further comprising:

means for determining a third time of arrival for a third signal from the second base station sent to the device via the second device;

means for determining a fourth time of arrival for a fourth signal sent directly from the first base station to the device; and

means for determining the distance between the device and the second device using the first, second, third and fourth times of arrival.

33. The device of claim 32, wherein the first base station and the second base station are not synchronized.

34. The device of claim 32, wherein determining the distance between the device and the second device comprises means for obtaining a difference between the first and the fourth times of arrival and between the second and the third times of arrival.

35. The device of claim 27, wherein determining the distance between the device and second device comprises means for obtaining a difference between the first and second times of arrival.

36. The device of claim 27, wherein a messaging protocol used for sending and receiving signals is one of Long Term Evolution Positioning Protocol (LPP), LPP Extensions (LPPe) and Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol.

37. The device of claim 27, further comprising:

means for determining that the distance between the device and the second device is lower than or higher than a threshold; and

means for enabling or disabling, respectively, communication between the device and the second device using a device-to-device mode, wherein the device-to-device mode comprises the device and the second device communicating with each other without sending data through the first base station or the second base station.

38. The device of claim 27, further comprising:

means for determining that the distance between the first device and the second device is lower than a threshold; and

means for informing each of the first device and second device of being in proximity to the other device for one or more proximity services of interest to each of the first device and second device.