USER EQUIPMENT ARCHITECTURE FOR INTER-DEVICE COMMUNICATION IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

• US 20140086153A1
• Filed: 09/21/2012
• Published: 03/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Bontu, Chandra Sekhar, Song, Yi, Cai, Zhijun
• Granted Patent: US 9,014,113 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]

Abstract

User equipment (UE) architecture for inter-device communication in wireless communication systems is provided. A UE may communicate directly with another UE over a direct inter-device communication link when they are located in proximity. Long term evolution (LTE) downlink or uplink radio resources may be used for communications over the inter-device communication link. The UE may simultaneously maintain an active communication link with its serving base station while communicating with other UEs over the inter-device communication link. To communicate with the base station and other UEs simultaneously, the UE may include additional transmit or receive chain to support the inter-device communications over the inter-device communication link.

Claims

1. A method at a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising:

transmitting a first signal to a base station using a first transmit chain; and

transmitting a second signal to one or more UEs over one or more inter-device communication links using a second transmit chain.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a third signal from the base station using a receive chain; and

receiving a fourth signal from the one or more UEs over the one or more inter-device communication links using the receive chain.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE transmits to and receives from the one or more UEs using long term evolution (LTE) downlink radio resources.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the UE transmits to the base station using LTE uplink radio resources and receives from the base station using LTE downlink radio resources.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a peak transmit power of the second transmit chain is lower than a peak transmit power of the first transmit chain.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE receives a first transmission from the one or more UEs over the one or more inter-device communication links and receives a second transmission from the base station at substantially the same time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE is prevented from receiving from the base station when transmitting to the one or more UEs over the one or more inter-device communication links.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE is configured in a discontinuous reception (DRX) off duration when transmitting to the one or more UEs over the one or more inter-device communication links.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the receive chain includes a first timing tracking loop for synchronization with the base station and a second timing tracking loop for synchronization with the one or more UEs.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a guard time is used when the UE transmits to the one or more UEs over the one or more inter-device communication links.

11. A method at a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising:

receiving a first signal from a base station using a first receive chain; and

receiving a second signal from one or more UEs over one or more inter-device communication links using a second receive chain.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

transmitting a third signal to the base station using a transmit chain; and

transmitting a fourth signal to the one or more UEs over the one or more inter-device communication links using the transmit chain.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the UE transmits to and receives from the one or more UEs using long term evolution (LTE) uplink radio resources.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the UE transmits to the base station using LTE uplink resources and receives from the base station using LTE downlink radio resources.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the UE transmits to the base station and transmits to the one or more UEs at substantially the same time.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the UE is configured to refrain from transmitting to the base station immediately following the UE receives a transmission from the one or more UEs over the one or more inter-device communication links.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the UE is prevented from transmitting to the base station when receiving from the one or more UEs over the one or more inter-device communication links.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

transmitting a third signal to the base station using a first transmit chain; and

transmitting a fourth signal to the one or more UEs over the one or more inter-device communication links using a second transmit chain.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the UE transmits to and receives from the one or more UEs using long term evolution (LTE) uplink radio resources.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the UE transmits to the base station using LTE uplink radio resources and receives from the base station using LTE downlink radio resources.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein a reception time from the one or more UEs is synchronized with a transmission time to the base station at the UE.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the UE is configured to refrain from transmitting to the one or more UEs immediately following a transmission to the base station.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the UE is prevented from transmitting to the base station when receiving from the one or more UEs over the one or more inter-device communication links.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein a peak transmit power of the second transmit chain is lower than a peak transmit power of the first transmit chain.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein a transmission time to the one or more UEs is synchronized with a reception time from the base station at the UE.

26-50. -50. (canceled)