Transmission Power Control for Signals Used by User Equipment Terminals for Device-to-Device Services

• US 20140094213A1
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Published: 04/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Ahmad Khoshnevis, John Michael Kowalski, Kenneth James Park, Shohei Yamada, Zhanping Yin
• Inventors: KHOSHNEVIS, AHMAD, KOWALSKI, JOHN MICHAEL, YAMADA, SHOHEI, YIN, ZHANPING, PARK, KENNETH JAMES
• Granted Patent: US 9,247,508 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/522
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/00 Power management, e.g. TPC [Transmission Power Control], power saving or power classes gain control in transmitters or power amplifiers H03G3/3042
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/367 Power values between minimum and maximum limits, e.g. dynamic range
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/383 power control in peer-to-peer links

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices provide improved power control for signals used for device-to-device services. In one aspect, a user equipment (“UE”) terminal controls the transmission power of signals used for device-to-device (“D2D”) services based on power control parameters provided by a base station. The UE terminal includes a first power control module for controlling a first transmission power to be applied to signals used for communication with a base station. The UE terminal also includes a second power control module for controlling a second transmission power to be applied to signals used for D2D services. The first and second transmission powers can be determined based on at least one power control parameter received from the base station. The UE terminal also includes a signal transceiver module for transmitting signals used for uplink/downlink communications using the first transmission power and transmitting signals used for D2D services using the second transmission power.

Claims

1. A user equipment terminal, comprising:

a first power control module configured for controlling a first transmission power to be applied to at least one signal used for communication between the user equipment terminal and a base station, wherein the first transmission power is determined based on at least one first power control parameter received from the base station;

a second power control module configured for controlling a second transmission power to be applied to at least one signal used for device-to-device services, wherein the second transmission power is determined based on at least one second power control parameter received from the base station; and

a signal transceiver module configured to transmit the at least one signal used for communication between the user equipment terminal and the base station using the first transmission power and to transmit the at least one signal used for device-to-device services using the second transmission power.

2. The user equipment terminal of claim 1, wherein the at least one signal used for device-to-device services comprises at least one of a discovery signal, a sounding reference signal, a communication signal, and a control signal.

3. The user equipment terminal of claim 1, wherein the at least one second power control parameter comprises a maximum power for the at least one signal used for device-to-device services, wherein the second power control module is configured to control the second transmission power by determining the minimum of (i) the maximum power for the at least one signal used for device-to-device services and (ii) the sum of an initial power and a power adjustment applied by the second power control module.

4. The user equipment terminal of claim 3, wherein the maximum power for the at least one signal used for device-to-device services is greater than or equal to a minimum power threshold and less than or equal to a maximum power threshold.

5. The user equipment terminal of claim 3, wherein the at least one second power control parameter comprises at least one additional power control parameter for determining the initial power.

6. The user equipment terminal of claim 3, wherein the initial power is configurable by a user of the user equipment terminal.

7. The user equipment terminal of claim 3, wherein the initial power is specified by a hardware specification stored at the user equipment terminal.

8. The user equipment terminal of claim 1, wherein the at least one second power control parameter is independent from the at least one first power control parameter.

9. The user equipment terminal of claim 1, wherein the second power control module is further configured for controlling a third transmission power to be applied to at least one of the signals used for device-to-device services, wherein the third transmission power is determined based on at least one third power control parameter received from the base station.

10. The user equipment terminal of claim 1, wherein the second power control module is further configured for controlling the second transmission power based on one or more user equipment parameters.

11. The user equipment terminal of claim 1, wherein the second power control module is further configured for controlling the second transmission power based on one or more Operations, Administration, and Maintenance parameters.

12. A system comprising a processor configured to execute one or more modules embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the one or more modules comprising:

a first power control module configured for controlling a first transmission power to be applied to at least one signal used for communication between a user equipment terminal and a base station, wherein the first transmission power is determined based on at least one first power control parameter; and

a second power control module configured for controlling a second transmission power to be applied to at least one signal used for device-to-device services, wherein the second transmission power is determined based on at least one second power control parameter.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one signal used for device-to-device services comprises at least one of a discovery signal, a sounding reference signal, a communication signal and a control signal.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one second power control parameter comprises a maximum power for the at least one signal used for device-to-device services, wherein the second power control module is configured to control the second transmission power by determining the minimum of (i) the maximum power for the at least one signal used for device-to-device services and (ii) the sum of an initial power and a power adjustment applied by the second power control module.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the maximum power for the at least one signal used for device-to-device services is greater than or equal to a minimum power threshold and less than or equal to a maximum power threshold.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one second power control parameter comprises at least one additional power control parameter for determining the initial power.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the initial power is configurable by a user.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the initial power is specified by a hardware specification stored in the computer-readable medium.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one second power control parameter is independent from the at least one first power control parameter.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the second power control module is further configured for controlling the second transmission power based on one or more user equipment parameters.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the second power control module is further configured for controlling the second transmission power based on one or more Operations, Administration, and Maintenance parameters.

22. A base station, comprising:

a first power control module configured for generating at least one first power control parameter for controlling a first transmission power to be applied to at least one signal used for communication between a user equipment terminal and a base station;

a second power control module configured for generating at least one second power control parameter for controlling a second transmission power to be applied to at least one signal used by the user equipment terminal for device-to-device services; and

a signal transceiver module configured to transmit the at least one first power control parameter and the at least one second power control parameter to the user equipment terminal.

23. The base station of claim 22, wherein the at least one second power control parameter comprises a minimum power threshold and a maximum power threshold.

24. The base station of claim 23, wherein the maximum power threshold comprises a power specified by a telecommunication standard utilized by the base station and the user equipment terminal.

25. The base station of claim 22, wherein the at least one first power control parameter is independent from the at least one second power control parameter.

26. The base station of claim 25, wherein the at least one first power control parameter specifies a maximum power for communication between the user equipment terminal and the base station that is greater than a maximum power for device-to-device services by the user equipment terminal as specified by the at least one second power control parameter.

27. A method for controlling a transmission power to be applied to at least one signal used for device-to-device services, the method comprising:

receiving, by a user equipment terminal, at least one power control parameter from a base station;

determining, by the user equipment terminal, the transmission power to be applied to the at least one signal used for device-to-device services, wherein the transmission power is determined based on the at least one power control parameter received from the base station; and

transmitting, by the user equipment terminal, the at least one signal used for device-to-device services using the transmission power.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the at least one signal used for device-to-device services comprises at least one of a discovery signal, a sounding reference signal, a communication signal and a control signal.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the at least one power control parameter comprises a maximum power for the at least one signal used for device-to-device services, wherein determining the transmission power comprises determining the minimum of (i) the maximum power for the at least one signal used for device-to-device services and (ii) the sum of an initial power and a power adjustment applied by the user equipment terminal.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the maximum power for the at least one signal used for device-to-device services is greater than or equal to a minimum power threshold and less than or equal to a maximum power threshold.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the at least one power control parameter comprises at least one additional power control parameter for determining the initial power.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the initial power is configurable by a user of the user equipment terminal.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein the initial power is specified by a hardware specification stored at the user equipment terminal.

34. The method of claim 27, wherein the at least one power control parameter is independent from at least one additional power control parameter for controlling an additional transmission power to be applied to a signal used for communication between the user equipment terminal and the base station.

35. The method of claim 27, further comprising determining an additional transmission power to be applied to at least one of the signals used for device-to-device services, wherein the additional transmission power is based on at least one additional power control parameter received from the base station.

36. The method of claim 27, wherein the transmission power is determined based on one or more user equipment parameters in addition to the at least one power control parameter received from the base station.

37. The method of claim 27, wherein the transmission power is determined based on one or more Operations, Administration, and Maintenance parameters in addition to the at least one power control parameter received from the base station.