Contention-based Integration of Device to Device (D2D) Networks with Wireless Infrastructure

• US 20150056987A1
• Filed: 08/22/2013
• Published: 02/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Li, Xu, Zhang, Hang
• Granted Patent: US 9,888,506 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

Efficient D2D link integration can be achieved by allowing mobile devices to independently initiate D2D/connection-proxy discovery without re-broadcasting beacons originating from the wireless access point. A mobile station wanting to establish a D2D link may broadcast a search message to neighboring mobile stations, which may return offer messages specifying a connection quality and/or parameters of the candidate indirect connection. The requesting mobile station may then select one of the responding neighboring mobile stations through which to establish the indirect connection. Responding mobile stations may delay offer message transmission by a period that is proportional to a connection quality to reduce offer message redundancy.

Claims

1. A method for device to device (D2D) link establishment, the method comprising:

broadcasting, by a mobile station, a search message requesting D2D discovery;

receiving, by the mobile station, an offer message from a neighboring mobile station, the offer message offering to facilitate an indirect connection between the mobile station and a wireless access point (AP); and

establishing the indirect connection between the mobile station and the wireless AP, wherein the indirect connection includes one or more D2D interfaces and a device to infrastructure (D2I) interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indirect connection includes a first D2D interface between the mobile station and the neighboring mobile device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the offer message includes connection quality information specifying a projected quality of the first D2D interface.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the indirect connection further includes a second D2D interface between the neighboring mobile device and another mobile device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the offer message includes connection quality information specifying an actual or projected quality of the second D2D interface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the D2I interface terminates at the wireless AP.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer message includes connection quality information specifying a quality of the D2I interface.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the indirect connection comprises:

sending, by the mobile station, a connect message to the neighboring mobile station; and

sending, by the mobile station, a resource reservation message to the neighboring mobile station to reserve resources over the indirect connection, wherein the resource reservation message is relayed from the neighboring mobile station to the wireless AP.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the resource reservation message prompts the neighboring mobile station to reserve resources over the D2I interface on behalf of the mobile station.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the connect message is relayed from the neighboring mobile station to the wireless AP to establish a connection proxy for the indirect connection.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the resource reservation message prompts the neighboring mobile station to reserve resources over at least one D2D connection on behalf of the mobile station.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the resource reservation message is relayed from the neighboring mobile station to the wireless AP, and wherein the resource reservation message prompts the wireless AP to reserve resources over the D2I interface on behalf of the mobile station.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein further comprising:

communicating, by the mobile station, data over the indirect connection to the wireless AP; and

sending, by the mobile station, a release message to the selected mobile station after communicating the data over the indirect connection, the release message releasing the indirect connection.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the mobile station, a plurality of offer messages from a plurality of neighboring mobile stations, wherein each of the plurality of offer messages include connection quality information for a different one of a plurality of candidate indirect connections; and

selecting, by the mobile station, the indirect connection from the plurality of candidate indirection connections in accordance with the connection quality information.

15. A mobile station comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable storage medium storing programming for execution by the processor, the programming including instructions to;

broadcast a search message requesting D2D discovery;

receive an offer message from a neighboring mobile station, the offer message offering to facilitate an indirect connection between the mobile station and a wireless access point (AP); and

establish the indirect connection between the mobile station and the wireless AP, wherein the indirect connection includes one or more D2D interfaces and a device to infrastructure (D2I) interface.

16. A method for device to device (D2D) link establishment, the method comprising:

receiving, by a device, a search message from a requesting mobile station, the search message for discovering radio connections to a wireless access point (AP);

setting, by the device, a delay timer in accordance with a connection quality of a candidate connection;

determining, by the device, whether the requesting mobile station sends a connection request message to establish a direct or indirect connection with the wireless AP prior to expiration of the delay timer; and

sending, by the device, an offer message to the requesting mobile station if the requesting mobile station fails to establish a direct or indirect connection with the wireless AP prior to expiration of the delay timer, wherein the offer message indicates an offer by the device to facilitate the candidate connection.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the device is a mobile station, and wherein the candidate connection comprises an indirect connection comprising a device to infrastructure (D2I) interface terminating at the wireless AP and a device to device (D2D) interface extending between the device and the requesting mobile station.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the connection quality specifies a quality of the indirect connection.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the connection quality specifies a quality of the D2I interface.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the connection quality specifies a quality of the D2D interface.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the device comprises an access point (AP), and wherein the candidate connection comprises a potential device to infrastructure (D2I) interface extending from the requesting mobile station to the AP.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein determining whether the requesting mobile station establishes a direct or indirect connection with the wireless AP prior to expiration of the delay timer further comprises:

monitoring a broadcast channel for a connect message for establishing a connection between the requesting mobile station and another device.

23. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving, by the device, a connect message from the requesting mobile station.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising forwarding, by the device, the connect message to the wireless AP to establish an indirect connection from the requesting mobile station to the wireless AP, wherein the indirect connection includes one or more D2D interfaces and a device to infrastructure (D2I) interface.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

receiving, by the device, a resource reservation message from the requesting mobile station; and

reserving, by the device, resources over the indirect connection on behalf of the requesting mobile station in accordance with the resource reservation message.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein reserving resources over the indirect connection comprises:

reserving, by the device, resources over the D2I interface on behalf of the requesting mobile station.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein reserving resources over the indirect connection comprises:

reserving, by the device, resources over the D2D interface on behalf of the requesting mobile station.

28. A device comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable storage medium storing programming for execution by the processor, the programming including instructions to;

receive a search message from a requesting mobile station, the search message for discovering wireless connections to a wireless access point (AP);

set a delay timer in accordance with a connection quality of a candidate connection;

determine whether the requesting mobile station sends a connection request message to establish a a direct or indirect connection with the wireless AP prior to expiration of the delay timer; and

send an offer message to the requesting mobile station if the requesting mobile station fails to establish a direct or indirect connection with the wireless AP prior to expiration of the delay timer, wherein the offer message indicates an offer by the device to facilitate the candidate connection.

29. A method for updating connection proxies in a wireless network adapted to support device to device (D2D) communications, the method comprising:

associating, by a mobile station, a connection proxy with a first connection between the mobile station and a wireless access point (AP), the first connection extending through a first neighboring mobile station;

detecting, by the mobile station, a connect message communicated by a second neighboring mobile station to a device, the connect message including connection quality information for a connection extending from the second neighboring mobile station to the wireless AP;

determining, by the mobile station, whether second indirect connection capable of being established through the second neighboring mobile station offers a higher connection quality than the first connection; and

re-associating, by the mobile station, the connection proxy with the second indirect connection if the second indirect connection offers a higher connection quality than the first connection.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein re-associating the connection proxy comprises

removing a first association between with the connection proxy and the first connection;

and

creating a second association between the connection proxy and the second indirect connection.

31. A mobile station comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable storage medium storing programming for execution by the processor, the programming including instructions to;

associate a connection proxy with a first connection between the mobile station and a wireless access point (AP), the first connection extending through a first neighboring mobile station;

detect a connect message communicated by a second neighboring mobile station to a device, the connect message including connection quality information to a connection;

determine whether a second indirect connection capable of being established through the second neighboring mobile station offers a higher connection quality than the first connection; and

re-associate the connection proxy with the second indirect connection if the second indirect connection offers a higher connection quality than the first connection.