METHOD OF DEVICE-TO-DEVICE COMMUNICATION AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING DEVICE-TO-DEVICE COMMUNICATION

• US 20150119056A1
• Filed: 10/29/2014
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: LEE, Kyoung Seok, NOH, Taegyun, YEH, Choongil, AHN, Jae Young
• Application Number:
  US14/527,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20150119056A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/033 in pre-organised networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/002 Mutual synchronization
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

A first terminal within a first cell of a first base station receives a synchronization signal and a synchronization channel that are broadcasted through a downlink by the first base station. The first terminal acquires synchronization for D2D communication using the synchronization signal and the synchronization channel. When the first terminal is connected to the first base station, in order to request allocation of a first resource for D2D communication, the first terminal transmits first information for D2D communication to the first base station through a first data channel for cellular communication. The first terminal receives D2D control information including information about the first resource that is allocated to the first terminal from the first base station. The first terminal broadcasts a second data channel for D2D communication using the D2D control information.

Claims

1. A Device-to-Device (D2D) communication method in which a first terminal within a first cell of a first base station directly communicates with a second terminal without relay of the first base station, the D2D communication method comprising:

receiving a synchronization signal and a synchronization channel that are broadcasted through a downlink by the first base station;

acquiring synchronization for D2D communication using the synchronization signal and the synchronization channel;

transmitting first information for D2D communication to the first base station through a first data channel for cellular communication in order to request allocation of a first resource for D2D communication, when the first terminal is connected to the first base station;

receiving D2D control information comprising information about the first resource that is allocated to the first terminal from the first base station; and

broadcasting a second data channel for D2D communication using the D2D control information.

2. The D2D communication method of claim 1, wherein the first information comprises:

at least one of a first identifier of the first terminal and a second identifier of a first group to which the first terminal belongs;

information about the first resource that the first terminal is to use; and

information about a size of data that the first terminal is to transmit.

3. The D2D communication method of claim 2, wherein the transmitting of first information comprises transmitting a Buffer Status Report (BSR) message comprising the first information to the first base station.

4. The D2D communication method of claim 3, wherein the D2D control information comprises:

at least one of the first identifier and the second identifier;

at least one of a location of the first resource, a size of the first resource, and the number of the first resource; and

at least one of a repetition cycle of the first resource and the repetition number of the first resource.

5. The D2D communication method of claim 4, wherein the receiving of D2D control information comprises receiving the D2D control information from the first base station through at least one of a first control channel and a first response channel for a downlink.

6. The D2D communication method of claim 5, further comprising transmitting the first information to the first base station through a third data channel after the first terminal is randomly accessed to the first base station through a random access channel, when a state of the first terminal is an idle state.

7. The D2D communication method of claim 6, wherein the receiving of D2D control information further comprises:

determining whether the D2D control information is information for the first terminal using the first identifier that is included in the D2D control information, when the first terminal is connected to the first base station; and

determining whether the D2D control information is information for the first terminal using the second identifier that is included in the D2D control information, when a state of the first terminal is an idle state.

8. The D2D communication method of claim 5, wherein the broadcasting of a second data channel comprises:

broadcasting a first indicator channel comprising information on whether the first terminal transmits first data using the second data channel;

broadcasting a second control channel for demodulating the first data; and

broadcasting the second data channel in order to broadcast the first data.

9. The D2D communication method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of D2D control information comprises:

receiving, when the second terminal is located in coverage of a second cell of a second base station, the D2D control information further comprising second information about the difference between a synchronization time that the first base station uses and a synchronization time that the second base station uses from the first base station; and

changing a synchronization time using the second information.

10. A method in which a first terminal controls Device-to-Device (D2D) communication between terminals, the method comprising:

broadcasting a first synchronization signal and a first synchronization channel through an uplink, when the first terminal operates as a centralized control device that manages synchronization and a resource for D2D communication;

receiving a first message that requests allocation of a first resource for D2D communication from a second terminal; and

allocating the first resource to the second terminal,

wherein the first synchronization channel comprises information about a first identifier of the first terminal and a type of the first synchronization signal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first synchronization channel further comprises at least one of information representing that the first synchronization channel is a channel for synchronization of D2D communication, information representing the first synchronization signal, information about accuracy of the first synchronization signal, information representing that the first terminal is a moving device, a moving speed of the first terminal, change information of a synchronization time for the first synchronization signal, location information of the first terminal, intensity of the first synchronization signal, and the number of terminals using the first synchronization signal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the broadcasting of a first synchronization signal comprises:

receiving, when the second terminal does not receive a second synchronization signal that is broadcasted through a downlink by a base station, broadcasting instruction for the first synchronization signal from the base station; and

operating as the centralized control device in response to the broadcasting instruction.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the broadcasting of a first synchronization signal comprises:

broadcasting, when receiving a second synchronization signal that is broadcasted through a downlink by a base station, the first synchronization signal based on the second synchronization signal;

broadcasting, when receiving a Global Positioning System (GPS) signal instead of receiving the second synchronization signal, the first synchronization signal based on the GPS signal;

broadcasting, when receiving a third synchronization signal that another centralized control device broadcasts instead of receiving the second synchronization signal and the GPS signal, the first synchronization signal based on the third synchronization signal; and

broadcasting, when not receiving the second synchronization signal, the GPS signal, and the third synchronization signal, the first synchronization signal based on a randomly predetermined time.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

transmitting, when receiving a second synchronization signal and a second synchronization channel that another centralized control device broadcasts, information about the second synchronization signal and the second synchronization channel to a base station; and

stopping broadcasting the first synchronization signal, when receiving a broadcasting stop instruction from the base station.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the broadcasting of a first synchronization signal comprises:

receiving a second message representing that the second terminal, having received the first synchronization signal and the first synchronization channel, accesses to the first terminal, from the second terminal; and

counting the number of terminals using the first synchronization signal based on the second message.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

changing, when receiving a second synchronization signal that is broadcasted through a downlink by a base station, a synchronization time for the first synchronization signal based on the second synchronization signal; and

reporting information about the first terminal operating as the centralized control device to the base station so that the base station determines whether the first terminal is to continue to operate as the centralized control device.

17. A device-to-device (D2D) communication method in which a first terminal directly communicates with a second terminal without relay of a first base station, the D2D communication method comprising:

receiving a first synchronization signal and a first synchronization channel from a third terminal operating as a centralized control device that manages synchronization and a resource for D2D communication, when the first terminal is located out of coverage of a first cell of the first base station;

transmitting a Buffer Status Report (BSR) message to the third terminal through a request channel for requesting resource allocation, when receiving the first synchronization signal and the first synchronization channel;

receiving information about a first resource that is allocated to the first terminal from the third terminal through a response channel; and

broadcasting a first indicator channel comprising information on whether the first terminal transmits first data using the first resource.

18. The D2D communication method of claim 17, further comprising determining that the first terminal is located out of coverage of the first cell, when receiving intensity of a second synchronization signal that is broadcasted through a downlink by the first base station is a first threshold value or less or when a Radio Link Failure (RLF) occurs between the first terminal and the first base station.

19. The D2D communication method of claim 18, wherein the receiving of a first synchronization signal comprises calculating the difference between a synchronization time for the first synchronization signal and a synchronization time for the second synchronization signal, and

the transmitting of a BSR message comprises transmitting the request channel comprising information about the synchronization time difference to the third terminal.

20. The D2D communication method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining that the first terminal is located in coverage of the first cell, when receiving intensity of the second synchronization signal is larger than the first threshold value;

calculating the difference between a synchronization time for the first synchronization signal and a synchronization time for the second synchronization signal and transmitting the difference to the third terminal, when the first terminal is located in coverage of the first cell; and

changing a synchronization time using the second synchronization signal.