SCHEDULING WIRELESS DEVICE-TO-DEVICE COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20150271846A1
• Filed: 03/17/2015
• Published: 09/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: KOWALSKI, John Michael, YAMADA, Shohei
• Granted Patent: US 10,034,301 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

A radio access node (22) which communicates over a radio interface (24) with a first wireless terminal (26₁). The radio access node (22) generates a device-to-device (D2D) grant (54) which specifies radio resources that the first wireless terminal (26₁) is permitted to use for device-to-device (D2D) communication with a second wireless terminal (second wireless terminal 26₂). The radio access node (22) transmits the subframe (S) including the D2D grant (54) to the first wireless terminal (26₁). The first wireless terminal (26₁) transmits data (56) to the second wireless terminal using radio resources permitted by the D2D grant. In an example embodiment and mode the D2D grant is included in a downlink control channel such as PDCCH; in another example embodiment and mode the D2D grant is included in a downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

Claims

1. A method performed by a radio access node, the method comprising the radio access node transmitting Downlink Control Information (DCI) on a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) which specifies radio resources for transmission of a scheduling assignment and radio resources for transmission of device-to-device (D2D) data that is scheduled by the scheduling assignment for use by a first wireless terminal in D2D communication with a second wireless terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the radio access node encoding a cyclical redundancy check (CRC) portion of the DCI with a D2D radio network temporary identity (RNTI) of the wireless terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a length of DCI format to be used for the D2D grant is the same length of DCI format 0 for wide area network (WAN) communication.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the first wireless terminal with a D2D bandwidth parameter N_RB^D2D which specifies a number of resource blocks of a resource grid which are available for D2D communication.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the node providing the first wireless terminal with a Scheduling Assignment resource parameter which specifies a resource offset value which specifies a starting position of a scheduling assignment resource pool.

6. A method performed by a wireless terminal, the method comprising:

the wireless terminal receiving Downlink Control Information (DCI) on a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) which specifies radio resources for transmission of a scheduling assignment and radio resources for transmission of device-to-device (D2D) data that is scheduled by the scheduling assignment;

the wireless terminal performingD2D communication with a second wireless terminal using the specified radio resources.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the wireless terminal decoding its D2D radio network temporary identity (RNTI) from a cyclical redundancy check (CRC) portion of the DCI.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the length of DCI format used for the D2D grant is the same length of DCI format 0 for wide area network (WAN) communication.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising the wireless terminal obtaining a D2D bandwidth parameter N_RB^D2D which specifies a number of resource blocks of a resource grid which are available for D2D communication.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising the wireless terminal obtaining a Scheduling Assignment resource parameter which specifies a resource offset value which specifies a starting position of a scheduling assignment resource pool.

11. A radio access node of a communications network comprising:

a processor which generates Downlink Control Information (DCI) on the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) which specifies radio resources for transmission of a scheduling assignment and radio resources for transmission of device-to-device (D2D) data that is scheduled by the scheduling assignment for use by a first wireless terminal for device-to-device (D2D) communication with a second wireless terminal;

a transmitter adapted to transmit the DCI to the first wireless terminal over a radio interface.

12. The node of claim 11 wherein the processor is adapted to encode a cyclical redundancy check (CRC) portion of the Downlink Control Information (DCI) with a D2D radio network temporary identity (RNTI) of the wireless terminal to specify that the D2D grant is directed to the first wireless terminal.

13. The node of claim 11, wherein a length of DCI format to be used for the D2D grant is the same length of DCI format 0 for wide area network (WAN) communication

14. The node of claim 11, wherein the processor is adapted to provide the first wireless terminal with a D2D bandwidth parameter N_RB^D2D which specifies a number of resource blocks of a resource grid which are available for D2D communication.

15. The node of claim 11, wherein the processor is adapted to provide the first wireless terminal with a Scheduling Assignment resource parameter which specifies a resource offset value which specifies a starting position of a scheduling assignment resource pool.

16. A wireless terminal comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) over a radio interface;

a processor configured to obtain from Downlink Control Information (DCI) on the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) radio resources for transmission of a scheduling assignment and radio resources for transmission of device-to-device (D2D) data that is scheduled by the scheduling assignment for use by the wireless terminal in performing device-to-device (D2D) communication with a second wireless terminal.

17. The wireless terminal of claim 16, further comprising a transmitter configured to perform device-to-device (D2D) communication with a second wireless terminal using the specified radio resources.

18. The wireless terminal of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to determine from a cyclical redundancy check (CRC) portion of the DCI encoded with a D2D radio network temporary identity (RNTI) of the wireless terminal.

19. The wireless terminal of claim 16, wherein the length of DCI format used for the D2D grant is the same length of DCI format 0 for wide area network (WAN) communication.

20. The wireless terminal of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured with a D2D bandwidth parameter N_RB^D2D which specifies a number of resource blocks of a resource grid which are available for D2D communication.

21. The wireless terminal of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured with a Scheduling Assignment resource parameter which specifies a resource offset value which specifies a starting position of a scheduling assignment resource pool.

22. A method in a wireless terminal comprising:

receiving a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) over a radio interface;

obtaining from Downlink Control Information (DCI) on the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) radio resources for transmission of a scheduling assignment and radio resources for transmission of device-to-device (D2D) data that is scheduled by the scheduling assignment for use by the wireless terminal in performing device-to-device (D2D) communication with a second wireless terminal.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising performing device-to-device (D2D) communication with a second wireless terminal using the specified radio resources.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising determining from a cyclical redundancy check (CRC) portion of the DCI encoded with a D2D radio network temporary identity (RNTI) of the wireless terminal.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the length of DCI format used for the D2D grant is the same length of DCI format 0 for wide area network (WAN) communication.