METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR DEVICE-TO-DEVICE COMMUNICATION

• US 20150288508A1
• Filed: 09/27/2013
• Published: 10/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Wilhelmsson, Leif, Lindoff, Bengt, Wallen, Anders
• Granted Patent: US 9,596,070 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/243 taking into account interferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/383 power control in peer-to-peer links
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/54 based on quality criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A UE for a cellular communication network is disclosed. The UE is adapted to communicate in a duplex mode with a network node of the cellular communication network, transmitting data to the network node in a UL duplex resource, and receiving data from the network node in a DL duplex resource. The UE is further capable of direct D2D communication with another UE of the cellular communication network using the UL duplex resource. The UE comprises a transceiver adapted to, as part of a D2D control procedure, receive, from the network node, a grant to listen to a transmission in the UL duplex resource from the other UE to the network node. Furthermore, the transceiver is adapted to, as part of the D2D control procedure, in response to receiving said grant, listen to said transmission in the UL duplex resource from the other UE, and determine a quality metric of said transmission from the other UE as received by the transceiver of the UE. A corresponding network node and corresponding methods are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) for a cellular communication network adapted to communicate in a duplex mode with a network node of the cellular communication network, transmitting data to the network node in an up-link (UL) duplex resource, and receiving data from the network node in a down-link (DL) duplex resource;

wherein

the UE is further capable of direct device-to-device (D2D) communication with another UE of the cellular communication network using the UL duplex resource; and

the UE comprises a transceiver adapted to, as part of a D2D control procedure;

receive, from the network node, a grant to listen to a transmission in the UL duplex resource from the other UE to the network node;

in response to receiving said grant, listen to said transmission in the UL duplex resource from the other UE; and

determine a quality metric of said transmission from the other UE as received by the transceiver of the UE.

2. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the duplex mode is a frequency division duplex (FDD) mode, the UL duplex resource is a UL frequency band, and the DL duplex resource is a DL frequency band.

3. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the duplex mode is a time division duplex (TDD) mode, the UL duplex resource is a set of timeslots reserved for UL transmission to the network node, and the DL duplex resource is a set of time slots reserved for DL transmission from the network node.

4. The UE according to claim 1, wherein said transmission in the UL duplex resource from the other UE includes a unique identifier of the other UE.

5. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the transceiver is further adapted to report the quality metric to the network node.

6. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the cellular communication network is a 3GPP long-term evolution (LTE) communication network.

7. A network node for a cellular communication network adapted to communicate in a duplex mode with UEs of the cellular communication network, receiving data from the UEs in an uplink (UL) duplex resource, and transmitting data to the UEs in a downlink (DL) duplex resource, wherein at least a first UE of the cellular communication network is capable of direct device-to-device (D2D) communication with at least a another second UE of the cellular communication network using the UL duplex resource;

and

wherein the network node comprises circuitry adapted to, as part of a D2D control procedure;

send, to the first UE, a grant to listen to a transmission in the UL duplex resource from the second UE to the network node, thereby enabling the first UE to determine a quality metric of said transmission from the second UE as received by the first UE.

8. The network node according to claim 7, wherein the duplex mode is a frequency division duplex (FDD) mode, the UL duplex resource is a UL frequency band, and the DL duplex resource is a DL frequency band.

9. The network node according to claim 7, wherein the duplex mode is a time division duplex (TDD) mode, the UL duplex resource is a set of timeslots reserved for UL transmission to the network node, and the DL duplex resource is a set of time slots reserved for DL transmission from the network node.

10. The network node according to claim 7, wherein said transmission in the UL duplex resource from the second UE includes a unique identifier of the second UE.

11. The network node according to claim 7, wherein the network node is further adapted to receive a report of the quality metric from the first UE.

12. The network node according to claim 11, comprising circuitry adapted to determine whether to initiate a direct D2D communication link between the first UE and the second UE in the UL duplex resource based on the quality metric.

13. The network node according to claim 7, wherein the cellular communication network is an LTE communication network.

14. A method for a UE for a cellular communication network adapted to communicate in a duplex mode with a network node of the cellular communication network, transmitting data to the network node in an up-link (UL) duplex resource, and receiving data from the network node in a down-link (DL) duplex resource, wherein the UE is further capable of direct device-to-device (D2D) communication with another UE of the cellular communication network using the UL duplex resource;

and wherein

the method comprises, as part of a D2D control procedure;

receiving, from the network node, a grant to listen to a transmission in the UL duplex resource from the other UE to the network node;

in response to receiving said grant, listening to said transmission in the UL duplex resource from the other UE; and

determining a quality metric of said transmission from the other UE as received by a transceiver of the UE.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said transmission in the UL duplex resource from the other UE includes a unique identifier of the other UE.

16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

reporting the quality metric to the network node.

21. The method according to claim 14, wherein the duplex mode is a frequency division duplex (FDD) mode, the UL duplex resource is a UL frequency band, and the DL duplex resource is a DL frequency band.

22. The method according to claim 14, wherein the duplex mode is a time division duplex (TDD) mode, the UL duplex resource is a set of timeslots reserved for UL transmission to the network node, and the DL duplex resource is a set of time slots reserved for DL transmission from the network node.

23. The method according to claim 14, wherein the cellular communication network is an LTE communication network.

17. A method for a network node for a cellular communication network adapted to communicate in a duplex mode with user equipments (UEs) of the cellular communication network, receiving data from the UEs in an up-link (UL) duplex resource, and transmitting data to the UEs in a down-link (DL) duplex resource, wherein at least a first UE of the cellular communication network is capable of direct D2D communication with at least another second UE of the cellular communication network using the UL duplex resource;

and

the method comprising, as part of a D2D control procedure;

sending, to a first UE, a grant to listen to a transmission in the UL duplex resource from another second UE to the network node, thereby enabling the first UE to determine a quality metric of said transmission from the second UE as received by the first UE.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein said transmission in the UL duplex resource from the second UE includes a unique identifier of the second UE.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a report of the quality metric from the first UE.

20. The method according to claim 19, comprising:

performing, based on the quality metric, a determination of whether to initiate a direct D2D communication link between the first UE and the second UE in the UL duplex resource.