PROXIMITY DETECTION IN A DEVICE TO DEVICE NETWORK

• US 20160007152A1
• Filed: 03/26/2014
• Published: 01/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: JOHNSSON, KERSTIN, STOJANOVSKI, ALEXANDRE S., VENKATACHALAM, MUTHAIAH
• Granted Patent: US 9,883,338 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/10 Open loop power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/244 Interferences in heterogeneous networks, e.g. among macro and femto or pico cells or other sector / system interference [OSI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0473 the resource being transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• 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 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A technology for a user equipment (UE) that is operable to communicate in a device to device (D2D) network. A proximity detection request can be communicated to an evolved packet core (EPC). The proximity detection request can include a window parameter, an identification information of a second UE, and a proximity detection signal indicating whether the proximity detection request is for proximity detection of the second UE or for establishing a D2D connection with the second UE. A proximity alert message can be received from the EPC at the window parameter.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) operable to communicate in a device to device (D2D) network, having computer circuitry configured to:

communicate, to an evolved packet core (EPC), a proximity detection request, wherein the proximity detection request includes;

a date window parameter;

an identification information of a second UE, and

a proximity detection signal indicating whether the proximity detection request is for proximity detection of the second UE or for establishing a D2D connection with the second UE; and

receive, from the EPC, a proximity alert message at a selected date based on the date window parameter.

2. The computer circuitry of claim 1, wherein the proximity alert message include assistance information for D2D communication of the UE with the second UE.

3. The computer circuitry of claim 2, further configured to transmit, to the second UE, a discovery message to establish a D2D connection using the assistance information for the second UE.

4. The computer circuitry of claim 1, wherein the date window parameter includes a time of day, a day of a week, a week of a month, or a month of a year for establishing communications with the second UE in the D2D network.

5. The computer circuitry of claim 1, wherein the proximity detection request includes a location window parameter.

6. The computer circuitry of claim 5, wherein the location window parameter is a selected geographic setting.

7. The computer circuitry of claim 6, wherein the selected geographic setting includes a selected location type, a current location information of the first UE, a current location information of the second UE, a selected commercial environment setting, a radius setting for a selected radius adjacent the first UE, a radius setting for a selected radius adjacent the second UE, a selected state setting, a selected city setting, a selected region setting, a selected landmark setting, a selected landmark type setting, a type of neighborhood setting, a selected location of a structure setting, a location boundary setting, point of reference setting, or a radius setting for a radius surrounding a point of reference.

8. The computer circuitry of claim 1, wherein the proximity detection request includes identification information for a plurality of UEs, one or more selected types of UEs, one or more selected groups of UEs, or one or more selected categories of UEs.

9. The computer circuitry of claim 8, wherein the date window parameter includes a plurality of times of day, days of a week, weeks of a month, or months of a year for proximity detection of other UEs in the D2D network or for establishing D2D communications between the UE and other UEs in the D2D network.

10. The computer circuitry of claim 1, further configured to directly communicate with the second UE using a D2D communications connection.

11. The computer circuitry of claim 10, wherein the D2D communications connection is a wireless local area network (WLAN) connection, a wireless fidelity (WiFi) direct connection, a Bluetooth connection, or a Zigbee connection.

12. A network element in an evolved packet core (EPC) operable to assist a user equipment (UE) to communicate in a device to device (D2D) network, the network element having computer circuitry configured to:

perform a proximity detection for a first UE and a second UE based on a window parameter of a proximity detection request from the first UE;

communicate a proximity detection approval request to the second UE during the window parameter, wherein the proximity detection approval request includes identification information for the first UE;

receive, from the second UE, a proximity detection approval response; and

communicate, to the first UE, a proximity alert message.

13. The computer circuitry of claim 12, wherein the proximity detection approval request includes timing information for performing discovery of the first UE.

14. The computer circuitry of claim 12, wherein the proximity alert message includes connection information for the second UE and timing information for performing discovery of the second UE.

15. The computer circuitry of claim 12, further configured to receive, from the first UE, the proximity detection request, wherein the proximity detection request includes a window parameter, identification information related to the second UE, and a proximity detection signal indicating whether the proximity detection request is for proximity detection of the second UE or for establishing a D2D connection between the first UE and the second UE.

16. The computer circuitry of claim 12, further configured to store a predetermined proximity detection request, wherein the predetermined proximity detection request includes a window parameter and identification information related to the second UE.

17. The computer circuitry of claim 12, wherein the window parameter includes a date window parameter or a location window parameter.

18. The computer circuitry of claim 17, further configured to receive location information for the first UE to determine when the first UE is within the location window parameter to perform the proximity detection.

19. The computer circuitry of claim 17, further configured to determine a location of the first UE or the second UE using a global position system (GPS), signal triangulation, a beacon signal, cell coverage based positioning, observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) positioning, enhanced observed time difference (E-OTD) positioning, assisted-global navigation satellite system (A-GNSS) positioning, uplink time difference of arrival (UTDOA) positioning, or enhanced observed time difference (E-OTD) positioning.

20. The computer circuitry of claim 12, further configured to provide the first UE with window parameter selection options.

21. The computer circuitry of claim 12, further configured to monitor, in substantially real-time, when the second UE is within a selected radius of the first UE.

22. A method for assisting a user equipment (UE) to communicate in a device to device (D2D) network, comprising:

communicating, to an evolved packet core (EPC), a proximity detection request, wherein the proximity detection request includes;

a location window parameter;

an identification information of a second UE, and

a detection signal indicating whether the proximity detection request is for proximity detection of the second UE or for establishing a D2D connection with the second UE; and

receiving, from the EPC, a proximity alert message at a selected date based on the location window parameter.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising transmitting, to the second UE, a discovery message to establish a D2D connection using the assistance information for the second UE.

24. The method of a claim 22, wherein the proximity detection request includes a date window parameter.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the location window parameter or the date window parameter is a recurring event.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising communicating, to the EPC, a proximity detection cancellation request, wherein the proximity detection cancellation request stops the EPC from determining when a proximity event occurs based on the proximity detection request when the UE is located within the location window parameter or the date window parameter.

27. The method of claim 22, further comprising receiving, at the first UE, proximity detection request information from user input information.