RADIO TERMINAL, D2D COMMUNICATION CONTROL APPARATUS, BASE STATION, PRELIMINARY RELAY RADIO TERMINAL SELECTION METHOD, NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM

• US 20180192458A1
• Filed: 01/19/2016
• Published: 07/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Application Number:
  US15/739,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20180192458A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/033 in pre-organised networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/302 due to low signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/23 Manipulation of direct-mode connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

A D2D communication control apparatus (10) according to the present invention includes: a communication unit (11) configured to receive determination information that can be used to determine whether a plurality of radio terminals are capable of performing direct communication with another radio terminal; and a selection unit (12) configured to select, in a situation in which a first radio terminal included in the plurality of radio terminals is performing D2D communication with a relay radio terminal that performs cellular communication with a network, a radio terminal in which the determination information between the radio terminal and the relay radio terminal satisfies a predetermined condition among radio terminals capable of performing D2D communication with the first radio terminal, as a preliminary relay radio terminal.

Claims

1. A radio terminal comprising:

at least one memory storing instructions, and

at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to;

receive determination information that can be used to determine whether each of a plurality of other radio terminals is capable of performing device-to-device (D2D) communication with another radio terminal; and

select, in a situation in which D2D communication is being performed with a relay radio terminal that performs cellular communication with a network, a radio terminal in which the determination information between the radio terminal and the relay radio terminal satisfies a predetermined condition among radio terminals that are capable of performing D2D communication, as a preliminary relay radio terminal.

2. The radio terminal according to claim 1, wherein the determination information comprises at least one of positional information generated by each of the plurality of other radio terminals and reception result information indicating a result of receiving a discovery signal that each of the plurality of radio terminals has transmitted to or received from a nearby radio terminal.

3. The radio terminal according to claim 2, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to select, when receiving the positional information as the determination information, a radio terminal that is located at a distance in which it can perform D2D communication and is located in a direction different from that of the relay radio terminal as the preliminary relay radio terminal.

4. The radio terminal according to claim 3, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to select the preliminary relay radio terminal in such a way that, when receiving the positional information as the determination information, a first distance between the radio terminal and the relay radio terminal, a second distance between the radio terminal and the preliminary relay radio terminal, and a third distance between the relay radio terminal and the preliminary relay radio terminal satisfy a relation that the third distance is equal to or larger than the first distance and the third distance is equal to or larger than the second distance.

5. The radio terminal according to claim 2, wherein the reception result information comprises identification information on a radio terminal that has transmitted a discovery signal that each of the plurality of radio terminals has received.

6. The radio terminal according to claim 5, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to select, when receiving the reception result information as the determination information, a radio terminal that does not include identification information on the relay radio terminal in the reception result information among radio terminals that include identification information on the radio terminal in the reception result information as the preliminary relay radio terminal.

7. The radio terminal according to claim 6, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to select the preliminary relay radio terminal using at least one of the reception power of the discovery signal, the number of times the discovery signal has been received, the number of radio terminals that are executing D2D communication, communication quality of a cellular communication line, a residual capacity of a battery, a moving direction, and a moving speed when there are a plurality of radio terminals that do not include identification information on the relay radio terminal in the reception result information, or when there is no radio terminal that does not include identification information on the relay radio terminal in the reception result information among radio terminals that include identification information on the radio terminal in the reception result information.

8. The radio terminal according to claim 7, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to select, when there are a plurality of radio terminals that do not include identification information on the relay radio terminal in the reception result information among radio terminals that include identification information on the radio terminal in the reception result information, a radio terminal in which the reception power of the discovery signal transmitted from the radio terminal is equal to or larger than a threshold as the relay radio terminal.

9. The radio terminal according to claim 7, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to select, when there are a plurality of radio terminals that do not include identification information on the relay radio terminal in the reception result information among radio terminals that include identification information on the radio terminal in the reception result information, a radio terminal in which the reception power of the discovery signal transmitted from the radio terminal is the largest as the relay radio terminal.

10. The radio terminal according to claim 7, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to select, when there is no radio terminal that does not include identification information on the relay radio terminal in the reception result information among radio terminals that include identification information on the radio terminal in the reception result information, a radio terminal in which the reception power of the discovery signal transmitted from the relay radio terminal is equal to or smaller than a threshold as the relay radio terminal.

11. The radio terminal according to claim 7, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to select, when there is no radio terminal that does not include identification information on the relay radio terminal in the reception result information among radio terminals that include identification information on the radio terminal in the reception result information, a radio terminal in which the reception power of the discovery signal transmitted from the relay radio terminal is the smallest as the relay radio terminal.

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15. (canceled)

16. A D2D communication control apparatus comprising:

at least one memory storing instructions, and

at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to;

receive determination information that can be used to determine whether a plurality of radio terminals are capable of performing direct communication (device-to-device (D2D) communication) with another radio terminal; and

select, in a situation in which a first radio terminal included in the plurality of radio terminals is performing D2D communication with a relay radio terminal that performs cellular communication with a network, a radio terminal in which the determination information between the radio terminal and the relay radio terminal satisfies a predetermined condition among radio terminals capable of performing D2D communication with the first radio terminal, as a preliminary relay radio terminal.

17. The D2D communication control apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the determination information comprises at least one of positional information generated by each of the plurality of radio terminals and reception result information indicating a result of receiving a discovery signal that each of the plurality of radio terminals has transmitted to or received from a nearby radio terminal.

18. The D2D communication control apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to select, when receiving the positional information as the determination information, a radio terminal that is located at a distance in which it can perform D2D communication with the first radio terminal and is further located in a direction different from that of the relay radio terminal with respect to the first radio terminal as the preliminary relay radio terminal.

19. The D2D communication control apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to select the preliminary relay radio terminal in such a way that, when receiving the positional information as the determination information, a first distance between the first radio terminal and the relay radio terminal, a second distance between the first radio terminal and the preliminary relay radio terminal, and a third distance between the relay radio terminal and the preliminary relay radio terminal satisfy a relation that the third distance is equal to or larger than the first distance and the third distance is equal to or larger than the second distance.

20. The D2D communication control apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the reception result information comprises identification information on a radio terminal that has transmitted a discovery signal that each of the plurality of radio terminals has received.

21. The D2D communication control apparatus according to claim 20, wherein, when the receiving the reception result information as the determination information, the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to select a radio terminal that does not include identification information on the relay radio terminal in the reception result information among radio terminals that include identification information on the first radio terminal in the reception result information as the preliminary relay radio terminal of the first radio terminal.

22. The D2D communication control apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to select the preliminary relay radio terminal using at least one of the reception power of the discovery signal, the number of times the discovery signal has been received, the number of radio terminals that are executing D2D communication, communication quality of a cellular communication line, a residual capacity of a battery, a moving direction, and a moving speed when there are a plurality of radio terminals that do not include identification information on the relay radio terminal in the reception result information, or when there is no radio terminal that does not include identification information on the relay radio terminal in the reception result information among radio terminals including identification information on the first radio terminal in the reception result information.

23. The D2D communication control apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to select, when there are a plurality of radio terminals that do not include identification information on the relay radio terminal in the reception result information among radio terminals including identification information on the first radio terminal in the reception result information, a radio terminal in which the reception power of the discovery signal transmitted from the first radio terminal is equal to or larger than a threshold as the relay radio terminal.

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31. A preliminary relay radio terminal selection method comprising:

receiving determination information that can be used to determine whether a plurality of radio terminals are capable of performing device-to-device (D2D) communication with another terminal; and

selecting, in a situation in which a first radio terminal included in the plurality of radio terminals is performing D2D communication with a relay radio terminal that performs cellular communication with a network, a radio terminal in which the determination information between the radio terminal and the relay radio terminal satisfies a predetermined condition among radio terminals capable of performing D2D communication with the first radio terminal, as a preliminary relay radio terminal.

32. (canceled)