Selection of connection type in cellular system

• US 8,825,040 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2008
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Van Phan, Vinh, Horneman, Kari Veikko, Hooli, Kari Juhani
• Primary Examiner(s): Daniel, Jr., Willie J
• Application Number:
  US13/054,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20110117907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,238 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

The present invention presents a method and a controller for selecting the type of connection used to connect a terminal device to a serving base station. The connection type is selected on the basis of monitored communication-environmental parameters of the terminal device. The selection is made between a direct cellular radio connection and a relayed cellular radio connection. The relayed connection is established through another terminal device acting as a relay terminal for the connection being relayed. A direct device-to-device link between the two terminal devices is established as a cognitive radio connection, and a radio access technology and communication parameters of the device-to-device link may be negotiated between the terminal devices. The relay terminal then links the device-to-device link to a direct cellular radio connection between the relay terminal and the serving base station.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

Monitoring, while in an idle state by a terminal device of a cellular telecommunication system, communication-environmental parameters of the cellular telecommunication system, wherein the terminal device supports cellular radio connections established directly between the terminal device and a base station of the cellular telecommunication system and device-to-device connections established directly between two or more terminal devices according to one or more radio access technologies selected from a plurality of radio access technologies supported by the two or more terminal devices;

Selecting, by the terminal device in the idle state prior to establishing a communications connection, either a direct cellular radio connection or a relayed cellular radio connection to connect the terminal device to the cellular telecommunication system, wherein the relayed cellular radio connection refers to a connection established between the base station and the terminal device through a relay terminal device configured to link a device-to-device connection established between the relay terminal and the terminal device to a cellular radio connection between the relay terminal device and the base station, wherein the relay terminal device is controlled by the base station to broadcast a beacon signal, and the monitored communication-environmental parameters include the beacon signal and a broadcast control signal from the base station, and wherein the terminal device selects either the direct cellular radio connection or the relayed cellular radio connection depending on the monitored communication-environmental parameters.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring of the radio access technology of the device-to-device connection comprises broadcasting on a broadcast control channel information indicating the radio access technologies currently used in the device-to-device connections for the relayed connections.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the radio access technology of the device-to-device connection is configured by using radio resource control signaling receivable by terminal devices having a radio resource control connection with the base station.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

triggering a switch between the direct cellular radio connection and the relayed cellular radio connection upon detection of a predetermined event in the monitored communication-environmental parameters of the terminal device in a connected state.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection of the relayed connection comprises:

scanning for beacon signals of relay terminals providing the relayed cellular connection to the base station;

establishing with a selected relay terminal a device-to-device connection to be linked to a cellular radio connection between the relay terminal and the base station; and

communicating with the base station through the relay terminal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the establishment of the device-to-device connection with the relay terminal further comprises negotiating a radio access technology and transmission parameters to be used in the device-to-device connection.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a controller; and

a memory including computer program code,

the memory and the computer program code configured, with the controller, to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

monitoring, while in an idle state by a terminal device of a cellular telecommunication system, communication-environmental parameters of the cellular telecommunication system, wherein the terminal device supports direct cellular radio connections established directly between the terminal device and a base station of the cellular telecommunication system and device-to-device connections established directly between two or more terminal devices according to one or more radio access technologies selected from a plurality of radio access technologies supported by the two or more terminal devices, and

selecting, by the terminal device in the idle state, prior to establishing a communications connection either a direct cellular radio connection or a relayed cellular radio connection as the communications connection to connect the terminal device to the cellular telecommunication system, wherein the relayed cellular radio connection refers to a connection configured by the base station by selecting one or more radio access technologies for communication by the terminal device through a relay terminal device configured to link a device-to-device connection established between the relay terminal and the terminal device to a cellular radio connection between the relay terminal device and the base station, wherein the relay terminal device is controlled by the base station to broadcast a beacon signal, and the monitored communication-environmental parameters include the beacon signal and a broadcast control signal from the base station, and wherein the terminal device selects either the direct cellular radio connection or the relayed cellular radio connection depending on the monitored communication-environmental parameters.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the memory and the computer program code are further configured, with the controller, to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:

carry out the selection by attempting first the cellular radio connection and selecting the relayed cellular radio connection upon failure to establish the cellular radio connection.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the memory and the computer program code are further configured, with the controller, to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:

attempt first the direct cellular radio connection to a primarily preferred cellular telecommunication system;

upon failure to establish the cellular radio connection to the primarily preferred cellular telecommunication system, to attempt the relayed cellular radio connection to the primarily preferred cellular telecommunication system; and

upon failure to establish the relayed cellular radio connection to the primarily preferred cellular telecommunication system, to attempt a direct cellular radio connection to an alternative cellular telecommunication system.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the memory and the computer program code are further configured, with the controller, to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:

determine the performance of the direct cellular radio connection from the monitored communication-environmental parameters, to select the direct cellular radio connection, if the determined performance of the direct cellular radio connection exceeds a predetermined threshold level, and to select the relayed cellular radio connection, if the determined performance of the direct cellular radio connection does not exceed a predetermined threshold level.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the predetermined threshold level is a cell selection threshold used for cell suitability determination in cell selection by the terminal device plus an offset value to enable the selection of the relayed cellular radio connection before triggering a cell reselection.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the memory and the computer program code are further configured, with the controller, to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:

configure the terminal device to scan the presence of relay terminals in order to determine the availability of the relayed cellular radio connections, and to disable the scanning, if the determined performance of the direct cellular radio connection exceeds the predetermined threshold level plus a second offset value.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the memory and the computer program code are further configured, with the controller, to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:

trigger a switch between the direct cellular radio connection and the relayed cellular radio connection upon detection of a predetermined event in the monitored communication-environmental parameters of the terminal device in a connected state.

14. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the memory and the computer program code are further configured, with the controller, to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:

establish the relayed connection by configuring the terminal device to scan for beacon signals of relay terminals providing the relayed cellular connection to the base station, establishing with a selected relay terminal a device-to-device connection to be linked to a cellular radio connection between the relay terminal and the base station, and communicating with the base station through the relay terminal; and

wherein the establishment of the device-to-device connection with the relay terminal further comprises negotiating a radio access technology and transmission parameters to be used in the device-to-device connection.

15. A method for managing connections in a terminal device of a cellular telecommunication system, the method comprising:

monitoring, while in an idle state by a terminal device of a cellular telecommunication system, communication-environmental parameters of the cellular telecommunication system, wherein the terminal device supports cellular radio connections established directly between the terminal device and a base station of the cellular telecommunication system and device-to-device connections established directly between two or more terminal devices according to one or more radio access technologies selected from a plurality of radio access technologies supported by the two or more terminal devices;

selecting, by the terminal device in the idle state prior to establishing a communications connection, either a direct cellular radio connection or a relayed cellular radio connection to connect the terminal device to the cellular telecommunication system on the basis of the monitored communication-environmental parameters, wherein the relayed cellular radio connection refers to a connection established between the base station and the terminal device through a relay terminal device configured by the base station by selecting the one or more radio access technologies to link a device-to-device connection established between the relay terminal and the terminal device to a cellular radio connection between the relay terminal device and the base station, wherein the relay terminal device is controlled by the base station to broadcast a beacon signal, and the monitored communication-environmental parameters include the beacon signal and a broadcast control signal from the base station, and wherein the terminal device selects either the direct cellular radio connection or the relayed cellular radio connection depending on the monitored communication-environmental parameters; and

receiving from the base station the configuration of the one or more radio access technologies to be used in the device-to-device connection for the relayed cellular radio connection and utilizing said received configuration in the device-to-device connection of the relayed cellular connection.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the selection of the relayed connection comprises:

scanning for different types of beacon signals of relay terminals providing the relayed cellular connection to the base station, wherein the scanning for different types of beacon signals is limited by the received information indicating the radio access technologies currently used in the device-to-device connections for the relayed connections;

establishing with a selected relay terminal a device-to-device connection to be linked to a cellular radio connection between the relay terminal and the base station; and

communicating with the base station through the relay terminal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the establishment of the device-to-device connection with the relay terminal further comprises negotiating a radio access technology and transmission parameters to be used in the device-to-device connection.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the selection further comprises:

determining the performance of the direct cellular radio connection from the monitored communication-environmental parameters;

selecting the direct cellular radio connection, if the determined performance of the direct cellular radio connection exceeds a predetermined threshold level; and

selecting the relayed cellular radio connection, if the determined performance of the direct cellular radio connection does not exceed a the predetermined threshold level.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the predetermined threshold level is a cell selection threshold used for cell suitability determination in cell selection by the terminal device plus an offset value to enable the selection of the relayed cellular radio connection before triggering a cell reselection.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the performance of the direct cellular radio connection is determined on the basis of measured strength of a signal received from the base station.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

scanning the presence of relay terminals in order to determine the availability of the relayed cellular radio connections; and

disabling the scanning, if the determined performance of the direct cellular radio connection exceeds the predetermined threshold level plus a second offset value.

22. A method, comprising:

receiving a connection request at a terminal device;

monitoring, while in an idle state by the terminal device of a cellular telecommunication system, one or more communication-environmental parameters of the cellular telecommunication system prior to establishing a communications connection with the cellular telecommunication system, wherein the terminal device is capable of establishing the communications connection with the cellular telecommunication system via a cellular radio connection directly with a base station of the cellular telecommunication system, and where the terminal device is capable of establishing the communications connection with the cellular telecommunication system via a relayed communication connection directly with another terminal device and indirectly with the base station via the relayed communication connection; and

establishing the communications connection with the cellular telecommunication system using either a direct connection between the terminal device and the base station or using the relayed communication connection between the terminal device and said another terminal device depending on the monitored communication-environmental parameters, wherein the relay terminal device is controlled by the base station to broadcast a beacon signal, and the monitored communication-environmental parameters include the beacon signal and a broadcast control signal from the base station, and wherein the terminal device selects either the direct cellular radio connection or the relayed cellular radio connection depending on the monitored communication-environmental parameters, and wherein the relayed communication connection is configured by the base station by selecting one or more radio access technologies selected from a plurality of radio access technologies supported by the terminal device and said another terminal device, and wherein the communications connection is determined by the terminal device depending on the monitored communication-environmental parameters prior to establishing the communications connection.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the communication-environmental parameters include an estimation of a quality of the direct cellular radio communication link with the base station, availability of the connection with another terminal device, detection of radio access technologies available for the relayed connection, and battery power of the terminal device.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein monitoring one or more communication-environmental parameters of the terminal device includes scanning for beacon signals of relay terminals including said another terminal device for providing the relayed communication connection.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the scanning for beacon signals is limited by information received by the terminal device indicating radio access technologies currently available for the relayed communication connection;

and wherein establishing the communications connection includes establishing with a selected relay terminal a device-to-device connection to be linked to a cellular radio connection between the relay terminal and the base station, and communicating with the base station through the relay terminal.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the establishment of the device-to-device connection with the relay terminal further comprises negotiating a radio access technology and transmission parameters to be used in the device-to-device connection.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the monitoring one or more communication-environmental parameters includes determining the performance of the cellular radio connection directly with the base station from the monitored communication-environmental parameters;

and wherein establishing the communications connection includes using the connection between the terminal device and the base station if the determined performance of the cellular radio connection directly with the base station exceeds a predetermined threshold level, and using the relayed communication connection, if the determined performance of the cellular radio connection directly with the base station does not exceed the predetermined threshold level.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the predetermined threshold level is a cell selection threshold used for cell suitability determination in cell selection by the terminal device plus an offset value to enable the selection of the relayed communication connection before triggering a cell reselection.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

scanning for the presence of relay terminals including said another terminal in order to determine the availability of the relayed communication connection; and

disabling the scanning, if the determined performance of the cellular radio connection directly with the base station exceeds the predetermined threshold level plus an offset value.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the performance of the cellular radio connection directly with the base station is determined on the basis of measured strength of a signal received from the base station.