Compact transceiver architecture for achieving device to device (D2D) communication using uplink and downlink carrier frequencies

• US 9,125,183 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2012
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kwon, Young Hoon, Sanchez, Jorge Fabrega
• Primary Examiner(s): Cho, Un C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Roudani, Oussama
• Application Number:
  US13/409,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20130230026A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,279 Days
• Field of Search: 370/336, 370/281, 370/329, 370/328, 370/252, 370/331, 455/266, 455/552, 455/78, 455/509
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0028 wherein the AD/DA conversion occurs at baseband stage
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/403 using the same oscillator for generating both the transmitter frequency and the receiver local oscillator frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15542 Selecting at relay station its transmit and receive resources selection of wireless resources by user or terminal H04W72/02; arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path by two-dimensional division of the resources H04L5/0003, or by allocating sub-channels H04L5/003
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• 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

A system and method for device-to-device (D2D) communication is disclosed. A preferred embodiment comprises a frequency synthesizer configured to provide a first carrier frequency and a second carrier frequency, an up-converter coupled to the frequency synthesizer and configured to up-convert a first baseband signal into a cellular uplink signal when receiving the first carrier frequency from the frequency synthesizer, and configured to up-convert the first baseband signal into a first device-to-device signal when receiving the second carrier frequency from the frequency synthesizer, and a down-converter coupled to the frequency synthesizer and configured to down-convert a second device-to-device signal into a second baseband signal when receiving the first carrier frequency from the frequency synthesizer, and configured to down-convert a cellular downlink signal into the second baseband signal when receiving the second carrier frequency from the frequency synthesizer.

Claims

1. A first mobile station adapted for direct device-to-device communication using an uplink carrier frequency and a downlink carrier frequency, the first mobile station comprising:

a frequency synthesizer configured to provide the uplink carrier frequency and the downlink carrier frequency to both an up-converter and a down-converter;

a transmission circuit comprising the up-converter and configured to generate a cellular uplink signal when the up-converter receives the uplink carrier frequency, and configured to generate a first device-to-device signal when the up-converter receives the downlink carrier frequency, wherein the cellular uplink signal is communicated from the first mobile station to a base station, and wherein the first device-to-device signal is communicated directly from the first mobile station to a second mobile station;

a reception circuit comprising the down-converter and configured to receive a second device-to-device signal when the down-converter receives the uplink carrier frequency, and configured to receive a cellular downlink signal when the down-converter receives the downlink carrier frequency, wherein both the first mobile station and the second mobile station are registered to end-users, wherein the cellular downlink signal is received by the first mobile station over the downlink carrier frequency during a first period of a time division multiplexing (TDM) synchronization window, wherein the first device-to-device signal is transmitted by the first mobile station over the downlink carrier frequency during a second period of the TDM synchronization window, and wherein the first device-to-device signal carries different data than the cellular downlink signal;

a first switch coupled to the transmission circuit;

a second switch coupled to the reception circuit;

a first duplexer coupled to the first switch via a first link and to the second switch via a second link; and

a second duplexer coupled to the first switch via a third link and to the second switch via a fourth link, wherein the first switch is positioned in-between the transmission circuit and the first duplexer and in-between the transmission circuit and the second duplexer, and wherein the second switch is positioned in-between the reception circuit and the first duplexer and in-between the reception circuit and the second duplexer.

2. The first mobile station of claim 1, wherein the transmission circuit further comprises a power amplifier coupled in series with the up-converter, and

wherein the serially connected power amplifier and up-converter are configured to generate both the cellular uplink signal and the first device-to-device signal.

3. The first mobile station of claim 1, wherein the reception circuit further comprises a single low noise amplifier coupled in series with the down-converter, and

wherein the serially connected low noise amplifier and down-converter is configured to receive the cellular downlink signal and the second device-to-device signal.

4. The first mobile station of claim 1, wherein the frequency synthesizer is configured to:

provide the uplink carrier frequency to the up-converter during the first period of the TDM synchronization window;

provide the downlink carrier frequency to the up-converter during the second period of the TDM synchronization window;

provide the downlink carrier frequency to the down-converter during the first period of the TDM synchronization window; and

provide the uplink carrier frequency to the down-converter during the second period of the TDM synchronization window.

5. The first mobile station of claim 1, wherein the transmission circuit is further configured to transmit the cellular uplink signal to a base station, and configured to transmit the first device-to-device signal to the second mobile station, and

wherein the reception circuit is further configured to receive the second device-to-device signal from the second mobile station, and configured to receive the cellular downlink signal from the base station.

6. The first mobile station of claim 1, wherein the first duplexer is configured to receive uplink frequency signals via the first link and forward downlink frequency signals over the second link at the first period of a time division multiplexing (TDM) synchronization window,

wherein the second duplexer is configured to receive downlink frequency signals via the third link and forward uplink frequency signals over the fourth link at the second period of the TDM synchronization window,

wherein the first switch is configured to connect the transmission circuit to the first link during the first period of the TDM synchronization window, and configured to connect the transmission circuit to the third link during the second period of the TDM synchronization window, and

wherein the second switch is configured to connect the reception circuit to the second link during the first period of the TDM synchronization window, and configured to connect the reception circuit to the fourth link during the second period of the TDM synchronization window.

7. The first mobile station of claim 1 further comprising:

a second transmission circuit comprising a second up-converter and configured to generate the cellular uplink signal when the second up-converter receives the uplink carrier frequency, and configured to generate the first device-to-device signal when the second up-converter receives the downlink carrier frequency; and

a second reception circuit comprising a second down-converter and configured to receive the second device-to-device signal when the down-converter receives the uplink carrier frequency, and configured to receive the cellular downlink signal when the down-converter receives the downlink carrier frequency.

8. The first mobile station of claim 7, wherein the frequency synthesizer is configured to provide the uplink carrier frequency and the downlink carrier frequency to both the second up-converter and the second down-converter according to a time division multiplexing (TDM) scheme.

9. The first mobile station of claim 7 further comprising a second frequency synthesizer configured to provide the uplink carrier frequency and the downlink carrier frequency to both the second up-converter and the second down-converter according to a time division multiplexing (TDM) scheme.

10. The first mobile station of claim 7 further comprising a baseband processor comprising:

a first transmission port coupled to the transmission circuit;

a first reception port coupled to the reception circuit;

a second transmission port coupled to the second transmission circuit; and

a second reception port coupled to the second reception circuit,

wherein the baseband processor processes one or more of the cellular uplink signals, the first device-to-device signal, the second device-to-device signal, and the cellular downlink signal using one or more of multiple input multiple output (MIMO) technology and beamforming technology.

11. A first mobile station configured to conduct direct device-to-device communication with a peer mobile station, the first mobile station comprising:

a frequency synthesizer configured to provide a first carrier frequency and a second carrier frequency;

an up-converter coupled to the frequency synthesizer and configured to up-convert a first baseband signal into a cellular uplink signal when receiving the first carrier frequency from the frequency synthesizer, and configured to up-convert the first baseband signal into a first device-to-device signal when receiving the second carrier frequency from the frequency synthesizer, wherein the cellular uplink signal is communicated from the first mobile station to a base station, and wherein the first device-to-device signal is communicated directly from the first mobile station to a second mobile station;

a down-converter coupled to the frequency synthesizer and configured to down-convert a second device-to-device signal into a second baseband signal when receiving the first carrier frequency from the frequency synthesizer, and configured to down-convert a cellular downlink signal into the second baseband signal when receiving the second carrier frequency from the frequency synthesizer, wherein both the first mobile station and the second mobile station are registered to end-users, wherein the first mobile station is configured to communicate the cellular uplink signal over the first carrier frequency during a first period of a time division multiplexing (TDM) synchronization window, and to communicate the second device-to-device signal over the first carrier frequency during a second period of the TDM synchronization window, and wherein the second device-to-device signal carries different data than the cellular uplink signal;

a first switch coupled to the up-converter;

a second switch coupled to the down-converter;

a first duplexer coupled to the first switch via a first link and to the second switch via a second link; and

a second duplexer coupled to the first switch via a third link and to the second switch via a fourth link, wherein the first switch is positioned in-between the up-converter and the first duplexer and in-between the up-converter and the second duplexer, and wherein the second switch is positioned in-between the down-converter and the second duplexer and in-between the down-converter and the first duplexer.

12. The first mobile station of claim 11, wherein both the cellular uplink signal and the second device-to-device signal share the first carrier frequency according to a time division multiplexing (TDM) scheme, and wherein both the first device-to-device signal and the cellular downlink signal share the second carrier frequency according to the TDM scheme.

13. The first mobile station of claim 11, wherein the first carrier frequency is an uplink carrier frequency, wherein the second carrier frequency is a downlink carrier frequency, and wherein the cellular uplink signal and cellular downlink signal are communicated according to a frequency division duplex scheme with respect to one another.