Controlling communication devices

• US 9,432,818 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2010
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Yu, Ling, Van Phan, Vinh, Horneman, Kari Veikko
• Primary Examiner(s): AKINYEMI, AJIBOLA A
• Application Number:
  US13/578,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20120322484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,392 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A method and control apparatus for a wireless communication system is disclosed for providing grouping of sets of paired communication devices into groups of paired communication devices at least in part based on information about other paired communication devices. The information is determined based on detection by at least one of the communication devices in a relevant set of paired communication devices.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving information in a wireless communication system relating to communication devices in at least one other set of paired communication devices from a communication device in the set of paired communication devices, the information being determined based on detection by the communication device;

grouping the set of paired communication devices with the at least one other set of paired communication devices at least in part based on information about other paired communication devices, into a group,

such that the communication devices in the sets are not detecting each other, and

where, in a resulting grouping, the sets of paired communication devices of each group are located such that an interference mitigating minimum distance is provided between closest devices of the sets in a group;

allocating radio resources to the group of sets of paired communication devices so that the radio resources may be simultaneously reused between the sets of paired communication devices; and

sending control instructions to at least one communication device in the set, the control instructions comprising the allocated radio resources.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the control instructions to the communication devices in each set of paired communication devices in the group.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the grouping is determined by taking possible or real interference into account.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from at least one communication device information identifying groups of paired communication devices in an area; and

configuring the group of paired communication devices for the set of paired communication devices based on the received information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the control instructions comprise an identity of the group.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the control instructions comprise information about the use of the resources within the set of paired communication devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a control apparatus of a cellular communication system controls the operation of communication devices within the operational area thereof, the method comprising receiving information identifying at least one group of paired communication devices at the control apparatus of the cellular communication system, the information being based on detection by at least one cellular communication device connected to the cellular system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the controlling further comprises allocating resources to cellular communication devices and paired communication devices based at least in part on said reporting such that different resources are allocated to the cellular communication devices than to said paired communication devices.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising signaling information about the paired communication devices b to another control apparatus of the communication system.

10. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program code configured to perform the steps of claim 1 when the program is run on a data processing apparatus.

11. A method comprising:

monitoring by a communication device in a set of paired communication devices for signals from other communication devices;

detecting other communication based on the monitoring;

reporting the detected communication devices to a control apparatus;

receiving control instructions from the control apparatus,

wherein the control instructions comprise radio resources allocated for the communication device, and

wherein the radio resources are determined based on the reported detected communication devices, and

wherein the reported detected communications devices in a neighborhood of the control apparatus are located such that they do not interfere with the set of paired communication devices so the control apparatus can apply similar control instructions to other sets of paired devices in the neighborhood.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the detecting further comprises detecting at least one of synchronization, beacon and sounding sequences.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the detecting further comprises detecting identities of nearby groups of paired communication devices based on information signalled by communication devices in the nearby groups.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the reporting further comprises reporting information identifying a detected group of paired communication devices by each communication device in the set of paired communication devices.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising broadcasting information identifying a group of paired communication devices.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising broadcasting information identifying a group of paired communication devices by each paired communication device in the relevant area.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the broadcasting comprises transmitting the information identifying the group in a predefined sequence of bits in different frequency and time resources.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving information regarding a mapping between sequences of bits in different frequency and time resources and group identities from a control apparatus of the communication system.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein reporting further comprises reporting cell identity information.

20. An apparatus, comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause or control:

receiving information in a wireless communication system relating to communication devices in at least one other set of paired communication devices from a communication device in the set of paired communication devices, the information being determined based on detection by the communication device;

grouping the set of paired communication devices with the at least one other set of paired communication devices at least in part based on information about other paired communication devices, into a group,

such that the communication devices in the sets are not detecting each other, and

where, in a resulting grouping, the sets of paired communication devices of each group are located such that an interference mitigating minimum distance is provided between closest devices of the sets in a group;

allocating radio resources to the group of sets of paired communication devices so that the radio resources may be simultaneously reused between the sets of paired communication devices; and

sending control instructions to at least one communication device in the set, the control instructions comprising the allocated radio resources.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured, with the at least one processor, to cause or control sending the control instructions to the communication devices in each set of paired communication devices in the group.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the grouping is determined by taking possible or real interference into account.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the detecting further comprises detecting at least one of synchronization, beacon and sounding sequences.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the control instructions comprise an identity of the group.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured, with the at least one processor, to cause or control controlling the operation of communication devices within the operational area thereof, the control apparatus being configured to process information identifying at least one group of paired communication devices that is based on detection by at least one cellular communication device.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured, with the at least one processor, to cause or control allocating resources to cellular communication devices and paired communication devices based at least in part on said processing such that different resources are allocated to the cellular communication devices than to the paired communication devices.

27. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured, with the at least one processor, to cause or control signalling of information about the paired communication devices b to another control apparatus of the communication system.

28. A base station comprising the apparatus in accordance with claim 20.

29. A communication system comprising the apparatus as claimed in claim 20.

30. An apparatus, comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause or control:

monitoring by a communication device in a set of paired communication devices for signals from other communication

detecting other communication devices based on the monitoring;

reporting the detected communication devices to an apparatus for controlling,

reporting the detected communication devices to a control apparatus;

receiving control instructions from the control apparatus,

wherein the control instructions comprise radio resources allocated for the communication device,

wherein the radio resources are determined based on the reported detected communication devices, and

wherein the reported detected communications devices in a neighborhood of the control apparatus are located such that they do not interfere with the set of paired communication devices so the control apparatus can apply similar control instructions to other sets of paired devices in the neighborhood.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured, with the at least one processor, to cause or control broadcasting of information identifying a group it is configured to belong to.

32. A mobile communication device comprising the apparatus in accordance with claim 30.