Methods and apparatus for use in peer to peer communications devices and/or systems relating to rate scheduling, traffic scheduling, rate control, and/or power control

• US 9,510,359 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2016
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Laroia, Rajiv, Li, Junyi, Richardson, Thomas, Wu, Xinzhou, Jovicic, Aleksandar
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Kibrom T
• Application Number:
  US15/013,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20160157260A1
• Time in Patent Office: 301 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/16 Deriving transmission power values from another channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/18 TPC being performed according to specific parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/267 taking into account the information rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0473 the resource being transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/569 of the traffic information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

Methods and apparatus related to peer to peer communication networks are described. Embodiments directed to methods and apparatus for establishing traffic data transmission rates and/or transmission power levels between wireless terminals is described. Embodiments direct to methods and apparatus of making decisions whether or not to transmit as a function of the received power of the received response signals are also described. Transmission of pilot signals after granting of a transmission request and a decision to transmit traffic data has been made occurs in some embodiments. Rate information to be used in determining a traffic rate may be received in response to the pilot signal from a peer to peer (P2P) device.

Claims

1. A method of operating a first communication device, comprising:

monitoring to receive transmission requests during a monitoring period;

receiving, from a second communication device, a first transmit request for transmitting from the second communication device to the first communication device using a peer to peer air link traffic segment;

receiving, from a third communication device, a second transmit request for transmitting from the third communication device to a fourth communication device using the peer to peer air link traffic segment;

determining a priority of the first transmit request and a priority of the second transmit request;

determining a communication device priority using the priority of the first transmit request and the priority of the second transmit request; and

determining whether to send a receive echo signal from the first communication device to the second communication device based on the communication device priority.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising comparing a received power of the first transmit request with a received power of the second transmit request and determining whether to transmit a receive echo signal from the first communication device to the second communication device based on the comparison.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first communication device transmits an echo signal if the first communication device has a higher priority than the third communication device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the receive echo signal is transmitted at a power that is a function of channel conditions.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the receive echo is transmitted at a fixed predetermined power level.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein there is a predetermined relationship between the monitoring period and a corresponding traffic interval.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first monitoring period is a peer discovery period.

8. A first peer to peer communication device comprising:

a receiver configured to receive transmission requests during a monitoring period;

a processing module for processing a first transmit request for transmitting from a second communication device to the first communication device using a peer to peer air link traffic segment, and a second transmit request for transmitting from a third communication device to a fourth communication device using the peer to peer air link traffic segment, for determining a priority of the first transmit request and a priority of the second transmit request, and for determining a communication device priority using the priority of the first transmit request and the priority of the second transmit request; and

a transmitter for transmitting a receive echo signal from the first communication device to the second communication device based on the communication device priority.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the processing module is configured to compare a received power of the first transmit request with a received power of the second transmit request and determine whether to transmit a receive echo signal from the first communication device to the second communication device based on the comparison.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the first communication device transmits an echo signal if the first communication device has a higher priority than the third communication device.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the receive echo signal is transmitted at a power that is a function of channel conditions.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the receive echo is transmitted at a fixed predetermined power level.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein there is a predetermined relationship between the monitoring period and a corresponding traffic interval.

14. A first peer to peer communication device comprising:

means for receiving transmission requests during a monitoring period;

means for processing a first transmit request for transmitting from a second communication device to the first communication device using a peer to peer air link traffic segment, and a second transmit request for transmitting from a third communication device to a fourth communication device using the peer to peer air link traffic segment;

means for determining a priority of the first transmit request and a priority of the second transmit request;

means for determining a communication device priority using the priority of the first transmit request and the priority of the second transmit request; and

means for transmitting a receive echo signal from the first communication device to the second communication device based on the communication device priority.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the means for processing is configured to compare a received power of the first transmit request with a received power of the second transmit request and determine whether to transmit a receive echo signal from the first communication device to the second communication device based on the comparison.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the first communication device transmits an echo signal if the first communication device has a higher priority than the third communication device.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the receive echo signal is transmitted at a power that is a function of channel conditions.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions for:

monitoring for receive transmission requests during a monitoring period;

processing a first transmit request for transmitting from a second communication device to a first communication device using a peer to peer air link traffic segment;

processing a second transmit request for transmitting from a third communication device to a fourth communication device using the peer to peer air link traffic segment;

determining a priority of the first transmit request and a priority of the second transmit request;

determining a communication device priority using the priority of the first transmit request and the priority of the second transmit request; and

determining whether to send a receive echo signal from the first communication device to the second communication device based on the communication device priority.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions for comparing a received power of the first transmit request with a received power of the second transmit request and determining whether to transmit a receive echo signal from the first communication device to the second communication device based on the comparison.