Communication devices and methods for network signaling

• US 9,635,567 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2016
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Deutschland GmbH (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Bienas, Maik, Schmidt, Andreas, Choi, Hyung-Nam
• Primary Examiner(s): LO, DIANE LEE
• Application Number:
  US15/150,657
• Publication Number:
  US 20160277945A1
• Time in Patent Office: 350 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• 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 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations
• 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

A communication device is described comprising a detector configured to detect, based on the reception of radio signals from another communication device, whether the other communication device is operating as a relay communication device in a radio cell associated with the communication device and a signaling circuit configured to signal to a communication terminal that the other communication device is operating as a relay communication device if it has been detected that the other communication device is operating as a relay communication device.

Claims

1. An apparatus to be implemented in a first user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising:

cellular radio access technology (RAT) circuitry to;

transmit, to a base station, a request for network connectivity to be provided through the base station via a relay node, wherein the network connectivity to be provided through the base station via the relay node is to include a first link between the relay node and the base station, and

receive a message from the base station, wherein the message includes information indicating that a second UE is to operate as the relay node; and

short range RAT circuitry to establish a second link between the first UE and the second UE to obtain the network connectivity through the base station via the second UE and the first link.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message is a first message and the information is first information, and the short range RAT circuitry is to:

monitor for a second message broadcast by the second UE, wherein the second message includes second information to establish the second link.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the second message comprises information about the second UE.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information further indicates a plurality of UEs that operate as relay UEs, and the apparatus further comprising:

processor circuitry to select the second UE from among the plurality of UEs indicated by the information.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the short range RAT circuitry is further to:

communicate data with the second UE over the second link, wherein the second UE is to communicate the data with the base station over the first link.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first link comprises Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) signaling, and the second link comprises E-UTRAN short range signaling, wireless local area network (WLAN) signaling, or Bluetooth signaling.

7. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising computing instructions, wherein the instructions, in response to execution by a first user equipment (UE), cause the first UE to:

control transmission of a request to a base station, wherein the request is for network connectivity to be provided through the base station via a relay node and a first link between the relay node and the base station;

control receipt of a first message from the base station, wherein the first message includes first information indicating a plurality of UEs are to operate as relay nodes;

select a second UE from among the plurality of UEs to act as the relay node;

control receipt of a second message from the second UE, wherein the second message includes second information to establish a second link between the first UE and the second UE; and

control establishment of the second link with the second UE to obtain the network connectivity through the base station via the second UE and the first link.

8. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7, wherein the second message comprises information about the second UE.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7, wherein the second message is broadcast by the second UE, and wherein, to obtain the second message, the first UE, in response to execution of the computing instructions, is to control monitoring for the broadcast second message.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7, wherein the first UE, in response to execution of the computing instructions, is to:

control transmission and receipt of data to and from the second UE over the second link, wherein the second UE is to communicate the data with the base station over the first link.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the first UE, in response to execution of the computing instructions, is to:

control storage of the first information.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the first link comprises Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) signaling, and the second link comprises E-UTRAN short range signaling, wireless local area network (WLAN) signaling, or Bluetooth signaling.

13. An apparatus to be implemented in an evolved node B (eNB), the apparatus comprising:

signaling circuitry to;

establish a link with a relay node,

receive, from a first user equipment (UE), a request for network connectivity to be provided through the eNB via a relay node and the link, wherein the request includes short range radio access technology (RAT) capabilities of the first UE and position information of the first UE, and

transmit a message to the first UE, wherein the message includes information indicating a second UE proximate to the first UE that is to operate as the relay node; and

processor circuitry to identify that the second UE is capable to operate as the relay node, and determine that the second UE is proximate to the first UE based on the position information.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the link is a first link, and the message further comprises information about the second UE and one or more short range RATs to use to establish a second link with the second UE.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the signaling circuitry is to:

communicate data with the second UE over the first link, wherein the first UE is to communicate the data with the second UE over the second link.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first link comprises Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) signaling, and the second link comprises E-UTRAN short range signaling, wireless local area network (WLAN) signaling, or Bluetooth signaling.

17. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising computing instructions, wherein the instructions, in response to execution by an evolved node B (eNB), cause the eNB to:

control establishment of a first link with a second user equipment (UE),

control receipt of a request from a first UE, wherein the request is for network connectivity to be provided through the eNB via a relay node, and wherein the request includes short range radio access technology (RAT) capabilities of the first UE and position information of the first UE;

identify that the second UE is capable to operate as the relay node;

determine that the second UE is proximate to the first UE based on the position information; and

control transmission of a message to the first UE, wherein the message includes first information indicating that the second UE is proximate to the first UE and is to operate as the relay node and second information indicating one or more short range RATs to use to establish a second link with the second UE.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the message further comprises information about the second UE.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the computing instructions, in response to execution by the eNB, cause the eNB to:

communicate data with the second UE over the first link, wherein the second UE is to communicate the data with the first UE over the second link.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the first link comprises Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) signaling, and the second link comprises E-UTRAN short range signaling, wireless local area network (WLAN) signaling, or Bluetooth signaling.