Method and apparatus for indicating discovery signal resources in device-to-device wireless communications

• US 9,661,485 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2014
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ro, Sangmin, Ji, Hyoungju, Kwak, Yongjun, Kim, Younsun
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Kashif
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Minjung
• Application Number:
  US14/263,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20140323126A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2655 Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/002 Mutual synchronization
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses are provided for indicating a discovery signal resource by a User Equipment (UE) performing device-to-device communication. The UE receives information relating to the device-to-device communication from a base station. A synchronization signal including discovery signal-related information, is transmitted from the UE to a nearby UE, based on the information relating to the device-to-device communication. A discovery is performed based on the discovery signal-related information.

Claims

1. A method of performing device-to-device communication by a terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at the terminal, information relating to the device-to-device communication from a base station, the information relating to the device-to-device communication including information relating to discovery signal resource configuration information and information for allocating a resource on discovery signal resource configuration information;

transmitting the discovery signal resource configuration information, from the terminal, to another terminal, which does not receive the information relating to the device-to-device communication from the base station, based on the information relating to the device-to-device communication; and

after the discovery signal resource configuration information is transmitted, transmitting, at the terminal, a discovery signal associated with information on the terminal to the another terminal, using at least one resource identified based on the discovery signal resource configuration information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information relating to the device-to-device communication further comprises at least one of information on a communication resource allocated for the device-to-device communication, information on the discovery signal, and information on whether the terminal should transmit the discovery signal resource configuration information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the discovery signal resource configuration information includes further transmitting at least one of:

frequency information of the discovery signal, type information of the discovery signal, an identifier of the terminal transmitting the discovery signal resource configuration information, a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), and information on a reference signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the discovery signal resource configuration information is included in a synchronization signal, and

wherein the synchronization signal further includes a first synchronization signal and a second synchronization signal, the first synchronization signal comprises information on a sub-frame resource usable for transmission and reception of the discovery signal, and the second synchronization signal comprises information on a relation between a current radio frame and a next radio frame including the discovery signal resource configuration information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the discovery signal resource configuration information is included in a synchronization signal, and

wherein the synchronization signal further includes a first synchronization signal and a second synchronization signal, the first synchronization signal comprises a period of a radio frame including the discovery signal resource configuration information, an offset of the radio frame within the period, and a sub-frame resource usable for transmission and reception of the discovery signal within the radio frame, and the second synchronization signal comprises information on an index of a current radio frame.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the discovery signal resource configuration information is included in all radio frames or one or more select radio frames according to a pre-defined period, and wherein, within a radio frame having the discovery signal resource configuration information, the discovery signal resource configuration information is included in a part or all of symbol intervals of at least one sub-frame.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring a device-to-device communication synchronization request signal, the monitoring being configured by the information relating to device-to-device communication from the base station; and

upon receiving the device-to-device communication synchronization request signal from the another terminal, reporting the device-to-device communication synchronization request to the base station.

8. A method of performing device-to-device communication by a terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at the terminal, which does not receive information relating to the device to device communication from a base station, discovery signal resource configuration information from another terminal, which does receive the information relating to the device-to-device communication from the base station, and the information relating to the device-to-device communication includes information relating to discovery signal resource configuration information and information for allocating a resource on the discovery signal resource configuration information; and

after the discovery signal resource configuration information is received, receiving, at the terminal, a discovery signal associated with information on the another terminal from the another terminal, using at least one resource identified based on the discovery signal resource configuration information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the discovery signal resource configuration information includes further receiving at least one of:

frequency information of the discovery signal, type information of the discovery signal, an identifier of the terminal transmitting the discovery signal resource configuration information, a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), and information on a reference signal.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising transmitting a device-to-device synchronization request signal for requesting a synchronization signal, from the terminal to the another terminal,

wherein the discovery signal resource configuration information is included in the synchronization signal.

11. A method of performing device-to-device communication by a base station in communication with a terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, by the base station, a device-to-device communication service request from the terminal; and

transmitting information relating to the device-to-device communication, from the base station, to the terminal,

wherein the information relating to the device-to-device communication includes information relating to discovery signal resource configuration information and information for allocating a resource on discovery signal resource configuration information,

wherein the discovery signal resource configuration information is transmitted by the terminal to the another terminal, which does not receive the information relating to the device-to-device communication from the base station, and

wherein a discovery signal, which is associated with information on the terminal, is transmitted by the terminal to the another terminal using at least one resource identified based on the discovery signal resource configuration information, after the discovery signal resource configuration information is transmitted.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein transmitting the information relating to the device-to-device communication comprises:

configuring monitoring of a device-to-device communication synchronization request signal and a resource for the monitoring for the terminal, in order to determine whether it is necessary to transmit a synchronization signal; and

upon receiving a report of detection of the device-to-device communication synchronization request from the terminal, transmitting the information relating to the device-to-device communication,

wherein the discovery signal resource configuration information is included in the synchronization signal.

13. A terminal for performing device-to-device communication, the terminal comprising:

a communication unit configured to transmit and receive a signal; and

a controller configured to control the communication unit to;

receive information relating to the device-to-device communication from a base station, the information relating to the device-to-device communication including information relating to discovery signal resource configuration information and information for allocating a resource on discovery signal resource configuration information,

transmit the discovery signal resource configuration information to another terminal, which does not receive the information relating to the device-to-device communication from the base station, based on the information relating to the device-to-device communication, and transmit a discovery signal associated with information on the terminal to the another terminal using at least one resource identified based on the discovery signal resource configuration information, after the discovery signal resource configuration information is transmitted.

14. The terminal of claim 13, wherein the information relating to the device-to-device communication further comprises at least one of information on a communication resource allocated for the device-to-device communication, information on the discovery signal, and information on whether the terminal should transmit the discovery signal resource configuration information.

15. The terminal of claim 13, wherein transmitting the discovery signal resource configuration information includes further transmitting at least one of:

frequency information of the discovery signal, type information of the discovery signal, an identifier of the terminal transmitting the discovery signal resource configuration information, a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), and information on a reference signal.

16. The terminal of claim 13, wherein the discovery signal resource configuration information included in a synchronization signal, and

wherein the controller configures the synchronization signal to further include a first synchronization signal and a second synchronization signal, the first synchronization signal comprising information on a sub-frame resource usable for transmission and reception of the discovery signal, and the second synchronization signal comprising information on a relation between a current radio frame and a next radio frame including the discovery signal resource configuration information.

17. The terminal of claim 13, wherein the discovery signal resource configuration information is included in a synchronization signal, and

wherein the controller configures the synchronization signal to further include a first synchronization signal and a second synchronization signal, the first synchronization signal comprising a period of a radio frame including the discovery signal resource configuration information, an offset of the radio frame within the period, and a sub-frame resource usable for transmission and reception of the discovery signal within the radio frame, and the second synchronization signal comprising information on an index of a current radio frame.

18. The terminal of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to include the discovery signal resource configuration information in all radio frames or in one or more select radio frames according to a pre-defined period, and, within a radio frame having the discovery signal resource configuration information, the discovery signal resource configuration information is included in a part or all of symbol intervals of at least one sub-frame.

19. The terminal of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to control the communication unit to monitor a device-to-device communication synchronization request signal, the monitoring being configured by the information relating to device-to-device communication from the base station, and upon receiving the device-to-device communication synchronization request signal from the another terminal, to report the device-to-device communication synchronization request to the base station.

20. A terminal for performing device-to-device communication, the terminal comprising:

a communication unit configured to transmit and receive signals; and

a controller configured to control the communication unit to;

receive, at the terminal, which does not receive information relating to the device-to-device communication from a base station, discovery signal resource configuration information from another terminal, which does receive the information relating to the device-to-device communication from the base station, the information relating to the device-to-device communication including information relating to discovery signal resource configuration information and information for allocating a resource on the discovery signal resource configuration information, and

receive a discovery signal associated with information on the another terminal from the another terminal using at least one resource identified based on the discovery signal resource configuration information after the discovery signal resource configuration information is received.

21. The terminal of claim 20, wherein the controller is further configured to control the communication unit to transmit a device-to-device synchronization request signal for requesting a synchronization signal, to the another terminal, and

wherein the discovery signal resource configuration information is included in the synchronization signal.

22. A base station comprising:

a communication unit configured to transmit and receive signals; and

a controller configured to control the communication unit to receive a device-to-device communication service request from a terminal and transmit information relating to the device-to-device communication to the terminal,

wherein the information relating to the device-to-device communication includes information relating to discovery signal resource configuration information and information for allocating a resource on discovery signal resource configuration information,

wherein the discovery signal resource configuration information is transmitted by the terminal to the another terminal, which does not receive the information relating to the device-to-device communication from the base station, and

wherein a discovery signal, which is associated with information on the terminal, is transmitted by the terminal to the another terminal using at least one resource identified based on the discovery signal resource configuration information, after the discovery signal resource configuration information is transmitted.

23. The base station of claim 22, wherein the controller configures monitoring of a device-to-device communication synchronization request signal and a resource for the monitoring for the terminal, in order to determine whether it is necessary to transmit a synchronization signal, and upon receiving a report of detection of the device-to-device communication synchronization request from the terminal, transmits the information relating to the device-to-device communication,

wherein the discovery signal resource configuration information is included in the synchronization signal.