Location registration for a device-to-device (D2D) user equipment

• US 9,723,476 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Van Phan, Vinh, Yu, Ling, Horneman, Kari Veikko
• Primary Examiner(s): Osifade, Idowu O
• Application Number:
  US14/432,116
• Publication Number:
  US 20150281940A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,768 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks

Abstract

The invention relates to device-to-device (D2D) communications an in particular to location registration of a D2D User Equipment (UE) being in idle mode. A D2D capable UE (D2D cluster head) is [1] configured to communicate with a communication network, is [2] able to establish D2D communication with another D2D capable UE, receives [3] from the communication system a configuration so as to send location update related messaging on behalf of UEs with which D2D communications has been established, obtains [4] information of a change of status of a UE regarding a D2D communication or a change of cell of a UE and in response to the information, causes [5] the sending of a message to the communication network, the message comprising a location update request regarding the UE.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

communicate, by a first user equipment, with a communication network;

establish, by the first user equipment, a direct device-to-device communication with a second user equipment;

control, by the first user equipment, a reception from the communication network, of a configuration so as to send location update related messaging on behalf of the second user equipment with which the direct device-to-device communication has been established;

receive, by the first user equipment from the second user equipment, information of a change of status of the second user equipment regarding the direct device-to-device communication or a change of a cell of the second user equipment; and

in response to receiving the information from the second user equipment, cause a sending, by the first user equipment on behalf of the second user equipment, of a message to the communication network by using the configuration, the message comprising a location update request for the second user equipment.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message comprises information on the change of the status including whether the second user equipment is joining or leaving the direct device-to-device communication or whether the second user equipment reselects a new cell to camp on.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further configured to:

receive, by the first user equipment, a request from the second user equipment to send the message comprising location update request regarding the second user equipment; and

send, by the first user equipment, the message on the basis of the request.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message is sent by the first user equipment on behalf of the second user equipment which is in idle mode.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message comprises the identity of the second user equipment and security key related parameters.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message comprises information on the identifier of the cell the second user equipment is camping on.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a cluster head of a device cluster.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further configured to transmit information to user equipment about the ability to send messages comprising location update requests on behalf of the user equipment.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further configured to:

receive by the first user equipment from the second user equipment a location update message; and

forward, by the first user equipment, the location update message to the communication network.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further configured to utilize a device-to-device identification of the second user equipment when sending the message that includes the location update request for the second user equipment.

11. A method comprising:

communicating, by a first user equipment, with a communication network;

establishing, by the first user equipment, a direct device-to-device communication with a second user equipment;

controlling, by the first user equipment, a reception from the communication network of a configuration so as to send location update related messaging on behalf of the second user equipment with which the direct device-to-device communication has been established;

receiving, by the first user equipment from the second user equipment, information of a change of status of the second user equipment regarding the direct device-to-device communication or a change of a cell of the second user equipment; and

in response to receiving the information from the second user equipment, causing the sending, by the first user equipment on behalf of the second user equipment, of a message to the communication network by using the configuration, the message comprising a location update request for the second user equipment.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the message comprises information on the change of the status including whether the second user equipment is joining or leaving the direct device-to-device communication or whether the second user equipment reselects a new cell to camp on.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, by the first user equipment, a request from the second user equipment to send the message comprising location update request regarding the second user equipment; and

sending, by the first user equipment, the message on the basis of the request.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the message is sent by the first user equipment on behalf of the second user equipment which is in idle mode.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the message comprises the identity of the second user equipment and security key related parameters.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the message comprises information on the identifier of the cell the second user equipment is camping on.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

transmitting information to user equipment about the ability to send messages comprising location update requests on behalf of the user equipment.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving by the first user equipment from the second user equipment a location update message; and

forwarding, by the first user equipment, the location update message to the communication network.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

utilizing a device-to-device identification of the second user equipment when sending the message that includes the location update request for the second user equipment.