Terminal apparatus, base station apparatus, communication system, notification method, and integrated circuit

• US 9,961,693 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2015
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tsuboi, Hidekazu, Uemura, Katsunari
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huang, Weibin
• Application Number:
  US15/121,331
• Publication Number:
  US 20170013634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0278 using buffer status reports dynamic wireless traffic scheduling definition H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1215 for collaboration of different radio technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A terminal apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention constitutes and reports an amount-of-transmission-buffer report to be notified to a base station apparatus, based on first transmission data to the base station apparatus, which is prepared in a transmission buffer of the terminal apparatus itself, second transmission data for device-to-device data communication, and a priority level of each piece of transmission data.

Claims

1. A terminal apparatus configured and/or programmed to perform data communication with a base station apparatus, and perform inter-terminal apparatus data communication (device-to-device data communication) involving no base station apparatus, the terminal apparatus comprising:

a first transmission buffer that stores first transmission data to the base station-apparatus; and

a second transmission buffer that stores second transmission data for the device-to-device data communication; and

transmission data control circuitry configured and/or programmed to constitute a first buffer status report and a second buffer status report based on priority levels of the first and the second transmission data,

wherein the first transmission data is prepared in the first transmission buffer of the terminal apparatus and the second transmission data is prepared in the second transmission buffer of the terminal apparatus; and

wherein each of the first buffer status report and the second buffer status report includes information about the amount of transmission data; and

transmission circuitry configured and/or programmed to report the first buffer status report and the second buffer status report to the base station apparatus, which are used in a padding region of an uplink resource allocated to the terminal apparatus, and

wherein, when the padding region is present, the first buffer status report for the first transmission data and the second buffer status report for the second transmission data are reported in order of the priority levels, and wherein one of the first and second buffer status reports is changed to be shorter in format as determined based on the priority levels if necessary, and the first or the second buffer status report are not transmitted in a case the first or the second buffer status report to be included for the padding region can'"'"'t be placed in the padding region.

2. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the transmission circuitry reports the buffer status report using a padding region of an uplink resource allocated to the terminal apparatus, and

wherein, in a case where the padding region is not able to include both a first buffer status report for the first transmission data and a second buffer status report for the second transmission data, the transmission circuitry reports to the base station apparatus the first or second buffer status report for the first or second transmission data with a higher priority level.

3. A terminal apparatus configured and/or programmed to perform data communication with a base station apparatus, and perform inter-terminal apparatus data communication (device-to-device data communication) involving no base station apparatus, the terminal apparatus comprising:

a first transmission buffer storing a first transmission data to the base station apparatus; and

a second transmission buffer storing a second transmission data for the device-to-device data communication; and

transmission data control circuitry configured and/or programmed to constitute a buffer status report based on the first transmission data, the second transmission data, and priority levels of the first and second transmission data,

wherein the first transmission data is prepared in the first transmission buffer of the terminal apparatus and the second transmission data is prepared in the second transmission buffer of the terminal apparatus; and

wherein the buffer status report includes information about the amount of transmission data; and

transmission circuitry configured and/or programmed to report the buffer status report to the base station apparatus;

wherein the transmission circuitry reports the buffer status report using a padding region of an uplink resource allocated to the terminal apparatus, and

wherein, in a case where the padding region is not able to include both a first buffer status report for the first transmission data and a second buffer status report for the second transmission data, the transmission data control circuitry determines based on the priority levels which of the first and second buffer status reports is changed to be shorter in format.

4. The terminal apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein, in a case where the padding region is able to include both the first buffer status report and the second buffer status report, the transmission data control circuitry determines that both the first and second buffer status reports are not changed to be shorter in format.

5. A communication system comprising:

a terminal apparatus configured and/or programmed to perform inter-terminal apparatus data communication (device-to-device data communication) involving no base station apparatus; and

a base station apparatus configured and/or programmed to allocate to the terminal apparatus, a transmission resource for the device-to-device data communication,

a first transmission data to the base station apparatus is prepared in a first transmission buffer of the terminal apparatus and a second transmission data for the device-to-device data communication is prepared in a second transmission buffer of the terminal apparatus and

wherein the first transmission data, the second transmission data, and the information are to be used for the terminal apparatus to constitute and report a first buffer status report and a second buffer status report to the base station apparatus and

wherein each of a first buffer status report and a second buffer status report includes information about the amount of transmission data and wherein the first buffer status report and the second buffer status report which are used in a padding region of an uplink resource allocated to the terminal apparatus, and

wherein, when the padding region is present, the first buffer status report for the first transmission data and the second buffer status report for the second transmission data are reported in order of the priority levels, and wherein one of the first and second buffer status reports is changed to be shorter in format as determined based on the priority levels if necessary, and the first or the second buffer status report are not transmitted in a case the first or the second buffer status report to be included for the padding region can'"'"'t be placed in the padding region.

6. A notification method that is applied to a terminal apparatus configured and/or programmed to perform inter-terminal apparatus data communication (device-to-device data communication) involving no base station apparatus, the notification method at least comprising:

a step of constituting a first buffer status report and a second buffer status report based on priority levels of the first and second transmission data,

wherein the first transmission data is prepared in a first transmission buffer of the terminal apparatus and the second transmission data are prepared in a second transmission buffer of the terminal apparatus; and

wherein each of a first buffer status report and a second buffer status report includes information about the amount of transmission data; and

a reporting the first buffer status report and the second buffer status report to the base station apparatus which are used in a padding region of an uplink resource allocated to the terminal apparatus, and

wherein, when the padding region is present, the first buffer status report for the first transmission data and the second buffer status report for the second transmission data are reported in order of the priority levels, and wherein one of the first and second buffer status reports is changed to be shorter in format as determined based on the priority levels if necessary, and the first or the second buffer status report are not transmitted in a case the first or the second buffer status report to be included for the padding region can'"'"'t be placed in the padding region.

7. An integrated circuit that is built into a terminal apparatus configured and/or programmed to perform inter-terminal apparatus data communication (device-to-device data communication) involving no base station apparatus, the integrated circuit causing the terminal apparatus to perform:

a function of constituting a first buffer status report and a second buffer status report based on priority levels of the first and second transmission data

wherein the first transmission data is prepared in a first transmission buffer of the terminal apparatus and the second transmission data is prepared in a second transmission buffer of the second terminal apparatus;

wherein the buffer status report includes information about the amount of transmission data; and

a function of reporting the buffer status report to the base station apparatus which are used in a padding region of an uplink resource allocated to the terminal apparatus, and

wherein, when the padding region is present, the first buffer status report for the first transmission data and the second buffer status report for the second transmission data are reported in order of the priority levels, and wherein one of the first and second buffer status reports is changed to be shorter in format as determined based on the priority levels if necessary, and the first or the second buffer status report are not transmitted in a case the first or the second buffer status report to be included for the padding region can'"'"'t be placed in the padding region.