Method and wireless device for providing device-to-device communication

• US 9,974,051 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2014
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Sorrentino, Stefano, Parkvall, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Zewdu, Meless
• Assistant Examiner(s): YI, ALEXANDER J.
• Application Number:
  US14/364,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20150111586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,495 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to methods and to a wireless device, 10, 20, for enabling device-to-device communication. In particular the present disclosure relates to a method, performed in a radio node, of assigning resources for direct control signalling. The method comprises receiving, S1, from at least one further radio node, 160, sets of resources for direct control signalling in a respective cell or cluster. The method further comprises assigning, S2, resources for direct control signalling transmission within an area controlled by the radio node based at least on the received sets of resources, and transmitting, S3, to wireless devices controlled by the radio node, a message indicating resources assigned for direct control signalling. The disclosure also relates to the corresponding method in a wireless device and to a radio and to a wireless device implementing the methods, as well as to corresponding computer programs.

Claims

1. A method, performed in a radio node, of assigning resources for device-to-device discovery signalling, the method comprising:

receiving, from a further radio node, information indicating resources for device-to-device discovery signalling in a cell or cluster defined by the further ratio node;

assigning resources for device-to-device discovery signalling transmission within an area controlled by the radio node based at least on the indicated resources; and

transmitting, to wireless devices controlled by the radio node, a message indicating the resources assigned for device-to-device discovery signalling in the cell or cluster defined by the radio node, and

the resources assigned for device-to-device discovery signalling in the cell or cluster defined by the further radio node; and

wherein any of said device-to-device discovery signalling comprises one or more beacons, each beacon indicating an identity of a Device-to-Device (D2D) device to be discovered by another D2D device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of receiving, comprises negotiating, with at least the further radio node, resources for device-to-device discovery signalling, thereby increasing an overlap in time and/or frequency of resources for device-to-device discovery signalling in different cells or clusters.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of receiving, comprises negotiating, with at least the further radio node, resources for device-to-device discovery signalling, thereby decreasing an overlap in time and/or frequency of resources for device-to-device discovery signalling in different cells or clusters.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the message comprises at least one identifier for a cell or cluster defined by the radio node.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the resources are radio resources, resource blocks, sub frames or sub-channels.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the radio node is a wireless device with authority to control one or more other wireless devices in D2D communication and wherein the method further comprises:

sending, to a wireless device, a second device-to-device discovery message using the assigned resources.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of assigning comprises assigning resources that occur periodically on a per radio frame basis.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning resources comprises synchronizing reception windows for the cell or cluster defined by the radio node with reception windows in at least the cell or cluster defined by the further radio node, and wherein the reception windows are for receiving one or more beacons.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the information indicating resources for device-to-device discovery signaling in the cell defined by the radio node, and wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting the message to all wireless devices within the cell defined by the radio node, the message indicating the resources assigned for device-to-device discovery signalling in the cell defined by the radio node and a the cell defined by the further by radio node.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting comprises broadcasting the message to the wireless devices, the message indicating the same resources for each of the wireless devices to use when transmitting device-to-device discovery signalling comprising a beacon, the beacon indicating an identity of the transmitting wireless device to be discovered by another D2D device.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the assigning resources comprises assigning resources to reduce the amount of reception windows needed for the one or more beacons in the cell or cluster defined by the radio node.

8. A computer program product stored on a non-transitory, computer readable medium and comprising computer program code which, when executed by at least one processor in a radio node, causes the radio node to:

receive, from a further radio node, information indicating resources for device-to-device discovery signalling in a cell or cluster defined by the further radio node;

assign resources for device-to-device discovery signalling transmission within an area controlled by the radio node based at least on the indicated resources; and

transmit, to wireless devices controlled by the radio node, a message indicating the resources assigned for device-to-device discovery signalling in a cell or cluster defined by the radio node, and

the resources assigned for device-to-device discovery signalling in the cell or cluster defined by the further radio node; and

wherein any of said device-to-device discovery signalling comprises one or more beacons, each beacon indicating an identity of a Device-to-Device (D2D) device to be discovered by another D2D device.

9. A method, performed in a Device-to-Device (D2D) device, of obtaining resources for device-to-device discovery signalling, the method comprising:

receiving, from a radio node controlling the D2D device, a message indicating resources assigned for device-to-device discovery signalling to wireless devices controlled by the radio node, wherein the message indicates resources for device-to-device discovery signalling in a cell or cluster defined by the radio node, and

resources received from a further radio network node indicating resources for device-to-device discovery signalling in a cell or cluster defined by the further radio node; and

utilising the indicated resources for device-to-device discovery signalling; and

wherein any of said device-to-device discovery signalling comprises one or more beacons, each beacon indicating an identity of a D2D device to be discovered by another D2D device.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of utilising further comprises receiving a second message, using the indicated resources.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of utilising further comprises transmitting a third message, using the resources provided in the received message.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the second and third messages are separated by Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), or Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA).

13. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

selecting at least one indicated resource for monitoring.

14. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

determining discontinuous reception (DRX) cycles of the D2D device using information comprised in the received message.

20. The method of claim 9, wherein utilising the indicated resources comprises transmitting a beacon to a plurality of D2D devices indicating that the D2D device wishes to be discovered by another D2D device.

25. The method of claim 9, wherein the utilizing comprises utilizing the indicated resources to receive one or more beacons in synchronized reception windows in the cell or cluster defined by the radio node and the cell or cluster defined by the radio node.

26. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises, based on the device-to-device discovery signalling, setting up and engaging in D2D communication between the D2D device and a wireless device of the wireless devices controlled by the radio node.

27. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises, based on the device-to-device discovery signalling, setting up and engaging in D2D communication between the D2D device and a wireless device controlled by the further radio node.

15. A computer program product stored on a non-transitory, computer readable medium and comprising computer program code which, when executed in a processor of a Device-to-Device (D2D) device causes the D2D device to:

receive, from a radio node controlling the D2D device, a message indicating resources assigned for device-to-device discovery signalling to wireless devices controlled by the radio node, wherein the message indicates resources for device-to-device discovery signalling in a cell or cluster defined by the radio node, and

resources received from a further radio network node indicating resources for device-to-device discovery signalling in a cell or cluster defined by the further radio node; and

utilise the indicated resources for device-to-device discovery signalling; and

wherein any of said device-to-device discovery signalling comprises one or more beacons, each beacon indicating an identity of a D2D device to be discovered by another D2D device.

16. A radio node, configured to assign resources for device-to-device discovery signalling, the radio node comprising:

a transmitter;

a receiver; and

processing circuit configured to cause the radio node;

to receive, using the receiver, from a further radio node, information indicating resources for device-to-device discovery signalling in a cell or cluster defined by the further radio node;

to assign resources for device-to-device discovery signalling based on the indicated resources; and

to transmit, using the transmitter, to wireless devices controlled by the radio node, a message indicating the resources assigned for device-to-device discovery signalling in a cell or cluster defined by the radio node, and

the resources assigned for device-to-device discovery signalling in the cell or cluster defined by the further radio node; and

wherein any of said device-to-device discovery signalling comprises one or more beacons, each beacon indicating an identity of a Device-to-Device (D2D) device to be discovered by another D2D device.

17. The radio node according to claim 16, wherein the radio node is a radio network node.

18. The radio node according to claim 16, wherein the radio node is a wireless device with authority to control one or more other wireless devices in device-to-device discovery communication.

19. A wireless device configured to obtain resources for device-to-device discovery signalling, the wireless device comprising:

a transmitter;

a receiver; and

processing circuitry configured to cause the wireless device;

to receive, using the receiver, from a radio node controlling the wireless device, a message indicating resources assigned for device-to-device discovery signalling to wireless devices controlled by the radio node, wherein the message indicates resources for device-to-device discovery signalling in a cell or cluster defined by the radio node, and resources received from a further radio network node indicating resources for device-to-device discovery signalling in a further cell or cluster defined by the further radio node; and

to utilise, using the receiver and/or the transmitter, the indicated resources for device-to-device discovery signalling; and

wherein any of said device-to-device discovery signalling comprises one or more beacons, each beacon indicating an identity of a Device-to-Device (D2D) device to be discovered by another D2D device.