Method of Device Discovery in Wireless Communication Systems

• US 20140334337A1
• Filed: 05/12/2014
• Published: 11/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Li, Chi-Fang
• Granted Patent: US 9,392,433 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/006 in the downlink, i.e. towards the terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A method of device discovery for a first communication device in a wireless communication system is disclosed. The method comprises connecting to a network of the wireless communication system, sending a discovery request to the network, receiving an allocated resource corresponding to the discovery request from the network, and sending a discovery signal on the allocated resource, whereby a second communication device of the wireless communication system interested in discovery monitors the allocated resource for receiving the discovery signal.

Claims

1. A method of device discovery for a first communication device in a wireless communication system, comprising:

connecting to a network of the wireless communication system;

sending a discovery request to the network;

receiving an allocated resource for device discovery from the network; and

sending a discovery signal on the allocated resource, whereby a second communication device of the wireless communication system monitors the allocated resource for receiving the discovery signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the discovery request includes an indication to be discovered by all communication devices, a group of communication devices or a communication device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the indication includes an identification of representing all communication devices, the group of communication devices or the communication device, or associates with the identification of representing all communication devices, the group of communication devices or the communication device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the allocated resource is dedicated for device discovery usage or overlapped with a resource for normal communication with the network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the resource for normal communication with the network is used for one of LTE/LTE-Advanced'"'"'s RACH, PUSCH, PUCCH, SRS, or other uplink transmission.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the allocated resource is an uplink resource dedicated for device discovery usage or overlapped with a resource for normal uplink communication with the network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource is allocated by the network in multicast, broadcast, or unicast.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the discovery signal is a Hadamard sequence, Primary Synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), RACH sequence, CRS sequence, MBSFN RS sequence, DMRS sequence in PDSCH, DMRS sequence in EPDCCH, CSI-RS sequence, Positioning RS sequence, DMRS sequence in PUCCH, DMRS sequence in PUSCH, or SRS sequence in LTE/LTE-Advanced systems.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the discovery signal is associated with at least one of an identification of a cell and an identification of a communication device.

10. A method of device discovery for a communication device in a wireless communication system, comprising:

connecting to a network of the wireless communication system;

receiving a resource allocation from the network;

receiving signal on the allocated resource; and

determining whether another communication device is discovered according to the reception on the allocated resource.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining whether another communication device is discovered according to the reception of the signal on the allocated resource comprises:

determines whether another communication device is discovered according to at least one of the discovery signal strength, discovery signal power density, discovery signal quality, and discovery signal content.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein determines whether another communication device is discovered according to the reception on the allocated resource comprises:

determining another communication device is discovered when the reception of the signal indicates the discovery signal is sent from another communication device or the discovery signal is a signal sent from another communication device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

when determining another communication device is discovered, identifying which communication device is discovered according to which device-specific discovery signal is received, which communication device is allocated on the received resource, or a notification indicating which communication device sends the discovery signal on the received resource received from the network.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein determining whether another communication device is discovered according to the reception of the signal on the allocated resource comprises:

performing a measurement on the at least one of the received signal strength, the received signal power density and the received signal quality;

comparing a measurement result with a threshold; and

determining another communication device is discovered when the measurement result is larger or equal to the threshold.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

when determining another communication device is discovered, identifying which communication device is discovered according to which device-specific discovered signal is received, which communication device is allocated on the received resource, or a notification indicating which communication device sends the discovery signal on the received resource received from the network.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

sending at least one of the received discovery signal and/or the measurement result to the network.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

when determining a second communication device is discovered according to the received signal, identifying which communication device is discovered according to which device-specific discovery signal is received, which communication device is allocated on the received resource, or a notification indicating which communication device sends the discovery signal on the received resource received from the network.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the allocated resource is dedicated for device discovery usage or overlapped with a resource for normal communication with the network.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the resource for normal communication with the network is used for one of LTE/LTE-Advanced'"'"'s RACH, PUSCH, PUCCH, SRS, or other uplink transmission.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein the resource is allocated by the network in multicast, broadcast, or unicast.

21. The method of claim 10, wherein the discovery signal is a Hadamard sequence, Primary Synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), RACH sequence, CRS sequence, MBSFN RS sequence, DMRS sequence in PDSCH, DMRS sequence in EPDCCH, CSI-RS sequence, Positioning RS sequence, DMRS sequence in PUCCH, DMRS sequence in PUSCH, or SRS sequence in LTE/LTE-Advanced systems.

22. The method of claim 11, wherein the discovery signal is associated with at least one of an identification of a cell and an identification of a communication device.

23. A method of device discovery for a network in a wireless communication system, comprising:

receiving a discovery request from a first communication device of the wireless communication system; and

in response to the discovery request, allocating at least a resource for the first communication device.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

at least one of receiving a discovery signal and measuring a discovery signal, from a second communication device of the wireless communication system, wherein the discovery signal is received by the second communication device on the allocated resource; and

determining whether a communication device is discovered according to the at least one of the reception of the discovery signal and the measurement result.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein determining whether a communication device is discovered according to at least one of the reception of the discovery signal and measurement result comprises:

determining whether a communication device is discovered according to at least one of the reception of the discovery signal and measurement result, where the measurement result includes at least one of a discovery signal strength, discovery signal power density, and discovery signal quality of the received signal.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein determining whether a communication device is discovered according to at least one of the reception of the discovery signal and measurement result including at least one of discovery signal strength, discovery signal power density, and discovery signal quality of the received signal comprises:

determining a communication device is discovered when the reception of the signal indicates the discovery signal is sent from a communication device or the discovery signal is a signal sent from a communication device.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

when determining a communication device is discovered, identifying which communication device is discovered according to which device-specific discovery signal is received, which communication device is allocated on the received resource, or a report from a communication device which sent a discovery signal on the received resource.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein determining whether a communication device is discovered according to at least one of the reception of the discovery signal and measurement result including at least one of discovery signal strength, discovery power density, and discovery signal quality of the received discovery signal comprises:

comparing the measurement result with a threshold; and

determining the first communication device is discovered when the measurement result is larger or equal to the threshold.

29. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

when determining a communication device is discovered, identifying which communication device is discovered according to which device-specific discovery signal is received, which communication device is allocated on the received resource, or a report from a communication device which sent a discovery signal on the received resource.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein the discovery signal is a Hadamard sequence, Primary Synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), RACH sequence, CRS sequence, MBSFN RS sequence, DMRS sequence in PDSCH, DMRS sequence in EPDCCH, CSI-RS sequence, Positioning RS sequence, DMRS sequence in PUCCH, DMRS sequence in PUSCH, or SRS sequence in LTE/LTE-Advanced systems.

31. The method of claim 25, wherein the discovery signal is associated with at least one of an identification of a cell and an identification of a communication device.

32. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

receiving a discovery signal from the first communication device on the allocated resource; and

notifying that the first communication device sends the discovery signal on the allocated resource, to a second communication device of the wireless communication device interested in discovery.

33. The method of claim 23, wherein the allocated resource is dedicated for device discovery usage or overlapped with a resource for normal communication with the network.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the resource for normal communication with the network is used for one of LTE/LTE-Advanced'"'"'s RACH, PUSCH, PUCCH, SRS, or other uplink transmission.

35. The method of claim 23, wherein the resource is allocated by the network in multicast, broadcast, or unicast.

36. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

when determining a communication device is discovered, identifying which communication device is discovered according to which device-specific discovery signal is received, which communication device is allocated on the allocated resource, or a report from a communication device which sent a discovery signal on the received resource.