CONFIGURATION OF LAYER-1 DESTINATION ADDRESS FOR DEVICE-TO-DEVICE COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20150382385A1
• Filed: 06/27/2014
• Published: 12/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Cai, Yigang, Rao, Anil
• Granted Patent: US 9,713,179 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

Systems and methods that configured a Layer-1 destination address for D2D communications. One embodiment is a controller in a network that receives a discovery request from first User Equipment (UE), identifies an application code to announce the first UE during a discovery procedure, and provides the application code to the first UE. The controller receives an address request from the first UE for a D2D communication with one or more second UEs identified during the discovery procedure. The controller derives a Layer-1 destination address for the D2D communication, and provides the Layer-1 destination address to the first UE and to the at least one second UE for pre-configuration of the Layer-1 destination address at the first UE and the at least one second UE before the D2D communication.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a controller configured to receive a discovery request from first User Equipment (UE), to identify an application code to announce the first UE during a discovery procedure, and to provide the application code to the first UE;

the controller configured to receive an address request from the first UE for a device-to-device (D2D) communication with at least one second UE identified during the discovery procedure, to derive a Layer-1 destination address for the D2D communication, and to provide the Layer-1 destination address to the first UE and to the at least one second UE for pre-configuration of the Layer-1 destination address at the first UE and the at least one second UE before the D2D communication.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the controller is configured to derive the Layer-1 destination address based on the application code.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the controller is configured to derive the Layer-1 destination address based on an application identifier (ID) provided in the address request by the first UE, wherein the application ID is an identity for an application on the first UE that initiates the D2D communication.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the controller is configured to derive the Layer-1 destination address based on a communication mode for the D2D communication.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the controller is configured to derive the Layer-1 destination address based on a UE identity (ID) for the at least one second UE.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the controller is configured to define a validity timer for the Layer-1 destination address; and

the validity timer for the Layer-1 destination address is less than or equal to a validity timer for the application code.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the controller is configured to push the Layer-1 destination address to the at least one second UE.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the controller is configured to receive another address request from the at least one second UE, and to transmit an address response to the at least one second UE with the Layer-1 destination address in response to the other address request.

9. A method comprising:

receiving a discovery request in a controller in a network from first User Equipment (UE);

identifying an application code to announce the first UE during a discovery procedure;

providing the application code from the controller to the first UE;

receiving an address request from the first UE for a device-to-device (D2D) communication with at least one second UE identified during the discovery procedure;

deriving a Layer-1 destination address for the D2D communication; and

providing the Layer-1 destination address to the first UE and to the at least one second UE for pre-configuration of the Layer-1 destination address at the first UE and the at least one second UE before the D2D communication.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein deriving the Layer-1 destination address comprises:

deriving the Layer-1 destination address based on the application code.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein deriving the Layer-1 destination address comprises:

deriving the Layer-1 destination address based on an application identifier (ID) provided in the address request by the first UE, wherein the application ID is an identity for an application on the first UE that initiates the D2D communication.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein deriving the Layer-1 destination address comprises:

deriving the Layer-1 destination address based on a communication mode for the D2D communication.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein deriving the Layer-1 destination address comprises:

deriving the Layer-1 destination address based on a UE identity (ID) for the at least one second UE.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

defining a validity timer for the Layer-1 destination address;

wherein the validity timer for the Layer-1 destination address is less than or equal to a validity timer for the application code.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein providing the Layer-1 destination address to the at least one second UE comprises:

pushing the Layer-1 destination address to the at least one second UE.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein providing the Layer-1 destination address to the at least one second UE comprises:

receiving another address request from the at least one second UE; and

transmitting an address response to the at least one second UE with the Layer-1 destination address in response to the other address request.

17. An apparatus comprising:

first User Equipment (UE) configured to transmit a discovery request to a controller in a mobile network, to receive a discovery response from the controller indicating an application code to use to announce the first UE for a proximity service, and to discover at least one second UE for device-to-device (D2D) communication;

the first UE configured to transmit an address request to the controller for the D2D communication with the at least one second UE, to receive an address response from the controller indicating a Layer-1 destination address for the D2D communication derived by the controller, and to initiate the D2D communication using radio resources based on the Layer-1 destination address.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein:

the first UE is configured to insert the application code in the address request.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein:

the first UE is configured to insert a communication mode for the D2D communication in the address request.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein:

the address response from the controller further includes a validity timer for the Layer-1 destination address.