PROVIDING SECONDARY COVERAGE IN A MOBILE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20170111804A1
• Filed: 12/23/2016
• Published: 04/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: SMITH, Jack Anthony, MUKHERJEE, Biswaroop, EBRAHIMI TAZEH MAHALLEH, Masoud, GAGE, William Anthony, NOVAK, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 10,064,068 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

Example methods, apparatus, articles of manufacture and systems for providing secondary coverage in a mobile communication system are disclosed. Example methods for a first device to provide secondary coverage in a mobile communication system include transmitting a secondary coverage signal and receiving a presence indication from a second device. Such example methods can also include reporting the presence indication to an access node of the mobile communication system. Such example methods can further include receiving information from the access node to enable relay node functionality in the first device in response to reporting the presence indication to the access node.

Claims

1. A method for a first device to communicate with a second device, the method comprising:

transmitting a first signal indicating an opportunity for the second device to transmit a second signal, the first device having primary coverage from a first access node of a mobile communication system, the second device not having primary coverage from any access node of the mobile communication system; and

receiving a second signal from the second device.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising relaying information between the second device and the first access node in response to receiving the second signal.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein the information is first information, and further comprising receiving second information from the first access node to enable relay node functionality in the first device.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein the second information received from the first access node causes the first device to stop transmitting the first signal and to start broadcasting a synchronization signal and system information to provide secondary coverage to the second device.

5. A method as defined in claim 3, further comprising reporting a presence of the second device to the first access node, wherein the second information is received after the reporting of the presence of the second device to the first access node.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first signal is a secondary coverage signal indicating that the first device is able to provide secondary coverage in the mobile communication system.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein the mobile communication system supports long term evolution (LTE) functionality, and the secondary coverage signal comprises a reference signal transmitted in a number of resource blocks of an LTE subframe.

8. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein the number is six (6), and the reference signal transmits a length-62 Zadoff-Chu sequence.

9. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein the resource blocks are located around a center frequency of an uplink subframe.

10. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein the secondary coverage signal is a first secondary coverage signal, and further comprising transmitting a second secondary coverage signal that is to indicate timing associated with when the first device expects to receive the second signal.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the second signal comprises a presence indication that indicates the second device is requesting secondary coverage in the mobile communication system.

12. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the mobile communication system supports LTE functionality, and the presence indication corresponds to a physical random access channel (PRACH) transmission received by the first device from the second device.

13. A method as defined in claim 11, further comprising reporting the presence indication to the first access node.

14. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein reporting the presence indication to the first access node comprises:

including an information element indicating receipt of the presence indication in a measurement report; and

transmitting the measurement report to the first access node.

15. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising receiving information from the first access node to configure the first signal.

16. A tangible machine readable storage medium comprising machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a first device to at least:

transmit a first signal indicating an opportunity for a second device to transmit a second signal, the first device having primary coverage from a first access node of the mobile communication system, the second device not having primary coverage from any access node of the mobile communication system; and

receive a second from the second device.

17. A storage medium as defined in claim 16, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, further cause the first device to relay information between the second device and the first access node in response to the second signal being received.

18. A storage medium as defined in claim 17, wherein the information is first information, and the machine readable instructions, when executed, further cause the first device to receive second information from the first access node to enable relay node functionality in the first device.

19. A storage medium as defined in claim 18, wherein the second information received from the first access node causes the first device to stop transmitting the first signal and to start broadcasting a synchronization signal and system information to provide secondary coverage to the second device.

20. A storage medium as defined in claim 18, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, further cause the first device to report a presence of the second device to the first access node, wherein the second information is received after the reporting of the presence of the second device to the first access node.

21-87. -87. (canceled)