Method for device to device communication and control node using the same

• US 9,554,406 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Lin, Ting-Yu, Lin, Tzu-Ming
• Primary Examiner(s): Gonzalez, Amancio
• Application Number:
  US13/832,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20130244661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• Field of Search: 455/436, 370/331
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0005 Control or signalling for completing the hand-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

The present disclosure proposes a method for device to device (D2D) communication. The method includes the step of receiving from the first device a first callee identification (ID) as the first device is handed over to the control node, searching for the second device having a second callee ID in response to receiving from the first device the first callee ID, determining that the second device has been found includes when the first callee ID is identical to the second callee ID, and arranging for the D2D communication between the first device and the second device in response to the second device is found when a first condition is fulfilled, wherein the first condition is fulfilled at least includes the second device has been found when the first callee ID is identical to the second callee ID.

Claims

1. A method of device to device (D2D) communication, adapted for a control node to arrange D2D communication between a first device and a second device, wherein the first device undergoes a handover procedure to the control node while having a non-D2D communication with the second device, and the method comprising:

receiving, by the control node, from the first device having the non-D2D communication with the second device a first callee identification (ID) during the first device being handed over to the control node from another control node, wherein the control node receives the first callee ID in a handover request message from the another control node, and the first callee ID is an ID for the D2D communication between the first device and the second device, wherein the control node receives a first measurement report in response to transmit a first measurement configuration to the second device, and the another control node also receives a second measurement report transmitted by the first device in response to transmit a second measurement configuration to the first device, wherein the first callee ID is embedded in the second measurement report, both of the first measurement report and second measurement report indicate a quality of a channel between the first device and the second device, wherein the first measurement report and second measurement report are shared by the control node and the another control node;

searching, by the control node, for the second device having a second callee ID in response to receiving from the first device the first callee ID; and

arranging, by the control node, for the D2D communication between the first device and the second device when a first condition is fulfilled, wherein the first condition comprises the D2D communication between the first device and the second device is triggerable, and the step of arranging for the D2D communication between the first device and the second device when the first condition is fulfilled is executed before the procedure of handover the first device to the control node is complete,

wherein whether the first condition is fulfilled comprises the criteria of the first device and the second device are within transmission ranges of each other and the quality of the channel between the first device and the second device is adequate, and

wherein when the first condition is not fulfilled or when the first condition is no longer fulfilled, arranging, by the control node, the first device and the second device for the non-D2D communication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second device has been found when the second callee ID of the second device is identical to the first callee ID of the first device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving from the first device the first callee identification (ID) as the first device is handed over to the control node further comprising:

storing the first callee ID in the control node and associating the first callee ID with the first device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving from the first device the callee ID further comprises:

receiving from the first device a Mobile Originating (MO) establishment cause which indicates that the first device is a caller device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein after receiving from the first device the MO establishment cause comprises:

searching for the second device associated with the second callee ID which is the same as the first callee ID and has a Mobile Terminating (MT) establishment cause which indicates that the second device is a callee device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving from the first device the callee ID further comprises:

receiving from the first device a MT establishment cause which indicates that the first device is a callee device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein after receiving from the first device the MT establishment cause comprises:

searching for the second device associated with the second callee ID which is the same as the first callee ID and has a Mobile Originating (MO) establishment cause which indicates that the second device is a caller device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein after the step of receiving from the first device the callee ID further comprises:

establishing with the second device a connection during which a second callee ID is received from the second device;

storing the second callee ID; and

associating the second callee ID with the second device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the connection belongs to a specific connection type.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of arranging for the D2D communication between the first device and the second device by the control node is only for the specific connection type.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the specific connection type is one of a radio resource control (RRC) connection, a radio bearer connection, an EPS bearer connection, and an application layer connection.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the control node is one of a base station, an evolved node B (eNB), a repeater, a gateway, a server, or a mobility management entity (MME).

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the control node receives the first callee ID from the first device from either a backhaul link or a inter-eNB link which is defined according to a version of the third generation (3G) Long Term Evolution (LTE) or LTE advanced (LTE-A) specification.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting to the first device and/or the second device system information which indicates that D2D communication is supported by the network.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving from the first device the first callee ID comprising:

receiving from the first device the first callee ID in a RRC re-configuration message.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of receiving from the first device the first callee ID comprising:

receiving from the first device or from the another control node the first callee ID embedded in a measurement report which indicates the quality of the channel between the first device and the second device.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving from the first device the first callee ID comprising:

receiving from the first device the first callee ID indirectly through the another control node or through another non-access stratum (NAS) control node.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

when the second device is determined to be not found, the control node locates the second device from the another control node through a backhaul link or from another NAS control node through an inter-eNB link.

19. A control node comprising a transmitter and a receiver for respectively transmitting and receiving wireless data, a storage medium for storing information of at least a first device and a second device, and a processing circuit coupled to the transmitter, the receiver, and the storage medium and is configured for executing:

receiving from the first device a first callee identification (ID) during the first device being handed over to the control node from another control node while the first device having a non-D2D communication with the second device, wherein the control node receives the first callee ID in a handover request message from the another control node, and the first callee ID is an ID for the D2D communication between the first device and the second device, wherein the control node receives a first measurement report in response to transmit a first measurement configuration to the second device, and the another control node also receives a second measurement report transmitted by the first device in response to transmit a second measurement configuration to the first device, wherein the first callee ID is embedded in the second measurement report, both of the first measurement report and second measurement report indicate a quality of a D2D channel between the first device and the second device, wherein the first measurement report and second measurement report are shared by the control node and the another control node;

searching for the second device having a second callee ID in response to receiving from the first device the first callee ID;

arranging for the D2D communication between the first device and the second device when a first condition is fulfilled, wherein the first condition comprises the D2D communication between the first device and the second device is triggerable,

wherein the processing circuit is configured for arranging for the D2D communication between the first device and the second device when the first condition is fulfilled is executed before the procedure of handover the first device to the control node is complete,

wherein whether the first condition is fulfilled comprises the criteria of the first device and the second device are within transmission ranges of each other and the quality of the D2D channel between the first device and the second device is adequate, and

wherein when the first condition is not fulfilled or when the first condition is no longer fulfilled, the processing circuit is configured for arranging the first device and the second device for the non-D2D communication.

20. The control node of claim 19, wherein the processing circuit determines that the second device has been found when the first callee ID of the first device is identical to the callee ID of the second device.

21. The control node of claim 19, wherein the processing circuit is configured for receiving from the first device the first callee ID as the first device is handed over to the control node, the processing circuit is further configured for storing the first callee ID in the storage medium and the associating the callee ID with the first device.

22. The control node of claim 20, wherein the processing circuit is configured for receiving from the first device the callee ID, the processing circuit is further configured for:

receiving from the first device a Mobile Originating (MO) establishment cause which indicates that the first device is a caller device.

23. The control node of claim 22, wherein after receiving from the first device the MO establishment cause, the processing circuit is further configured for:

searching for the second device associated with the second callee ID which is the same as the first callee ID and has a Mobile Terminating (MT) establishment cause which indicates that the second device is a callee device.

24. The control node of claim 19, wherein the processing circuit is configured for receiving from the first device the callee ID, the processing circuit is further configured for:

receiving from the first device a MT establishment cause which indicates that the first device is a callee device.

25. The control node of claim 24, wherein after receiving from the first device the MT establishment cause, the processing circuit is further configured for:

searching for the second device associated with the second callee ID which is the same as the first callee ID and has a MO establishment cause which indicates that the second device is a caller device.

26. The control node of claim 19, wherein before the step of receiving from the first device the callee ID, the processing circuit is further configured for:

establishing with the second device a connection during which a second callee ID is received from the second device;

storing the second callee ID in the storage medium; and

associating the second callee ID with the second device.

27. The control node of claim 26, wherein the connection belongs to a specific connection type.

28. The control node of claim 27, wherein the processing circuit is configured for arranging for the D2D communication between the first device and the second device only for the specific connection type.

29. The control node of claim 27, wherein the specific connection type is one of a radio resource control (RRC) connection, a radio bearer connection, an EPS bearer connection, and an application layer connection.

30. The control node of claim 19, wherein the control node is one of a base station, an evolved node B (eNB), a repeater, a gateway, a server, or a mobility management entity (MME).

31. The control node of claim 19, wherein the processing circuit is configured for receiving the first callee ID from the first device from either a backhaul link or a inter-eNB link which is defined according to a version of the third generation (3G) Long Term Evolution (LTE) or LTE advanced (LTE-A) specification.

32. The control node of claim 19, wherein the processing circuit is further configured for:

transmitting to the first device and/or the second device system information which indicates that D2D communication is supported by the network.

33. The control node of claim 19, wherein the processing circuit is configured for receiving from the first device the first callee ID comprising:

receiving from the first device the first callee ID or in a RRC re-configuration message.

34. The control node of claim 33, wherein the processing circuit is configured for receiving from the first device the first callee ID comprising:

receiving from the first device or from the another control node the first callee ID embedded in a measurement report which indicates the quality of the D2D channel between the first device and the second device.

35. The control node of claim 19, wherein the processing circuit is configured for receiving from the first device the first callee ID comprising:

receiving from the first device the first callee ID indirectly through the another control node or through another non-access stratum (NAS) control node.

36. The control node of claim 19, wherein the processing circuit is further configured for:

when the second device is determined to be not found, the control node locates the second device from the another control node through a backhaul link or from the another control node through an inter-eNB link.

37. A method for arranging device to device (D2D) communication in a wireless network between a first device initiating a communication session with a second device, wherein the first device undergoes a handover procedure to a control node while having a non-D2D communication with the second device, and the and the method comprising:

the first device establishing with the network a first connection during which a first callee identification (ID) is transmitted to the network, wherein the control node receives the first callee ID in a handover request message from another control node during the first device being handed over to the control node from the another control node, and the first callee ID is an ID for the D2D communication between the first device and the second device;

the second device establishing with the network a second connection during which a second callee ID of is transmitted to the network after the network authorizes the communication session;

the first device and the second device respectively transmitting a first measurement report and a second measurement report in response to receive a first measurement configuration and a second measurement configuration, wherein the first callee ID is embedded in the first measurement report, both of the first measurement report and second measurement report indicate a quality of a channel between the first device and the second device, wherein the first measurement report and second measurement report are shared by the control node and the another control node; and

at least one of the first device and the second device receiving from the network a first information to perform D2D communication; and

the first device and the second device performing D2D communication with each other based on the first information, wherein the D2D communication between the first device and the second device are served by the same control node, the control node arranges the first device and the second device for the D2D communication when a first condition is fulfilled, and the step of arranging the second device for the D2D communication when the first condition is fulfilled is executed before the first device is handed over to the control node,

wherein the first condition comprises the D2D communication between the first device and the second device is triggerable, and whether the first condition is fulfilled comprises the criteria of the first device and the second device are within transmission ranges of each other and the quality of the channel between the first device and the second device is adequate, and

wherein when the first condition is not fulfilled or when the first condition is no longer fulfilled, the control node arranges the first device and the second device for the non-D2D communication.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the first information comprising necessary network related information to perform D2D communication.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein the first device and the second device are arranged for D2D communication by the control node when the first callee ID is the same as the second callee ID.

40. The method of claim 37, wherein the control node is one of a base station, an evolved node B (eNB), a repeater, a gateway, a server, or a mobile management entity (MME).

41. The method of claim 37, wherein each of the first connection and the second connection is one of a radio resource control (RRC) connection, a radio bearer connection, a EPS radio bear connection, and an application layer connection.

42. The method of claim 39 further comprising:

an establishment cause of the first device and the second device are also transmitted to the network, and the first device and the second device are arranged for D2D communication when one of the first device and the second device has a mobile originating establishment cause, and the other has a mobile terminating establishment cause in addition to the first callee ID and the second callee ID being the same.

43. The method of claim 37, wherein the step of performing D2D communication between the first device and the second device based on the first information is only performed when the first connection and the second connection belong to a specific connection.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the specific connection is one of a radio resource control (RRC) connection, a radio bearer connection, an EPS bearer connection, and an application layer connection.

45. The method of claim 37 further comprising:

receiving by the first device and the second device system information which indicates that the network supports D2D communication.