Method and apparatus for controlling the activity state of a wireless device having device-to-device communication capabilities

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10123376-B2
Application number	US-201514652733-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 7, 2015
Priority date	May 8, 2014
Publication date	Nov 6, 2018
Grant date	Nov 6, 2018

Abstract

According to the teachings herein, network and device methods and apparatuses provide Device-to-Device, D2D, activity state control of a first wireless device with respect to a current or pending D2D transmission by a second device. In an example application, the teachings herein disclose a wireless communication network advantageously adjusting the D2D activity state of a given wireless device, to enable it to receive critical or otherwise desired D2D transmissions by another device, where such transmissions might otherwise be missed if D2D operation by the given wireless device continued according to the unadjusted D2D activity state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method implemented by a network node in a wireless communications network, the method comprising:
determining that a first wireless device registered in the wireless communications network is a target of a pending Device-to-Device (D2D) transmission by a second wireless device that is registered in the wireless communications network;
determining a D2D activity state adjustment for the first wireless device to make the first wireless device active for D2D reception at a time corresponding to the pending D2D transmission; and
sending configuration information to the first wireless device corresponding to the determined D2D activity state adjustment;
wherein determining that the first wireless device is a target of the pending D2D transmission comprises determining that the first wireless device previously indicated to the wireless communications network an interest in receiving D2D transmissions of at least a certain type.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the D2D activity state adjustment comprises determining a Discontinuous Reception (DRX) adjustment for the first wireless device, wherein the DRX adjustment increases a reception activity state of the first wireless device with respect to D2D communications.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the D2D activity state adjustment comprises determining a change for the first wireless device from an existing D2D activity state to a more active D2D activity state.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the configuration information indicates one or more activity state parameters to be adopted by the first wireless device for D2D operation.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising detecting the pending D2D transmission by the second wireless device based on receiving an indication of the pending D2D transmission from another network node in the wireless communications network.

6. A method implemented by a network node in a wireless communications network, the method comprising:
determining that a first wireless device registered in the wireless communications network is a target of a pending Device-to-Device (D2D) transmission by a second wireless device that is registered in the wireless communications network;
determining a D2D activity state adjustment for the first wireless device to make the first wireless device active for D2D reception at a time corresponding to the pending D2D transmission; and
sending configuration information to the first wireless device corresponding to the determined D2D activity state adjustment;
wherein determining that the first wireless device is a target of the pending D2D transmission comprises determining that the pending D2D transmission is of a predefined type that wireless devices are by default intended to receive.

7. A network node configured for operations in a wireless communications network, said network node comprising:
a communication interface configured for communicating with at least one of: wireless devices operating in the wireless communications network and one or more other network nodes in the wireless communications network, wherein at least one such other network node is configured for communicating directly or indirectly with wireless devices operating in the wireless communications network; and
a processing circuit operatively associated with the communication interface and configured to:
determine that a first wireless device in the wireless communications network is a target of a pending Device-to-Device (D2D) transmission by a second wireless device that is registered in the wireless communications network;
determine a D2D activity state adjustment for the first wireless device to make the first wireless device active for D2D reception at a time corresponding to the pending D2D transmission; and
send configuration information to the first wireless device corresponding to the determined D2D activity state adjustment;

wherein the processing circuit is configured to determine that the first wireless device is a target of the pending D2D transmission based on determining that the first wireless device previously indicated to the wireless communications network an interest in receiving D2D transmissions of at least a certain type.

8. The network node of claim 7 , wherein the network node comprises a radio base station configured for operation in the wireless communications network, and wherein the communication interface comprises radio transceiver circuitry, and wherein the processing circuit is configured to send the configuration information to the first wireless device via the radio transceiver circuitry.

9. The network node of claim 7 , wherein the processing circuit is configured to determine the D2D activity state adjustment by determining a Discontinuous Reception (DRX) adjustment for the first wireless device, wherein the DRX adjustment increases a reception activity state of the first wireless device with respect to D2D communications.

10. A network node configured for operations in a wireless communications network, said network node comprising:
a communication interface configured for communicating with at least one of: wireless devices operating in the wireless communications network and one or more other network nodes in the wireless communications network, wherein at least one such other network node is configured for communicating directly or indirectly with wireless devices operating in the wireless communications network; and
a processing circuit operatively associated with the communication interface and configured to:
determine that a first wireless device in the wireless communications network is a target of a pending Device-to-Device (D2D) transmission by a second wireless device that is registered in the wireless communications network;
determine a D2D activity state adjustment for the first wireless device to make the first wireless device active for D2D reception at a time corresponding to the pending D2D transmission; and
send configuration information to the first wireless device corresponding to the determined D2D activity state adjustment;

wherein the processing circuit is configured to determine that the first wireless device is a target of the pending D2D transmission based on determining that the pending D2D transmission is of a predefined type that wireless devices are by default intended to receive.

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M
• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Siomina Iana
• Kazmi Muhammad

Classifications

• H04W76/14

  Direct-mode setup · CPC title

• Y02D70/00

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02D70/1262

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H04W76/20

  Manipulation of established connections · CPC title

• H04W76/28 Primary

  Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX] · CPC title