System and method for coordinating device-to-device communications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9668194-B2
Application number	US-201514609644-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2015
Priority date	Jan 30, 2015
Publication date	May 30, 2017
Grant date	May 30, 2017

Abstract

A master user equipment (UE) device may coordinate device-to-device (D2D) communications amongst a plurality of UE devices. For example, a UE device, which has been designated as a master UE device, may coordinate a D2D communication between a first UE device and a second UE device. The master UE device may be a UE device that obtains an indication that it is a master UE device that is to coordinate D2D communications amongst the plurality of UE devices. In some embodiments, the coordinating the D2D communication may be on behalf of a network and/or to facilitate wireless communication between the network and at least one of the plurality of UE devices.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) device comprising:
receiving an indication that the UE device is a master UE device; and
based on the indication, coordinating a D2D communication amongst a plurality of UE devices, the plurality of UE devices including the master UE device, a first UE device, and a second UE device;
wherein coordinating the D2D communication comprises:
sending an instruction to the first UE device, instructing the first UE device to use D2D communication to directly communicate with the second UE device and assist with wireless communication between the second UE device and a base station of a network.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising coordinating the D2D communication by the master UE device on behalf of the network.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein coordinating the D2D communication comprises instructing the first UE device to use the D2D communication and relay data between the second UE device and the base station.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein coordinating the D2D communication comprises instructing the first UE device to: receive data from the base station, and transmit a first portion of the data to the second UE device using the D2D communication, and transmit a second portion of the data to a third UE device of the plurality of UE devices using another D2D communication.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein coordinating the D2D communication comprises instructing the first UE device to use a wireless channel during the D2D communication that mitigates interference with a D2D communication of at least one other UE device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the master UE device is selected based on at least one of: power availability of the master UE device, a level of security possessed by the master UE device for handling packets belonging to other of the plurality of UE devices, a wireless communication capability of the master UE device, a quality of a communication link between the master UE device and a network, and a quality of a D2D communication link between the master UE device and at least one other of the plurality of UE devices.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising instructing the first UE device to use the D2D communication to directly communicate with the second UE device and assist with direct wireless communication between the second UE device and the base station.

8. A user equipment (UE) device comprising:
processing circuitry configured to implement a device-to-device (D2D) coordinator, the D2D coordinator to:
receive an indication that the UE device is a master UE device; and
based on the indication, coordinate a D2D communication amongst a plurality of UE devices, the plurality of UE devices including the master UE device, a first UE device, and a second UE device;
wherein the D2D coordinator is configured to coordinate the D2D communication by:
sending an instruction to the first UE device, instructing the first UE device to use D2D communication to directly communicate with the second UE device and assist with wireless communication between the second UE device and a base station of a network.

9. The UE device of claim 8 , wherein the D2D coordinator is to coordinate the D2D communication on behalf of the network.

10. The UE device of claim 8 , wherein the instruction instructs the first UE device to use the D2D communication and relay data between the second UE device and the base station.

11. The UE device of claim 8 , wherein the instruction also instructs the first UE device to use a wireless channel during the D2D communication that mitigates interference with a D2D communication of at least one other UE device.

12. The UE device of claim 8 , wherein the master UE device is selected based on at least one of: power availability of the master UE device, a level of security possessed by the master UE device for handling packets belonging to other of the plurality of UE devices, a wireless communication capability of the master UE device, a quality of a communication link between the master UE device and a network, and a quality of a D2D communication link between the master UE device and at least one other of the plurality of UE devices.

13. The UE device of claim 8 , wherein the D2D coordinator is configured to instruct the first UE device to: receive data from the base station, and transmit a first portion of the data to the second UE device using the D2D communication, and transmit a second portion of the data to a third UE device of the plurality of UE devices using another D2D communication.

14. The UE device of claim 8 , wherein the instruction instructs the first UE device to use the D2D communication to directly communicate with the second UE device and assist with direct wireless communication between the second UE device and the base station.

15. A method performed by a first user equipment (UE) device comprising:
receiving an instruction from a second UE device, the instruction coordinating D2D communication between the first UE device and a third UE device; and
based on the instruction, directly communicate with the third UE device using the D2D communication and assist with wireless communication between the third UE device and a base station of a network.

16. The method of claim 15 , comprising accessing a wireless channel during the D2D communication that mitigates interference with a D2D communication of another UE device.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein directly communicating with the third UE device and assisting with wireless communication between the third UE device and the base station comprises the first UE device relaying data between the third UE device and the base station using the D2D communication.

18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising: based on the instruction performing operations including: receiving data from the base station, transmitting a first portion of the data to the third UE device using the D2D communication, and transmitting a second portion of the data to a fourth UE device using another D2D communication.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein based on the instruction, the first UE device directly communicates with the third UE device to assist using the D2D communication and assists with direct wireless communication between the third UE device and the base station.

20. A first user equipment (UE) device comprising:
processing circuitry configured to implement a device-to-device (D2D) participator, the D2D participator to:
receive an instruction from a second UE device, the instruction coordinating a D2D communication between the first UE device and a third UE device; and
based on the instruction, directly communicate with the third UE device using the D2D communication and assist with wireless communication between the third UE device and a base station of a network.

21. The first UE device of claim 20 , wherein the D2D participator is to access a wireless channel during the D2D communication that mitigates interference with a D2D communication of another UE device.

22. The first UE device of claim 20 , wherein the D2D participator is configured to directly communicate with the third UE device and assist with wireless communication between the third UE device and the base station by: relaying data between the third UE device and the base station using the D2D communication.

23. The first UE device of claim 20 , wherein the D2D participator is configured to: based on the instruction perform oper

Assignees

• Baligh Mohammadhadi
• Zarifi Keyvan
• Ma Jianglei
• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Baligh Mohammadhadi
• Zarifi Keyvan
• Ma Jianglei

Classifications

• H04W40/02 Primary

  Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing · CPC title

• H04W40/20

  based on geographic position or location · CPC title

• H04W84/20

  Leader-follower arrangements · CPC title

• H04W28/0278

  using buffer status reports (dynamic wireless traffic scheduling definition H04W72/12) · CPC title

• H04W76/14 Primary

  Direct-mode setup · CPC title