US 12,176,998 B2
Communication apparatus and communication method
Hiromasa Uchiyama, Tokyo (JP); Naoki Kusashima, Kanagawa (JP); and Yifu Tang, Kanagawa (JP)
Assigned to SONY GROUP CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by Sony Group Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Nov. 24, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/534,457.
Application 17/534,457 is a continuation of application No. 16/608,189, granted, now 11,218,216, previously published as PCT/JP2018/009518, filed on Mar. 12, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. 2017-091852 (JP), filed on May 2, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2022/0085876 A1, Mar. 17, 2022
Int. Cl. H04W 4/70 (2018.01); H04B 7/26 (2006.01); H04W 24/10 (2009.01); H04W 72/02 (2009.01); H04W 76/14 (2018.01); H04W 88/04 (2009.01)
CPC H04B 7/2606 (2013.01) [H04W 4/70 (2018.02); H04W 24/10 (2013.01); H04W 72/02 (2013.01); H04W 76/14 (2018.02); H04W 88/04 (2013.01)] 4 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A first wireless communication device, configured to relay communication between a base station and a one or more second wireless devices having a device-specific bandwidth that is narrower than a bandwidth of the first wireless communication device, the first wireless communication device comprising:
circuitry configured to:
receive, from the base station, first information related to a resource pool that is used by the first wireless communication device for device-to-device (D2D) communications, the resource pool comprising a plurality of sub resource pools that is used by the first wireless communication device for the D2D communications with a specific second wireless device of the one or more second wireless devices having the device-specific bandwidth that is narrower than the bandwidth of the first wireless communication device;
receive, from the base station, second information related to a specific sub resource pool of the plurality of sub resource pools that is used by the first wireless communication device to transmit a discovery signal to the specific second wireless communication device; and
transmit the discovery signal to the specific second wireless communication device using the specific sub resource pool,
wherein the discovery signal is used for terminal detection between the first wireless communication device and the specific second wireless communication device,
wherein the specific sub resource pool is a sub resource pool provided for communication between the first wireless communication device and the specific second wireless communication device according to a limitation on the bandwidth of the specific second wireless communication device,
wherein the limitation on the bandwidth of the specific second wireless communication device is less than or equal to 6 resource blocks, and
wherein the circuitry is further configured to:
perform a communication quality measurement of each of the plurality of sub resource pools, and
based on a result of the communication quality measurement, transmit a request to the base station for the base station to identify the specific sub resource pool to both the first wireless communication device and the specific second wireless communication device,
wherein the second information related to the specific sub resource pool for the specific second wireless communication device is received from the base station in response to the request.
 
3. A method performed by a first wireless communication device that is configured to relay communication between a base station and one or more second wireless devices having a device-specific bandwidth that is narrower than a bandwidth of the first wireless communication device, the method comprising:
receiving, from the base station, first information related to a resource pool that is used by the first wireless communication device for device-to-device (D2D) communications, the resource pool comprising a plurality of sub resource pools that is used by the first wireless communication device for the D2D communications with a specific second wireless device of the one or more second wireless devices having the device-specific bandwidth that is narrower than the bandwidth of the first wireless communication device;
receiving, from the base station, second information related to a specific sub resource pool of the plurality of sub resource pools that is used by the first wireless communication device to transmit a discovery signal to the specific second wireless communication device; and
transmitting the discovery signal to the specific second wireless communication device using the specific sub resource pool,
wherein the discovery signal is used for terminal detection between the first wireless communication device and the specific second wireless communication device,
wherein the specific sub resource pool is a sub resource pool provided for communication between the first wireless communication device and the specific second wireless communication device according to a limitation on the bandwidth of the specific second wireless communication device,
wherein the limitation on the bandwidth of the specific second wireless communication device is less than or equal to 6 resource blocks, and
wherein the method further comprises:
performing a communication quality measurement of each of the plurality of sub resource pools, and
based on a result of the communication quality measurement, transmitting a request to the base station for the base station to identify the specific sub resource pool to both the first wireless communication device and the specific second wireless communication device,
wherein the second information related to the specific sub resource pool for the specific second wireless communication device is received from the base station in response to the request.
 
4. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a product containing instructions, which when executed by a processor of a first wireless communication device, cause the first wireless communication device to perform a method, the first wireless communication device being configured to relay communication between a base station and one or more second wireless devices having a device-specific bandwidth that is narrower than a bandwidth of the first wireless communication device, the method comprising:
receiving, from the base station, first information related to a resource pool that is used by the first wireless communication device for device-to-device (D2D) communications, the resource pool comprising a plurality of sub resource pools that is used by the first wireless communication device for the D2D communications with a specific second wireless device of the one or more second wireless devices having the device-specific bandwidth that is narrower than the bandwidth of the first wireless communication device;
receiving, from the base station, second information related to a specific sub resource pool of the plurality of sub resource pools that is used by the first wireless communication device to transmit a discovery signal to the specific second wireless communication device; and
transmitting the discovery signal to the specific second wireless communication device using the specific sub resource pool,
wherein the discovery signal is used for terminal detection between the first wireless communication device and the specific second wireless communication device,
wherein the specific sub resource pool is a sub resource pool provided for communication between the first wireless communication device and the specific second wireless communication device according to a limitation on the bandwidth of the specific second wireless communication device,
wherein the limitation on the bandwidth of the specific second wireless communication device is less than or equal to 6 resource blocks, and
wherein the method further comprises:
performing a communication quality measurement of each of the plurality of sub resource pools, and
based on a result of the communication quality measurement, transmitting a request to the base station for the base station to identify the specific sub resource pool to both the first wireless communication device and the specific second wireless communication device,
wherein the second information related to the specific sub resource pool for the specific second wireless communication device is received from the base station in response to the request.