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WO2015163798A1 - Methods and devices for uplink user cooperative communication - Google Patents

Methods and devices for uplink user cooperative communication Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2015163798A1
WO2015163798A1 PCT/SE2014/050484 SE2014050484W WO2015163798A1 WO 2015163798 A1 WO2015163798 A1 WO 2015163798A1 SE 2014050484 W SE2014050484 W SE 2014050484W WO 2015163798 A1 WO2015163798 A1 WO 2015163798A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
group
data
devices
base station
transmitting
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
PCT/SE2014/050484
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Mårten ERICSON
Stefan WÄNSTEDT
Min Wang
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson AB
Original Assignee
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson AB
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson AB filed Critical Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson AB
Priority to PCT/SE2014/050484 priority Critical patent/WO2015163798A1/en
Publication of WO2015163798A1 publication Critical patent/WO2015163798A1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04B—TRANSMISSION
    • H04B7/00—Radio transmission systems, i.e. using radiation field
    • H04B7/02—Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas
    • H04B7/04—Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas
    • H04B7/0413—MIMO systems
    • H04B7/0452—Multi-user MIMO systems
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04B—TRANSMISSION
    • H04B7/00—Radio transmission systems, i.e. using radiation field
    • H04B7/02—Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas
    • H04B7/022—Site diversity; Macro-diversity
    • H04B7/024—Co-operative use of antennas of several sites, e.g. in co-ordinated multipoint or co-operative multiple-input multiple-output [MIMO] systems
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04B—TRANSMISSION
    • H04B7/00—Radio transmission systems, i.e. using radiation field
    • H04B7/02—Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas
    • H04B7/022—Site diversity; Macro-diversity
    • H04B7/026—Co-operative diversity, e.g. using fixed or mobile stations as relays
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04B—TRANSMISSION
    • H04B7/00—Radio transmission systems, i.e. using radiation field
    • H04B7/02—Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas
    • H04B7/04—Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas
    • H04B7/06—Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas at the transmitting station
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W76/00—Connection management
    • H04W76/10—Connection setup
    • H04W76/11—Allocation or use of connection identifiers
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W76/00—Connection management
    • H04W76/40—Connection management for selective distribution or broadcast
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W84/00—Network topologies
    • H04W84/18—Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W88/00—Devices specially adapted for wireless communication networks, e.g. terminals, base stations or access point devices
    • H04W88/02—Terminal devices
    • H04W88/04—Terminal devices adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W76/00—Connection management
    • H04W76/10—Connection setup
    • H04W76/14—Direct-mode setup

Definitions

  • An aspect of the invention provides a method of transmitting data from a first device to a base station of a cellular communications network, that comprises transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group, the group comprising a plurality of devices including the first device; and transmitting the data from the first device to the base station using a group identifier that is also used by the other devices of the group when transmitting the data to the base station.
  • the method may include transmitting the data from the first device to the other devices of a group by means of a device-to-device technique used in the cellular
  • the method may include transmitting the data from the first device to the other devices of a group by means of a short-range communications protocol outside the cellular communications network.
  • the method may include transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group by means of respective different communications protocols.
  • the method may include notifying the other devices of the group of the uplink resources to use for transmitting the data to the base station.
  • the method may include notifying the other devices of the group of synchronization information to use when transmitting the data to the base station; and transmitting the data from the first device to the base station in a manner that is synchronized with the other devices of the group.
  • the method may include, before transmitting the data, establishing the group.
  • the method may include establishing the group in response to a determination that an uplink connection from the first device to the base station has fallen below a connection quality threshold, for example when it is not possible to establish an acceptable uplink connection to an alternative base station.
  • the step of establishing the group may comprise obtaining the group identifier from the cellular communications network, and transmitting the group identifier to the other devices of the group.
  • the method may include, when the device has data to transmit, determining whether to operate in a group transmission mode and transmit the data from the first device to other devices of a group, or in a normal mode and transmit the data only to the base station.
  • the method may include transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group only if said other devices accept a request to join the group.
  • a method of transmitting data from a first device to a base station of a cellular communications network comprising: transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group, the group comprising a plurality of devices including the first device; transmitting timing information from the first device to the other devices of the group; transmitting the data from the first device to the base station at a timing that is synchronized with transmissions of the data by the other devices of the group to the base station, when those other devices transmit data at a timing based on said timing information.
  • the method may include transmitting the data from the first device to the other devices of a group by means of a device-to-device technique used in the cellular
  • the method may include transmitting the data from the first device to the other devices of a group by means of a short-range communications protocol outside the cellular communications network.
  • the method may include transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group by means of respective different communications protocols.
  • the method may include notifying the other devices of the group of the uplink resources to use for transmitting the data to the base station.
  • the method may include, before transmitting the data, establishing the group.
  • the method may include establishing the group in response to a determination that an uplink connection from the first device to the base station has fallen below a connection quality threshold, for example when it is not possible to establish an acceptable uplink connection to an alternative base station.
  • the step of establishing the group may comprise obtaining a group identifier from the cellular communications network, and transmitting the group identifier to the other devices of the group.
  • the method may include transmitting the data from the first device to the base station using the group identifier.
  • the method may include, when the device has data to transmit, determining whether to operate in a group transmission mode and transmit the data from the first device to other devices of a group, or in a normal mode and transmit the data only to the base station.
  • the method may include transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group only if said other devices accept a request to join the group.
  • a method of receiving data in a cellular communications network comprising: establishing a group identifier to be used by a plurality of devices; transmitting the group identifier to at least one of said plurality of devices; receiving respective signals from the plurality of devices using the group identifier, the respective signals containing the same data; and forming a single data stream from the signals received from the plurality of devices using the group identifier.
  • Other aspects of the invention provide devices, networks, and computer program products for carrying out the methods according to these aspects.
  • FIGURE 1 shows a part of a cellular communications network in accordance with an aspect of the invention.
  • FIGURE 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a base station and multiple devices in accordance with aspects of the invention.
  • FIGURE 3 is a flow chart, illustrating a method performed in accordance with an aspect of the invention.
  • FIGURE 4 shows a part of a cellular communications network in accordance with an aspect of the invention.
  • FIGURE 5 is a flow chart, illustrating a method performed in accordance with an aspect of the invention.
  • FIGURE 6 is a flow chart, illustrating a method performed in accordance with an aspect of the invention.
  • Figure 1 shows a part of a cellular communications network 10 in accordance with an aspect of the invention. Specifically, Figure 1 shows a base station 12 and user equipment devices 14, 16, 18, 20, 22. It will be appreciated that a real network will contain many such base stations and many user equipment devices, but Figure 1 shows enough of the network for an understanding of the present invention. Figure 1 shows the base station 12 as part of a radio access network 26, which can be any type of cellular network, using any cellular architecture and standards.
  • FIG. 2 shows in more detail the form of the base station 12 and three of the user equipment devices 14, 16, 18.
  • the base station 12 has a transceiver and communications block 30 and a data processing and control unit 32.
  • the data processing and control unit 32 includes a processor 34 and a memory 36.
  • the memory 36 stores instructions, in the form of a computer program, for causing the processor 34 to carry out the steps described herein.
  • the computer program might be loaded into the memory 36 before the base station is put into operation, or might be downloaded after the base station is put into operation.
  • the transceiver and communications block 30 comprises the components required for communication over a wireless interface with multiple devices, and also comprises the components required for communication with the core network of the cellular communications network.
  • the cellular communications network can be any cellular network, such as an LTE network.
  • the transceiver and communications block 30 of the base station 12 can be any cellular network, such as an LTE network.
  • the base station 12 (commonly referred to in an LTE network as an eNodeB) can be such as to provide the required cell size.
  • the base station 12 might be a macrocell base station or a small cell base station.
  • the devices 14, 16 and 18 are identical in all essential respects, and so only the device 14 will be described in detail herein.
  • Figure 1 shows an example in which the devices 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 are user equipment devices such as cellular phones or the like, the devices may be any portable user equipment devices, fixed terminals having cellular connectivity, autonomous devices, or the like.
  • the device 14 has a transceiver block 50 and a data processing and control unit 52.
  • the data processing and control unit 52 includes a processor 54 and a memory 56.
  • the memory 56 stores instructions, in the form of a computer program, for causing the processor 54 to carry out the steps described herein.
  • the computer program might be loaded into the memory 56 before the device is put into operation, or might be downloaded as a separate applications program after the device is put into operation.
  • the transceiver block 50 comprises the components required for communication using a suitable communications protocol with a cellular base station over a wireless interface in the cellular communications network.
  • the cellular communications network can be any cellular network, such as a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network.
  • LTE Long Term Evolution
  • the transceiver block 50 also comprises the components required for communication using a suitable short-range communications protocol with at least one other device.
  • the base station 12 and the device 14 therefore comprise means, or modules, for performing the method steps described herein.
  • Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method performed in one of the devices 14, 16, 18, 20, 22.
  • a device determines that it is experiencing bad cellular coverage.
  • a device determines that it is experiencing bad cellular coverage.
  • mechanisms exist that allow a device that is experiencing bad cellular coverage for example, receiving signals from a serving base station with a low received signal strength
  • a device might experience bad cellular coverage, without being able to handover to a different base station that would provide better coverage. For example, this situation might arise when the device is in a rural area, indoors (for example in a basement), shielded from the base station by high buildings, etc.
  • step 70 it is determined whether the device is experiencing bad cellular coverage, without being able to handover to a different base station that would provide better coverage.
  • This determination can be based on any suitable criterion. For example, the determination can be based on the received signal strength of signals transmitted by the serving base station, or on the pathloss experienced by signals transmitted by the serving base station. In this case, the determination that the device is experiencing bad cellular coverage can be made when the signal strength falls below a threshold value. In this case, the threshold value should be set so that the device is still able to receive signals transmitted by the base station.
  • step 72 If the device is not experiencing bad cellular coverage, or if the device is experiencing bad cellular coverage but is able to handover to a different base station to improve the coverage, the process passes to step 72, and ends.
  • step 70 If it is determined in step 70 that the device is experiencing bad cellular coverage, without being able to handover to a different base station that would provide better coverage, the process passes to step 74.
  • the device takes steps to establish a group of devices, which can then be used for group transmission, as described in more detail below.
  • a group can be formed for other reasons. For example, when a device is experiencing adequate cellular coverage, but has a large amount of data to transmit, it may establish a group of devices so that the cellular coverage improves further.
  • the device 14 that is experiencing bad coverage contacts the radio access network 26 by sending a signal to the base station 12.
  • the device might have established the group identity before experiencing bad coverage.
  • a node in the radio access network 26 or the associated core network for example the MME/HSS (Mobile Media Entity/Home subscriber server) in the case of an LTE network, or the base station 12 itself, or the radio network controller in the case of a UMTS radio access network, or another node, allocates a group identifier (ID) for use by the group.
  • the group identifier may for example take the form of an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) that is not associated with any specific device or Subscriber Identity Module (SIM).
  • IMSI International Mobile Subscriber Identity
  • SIM Subscriber Identity Module
  • the base station 12 transmits, and the device 14 receives, the information required for a normal connection establishment such as authentication and bearer control, used for normal data transmission (but in this case used for a group transmission).
  • the uplink resources that can be used for group transmission are assigned to the group in the same way as to a single conventional device.
  • the uplink resources might be a frequency subcarrier and time slot allocation.
  • the base station 12 transmits the information required for group transmission, this may in principle be received by all of the devices, and so they are able to synchronize and connect to the cellular network. However, in some cases, there could be only one device that is able to decode the response from the network, and it is then necessary to distribute the decoded response among the devices of the group. In this case, which devices that can receive and decode the response must be decided (for example, choose the device with the strongest downlink connection) and signalled in the group before the group transmission occurs.
  • the group of devices can carry out group transmission, in which each device transmits the same data to the base station. Because there are multiple devices transmitting, the uplink connection is improved, with the results that the coverage area of the base station 12 is extended and/or the uplink data rate from a device is improved.
  • a device may have lost its uplink connection to the base station, but is still able to receive signals on the downlink. That is, the device can still detect the cell synchronization signals and find a cell to camp on, but is not able to register to the network via the usual random access procedure.
  • the step of establishing the group may include restoring the connection of the device to the base station using the improved uplink connection.
  • the step of establishing the group of devices involves setting up connections between the devices.
  • Figure 4 illustrates a situation similar to that shown in Figure 1 , in which the devices 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 are formed into a group 90, by means of connections 91 , 92, 93, 94, 95, 96 between pairs of devices.
  • each device has at least one connection to another device of the group, and may have more than one connection to other devices of the group.
  • each device is connected to every other device, either directly or in multiple hops.
  • the connections between the devices can be based on any wireless communications technology.
  • the connections might use the LTE Device-to-Device (D2D) communications system.
  • D2D LTE Device-to-Device
  • connections might use short range wireless communication technologies outside the cellular communications network, for example WiFi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, or wireless personal area network.
  • the connections 91 , 92, 93, 94, 95, 96 may all use the same protocol, or may use multiple protocols.
  • the establishment of the group can for example be done by manually connecting the devices to each other by means of an application downloaded by the user.
  • a device might receive an invitation from another device to form part of a group, and the device is then able to send a response accepting or declining the invitation.
  • the decision to accept or decline the invitation to form part of the group might be taken automatically by the device itself (based on criteria such as bad uplink quality, or availability of the free uplink connection), or might be taken by a user of the device.
  • a decision to decline the invitation might be permanent, based on some criterion, or might be temporary, for example if the device has its own data to transmit at that time and does not need to use group transmission.
  • the device that initiates the establishment of the group may be regarded as a Master device.
  • the Master device may maintain the list of devices that are members of the group.
  • a device is removed from the group if it moves out of the range of the short range communication, so that it is unable to communicate with the other devices in the group.
  • Other devices can be invited to join the group if they move into the area in which the group is located, so that they are able to communicate with the devices in the group.
  • the invitation can take the form of a pairing request.
  • a group may for example remain in force until a predetermined period of inactivity elapses.
  • the group may be removed when the number of members falls below a threshold number that means that the group provides little benefit.
  • the devices in the group can thereafter transmit in a coordinated manner.
  • the group transmission from multiple devices means that the uplink signal received at the base station can in principle be much stronger, for example with a higher signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) than when a single device is transmitting. Since, in some embodiment, the signals transmitted by the multiple devices are synchronized in time, the base station is able to combine the multiple received signals easily, either because they arrive simultaneously or by using techniques normally applicable to receiving signals with echo components.
  • SINR signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio
  • Data received at the base station can then be forwarded to the appropriate network node based on the destination indicated in the data itself.
  • the group transmission can be used while at least one device in the group has a downlink connection that allows receipt of acknowledgements etc, even after every device has lost its individual uplink connection.
  • FIG. 5 is a flow chart, illustrating a process in accordance with an aspect of the invention. Where reference is made herein to a device transmitting data, this refers to traffic data and/or to signaling data, such as Random Access Channel (RACH) requests, scheduling requests, or the like.
  • RACH Random Access Channel
  • a device determines whether it has data to transmit. If not, no action is taken. However, if a device determines that it has data to transmit, the process passes to step 112.
  • a device may decide to establish a group only in response to determining that it has a large quantity of data to transmit, requiring a better uplink connection than it is presently experiencing.
  • the device that determines that it has data to transmit may be the device that initiated the establishment of the group, that is, the Master device, or it may be any other member of that group.
  • the Master device may be responsible for establishing the active connection to the network, though in principle this may be carried out by any device using the group ID, or may be carried out by all of the devices in the group sending the required signaling messages on the uplink. In case more than one device wants to transmit data, there is a mechanism whereby it can be decided which device is allowed to transmit. This can be carried out in the Master device, for example, but this could also be decided in the network.
  • Round robin scheduling could be used, so that all of the devices in the group get the same number of transmission chances.
  • a mechanism may be used to give priority to one or more devices over other devices. This could for example be based on the categories of the devices, Quality of Service (QoS), QoS Class Identifier (QCI) of the device/traffic, Access Class Barring (ACB) or Extended Access Barring (EAB), etc.
  • QoS Quality of Service
  • QCI QoS Class Identifier
  • ACB Access Class Barring
  • EAB Extended Access Barring
  • the device sends a signal to the other devices in the group, requesting that they enter group transmission mode. If the group has already been established, the other devices may already be aware of the group ID and the allocated uplink resources. However, if necessary, the device also informs the other devices in the group of the information.
  • the other devices may have the option to accept or decline the request to enter group transmission mode.
  • the device notes which devices have accepted the request.
  • the device sends timing information to the other devices, or to those other devices that have accepted the request to enter group transmission mode.
  • the timing information allows the devices of the group to transmit data in a synchronized manner, such that they act as individual antennas of an array and thereby increase the SINR of the uplink cellular connection.
  • the timing information may indicate a specific future point in time at which the devices should start transmitting data, or may indicate a delay from the current time, after which the devices should start transmitting data.
  • the device sends the data to the other devices using the selected short range communication system.
  • Step 116 may be combined with step 1 14, or may follow step 1 14, so that the timing information is sent with, or preceding the data.
  • the device buffers the data that it wishes to send to the base station. Specifically, it buffers the data for a time period such that, in step 120, the device transmits the data to the base station at the same time as the other devices. Thus, all of the devices in the group transmit the same data to the eNodeB in a synchronized manner.
  • the device uses the group ID allocated by the network, and this same group ID is used by the other devices in the group.
  • the network handles data received using the group ID in the same way as it handles data received from a single device. For example, any normal
  • acknowledgement/retransmission request protocol such as HARQ processes
  • HARQ processes are handled in the same way. If a retransmission request is received, this may in principle be received by all devices in the group, and the devices all retransmit the same data in the same synchronized way.
  • Figure 6 is a flow chart, illustrating a method performed by a device that is not the device that initially has data to transmit.
  • the device receives a request to enter group transmission mode.
  • the device may have the option to accept or decline the request to enter group transmission mode. In that case, it is assumed here that the device accepts the request.
  • the device then has a connection with a device that has data to transmit.
  • the connection might use the LTE Device-to-Device (D2D) communications system.
  • the connection might use a short range wireless communication technology outside the cellular communications network, for example WiFi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, or wireless personal area network.
  • the device receives timing information from the device that has data to transmit.
  • the timing information may indicate a specific future point in time at which the device should start transmitting data, or may indicate a delay from the current time, after which the device should start transmitting data.
  • step 134 the device receives the data that is to be transmitted.
  • step 136 it buffers this data for a time that depends on the received timing information.
  • step 138 the device sends the data using the group ID, using the allocated uplink resources, that is, the allocated time slot on the frequency channel or the allocated time/frequency resource block.
  • the device sends the data using the group ID, using the allocated uplink resources, that is, the allocated time slot on the frequency channel or the allocated time/frequency resource block.
  • the device must be able to receive data on the short range communication link and at the same time transmit the data to the cellular network.
  • the device that has the data to transmit may not have the capability to perform an LTE uplink D2D transmission and the normal cellular transmission simultaneously. IT can therefore perform the short range communication and the cellular uplink transmissions in a time division manner.
  • the device may use downlink spectrum for the D2D link, simultaneously with transmitting to the cellular network on the uplink band.
  • the data can be transmitted to the network.
  • An aspect of the invention provides a method of transmitting data from a first device to a base station of a cellular communications network, that comprises transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group, the group comprising a plurality of devices including the first device; and transmitting the data from the first device to the base station using a group identifier that is also used by the other devices of the group when transmitting the data to the base station.
  • the method may include transmitting the data from the first device to the other devices of a group by means of a device-to-device technique used in the cellular
  • the method may include transmitting the data from the first device to the other devices of a group by means of a short-range communications protocol outside the cellular communications network.
  • the method may include transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group by means of respective different communications protocols.
  • the method may include notifying the other devices of the group of the uplink resources to use for transmitting the data to the base station.
  • the method may include notifying the other devices of the group of synchronization information to use when transmitting the data to the base station; and transmitting the data from the first device to the base station in a manner that is synchronized with the other devices of the group.
  • the method may include, before transmitting the data, establishing the group.
  • the method may include establishing the group in response to a determination that an uplink connection from the first device to the base station has fallen below a connection quality threshold, for example when it is not possible to establish an acceptable uplink connection to an alternative base station.
  • the step of establishing the group may comprise obtaining the group identifier from the cellular communications network, and transmitting the group identifier to the other devices of the group.
  • the method may include, when the device has data to transmit, determining whether to operate in a group transmission mode and transmit the data from the first device to other devices of a group, or in a normal mode and transmit the data only to the base station.
  • the method may include transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group only if said other devices accept a request to join the group.
  • a method of transmitting data from a first device to a base station of a cellular communications network comprising: transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group, the group comprising a plurality of devices including the first device; transmitting timing information from the first device to the other devices of the group; transmitting the data from the first device to the base station at a timing that is synchronized with transmissions of the data by the other devices of the group to the base station, when those other devices transmit data at a timing based on said timing information.
  • the method may include transmitting the data from the first device to the other devices of a group by means of a device-to-device technique used in the cellular
  • the method may include transmitting the data from the first device to the other devices of a group by means of a short-range communications protocol outside the cellular communications network.
  • the method may include transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group by means of respective different communications protocols.
  • the method may include notifying the other devices of the group of the uplink resources to use for transmitting the data to the base station.
  • the method may include, before transmitting the data, establishing the group.
  • the method may include establishing the group in response to a determination that an uplink connection from the first device to the base station has fallen below a connection quality threshold, for example when it is not possible to establish an acceptable uplink connection to an alternative base station.
  • the step of establishing the group may comprise obtaining a group identifier from the cellular communications network, and transmitting the group identifier to the other devices of the group.
  • the method may include transmitting the data from the first device to the base station using the group identifier.
  • the method may include, when the device has data to transmit, determining whether to operate in a group transmission mode and transmit the data from the first device to other devices of a group, or in a normal mode and transmit the data only to the base station.
  • the method may include transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group only if said other devices accept a request to join the group.
  • a method of receiving data in a cellular communications network comprising: establishing a group identifier to be used by a plurality of devices; transmitting the group identifier to at least one of said plurality of devices; receiving respective signals from the plurality of devices using the group identifier, the respective signals containing the same data; and forming a single data stream from the signals received from the plurality of devices using the group identifier.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Mobile Radio Communication Systems (AREA)

Abstract

One method of transmitting data from a first device to a base station of a cellular communications networkinvolves transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group, the group comprising a plurality of devices including the first device. Then, the data is transmitted from the first device and the other devices in the group to the base station using a group identifier.

Description

Methods and devices for uplink user cooperative communication Technical Field This relates to the field of data transmission, and in particular to transmitting data from a device to a base station of a cellular communications network.
Background In a cellular communications network, it is necessary to establish a connection between a device and a base station of the network. Many techniques are known for improving the quality of an uplink connection, in the case where the connection is of low quality, for example because the device is far from the nearest base station or because the device is in a location (such as an indoor location) in which it is shielded from the nearest base station.
"Virtual Antenna Arrays" by Mischa Dohler, November 2003, a thesis submitted to the University of London for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, describes a system in which a base station transmits a space-time encoded data stream to multiple mobile terminals forming a "Virtual Antenna Array". Each mobile terminal receives the entire data stream, extracts its own information, and relays further information to the other mobile terminals (section 1.2). It is also stated that the same principle is applicable to the uplink. Summary
An aspect of the invention provides a method of transmitting data from a first device to a base station of a cellular communications network, that comprises transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group, the group comprising a plurality of devices including the first device; and transmitting the data from the first device to the base station using a group identifier that is also used by the other devices of the group when transmitting the data to the base station.
The method may include transmitting the data from the first device to the other devices of a group by means of a device-to-device technique used in the cellular
communications network. The method may include transmitting the data from the first device to the other devices of a group by means of a short-range communications protocol outside the cellular communications network.
The method may include transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group by means of respective different communications protocols.
The method may include notifying the other devices of the group of the uplink resources to use for transmitting the data to the base station.
The method may include notifying the other devices of the group of synchronization information to use when transmitting the data to the base station; and transmitting the data from the first device to the base station in a manner that is synchronized with the other devices of the group.
The method may include, before transmitting the data, establishing the group.
The method may include establishing the group in response to a determination that an uplink connection from the first device to the base station has fallen below a connection quality threshold, for example when it is not possible to establish an acceptable uplink connection to an alternative base station.
The step of establishing the group may comprise obtaining the group identifier from the cellular communications network, and transmitting the group identifier to the other devices of the group.
The method may include, when the device has data to transmit, determining whether to operate in a group transmission mode and transmit the data from the first device to other devices of a group, or in a normal mode and transmit the data only to the base station.
The method may include transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group only if said other devices accept a request to join the group. According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of transmitting data from a first device to a base station of a cellular communications network, the method comprising: transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group, the group comprising a plurality of devices including the first device; transmitting timing information from the first device to the other devices of the group; transmitting the data from the first device to the base station at a timing that is synchronized with transmissions of the data by the other devices of the group to the base station, when those other devices transmit data at a timing based on said timing information.
The method may include transmitting the data from the first device to the other devices of a group by means of a device-to-device technique used in the cellular
communications network. The method may include transmitting the data from the first device to the other devices of a group by means of a short-range communications protocol outside the cellular communications network.
The method may include transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group by means of respective different communications protocols.
The method may include notifying the other devices of the group of the uplink resources to use for transmitting the data to the base station. The method may include, before transmitting the data, establishing the group.
The method may include establishing the group in response to a determination that an uplink connection from the first device to the base station has fallen below a connection quality threshold, for example when it is not possible to establish an acceptable uplink connection to an alternative base station.
The step of establishing the group may comprise obtaining a group identifier from the cellular communications network, and transmitting the group identifier to the other devices of the group. The method may include transmitting the data from the first device to the base station using the group identifier.
The method may include, when the device has data to transmit, determining whether to operate in a group transmission mode and transmit the data from the first device to other devices of a group, or in a normal mode and transmit the data only to the base station.
The method may include transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group only if said other devices accept a request to join the group.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of receiving data in a cellular communications network, comprising: establishing a group identifier to be used by a plurality of devices; transmitting the group identifier to at least one of said plurality of devices; receiving respective signals from the plurality of devices using the group identifier, the respective signals containing the same data; and forming a single data stream from the signals received from the plurality of devices using the group identifier. Other aspects of the invention provide devices, networks, and computer program products for carrying out the methods according to these aspects.
Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 shows a part of a cellular communications network in accordance with an aspect of the invention.
FIGURE 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a base station and multiple devices in accordance with aspects of the invention.
FIGURE 3 is a flow chart, illustrating a method performed in accordance with an aspect of the invention.
FIGURE 4 shows a part of a cellular communications network in accordance with an aspect of the invention. FIGURE 5 is a flow chart, illustrating a method performed in accordance with an aspect of the invention.
FIGURE 6 is a flow chart, illustrating a method performed in accordance with an aspect of the invention.
Detailed description
Figure 1 shows a part of a cellular communications network 10 in accordance with an aspect of the invention. Specifically, Figure 1 shows a base station 12 and user equipment devices 14, 16, 18, 20, 22. It will be appreciated that a real network will contain many such base stations and many user equipment devices, but Figure 1 shows enough of the network for an understanding of the present invention. Figure 1 shows the base station 12 as part of a radio access network 26, which can be any type of cellular network, using any cellular architecture and standards.
Figure 2 shows in more detail the form of the base station 12 and three of the user equipment devices 14, 16, 18. The base station 12 has a transceiver and communications block 30 and a data processing and control unit 32. The data processing and control unit 32 includes a processor 34 and a memory 36. The memory 36 stores instructions, in the form of a computer program, for causing the processor 34 to carry out the steps described herein. The computer program might be loaded into the memory 36 before the base station is put into operation, or might be downloaded after the base station is put into operation.
The transceiver and communications block 30 comprises the components required for communication over a wireless interface with multiple devices, and also comprises the components required for communication with the core network of the cellular communications network.
The cellular communications network can be any cellular network, such as an LTE network. The transceiver and communications block 30 of the base station 12
(commonly referred to in an LTE network as an eNodeB) can be such as to provide the required cell size. As is well known, different cell sizes are possible and so, as examples, the base station 12 might be a macrocell base station or a small cell base station.
The devices 14, 16 and 18 are identical in all essential respects, and so only the device 14 will be described in detail herein.
Although Figure 1 shows an example in which the devices 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 are user equipment devices such as cellular phones or the like, the devices may be any portable user equipment devices, fixed terminals having cellular connectivity, autonomous devices, or the like.
The device 14 has a transceiver block 50 and a data processing and control unit 52. The data processing and control unit 52 includes a processor 54 and a memory 56. The memory 56 stores instructions, in the form of a computer program, for causing the processor 54 to carry out the steps described herein. The computer program might be loaded into the memory 56 before the device is put into operation, or might be downloaded as a separate applications program after the device is put into operation.
The transceiver block 50 comprises the components required for communication using a suitable communications protocol with a cellular base station over a wireless interface in the cellular communications network. The cellular communications network can be any cellular network, such as a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network.
In certain embodiments, the transceiver block 50 also comprises the components required for communication using a suitable short-range communications protocol with at least one other device.
The base station 12 and the device 14 therefore comprise means, or modules, for performing the method steps described herein.
Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method performed in one of the devices 14, 16, 18, 20, 22.
In step 70 of the method shown in Figure 3, a device determines that it is experiencing bad cellular coverage. In a cellular communications network, mechanisms exist that allow a device that is experiencing bad cellular coverage (for example, receiving signals from a serving base station with a low received signal strength) to improve coverage by handing over to a different base station. However, there are situations in which a device might experience bad cellular coverage, without being able to handover to a different base station that would provide better coverage. For example, this situation might arise when the device is in a rural area, indoors (for example in a basement), shielded from the base station by high buildings, etc.
In step 70, it is determined whether the device is experiencing bad cellular coverage, without being able to handover to a different base station that would provide better coverage. This determination can be based on any suitable criterion. For example, the determination can be based on the received signal strength of signals transmitted by the serving base station, or on the pathloss experienced by signals transmitted by the serving base station. In this case, the determination that the device is experiencing bad cellular coverage can be made when the signal strength falls below a threshold value. In this case, the threshold value should be set so that the device is still able to receive signals transmitted by the base station.
If the device is not experiencing bad cellular coverage, or if the device is experiencing bad cellular coverage but is able to handover to a different base station to improve the coverage, the process passes to step 72, and ends.
If it is determined in step 70 that the device is experiencing bad cellular coverage, without being able to handover to a different base station that would provide better coverage, the process passes to step 74.
In step 74, the device takes steps to establish a group of devices, which can then be used for group transmission, as described in more detail below. Although it is mentioned here that the group is established in response to a determination that a device is experiencing bad coverage, a group can be formed for other reasons. For example, when a device is experiencing adequate cellular coverage, but has a large amount of data to transmit, it may establish a group of devices so that the cellular coverage improves further.
In one embodiment, the device 14 that is experiencing bad coverage contacts the radio access network 26 by sending a signal to the base station 12. (Alternatively, the device might have established the group identity before experiencing bad coverage.) A node in the radio access network 26 or the associated core network, for example the MME/HSS (Mobile Media Entity/Home subscriber server) in the case of an LTE network, or the base station 12 itself, or the radio network controller in the case of a UMTS radio access network, or another node, allocates a group identifier (ID) for use by the group. The group identifier may for example take the form of an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) that is not associated with any specific device or Subscriber Identity Module (SIM). In step 76, the base station 12 transmits, and the device 14 receives, the information required for a normal connection establishment such as authentication and bearer control, used for normal data transmission (but in this case used for a group transmission).
Further on, the uplink resources that can be used for group transmission, are assigned to the group in the same way as to a single conventional device. In the case of an LTE network, the uplink resources might be a frequency subcarrier and time slot allocation.
When the base station 12 transmits the information required for group transmission, this may in principle be received by all of the devices, and so they are able to synchronize and connect to the cellular network. However, in some cases, there could be only one device that is able to decode the response from the network, and it is then necessary to distribute the decoded response among the devices of the group. In this case, which devices that can receive and decode the response must be decided (for example, choose the device with the strongest downlink connection) and signalled in the group before the group transmission occurs. In step 78, the group of devices can carry out group transmission, in which each device transmits the same data to the base station. Because there are multiple devices transmitting, the uplink connection is improved, with the results that the coverage area of the base station 12 is extended and/or the uplink data rate from a device is improved.
In one situation, a device may have lost its uplink connection to the base station, but is still able to receive signals on the downlink. That is, the device can still detect the cell synchronization signals and find a cell to camp on, but is not able to register to the network via the usual random access procedure. In this case, the step of establishing the group may include restoring the connection of the device to the base station using the improved uplink connection. The step of establishing the group of devices involves setting up connections between the devices. Figure 4 illustrates a situation similar to that shown in Figure 1 , in which the devices 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 are formed into a group 90, by means of connections 91 , 92, 93, 94, 95, 96 between pairs of devices. It will be seen that each device has at least one connection to another device of the group, and may have more than one connection to other devices of the group. Thus, each device is connected to every other device, either directly or in multiple hops. The connections between the devices can be based on any wireless communications technology. For example, in the case of an LTE network, the connections might use the LTE Device-to-Device (D2D) communications system. Alternatively, the
connections might use short range wireless communication technologies outside the cellular communications network, for example WiFi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, or wireless personal area network. The connections 91 , 92, 93, 94, 95, 96 may all use the same protocol, or may use multiple protocols.
The establishment of the group can for example be done by manually connecting the devices to each other by means of an application downloaded by the user.
Thus, a device might receive an invitation from another device to form part of a group, and the device is then able to send a response accepting or declining the invitation. The decision to accept or decline the invitation to form part of the group might be taken automatically by the device itself (based on criteria such as bad uplink quality, or availability of the free uplink connection), or might be taken by a user of the device. A decision to decline the invitation might be permanent, based on some criterion, or might be temporary, for example if the device has its own data to transmit at that time and does not need to use group transmission. The device that initiates the establishment of the group may be regarded as a Master device. The Master device may maintain the list of devices that are members of the group. A device is removed from the group if it moves out of the range of the short range communication, so that it is unable to communicate with the other devices in the group. Other devices can be invited to join the group if they move into the area in which the group is located, so that they are able to communicate with the devices in the group. The invitation can take the form of a pairing request. When a group has been established, it may for example remain in force until a predetermined period of inactivity elapses. Alternatively, the group may be removed when the number of members falls below a threshold number that means that the group provides little benefit.
When a group has been formed, the devices in the group can thereafter transmit in a coordinated manner. The group transmission from multiple devices means that the uplink signal received at the base station can in principle be much stronger, for example with a higher signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) than when a single device is transmitting. Since, in some embodiment, the signals transmitted by the multiple devices are synchronized in time, the base station is able to combine the multiple received signals easily, either because they arrive simultaneously or by using techniques normally applicable to receiving signals with echo components.
Data received at the base station can then be forwarded to the appropriate network node based on the destination indicated in the data itself.
If the group has been established while one device has an uplink connection, then the group transmission can be used while at least one device in the group has a downlink connection that allows receipt of acknowledgements etc, even after every device has lost its individual uplink connection.
Figure 5 is a flow chart, illustrating a process in accordance with an aspect of the invention. Where reference is made herein to a device transmitting data, this refers to traffic data and/or to signaling data, such as Random Access Channel (RACH) requests, scheduling requests, or the like.
In step 1 10, a device determines whether it has data to transmit. If not, no action is taken. However, if a device determines that it has data to transmit, the process passes to step 112. In Figure 5, it is assumed that a group of devices has already been established. However, as discussed above, a device may decide to establish a group only in response to determining that it has a large quantity of data to transmit, requiring a better uplink connection than it is presently experiencing. The device that determines that it has data to transmit may be the device that initiated the establishment of the group, that is, the Master device, or it may be any other member of that group. The Master device may be responsible for establishing the active connection to the network, though in principle this may be carried out by any device using the group ID, or may be carried out by all of the devices in the group sending the required signaling messages on the uplink. In case more than one device wants to transmit data, there is a mechanism whereby it can be decided which device is allowed to transmit. This can be carried out in the Master device, for example, but this could also be decided in the network.
Round robin scheduling could be used, so that all of the devices in the group get the same number of transmission chances. However, a mechanism may be used to give priority to one or more devices over other devices. This could for example be based on the categories of the devices, Quality of Service (QoS), QoS Class Identifier (QCI) of the device/traffic, Access Class Barring (ACB) or Extended Access Barring (EAB), etc. In step 1 12, the device sends a signal to the other devices in the group, requesting that they enter group transmission mode. If the group has already been established, the other devices may already be aware of the group ID and the allocated uplink resources. However, if necessary, the device also informs the other devices in the group of the information.
In some embodiments, the other devices may have the option to accept or decline the request to enter group transmission mode. When the other devices have this option, the device notes which devices have accepted the request. In step 1 14, the device sends timing information to the other devices, or to those other devices that have accepted the request to enter group transmission mode.
In some embodiments, the timing information allows the devices of the group to transmit data in a synchronized manner, such that they act as individual antennas of an array and thereby increase the SINR of the uplink cellular connection. For example, the timing information may indicate a specific future point in time at which the devices should start transmitting data, or may indicate a delay from the current time, after which the devices should start transmitting data. In step 1 16, the device sends the data to the other devices using the selected short range communication system. Step 116 may be combined with step 1 14, or may follow step 1 14, so that the timing information is sent with, or preceding the data.
In step 1 18, the device buffers the data that it wishes to send to the base station. Specifically, it buffers the data for a time period such that, in step 120, the device transmits the data to the base station at the same time as the other devices. Thus, all of the devices in the group transmit the same data to the eNodeB in a synchronized manner. When transmitting the data, the device uses the group ID allocated by the network, and this same group ID is used by the other devices in the group.
Thus, the network handles data received using the group ID in the same way as it handles data received from a single device. For example, any normal
acknowledgement/retransmission request protocol, such as HARQ processes, are handled in the same way. If a retransmission request is received, this may in principle be received by all devices in the group, and the devices all retransmit the same data in the same synchronized way.
Figure 6 is a flow chart, illustrating a method performed by a device that is not the device that initially has data to transmit.
In step 130, the device receives a request to enter group transmission mode. As mentioned above, in some embodiments, the device may have the option to accept or decline the request to enter group transmission mode. In that case, it is assumed here that the device accepts the request. The device then has a connection with a device that has data to transmit. For example, in the case of an LTE network, the connection might use the LTE Device-to-Device (D2D) communications system. Alternatively, the connection might use a short range wireless communication technology outside the cellular communications network, for example WiFi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, or wireless personal area network.
In step 132, the device receives timing information from the device that has data to transmit. For example, the timing information may indicate a specific future point in time at which the device should start transmitting data, or may indicate a delay from the current time, after which the device should start transmitting data.
In step 134, the device receives the data that is to be transmitted. In step 136, it buffers this data for a time that depends on the received timing information.
Then, in step 138, the device sends the data using the group ID, using the allocated uplink resources, that is, the allocated time slot on the frequency channel or the allocated time/frequency resource block. Thus, if a device has already registered with the base station using its own subscriber ID, it must replace this with the allocated group ID. The device must suspend its own transmissions to the network while in group transmission mode, and so the device is able to switch between normal operating mode and group transmission mode. Steps 132, 134, 136 and 138 are then repeated for each packet of data that is to be sent, until the device that has the data for transmission has completed transmission of the data.
The device must be able to receive data on the short range communication link and at the same time transmit the data to the cellular network. For example, in an LTE network, the device that has the data to transmit may not have the capability to perform an LTE uplink D2D transmission and the normal cellular transmission simultaneously. IT can therefore perform the short range communication and the cellular uplink transmissions in a time division manner. Alternatively, the device may use downlink spectrum for the D2D link, simultaneously with transmitting to the cellular network on the uplink band.
Thus, the data can be transmitted to the network.
An aspect of the invention provides a method of transmitting data from a first device to a base station of a cellular communications network, that comprises transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group, the group comprising a plurality of devices including the first device; and transmitting the data from the first device to the base station using a group identifier that is also used by the other devices of the group when transmitting the data to the base station.
The method may include transmitting the data from the first device to the other devices of a group by means of a device-to-device technique used in the cellular
communications network. The method may include transmitting the data from the first device to the other devices of a group by means of a short-range communications protocol outside the cellular communications network.
The method may include transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group by means of respective different communications protocols.
The method may include notifying the other devices of the group of the uplink resources to use for transmitting the data to the base station. The method may include notifying the other devices of the group of synchronization information to use when transmitting the data to the base station; and transmitting the data from the first device to the base station in a manner that is synchronized with the other devices of the group. The method may include, before transmitting the data, establishing the group.
The method may include establishing the group in response to a determination that an uplink connection from the first device to the base station has fallen below a connection quality threshold, for example when it is not possible to establish an acceptable uplink connection to an alternative base station.
The step of establishing the group may comprise obtaining the group identifier from the cellular communications network, and transmitting the group identifier to the other devices of the group. The method may include, when the device has data to transmit, determining whether to operate in a group transmission mode and transmit the data from the first device to other devices of a group, or in a normal mode and transmit the data only to the base station.
The method may include transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group only if said other devices accept a request to join the group.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of transmitting data from a first device to a base station of a cellular communications network, the method comprising: transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group, the group comprising a plurality of devices including the first device; transmitting timing information from the first device to the other devices of the group; transmitting the data from the first device to the base station at a timing that is synchronized with transmissions of the data by the other devices of the group to the base station, when those other devices transmit data at a timing based on said timing information. The method may include transmitting the data from the first device to the other devices of a group by means of a device-to-device technique used in the cellular
communications network.
The method may include transmitting the data from the first device to the other devices of a group by means of a short-range communications protocol outside the cellular communications network.
The method may include transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group by means of respective different communications protocols.
The method may include notifying the other devices of the group of the uplink resources to use for transmitting the data to the base station.
The method may include, before transmitting the data, establishing the group. The method may include establishing the group in response to a determination that an uplink connection from the first device to the base station has fallen below a connection quality threshold, for example when it is not possible to establish an acceptable uplink connection to an alternative base station.
The step of establishing the group may comprise obtaining a group identifier from the cellular communications network, and transmitting the group identifier to the other devices of the group. The method may include transmitting the data from the first device to the base station using the group identifier.
The method may include, when the device has data to transmit, determining whether to operate in a group transmission mode and transmit the data from the first device to other devices of a group, or in a normal mode and transmit the data only to the base station.
The method may include transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group only if said other devices accept a request to join the group.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of receiving data in a cellular communications network, comprising: establishing a group identifier to be used by a plurality of devices; transmitting the group identifier to at least one of said plurality of devices; receiving respective signals from the plurality of devices using the group identifier, the respective signals containing the same data; and forming a single data stream from the signals received from the plurality of devices using the group identifier.
Other aspects of the invention provide devices, networks, and computer program products for carrying out the methods according to these aspects.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting data from a first device to a base station of a cellular communications network, the method comprising:
transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group, the group comprising a plurality of devices including the first device;
transmitting the data from the first device to the base station using a group identifier that is also used by the other devices of the group when transmitting the data to the base station.
2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , comprising transmitting the data from the first device to the other devices of a group by means of a device-to-device technique used in the cellular communications network.
3. A method as claimed in claim 1 , comprising transmitting the data from the first device to the other devices of a group by means of a short-range communications protocol outside the cellular communications network.
4. A method as claimed in claim 1 , comprising transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group by means of respective different communications protocols.
5. A method as claimed in claim 1 , 2, 3 or 4, comprising notifying the other devices of the group of the uplink resources to use for transmitting the data to the base station.
6. A method as claimed in one of claims 1 to 5, comprising:
notifying the other devices of the group of synchronization information to use when transmitting the data to the base station; and
transmitting the data from the first device to the base station in a manner that is synchronized with the other devices of the group.
7. A method as claimed in one of claims 1 to 6, comprising, before transmitting the data, establishing the group.
8. A method as claimed in claim 7, comprising establishing the group in response to a determination that an uplink connection from the first device to the base station has fallen below a connection quality threshold.
9. A method as claimed in claim 8, comprising establishing the group in response to the determination that an uplink connection from the first device to the base station has fallen below a connection quality threshold, and that it is not possible to establish an acceptable uplink connection to an alternative base station.
10. A method as claimed in claim 7, 8 or 9, wherein the step of establishing the group comprises obtaining the group identifier from the cellular communications network, and transmitting the group identifier to the other devices of the group.
1 1. A method of transmitting data from a first device to a base station of a cellular communications network, the method comprising:
transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group, the group comprising a plurality of devices including the first device;
transmitting timing information from the first device to the other devices of the group;
transmitting the data from the first device to the base station at a timing that is synchronized with transmissions of the data by the other devices of the group to the base station, when those other devices transmit data at a timing based on said timing information.
12. A method as claimed in claim 1 1 , comprising transmitting the data from the first device to the other devices of a group by means of a device-to-device technique used in the cellular communications network.
13. A method as claimed in claim 1 1 , comprising transmitting the data from the first device to the other devices of a group by means of a short-range communications protocol outside the cellular communications network.
14. A method as claimed in claim 1 1 , comprising transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group by means of respective different communications protocols.
15. A method as claimed in claim 1 1 , 12, 13 or 14, comprising notifying the other devices of the group of the uplink resources to use for transmitting the data to the base station.
16. A method as claimed in one of claims 1 1 to 15, comprising, before transmitting the data, establishing the group.
17. A method as claimed in claim 16, comprising establishing the group in response to a determination that an uplink connection from the first device to the base station has fallen below a connection quality threshold.
18. A method as claimed in claim 17, comprising establishing the group in response to the determination that an uplink connection from the first device to the base station has fallen below a connection quality threshold, and that it is not possible to establish an acceptable uplink connection to an alternative base station.
19. A method as claimed in claim 16, 17 or 18, wherein the step of establishing the group comprises obtaining a group identifier from the cellular communications network, and transmitting the group identifier to the other devices of the group.
20. A method as claimed in claim 19, comprising transmitting the data from the first device to the base station using the group identifier.
21. A method as claimed in one of claims 1 to 20, comprising:
when the device has data to transmit, determining whether to operate in a group transmission mode and transmit the data from the first device to other devices of the group, or in a normal mode and transmit the data only to the base station.
22. A method as claimed in one of claims 1 to 21 , comprising transmitting the data from the first device to other devices of a group only if said other devices accept a request to join the group.
23. A method of receiving data in a cellular communications network, the method comprising:
establishing a group identifier to be used by a plurality of devices;
transmitting the group identifier to at least one of said plurality of devices; receiving respective signals from the plurality of devices using the group identifier, the respective signals containing the same data; and
forming a single data stream from the signals received from the plurality of devices using the group identifier.
24. A device, adapted for transmitting data from the device to a base station of a cellular communications network, the device being adapted to:
transmit the data from the first device to other devices of a group, the group comprising a plurality of devices including the device;
transmit the data from the device to the base station using a group identifier that is also used by the other devices of the group when transmitting the data to the base station.
25. A device as claimed in claim 24, being adapted to transmit the data from the device to the other devices of a group by means of a device-to-device technique used in the cellular communications network.
26. A device as claimed in claim 24, being adapted to transmit the data from the device to the other devices of a group by means of a short-range communications protocol outside the cellular communications network.
27. A device as claimed in claim 24, being adapted to transmit the data from the device to other devices of a group by means of respective different communications protocols.
28. A device as claimed in claim 24, 25, 26 or 27, being adapted to notify the other devices of the group of the uplink resources to use for transmitting the data to the base station.
29. A device as claimed in one of claims 24 to 28, being adapted to:
notify the other devices of the group of synchronization information to use when transmitting the data to the base station; and
transmit the data from the device to the base station in a manner that is synchronized with the other devices of the group.
30. A device as claimed in one of claims 24 to 29, being adapted to, before transmitting the data, establish the group.
31. A device as claimed in claim 30, being adapted to establish the group in response to a determination that an uplink connection from the device to the base station has fallen below a connection quality threshold.
32. A device as claimed in claim 31 , being adapted to establish the group in response to the determination that an uplink connection from the device to the base station has fallen below a connection quality threshold, and that it is not possible to establish an acceptable uplink connection to an alternative base station.
33. A device as claimed in claim 30, 31 or 32, being adapted to establish the group by obtaining the group identifier from the cellular communications network, and transmitting the group identifier to the other devices of the group.
34. A device, adapted for transmitting data from the device to a base station of a cellular communications network, the device being adapted to:
transmit the data from the device to other devices of a group, the group comprising a plurality of devices including the device;
transmit timing information from the device to the other devices of the group; transmit the data from the device to the base station at a timing that is synchronized with transmissions of the data by the other devices of the group to the base station, when those other devices transmit data at a timing based on said timing information.
35. A device as claimed in claim 34, being adapted to transmit the data from the device to the other devices of a group by means of a device-to-device technique used in the cellular communications network.
36. A device as claimed in claim 34, being adapted to transmit the data from the device to the other devices of a group by means of a short-range communications protocol outside the cellular communications network.
37. A device as claimed in claim 34, being adapted to transmit the data from the device to other devices of a group by means of respective different communications protocols.
38. A device as claimed in claim 34, 35, 36 or 37, being adapted to notify the other devices of the group of the uplink resources to use for transmitting the data to the base station.
39. A device as claimed in one of claims 34 to 38, being adapted to, before transmitting the data, establish the group.
40. A device as claimed in claim 39, being adapted to establish the group in response to a determination that an uplink connection from the device to the base station has fallen below a connection quality threshold.
41. A device as claimed in claim 40, being adapted to establish the group in response to the determination that an uplink connection from the device to the base station has fallen below a connection quality threshold, and that it is not possible to establish an acceptable uplink connection to an alternative base station.
42. A device as claimed in claim 39, 40 or 41 , being adapted to establish the group by obtaining a group identifier from the cellular communications network, and transmitting the group identifier to the other devices of the group.
43. A device as claimed in claim 42, being adapted to transmit the data from the device to the base station using the group identifier.
44. A device as claimed in one of claims 24 to 43, being adapted:
when the device has data to transmit, to determine whether to operate in a group transmission mode and transmit the data from the device to other devices of the group, or in a normal mode and transmit the data only to the base station.
45. A device as claimed in one of claims 24 to 44, being adapted to transmit the data from the device to other devices of a group only if said other devices accept a request to join the group.
46. A cellular communications network being adapted to receive data, the network being adapted to:
establish a group identifier to be used by a plurality of devices;
transmit the group identifier to at least one of said plurality of devices;
receive respective signals from the plurality of devices using the group identifier, the respective signals containing the same data; and
form a single data stream from the signals received from the plurality of devices using the group identifier.
47. A device, adapted for transmitting data from the device to a base station of a cellular communications network, the device comprising a processor; and a memory, said memory containing instructions executable by said processor, whereby said device is operative to:
transmit the data from the first device to other devices of a group, the group comprising a plurality of devices including the device;
transmit the data from the device to the base station using a group identifier that is also used by the other devices of the group when transmitting the data to the base station.
48. A device as claimed in claim 47, whereby said device is operative to transmit the data from the device to the other devices of a group by means of a device-to-device technique used in the cellular communications network.
49. A device as claimed in claim 47, whereby said device is operative to transmit the data from the device to the other devices of a group by means of a short-range communications protocol outside the cellular communications network.
50. A device as claimed in claim 47, whereby said device is operative to transmit the data from the device to other devices of a group by means of respective different communications protocols.
51. A device as claimed in claim 47, 48, 49 or 50, whereby said device is operative to notify the other devices of the group of the uplink resources to use for transmitting the data to the base station.
52. A device as claimed in one of claims 47 to 51 , whereby said device is operative to:
notify the other devices of the group of synchronization information to use when transmitting the data to the base station; and
transmit the data from the device to the base station in a manner that is synchronized with the other devices of the group.
53. A device as claimed in one of claims 47 to 52, whereby said device is operative to, before transmitting the data, establish the group.
54. A device as claimed in claim 53, whereby said device is operative to establish the group in response to a determination that an uplink connection from the device to the base station has fallen below a connection quality threshold.
55. A device as claimed in claim 54, whereby said device is operative to establish the group in response to the determination that an uplink connection from the device to the base station has fallen below a connection quality threshold, and that it is not possible to establish an acceptable uplink connection to an alternative base station.
56. A device as claimed in claim 53, 54 or 55, whereby said device is operative to establish the group by obtaining the group identifier from the cellular communications network, and transmitting the group identifier to the other devices of the group.
57. A device, adapted for transmitting data from the device to a base station of a cellular communications network, the device comprising a processor; and a memory, said memory containing instructions executable by said processor, whereby said device is operative to:
transmit the data from the device to other devices of a group, the group comprising a plurality of devices including the device;
transmit timing information from the device to the other devices of the group; transmit the data from the device to the base station at a timing that is synchronized with transmissions of the data by the other devices of the group to the base station, when those other devices transmit data at a timing based on said timing information.
58. A device as claimed in claim 57, whereby said device is operative to transmit the data from the device to the other devices of a group by means of a device-to-device technique used in the cellular communications network.
59. A device as claimed in claim 57, whereby said device is operative to transmit the data from the device to the other devices of a group by means of a short-range communications protocol outside the cellular communications network.
60. A device as claimed in claim 57, whereby said device is operative to transmit the data from the device to other devices of a group by means of respective different communications protocols.
61. A device as claimed in claim 57, 58, 59 or 60, whereby said device is operative to notify the other devices of the group of the uplink resources to use for transmitting the data to the base station.
62. A device as claimed in one of claims 57 to 61 , whereby said device is operative to, before transmitting the data, establish the group.
63. A device as claimed in claim 62, whereby said device is operative to establish the group in response to a determination that an uplink connection from the device to the base station has fallen below a connection quality threshold.
64. A device as claimed in claim 63, whereby said device is operative to establish the group in response to the determination that an uplink connection from the device to the base station has fallen below a connection quality threshold, and that it is not possible to establish an acceptable uplink connection to an alternative base station.
65. A device as claimed in claim 62, 63 or 64, whereby said device is operative to establish the group by obtaining a group identifier from the cellular communications network, and transmitting the group identifier to the other devices of the group.
66. A device as claimed in claim 65, whereby said device is operative to transmit the data from the device to the base station using the group identifier.
67. A device as claimed in one of claims 47 to 66, whereby said device is operative: when the device has data to transmit, to determine whether to operate in a group transmission mode and transmit the data from the device to other devices of the group, or in a normal mode and transmit the data only to the base station.
68. A device as claimed in one of claims 47 to 67, whereby said device is operative to transmit the data from the device to other devices of a group only if said other devices accept a request to join the group.
69. A cellular communications network being adapted to receive data, the network comprising a processor; and a memory, said memory containing instructions executable by said processor, whereby said network is operative to:
establish a group identifier to be used by a plurality of devices;
transmit the group identifier to at least one of said plurality of devices;
receive respective signals from the plurality of devices using the group identifier, the respective signals containing the same data; and
form a single data stream from the signals received from the plurality of devices using the group identifier.
70. A device, for transmitting data to a base station of a cellular communications network, the device comprising:
a first transmission module for transmitting the data from the device to other devices of a group, the group comprising a plurality of devices including the device; a second transmission module for transmitting the data from the device to the base station using a group identifier that is also used by the other devices of the group when transmitting the data to the base station.
71. A device as claimed in claim 70, comprising a notification module for notifying the other devices of the group of the uplink resources to use for transmitting the data to the base station.
72. A device as claimed in one of claims 70 and 71 , comprising:
a second notification module for notifying the other devices of the group of synchronization information to use when transmitting the data to the base station; wherein the second transmission module is adapted to transmit the data from the device to the base station in a manner that is synchronized with the other devices of the group.
73. A device, for transmitting data from the device to a base station of a cellular communications network, the device comprising:
a first transmission module for transmitting the data from the device to other devices of a group, the group comprising a plurality of devices including the device; a second transmission module for transmitting timing information from the device to the other devices of the group; and
a third transmission module for transmitting the data from the device to the base station at a timing that is synchronized with transmissions of the data by the other devices of the group to the base station, when those other devices transmit data at a timing based on said timing information.
74. A device as claimed in claim 73, comprising a notification module for notifying the other devices of the group of the uplink resources to use for transmitting the data to the base station.
75. A device as claimed in claim 73 or 74, further comprising an establishment module, for establishing the group before transmitting the data.
76. A device as claimed in claim 75, wherein the establishment module is adapted to establish the group in response to the determination that an uplink connection from the device to the base station has fallen below a connection quality threshold.
77. A device as claimed in claim 75, wherein the establishment module is adapted to establish the group in response to the determination that an uplink connection from the device to the base station has fallen below a connection quality threshold, and that it is not possible to establish an acceptable uplink connection to an alternative base station.
78. A device as claimed in one of claims 75 to 77, wherein the establishment module is adapted to establish the group by obtaining a group identifier from the cellular communications network, and transmitting the group identifier to the other devices of the group.
79. A device as claimed in claim 73, wherein the third transmission module is adapted to transmit the data from the device to the base station using the group identifier.
80. A cellular communications network being adapted to receive data, the network comprising:
an establishment module for establishing a group identifier to be used by a plurality of devices;
a transmission module for transmitting the group identifier to at least one of said plurality of devices;
a reception module for receiving respective signals from the plurality of devices using the group identifier, the respective signals containing the same data; and
a data stream forming module, for forming a single data stream from the signals received from the plurality of devices using the group identifier.
PCT/SE2014/050484 2014-04-23 2014-04-23 Methods and devices for uplink user cooperative communication Ceased WO2015163798A1 (en)

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