POWER CONTROL SCHEME FOR DEVICE TO DEVICE NETWORKS

1 . A method for managing device-to-device (D2D) traffic associated with a terminal, the method comprising:

first determining whether the terminal is handling D2D traffic;

second determining whether a human body is located either less than or equal to a predetermined distance from the terminal;

third determining whether the terminal is receiving power from an external power source; and

fourth determining whether to continue handling D2D traffic based on at least one of the second and third determining steps.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second determining step comprises:

starting a timer; and

monitoring an output power and a channel associated with a transmitter of the terminal.

3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

calculating a radio frequency (RF) exposure level based on the monitored step and based on accessing a look-up table comprising stored specific absorption rate (SAR) data; and

determining whether the RF exposure level is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the predetermined threshold comprises 12 Watt-minutes per kilogram.

5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the look-up table is stored in the terminal or accessed via a network.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the terminal is configured to determine whether the terminal is handling infrastructure-based traffic, and wherein the fourth determining step comprises determining whether to prioritize the infrastructure-based traffic or the D2D traffic.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fourth determining step comprises:

determining whether to prioritize a phone call or a data transfer.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the phone call comprises an emergency call or a non-emergency call.

9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising reducing an output power associated with a transmitter of the terminal, wherein the transmitter is associated with at least one of an emergency call, a non-emergency call, or a data transfer.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the terminal is configured to determine whether the terminal is handling infrastructure-based traffic, wherein the infrastructure-based traffic comprises a phone call or data transfer.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the D2D traffic comprises a phone call or data transfer.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the terminal comprises at least one of a mobile computing device, a non-mobile computing device, a mobile phone, a television, a watch, or a tablet computing device.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the terminal is in communication with a base station associated with a network.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the terminal functions as a repeater that enables a second terminal to communicate with a network in communication with the terminal.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first, second, third, and fourth determining steps are performed by at least one of the terminal and a network in communication with the terminal.

16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the D2D traffic comprises at least one of WiFi traffic or LTE traffic.

17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the terminal is configured to determine whether the terminal is handling infrastructure-based traffic, wherein the infrastructure-based traffic comprises at least one of WiFi traffic or LTE traffic.

18 . An apparatus for managing device-to-device (D2D) traffic associated with a terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a memory;

a processor; and

a module stored in the memory, executable by the processor, and configured to:

first determine whether the terminal is handling D2D traffic;

second determine whether a human body is located either less than or equal to a predetermined distance from the terminal;

third determine whether the terminal is receiving power from an external power source; and

fourth determine whether to continue handling D2D traffic based on at least one of the second and third determining steps.

19 . A computer program product for managing device-to-device (D2D) traffic associated with a terminal, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a set of codes for causing a computer to:

first determine whether the terminal is handling D2D traffic;

second determine whether a human body is located either less than or equal to a predetermined distance from the terminal;

third determine whether the terminal is receiving power from an external power source; and

fourth determine whether to continue handling D2D traffic based on at least one of the second and third determining steps.