RESOURCE ALLOCATION FOR D2D COMMUNICATION

1 . An apparatus comprising

a transceiver configured to conduct a communication with communication network elements,

a resource pool configuration processing portion configured to configure one or more resource pools each comprising a plurality of dedicated communication resources usable for a device-to-device communication between two or more communication network elements,

an allocation processing portion configured to allocate at least one of the one or more resource pools to a group of communication network elements establishing a device-to-device communication connection,

wherein the at least one of the one or more resource pools is allocated to the group of communication network elements for allowing a group head communication network element to select a set of communication resources comprised in the least one of the one or more resource pools for the device-to-device communication connection to be established, and

wherein the allocation processing portion is configured to send information indicating the at least one of the one or more resource pools to the group head communication network element.

2 - 8 . (canceled)

9 . A method comprising

conducting a communication with communication network elements,

configuring one or more resource pools each comprising a plurality of dedicated communication resources usable for a device-to-device communication between two or more communication network elements,

allocating at least one of the one or more resource pools to a group of communication network elements establishing a device-to-device communication connection, and

sending information indicating the at least one of the one or more resource pools to a group head communication network element,

wherein the at least one of the one or more resource pools is allocated to the group of communication network elements for allowing the group head communication network element to select a set of communication resources comprised in the least one of the one or more resource pools for the device-to-device communication connection to be established.

10 . The method according to claim 9 , further comprising allocating the at least one of the one or more resource pools allocated to the group of communication network elements establishing a device-to-device communication connection also to at least one other group of communication network elements establishing a further device-to-device communication connection.

11 . The method according to claim 9 , further comprising

receiving and processing an overload indication from at least one communication network element, and when the overload indication processing portion receives the overload indication,

allocating at least one further resource pool to a group of communication network elements concerned by the overload indication, or

instructing to re-configure the at least one resource pool allocated to a group of communication network elements concerned by the overload indication and allocating a resulting new resource pool to the group of communication network elements concerned by the overload indication, or

instructing a group of communication network elements concerned by the overload indication to end the establishment of the device-to-device communication connection.

12 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the overload indication is received via a reserved uplink connection resource.

13 . The method according to claim 9 , further comprising

monitoring a resource utilization signaling from groups of communication network elements to which at least one of the one or more resource pools is allocated, wherein the resource utilization signaling indicates which resources of the at least one of the one or more resource pools are used by the group of communication network elements,

determining whether a load situation in a communication using the resources of the at least one of the one or more resource pools requires an adjustment of resource pools, and

adjusting the configured one or more resource pools on the basis of the determination result of the monitor processing portion.

14 . The method according to claim 13 , further comprising

setting at least one communication network element to a monitoring mode in which the at least one communication network element conducts monitoring of the resource utilization signaling from groups of communication network elements to which at least one of the one or more resource pools is allocated,

receiving the monitoring result of the least one communication network element set to the monitoring mode, and

using the sent monitoring results in the determination of whether the load situation in a communication using the resources of the at least one of the one or more resource pools requires an adjustment of resource pools.

15 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the information indicating the at least one of the one or more resource pools being sent to the group head communication network element comprises at least one of the following information elements: a communication network element identification in the group of communication network elements, a first communication band indication for the device-to-device communication for the group of communication network elements, a second communication band indication for the device-to-device communication for the group of communication network elements, a resource indication for connectivity between the group of communication network elements and a communication network control element, and a resource indication and time period indication for a resource utilization signaling.

16 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein a group of communication network elements comprises a pair of communication network elements or a cluster of three or more communication network elements, wherein one of the communication network elements represents a group head communication network element and the one or more of the other communication network elements represent slave nodes of the group of communication network elements.

17 - 29 . (canceled)

30 . A method comprising

establishing a device-to-device communication with at least one communication network element and communicating with a communication network control element,

obtaining from the communication network control element information indicating at least one allocated resource pool, wherein each resource pool comprises a plurality of dedicated communication resources usable for a device-to-device communication between two or more communication network elements, and

determining, based on a detection of a foreign resource utilization signaling from another communication network element, a resource state indicating which communication resources of the plurality of dedicated communication resources of the allocated at least one resource pool are improper for being used as a resource for a device-to-device communication or which communication resources of the plurality of dedicated communication resources of the allocated at least one resource pool are suitable for being used as a resource for a device-to-device communication.

31 . The method according to claim 30 , further comprising

selecting, on the basis of the determination of the resource state, suitable communication resources of the plurality of dedicated communication resources of the allocated at least one resource pool as a resource for a device-to-device communication to a communication network element, and

sending an own resource utilization signaling via the transceiver, wherein the own resource utilization signaling indicates which resources of the at least one resource pool are selected in the selection processing to be used in the device-to-device communication.

32 . The method according to claim 31 , further comprising determining, on the basis of the information from the communication network control element, communication resources to be used to send the resource utilization signaling,

wherein the resource utilization signaling is sent by using one of code division multiplexing, time division multiplexing and frequency division multiplexing by using specified communication resources reserved in resources of the allocated resource pool or in resources outside the allocated resource pool, and

wherein the resource utilization signaling provides information indicating a utilization of the communication resources in at least one of a time domain and a frequency domain.

33 . The method according to claim 30 , further comprising

detecting, on the basis of the determination of improper communication resources of the plurality of dedicated communication resources of the allocated at least one resource pool, that the allocated resource pool does not comprise suitable resources for the device-to-device communication to a communication network element, and

sending an overload indication signaling via the transceiver to the communication network control element, wherein the overload indication signaling indicates that the allocated resource pool is not suitable for providing resources to be used in the device-to-device communication.

34 . The method according to claim 33 , further comprising

determining, on the basis of the information from the communication network control element, communication resources to be used to send the overload indication signaling.

35 . The method according to claim 33 , wherein

in case it is detected that the allocated resource pool does not comprise suitable resources for the device-to-device communication to a communication network element, and the information obtained from the from the communication network control element indicates more than one allocated resource pool, the method further comprises determining, based on a detection of a foreign resource utilization signaling from another communication network element, whether communication resources of the plurality of dedicated communication resources of another allocated resource pool are suitable for being used as a resource for a device-to-device communication,

36 . The method according to claim 35 , further comprising sending a load status information together with an overload indication signaling via the transceiver to the communication network control element on the basis of the determination related to the other allocated resource pool.

37 . The method according to claim 33 , further comprising

obtaining, in response to the overload indication signaling, new information indicating at least one new allocated resource pool, and

determining, based on a detection of a foreign resource utilization signaling from another communication network element, which communication resources of the plurality of dedicated communication resources of the allocated at least one new resource pool are improper for being used as a resource for a device-to-device communication or which communication resources of the plurality of dedicated communication resources of the allocated at least one new resource pool are suitable for being used as a resource for a device-to-device communication.

38 . The method according to claim 30 , further comprising

monitoring, when a monitoring mode is set by the communication network control element, resource utilization signaling from communication network elements and to send a monitoring result to the communication network control element.

39 . The method according to claim 30 , further comprising

determining that additional communication resources are required for a device-to-device communication, and

determining, based on a detection of a foreign resource utilization signaling from another communication network element, whether communication resources of the plurality of dedicated communication resources of the allocated at least one resource pool are available for increasing the number of resources being suitable for the device-to-device communication.

40 . The method according to claim 31 , further comprising

determining that the device-to-device communication is ended, and further comprising

sending a resource release indication message in the resource utilization signaling, or

stopping the resource utilization signaling.

41 - 50 . (canceled)