IP Library Granted Patent US 10,979,874
Granted Patent B2
US 10,979,874 · App. 16/100,650 · Granted Apr 13, 2021

Multi-connectivity based vehicle-to-everything communications in a wireless network

Inventors: Thomas Novlan (Austin, TX); Xiaoyi Wang (Austin, TX); Arunabha Ghosh (Austin, TX); Milap Majmundar (Austin, TX); Andrew Thornburg (Austin, TX)
Assignee: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
H04W4/40G08G1/22H04W4/08H04W8/14H04W12/06H04W24/10H04W72/0406H04W76/14H04W76/15H04W84/20
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,979,874
App. No.
16/100,650
Granted
Apr 13, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

The described technology is generally directed towards a multi-connectivity (three or more simultaneous communication links) framework in a wireless communication network, including aspects and components that support the operation of New Radio vehicle-to-everything (V2X) services. Aspects of the framework include initial access and V2X establishment, local manager selection, sidelink and cellular resource configuration, mobility and measurements (and reporting), group communication and vehicular platooning support, and V2X configuration and local manager association.

Claims (35)

1. A method, comprising:

facilitating, by network equipment comprising a processor, communicating control information to a first user equipment via a first frequency range carrier over a first communication connection with the first user equipment;

facilitating, by the network equipment, configuring the first user equipment to use a second frequency range carrier over a second communication connection for cellular data communications with the network equipment; and

facilitating, by the network equipment, configuring the first user equipment to use the second frequency range carrier over a third communication connection for direct communications between the first user equipment and a second user equipment, and configuring the first user equipment to maintain the first communication connection, the second communication connection, and the third communication connection concurrently,

wherein a first frequency range of the first frequency range carrier comprises a sub-6 GHz frequency range and a second frequency range of the second frequency range carrier comprises a mmWave frequency range.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control information is first control information, and further comprising, facilitating, by the network equipment, communicating second control information via the first frequency range carrier that facilitates reconfiguring the first user equipment to use the first frequency range carrier for the direct communications between the first user equipment and the second user equipment.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control information is first control information, and further comprising, facilitating, by the network equipment, communicating second control information via the first frequency range carrier that facilitates reconfiguring the first user equipment to use the first frequency range carrier for the cellular data communications with the network equipment.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the direct communications are first direct communications, and further comprising, facilitating, by the network equipment, communicating, via the first frequency range carrier, with the second user equipment to authorize a third user equipment for second direct communications between the third user equipment and the first user equipment.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control information is first control information, and further comprising, facilitating, by the network equipment, communicating second control information via the first frequency range carrier, wherein the second control information facilitates selecting the first user equipment as a local manager with respect to management of the direct communications between the first user equipment and the second user equipment.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control information is first control information, and further comprising, facilitating, by the network equipment, communicating second control information via the first frequency range carrier, wherein the second control information facilitates partitioning resources of the first user equipment between the cellular data communications with the network equipment, and the direct communications between the first user equipment and the second user equipment.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, facilitating, by the network equipment configuring, using the second frequency range carrier, the first user equipment with a time-division multiplexing switching pattern to employ between the cellular data communications and the direct communications.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the direct communications are first direct communications, wherein the control information is first control information, and further comprising,

facilitating, by the network equipment, receiving, via the first frequency range carrier, group information corresponding to a group of members comprising the first user equipment and the second user equipment, and

facilitating, by the network equipment, communicating second control information via the first frequency range carrier that facilitates allocating resources of the group to coordinate second direct communications between the members of the group.

9. A first user equipment, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:

connecting to network equipment via a network using a first frequency range carrier over a first communication connection with the first user equipment;

receiving control information from the network equipment via the network using the first frequency range carrier; and

in response to the receiving of the control information, configuring the first user equipment to use a second frequency range carrier over a second communication connection for cellular data communications via the network, wherein a second frequency range of the second frequency range carrier comprises a mmWave frequency range and a first frequency range of the first frequency range carrier comprises a sub-6 GHz frequency range, and configuring the first user equipment to use the second frequency range carrier over a third communication connection for direct communications with a second user equipment, and configuring the first user equipment to maintain the first communication connection, the second communication connection, and the third communication connection concurrently.

10. The first user equipment of claim 9 , wherein the operations further comprise, operating the first user equipment in a connected mode with respect to the cellular data communications, and transitioning from the connected mode to a mode in which the first user equipment is not active with respect to the cellular data communications and is active with respect to the direct communications between the first user equipment and the second user equipment.

11. The first user equipment of claim 9 , wherein the operations further comprise, operating the first user equipment as a local manager with respect to managing the direct communications between the first user equipment and the second user equipment, and communicating local manager information, generated by the local manager, to the network equipment via the network using the first frequency range carrier.

12. The first user equipment of claim 11 , wherein the communicating the local manager information with the network equipment via the network using the first frequency range carrier comprises communicating local manager capability data, to the network equipment, representative of at least one capability of the local manager.

13. The first user equipment of claim 11 , wherein the operating of the first user equipment as the local manager with respect to the managing of the direct communications between the first user equipment and the second user equipment comprises relaying data of the second user equipment using the second frequency range carrier.

14. The first user equipment of claim 9 , wherein the first user equipment and the second user equipment are comprised in a group of members, and wherein the operations further comprise, transmitting, by the first user equipment to the network equipment via the network using the first frequency range carrier, group information to coordinate direct communication between the members of the group.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of network equipment, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:

communicating control information to first user equipment via a first frequency range carrier over a first communication connection with the first user equipment;

facilitating configuring the first user equipment to use a second frequency range carrier over a second communication connection for cellular data communications with the network equipment; and

facilitating configuring the first user equipment to use the second frequency range carrier over a third communication connection for direct communications between the first user equipment and second user equipment, and facilitating configuring the first user equipment to maintain the first communication connection, the second communication connection, and the third communication connection substantially simultaneously,

wherein a first frequency range of the first frequency range carrier comprises mmWave frequencies and a second frequency range of the second frequency range carrier comprises sub-6 GHz frequencies.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the control information is first control information, and the operations further comprise, facilitating communicating second control information over the first frequency range carrier that facilitates reconfiguring the first user equipment to use the first frequency range carrier for the cellular data communications with the network equipment.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise, facilitating configuring, over the second frequency range carrier, the first user equipment with a time-division multiplexing switching pattern to employ between the cellular data communications and the direct communications.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise, receiving local manager capability data over the first frequency range carrier from the first user equipment, and based on the local manager capability data, selecting the first user equipment as a local manager with respect to managing the direct communications between the first user equipment and the second user equipment.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise, communicating further control information over the first frequency range carrier that facilitates partitioning resources of the first user equipment between the cellular data communications with the network equipment, and the direct communications between the first user equipment and the second user equipment.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise, receiving, over the first frequency range carrier, group information corresponding to a group of members comprising the first user equipment and the second user equipment, and communicating further control information over the first frequency range carrier that facilitates allocating resources of the group to coordinate direct communication between the members of the group.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 27, 2018
From: NOVLAN, THOMAS; WANG, XIAOYI; GHOSH, ARUNABHA; MAJMUNDAR, MILAP; THORNBURG, ANDREW
To: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
Reel/Frame 046996/0182 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200053524A1 · Feb 13, 2020