Terminal device, system, method of operating a base station, and storage medium

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to terminal devices, systems, methods of operating a base station and storage media. A first terminal device for use in a wireless communication system, the first terminal device comprising: receiver circuitry; transmitter circuitry; storage circuitry operable to store mapping information, the mapping information identifying predetermined sets of radio resources and predetermined geographical areas associated with each respective predetermined set of radio resources; and controller circuitry operable to: receive a geographical position of the terminal device, the geographical position of the terminal device being determined by positioning circuitry; determine a predetermined geographical area of the received mapping information in which the determined geographical position lies; determine a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the determined geographical area using the received mapping information; and control the transmitter circuitry to transmit a signal to a second terminal device using the determined predetermined set of radio resources.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the Chinese national phase application of the PCT application with international application number PCT / EP2016 / 070384, filing date August 30, 2016, and invention name “Wireless Communication System”. The application number of the Chinese national phase application is 201680050203.9, and all the contents are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a terminal device, a system, a method for operating a base station, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0003] The "background" description provided here is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the present disclosure. The present reference to the inventors' work within the scope described in the background section, as well as other described aspects that may not be prior art at the time of filing, is neither explicitly nor implicitly admitted to be prior art against the present invention.

[0004] The automotive industry has been working for years on solutions that enable communication with and between vehicles to help improve traffic flow and safety. These technologies range from automatic toll collection to collision avoidance mechanisms and are generally referred to as Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). The main radio technology currently under consideration in standards projects is the WLAN derivative 802.11p, which will be used to broadcast ITS information to vehicles. This constitutes the so-called Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) system, which is deployed in the European 5.9GHz ITS band (other regions may have different ITS bands, such as 700MHz in Japan).

[0005] The effective range of DSRC systems is a few hundred meters, and services are broadcast-oriented (e.g., emergency vehicle notifications). It is believed that mobile communication networks such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) in the International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) band can meet at least some ITS needs and also provide wider and cheaper coverage. In particular, existing cellular networks already cover roads, and capital expenditure costs may be a fraction of those required to build new DSRC-based ITS networks.

[0006] LTE is expected to play an increasingly important role in the connected vehicle ecosystem. LTE-based solutions can, in particular, bring improvements in spectrum efficiency, effective communication range, throughput, error resilience, and quality of service. It is important to note that LTE networks are finding new deployment areas with each new 3GPP release. Release 12 introduced the public safety aspects of device-to-device (D2D) communication, and Release 13 continued to further develop the D2D concept. In Release 14, 3GPP began discussing in-vehicle communications, effectively considering whether and how LTE networks can support Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).

[0007] The connected vehicle system is called V2X, which consists of V2V (vehicle-to-vehicle), V2P (vehicle-to-pedestrian), and V2I (vehicle-to-infrastructure). In this case, the infrastructure can be the roadside ITS-related infrastructure or backbone system in the Internet or mobile network. Some examples or services in the connected car environment are cooperative awareness messaging (CAM) and decentralized environmental notification (DEN). These constitute applications such as allowing emergency vehicles to broadcast their presence and allowing roadside infrastructure to broadcast speed limit information to vehicles. It is envisioned that LTE will work together with 802.11p to provide such services, and both radio technologies will likely find applications in the connected vehicle ecosystem.

[0008] It has been proposed that V2X communication could be implemented using dedicated roadside units (RSUs), which communicate with vehicles and allocate radio resources for use by the vehicles in V2X communication. Specifically, such RSUs can allocate D2D radio resources for V2X communication. However, it is unlikely that all roads in rural areas will have RSUs installed, especially in more remote areas. However, for fully functional V2X services, it is important that V2X vehicles can always communicate with other nearby V2X-enabled vehicles even without RSUs. The present disclosure aims to alleviate this problem. Summary of the Invention

[0009] In a first aspect, the present technology provides a first terminal device for use in a wireless communication system, the first terminal device comprising: a receiver; a transmitter; a storage medium operable to store mapping information, the mapping information identifying predetermined radio resource groups and predetermined geographical areas associated with each corresponding predetermined radio resource group; and a controller operable to: receive a geographic location of the terminal device, the geographic location of the terminal device being determined by a positioning unit; determine the predetermined geographical area of ​​the received mapping information in which the determined geographic location is located; determine the predetermined radio resource group associated with the determined geographical area using the received mapping information; control the receiver to receive a signal from a second terminal device using the determined predetermined radio resource group; and control the transmitter to transmit a signal to the second terminal device using the determined predetermined radio resource group.

[0010] In an embodiment, the receiver is operable to receive mapping information from the base station, and the controller is operable to store the received mapping information in a storage medium.

[0011] In an embodiment, the first terminal device comprises a positioning unit.

[0012] In an embodiment, the controller is operable to: determine when the position of the first terminal device changes from within the first predetermined geographical area of ​​the mapping information to within the second predetermined geographical area of ​​the mapping information based on the geographical location of the first terminal device determined by the positioning unit; use the mapping information to determine the predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographical area; control the receiver to switch from using the predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area to receiving signals from the second terminal device to using the predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographical area; and control the transmitter to switch from using the predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area to transmitting signals to the second terminal device.

[0013] In an embodiment, there is a spatial overlapping area between the first predetermined geographic area and the second predetermined geographic area, and the controller is operable to: determine when the first terminal device is located in the spatially overlapping area based on the geographic location of the first terminal device determined by the positioning unit; control the receiver to start receiving signals from the second terminal device using the predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographic area in addition to using the predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographic area; and control the transmitter to start transmitting signals to the second terminal device using the predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographic area in addition to using the predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographic area.

[0014] In an embodiment, the controller is operable to: control the receiver to continue receiving signals from the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area until reception of the signal has been completed; and control the transmitter to continue transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area until transmission of the signal has been completed.

[0015] In an embodiment, the controller is operable to: control the receiver to continue receiving signals from the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area until a predetermined time period has passed; and control the transmitter to continue transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area until a predetermined time period has passed.

[0016] In an embodiment, when the controller determines that the location of the first terminal device has changed from within a first predetermined geographical area to within a second predetermined geographical area, the controller may be operated to control the transmitter to send a message to a second terminal device located in the first predetermined geographical area, instructing the second terminal device to switch from using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area to receive signals from and transmit signals to the first terminal device to using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographical area to receive signals from and transmit signals to the first terminal device.

[0017] In an embodiment, when the controller determines that the location of the first terminal device has changed from within a first predetermined geographical area to within a second predetermined geographical area, the controller may be operated to control the transmitter to send a message to a second terminal device located in the second predetermined geographical area, instructing the second terminal device to switch from using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area to receive signals from and transmit signals to the first terminal device to using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographical area to receive signals from and transmit signals to the first terminal device.

[0018] In an embodiment, the receiver is operable to receive a message from a second terminal device located in a second predetermined geographical area, the message instructing the first terminal device to switch from receiving signals from and transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area to receiving signals from and transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographical area; and the controller is operable to, in response to the receiver receiving the message: control the receiver to switch from receiving signals from the second terminal device using the predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area to receiving signals from the second terminal device using the predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographical area; and control the transmitter to switch from transmitting signals to the second terminal device using the predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area to transmitting signals to the second terminal device using the predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographical area.

[0019] In an embodiment, the receiver is operable to receive the message when the first terminal device is located in a first predetermined geographical area.

[0020] In an embodiment, when the first terminal device is located in a second predetermined geographical area, the receiver is operable to receive a message; and the controller is operable to delay controlling the receiver to switch from receiving a signal from the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area to receiving a signal from the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographical area, and delay controlling the transmitter to switch from transmitting a signal to the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area to transmitting a signal to the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographical area until the receiver has received the message.

[0021] In an embodiment, the predetermined set of radio resources is used for device-to-device (D2D) communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0022] In an embodiment, the predetermined radio resource group is the same for the first predetermined geographical area of ​​the received mapping information and the second predetermined geographical area of ​​the received mapping information, and the first predetermined geographical area and the second predetermined geographical area are separated by a certain distance to avoid radio interference between the first predetermined geographical area and the second predetermined geographical area.

[0023] In an embodiment, each predetermined geographic area identified in the mapping information comprises a portion of a road.

[0024] In an embodiment, the receiver is operable to receive the mapping information as information broadcast from a base station.

[0025] In an embodiment, the controller is operable to control the transmitter to transmit the mapping information to the second terminal device.

[0026] In a second aspect, the present technology provides a transport vehicle comprising a first terminal device according to the first aspect.

[0027] In a third aspect, the present technology provides a base station for use in a wireless communication system, the base station comprising: a controller operable to allocate a predetermined radio resource group to each of a corresponding predetermined geographical area; and a transmitter operable to send mapping information to each of a plurality of terminal devices, the mapping information identifying each group of predetermined radio resources and its associated predetermined geographical area, wherein each terminal device is operable to determine its geographical location, determine the predetermined geographical area of ​​the received mapping information in which the determined geographical location is located, use the mapping information to determine the predetermined radio resource group associated with the determined geographical area, and use the determined predetermined radio resource group to perform communication with another terminal device located in the determined geographical area.

[0028] In an embodiment, the mapping information identifies predetermined groups of radio resources associated with respective predetermined geographical areas located within cells of neighboring base stations.

[0029] In an embodiment, the controller is operable to change the amount of predetermined radio resources allocated to one or more of the corresponding predetermined geographical areas based on the expected demand for radio resources by terminal devices located in the one or more corresponding predetermined geographical areas; and in response to the change in the amount of predetermined radio resources allocated to the one or more corresponding predetermined geographical areas, the transmitter is operable to send updated mapping information to each of the multiple terminal devices, the updated mapping information identifying each changed predetermined radio resource group and its associated predetermined geographical area.

[0030] In an embodiment, the transmitter is operable to broadcast the mapping information to each of the plurality of terminal devices.

[0031] In a fourth aspect, the present technology provides a base station for use in a wireless communication system, the base station comprising: a controller operable to select a predetermined radio resource group for each of a plurality of predetermined geographical areas, each predetermined geographical area being associated with at least one selectable predetermined radio resource group to define mapping information, the mapping information being stored in each of a plurality of terminal devices; and a transmitter operable to send information indicating the selected predetermined radio resource group to each terminal device, wherein each terminal device is operable to determine its geographical location, determine the predetermined geographical area of ​​the mapping information in which the determined geographical location is located, use the mapping information and the information sent by the transmitter to determine the selected predetermined radio resource group associated with the determined geographical area, and use the determined predetermined radio resource group to communicate with another terminal device located in the determined geographical area.

[0032] In a fifth aspect, the present technology provides a wireless communication system comprising a first terminal device according to the first aspect and a base station according to the third aspect.

[0033] In a sixth aspect, the present technology provides a wireless communication system comprising a first terminal device according to the first aspect and a base station according to the fourth aspect.

[0034] In a seventh aspect, the present technology provides a method for operating a first terminal device used in a wireless communication system, the first terminal device including a receiver, a transmitter and a storage medium operable to store mapping information, the mapping information identifying predetermined radio resource groups and predetermined geographical areas associated with each corresponding predetermined radio resource group, wherein the method includes: controlling the receiver to receive the geographical location of the terminal device, the geographical location of the terminal device being determined by a positioning unit; determining the predetermined geographical area of ​​the received mapping information in which the determined geographical location is located; using the received mapping information to determine the predetermined radio resource group associated with the determined geographical area; controlling the receiver to receive a signal from a second terminal device using the determined predetermined radio resource group; and controlling the transmitter to transmit a signal to the second terminal device using the determined predetermined radio resource group.

[0035] In an eighth aspect, the present technology provides a storage medium storing a computer program for controlling a computer to execute the method according to the seventh aspect.

[0036] In a ninth aspect, the present technology provides a method for operating a base station used in a wireless communication system, the base station including a transmitter, wherein the method includes: allocating a predetermined radio resource group to each of a corresponding predetermined geographical area; and controlling the transmitter e to send mapping information to each of a plurality of terminal devices, the mapping information identifying each group of predetermined radio resources and its associated predetermined geographical area, wherein each terminal device is operable to determine its geographical location, determine the predetermined geographical area of ​​the received mapping information in which the determined geographical location is located, use the mapping information to determine the predetermined radio resource group associated with the determined geographical area, and use the determined predetermined radio resource group to perform communication with another terminal device located in the determined geographical area.

[0037] In a tenth aspect, the present technology provides a storage medium storing a computer program for controlling a computer to execute the method according to the ninth aspect.

[0038] In an eleventh aspect, the present technology provides a method for operating a base station used in a wireless communication system, the base station including a transmitter, wherein the method includes: selecting a predetermined radio resource group for each of a plurality of predetermined geographical areas, each predetermined geographical area being associated with at least one selectable predetermined radio resource group to define mapping information, the mapping information being stored in each of a plurality of terminal devices; and controlling the transmitter to send information indicating the selected predetermined radio resource group to each terminal device, wherein each terminal device is operable to determine its geographical location, determine the predetermined geographical area of ​​the mapping information in which the determined geographical location is located, use the mapping information and the information sent by the transmitter to determine the selected predetermined radio resource group associated with the determined geographical area, and use the determined predetermined radio resource group to communicate with another terminal device located in the determined geographical area.

[0039] In a twelfth aspect, the present technology provides a storage medium storing a computer program for controlling a computer to execute the method according to the eleventh aspect.

[0040] In the thirteenth aspect, the present technology provides a first terminal device for use in a wireless communication system, the first terminal device including: a receiver circuit; a transmitter circuit; a storage circuit operable to store mapping information, the mapping information identifying predetermined radio resource groups and predetermined geographical areas associated with each corresponding predetermined radio resource group; and a controller circuit operable to: receive a geographic location of the terminal device, the geographic location of the terminal device being determined by a positioning circuit; determine the predetermined geographical area of ​​the received mapping information in which the determined geographic location is located; use the received mapping information to determine the predetermined radio resource group associated with the determined geographical area; control the receiver to receive a signal from a second terminal device using the determined predetermined radio resource group; and control the transmitter to transmit a signal to the second terminal device using the determined predetermined radio resource group.

[0041] In a fourteenth aspect, the present technology provides a base station for use in a wireless communication system, the base station comprising: a controller circuit operable to allocate a predetermined radio resource group to each of a corresponding predetermined geographical area; and a transmitter circuit operable to send mapping information to each of a plurality of terminal devices, the mapping information identifying each predetermined radio resource group and its associated predetermined geographical area, wherein each terminal device is operable to determine its geographical location, determine the predetermined geographical area of ​​the received mapping information in which the determined geographical location is located, use the mapping information to determine the predetermined radio resource group associated with the determined geographical area, and use the determined predetermined radio resource group to perform communication with another terminal device located in the determined geographical area.

[0042] In a fifteenth aspect, the present technology provides a base station for use in a wireless communication system, the base station comprising: a controller circuit operable to select a predetermined radio resource group for each of a plurality of predetermined geographical areas, each predetermined geographical area being associated with at least one selectable predetermined radio resource group to define mapping information, the mapping information being stored in each of a plurality of terminal devices; and a transmitter circuit operable to send information indicating the selected predetermined radio resource group to each terminal device, wherein each terminal device is operable to determine its geographical location, determine the predetermined geographical area of ​​the mapping information in which the determined geographical location is located, use the mapping information and the information sent by the transmitter to determine the selected predetermined radio resource group associated with the determined geographical area, and use the determined predetermined radio resource group to communicate with another terminal device located in the determined geographical area.

[0043] The preceding paragraphs are provided by way of general introduction and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims that follow.The described embodiments, together with their advantages, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] A more complete understanding of the present disclosure and many of its attendant advantages will be more readily obtained by considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0045] Figure 1 Schematically illustrates some basic functions of a conventional mobile communication network;

[0046] Figure 2 Schematically illustrating an example heterogeneous system for communicating with at least one terminal device;

[0047] Figure 3 Schematically illustrating roads within a cell of a base station divided into a plurality of predetermined geographical areas according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0048] Figure 4 Schematically illustrates a base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0049] Figure 5 Schematically illustrates a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0050] Figure 6 Schematically illustrates a process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0051] 7A to 7E Schematically illustrating various configurations for managing transfer of a terminal device from one predetermined geographical area to another predetermined geographical area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0052] Figure 8schematically illustrates signaling performed between a terminal device and a base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0053] Figure 9 The decision-making process of the terminal device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is described. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views.

[0055] Figure 1 A schematic diagram is provided illustrating some basic functionality of a conventional mobile communications network using, for example, the UMTS and / or Long Term Evolution (LTE) architecture defined by 3GPP. Figure 1 The mobile communication network / system 100 operates according to LTE principles and may be suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure as further described below. Figure 1 The various elements and their corresponding modes of operation are well known and defined in the relevant standards managed by the 3GPP (RTM) body and are also described in a number of books on the subject, for example, Holma H. ​​and Toskala A. [1]. It will be appreciated that operational aspects of the communication network not specifically described below may be implemented in accordance with any known techniques, for example in accordance with the relevant standards.

[0056] Network 100 includes multiple base stations 101 connected to a core network 102. Each base station provides a coverage area 103 (i.e., a cell) within which data can be transmitted to and from terminal devices 104. Data is transmitted from a base station 101 to a terminal device 104 within its respective coverage area 103 via a radio downlink. Data is transmitted from a terminal device 104 to a base station 101 via a radio uplink. Uplink and downlink communications occur using radio resources licensed by the operator of network 100. Core network 102 routes data to and from terminal devices 104 via the respective base stations 101 and provides functions such as authentication, mobility management, and charging. A terminal device may also be referred to as a mobile station, user equipment (UE), user terminal, mobile terminal, mobile device, terminal, mobile radio, etc. A base station may also be referred to as a transceiver station, nodeBs, e-nodeBs, eNodeB, eNB, etc.

[0057] Mobile communication systems such as those arranged according to the Long Term Evolution (LTE) architecture defined by 3GPP use interfaces based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) for both the radio downlink (so-called OFDMA) and the radio uplink (so-called SC-FDMA).

[0058] Figure 1 The base station 101 can be implemented as any type of evolved node B (eNodeB) such as a large eNodeB and a small eNodeB. The small eNodeB can be an eNodeB such as a pico eNodeB, a micro eNodeB, and a home (femto) eNodeB covering a cell smaller than a macro cell. On the contrary, the base station 101 can be implemented as any other type of base station, such as a NodeB and a base transceiver station (BTS). The base station 101 may include a main body (also referred to as a base station device) configured to control radio communications, and one or more remote radio heads (RRHs) arranged at a location different from the main body. In addition, the various types of terminals described below can each operate as the base station 101 by temporarily or semi-continuously performing the base station function.

[0059] Any terminal device 104 may be implemented as a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet personal computer (PC), a notebook PC, a portable game terminal, a portable / dongle-type mobile router, and a digital camera, or as an in-vehicle terminal such as a car navigation system. The terminal device 104 may also be implemented as a terminal that performs machine-to-machine (M2M) communication (also known as a machine-type communication (MTC) terminal). In addition, the terminal device 104 may be a radio communication module (such as an integrated circuit module including a single die) installed in each terminal.

[0060] In the present disclosure, a base station providing a small cell generally differs from a conventional base station primarily in the range provided by the base station. Small cells include, for example, cells also known as femtocells, picocells, or microcells. In other words, a small cell can be considered similar to a macrocell in terms of the channels and features provided to a terminal, but with a reduction in base station transmission power, which results in a smaller range. Thus, a small cell can be a cell or coverage provided by a small cell base station. In other examples, the term small cell can also refer to a component carrier when more than one component carrier is available.

[0061] In addition, the mobile network may also include a relay node (RN), which further increases the complexity of the mobile system and reduces interference in the small cell network. Commonly known relay technology provides for receiving signals from a base station and retransmitting the received signals to a UE in the mobile communication network, or receiving signals sent from a UE and retransmitting them to a base station in the mobile communication network. The purpose of such a relay node is to attempt to extend the radio coverage area provided by the mobile communication network to reach communication devices outside the range of the mobile communication network, or to improve the ratio of successful transmissions between the terminal and the base station.

[0062] A mobile network including various base stations and / or relay nodes (eg, macro cell base stations, small cell base stations and / or relays) is sometimes referred to as a heterogeneous network.

[0063] Figure 2 An exemplary heterogeneous system 200 is shown for communicating with at least one terminal 231. In this system 200, a base station 201 provides a macro cell and six base stations 211-216 provide small cell coverage that may overlap with the coverage of the base station 201. In addition, three RNs 221-223 are provided and operate with the base stations 201, 214 and 212 respectively. A relay node may generally be defined as a wireless radio access point for relaying transmissions and which therefore does not perform all the functions of a base station. It is generally not directly connected to the core network but is connected to the base station using a wireless access (in-band or out-of-band) for a backhaul link. In other examples, the backhaul link may also be provided by a wired connection. This is in contrast to a small cell base station which, as described above, may generally operate like a base station and thereby be connected to the core network, such as Figure 2 The arrows between the small and medium cell base stations 211-216 and the serving gateway "S-GW" are shown.

[0064] As previously mentioned, it is envisioned that V2X communications will utilize device-to-device (D2D) communication technology. In the current D2D resource allocation scheme in LTE Release 12, a UE requests D2D resources each time it has data to send. However, V2X communications often involve time-critical, safety-related events (such as sudden braking of a vehicle), meaning that any delays associated with a vehicle UE (a vehicle UE is a UE included in a vehicle to allow the vehicle to perform V2X communications) having to specifically request D2D resources may be unacceptable. To overcome this problem, the use of semi-persistent resource allocation has been proposed in the applicant's co-pending European patent applications EP 15174391.1 and EP 15174399.4, in which a vehicle UE is notified by the RSU of a priori reserved D2D allocation that it can access and use for a short period of time, without having to explicitly request such an allocation. This is expected to work well for road areas where RSUs are installed. However, allocating D2D resources in this way becomes difficult for roads without RSUs (e.g., rural roads). Note that any of the base station 201, base stations 211-216, and RNs (221-223) may be configured to act as an RSU.

[0065] The present disclosure aims to provide Figure 3This problem is alleviated by the layout schematically illustrated in FIG. In this arrangement, a road 300 within the coverage area (cell) of base station 201 is divided into a plurality of predetermined geographic regions (or zones) A, B, and C. Each of these zones is allocated a different set of D2D resources to enable V2X communication between vehicles 302 within that zone. That is, zone A is allocated a first set of D2D radio resources to enable V2X communication between vehicles located in zone A, zone B is allocated a different second set of D2D radio resources to enable V2X communication between vehicles located in zone B, and zone C is allocated a different third set of D2D radio resources to enable V2X communication between vehicles in zone C. The different sets of D2D resources allocated by base station 201 in each zone have the effect of each zone being served by a virtual RSU. When a vehicle UE moves from one zone to another, it begins using the D2D resources allocated to the new zone and relinquishes the D2D resources allocated to the previous zone. These concepts are explained in more detail below.

[0066] Figure 4 A base station 201 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown. The base station 201 includes a transmitter 402 for transmitting data to a terminal device (or UE), a receiver 404 for receiving data from the terminal device, and a storage medium 406 for storing mapping information to be transmitted to the terminal device. A controller 400 controls the operation of each of the transmitter 402, the receiver 404, and the storage medium 406.

[0067] Figure 5 A terminal device 500 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown. The terminal device includes a transmitter 504 for transmitting data to a base station or another terminal device (e.g., using D2D communication technology), a receiver 506 for receiving data from the base station or from another terminal device (e.g., also using D2D communication technology), a storage medium 508 for storing mapping information received from the base station, and a positioning unit 510 for determining the geographic location of the terminal device 500. The controller 502 controls the operation of each of the transmitter 504, the receiver 506, the storage medium 508, and the positioning unit 510. Figure 5 Each vehicle 302 shown in FIG. 5 includes a terminal device 500 to allow V2X communication.

[0068] It will be appreciated that in alternative embodiments, the positioning unit 510 may be located external to the terminal device 500. For example, the positioning unit 510 may be included in the device as part of a separate, stand-alone device configured to perform signaling with the controller 502 of the terminal device via a suitable wired or wireless interface (not shown). In this case, data representing the position of the positioning unit 510 of the stand-alone device is sent to the controller 502 via the interface. However, the externally located positioning unit 510 and the terminal device 500 will still be in the vicinity of each other (e.g. within the same vehicle) to allow the controller 502 of the terminal device to effectively determine the correct predetermined geographical area (and therefore the correct radio resources) for V2X communication (as described below). In other words, the distance between the external positioning unit and the terminal device is such that the position of the external positioning unit is representative of the position of the terminal device in terms of determining the predetermined geographical location at which the terminal device is located.

[0069] In order to establish different radio resources for use in different areas A, B and C, the base station 201 generates mapping information that identifies the predetermined radio resource groups and the areas (A, B or C) associated with each corresponding predetermined radio resource group (for example, based on instructions received from the core network 102). The mapping information is then sent to each terminal device within the coverage area of ​​the base station 201. Each group of radio resources includes an appropriate number of radio resources allocated by the base station 201 (for example, an appropriate number of resource blocks in an LTE radio frame) for D2D communication between terminal devices located in the area associated with the group of radio resources. Each area can be identified by any suitable method. For example, each area can be determined as a rectangular portion of the road 300, where the rectangle is defined by four sets of geographic coordinates, each set of geographic coordinates defining the corners of the rectangle. The mapping information can take the form of a table such as Table 1.

[0070] area Radio Resource Group A 1 B 2 C 3

[0071] Table 1

[0072] As shown in Table 1, each predetermined geographic area A, B and C is associated with a corresponding group of radio resource groups. Specifically, area A is associated with radio resource group 1, area B is associated with radio resource group 2, and area C is associated with radio resource group 3. The radio resources allocated to each group are different to avoid radio interference between adjacent areas. It should be understood that Table 1 is a simplified example of how each area A, B and C is associated with a corresponding radio resource group, and in practice, each area A, B and C will be defined in the mapping information using a suitable coordinate system (e.g., Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) coordinates), and the specific radio resources within each group of radio resources 1, 2 and 3 (e.g., specific resource blocks of LTE radio frames) will be defined in the mapping information. It should also be recognized that, although for simplicity, Figure 3 Table 1 shows only three different geographical areas A, B, and C that define a set of radio resources, and in practice, there will be many geographical areas defined along the length of the road 300 as needed to allow V2X communications along the road.

[0073] As previously described, mapping information is transmitted to each terminal device 500 within the coverage area of ​​the base station 201. In an embodiment, this transmission is achieved by broadcasting the mapping information to each terminal device 500. Alternatively or additionally, the mapping information may be transmitted to each terminal device on an individual basis. As a further alternative or additional feature, after a terminal device receives the mapping information from the base station 201, the terminal device may send the mapping information to other terminal devices in its local area. This transmission of mapping information allows each terminal device 500 located within one of the predetermined geographical areas A, B, and C to establish radio resources for D2D communication with other terminal devices 500 located within the same predetermined geographical area. Figure 6 This process is described in more detail.

[0074] Figure 6 The processing is performed by each terminal device 500. The process begins at step 600. In step 602, the receiver 506 of the terminal device receives mapping information from the base station. In step 604, the positioning unit 510 determines the geographic location of the terminal device. For example, the positioning unit 510 may be operable to use global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals to determine the geographic location of the terminal device, and the geographic location of the terminal device is determined as GNSS coordinates.

[0075] In step 606, the controller 502 determines the predetermined geographic area of ​​the received mapping information in which the determined geographic location is located. This step can be performed using any suitable method. For example, if each predetermined geographic area A, B, and C is rectangular and defined by four sets of GNSS geographic coordinates (as previously described, these coordinates define the corners of the rectangle), then the controller 502 will determine the predetermined geographic area in which the terminal device 500 is located by comparing the GNSS coordinates determined by the positioning unit 510 with the four GNSS coordinate sets of each predetermined geographic area. The controller 502 then determines the area determined by the positioning unit as the area where the terminal device is located, using its four GNSS coordinates to constrain the area determined by the positioning unit.

[0076] Once the region in which the terminal device is located has been determined, in step 608, controller 502 uses the received mapping information to determine a predetermined radio resource group associated with the determined geographic region. Thus, for example, considering the mapping information in Table 1, if the terminal device is determined to be located within region A, controller 502 will determine radio resource group "1" as the predetermined radio resource group; if the terminal device is determined to be located within region B, controller 502 will determine radio resource group "2" as the predetermined radio resource group, and so on. Controller 502 then sets the determined predetermined radio resource group as the radio resource group for performing D2D communication with other terminal devices. That is, controller 502 controls receiver 506 to use the determined predetermined radio resource group to receive data from other terminal devices and controls transmitter 504 to use the determined predetermined radio resource group to transmit data to other terminal devices. The process then ends in step 610.

[0077] Therefore, it can be seen that, based on the mapping information sent by base station 201, each terminal device 500 is able to determine the geographical area in which it is located and determine the radio resource group associated with the geographical area for performing D2D communication with other terminal devices. Since terminal devices located in the same predetermined geographical area will use the same predetermined radio resource group, D2D communication can be performed between these terminal devices. When each of these terminal devices is located in a vehicle 302, D2D communication is thus enabled between vehicles that are close to each other along road 300. This allows the use of D2D technology to efficiently transmit safety-critical information (such as speed, braking, lane changes, turns, etc.) between vehicles.

[0078] Notably, by sending mapping information to each terminal device, each terminal device is able to determine the radio resources it requires for D2D communications with other terminal devices without requiring any additional signaling with base station 201. Advantageously, this reduces the latency required for each terminal device to determine the appropriate set of radio resources for D2D communications with other terminal devices in the same geographic area. This latency reduction is particularly important for the communication of safety-critical information between vehicles.

[0079] When the vehicle 302 travels from one area to another (e.g., from area A to area B), the controller 502 of the terminal device 500 in the vehicle will recognize, based on the mapping information and the location information generated from the positioning unit 510, that the terminal device is now located in the new area and should therefore stop using the radio resources allocated to the old area and start using the radio resources allocated to the new area. In this case, the controller 502 will control the transmitter 504 and the receiver 506 to start using the radio resources allocated to the new area instead of using the radio resources allocated to the old area to send data to other terminal devices and receive data from other terminal devices.

[0080] However, a problem associated with this is that if a group of vehicles travels together along highway 300, the vehicle at the front of the group will enter the new area before all other vehicles in the group enter the new area. As a result, the terminal device of the vehicle at the front of the group will switch to using the radio resources allocated to the new area, while the terminal devices of the other vehicles in the group are still using the radio resources allocated to the old area. Therefore, as the group of vehicles transitions between the old area and the new area, there will be a period of time when some vehicles in the group cannot perform D2D communication with other vehicles in the group. This is undesirable, especially when it is safety-critical information that needs to be transmitted. For example, if the first vehicle in the group travels to the new area while the second vehicle in the group is still in the second area, and the first vehicle suddenly brakes, since the first vehicle performs D2D communication using the radio resources allocated to the new area, while the second vehicle performs D2D communication using the radio resources allocated to the old area, any D2D signaling transmitted by the first vehicle to warn the other vehicles in the group of braking will not be received by the second vehicle. The chance of a collision between the first vehicle and the second vehicle due to the sudden braking of the first vehicle is therefore increased. As shown in reference 7A to 7E As described above, the present disclosure provides a number of ways to alleviate this problem.

[0081] Figure 7AThe schematic diagram shows an initial situation where two vehicles 700A and 700B are both in area A of the road 300. Area A is separated from area B by a boundary 702. In this case, the terminal devices of the two vehicles will use the radio resources allocated to area A, so D2D communication can be performed between vehicle 700A and vehicle 700B. 7A to 7E In each of , vehicles 700A and 700B travel along road 300 in the direction of arrow 704 .

[0082] Figure 7B Schematically illustrating a situation in which vehicle 700B has crossed border 702 to enter area B, while vehicle 700A has not yet crossed border 702 and is therefore still located within area A. As previously described, if the terminal device of vehicle 700B stops using radio resources allocated to area A and starts using radio resources allocated to area B, D2D communication with vehicle 700A will not be possible until vehicle 700A has crossed border 702 and started using radio resources allocated to area B. Therefore, there is a period of time during which vehicle 700A cannot perform D2D communication with vehicle 700B.

[0083] To alleviate this problem, Figure 7B In the example, the terminal device of vehicle 700B continues to use the radio resources allocated to area A for a limited time, instead of or in addition to the radio resources allocated to area B. For example, the terminal device of vehicle 700B may continue to use the radio resources allocated to area A for a predetermined period of time, which is predetermined based on how long it is expected to take between the first vehicle in the group (in this case, vehicle 700B) entering the new area and the last vehicle in the group (in this case, vehicle 700A) entering the new area. Such a period of time can be determined based on experimental or modeled traffic data, etc. As another example, the terminal device of vehicle 700B may continue to use the resources allocated to area A until the D2D signaling transmission with vehicle 700A that was in progress when vehicle 700B crossed boundary 702 is completed. For example, if vehicle 700B brakes when crossing boundary 702, the D2D data sent to vehicle 700A during braking to notify vehicle 700A that vehicle 700B is braking continues to be transmitted using the radio resources allocated to area A even after vehicle 700B has entered area B. This allows vehicle 700A to know that vehicle 700B is braking throughout the braking period of vehicle 700B and take appropriate action (for example, vehicle 700A can slow down and / or change to a different lane of road 300). Once vehicle 700B has stopped braking, this is notified to vehicle 700A using the radio resources allocated to area A, and D2D communication is completed. At this point, the terminal device of vehicle 700A will stop using the radio resources allocated to area A because it is now safe to do so.

[0084] In another example, the time period during which vehicle 700B continues to use the radio resources allocated to area A after entering area B is determined based on the time it takes for vehicle 700A to also enter area B. For example, such a configuration can be implemented by having the terminal device of vehicle 700A signal the terminal device of vehicle 700B when vehicle 700A crosses boundary 702 and enters area B. In this case, when vehicle 700B crosses boundary 702 and enters area B, it will continue to perform D2D communication using the radio resources allocated to area A until it is notified by vehicle 700A that vehicle 700A has entered area B. The notification signaling (or message) from vehicle 700A can be performed using the radio resources allocated to area A (after which both vehicles 700A and 700B switch to using the radio resources allocated to area B) or using the radio resources allocated to area B (in which case vehicle 700A will switch to using the radio resources allocated to area B before sending notification signaling to vehicle 700B). It should be understood that this example can be extended so that for a group of two or more vehicles traveling from area A to area B, each vehicle in the group will continue to perform D2D communications using the radio resources allocated to area A until the last vehicle in the group enters area B and has notified the other vehicles in the group of this fact. At this point, all vehicles will switch to performing D2D communications using the radio resources allocated to area B.

[0085] exist Figure 7B In the configuration, since the radio resources allocated to area A continue to be used by vehicle 700B for a limited time after vehicle 700B has entered area B, the effect is to provide vehicle 700B with an area 704 that temporarily extends area A to area B. In the case where the terminal device of vehicle 700B is configured to temporarily perform D2D communications using the radio resources allocated to area A and the radio resources allocated to area B, then the temporarily extended area 704 will further be an overlapping area between area A and area B for vehicle 700B. It should be clear that areas A and B remain strictly defined in the mapping information. However, since the terminal device of vehicle 700B temporarily continues to use the radio resources allocated to area A when entering area B (so as to allow D2D communications to continue with vehicle 700A before vehicle 700A also enters area B), from the perspective of vehicle 700B, the effect is to temporarily extend area A for vehicle 700B.

[0086] Figure 7CAn alternative configuration is schematically illustrated, in which, instead of vehicle 700B temporarily waiting to switch to radio resources allocated to region B after crossing border 702 from region A to region B, vehicle 700B sends notification signaling to vehicle 700A upon crossing border 702, instructing vehicle 700A to begin using radio resources allocated to region B. In this case, vehicle 700A will begin using radio resources allocated to region B before reaching border 702 and entering region B. The notification signaling (or message) from vehicle 700B is performed using radio resources allocated to region A. Thereafter, both vehicles 700A and 700B switch to using radio resources allocated to region B. It should be understood that for a group of more than two vehicles traveling from region A to region B, this example can be extended so that, once the first vehicle in the group enters region B, notification signaling is sent from the first vehicle to each vehicle in the group, instructing these other vehicles (still located in region A) to begin performing D2D communications using radio resources allocated to region B. At this point, all vehicles will switch to performing D2D communication using the radio resources allocated to area B.

[0087] exist Figure 7C In the configuration, since the radio resources allocated to area B are used before vehicle 700A actually enters area B, the effect is to provide vehicle 700B with area 706, which temporarily extends area B to area A. It is also possible that after receiving notification signaling from vehicle 700B and before vehicle 700A enters area A, the terminal device of vehicle 700A is configured to temporarily perform D2D communication using both the radio resources allocated to area A and the radio resources allocated to area B. In this case, the temporarily extended area 706 will further be the overlapping area between area A and area B for vehicle 700A. It should be clear that areas A and B are also strictly defined in the mapping information. However, since the terminal device of vehicle 700A begins using the radio resources allocated to area B while vehicle 700A is still within area A (to allow continued D2D communication with vehicle 700B before vehicle 700A also enters area B), from the perspective of vehicle 700A, the effect is to temporarily extend area B for vehicle 700A.

[0088] Figure 7D An alternative configuration is schematically shown in which regions A and B have a fixed overlap region 708 between them. Overlap region 708 is defined between boundaries 702 and 710, and when within overlap region 708, each terminal device can perform D2D communication using either the radio resources allocated to region A or the radio resources allocated to region B. Such an overlap region may be defined in mapping information received from base station 201. Table 2 is an example of such mapping information.

[0089] area Radio Resource Group A 1 Overlap A, B 1，2 B 2 Overlap B, C 2，3 C 3

[0090] Table 2

[0091] In this case, the overlapping area between each of areas A, B and C is included in the mapping information as an additional predetermined geographical area and has an associated corresponding radio resource group. In particular, the overlapping area between areas A and B (defined as "Overlap A, B" in Table 2) is allocated radio resource group 1 (which is the radio resource group allocated for area A) and radio resource group 2 (which is the radio resource group allocated for area B), and the overlapping area between areas B and C (defined as "Overlap B, C" in Table 2) is allocated radio resource group 2 (which is the radio resource group allocated for area B) and radio resource group 3 (which is the group of radio resources allocated for area C). Therefore, whenever a terminal device is located within one of the overlapping areas, the controller 502 of the terminal device will control the transmitter 504 and receiver 506 of the terminal device to use the two groups of radio resources allocated to the areas that overlap in the overlapping area to perform D2D communication with other terminal devices.

[0092] Therefore, in Figure 7DIn the example shown in FIG, vehicle 700B will first enter the overlapping area 708. The terminal device of vehicle 700B will therefore switch to using the radio resources allocated to area A and the radio resources allocated to area B to perform D2D communications with the terminal devices of other vehicles. This allows vehicle 700B to continue to perform D2D communications with vehicle 700A that is still located in area A (and therefore will use the radio resources allocated to area A to perform D2D communications), as well as to communicate with other vehicles located in area B (and therefore will use the radio resources allocated to area B to perform D2D communications). Later, vehicle 700B will leave the overlapping area 708 and enter area B. At this time, the terminal device of vehicle 700B will switch to using only the radio resources allocated to area B to perform D2D communications. However, at the same time, vehicle 700A will enter the overlapping area 708, which means that the terminal device of vehicle 700A switches to using both the radio resources allocated to area A and the radio resources allocated to area B to perform D2D communications. This allows vehicle 700A to continue to perform D2D communications with vehicle 700A, which is now located in area B (and will therefore use the radio resources allocated to area B to perform D2D communications), as well as with other vehicles that are still located in area A (and will therefore use the radio resources allocated to area A to perform D2D communications). Some time later, vehicle 700A will also enter area B, which means that the terminal device of vehicle 700A switches to performing D2D communications using only the radio resources allocated to area B. At this point, both vehicles 700B and 700A are now located in area B, so D2D communications between them can continue using only the radio resources allocated to area B.

[0093] Thus, as described, by utilizing overlapping area 708 between adjacent areas, D2D communication between vehicles 700A and 700B can be maintained even when the vehicles enter new areas at different times. First, when both vehicles are located in area A, D2D communication is performed between them using the radio resources allocated to area A. Next, when vehicle 700B enters overlapping area 708 while vehicle 700A remains within area A, D2D communication between them continues using the radio resources allocated to area A. Next, when vehicle 700B enters area B while vehicle 700A enters overlapping area 708, D2D communication between them continues using the radio resources allocated to area B. Finally, when vehicle 700A also enters area B, D2D communication between them continues using the radio resources allocated to area B. Thus, despite the vehicles entering new areas at different times, D2D communication between vehicles 700A and 700B is not interrupted.

[0094] It should be noted that while the overlapping area between regions can be included in the mapping information as an additional predetermined geographic area (as shown in Table 2), in an alternative embodiment, the predetermined geographic area is the same as the geographic area shown in Table 1, and the terminal device 500 itself determines the overlapping area 708. For example, the controller 502 of each terminal device may determine the overlapping area 708 as a sub-area of ​​region B and, while the vehicle including the terminal device is within the overlapping area, cause the transmitter 504 and receiver 506 to perform D2D communication using both the radio resources allocated to region A and the radio resources allocated to region B. In this case, when the vehicle is within region A, D2D communication will be performed using the radio resources allocated to region A. Next, when the vehicle has crossed boundary 702 and entered region B but has not yet reached boundary 710, D2D communication will be performed using both the radio resources allocated to region A and the radio resources allocated to region B. Finally, when the vehicle has crossed boundary 710, D2D communication will be performed using only the radio resources allocated to region B. Advantageously, even though the overlap area 708 itself is not defined as a predetermined geographic area in the mapping information, this supports continuous D2D communication between vehicles 700A and 700B as they transition between areas A and B at different times by using the overlap area 708.

[0095] Figure 7E Schematically illustrates a configuration when both vehicles 700A and 700B have successfully transitioned to area B. In this case, the two vehicles perform D2D communication using radio resources allocated to area B.

[0096] As can be understood from the foregoing description, the present disclosure enables D2D-enabled vehicles to be simplified into groups, because upon entering a specific predetermined geographical area, the terminal devices of all these vehicles are switched to listening to the radio resources allocated to that area (based on the mapping information) by default. This eliminates the need for terminal devices to discover other approaching terminal devices.

[0097] Furthermore, groups moving at different speeds start using separate D2D resource allocations once they are separated far enough from each other and occupy different predetermined geographical areas of the road.

[0098] For example, in Figure 7BIn this configuration, if vehicle 700A does not enter area B during a limited period of time during which vehicle 700B temporarily continues to use the radio resources allocated to area A, then after the limited period of time expires, vehicle 700B uses only the radio resources allocated to area B, while vehicle 700A uses only the radio resources allocated to area A. Consequently, D2D communication between vehicles 700A and 700B is no longer possible, and the vehicles are no longer in the same group. In the event that the terminal device of vehicle 700B waits for signaling from the terminal device of vehicle 700A before switching to using only the radio resources allocated to area B, if such signaling is not received within a predetermined period of time from the time vehicle 700B enters area B (as measured by controller 502 of the terminal device of vehicle 700B, which occurs when the physical distance between vehicles 700A and 700B exceeds the propagation distance of D2D signaling between the vehicles), the terminal device of vehicle 700B will switch to using only the radio resources allocated to area B without receiving such signaling. This allows vehicles 700A and 700B to be separated into different groups when separated by a certain distance (vehicle 700B uses the radio resources allocated to area B and vehicle 700A uses the radio resources allocated to area A).

[0099] As another example, in Figure 7C In the configuration, if vehicle 700A does not receive D2D signaling from vehicle 700B to switch to using the radio resources allocated to region B (again, this will occur when the physical distance between vehicles 700A and 700B exceeds the propagation distance of D2D signaling between the vehicles), then vehicle 700B will only use the radio resources allocated to region B while vehicle 700A will continue to only use the radio resources allocated to region A. This in turn allows vehicles 700A and 700B to separate into different groups (vehicle 700B using the radio resources allocated to region B while vehicle 700A using the radio resources allocated to region A) when separated by a certain distance.

[0100] As another example, in Figure 7D In an arrangement such as , if vehicle 700B leaves overlap region 708 and enters region B before vehicle 700A leaves region A and enters overlap region 708, D2D communication between vehicles 700A and 700B will be lost (because vehicle 700B in region B will only use the radio resources allocated to region B, and vehicle 700A in region A will only use the radio resources allocated to region A). This occurs when the distance separating vehicles 700A and 700B is greater than the length of overlap region 708 (i.e., the distance between the boundary regions A and B).

[0101] As will be appreciated, by using mapping information to allocate different sets of radio resources to predetermined geographic areas along road 300, vehicle groups (defined as groups of vehicles using the same set of radio resources) are dynamically created and changed as vehicles enter and leave each predetermined geographic area. This allows vehicles traveling along road 300 to exchange D2D signaling with other vehicles in their vicinity (determined by the size of each predetermined geographic area and the propagation range of D2D signaling within each predetermined geographic area), thereby allowing safety-critical messages to be sent to these other vehicles. Advantageously, due to the low latency associated with each end device's use of mapping information, this configuration works well even for vehicles traveling at high speeds (e.g., on a highway).

[0102] It should be appreciated that different parts of the same road may be within the cells of different base stations. When a vehicle newly enters such a cell, in order to avoid delays in determining the set of radio resources allocated to a predetermined geographical area within the cell of the new base station, the mapping information transmitted from each base station may include at least a portion of the mapping information for adjacent cells. This allows vehicles traveling between cells to know the radio resources used for D2D communication without having to wait for the handover between cells to be completed. For example, when a vehicle travels from area D within the cell of a first base station to area E within the cell of a second base station, the mapping information sent by the first base station will identify area E and the radio resources allocated to area E. Therefore, when the vehicle's terminal device enters area E before the handover between the first base station and the second base station is completed, it knows the radio resources to switch to. This provides a smooth transition between cells.

[0103] As mentioned above, the predetermined geographical areas may overlap with each other. Furthermore, there may be predetermined common radio resources that are used by more than one adjacent predetermined geographical area. Such common radio resources may be used to transmit the most safety-critical messages (e.g. messages related to emergency braking), meaning that all vehicles within propagation distance of the D2D signaling using the common radio resources will receive these messages, regardless of the specific predetermined geographical area in which they are located. Such shared radio resources may also be used, for example, to send signaling from a first vehicle to a second vehicle in order to indicate a switch in the set of radio resources used by the second vehicle. For example, in Figure 7B In an arrangement of , vehicle 700A may use the common radio resources allocated to zones A and B to send a message to vehicle 700B to instruct vehicle 700B to switch to using the radio resources allocated to zone B (as previously described). Similarly, as another example, in Figure 7CIn an arrangement such as the one described above, vehicle 700B can use the common radio resources allocated to zones A and B to send a message to vehicle 700A instructing vehicle 700A to switch to using the radio resources allocated to zone B (as described above). It should be noted that regardless of the degree of overlap and uniqueness of each radio resource, planning of the predetermined geographic areas will begin with estimating the size and number of the required areas.

[0104] In the case where the D2D communication used between the described terminal devices is LTE D2D communication, it is noted that the essence of LTE D2D communication is that all communication terminal devices must be synchronized to a common synchronization source. This can be a serving base station, or even a GPS clock, as described in the applicant's pending European patent application EP 15178910.4. The extent to which D2D devices are synchronized to communicate with one another has an impact on the reliability of D2D communication. For example, on a highway, vehicles cover an area of ​​several miles, in which case it is impractical to attempt to propagate synchronization signaling from one device to another in a multi-hop manner. Therefore, it is easier to establish a synchronization area on a smaller footprint. Advantageously, such a smaller footprint is provided by the predetermined geographical area, thereby allowing reliable D2D communication between vehicles traveling within the same predetermined geographical area.

[0105] The inherent limitations of LTE D2D signaling propagation distance and the challenges that multiple hops can pose to latency enforcement place a limit on the size of each predefined geographic area. For example, in the case of direct D2D communication between any two vehicles, these limitations impose a maximum distance between the transmitter and receiver of approximately 200-300 meters. This sets the maximum range for any mobile D2D end devices that need to communicate with each other. Therefore, dividing a stretch of road into predefined geographic areas of approximately 200-300 meters in length implicitly limits the size of the connected groups to that size. That is, a predefined geographic area of ​​approximately 200-300 meters along the road strikes a desired balance between the size of each group of vehicles and the reliability of D2D communication between them.

[0106] Due to the inherent free space path loss in wireless communications, radio resources can be reused at a certain distance without interfering with other devices using the resources independently. That is, the D2D radio resources allocated to area A can be reused in a different area of ​​road 300 that is sufficiently far away from area A to avoid interference between area A and the other area.

[0107] Another aspect that can be managed by the present disclosure is the division of radio resources in each predetermined geographic area between vehicle D2D traffic (as described above) and traditional uplink and downlink communications (e.g., traditional voice or messaging communications). Vehicle traffic on roads has peaks in congestion and periods of lulls. Allocating the same amount of radio resources to vehicle D2D traffic regardless of the time of day would waste resources or cause capacity constraints during peak usage periods. Therefore, base station 201 can update its mapping information based on the expected demand for radio resources at different times. For example, when vehicle traffic in a predetermined geographic area in the mapping information is low, signaling (e.g., from core network 102) can be used to instruct base station 201 to allocate fewer radio resources to that area in the mapping information. On the other hand, at a different time, when vehicle traffic in that area is high, signaling (e.g., again from core network 102) can be used to instruct base station 201 to allocate more radio resources to that area in the mapping information. The updated mapping information is then transmitted to the terminal device.

[0108] For example, today's LTE specifications use paging messages to notify terminal devices that they need to read updated system information. In an embodiment, the mapping information can therefore be stored as part of the system information, and the terminal devices in the cell can be prompted to read the information after the mapping information is updated using existing tools provided by the specification. Alternatively, radio resource control (RRC) broadcast signaling can be used to provide updated mapping information to terminal devices. When such a broadcast is used, after the mapping information is updated, all terminal devices only need to be prompted again to read the broadcast message. It is also conceivable that other methods such as multicast can be used to transmit updated mapping information to terminal devices.

[0109] Reference Figure 8 An example of signaling performed between a terminal device 500 and a base station 201 to allow the terminal device 500 to determine which radio resources to use for D2D signaling is described. In step 800, a predetermined set of radio resources is allocated to each corresponding predetermined geographic area, and these allocations are stored as mapping information in storage medium 406. In step 802, an RRC connection is established between base station 201 and the terminal device 500. In step 804, the mapping information is broadcast to the terminal device 500 and stored in storage medium 508. In step 806, the positioning unit 510 determines the geographic location of the terminal device 500. Finally, in step 808, the controller 502 determines whether the geographic location determined by the positioning unit 501 is within the predetermined geographic area of ​​the mapping information and uses the received mapping information to determine the predetermined set of radio resources associated with the determined geographic area. These radio resources are then used by the terminal device 500 to perform D2D communications with other terminal devices.

[0110] It is important to note that once a terminal device has determined a predetermined set of radio resources to use for D2D communication, a scheduling operation must be performed. The scheduling operation determines which specific radio resource within the determined predetermined set of radio resources the terminal device uses. With respect to scheduling operations in D2D, there are two types of scheduling operations (also known as resource allocation operations or resource scheduling operations). These are described in 3GPP specification TS 36.300 version 12.5.0. The first is eNodeB-scheduled resource allocation (Mode 1). The second is UE-autonomous resource selection (Mode 2). eNodeB-scheduled resource allocation refers to the eNodeB allocating one-time radio resources that the UE follows. This is suitable for dense traffic areas (where there are many terminal devices per unit area) because it is contention-free. UE-autonomous resource selection refers to the eNodeB pre-allocating a resource pool, and the UE autonomously selects a specific resource from the allocated resource pool. This is suitable for less dense areas (where there are fewer terminal devices per unit area, such as rural areas) because contention is less likely in these areas (due to lower traffic volume). Mapping information can include direction on which type of resource allocation / scheduling operation should be selected in a particular geographic area.

[0111] As previously mentioned, the terminal device 500 in the vehicle can know which D2D radio resource to use based on information received from the roadside unit (RSU). However, for road sections without RSUs installed, as described in this disclosure, radio resources can be allocated based on mapping information transmitted from the base station 201.

[0112] Figure 9 The decision-making process of a terminal device 500 intending to participate in D2D V2X communication is depicted. The process begins at step 900. In step 902, a determination is made as to whether an RSU is found. If an RSU is found, the process proceeds to step 908, where the terminal device uses the D2D radio resources allocated by the RSU. On the other hand, if no RSU is found, the process proceeds to step 904, where mapping information is read from the base station 201 to which the terminal device 500 is connected. In step 906, the terminal device 500 then uses the D2D radio resources specified in the mapping information. In this way, the base station 201 acts as a virtual RSU for the predetermined geographical area identified in the mapping information.

[0113] In an alternative embodiment, instead of sending the mapping information to each terminal device 500 via the base station 201, the mapping information may be provided to the storage medium 508 of each terminal device via an alternative method. For example, the mapping information may be downloaded by the terminal device from the Internet (via the network 100 or via an alternative such as a wireless local area network (WLAN) to which the terminal device 500 is connected), may be downloaded via Bluetooth from an external device (such as a personal computer, tablet computer, etc.), or may be stored in a separate computer. is transmitted to the terminal device or provided on a USB , Flash Drive, Secure Digital (SD) Card, Sony In one embodiment, the storage medium 508 itself may be a portable storage medium. In each case, the mapping information is stored in the storage medium 508 before the terminal device 500 is required to access the radio resources associated with the predetermined geographical area (e.g., before the vehicle makes a journey).

[0114] In the case of this alternative embodiment, the mapping information may be constant. That is, the radio resources allocated to each predetermined area do not change. Advantageously, this allows the mapping information to be provided to the terminal device 500 once, which can then be referenced for future journeys without the user having to update the mapping information. Alternatively, the mapping information may change, but not often. For example, the mapping information may change only in response to a change in the way that radio resources are used in a particular area decided by a network provider and / or a regulatory body. For example, such a change may only occur over a period of several months or years. In this case, the user only needs to update the mapping information of the terminal device 500 after such a change. Alternatively, as illustrated in Table 3 below, the mapping information may associate multiple radio resource groups with each predetermined geographical area.

[0115] area Radio Resource Group A 1，4 B 2，5 C 3，6

[0116] Table 3

[0117] In Table 3, it can be seen that region A is allocated radio resource groups 1 and 4, region B is allocated radio resource groups 2 and 5, and region C is allocated radio resource groups 3 and 6. Signalling from the base station 201 then instructs the terminal device 500 which radio resource to use when in a particular region, depending on the time of day, time of week, or any other suitable parameter. It is clear that in this case the mapping information has already been stored in the storage medium 508 of the terminal device (e.g., as described above, has been downloaded from the Internet, via Bluetooth (received or provided via a portable storage medium). Signalling from the base station 201 then indicates which radio resource group in the stored mapping information is to be used for each predetermined geographical area.

[0118] For example, at a first time of day (e.g., when there are more vehicles on the road and, therefore, more radio resources should be allocated for V2X communication), base station 201 may perform signaling with each terminal device 500 indicating that radio resource group 1 should be used for region A, radio resource group 2 should be used for region B, and radio resource group 3 should be used for region C. On the other hand, at a second time of day (e.g., when there are fewer vehicles on the road and, therefore, fewer radio resources should be allocated for V2X communication), the base station will perform signaling with each terminal device 500 indicating that radio resource group 4 should be used for region A, radio resource group 5 should be used for region B, and radio resource group 6 should be used for region C. In this case, radio resource groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively, include a larger amount of radio resources to be allocated for V2X communication than radio resource groups 4, 5, and 6. Advantageously, this reduces the amount of information that needs to be transmitted by base station 201, as base station 201 only needs to transmit an indicator of which predetermined radio resource group to use for each predetermined geographic region, rather than transmitting the entire mapping information. Consequently, the processing and signaling overhead associated with the mapping information is reduced.

[0119] Various embodiments of the present technology are described with reference to the following numbered items:

[0120] 1. A first terminal device used in a wireless communication system, the first terminal device comprising:

[0121] Receiver;

[0122] transmitter;

[0123] a storage medium operable to store mapping information identifying predetermined radio resource groups and a predetermined geographic area associated with each respective predetermined radio resource group; and

[0124] The controller can be operated as follows:

[0125] receiving a geographical location of a terminal device, the geographical location of the terminal device being determined by a positioning unit;

[0126] determining a predetermined geographic area of ​​the received mapping information within which the determined geographic location lies;

[0127] determining a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the determined geographic area using the received mapping information;

[0128] controlling the receiver to receive a signal from the second terminal device using the determined predetermined radio resource group; and

[0129] The transmitter is controlled to transmit a signal to the second terminal device using the determined predetermined radio resource group.

[0130] 2. The first terminal device according to item 1, wherein:

[0131] The receiver is operable to receive mapping information from the base station, and the controller is operable to store the received mapping information in the storage medium.

[0132] 3. The first terminal device according to any preceding item, wherein the first terminal device comprises a positioning unit.

[0133] 4. The first terminal device according to any preceding item, wherein the controller is operable to:

[0134] determining, based on the geographic location of the first terminal device determined by the positioning unit, when the location of the first terminal device changes from being within a first predetermined geographic area of ​​the mapping information to being within a second predetermined geographic area of ​​the mapping information;

[0135] determining a predetermined set of radio resources associated with a second predetermined geographic area using the mapping information;

[0136] controlling the receiver to switch from receiving a signal from the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area to receiving a signal from the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographical area; and

[0137] The transmitter is controlled to switch from transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area to transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographical area.

[0138] 5. The first terminal device according to item 4, wherein there is a spatial overlap area between the first predetermined geographical area and the second predetermined geographical area, and the controller is operable to:

[0139] determining, based on the geographic location of the first terminal device determined by the positioning unit, when the first terminal device is located in the spatial overlap area;

[0140] controlling the receiver to start receiving signals from the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographical area in addition to receiving signals from the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area; and

[0141] The transmitter is controlled to start transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the second predetermined geographical area in addition to transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the first predetermined geographical area.

[0142] 6. The first terminal device according to item 4, wherein the controller is operable to:

[0143] controlling the receiver to continue receiving the signal from the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area until reception of the signal has been completed; and

[0144] The transmitter is controlled to continue transmitting the signal to the second terminal device using a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the first predetermined geographical area until transmission of the signal has been completed.

[0145] 7. The first terminal device according to item 4, wherein the controller is operable to:

[0146] controlling the receiver to continue receiving the signal from the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area until a predetermined time period has elapsed; and

[0147] The transmitter is controlled to continue transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area until a predetermined time period has elapsed.

[0148] 8. A first terminal device according to item 4, wherein, when the controller determines that the location of the first terminal device has changed from within a first predetermined geographical area to within a second predetermined geographical area, the controller is operable to control the transmitter to send a message to a second terminal device located in the first predetermined geographical area, instructing the second terminal device to switch from using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area to receive signals from and transmit signals to the first terminal device to using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographical area to receive signals from and transmit signals to the first terminal device.

[0149] 9. A first terminal device according to item 4, wherein, when the controller determines that the location of the first terminal device has changed from within a first predetermined geographical area to within a second predetermined geographical area, the controller is operable to control the transmitter to send a message to a second terminal device located in the second predetermined geographical area, instructing the second terminal device to switch from using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area to receive signals from and transmit signals to the first terminal device to using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographical area to receive signals from and transmit signals to the first terminal device.

[0150] 10. The first terminal device according to item 4, wherein:

[0151] the receiver being operable to receive a message from a second terminal device located in the second predetermined geographical area, the message instructing the first terminal device to switch from receiving signals from and transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the first predetermined geographical area to receiving signals from and transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the second predetermined geographical area; and

[0152] The controller is operable to, in response to the receiver receiving a message:

[0153] controlling the receiver to switch from receiving a signal from the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area to receiving a signal from the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographical area; and

[0154] The transmitter is controlled to switch from transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area to transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographical area.

[0155] 11. A first terminal device according to item 10, wherein the receiver is operable to receive the message when the first terminal device is located in a first predetermined geographical area.

[0156] 12. The first terminal device according to item 10, wherein:

[0157] The receiver is operable to receive the message when the first terminal device is located in a second predetermined geographical area; and

[0158] The controller is operable to delay controlling the receiver to switch from receiving a signal from the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area to receiving a signal from the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographical area, and to delay controlling the transmitter to switch from transmitting a signal to the second terminal device using the predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area to transmitting a signal to the second terminal device using the predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographical area until the receiver has received the message.

[0159] 13. A first terminal device according to any preceding item, wherein the predetermined set of radio resources is used for device-to-device (D2D) communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0160] 14. A first terminal device according to any preceding item, wherein the predetermined radio resource group is the same for a first predetermined geographical area for received mapping information and a second predetermined geographical area for received mapping information, and the first predetermined geographical area and the second predetermined geographical area are separated by a certain distance to avoid radio interference between the first predetermined geographical area and the second predetermined geographical area.

[0161] 15. The first terminal device according to any preceding item, wherein each predetermined geographical area identified in the mapping information comprises a portion of a road.

[0162] 16. The first terminal device according to item 2, wherein the receiver is operable to receive the mapping information as information broadcast from a base station.

[0163] 17. The first terminal device according to any preceding item, wherein the controller is operable to control the transmitter to transmit the mapping information to the second terminal device.

[0164] 18. A transport vehicle comprising a first terminal device according to any preceding item.

[0165] 19. A base station for use in a wireless communication system, the base station comprising:

[0166] a controller operable to allocate a predetermined set of radio resources to each of the corresponding predetermined geographical areas; and

[0167] A transmitter is operable to send mapping information to each of a plurality of terminal devices, the mapping information identifying each set of predetermined radio resources and its associated predetermined geographical area, wherein each terminal device is operable to determine its geographical location, determine the predetermined geographical area of ​​the received mapping information within which the determined geographical location lies, use the mapping information to determine a set of predetermined radio resources associated with the determined geographical area, and perform communication with another terminal device located in the determined geographical area using the determined set of predetermined radio resources.

[0168] 20. The base station according to item 19, wherein the mapping information identifies predetermined groups of radio resources associated with respective predetermined geographical areas located within cells of neighboring base stations.

[0169] 21. The base station according to item 19 or item 20, wherein:

[0170] the controller being operable to vary the amount of predetermined radio resources allocated to one or more of the respective predetermined geographical areas in dependence on an expected demand for radio resources by terminal devices located in the one or more respective predetermined geographical areas; and

[0171] In response to a change in the amount of predetermined radio resources allocated to one or more corresponding predetermined geographical areas, the transmitter is operable to send updated mapping information to each of the plurality of terminal devices, the updated mapping information identifying each changed set of predetermined radio resources and its associated predetermined geographical area.

[0172] 22. A base station according to any one of clauses 19 to 22, wherein the transmitter is operable to broadcast the mapping information to each of the plurality of terminal devices.

[0173] 23. A base station for use in a wireless communication system, the base station comprising:

[0174] a controller operable to select a predetermined radio resource group for each of a plurality of predetermined geographical areas, each predetermined geographical area being associated with at least one selectable predetermined radio resource group to define mapping information, the mapping information being stored in each of the plurality of terminal devices; and

[0175] A transmitter is operable to send information indicating a selected predetermined group of radio resources to each terminal device, wherein each terminal device is operable to determine its geographical location, determine a predetermined geographical area of ​​the mapping information in which the determined geographical location is located, use the mapping information and the information sent by the transmitter to determine a selected predetermined group of radio resources associated with the determined geographical area, and communicate with another terminal device located in the determined geographical area using the determined predetermined group of radio resources.

[0176] 24. A wireless communication system comprising a first terminal device according to any one of items 1 to 18 and a base station according to any one of items 19 to 22.

[0177] 25. A wireless communication system comprising a first terminal device according to any one of items 1 to 18 and a base station according to item 23.

[0178] 26. A method of operating a first terminal device for use in a wireless communication system, the first terminal device comprising a receiver, a transmitter, and a storage medium operable to store mapping information, the mapping information identifying predetermined radio resource groups and a predetermined geographical area associated with each respective predetermined radio resource group, wherein the method comprises:

[0179] Controlling the receiver to receive the geographical location of the terminal device, where the geographical location of the terminal device is determined by the positioning unit;

[0180] determining a predetermined geographic area of ​​the received mapping information within which the determined geographic location lies;

[0181] determining a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the determined geographic area using the received mapping information;

[0182] controlling the receiver to receive a signal from the second terminal device using the determined predetermined radio resource group; and

[0183] The transmitter is controlled to transmit a signal to the second terminal device using the determined predetermined radio resource group.

[0184] 27. A storage medium storing a computer program for controlling a computer to execute the method according to item 26.

[0185] 28. A method of operating a base station for use in a wireless communication system, the base station comprising a transmitter, wherein the method comprises:

[0186] allocating a predetermined set of radio resources to each of the respective predetermined geographical areas; and

[0187] Controlling the transmitter e to transmit mapping information to each of the plurality of terminal devices, the mapping information identifying each predetermined radio resource group and its associated predetermined geographical area, wherein each terminal device is operable to determine its geographical location, determine the predetermined geographical area of ​​the received mapping information in which the determined geographical location is located, use the mapping information to determine the predetermined radio resource group associated with the determined geographical area, and perform communication with another terminal device located in the determined geographical area using the determined predetermined radio resource group.

[0188] 29. A storage medium storing a computer program for controlling a computer to execute the method according to item 28.

[0189] 30. A method of operating a base station for use in a wireless communication system, the base station comprising a transmitter, wherein the method comprises:

[0190] selecting a predetermined radio resource group for each of a plurality of predetermined geographical areas, each predetermined geographical area being associated with at least one selectable predetermined radio resource group to define mapping information, the mapping information being stored in each of the plurality of terminal devices; and

[0191] Controlling the transmitter to transmit information indicating the selected predetermined radio resource group to each terminal device, wherein each terminal device is operable to determine its geographical location, determine a predetermined geographical area of ​​the mapping information in which the determined geographical location is located, use the mapping information and the information transmitted by the transmitter to determine a selected predetermined radio resource group associated with the determined geographical area, and communicate with another terminal device located in the determined geographical area using the determined predetermined radio resource group.

[0192] 31. A storage medium storing a computer program for controlling a computer to execute the method according to item 30.

[0193] 32. A first terminal device used in a wireless communication system, the first terminal device comprising:

[0194] Receiver circuit;

[0195] transmitter circuit;

[0196] a storage circuit operable to store mapping information identifying predetermined radio resource groups and a predetermined geographical area associated with each respective predetermined radio resource group; and

[0197] The controller circuit is operable to:

[0198] receiving a geographical location of the terminal device, where the geographical location of the terminal device is determined by a positioning circuit;

[0199] determining a predetermined geographic area of ​​the received mapping information within which the determined geographic location lies;

[0200] determining a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the determined geographic area using the received mapping information;

[0201] controlling the receiver to receive a signal from the second terminal device using the determined predetermined radio resource group; and

[0202] The transmitter is controlled to transmit a signal to the second terminal device using the determined predetermined radio resource group.

[0203] 33. A base station for use in a wireless communication system, the base station comprising:

[0204] a controller circuit operable to allocate a predetermined set of radio resources to each of the respective predetermined geographical areas; and

[0205] Transmitter circuitry operable to transmit mapping information to each of a plurality of terminal devices, the mapping information identifying each set of predetermined radio resources and its associated predetermined geographical area, wherein each terminal device is operable to determine its geographical location, determine the predetermined geographical area of ​​the received mapping information within which the determined geographical location lies, use the mapping information to determine a set of predetermined radio resources associated with the determined geographical area, and perform communication with another terminal device located in the determined geographical area using the determined set of predetermined radio resources.

[0206] 34. A base station for use in a wireless communication system, the base station comprising:

[0207] a controller circuit operable to select a predetermined radio resource group for each of a plurality of predetermined geographical areas, each predetermined geographical area being associated with at least one selectable predetermined radio resource group to define mapping information, the mapping information being stored in each of the plurality of terminal devices; and

[0208] The transmitter circuit is operable to send information indicating a selected predetermined group of radio resources to each terminal device, wherein each terminal device is operable to determine its geographical location, determine a predetermined geographical area of ​​the mapping information in which the determined geographical location is located, use the mapping information and the information sent by the transmitter to determine a selected predetermined group of radio resources associated with the determined geographical area, and communicate with another terminal device located in the determined geographical area using the determined predetermined group of radio resources.

[0209] Many modifications and variations of the present disclosure are possible in light of the above teachings.It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the present disclosure may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.

[0210] Insofar as embodiments of the present disclosure have been described as being implemented at least in part by a data processing apparatus controlled by software, it will be understood that non-transitory machine-readable media carrying such software, such as optical disks, magnetic disks, semiconductor memories, etc., are also considered to represent embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0211] It will be appreciated that for clarity, the above description has described embodiments with reference to different functional units, circuits and / or processors. However, it will be apparent that any suitable distribution of functionality between different functional units, circuits and / or processors may be used without departing from the embodiments.

[0212] The described embodiments can be implemented in any suitable form including hardware, software, firmware or any combination thereof. The described embodiments can optionally be implemented at least in part as computer software running on one or more data processors and / or digital signal processors. The elements and components of any embodiment can be implemented physically, functionally and logically in any suitable manner. In fact, the functions can be implemented in a single unit, multiple units or as part of other functional units. In this way, the disclosed embodiments can be implemented in a single unit, or can be physically and functionally distributed between different units, circuits and / or processors.

[0213] Although the present disclosure has been described in conjunction with some embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the specific form set forth herein. In addition, although features may appear to be described in conjunction with specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the various features of the described embodiments may be combined in any manner suitable for implementing the technology.

[0214] refer to

[0215] [1]LTE for UMTS:OFDMA and SC-FDMA Based Radio Access,Harris Holma andAntti Toskala,Wiley 2009,ISBN 978-0-470-99401-6。

Claims

1. A first terminal device used in a wireless communication system, the first terminal device comprising: Receiver circuit; transmitter circuit; a storage circuit operable to store mapping information identifying predetermined radio resource groups and a predetermined geographic area associated with each respective predetermined radio resource group; as well as The controller circuit is operable to: receiving a geographic location of the terminal device, where the geographic location of the terminal device is determined by a positioning circuit; determining a predetermined geographical area of ​​the received mapping information in which the determined geographical location lies; determining the predetermined set of radio resources associated with the determined geographical area using the received mapping information; controlling the transmitter circuit to transmit a signal to the second terminal device using the determined predetermined radio resource group; The transmitter circuit is controlled to transmit the mapping information to the second terminal device.

2. The first terminal device according to claim 1, wherein: The first terminal device includes the positioning circuit.

3. The first terminal device according to claim 2, wherein: The controller circuit is operable to: determining, based on the geographic location of the first terminal device determined by the positioning circuit, when the location of the first terminal device changes from being within a first predetermined geographic area of ​​the mapping information to being within a second predetermined geographic area of ​​the mapping information; determining the predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographical area using the mapping information; controlling the receiver circuitry to switch from receiving signals from the second terminal device using a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the first predetermined geographical area to receiving signals from the second terminal device using a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the second predetermined geographical area; as well as controlling the transmitter circuitry to switch from transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the first predetermined geographical area to transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the second predetermined geographical area; the receiver circuit being operable to receive a message from a second terminal device located in the second predetermined geographical area, the message instructing the first terminal device to switch from receiving signals from and transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the first predetermined geographical area to receiving signals from and transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the second predetermined geographical area; and The controller circuit is operable, in response to the receiver circuit receiving the message: controlling the receiver circuit to switch from receiving signals from the second terminal device using a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the first predetermined geographical area to receiving signals from the second terminal device using a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the second predetermined geographical area; and The transmitter circuit is controlled to switch from transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the first predetermined geographical area to transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the second predetermined geographical area.

4. The first terminal device according to claim 3, wherein: There is a spatial overlap area between the first predetermined geographic area and the second predetermined geographic area, and the controller circuit is operable to: determining, based on the geographic location of the first terminal device determined by the positioning circuit, when the first terminal device is located in the spatial overlap region; controlling the receiver circuit to begin receiving signals from the second terminal device using a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the second predetermined geographical area in addition to receiving signals from the second terminal device using a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the first predetermined geographical area; as well as The transmitter circuit is controlled to start transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the second predetermined geographical area in addition to transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the first predetermined geographical area.

5. The first terminal device according to claim 3, wherein: The controller circuit is operable to: controlling the receiver circuitry to continue receiving signals from the second terminal device using a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the first predetermined geographical area until reception of the signals has been completed; as well as The transmitter circuitry is controlled to continue transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the first predetermined geographical area until transmission of the signals has been completed.

6. The first terminal device according to claim 3, wherein: The controller circuit is operable to: controlling the receiver circuit to continue receiving signals from the second terminal device using a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the first predetermined geographical area until a predetermined time period has elapsed; as well as The transmitter circuit is controlled to continue transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined set of radio resources associated with the first predetermined geographical area until the predetermined time period has elapsed.

7. The first terminal device according to claim 3, wherein: When the controller circuit determines that the location of the first terminal device has changed from within the first predetermined geographical area to within the second predetermined geographical area, the controller circuit can be operated to control the transmitter circuit to send a message to a second terminal device located in the first predetermined geographical area, instructing the second terminal device to switch from using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area to receive signals from the first terminal device and transmit signals to the first terminal device to using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographical area to receive signals from the first terminal device and transmit signals to the first terminal device.

8. The first terminal device according to claim 3, wherein: When the controller circuit determines that the location of the first terminal device has changed from within the first predetermined geographical area to within the second predetermined geographical area, the controller circuit can be operated to control the transmitter circuit to send a message to a second terminal device located in the second predetermined geographical area, instructing the second terminal device to switch from using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area to receive signals from the first terminal device and transmit signals to the first terminal device to using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographical area to receive signals from the first terminal device and transmit signals to the first terminal device.

9. The first terminal device according to claim 3, wherein: The receiver circuit is operable to receive the message when the first terminal device is located within the first predetermined geographical area.

10. The first terminal device according to claim 3, wherein: The receiver circuit is operable to receive the message when the first terminal device is within the second predetermined geographic area; as well as The controller circuit is operable to delay controlling the receiver circuit to switch from receiving signals from the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area to receiving signals from the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographical area, and to delay controlling the transmitter circuit to switch from transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the first predetermined geographical area to transmitting signals to the second terminal device using a predetermined radio resource group associated with the second predetermined geographical area until the receiver circuit receives the message.

11. The first terminal device according to claim 1, wherein: The predetermined radio resource group is used for device-to-device (D2D) communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

12. The first terminal device according to claim 1, wherein: The predetermined radio resource group is the same for a first predetermined geographical area of ​​the received mapping information and a second predetermined geographical area of ​​the received mapping information, and the first predetermined geographical area and the second predetermined geographical area are separated by a certain distance to avoid radio interference between the first predetermined geographical area and the second predetermined geographical area.

13. The first terminal device according to claim 1, wherein: Each predetermined geographic area identified in the mapping information includes a portion of a road.

14. The first terminal device according to claim 1, wherein The receiver circuit is operable to receive the mapping information from a base station, and the controller circuit is operable to store the received mapping information in the storage circuit, and the receiver circuit is operable to receive the mapping information as information broadcast from the base station.

15. A system comprising a first terminal device according to claim 1 and a base station for use in a wireless communication system, the base station comprising: a controller circuit operable to allocate a predetermined set of radio resources to each of the respective predetermined geographic areas; as well as A transmitter circuit is operable to transmit mapping information to each of a plurality of terminal devices, the mapping information identifying each predetermined radio resource group and its associated predetermined geographical area, wherein each terminal device is operable to determine its geographical location, determine the predetermined geographical area of ​​the received mapping information within which the determined geographical location is located, use the mapping information to determine the predetermined radio resource group associated with the determined geographical area, and use the determined predetermined radio resource group to perform communication with another terminal device located in the determined geographical area and transmit the mapping information to the other terminal device of the plurality of terminal devices.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein: The mapping information identifies predetermined groups of radio resources associated with respective predetermined geographical areas located within cells of neighboring base stations.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein: The controller circuitry is operable to vary the amount of predetermined radio resources allocated to one or more of the respective predetermined geographical areas in accordance with an expected demand for radio resources by terminal devices located in the one or more respective predetermined geographical areas; as well as In response to a change in the amount of predetermined radio resources allocated to one or more corresponding predetermined geographical areas, the transmitter circuitry is operable to send updated mapping information to each of the plurality of terminal devices, the updated mapping information identifying each changed set of predetermined radio resources and its associated predetermined geographical area.

18. The system according to claim 15, wherein: The transmitter circuitry is operable to broadcast the mapping information to each of the plurality of terminal devices.

19. A method of operating the base station in the system according to claim 15, wherein: The method comprises: allocating a predetermined set of radio resources to each of the respective predetermined geographical areas; and Control the transmitter circuit to transmit mapping information to each of a plurality of terminal devices, the mapping information identifying each predetermined radio resource group and its associated predetermined geographical area, wherein each terminal device is operable to determine its geographical location, determine the predetermined geographical area of ​​the received mapping information where the determined geographical location is located, use the mapping information to determine the predetermined radio resource group associated with the determined geographical area, and use the determined predetermined radio resource group to perform communication with another terminal device located in the determined geographical area and transmit the mapping information to another terminal device among the plurality of terminal devices.

20. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for controlling a computer to execute the method according to claim 19.

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