User Equipment Cluster Role Allocation in D2D Communication

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Solution Overview

Problem

The formation and maintenance of clusters in Device-to-Device (D2D) communication for V2X or eV2X scenarios are not clearly defined, including the determination of user equipment to be added to a cluster and the allocation of radio resources.

Innovation Solution

A user equipment with a measuring unit for sensing resource sets and a control unit to determine whether to operate as a header or member within a cluster, allocating or being allocated radio resources, facilitating efficient radio resource usage in inter-terminal direct communication.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If D2D communication is implemented without base station coordination, then communication reliability is improved during base station failures, but resource allocation complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoidresource allocation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

User equipment autonomously performs sensing of resource sets and determines its own operational role (header or member) based on measurement results, without requiring continuous base station coordination. This self-service mechanism enables D2D communication to maintain reliability during base station failures while managing resource allocation through distributed intelligence rather than centralized control.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Productivity

If cluster formation is implemented in D2D communication, then resource usage efficiency is improved, but determination of user equipment roles and resource allocation becomes complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresource usage efficiencyVSAvoidcluster operation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system changes operational parameters dynamically by having user equipment sense resource sets and transition between different operational states (header or member roles) based on measurement results. This parameter-based state transition simplifies cluster operation complexity while maintaining resource usage efficiency, as equipment automatically adapts its role based on sensed conditions rather than requiring complex manual configuration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Device complexity

If user equipment autonomously determines cluster roles, then base station overhead is reduced, but measurement and decision-making complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebase station overheadVSAvoidmeasurement and decision complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The autonomous determination process is segmented into distinct functional units: a sensing unit that measures resource sets, a determination unit that decides operational roles based on measurements, and a communication unit that executes communication. This segmentation reduces base station overhead by distributing functions across autonomous user equipment while managing measurement and decision complexity through modular, specialized components rather than monolithic processing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3813394B1User device and base station device
Publication Date: 2025.01.15 NTT DOCOMO INC
  • EP3813394B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP3813394B1 patent drawingFigure 1C
  • EP3813394B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

A user equipment includes a measuring unit that executes sensing of a resource set with which signals from one or more other units of user equipment are transmitted; a control unit that determines, based on a measurement result of the resource set by the sensing, whether to operate as a first device that allocates a resource in the resource set associated with a cluster or to operate as a second device to which a resource is allocated by the first device in the cluster formed of a plurality of units of user equipment; and a communication unit that executes communication with the one or more other units of user equipment.