Proximity discovery for device-to-device communications over a cellular network

Abstract

This article first reviews the proximity discovery techniques used in most device-to-device communication systems. The associated issues when applied to a cellular network and the potential solutions are then addressed. We propose a unified discovery design for full, partial, and off-network coverage scenarios. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of packet and signature-based discovery schemes. We present a signature-based discovery design as a conceptual example for cellular applications. Through this example, we demonstrate that a cellular network can benefit from the information provided by the device discovery that a traditional cellular system lacks so that resources, interference, and connection selection can be more efficiently managed under a unified cellular network centric architecture.