Communication system, communication control method, mobile terminal and relay device

• US 10,200,174 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2015
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takano, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Saumit
• Application Number:
  US14/886,643
• Publication Number:
  US 20160044741A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,205 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15557 Selecting relay station operation mode, e.g. between amplify and forward mode, decode and forward mode or FDD - and TDD mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0051 of dedicated pilots, i.e. pilots destined for a single user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communication system is configured that includes a mobile terminal, one or more relay devices, and a base station for communicating with the mobile terminal via any of the one or more relay devices, where the mobile terminal includes a reception unit for receiving a reference signal transmitted from the one or more relay devices, a determination unit for determining a relay device to be used for communication with the base station based on the reference signal received by the reception unit from the one or more relay devices, and a transmission unit for transmitting to the base station information indicating the relay device determined by the determination unit.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a receiver configured to receive at least a first reference signal and a second reference signal transmitted from one or more communication devices; and

a transmitter configured to transmit, to a base station, reception intensity information corresponding to each signal transmitted from a plurality of base stations, wherein

the one or more communication devices are configured to

transmit the first reference signal according to a first cycle on a first downlink transmission operated as a power save state and transmit the second reference signal according to a second cycle on a second downlink transmission operated as an active state, the first cycle being longer than the second cycle, and

perform discontinuous reception in a case that any one of the one or more communication devices is operating in the power save mode.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the transmitted reception intensity information further corresponds to each signal transmitted from the one or more communication devices.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit, to the base station, location information corresponding to the mobile device estimated by GPS.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the one or more communication devices are configured to:

receive an indication from the base station while performing the discontinuous reception.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first cycle is a discontinuous transmission (DTX) cycle.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first cycle is longer than a length of a sub-frame.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first cycle is longer than a length of 10 sub-frames.

8. A communication device, comprising:

a communication interface configured to communicate with at least one of a base station and a mobile terminal; and

circuitry configured to

control transmitting, to a base station, reception intensity information corresponding to each signal transmitted from a plurality of base stations,

control transmitting a first reference signal according to a first cycle and a second reference signal according to a second cycle, the first cycle being longer than the second cycle, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted on a first downlink transmission operated as the power save state and the second reference signal is transmitted on a second downlink transmission operated as the active state, and

perform discontinuous reception in a case that any one of the one or more communication devices is operating in the power save mode.

9. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the first cycle is a discontinuous transmission (DTX) cycle.

10. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the first cycle is longer than a length of a sub-frame.

11. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the first cycle is longer than a length of 10 sub-frames.

12. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the first reference signal is used for synchronization.

13. A communication device, comprising:

a communication interface configured to communicate with a base station and a mobile terminal; and

circuitry configured to

control transmitting a first reference signal according to a first cycle or a second reference signal according to a second cycle, the first cycle being longer than the second cycle, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted on a first downlink transmission operated as the power save state and the second reference signal is transmitted on a second downlink transmission operated as the active state, wherein

the communication interface is configured to

perform discontinuous reception in a case that the communication device is operating in the power save mode; and

receive an indication from the base station while performing the discontinuous reception.