Multi-hop communication system, radio control station, radio station and multi-hop communication method

• US 20040166853A1
• Filed: 02/23/2004
• Published: 08/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshino, Hitoshi, Otsu, Toru, Takeda, Shinji, Fujiwara, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 7,619,998 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/302 Route determination based on requested QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The multi-hop communication system according to the present invention is configured by a radio control station 1 connected to a core network, and radio stations 21, 22, 31-33. The radio control station 1 has a control signal TX/RX unit 12 which transmits/receives the control signal, an information signal TX/RX unit 13 which transmits/receives the information signal, and a communication channel controller 15 which transmits a “usage notification” indicating usage of communication channels managed by the radio control station 1 to the radio stations 21, 22, 31-33 using the control signal. The radio station has a control signal TX/RX unit 42 which transmits/receives the control signal, and an information signal TX/RX unit 43 which transmits/receives the information signal.

Claims

1. A multi-hop communication system configured by a radio control station connected to a core network and radio stations that relay a signal transmitted from other radio station, wherein, the radio control station comprises:

a control signal transmission/reception unit configured to transmit/receive a control signal for conducting communication with the radio station;

an information signal transmission/reception unit configured to transmit/receive an information signal; and

a communication route determiner configured to determine a communication route for the control signal and a communication route for the information signal by different independent processes, and the radio station comprises;

a control signal transmission/reception unit configured to transmit/receive the control signal; and

an information signal transmission/reception unit configured to transmit/receive the information signal.

2. A multi-hop communication system configured by a radio control station connected to a core network and radio stations that relay a signal transmitted from other radio station, wherein, the radio control station comprises:

a control signal transmission/reception unit configured to transmit/receive a control signal for conducting communication with the radio station;

an information signal transmission/reception unit configured to transmit/receive an information signal; and

a communication route determiner configured to determine a communication route for the control signal by a different independent process from determination of a communication route for the information signal, and the radio station comprising;

a control signal transmission/reception unit configured to transmit/receive the control signal; and

an information signal transmission/reception unit configured to transmit/receive the information signal.

3. A radio control station connected to a core network and controls communication by a radio station that relays a signals transmitted by other radio station, comprises:

a control signal transmission/reception unit configured to transmit/receive a control signal for conducting communication with the radio station;

an information signal transmission/reception unit configured to transmit/receive an information signal; and

a communication route determiner configured to determine a communication route for the control signal.

4. A radio control station according to claim 3, the communication route determiner determines a communication route for the information signal by a different independent process from the determination of the communication route for the control signal.

5. A radio control station according to claim 3, the communication route determiner transmits a communication route acquisition request to the radio station for acquisition of a communication route, and the communication route determiner determines a communication route based on a response to the communication route acquisition request transmitted by the radio station.

6. A radio control station according to claim 3, further comprising a communication channel controller configured to transmit a usage notification that indicates usage of a communication channel handled by the radio control station.

7. A radio control station according to claim 3, the communication route determiner determines a communication route to the radio station and transmits a communication route determination notification that notifies the communication route to a radio station located on the communication route.

8. A radio control station according to claim 7, the communication route determiner assigns a communication channel to be used in the radio station located on the determined communication route.

9. A radio station conducting communication via a radio control station connected to a core network, comprising:

a control signal transmission/reception unit configured to transmit/receive the control signal;

an information signal transmission/reception unit configured to transmit/receive the information signal; and

a communication route determiner configured to determine a communication route for the control signal and a communication route for the information signal by different independent processes.

10. A radio station according to claim 9, the communication route determiner transmits a usage inquiry to the radio station for inquiring usage of a communication channel handled by the radio control station and transmits/receives the information signal according to a usage notification that is a response to the usage inquiry.

11. A radio station according to claim 9, further comprising a decision unit configured to decide whether or not communication is directly conducted with the radio control station based on a reception level of the control signal received by the control signal transmission/reception unit.

12. A radio station according to claim 11, the decision unit changes a threshold for the reception level according to a transmission speed of the information signal and to decide whether or not communication is directly conducted with the radio control station based on a result of comparison of the reception level and the threshold.

13. A radio station according to claim 9, further comprising a first relay controller configured to transmit a relay control signal to other station for requesting a relay of the information signal and to set a communication route to the radio control station via the other station according to a response relay control signal that is a response to the relay control signal.

14. A radio station according to claim 13, further comprising a communication route selector configured to select a radio station satisfying a prescribed condition regarding a communication state if a plurality of the other radio station transmitted the response relay control signal.

15. A radio station according to claim 9, further comprising a second relay controller configured to receive a relay control signal requesting a relay of the information signal from other station, to transmit a response relay control signal that is a response to the relay control signal and to set a communication route from the other radio station to the radio control station.

16. A radio station according to claim 15, the second relay controller transmits the response relay control signal notifying ability of the relay of the information signal based on a reception level of the received response relay control signal.

17. A radio station according to claim 14, wherein an information indicating a number of hops from the other radio station to the radio control station is included in the response relay control signal, and the communication route selector selects a radio station based the number of hops included in the response relay control signal.

18. A radio station according to claim 14, wherein an information indicating an interference level is included in the response relay control signal, and the communication route selector selects a radio station based the interference level included in the response relay control signal.

19. A multi-hop communication method used in a system configured by a radio control station connected to a core network and radio stations that relay a signal transmitted from other radio station, comprising:

a usage inquiry step that the radio station transmits a usage inquiry for inquiring usage of a communication channel handled by the radio control station using a control signal for conducting communication with the radio control station;

a communication route determination step that the radio control station determines a communication route for the control signal and a communication route for the information signal by different independent processes;

a usage notification step that the radio control station transmits a usage notification indicating usage of the communication channel handled by the radio control station; and

an information signal transmission step that the radio station and the radio control station transmit/receive the information signal using the communication route according to the usage notification.