Method and system for a wireless multi-hop relay network

• US 20070072604A1
• Filed: 07/03/2006
• Published: 03/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Wang, Guo
• Granted Patent: US 8,554,232 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/428
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/50 Queue scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6215 Individual queue per QOS, rate or priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/02 Data link layer protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A Point to Multipoint (PMP) multi-hop relay network includes a base station, one or more relay stations and one or more subscriber stations. Active service flows in a PMP multi-hop relay network have a 16-bit connection identifier (CID). A CID defines the connection that a packet is servicing. Before traffic can be transmitted, the path through the network, and the association of CIDs with respective hops needs to be established. The CID mapping relationship from the ingress air link to the egress air link at each relay station is first set up, which is then followed by a traffic phase where the CID mapping relationship is used to route traffic from a base station to a subscriber station.

Claims

1. A method for routing messages in a wireless multi-hop relay network comprising a base station, at least one relay station, and a subscriber station, the method comprising:

a. the base station sending a signalling message containing a path list, and an initial connection identifier (CID) for a connection between the base station and one of the at least one relay stations;

b. one of the at least one relay stations receiving the signalling message and replacing the CID contained in said signalling message with a new CID and forwarding the signalling message with the new CID, and

c. repeating step b. until the subscriber station is reached.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the path list has a starting point and an ending point, the starting point of the path list being a node identifier for the base station and the ending point of the path list being a node identifier for the subscriber station.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the path list is a set of node identifiers for all nodes between the base station and the subscriber station.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the path list is stored in a Medium Access Control (MAC) sub-header.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the initial CID and the new CID are tunnel CIDs.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the initial CID and the new CID are transport CIDS.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the initial CID is stored in a Dynamic Service (DSx) message.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the DSx message is a Dynamic Service Addition (DSA) message.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

each of the at least one relay stations creating an entry in a CID mapping table, the CID mapping table containing entries for each CID received in a signalling message, and for each new CID replaced.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is applied to a WiMAX wireless network.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising,

d. the base station sending a frame containing a DL MAP and at least one DL Burst, the DL MAP containing a CID stack for a connection between the base station and one of the at least one relay stations;

e. one of the at least one relay stations receiving the frame, retrieving a new CID stack from a CID mapping table, and replacing the CID stack contained in said DL MAP with the new CID stack and forwarding the frame with the new CID stack, and

f. repeating step e. until the subscriber station is reached.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising,

d. the base station sending a frame containing a DL MAP and at least one DL burst, the DL burst containing one or more Medium Access Control (MAC) messages but not containing a CID stack, each of the one or more MAC messages containing an initial transport CID for a connection between the base station and one of the at least one relay stations;

e. one of the at least one relay stations receiving the one or more MAC messages and replacing the transport CID contained in at least one of said MAC messages with a new transport CID and forwarding the MAC message with the new transport CID, and

f. repeating step e. until the subscriber station is reached.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising,

d. the subscriber station sending a MAC PDU containing a transport CID;

e. one of the at least one relay stations receiving the MAC PDU and creating a relay sub-header for said MAC PDU, the relay sub-header containing an initial tunnel CID;

f. one of the at least one relay stations receiving the MAC PDU and relay sub-header and replacing the tunnel CID contained in said relay sub-header with a new tunnel CID and forwarding the MAC PDU and relay sub-header with the new tunnel CID, and

g. repeating step f. until the subscriber station is reached.

14. A relay station in a wireless multi-hop relay network comprising:

a CID mapping table;

a CID distribution controller for receiving a signalling message sent from another station, the signalling message containing an ingress CID and a path list, the CID distribution controller adapted to allocate a corresponding egress CID based on the path list, and for creating an entry in said CID mapping table for each of the ingress CID and its corresponding egress CID; and

a CID swapper for replacing the ingress CID in a MAC PDU with the egress CID.

15. The relay station of claim 14 wherein the ingress CID and the egress CID are tunnel CIDs.

16. The relay station of claim 14 wherein the ingress CID and the egress CID are transport CIDs.

17. The relay station of claim 14 wherein the network is a WIMAX network.

18. The relay station of claim 14 wherein the path list is a set of node identifiers for all nodes between a base station and a subscriber station.

19. The relay station of claim 14 wherein the path list is stored in a Medium Access Control (MAC) sub-header.

20. The relay station of claim 19 wherein the DSx message is a Dynamic Service Addition (DSA) message.