System and method for managing communication routing within a wireless multi-hop network

• US 20070201392A1
• Filed: 02/28/2006
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ruckus IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ramachandran, Shyamal
• Granted Patent: US 7,599,341 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/12 based on transmission quality or channel quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system and method of operation for managing communication routing from a subscriber station to a base station is provided. The method includes establishing a communication link between the subscriber station and the base station; determining a base station signal quality and a base station timing offset from the subscriber station to the base station; receiving by the base station from one or more relay stations an associated relay station signal quality and an associated relay station timing offset from the subscriber station to the base station through each of the one or more relay stations; identifying a best communication route from the subscriber station to the base station; and transmitting from the base station to the subscriber station a timing correction value associated with the best communication route.

Claims

1. A method for managing communication routing from a subscriber station to a base station within a wireless multi-hop network having one or more relay stations, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a communication link between the subscriber station and the base station;

determining a base station signal quality and a base station timing offset from the subscriber station to the base station;

receiving by the base station from the one or more relay stations an associated relay station signal quality and an associated relay station timing offset from the subscriber station to the base station through each of the one or more relay stations;

identifying by the base station a best communication route from the subscriber station to the base station using the base station signal quality, the base station timing offset, each of the associated relay station signal qualities, and each of the associate relay station timing offsets; and

transmitting from the base station to the subscriber station a timing correction value associated with the identified best communication route.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

transmitting from the base station to the relay station associated with the best communication route a route assignment message including an identification of the subscriber station and the timing correction value.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmitting step further comprises transmitting from the base station to the subscriber station a power correction value associated with the identified best communication route.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising the step of:

transmitting data from the subscriber station to the base station using the timing correction value and the power correction value.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the transmitting data step comprises transmitting data through the relay station associated with the best communication route.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless multi-hop network is an 802.16 network.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication routing managing comprises at least one of an initial ranging and a periodic ranging, the method further comprising, prior to the receiving step, the step of:

transmitting from the base station to the one or more relay stations, pseudo random codes to be used for at least one of the initial ranging and the periodic ranging.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the base station signal quality and relay station signal quality comprises a Carrier to Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (CINR).

9. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a maintenance interval after the transmitting step;

within each of the one or more relay stations, during the maintenance interval;

receiving one or more ranging codes from the subscriber station,

measuring a relay station CINR,

measuring a relay station timing offset, and

transmitting the ranging codes, relay station CINR, and the relay station timing offset to the base station; and

repeating the receiving, identifying, and transmitting steps at the base station after the maintenance interval.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising within the relay station:

determining if the measured CINR≧

RS_ACCEPT_CINR, and

including the PR code, the CINR, the power adjustment, and the timing offset in a NBR-RNG-RPT message that it transmits to the base station after the maintenance interval.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising the step of:

preprogramming a value for RS_ACCEPT_CINR the relay station prior to the determining step.

12. A method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising the step of:

delivering a value for RS_ACCEPT_CINR to the relay station over a network management plane prior to the determining step.

13. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the base station creates and stores a table of the information it received in the various NBR-RNG-RPT messages and its own measurements prior to the identifying step for use in the identifying step.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the identifying step comprises:

comparing within the base station the CINR it measured on the PR code, with the minimum CINR required to support the highest order UIUC; and

when the requirement is less than or equal to the measured CINR, identifying the best communication route as the direct route from the subscriber station to the base station.

15. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the identifying step comprises:

comparing within the base station the CINR it measured on the PR code, with the minimum CINR required to support the highest order UIUC; and

when the CINR requirement is greater that what the base station measured, identifying the best communication route as that with the highest CINR.

16. A wireless multi-hop network comprising:

a base station;

a subscriber station communicatively coupled to the base station through a communication link having a signal quality and a timing offset; and

one or more relay stations communicatively coupled between the subscriber station and the base station through each of a relay station communication link having an associated relay station signal quality and an associated relay station timing offset,

the base station adapted to;

identify a best communication route from the subscriber station to the base station using the signal quality, the timing offset, each of the associated relay station signal qualities, and each of the associate relay station timing offsets; and

transmit from the base station to the subscriber station a timing correction value associated with the identified best communication route.

17. A wireless multi-hop network as claimed in claim 16, wherein the base station is further adapted to transmit to the relay station associated with the best communication route a route assignment message including an identification of the subscriber station and the timing correction value.

18. A wireless multi-hop network as claimed in claim 16 wherein the base station is further adapted to transmit a power correction value associated with the identified best communication route.

19. A wireless multi-hop network as claimed in claim 16, wherein the subscriber station is adapted to transmit data to the base station using the timing correction value and the power correction value.

20. A wireless multi-hop network as claimed in claim 19, wherein the subscriber station is adapted to transmit data through the relay station associated with the best communication route.

21. A wireless multi-hop network as claimed in claim 16 comprising an 802.16 network.

22. A wireless multi-hop network as claimed in claim 16, wherein each of the base station signal quality and relay station signal quality comprises a Carrier to Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (CINR).

23. A wireless multi-hop network as claimed in claim 16, wherein the base station includes a memory for storing a table of information comprising for the base station and each of the one or more relay stations, a pseudo random code, an identification, a CINR, a power adjust, and a timing offset, for use in identifying the best communication route.