Apparatus and method for supporting relay service in a multi-hop relay broadband wireless access communication system

• US 20070217367A1
• Filed: 03/05/2007
• Published: 09/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lim, Eun-Taek, Cho, Jae-Weon, Lee, Mi-Hyun, Chang, Young-Bin, Lee, Sung-Jin, Oh, Chang-Yoon, Choi, Joon-Young, Kang, Hyun-Jeong, Joo, Pan-Yuh
• Granted Patent: US 8,040,826 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/335
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/04 Reselecting a cell layer in multi-layered cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

An apparatus and method for configuring a subframe to support a relay service in a multi-hop relay BWA communication system are provided, in which a first zone of a subframe is configured for at least one of communication between a BS and a first MS within the coverage area of the BS and communication between at least one RS and a second MS within the coverage area of the at least one RS, and a second zone of the subframe is configured for at least one of communication between the BS and the at least one RS and communication between the at least one RS and another RS.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a subframe to support a relay service in a multi-hop relay wireless communication system, comprising:

configuring a first zone of a subframe for at least one of communication between a Base Station (BS) and a first Mobile Station (MS) within the coverage area of the BS and communication between at least one Relay Station (RS) and a second MS within the coverage area of the at least one RS; and

configuring a second zone of the subframe for at least one of communication between the BS and the at least RS and communication between the at least one RS and another RS.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first zone and the second zone are distinguished in the subframe by at least one of time division and frequency division.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first zone of the subframe includes at least one of a BS-MS link subframe and an RS-MS link subframe.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the BS-MS link subframe is distinguished from the RS-MS link subframe by one of Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Spatial Division Multiple Access (SDMA), and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA).

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the BS-MS subframe and the RS-MS link subframe have the same configuration.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one RS is one of a primary RS that provides a synchronization channel and a secondary RS that does not provide the synchronization channel.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein if the at least one RS is the secondary RS, the RS-MS link subframe has null in areas for the synchronization channel and a control channel.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second zone of the subframe includes at least one of a BS-RS subframe and an RS-RS link subframe.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the BS-RS link subframe and the RS-RS link subframe are multiplexed by at least one of time division and frequency division.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first zone and the second zone of the subframe have one of fixed lengths and variable lengths according to a service environment.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a guard region is inserted between the first zone and the second zone of the subframe.

12. A method for configuring a subframe to support a relay service in a multi-hop relay wireless communication system, comprising:

configuring a first zone of a subframe for at least one of Base Station (BS)-Mobile Station (MS) communication and Relay Station (RS)-MS communication;

configuring a second zone of the subframe for at least one of BS-RS communication, RS-RS communication, and RS-MS communication; and

configuring a third zone of the subframe for at least one of BS-MS communication and RS-RS communication.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first zone, the second zone, and the third zone are distinguished in the subframe by at least one of time division and frequency division.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the first zone of the subframe includes at least one of a BS-MS link subframe and an RS-MS link subframe.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the BS-MS link subframe is distinguished from the RS-MS link subframe by one of Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Spatial Division Multiple Access (SDMA), and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA).

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the BS-MS subframe and the RS-MS link subframe have the same configuration.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the second zone of the subframe includes at least one of a BS-RS link subframe, an RS-RS link subframe, and an RS-MS link subframe.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the BS-RS link subframe, the RS-RS link subframe, and the RS-MS link subframe are distinguished by at least one of time division and frequency division.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the third zone of the subframe includes at least one of a BS-MS link subframe and an RS-RS link subframe.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the BS-MS link subframe is distinguished from the RS-RS link subframe by at least one of time division and frequency division.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the first zone, the second zone, and the third zone of the subframe have one of fixed lengths and variable lengths according to service environment.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein a synchronization channel is positioned at the start of the first zone of the subframe.

23. The method of claim 12, wherein a synchronization channel is positioned at one of the start and end of each of the first zone and the second zone of the subframe.

24. A method of a Base Station (BS) for supporting a relay service in a multi-hop relay wireless communication system, comprising:

communicating with a Mobile Station (MS) in a first zone of a subframe according to a predetermined subframe configuration; and

communicating with a Relay Station (RS) in a second zone of the subframe.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the first zone and the second zone have one of fixed lengths and variable lengths according to service environment.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising, if the first zone and second zones have variable lengths, allocating resources for the first and second zones, so that the BS communicates according to the resource allocation for the first and second zones.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein a guard region is inserted between the first zone and the second zone of the subframe.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the first zone and the second zone are distinguished in the subframe by at least of time division and frequency division.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein a synchronization channel is positioned at the start of the first zone of the subframe.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein a synchronization channel is positioned at one of the start and end of the second zone of the subframe.

31. A method of a Relay Station (RS) for supporting a relay service in a multi-hop relay wireless communication system, comprising:

performing network entry based on control information received from a higher node and acquiring subframe configuration information for supporting the relay service;

receiving a synchronization channel, control information, and a traffic burst from the higher node for a second zone of a subframe in an n^th frame; and

sending a synchronization channel and the received control information and traffic burst to a Mobile Station (MS) for a first zone of the subframe in an (n+1)^th frame.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the RS is one of a primary RS that provides the synchronization channel and a secondary RS that does not provide the synchronization channel.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein if the RS is the secondary RS, the RS fills null in areas for the synchronization channel and a control channel.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the higher node is one of a Base Station (BS) and a higher RS.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein the network entry comprises:

receiving the control information from the higher node in a zone set for the higher node to communicate with an MS according to a predetermined subframe configuration; and

performing the network entry to the higher node based on the received control information.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein the network entry comprises:

receiving the control information from the higher node in a zone set for the higher node to communicate with an RS according to a predetermined subframe configuration; and

performing the network entry to the higher node based on the received control information.

37. An apparatus for supporting a relay service in a multi-hop relay wireless communication system, comprising:

a timing controller for providing a transmission and reception timing signal for a signal for a Mobile Station (MS)-communication zone for communicating with an MS and a signal for a Relay Station (RS)-communication zone for communicating with an RS according to a frame configuration;

a Radio Frequency (RF) duplexer for separating the signal for the MS-communication zone from the signal for the RS-communication zone; and

a transceiver for communicating with one of the MS and the RS according to the transmission and reception timing signal.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the transceiver comprises:

a first transceiver for communicating with the MS; and

a second transceiver for communicating with the RS.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the first transceiver comprises:

a transmitter for configuring a subframe for the MS according to the transmission and reception timing signal;

a receiver for receiving a signal from the MS according to the transmission and reception timing signal and recovering data; and

a switch for switching one of the transmitter and the receiver to the RF duplexer under the control of the timing controller.

40. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the second transceiver comprises:

a transmitter for configuring a subframe for the RS according to the transmission and reception timing signal;

a receiver for receiving a signal from the RS according to the transmission and reception timing signal and recovering data; and

a switch for switching one of the transmitter and the receiver to the RF duplexer under the control of the timing controller.