Method of operating relay station in wireless communication system

• US 20100103860A1
• Filed: 10/26/2009
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Ki Jun, Kim, Bong Hoe, Kim, Hak Seong, Noh, Yujin, Lee, Daewon
• Granted Patent: US 8,675,542 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15507 Relay station based processing for cell extension or control of coverage area, network planning with network coordinated processing with regard to cell extension H04W16/26; network topologies using dedicated repeater stations H04W84/047; terminal devices adapted for relaying to or from an other terminal H04W88/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15542 Selecting at relay station its transmit and receive resources selection of wireless resources by user or terminal H04W72/02; arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path by two-dimensional division of the resources H04L5/0003, or by allocating sub-channels H04L5/003
• 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: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/044 based on the type of the allocated resource
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1268 of uplink data flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1273 of downlink data flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations

Abstract

A method of operating a relay station in a wireless communication system is provided. The method includes operating in a first mode comprising a first sub-mode and a second sub-mode, in the first sub-mode a first downlink and a first uplink between a base station and the relay station being simultaneously activated, in the second sub-mode a second downlink and a second uplink between the relay station and a mobile station being simultaneously activated, and operating in a second mode comprising a third sub-mode and a fourth sub-mode, in the third sub-mode the first downlink and the second uplink being simultaneously activated, in the fourth sub-mode the first uplink and the second downlink being simultaneously activated.

Claims

1. A method of operating a relay station in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

operating in a first mode comprising a first sub-mode and a second sub-mode, in the first sub-mode a first downlink and a first uplink between a base station and the relay station being simultaneously activated, in the second sub-mode a second downlink and a second uplink between the relay station and a mobile station being simultaneously activated; and

operating in a second mode comprising a third sub-mode and a fourth sub-mode, in the third sub-mode the first downlink and the second uplink being simultaneously activated, in the fourth sub-mode the first uplink and the second downlink being simultaneously activated.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the relay station is subjected to mode switching between the first mode and the second mode by considering a specific subframe.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the specific subframe is a subframe in which a control channel is transmitted.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the control channel is at least one of a synchronization channel, a broadcast channel, and a paging channel.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the specific subframe is repeated per a specific number of subframes.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the specific subframe is repeated according to a predetermined pattern.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the relay station performs at least one hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process regarding the mobile station.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein each HARQ process starts every two or more subframes.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting subframe configuration information by the relay station to the mobile station, wherein the subframe configuration information comprises information regarding a subframe in which at least one of the second downlink and the second uplink is deactivated.

10. A method of operating a relay station in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

communicating with a base station through a backhaul link between the base station and the relay station; and

communicating with a mobile station connected to the relay station through an access link between the relay station and the mobile station,

wherein the backhaul link and the access link are activated according to a specific rule.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, if the backhaul link is activated in an even-numbered subframe, the access link is activated in an odd-numbered subframe, and if the backhaul link is activated in the odd-numbered subframe, the access link is activated in the even-numbered subframe.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein an uplink of the backhaul link and a downlink of the access link are simultaneously activated, and a downlink of the backhaul link and an uplink of the access link are simultaneously activated.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the communicating with the base station comprises:

receiving an uplink scheduling grant from the base station;

transmitting uplink data to the base station at a specific time according to the uplink scheduling grant; and

receiving from the base station an acknowledgement/negative-acknowledgement (ACK/NACK) for the uplink data transmission,

wherein the specific time is a time when the uplink of the backhaul link is activated according to the specific rule.

14. A relay station comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) unit for transmitting and receiving a radio signal; and

a processor coupled to the RF unit,

wherein the processor operates in a first mode comprising a first sub-mode and a second sub-mode, in the first sub-mode a first downlink and a first uplink between a base station and the relay station is simultaneously activated, and in the second sub-mode a second downlink and a second uplink between the relay station and a mobile station is simultaneously activated, and

operates in a second mode comprising a third sub-mode and a fourth sub-mode, in the third sub-mode the first downlink and the second uplink is simultaneously activated, and in the fourth sub-mode the first uplink and the second downlink is simultaneously activated

15. The relay station of claim 14, further comprising a mode switching unit, wherein the mode switching unit is configured so that mode switching is achieved between the first mode and the second mode by considering a specific subframe.