Method and Apparatus for Discovery of Relay Nodes

• US 20100142433A1
• Filed: 12/10/2008
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Corporation (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: YU, Yi, CAI, Zhijun, WOMACK, James Earl
• Granted Patent: US 8,848,594 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations

Abstract

A method for determining a presence of a relay node in a wireless communications system. The method includes receiving, from a network node in the system, information indicating the presence of at least one of an access node and the relay node. The method further includes determining whether the network node is the one of the access node and the relay node based on the information.

Claims

1. A method for determining a presence of a relay node in a wireless communications system, comprising:

receiving, from a network node in the system, information indicating the presence of at least one of an access node and the relay node; and

determining whether the network node is the one of the access node and the relay node based on the information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is a node identifier contained in a combination of a primary synchronization channel and a secondary synchronization channel transmitted by the network node.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a range of possible identifiers available from the combination of the primary synchronization channel and the secondary synchronization channel is divided into two subsets, one subset containing at least one identifier for at least one relay node and one subset containing at least one identifier for at least one access node.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the node identifier contains a bit, one value of which indicates that the network node is the relay node and one value of which indicates that the network node is the access node.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is a node identifier in a secondary synchronization channel transmitted by the network node, and wherein a range of possible identifiers available from the secondary synchronization channel is divided into two subsets, one subset containing at least one identifier for at least one relay node and one subset containing at least one identifier for at least one access node.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is included in a broadcast control channel transmitted by the network node.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the broadcast control channel contains at least one of:

a list of node identifiers for at least one relay node near a cell associated with the access node; and

a bit, one value of which indicates that the network node is the relay node and one value of which indicates that the network node is the access node.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is a list of node identifiers for at least one relay node near a cell associated with the access node, and wherein the list is included in a connection-setup message sent to a user agent by the access node upon the access node receiving a random access message from the user agent.

9. A user agent, comprising:

a processor configured to receive information indicating a presence of at least one of an access node and a relay node, and further configured to analyze the information to determine whether a network node is the one of the access node and the relay node.

10. The user agent of claim 9, wherein the information is a node identifier contained in a combination of a primary synchronization channel and a secondary synchronization channel transmitted by the network node.

11. The user agent of claim 10, wherein a range of possible identifiers available from the combination of the primary synchronization channel and the secondary synchronization channel is divided into two subsets, one subset containing at least one identifier for at least one relay node and one subset containing at least one identifier for at least one access node.

12. The user agent of claim 10, wherein the cell identifier contains a bit, one value of which indicates that the network node is the relay node and one value of which indicates that the network node is the access node.

13. The user agent of claim 9, wherein the information is a cell identifier in a secondary synchronization channel transmitted by the network node, and wherein a range of possible identifiers available from the secondary synchronization channel is divided into two subsets, one subset containing at least one identifier for at least one relay node and one subset containing at least one identifier for at least one access node.

14. The user agent of claim 9, wherein the information is included in a broadcast control channel transmitted by the network node.

15. The user agent of claim 14, wherein the broadcast control channel contains at least one of:

a list of node identifiers for at least one relay node near a cell associated with the access node; and

a bit, one value of which indicates that the network node is the relay node and one value of which indicates that the component is the access node.

16. The user agent of claim 9, wherein the information is a list of relay node identifiers for at least one relay node near a cell associated with the access node, and wherein the list is included in a connection-setup message sent to the user agent by the access node upon the access node receiving a random access message from the user agent.

17. A wireless communications system, comprising:

a network node configured to transmit information indicating the presence of at least one of an access node and a relay node, the information usable to determine whether the network node is the one of the access node and the relay node.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the information is a node identifier contained in a combination of a primary synchronization channel and a secondary synchronization channel transmitted by the network node.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein a range of possible identifiers available from the combination of the primary synchronization channel and the secondary synchronization channel is divided into two subsets, one subset containing at least one identifier for at least one relay node and one subset containing at least one identifier for at least one access node.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the node identifier contains a bit, one value of which indicates that the network node is the relay node and one value of which indicates that the network node is the access node.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the information is a node identifier in a secondary synchronization channel transmitted by the network node, and wherein a range of possible identifiers available from the secondary synchronization channel is divided into two subsets, one subset containing at least one identifier for at least one relay node and one subset containing at least one identifier for at least one access node.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the information is included in a broadcast control channel transmitted by the network node.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the broadcast control channel contains at least one of:

a list of relay node identifiers for at least one relay node near a cell associated with the access node; and

a bit, one value of which indicates that the network node is the relay node and one value of which indicates that the network node is the access node.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the information is a list of relay node identifiers for at least one relay node near a cell associated with the access node, and wherein the list is included in an connection-setup message sent to a user agent by the access node upon the access node receiving a random access message from the user agent.

25. A method for determining that a network node in a wireless communications system is a relay node, comprising:

receiving from the network node a subset of information that is present in transmissions from an access node; and

determining that the network node is a relay node.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the subset of information does not include at least one of:

a broadcast control channel; and

data in alternating subframes of a transmission from the network node.