System And Method For Autonomous Combining

• US 20110044234A1
• Filed: 10/29/2010
• Published: 02/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Womack, James Earl, Yu, Yi, Cai, Zhijun
• Granted Patent: US 9,484,989 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/022 Site diversity; Macro-diversity using two or more spaced independent antennas H04B7/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/026 Co-operative diversity, e.g. using fixed or mobile stations as relays

Abstract

A user agent capable of carrying out autonomous combining. The user agent can be implemented as a processor configured to promote receiving a first signal from an access node and a second signal from a relay node. The processor may be further configured to combine the first and second signals.

Claims

1. An access node comprising:

a processor configured to provide an address indicating one of a plurality of relay nodes and further indicating one of a plurality of user agents, wherein the processor is further configured to promote transmission of the address to one or more of the plurality of relay nodes.

2. The access node of claim 1 wherein the address comprises a first set of bits and a second set of bits, wherein the first set of bits identifies a corresponding relay node and wherein the second set of bits identifies a corresponding user agent within a donor cell of the corresponding relay node.

3. The access node of claim 1 wherein the access node is further configured to:

transmit a signal to a particular user agent to instruct the particular user agent to disable autonomous combining.

4. The access node of claim 1 wherein the access node is further configured to:

transmit a signal to a particular user agent to instruct the particular user agent to enable autonomous combining.

5. The access node of claim 1 wherein the access node is further configured to:

add a field to a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) signal, wherein the field includes an index to identify a medium access control packet data unit (MAC PDU) at a user agent.

6. A method implemented in an access node, the method comprising:

providing an address indicating one of a plurality of relay nodes and further indicating one of a plurality of user agents; and

transmitting the address to one or more of the plurality of relay nodes.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the address comprises a first set of bits and a second set of bits, wherein the first set of bits identifies a corresponding relay node and wherein the second set of bits identifies a corresponding user agent within a donor cell of the corresponding relay node.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

transmitting a signal to a particular user agent to instruct the particular user agent to disable autonomous combining.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

transmitting a signal to a particular user agent to instruct the particular user agent to enable autonomous combining.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

adding a field to a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) signal, wherein the field includes an index to identify a medium access control packet data unit (MAC PDU) at a user agent.