CHANNEL QUALITY MEASUREMENT IN RELAY SYSTEMS

• US 20110211467A1
• Filed: 09/17/2009
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Original Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Inventors: Bhat, Prakash
• Granted Patent: US 8,665,773 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• 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 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0224 using sounding signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver

Abstract

An SAE/LTE or 4G cellular telecommunications network is disclosed which comprises a plurality of eNodeBs and a network core. A plurality of mobile telecommunications devices are registered with the network and communicate with the network core via the eNodeBs. A relay is provided between the eNodeB 5 and the mobile telecommunications device to extend the radio coverage provided by the eNodeB. Channel quality measurement data are transmitted to at least one of the telecommunications devices in a link with the relay to enable the telecommunications devices to calculate the channel quality between the mobile device and the relay and/or the node.

Claims

1. A method of operating a mobile telecommunications network including a plurality of nodes and a network core, wherein a plurality of mobile telecommunications devices are registered with the network and communicate with the network core via the nodes, wherein at least one relay is provided between at least particular node one of said plurality of nodes and at least one particular telecommunications device of said plurality of mobile telecommunications devices to extend the radio coverage provided by the said particular node, the method comprising:

transmitting channel quality measurement data to said particular telecommunications device in a link with the relay to enable the particular telecommunications device to calculate the channel quality between the particular telecommunications device and at least one of the relay and the particular node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel quality measurement data are transmitted in a predetermined part of a data frame.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the channel quality measurement data includes a first portion which enables the particular telecommunications device to calculate the channel quality between the particular telecommunications device and the relay, and a second portion which enables the particular telecommunications device to calculate the channel quality between the particular telecommunications device and the particular node, the first and second portions being in different predetermined parts of the data frame.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the or each predetermined part of the data frame is a predetermined time and frequency.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, during transmission of the data frame, data are transmitted by the relay that enables the particular telecommunications device to calculate the channel quality between the particular telecommunications device and the relay, and data are transmitted by the particular node that enable the particular telecommunications device to calculate the channel quality between the particular telecommunications device and the particular node.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

making the channel quality measurement data available to only selected ones of the telecommunications devices by transmitting the channel quality measurement data in a data frame format that other ones of the telecommunications devices ignore.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the data frame format is that of an LTE MBSFN sub-frame.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the data frame is transmitted in a frequency band usually reserved for transmissions from the particular node or relay to the particular telecommunications device.

9. A mobile telecommunications network, comprising:

a plurality of nodes;

a network core;

a plurality of mobile telecommunications devices registerable with the network and that communicate with the network core via the nodes;

at least one relay to extend the radio coverage provided by at least one particular node of said plurality of nodes and

a transmission device that transmits channel quality measurement data to at least one particular telecommunications device of said plurality of mobile telecommunications devices in a link with the relay to enable the particular telecommunications device to calculate the channel quality between the particular telecommunications device and at least one of;

the relay and the particular node.

10. The network of claim 9, wherein the transmission device is operable to transmit the channel quality measurement data in a predetermined part of a data frame.

11. The network of claim 10, wherein the channel quality measurement data includes a first portion which enables the particular telecommunications device to calculate the channel quality between the particular telecommunications device and the relay (20,22), and a second portion which enables the particular telecommunications device to calculate the channel quality between the particular telecommunications device and the particular node, the first and second portions being in different predetermined parts of the data frame.

12. The network of claim 10, wherein the or each predetermined part of the data frame is a predetermined time and frequency.

13. The network of claim 9, wherein the transmission device includes an element of the particular telecommunications device and an element of the relay, the elements being operable such that, during transmission of the data frame, data are transmitted by the relay that enables the particular telecommunications device to calculate the channel quality between the particular telecommunications device and the relay, and data are transmitted by the particular node that enable the particular telecommunications device to calculate the channel quality between the particular telecommunications device and the particular node.

14. The network of claim 9, wherein the transmission device is operable to make the channel quality measurement data available to only selected ones of the telecommunications devices by transmitting the channel quality measurement data in a data frame format that other ones of the telecommunications devices ignore.

15. The network of claim 14, wherein the data frame format is that of an LTE MBSFN sub-frame.

16. The network of claim 14, wherein the transmission device is operable to transmit the data frame in a frequency band usually reserved for transmissions from the particular node or the relay to the particular telecommunications device.