COMMUNICATION METHOD, RELAY STATION, AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20110235554A1
• Filed: 06/06/2011
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: CHEN, Xiaofeng
• Application Number:
  US13/153,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20110235554A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/279
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels

Abstract

A communication method, a relay station, and a communication system are provided. The method includes: communicating with a base station by adopting a first frame resource in a first frame structure; and communicating with a terminal served by the relay station by adopting a second frame resource in a second frame structure different from the first frame structure. Therefore, the base station and the relay station adopt different frame structures, so a problem that a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) process is affected greatly by using the same frame structure is avoided, thereby improving the performance and a utilization rate of resources.

Claims

1. A communication method, comprising:

communicating with a base station by adopting a first frame resource in a first frame structure; and

communicating with a terminal served by a relay station by adopting a second frame resource, wherein the second frame resource is included in a second frame structure different from the first frame structure.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein

uplink-downlink configuration of a subframe in the second frame resource is correspondingly the same as uplink-downlink configuration of a subframe other than the subframes in the first frame resource in the first frame structure;

or

a sixth subframe in the second frame resource is a downlink subframe, a sixth subframe in the first frame structure corresponding to this sixth frame in the second frame resource is a special subframe;

other than the subframes in the first frame resource and the sixth subframe in the first frame structure, uplink-downlink configuration of a subframe in the second frame resource is correspondingly the same as uplink-downlink configuration of a subframe in the first frame structure.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the first frame structure is a frame structure of a fourth configuration, and the second frame structure is a frame structure of a fifth configuration,

the first frame resource comprises a third subframe, a seventh subframe, and a ninth subframe, the second frame resource comprises a zero^th subframe, a first subframe, a second subframe, a fourth subframe, a fifth subframe, a sixth subframe, and an eighth subframe, and subframes other than the second frame resource are configured to be blank subframes;

or

the first frame resource comprises a third subframe and a ninth subframe, the second frame resource comprises a zero^th subframe, a first subframe, a second subframe, a fourth subframe, a fifth subframe, a sixth subframe, a seventh subframe, and an eighth subframe, and subframes other than the second frame resource are configured to be blank subframes.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the first frame structure is a frame structure of a second configuration, and the second frame structure is a frame structure of a fifth configuration,

the first frame resource comprises a third subframe, a seventh subframe, and a ninth subframe, the second frame resource comprises a zero^th subframe, a first subframe, a second subframe, a fourth subframe, a fifth subframe, a sixth subframe, and an eighth subframe, and subframes other than the second frame resource are configured to be blank subframes;

or

the first frame resource comprises a third subframe and a seventh subframe, the second frame resource comprises a zero^th subframe, a first subframe, a second subframe, a fourth subframe, a fifth subframe, a sixth subframe, an eighth subframe, and an ninth subframe, and subframes other than the second frame resource are configured to be blank subframes.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the first frame structure is a frame structure of a third configuration, and the second frame structure is a frame structure of a fifth configuration, the first frame resource comprises a third subframe, a seventh subframe, and a ninth subframe, the second frame resource comprises a zero^th subframe, a first subframe, a second subframe, a fifth subframe, a sixth subframe, and an eighth subframe, and subframes other the second frame resource are configured to be blank subframes.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the first frame structure is a frame structure of a fourth configuration, and the second frame structure is a frame structure of a fifth configuration, the first frame resource comprises a third subframe, and at least one of a fourth subframe, a seventh subframe, an eighth subframe, and a ninth subframe, downlink subframes corresponding to the first frame resource in the second frame structure are configured to be Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) subframes, and the second frame resource comprises a zero^th subframe, a first subframe, a second subframe, a fifth subframe, a sixth subframe, subframes in the fourth subframe, the seventh subframe, the eighth subframe, and the ninth subframe that are not comprised in the first frame resource, and control parts of the MBSFN subframes.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the first frame structure is a frame structure of a second configuration, and the second frame structure is a frame structure of a fifth configuration, the first frame resource comprises a seventh subframe, and at least one of a third subframe, a fourth subframe, an eighth subframe, and a ninth subframe, downlink subframes corresponding to the first frame resource in the second frame structure are configured to be MBSFN subframes, and the second frame resource comprises a zero^th subframe, a first subframe, a second subframe, a fifth subframe, a sixth subframe, subframes in the third subframe, the fourth subframe, the eighth subframe, and the ninth subframe that are not comprised in the first frame resource, and control parts of the MBSFN subframes.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first frame structure is a frame structure of any configuration of a zero^th configuration to a sixth configuration, an uplink-downlink configuration of the second frame structure is the same as an uplink-downlink configuration of the first frame structure, and a timing relationship of the second frame structure is different from a timing relationship of the first frame structure.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communicating with the terminal served by the relay station comprises:

broadcasting the second frame structure for a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Advanced (LTE-A) system terminal, and broadcasting the first frame structure for an LTE system release 8 Rel-8 terminal;

or

broadcasting the second frame structure by using the same 3-bit indication method for sending a frame structure in an LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) system.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the communicating with the terminal served by the relay station comprises:

broadcasting the second frame structure for a LTE-A system terminal, and broadcasting the first frame structure for an LTE system Rel-8 terminal;

or

broadcasting the second frame structure by using the same 3-bit indication method for sending a frame structure in an LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) system.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein if the second frame structure is broadcast by using the same 3-bit indication method for sending the frame structure in the LTE TDD system, the method further comprises:

indicating a LTE-A terminal to select the first frame structure or the second frame structure according to a rightmost bit in bits for configuring an MBSFN) subframe in a System Information Block (SIB) 2.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the first frame structure is a frame structure of a second configuration, or a frame structure of a fourth configuration, or a frame structure of a sixth configuration.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein when the first frame structure is the frame structure of the second configuration,

the first frame resource comprises a third subframe, a seventh subframe, and a ninth subframe, a third subframe and a ninth subframe of downlink subframes in the second frame structure are configured to be MBSFN subframe, and the second frame resource comprises a zero^th subframe, a first subframe, a second subframe, a fourth subframe, a fifth subframe, a sixth subframe, an eighth subframe, and control parts of the MBSFN subframes;

or

the first frame resource comprises a third subframe, a seventh subframe, an eighth subframe, and a ninth subframe;

a third subframe, an eighth subframe, and a ninth subframe of downlink subframes in the second frame structure are configured to be MBSFN subframes, and the second frame resource comprises a zero^th subframe, a first subframe, a second subframe, a fourth subframe, a fifth subframe, a sixth subframe, and control parts of the MBSFN subframes.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein when the first frame structure is the frame structure of the fourth configuration,

the first frame resource comprises a third subframe, a seventh subframe, an eighth subframe, and a ninth subframe;

a seventh subframe, an eighth subframe, and a ninth subframe of downlink subframes in the second frame structure are configured to be MBSFN subframes, and the second frame resource comprises a zero^th subframe, a first subframe, a second subframe, a fourth subframe, a fifth subframe, a sixth subframe, and control parts of the MBSFN subframes;

or

the first frame resource comprises a third subframe, a fourth subframe, a seventh subframe, an eighth subframe, and a ninth subframe;

a fourth subframe, a seventh subframe, an eighth subframe, and a ninth subframe of downlink subframes in the second frame structure are configured to be MBSFN subframes, and the second frame resource comprises a zero^th subframe, a first subframe, a second subframe, a fifth subframe, a sixth subframe, and control parts of the MBSFN subframes.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein when the first frame structure is the frame structure of the sixth configuration,

the first frame resource comprises a fourth subframe and a ninth subframe;

a ninth subframe of downlink subframes in the second frame structure is configured to be an MBSFN subframe, and the second frame resource comprises a zero^th subframe, a first subframe, a second subframe, a third subframe, a fifth subframe, a sixth subframe, a seventh subframe, an eighth subframe, and a control part of the MBSFN subframe.

16. A relay station, comprising:

a first communication module, configured to communicate with a base station by adopting a first frame resource in a first frame structure; and

a second communication module, configured to communicate with a terminal served by a relay station by adopting a second frame resource, wherein the second frame resource is included in a second frame structure different from the first frame structure.

17. The relay station according to claim 16, wherein

uplink-downlink configuration of a subframe in the second frame resource is correspondingly the same as uplink-downlink configuration of a subframe other than the subframes in the first frame resource in the first frame structure;

or

a sixth subframe in the second frame resource is a downlink subframe, a sixth subframe in the first frame structure corresponding to this sixth frame in the second frame resource is a special subframe;

other than the subframes in the first frame resource and a sixth subframe, uplink-downlink configuration of a subframe in the second frame resource is correspondingly the same as uplink-downlink configuration of a subframe in the first frame structure.

18. The relay station according to claim 16, wherein the first frame structure adopted by the first communication module is a frame structure of any configuration of a zero^th configuration to a sixth configuration;

and

an uplink-downlink configuration of the second frame structure adopted by the second communication module is the same as an uplink-downlink configuration of the first frame structure, and a timing relationship of the second frame structure is different from a timing relationship of the first frame structure.

19. A communication system, comprising:

a relay station, configured to communicate with a base station by adopting a first frame resource in a first frame structure, and communicate with a terminal served by the relay station by using a second frame resource, wherein the second frame resource is included in a second frame structure different from the first frame structure.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein

uplink-downlink configurations of subframes in the second frame resource adopted by the relay station other than subframes corresponding to the first frame resource of the first frame structure are correspondingly the same;

or

a sixth subframe in the second frame resource adopted by the relay station is a downlink subframe, a sixth subframe in the first frame structure corresponding to the sixth subframe is a special subframe, and uplink-downlink configurations of subframes in the second frame resource other than the sixth subframe and the first frame resource corresponding to the first frame structure are correspondingly the same.