METHOD AND APPARATUS OF RECOVERING BACKHAUL LINK FAILURE BETWEEN BASE STATION AND RELAY NODE

• US 20120314567A1
• Filed: 02/11/2011
• Published: 12/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Seo, Han Byul, Kim, Hak Seong, Kim, Byoung Hoon, Kim, Ki Jun, Lee, Dae Won
• Granted Patent: US 8,861,332 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition

Abstract

A method and apparatus for recovering a backhaul link failure between a base station and a relay node is provided. The relay node receives information on a plurality of relay subframes used for relaying signals between the base station and the relay node. When a backhaul link failure is detected, the relay node determines at least one reserved subframe except the plurality of relay subframes and receives information to recover the backhaul link failure on a control channel in the at least one reserved subframe.

Claims

1. A method for recovering a backhaul link failure between a base station (BS) and a relay node (RN), the method comprising:

receiving, by a RN from a BS, information on a plurality of relay subframes used for relaying signals between the BS and the RN;

detecting, by a RN, a backhaul link failure while relaying the signals by using the plurality of relay subframes;

when the backhaul link failure is detected, determining at least one reserved subframe except the plurality of relay subframes; and

receiving, by a RN from the BS, information to recover the backhaul link failure on a control channel in the at least one reserved subframe.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the RN from the BS, information on the at least one reserved subframe.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one reserved subframe is predefined.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one reserved subframe includes a first and sixth subframe of a radio frame.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information to recover the backhaul link failure includes information on a dedicated random access preamble.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the backhaul link failure is detected when the RN does not receive any downlink (DL) control signal from the BS during a given period of time, when the RN does not receive any uplink (UL) grant from the BS within a given period of time, or when the RN fails to decode a given consecutive number of DL data packets.

7. An apparatus for recovering a backhaul link failure with a base station (BS), the apparatus comprising:

a radio frequency unit configured to send and receive radio signals; and

a processor operatively connected to the radio frequency unit and configured for;

receiving, from a BS, information on a plurality of relay subframes used for relaying signals;

detecting a backhaul link failure while relaying the signals by using the plurality of relay subframes;

when the backhaul link failure is detected, determining at least one reserved subframe except the plurality of relay subframes; and

receiving, from the BS, information to recover the backhaul link failure on a control channel in the at least one reserved subframe.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured for receiving, from the BS, information on the at least one reserved subframe.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the at least one reserved subframe is predefined.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one reserved subframe includes a first and sixth subframe of a radio frame.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the information to recover the backhaul link failure includes information on a dedicated random access preamble.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the backhaul link failure is detected when the RN does not receive any downlink (DL) control signal from the BS during a given period of time, when the RN does not receive any uplink (UL) grant from the BS within a given period of time, or when the RN fails to decode a given consecutive number of DL data packets.