ASSOCIATION AND RESOURCE PARTITIONING IN A WIRELESS NETWORK WITH RELAYS

• US 20140036763A1
• Filed: 10/07/2013
• Published: 02/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Borran, Jaber Mohammad, Khandekar, Aamod Dinkar
• Granted Patent: US 9,635,558 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15 Active relay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/02 Resource partitioning among network components, e.g. reuse partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations

Abstract

Techniques for performing association and resource partitioning in a wireless network with relays are described. In an aspect, resource partitioning may be performed to allocate available resources to nodes and access/backhaul links of relays. In one design, a node computes local metrics for a plurality of possible actions related to resource partitioning. The node receives local metrics for the possible actions from at least one neighbor node and determines overall metrics for the possible actions based on the computed and received local metrics. The node determines resources allocated to a set of nodes and resources allocated to the access and backhaul links of at least one relay based on the overall metrics for the possible actions. In another aspect, association involving relays may be performed by taking into account the performance of the relays. In yet another aspect, association and resource partitioning may be performed jointly.

Claims

1-22. -22. (canceled)

1. The method of claim Error! Reference source not found., wherein the plurality of possible actions comprise possible actions for handing out one or more stations from a node to neighbor nodes, or possible actions for handing in one or more stations from the neighbor nodes to the node, or both.

2. The method of claim Error! Reference source not found., wherein the at least one serving node comprises a base station and the at least one station comprises a relay, or the at least one serving node comprises a relay and the at least one station comprises a user equipment (UE), or both.

3. The method of claim Error! Reference source not found., wherein metrics for a relay are computed based on resources allocated to access and backhaul links of the relay.

4. The method of claim Error! Reference source not found., wherein metrics for a relay are computed based on an access capacity of the relay, or a backhaul capacity of the relay, or both.

5. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

means for obtaining metrics for a plurality of possible actions related to association involving at least one relay; and

means for determining at least one serving node for at least one station based on the metrics for the plurality of possible actions, wherein the at least one serving node and the at least one station comprise the at least one relay.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the plurality of possible actions comprise possible actions for handing out one or more stations from a node to neighbor nodes, or possible actions for handing in one or more stations from the neighbor nodes to the node, or both.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein metrics for a relay are computed based on resources allocated to access and backhaul links of the relay, or an access capacity of the relay, or a backhaul capacity of the relay, or a combination thereof.

8. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

at least one processor configured to obtain metrics for a plurality of possible actions related to association involving at least one relay, and to determine at least one serving node for at least one station based on the metrics for the plurality of possible actions, wherein the at least one serving node and the at least one station comprise the at least one relay.

9. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to obtain metrics for a plurality of possible actions related to association involving at least one relay, and

code for causing the at least one computer to determine at least one serving node for at least one station based on the metrics for the plurality of possible actions, wherein the at least one serving node and the at least one station comprise the at least one relay.

23. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to perform resource partitioning to allocate available resources to a set of nodes and to access and backhaul links of at least one relay, and

code for causing the at least one computer to determine resources allocated to a node in the set of nodes or a relay among the at least one relay based on the resource partitioning.

24. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

obtaining metrics for a plurality of possible actions related to association involving at least one relay; and

determining at least one serving node for at least one station based on the metrics for the plurality of possible actions, wherein the at least one serving node and the at least one station comprise the at least one relay.

34-53. -53. (canceled)