QUALITY OF SERVICE ENHANCEMENT FOR WIRELESS RELAY NETWORKS

• US 20160066336A1
• Filed: 08/26/2014
• Published: 03/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: SEVINDIK, Volkan
• Granted Patent: US 9,894,669 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/14 Relay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0097 Relays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Multiple relays are different distances from their respective donor access nodes. The donor and relay path selected for a user'"'"'s traffic is selected based on the priority associated with that user and a ratio of a channel quality indicator and the distance of the donor-relay link. Traffic associated with a higher priority user is routed via a path with a good channel quality indicator to distance ratio whereas traffic for other, lower QoS profile, users does not take channel quality or relay-to-donor distance into account.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

establishing, via a relay access node, a first communication link between a donor access node and a first wireless device, the first wireless device associated with a first service priority;

establishing, via the relay access node, a second communication link between the donor access node and a second wireless device, the second wireless device associated with a second service priority; and

,

based on the first wireless device being associated with the first service priority, and a distance between the donor access node and the relay access node, configuring the donor access node to schedule air-interface resources such that the first wireless device is assigned a higher priority than the second wireless device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless device is given the higher priority if the distance meets a threshold criteria.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication link between the donor access node and the first wireless device includes a first wireless communication link between the donor access node and the relay access node and a second wireless communication link between the relay access node and the first wireless device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first wireless communication link and the second wireless communication link use the same frequency band.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the first wireless communication link and the second wireless communication link use different frequency bands.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an air-interface scheduling priority for the first wireless device that is based on the distance between the first wireless device and the relay access node.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

scheduling a packet addressed to the first wireless device to be sent to the relay access node based on the an air-interface scheduling priority of the first wireless device.

8. A method, comprising:

establishing, via a first relay access node, a first communication link between a first donor access node and a first wireless device, the first wireless device associated with a first service priority, a first wireless link between the first donor access node and the first relay access node being associated with a first plurality of signal quality indicators;

establishing, via a second relay access node, a second communication link between a second donor access node and the first wireless device, a second wireless link between the second donor access node and the second relay access node being associated with a second plurality of signal quality indicators;

establishing a third communication link between the first donor access node and a second wireless device, the second wireless device associated with a second service priority; and

,

based on the first wireless device being associated with the first service priority, and at least one of the first plurality of signal quality indicators indicating a better signal quality than a corresponding at least one of the second plurality of signal quality indicators, selecting the first donor access node to communicate data with the first wireless device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said first plurality of signal quality indicators and the second plurality of signal quality indicators include average channel quality indicators (CQI).

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said first plurality of signal quality indicators and the second plurality of signal quality indicators include modulation and coding scheme (MCS) indicators.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said first plurality of signal quality indicators and the second plurality of signal quality indicators include indicators of a multiple-input and multiple-output antenna scheme being used.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the selection of the first donor access node to communicate data to the first wireless device is communicated between the first donor access node and the second donor access node.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein a fourth wireless link between the first relay access node and the first wireless device and the first wireless link use the same frequency band.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein a fourth wireless link between the first relay access node and the first wireless device and the first wireless link use different frequency bands.

15. A method, comprising:

establishing, via a first relay access node, a first communication link between a first donor access node and a first wireless device, the first wireless device associated with a first service priority, a first wireless link between the first donor access node and the first relay access node being associated with a first signal quality indicator, the first relay access node being a first distance from the first donor access node;

establishing, via a second relay access node, a second communication link between a second donor access node and the first wireless device, a second wireless link between the second donor access node and the second relay access node being associated with a second signal quality indicator, the second relay access node being a second distance from the second donor access node;

establishing a third communication link between the first donor access node and a second wireless device, the second wireless device associated with a second service priority; and

,

based on the first wireless device being associated with the first service priority, the first distance, the first signal quality indicator, the second distance, and the second signal quality indicator, selecting the first donor access node to communicate data with the first wireless device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first quality indicator and the second signal quality indicator are average channel quality indicators (CQI).

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first donor access node is selected based on a first ratio of the first signal quality indicator and the first distance.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first donor access node is selected based on a first ratio of a power of the first signal quality indicator and the first distance.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first donor access node is selected based on a comparison of a first ratio of a power of the first signal quality indicator and the first distance and a second ratio of a power of the second signal quality indicator and the second distance.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein a fourth wireless link between the first relay access node and the first wireless device and the first wireless link use different frequency bands.