Relays and Methods for Operating the Same for Spontaneously Transmission for Reliable Communications

• US 20200136733A1
• Filed: 12/30/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2017
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Original Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Inventors: HASSAN HUSSEIN, Khaled Shawky, BREILING, Marco
• Application Number:
  US16/729,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20200136733A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/40 of relay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15528 Control of operation parameters of a relay station to exploit the physical medium
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15557 Selecting relay station operation mode, e.g. between amplify and forward mode, decode and forward mode or FDD - and TDD mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/32 by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/12 based on transmission quality or channel quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/245 taking into account received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/46 in multi hop networks, e.g. wireless relay networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A relay is configured to operate in a wireless communications network. The relay is configured to receive a message to be forwarded to a receiving node. The relay is configured to evaluate a channel quality to the receiving node and to discard the message from forwarding when the channel quality is below a threshold value and/or is configured to evaluate a reception quality of the received message and to discard the message from forwarding when the reception quality is below a threshold value.

Claims

1. A relay (10;

30;

30′

;

30″

;

40;

40′

;

40″

;

50;

60;

120) configured to operate in a wireless communications network;

wherein the relay is configured to receive a message (12) to be spontaneously forwarded to a receiving node (UE;

ED); and

wherein the relay is configured to evaluate a channel quality to the receiving node (UE;

ED) and to discard (24a) the message (12) from forwarding when the channel quality is below a transmission threshold value; and

/or

wherein the relay is configured to evaluate a reception quality (19) of the received message and to discard (24a) the message from forwarding when the reception quality (19) is below a reception threshold value.

2. The relay of claim 1, wherein the relay is configured to forward the message (12) when the channel quality is at least equal to a transmission threshold value indicating an acceptable channel quality and/or when the reception quality (19) is greater than or equal than a threshold value.

3. The relay of claim 1, wherein the relay is configured to receive a signal from the receiving node (UE;

ED) and to evaluate the channel quality based on the received signal prior to receiving the message (12) to be forwarded;

or wherein the relay is configured to receive a signal from a transmitting node and to evaluate the reception quality based on the received signal prior to receiving the message (12) to be forwarded.

4. The relay of claim 1, wherein the relay is configured to amplify (42) and forward the message (12) to be forwarded or to decode and forward the message (12) to be forwarded.

5. The relay of claim 1, wherein the relay is configured to decode the message (12) to be forwarded and to forward the message (12) to the receiving node (UE;

ED) only when the decoding was successful.

6. The relay of any of claim 1, wherein the relay comprises a memory (52) and is configured to store the message (12) to be forwarded and to repeat transmission of the message (12) to be forwarded until an acknowledgement is received from the receiving node (UE;

ED), or until a timeout.

7. The relay of any of claim 1, wherein the relay is configured to frequency-convert the message (12) to be forwarded from a first frequency (f₁) at which the message (12) is received to a second frequency (f₂) at which the message (12′

) is forwarded.

8. The relay of any of claim 1, wherein the relay is configured to evaluate a priority of the message (12) to be forwarded and to discard (24a) the message (12) to be forwarded when the channel quality is below the transmission threshold value and when the message (12) to be forwarded comprises a priority below a priority threshold value;

or wherein the relay is configured to adapt the transmission threshold value based on the priority.

9. The relay of any of claim 1, wherein the relay is configured to assign a high channel quality to a high signal strength of a signal received from the receiving node (UE;

ED) and to assign a low channel quality to a low signal strength of the signal received from the receiving node (UE;

ED).

10. The relay of any of claim 1, wherein the relay is configured to perform power-control in the band used for forwarding the message (12) based on a signal power of the received message (12).

19. The relay of claim 1, wherein the relay is configured to forward the message (12₁, 12₂) using a maximum ratio transmission of the message (12₁, 12₂) for at least two receiving nodes.

21. The relay of claim 1, wherein the relay is configured to perform bi-directional transmission between the transmitting node and the receiving node, wherein the transmitting node is a user equipment or an end device and wherein the receiving node is a base station;

or wherein the receiving node is a user equipment or an end device and wherein the transmitting node is a base station.

23. The relay of claim 1, wherein the relay is configured to transmit on a dedicated frequency being one of a unlicensed frequency, a shared frequency, a mm-wave frequency.

25. The relay of claim 1, wherein the relay is configured to

adjust, depending on one or more control signals from a base station,

a mode at which the message is spontaneously forwarded, between a set of relay modes comprising

amplify and forward without decoding, and

decode and forward, and/or

adjust, depending on one or more control signals from a base station,

a dedicated frequency at which the forwarding is performed, and/or

adjust, depending on one or more control signals from a base station,

a power at which the forwarding is performed, and/or

adjust, depending on one or more control signals from a base station,

one or more parameters depending on which it is to be decided by the relay whether the message is to be forwarded.

11. A relay (90;

120) configured to operate in a wireless communications network comprising at least one band (f_in, f_out) for transmitting messages (12₁, 12₂);

wherein the relay is configured to receive a message (12₁, 12₂) to be spontaneously forwarded to a receiving node (UE;

ED); and

wherein the relay is configured to perform power-control in the band (f_out) used for forwarding the message (12₁, 12₂) based on a signal power (P_in) of the received message (12₁, 12₂).

12. The relay of claim 11, wherein the relay is configured to control the power (P_out) of the forwarded message (12₁, 12₂) so as to be high when a signal power (P_in) of the received message (12₁, 12₂) is high and to control the power (P_out) of the forwarded message (12₁, 12₂) so as to be low or such that the message (12₁, 12₂) is not transmitted when the signal power (P_in) of the received message (12₁, 12₂) is low.

13. The relay of claim 11, wherein the relay is configured to control the power (P_out) of the forwarded message (12₁, 12₂) so as to correspond to one of a multitude of power levels (L₀-L₉).

14. The relay of claim 11, wherein the wireless communications network comprises a plurality of bands (Δ

f₁, Δ

f₄), wherein the message (12₁, 12₂) to be forwarded is one of a plurality of messages (12₁, 12₂) to be forwarded, wherein the relay is configured to forward a message (12₁, 12₂) of the plurality of messages (12₁, 12₂) to be forwarded in each of the plurality of bands (Δ

f₁, Δ

f₄), wherein the relay is configured to perform power-control in each of the plurality of bands (Δ

f₁, Δ

f₄).

15. The relay of claim 11, wherein the wireless communications network comprises a plurality of bands (Δ

f₁, Δ

f₄), wherein the relay is configured to associate a first band (Δ

f₁) of the plurality of bands to a first apparatus (UE₁) that transmits or receives the message (12₁) to be forwarded being a first message, wherein the relay is configured to associate a second band (Δ

f₄) of the plurality of bands to a second apparatus (UE₂) that transmits or receives a second message (12₂).

16. The relay of claim 11, wherein the relay is configured to amplify and forward the message (12₁, 12₂) and to apply a filter (43) to a power transmitted in the at least one band so as to apply a power-filtering for the power-control.

17. The relay of claim 11, wherein the relay is configured to adapt a transmission power (P₂) used for forwarding the message (12₁, 12₂) based on information contained in the message (12₁, 12₂) to be forwarded or received from a node to which the message (12₁, 12₂) is forwarded.

18. The relay of claim 11, wherein the relay is configured to evaluate a channel quality to the receiving node (UE;

ED) and to discard (24a) the message (12₁, 12₂) from forwarding when the channel quality is below a transmission threshold value; and

/or

wherein the relay is configured to evaluate a reception quality (19) of the received message (12₁, 12₂) and to discard (24a) the message (12₁, 12₂) from forwarding when the reception quality (19) is below a reception threshold value.

20. The relay of claim 11, wherein the relay is configured to forward the message (12₁, 12₂) using a maximum ratio transmission of the message (12₁, 12₂) for at least two receiving nodes.

22. The relay of claim 11, wherein the relay is configured to perform bi-directional transmission between the transmitting node and the receiving node, wherein the transmitting node is a user equipment or an end device and wherein the receiving node is a base station;

or wherein the receiving node is a user equipment or an end device and wherein the transmitting node is a base station.

24. The relay of claim 11, wherein the relay is configured to transmit on a dedicated frequency being one of a unlicensed frequency, a shared frequency, a mm-wave frequency.

26. The relay of claim 11, wherein the relay is configured to

adjust, depending on one or more control signals from a base station,

a mode at which the message is spontaneously forwarded, between a set of relay modes comprising

amplify and forward without decoding, and

decode and forward, and/or

adjust, depending on one or more control signals from a base station,

a dedicated frequency at which the forwarding is performed, and/or

adjust, depending on one or more control signals from a base station,

a power at which the forwarding is performed, and/or

adjust, depending on one or more control signals from a base station,

one or more parameters depending on which it is to be decided by the relay whether the message is to be forwarded.

27. Method for operating a relay configured to operate in a wireless communications network, the method comprising:

receiving a message (12) to be spontaneously forwarded to a receiving node (UE;

ED) with the relay; and

evaluating a channel quality to the receiving node (UE;

ED) and discarding (24a) the message (12) from forwarding when the channel quality is below a transmission threshold value; and

/or

evaluating a reception quality (19) of the received message (12) and discarding (24a) the message (12) from forwarding when the reception quality (19) is below a reception threshold value.

29. The method according to claim 27, wherein the relay is operated indoor, in a cabin and/or in a hall such that a channel between the relay and the receiving node is indoor, in the cabin and/or in the hall, wherein a channel between a base station and the relay is one of indoor, outdoor and outdoor-to-indoor.

30. A non-transitory computer program product comprising a computer readable medium storing instructions which, when executed on a computer, carry out the method of claim 27.

28. Method for operating a relay configured to operate in a wireless communications network comprising at least one band for transmitting messages (12₁, 12₂), the method comprising:

receiving a message (12₁, 12₂) to be spontaneously forwarded to a receiving node (UE;

ED) with the relay; and

performing power-control in the band used for forwarding the message (12₁, 12₂) based on a signal power of the received message (12₁, 12₂).

31. A non-transitory computer program product comprising a computer readable medium storing instructions which, when executed on a computer, carry out the method of claim 28.