Method for enhancing the communication capability in a wireless telecommunication system

• US 6,983,162 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2002
• Issued: 01/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Villion, Mathieu, Kotzin, Michael, Garani, Pradeep, Owen, Ray
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Wesley
• Application Number:
  US10/489,230
• Publication Number:
  US 20050009524A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,317 Days
• Field of Search: 455/518, 455/519, 455/445, 455/11.1, 455/13.1, 455/502, 455/41.2, 455/517, 455/466, 455/15, 455/500, 455/526
• US Class Current: 455/518
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit (112), operating in a communication system (100) that facilitates communication to and/or from a plurality of communication units. The method includes the step of operably coupling a first communication unit (112) to one or more neighboring communication units (114, 116) such that said communication unit is able to utilize at least one operational capability of one or more of its neighboring communication units to enhance communication to and/or from said first communication unit.

Claims

1. A method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit operating in a communication system that facilitates communication to and/or from a plurality of communication units, the method comprising the step of:

operably coupling a first communication unit to one or more neighboring communication units such that said communication unit is able to utilize at least one operational capability of one or more of its neighboring communication units to enhance communication to and/or from said first communication unit;

failing to decode, by said first communication unit, information sent to said first communication unit; and

, in response to said step of failing

requesting by said first communication unit whether any of said one or more selected neighboring communication units received such information; and

receiving said information, forwarded in response to said request, from said one or more selected neighboring communication units.

2. The method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit according to claim 1, the method further comprising the step of:

performing a polling operation, by said first communication unit, of said neighboring communication units to discover one or more neighboring communication units that are able to enhance communication to and/or from said first communication unit.

3. The method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit according to claim 1, the method further comprising the step of:

performing a polling operation, by a central unit in said communication system, to discover one or more neighboring communication units of said first communication unit to use in enhancing communications from said central unit to said first communication unit.

4. The method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit according to claim 2, wherein said step of operably coupling or said step of polling is performed using a short-range wireless connection or a wired bus.

5. The method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit according to claim 4, wherein said short-range wireless connection is a bluetooth adjunot to the communication system.

6. The method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit according to claim 1, the method further comprising the step of:

utilizing a first neighboring communication unit, to enhance communication to and/or from said first communication unit based on a determined geographical location of said first neighboring communication unit.

7. The method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit according to claim 1, wherein a number of the one or more neighboring communication units carry different amounts of data, for example based on individual link conditions.

8. The method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit according to claim 1, the method further comprising the step of:

coordinating by a number of said plurality of said communication units to form an aggregated group of communication units for achieving enhanced communication functionality as a group.

9. The method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit according to claim 8, wherein a number of said aggregated group of communication units transmit link condition information to a central unit in said communication system.

10. The method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit according to claim 8, the method further comprising the step of:

establishing a number of said communication units of said aggregated group of communication units to enhance communication to and/or from other members of the group when said number are inactive.

11. The method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit according to claim 8, wherein said first communication unit is arranged as a master communication unit coordinating larger data throughput communication to and/or from sad neighboring communication units operating as slave communication units.

12. The method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit according to claim 1, wherein said operable coupling of said communication units is arranged to enhance uplink communication.

13. The method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit according to claim 12, wherein said neighboring communication units are used by said first communicating unit for an emergency call.

14. The method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit according to claim 1, wherein said operably coupling of said communication units is arranged to enhance downlink communication.

15. The method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit according to claim 14, the method further comprising the steps of:

forwarding automatically to said first communication unit, from any of said selected neighboring communication units, any communication intended for said first communication unit that is received by any of said selected neighboring communication units.

16. The method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit according to claim 1, the method further comprising the steps of:

combining, in said first communication unit, one or more received copies of said information forwarded by any of said selected neighboring communication units.

17. The method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit according to claim 16, wherein the step of combining includes the step of:

performing in a number of receivers of said selected neighboring communication units demodulation of information intended for said first communication unit;

performing in a number of receivers of said selected neighboring communication units, channel decoding of said demodulated information; and

combining said channel decoded information from said number of receivers of said selected neighboring communication units in said first communication unit.

18. The method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit according to claim 16, wherein the step of combining includes the step of:

performing in a number of receivers of said selected neighboring communication units demodulation of information intended for said first communication unit; and

combining said demodulated information from said number of receivers of said selected neighboring communication units in said first communication unit.

19. The method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit according to claim 18, wherein the step of combining said demodulated information further includes the step of:

performing joint channel decoding in said first communication unit.

20. The method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit according to claim 16, wherein the step of combining includes the step of:

forwarding received information from said number of receivers of said selected neighboring communication units to said first communication unit;

combining said forwarded received information in said first communication unit; and

performing joint demodulation of said combined information in said first communication unit.

21. The method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit according to claim 20, the method further comprising the step of:

performing channel equalization of said joint demodulated information; and

performing channel decoding of said channel equalized information.

22. The method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit according to claim 14, the method further comprising the step of:

transmitting by said first communication unit a no-acknowledgement message (nack) to said selected neighboring communication units when a forwarded message is not successfully received by said first communication unit;

or

transmitting by said first communication unit an acknowledgement message (ack) to said selected neighboring communication units when a forwarded message is successfully received by said first communication unit.

23. The method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit according to claim 1, wherein said first communication unit and at least one of said selected neighboring communication units operate on different wireless communication systems.

24. The method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit according to claim 23, wherein said different wireless communication systems include two or more of the following:

a GSM communication system, a bluetooth communication system, a UMTS communication system.

25. The method of enhancing a communication capability of a communication unit according to claim 23, wherein said first communication unit and/or at least one of said selected neighboring communication units is capable of multimode operation in each of said different wireless communication systems, such that said multi-mode operation, facilitates said step of operably coupling said first communication unit and said at least one of said selected neighboring communication units to provide a single multi-mode communication service for a duration of time that said first communication unit md said at least one of said selected neighboring communication units are operably coupled.

26. A portable communication unit operating in a communication system that facilitates communication to and/or from a plurality of communication units, the communication unit comprising:

a receiver and transmitter; and

a processor coupled to the receiver and transmitter;

the processor coupling the portable communication unit to one or more neighboring communication units such that said communication unit is able to utilize at least one operational capability of one or more of its neighboring communication units to enhance communication to and/or from said first communication unit;

wherein when the processor fails to decode information sent to the portable communication unit, the processor responds by requesting whether any of said one or more selected neighboring communication units received such information; and

, in the affirmative, the processor operates to receive said information, forwarded in response to said request, from said one or more selected neighboring communication units.

27. The portable communication unit according to claim 26, wherein the processor is a baseband processing circuit, wherein the baseband processing circuit receives transmissions from one or more neighboring portable communication units, said baseband processing circuit including at least one of the following to recover information intended for said portable communication unit:

a combining circuit combining channel decoded information from said one or neighboring portable communication units;

a joint channel decoding circuit for combining received demodulated information from said one or neighboring portable communication units; and

a joint demodulator circuit to combine and demodulate information received from said one or neighboring portable communication units.

28. The portable communication unit according to claim 27, wherein the portable communication product is one of:

a cellular phone, a portable or mobile radio, a personal digital assistant, a laptop computer or a wirelessly networked PC.