Scanning apparatus and method in a multi-hop relay broadband wireless access communication system

• US 7,822,382 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2010
• Issued: 10/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cho, Jae-Wong, Lee, Mi-Hyun, Lee, Sung-Jin, Son, Yeong-Moon, Hong, Song-Nam, Kang, Hyun-Jeong, Kim, Young-Ho, Son, Jung-Je, Lim, Hyoung-Kyu, Joo, Pan-Yuh
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Tu X
• Application Number:
  US12/651,847
• Publication Number:
  US 20100159825A1
• Time in Patent Office: 295 Days
• Field of Search: 455/11.1, 455/13.1, 455/436, 455/443, 455/444, 465/436
• US Class Current: 455/11.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2601 Multicarrier modulation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A scanning apparatus and method in a multi-hop relay Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) communication system are provided. In the scanning method, a Mobile Subscriber Station (MSS) sends a scan request message requesting scanning to a Base Station (BS) via a Relay Station (RS). The BS sends a scan response message containing information for the scanning of the MSS to the MSS via the RS. The BS then sends a scan notify message indicating the scanning of the MSS to the RS.

Claims

1. A Relay Station (RS) apparatus in a cellular communication system, the apparatus comprising:

an interface module for communicating with a Mobile Subscriber Station (MSS) and a Base Station (BS); and

a controller for controlling the interface module to transmit a scan request message received from the MSS to the BS, to transmit a scan response message received from the BS to the MSS, wherein the scan response message includes information for scanning the MSS, to receive a scan notify message indicating the scanning of the MSS from the BS, to receive a scan report message containing a scanning result from the MSS, to transmit the scan report message to the BS, and to receive a scan result message indicating the scanning result of the MSS from the BS, after transmitting the scan report message.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the scan request message comprises information about desired neighbor BSs and neighbor RSs to be scanned.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the scan response message comprises at least one of:

a scan duration;

a scan report mode;

a scan report period;

a type of information reported as a scanning result;

a scan start time;

a scan iteration number;

a time interval between scannings; and

information about neighbor BSs and neighbor RSs to be scanned.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the scan notify message comprises at least one of:

an MSS IDentifier (ID);

a scan duration, a scan start time;

a scan iteration number; and

a time interval between scannings.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the scan report message comprises at least one of:

a scan report mode;

the type of information reported as the scanning result;

information about scanned neighbor BSs and neighbor RSs; and

scanning result information.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the scanning result information comprises one of:

a Carrier-to-Interference and Noise Ratio (CINR);

a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI); and

a delay.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the scan result message comprises at least one of:

an MSS IDentifier (ID);

IDs of nodes that the MSS has scanned; and

scanning result information.

8. A Relay Station (RS) apparatus in a cellular communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a controller for determining a scanning schedule for a Mobile Subscriber Station (MSS) based on information included in a scan request message, upon receipt of the scan request message from the MSS; and

an interface module for transmitting a scan response message including the determined scanning schedule information to the MSS, transmitting a scanning-inform-message indicating scanning of the MSS to the BS, after transmitting the scan response message to the MSS, receiving a scanning-inform-acknowledge-message indicating reception of the scanning-inform-message from the BS, receiving a scan report message including a scanning result from the MSS, and transmitting a report message reporting information included in the scan report message to the BS.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the scan request message comprises information about desired neighbor BSs and neighbor RSs to be scanned.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the scan response message comprises at least one of:

a scan duration;

a scan report mode;

a scan report period;

a type of information reported as a scanning result;

a scan start time;

a scan iteration number;

a time interval between scannings; and

information about neighbor BSs and neighbor RSs to be scanned.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the scanning-inform-message comprises at least one MSS that is to scan.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a storage for buffering data to be transmitted to the MSS, during the scanning in the MSS.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the scan report message comprises at least one of:

a scan report mode;

a type of information reported as the scanning result;

information about scanned neighbor BSs and neighbor RSs; and

scanning result information.

14. A Relay Station (RS) apparatus in a cellular communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a controller for determining a scanning schedule for a Mobile Subscriber Station (MSS) based on information included in a scan request message, upon receipt of the scan request message from the MSS; and

an interface module for transmitting a scan response message including the determined scanning schedule information to the MSS, transmitting a scanning-inform-message indicating scanning of the MSS to the BS, after transmitting the scan response message to the MSS, and receiving a scanning-inform-acknowledge-message indicating reception of the scanning-inform-message from the BS,

wherein the controller controls to discontinue communication with the MSS during the scanning in the MSS, and

wherein the interface module transmits a scanning-finish-message indicating completion of the scanning to a serving BS, when communication with the MSS resumes.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the scan finish message comprises information about at least one MSS that has completed scanning.