Relay station, base station, relay method, transmission method, and computer readable medium thereof for use in a multi-hop network

• US 8,204,033 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2008
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Institute For Information Industry
• Original Assignee: Institute For Information Industry
• Inventors: Yin, Hua-Chiang, Lee, Yung-Ting, Tsai, Yi-Hsueh, Loa, Kan-Chei
• Primary Examiner(s): Jain, Raj
• Application Number:
  US12/106,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20080259840A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,523 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/347
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels

Abstract

A relay station (RS), a relay method, a base station (BS), a transmission method, and a computer readable medium thereof are provided. The BS is configure to generate a DL-R-MAP for the BS and a first frame according to a resource usage status of the multi-hop network, and transmit the first frame in a DL relay zone according to the DL-R-MAP for the BS, wherein the first frame comprises a plurality of DL-R-MAPs for RSs, and each of the DL-R-MAPs for RSs. The RS is configure to receive the first frame from the BS, generate a second frame by removing a DL-R-MAP from the first frame, and transmit the second frame to a subordinated relay station in a DL relay zone according to the DL-R-MAP removed from the first frame.

Claims

1. A relay station (RS) for use in a multi-hop network, the RS having a superordinate station and a subordinated RS, the RS comprising:

a reception module being configured to receive a first frame from the superordinate station, the first frame comprising a downlink-relay-map (DL-R-MAP) for the RS, and the first frame further comprising one of a DL-R-MAP for the subordinated RS, a downlink-map (DL-MAP) for the subordinated RS, and the combination thereof;

a process module being configured to extract the DL-R-MAP for the RS from the first frame and generate a second frame by removing the DL-R-MAP from the first frame, the second frame comprising one of the DL-R-MAP for the subordinated RS, the DL-MAP for the subordinated RS, and the combination thereof; and

a transmission module being configured to transmit the second frame to the subordinated relay station in a downlink (DL) relay zone according to the DL-R-MAP for the RS.

2. The RS as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first frame further comprises a DL-MAP for the RS and a downlink data, the process module is further configured to extract the DL-MAP for the RS and the downlink data from the first frame and generate the second frame by further removing the DL-MAP for the RS and the downlink data from the first frame, and the transmission module is further configured to transmit the downlink data to a subordinated mobile station (MS) of the RS in a DL access zone according to the DL-MAP for the RS.

3. The RS as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first frame further comprises a UL-R-MAP for the RS, the reception module is configured to receive an uplink data from a subordinated station, the process module is further configured to extract the UL-R-MAP for the RS from the first frame and generate the second frame by further removing the UL-R-MAP for the RS from the first frame, and the transmission module is further configured to transmit the uplink data to the superordinate station in a UL relay zone according to the UL-R-MAP for the RS.

4. A relay method for use in an RS of a multi-hop network, the RS having a superordinate station and a subordinated RS, the relay method comprising the following steps of:

receiving a first frame by the RS, the first frame comprising a downlink-relay-map (DL-R-MAP) for the RS, and the first frame further comprising one of a DL-R-MAP for the subordinated RS, a downlink-map (DL-MAP) for the subordinated RS, and the combination thereof;

extracting the DL-R-MAP for the RS from the first frame;

generating a second frame by removing the DL-R-MAP from the first frame, the second frame comprising one of the DL-R-MAP for the subordinated RS, the DL-MAP for the subordinated RS, and the combination thereof; and

transmitting the second frame to the subordinated relay station in a DL relay zone according to the DL-R-MAP for the RS.

5. The relay method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first frame further comprises a DL-MAP for the RS and a downlink data and the relay method further comprises the following steps of:

extracting the downlink data from the first frame;

extracting the DL-MAP for the RS from the first frame; and

transmitting the downlink data in a DL access zone according to the DL-MAP for the RS,

wherein the step of generating the second frame further removes the DL-MAP for the RS and the downlink data from the first frame.

6. The relay method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first frame further comprises a UL-R-MAP for the RS and the relay method further comprises the following steps of:

extracting a UL-R-MAP for the RS from the first frame;

receiving an uplink data; and

transmitting the uplink data in a UL relay zone according to the UL-R-MAP for the RS,

wherein the step of generating the second frame further removes the UL-R-MAP for the RS from the first frame.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with instructions to be executed by a processor of a relay station (RS) of a multi-hop network, the RS having a superordinate station and a subordinated RS, the instructions enabling the processor to:

receive a first frame, the first frame comprising a downlink-relay-map (DL-R-MAP) for the RS, and the first frame further comprising one of a DL-R-MAP for the subordinated RS, a downlink-map (DL-MAP) for the subordinated RS, and the combination thereof;

extract the DL-R-MAP for the RS from the first frame;

generate a second frame by removing the DL-R-MAP from the first frame, the second frame comprising one of the DL-R-MAP for the subordinated RS, the DL-MAP for the subordinated RS, and the combination thereof; and

transmit the second frame to the subordinated relay station in a DL relay zone according to the DL-R-MAP for the RS.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first frame further comprises a DL-MAP for the RS and a downlink data and the instructions further enables the processor to:

extract the downlink data from the first frame;

extract the DL-MAP for the RS from the first frame; and

transmit the downlink data in a DL access zone according to the DL-MAP for the RS,

wherein the instruction that enables the processor to generate the second frame further enables the processor to remove the DL-MAP and the downlink data from the first frame.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first frame further comprises a UL-R-MAP for the RS and the instructions further enables the processor to:

extract a UL-R-MAP for the RS from the first frame;

receive an uplink data; and

transmit the uplink data in a UL relay zone according to the UL-R-MAP for the RS,

wherein the instruction that enables the processor to generate the second frame further enables the processor to remove the UL-R-MAP for the RS from the first frame.

10. A base station (BS) for use in a multi-hop network, the multi-hop network comprising the BS, a first relay station (RS), and a second RS, the second RS being a subordinated RS of the first RS, the BS comprising:

a generation module being configured to generate a frame according to a resource usage status of the multi-hop network, wherein the frame comprises a DL-R-MAP of the first RS, the frame further comprises one of a DL-R-MAP for the second RS, a DL-MAP for the second RS, and the combination thereof, the DL-R-MAP for the first RS is used for the first RS for transmission in the multi-hop network; and

a transmission module being configured to transmit the frame to the first RS in a DL relay zone according to a DL-R-MAP for the BS.

11. The BS as claimed in claim 10, wherein the transmission module is further configured to transmit a downlink data to a subordinated MS in a DL access zone.

12. The BS as claimed in claim 10, wherein the frame further comprises a first UL-R-MAP for the first RS and a second UL-R-MAP for the second RS, the first UL-R-MAP is used for the first RS for transmission in the multi-hop network, and the second UL-R-MAP is used for the second RS for transmission in the multi-hop network.

13. The BS as claimed in claim 10, wherein the frame further comprises a first DL-MAP for the first RS and a second DL-MAP for the second RS, the first DL-MAP is used for the first RS for transmission in the multi-hop network, and the second DL-MAP is used for the second RS for transmission in the multi-hop network.

14. A transmission method for use in a BS in a multi-hop network, the multi-hop network comprising the BS, a first relay station (RS), and a second RS, the second RS being a subordinated RS of the first RS, the transmission method comprising the following steps of:

generating a frame according to a resource usage status of the multi-hop network, wherein the frame comprises a DL-R-MAP of the first RS, the frame further comprises one of a DL-R-MAP for the second RS, a DL-MAP for the second RS, and the combination thereof, the DL-R-MAP for the first RS is used for the first RS for transmission in the multi-hop network; and

transmitting the frame to the first RS in a DL relay zone according to a DL-R-MAP for the BS.

15. The transmission method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising the following step of:

transmitting a downlink data to a subordinated MS in a DL access zone.

16. The transmission method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the frame further comprises a first UL-R-MAP for the first RS and a second UL-R-MAP for the second RS, the first UL-R-MAP is used for the first RS for transmission in the multi-hop network, and the second UL-R-MAP is used for the second RS for transmission in the multi-hop network.

17. The transmission method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the frame further comprises a first DL-MAP for the first RS and a second DL-MAP for the second RS, the first DL-MAP is used for the first RS for transmission in the multi-hop network, and the second DL-MAP is used for the second RS for transmission in the multi-hop network.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with instructions to be executed by a processor of a base station (BS) of a multi-hop network, the multi-hop network comprising the BS, a first relay station (RS), and a second RS, the second RS being a subordinated RS of the first RS, the instructions enabling the processor to:

generate a frame according to a resource usage status of the multi-hop network, wherein the frame comprises a DL-R-MAP of the first RS, the frame further comprises one of a DL-R-MAP for the second RS, a DL-MAP for the second RS, and the combination thereof, the DL-R-MAP for the first RS is used for the first RS for transmission in the multi-hop network; and

transmit the frame to the first RS in a DL relay zone according to a DL-R-MAP for BS.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 18, wherein the instructions further enables the processor to:

transmit a downlink data to a subordinated MS in a DL access zone.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 18, wherein the frame further comprises a first UL-R-MAP for the first RS and a second UL-R-MAP for the second RS, the first UL-R-MAP is used for the first RS for transmission in the multi-hop network, and the second UL-R-MAP is used for the second RS for transmission in the multi-hop network.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 18, wherein the frame further comprises a first DL-MAP for the first RS and a second DL-MAP for the second RS, the first DL-MAP is used for the first RS for transmission in the multi-hop network, and the second DL-MAP is used for the second RS for transmission in the multi-hop network.