Apparatus and method for supporting relay service in multihop relay wireless communication system

• US 8,218,461 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2007
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Chang, Young-Bin, Oh, Chang-Yoon, Kang, Hyun-Jeong, Cho, Jae-Weon, Lim, Hyoung-Kyu, Lee, Sung-Jin, Son, Yeong-Moon
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Huy D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Baig, Adnan
• Application Number:
  US11/875,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20080095038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,726 Days
• Field of Search: 370/276, 370/277, 370/280, 370/294, 370/296
• US Class Current: 370/279
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15542 Selecting at relay station its transmit and receive resources selection of wireless resources by user or terminal H04W72/02; arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path by two-dimensional division of the resources H04L5/0003, or by allocating sub-channels H04L5/003
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• 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

Abstract

Apparatus and method for supporting a relay service in a multihop relay wireless communication system are provided. The method includes setting Tx/Rx mode switch region information of a Relay Station (RS). A signal is sent to a Mobile Station (MS) traveling in a service coverage during a first interval of a DownLink (DL) subframe according to resource allocation information. The mode switch region information and a signal are sent over a second interval of the DL subframe. Accordingly, the RS can communicate with a Base Station (BS) with accurate synchronization.

Claims

1. An upper node operation method in a wireless communication system using a relay service, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a desired Relay Station Transmit/receive Transition Gap (RSTTG) and a desired Relay Station Receive/transmit Transition Gap (RSRTG) from a lower Relay Station (RS) during capability negotiation between the lower RS and the upper node for the relay service;

determining, by the upper node, an RSTTG and an RSRTG using the desired RSTTG and the desired RSRTG during capability negotiation between the lower RS and the upper node for the relay service; and

sending a control message having the RSTTG and the RSRTG to the lower RS, after determining the RSTTG and the RSRTG during the capability negotiation between the lower RS and the upper node for the relay service;

wherein the RSTTG denotes a Transmit (Tx) mode to Receive (Rx) mode turnaround gap for the lower RS, and the RSRTG denotes an Rx mode to Tx mode turnaround gap for the lower RS.

2. The upper node operation method of claim 1, wherein the upper node is a Base Station (BS) or an upper RS.

3. The upper node operation method of claim 1, wherein the control message comprises at least one of confirm information for the RSTTG and the RSRTG received by the lower RS, the RSTTG and the RSRTG, and overhead information according to the RSTTG and the RSRTG of the lower RS.

4. The upper node operation method of claim 3, wherein the confirm information for the RSTTG and RSRTG received by the lower RS comprises at least one of identical information of the RSTTG and the RSRTG received by the lower RS and an acknowledge message for the RSTTG and the RSRTG received by the lower RS.

5. The upper node operation method of claim 3, wherein an overhead for changing from the Tx mode to the Rx mode of the overhead information of the lower RS is calculated based on:

6. The upper node operation method of claim 3, wherein an overhead for changing from the Rx mode to the Tx mode of the overhead information of the lower RS is calculated based on:

R-RTG=┌

OFDMsymbolunit(RSRTG+RTD/2)┐

where R-RTG denotes the overhead according to the operation switch of the RS in a subframe, RSRTG denotes a Tx/Rx operation switch region of the RS, RTD/2 denotes a UpLink Delay (ULD) time of a signal, and OFDMsymbolunit(x) denotes a function which divides the value x by one OFDM symbol length.

7. A Relay Station (RS) operation method in a wireless communication system using a relay service, the method comprising the steps of:

confirming, at the RS, signal delay times with an upper node;

transmitting a desired Relay Station Transmit/receive Transition Gap (RSTTG) and a desired Relay Station Receive/transmit Transition Gap (RSRTG) from the RS to the upper node during capability negotiation between the upper node and the RS for the relay service, wherein the desired RSTTG denotes a Transmit (Tx) mode to Receive (Rx) mode turnaround gap determined at the RS, and the desired RSRTG denotes an Rx mode to Tx mode turnaround gap determined at the RS;

calculating, at the RS, overheads according to a Tx/Rx operation switch using an RSTTG and an RSRTG received at the RS from the upper node and the signal delay times during capability negotiation between the upper node and the RS for the relay service;

switching from the Rx mode to the Tx mode in the RS using a first overhead of the overheads; and

switching from the Tx mode to the Rx mode in the RS using a second overhead of the overheads.

8. The RS operation method of claim 7, wherein the signal delay times are acquired in the process of an initial access or a random access to the upper node.

9. The RS operation method of claim 7, wherein calculating overheads according to the Tx/Rx operation switch comprises:

calculating overheads according to the Tx/Rx operation switch using the RSTTG, the RSRTG and the signal delay times, when an acknowledge message for the transmitted desired RSTTG and RSRTG is received from the upper node during the capability negotiation with the upper node.

10. The RS operation method of claim 7, wherein calculating overheads according to the Tx/Rx operation switch comprises:

identifying the RSTTG and the RSRTG in a control message received from the upper node during the capability negotiation with the upper node when an acknowledge message for the transmitted desired RSTTG and RSRTG is received from the upper node during the capability negotiation with the upper node, wherein the RSTTG and the RSRTG is determined at the upper node; and

calculating overheads according to the Tx/Rx operation switch using the RSTTG, the RSRTG and the signal delay times.

11. The RS operation method of claim 7, wherein the RSTTG and the RSRTG are smaller than or equal to maximum values of the RSTTG and RSRTG.

12. The RS operation method of claim 11, wherein the maximum values of the RSTTG and RSRTG are set by system common information or provided from the upper node.

13. The RS operation method of claim 7, wherein the first overhead is calculated based on:

14. The RS operation method of claim 7, wherein the second overhead is calculated based on:

R-RTG=┌

OFDMsymbolunit(RSRTG+RTD/2)┐

where R-RTG denotes the overhead according to the operation switch of the RS in a subframe, RSRTG denotes a Tx/Rx operation switch region of the RS, RTD/2 denotes a UpLink Delay (ULD) time of a signal, and OFDMsymbolunit(x) denotes a function which divides the value x by one OFDM symbol length.

15. The RS operation method of claim 7, wherein the upper node is a Base Station (BS) or an upper RS.

16. A Relay Station (RS) in a wireless communication system using a relay service, the RS comprising:

a timing controller for issuing a timing signal for a Transmit (Tx) and Receive (Rx) operation switch;

a transmitter for providing a frame according to a frame construction and sending the frame via an antenna when the RS enters a Tx mode according to the timing signal; and

a receiver for detecting and confirming a corresponding subframe from the frame received on the antenna when the RS enters a Rx mode according to the timing signal;

wherein the timing controller calculates overheads for a Relay Station Transmit/receive Transition Gap (RSTTG) and a Relay Station Receive/transmit Transition Gap (RSRTG) and provides a timing signal according to the overheads;

wherein the RSTTG denotes a Tx mode to Rx mode turnaround gap determined at the RS, and the RSRTG denotes an Rx mode to Tx mode turnaround gap determined at the RS; and

wherein the transmitter transmits the RSTTG and the RSRTG to an upper node during capability negotiation between the upper node and the RS for the relay service.

17. The RS of claim 16 wherein the timing controller calculates an overhead for changing from the Tx mode to the Rx mode of the overheads based on:

18. The RS of claim 16, wherein the timing controller calculates an overhead for changing from the Rx mode to the Tx mode of the overheads based on:

R-RTG=┌

OFDMsymbolunit(RSRTG+RTD/2)┐

where R-RTG denotes the overhead according to the operation switch of the RS in the subframe, RSRTG denotes a Tx/Rx operation switch region of the RS, RTD/2 denotes a UpLink Delay (ULD) time of a signal, and OFDMsymbolunit(x) denotes a function which divides the value x by one OFDM symbol length.

19. The RS of claim 16, wherein the upper node is a Base Station (BS) or an upper RS.