Relay station and wireless communication system using the same

• US 8,331,271 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2009
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Byoung Hoon, Jo, Jun Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): YEUNG, MANG HANG
• Application Number:
  US12/467,702
• Publication Number:
  US 20100142417A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,303 Days
• Field of Search: 370273-297, 178/70, 379/338, 455/7
• US Class Current: 370/293
• 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: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A relay station, method and system operated in a frequency division duplex (FDD) are disclosed. The relay station is operated in a band switching FDD mode and/or a dual band transmit (Tx)/receive (Rx) mode. In the band switching FDD mode, Tx frequency and Rx frequency are switched. In the dual band Tx/Rx mode, concurrent transmission or concurrent reception is achieved in the Tx frequency and Rx frequency.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a relay station (RS) configured to operate in a band switching frequency division duplex (FDD) mode in which a transmit (Tx) frequency and a receive (Rx) frequency are switched between a first frequency band and a second frequency band,

wherein the Rx frequency is set to the first frequency band during a first time interval and the Tx frequency is set to the second frequency band during the first time interval,

wherein the Rx frequency is set to the second frequency band during a second time interval and the Tx frequency is set to the first frequency band during the second time interval, and

wherein the first time interval is followed by the second time interval, and the second frequency band is different from the first frequency band;

a first station configured to transmit a first signal in the first frequency band during the first time interval via the RS operating in the band switching FDD mode, receive a second signal in the second frequency band different from the first frequency band during the first time interval via the RS, and communicate in a half duplex mode or a full duplex mode; and

a second station configured to receive the first signal in the first frequency band during the second time interval via the RS, transmit a third signal in the second frequency band during the second time interval via the RS, and communicate in the half duplex mode or the full duplex mode; and

switching the second frequency band associated with data transmission to the source station into the first frequency band associated with data transmission to the destination station after receiving the third signal.

2. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the band switching FDD mode includes switching multiplexing schemes when different multiplexing schemes are used in the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

3. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the RS is further configured to operate in a dual band transmit (Tx)/receive (Rx) mode in which concurrent signal transmissions or concurrent signal receptions occur in the first frequency band or the second frequency band.

4. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the second station is configured to directly receive the first signal, and to combine the relayed first signal with the directly received first signal.

5. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the first station is configured to directly receive the third signal, and to combine a relayed third signal with the directly received third signal.

6. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the first station is a base station (BS) and the second station is a mobile station (MS).

7. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the first station is a mobile station (MS) and the second station is a base station (BS).

8. A relay station for wirelessly relaying communication between a source station and a destination station, comprising:

a transceiver configured to operate in a band switching frequency division duplex (FDD) mode and a dual band transmit/receive (Tx/Rx) mode,

wherein, in the band switching FDD mode, a transmit (Tx) frequency and a receive (Rx) frequency are switched between a first frequency band and a second frequency band different from the first frequency band,

wherein the Rx frequency is set to the first frequency band during a first time interval and the Tx frequency is set to the second frequency band during the first time interval,

wherein the Rx frequency is set to the second frequency band during a second time interval and the Tx frequency is set to the first frequency band during the second time interval,

wherein the first time interval is followed by the second time interval, wherein the transceiver is further configured to

receive a first signal from the source station in the first frequency band during the first time interval,

transmit a second signal to the source station in the second frequency band during the first time interval,

transmit the first signal to the destination station in the first frequency band during the second time interval, and

receive a third signal from the destination station in the second frequency band during the second time interval, and

wherein, the transceiver further configured to switch from the band switching mode to the dual band Tx/Rx mode; and

, in the dual band Tx/Rx mode, concurrent transmission or concurrent reception is achieved in the first frequency band and the second frequency band between the relay station and the source station, or between the relay station and the destination station.

9. The relay station of claim 8, wherein the transceiver is configured to change operation modes from the band switching FDD mode to the dual band Tx/Rx mode or from the dual band Tx/Rx mode to the band switching FDD mode.

10. The relay station of claim 8, wherein the source station is a base station (BS) and the destination station is a mobile station (MS).

11. The relay station of claim 8, wherein the source station is a mobile station (MS) and the destination station is a base station (BS).

12. The relay station of claim 8, wherein at least one of the source station and the destination station is configured to support the band switching FDD mode or the dual band Tx/Rx mode.

13. A method of relaying information via a relay station in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

the relay station (RS) configured to operate in a band switching frequency division duplex (FDD) mode in which a transmit (Tx) frequency and a receive (Rx) frequency are switched between a first frequency band and a second frequency band,

receiving a first signal in the first frequency band from a source station during a first time interval;

transmitting a second signal in the second frequency band to the source station during the first time interval,

wherein the second frequency band is different from the first frequency band;

relaying the first signal in the first frequency band to a destination station during a second time interval,

wherein the first time interval is followed by the second time interval;

receiving a third signal in the second frequency band from the destination station during the second time interval; and

switching the second frequency band associated with data transmission to the source station into the first frequency band associated with data transmission to the destination station after receiving the third signal.