Method for accessing hybrid network, and gateway apparatus, wireless terminal and communication system thereof

• US 8,553,665 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2012
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Du, Lei, Bai, Yong, Chen, Lan, Kayama, Hidetoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Brian T
• Application Number:
  US13/417,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20120207049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method for accessing a hybrid network and a gateway communication system are disclosed. The method comprises: sensing by a gateway apparatus a relay request slot on a downlink common control channel of the wide area network; transmitting by a wireless terminal a relay request signal requesting to relay a data packet to be transmitted, in the relay request slot on the downlink common control channel; and if the relay request signal from the wireless terminal is sensed in the relay request slot, establishing by the gateway apparatus a connection with the wireless terminal in a distributed network environment. As such, the gateway apparatus accesses the wireless distributed network only when the surrounding wireless terminals require data relay, without sensing signals on both networks simultaneously.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a wireless connection at a gateway apparatus which communicates with a base station in a wireless Wide Area Network (WAN), the method comprising steps of:

sensing a downlink common control channel of the WAN to determine whether the downlink common control channel has a relay request slot;

receiving a relay request message requesting to relay a data packet, in the relay request slot on the downlink common control channel, in case that the downlink common control channel has the relay request slot;

establishing a wireless connection with a wireless terminal in a wireless distributed network in response to the relay request message, wherein establishing a wireless connection with the wireless terminal comprises

transmitting a reply message to the wireless terminal after receiving the relay request message,

receiving a selection message transmitted by the wireless terminal, the selection message contains an address of the gateway apparatus through which a relay operation is to be made, and

in response to the selection message, transmitting to the wireless terminal a permit message to permit the wireless terminal transmitting the data packet to be relayed; and

transmitting the reply message to the wireless terminal in the wireless distributed network after detecting that a power level on the relay request slot is larger than a noise power.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the gateway apparatus performs data packet transmissions with multiple wireless terminals around in a polling manner.

2. A method for establishing a wireless connection at a gateway apparatus which communicates with a base station in a wireless Wide Area Network (WAN), the method comprising steps of:

sensing a downlink common control channel of the WAN to determine whether the downlink common control channel has a relay request slot;

receiving a relay request message requesting to relay a data packet, in the relay request slot on the downlink common control channel, in case that the downlink common control channel has the relay request slot;

establishing a wireless connection with a wireless terminal in a wireless distributed network in response to the relay request message, wherein establishing a wireless connection with the wireless terminal comprises

transmitting a reply message to the wireless terminal after receiving the relay request message,

receiving a selection message transmitted by the wireless terminal, the selection message contains an address of the gateway apparatus through which a relay operation is to be made, and

in response to the selection message, transmitting to the wireless terminal a permit message to permit the wireless terminal transmitting the data packet to be relayed; and

transmitting the reply message to the wireless terminal in the wireless distributed network, after detecting a high level on the relay request slot.

4. A method for establishing a wireless connection at a wireless terminal, the method comprising steps of:

sensing a downlink common control channel of a wireless Wide Area Network (WAN) to determine whether the downlink common control channel has a relay request slot;

transmitting a relay request message requesting to relay a data packet, in the relay request slot on the downlink common control channel, in case that the downlink common control channel has the relay request slot;

receiving a reply message on a wireless distributed channel transmitted by a gateway apparatus which communicates with a base station of the WAN; and

establishing a wireless connection with the gateway apparatus in a wireless distributed network in response to the reply message by

determining the gateway apparatus through which a relay operation is to be made by measuring conditions of channels, wherein the wireless terminal compares channel conditions indicated in the reply message and selects a gateway apparatus based at least in part on a gateway apparatus with a best channel condition and which needs a lowest transmission power for directly communicating therewith as the gateway apparatus through which the relay operation is to be made, and

transmitting a selection message which contains an address of the gateway apparatus through which the relay operation is to be made.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the wireless terminal selects a nearest gateway apparatus as the gateway apparatus through which the relay operation is to be made.

5. A method for establishing a wireless connection at a wireless terminal, the method comprising steps of:

sensing a downlink common control channel of a wireless Wide Area Network (WAN) to determine whether the downlink common control channel has a relay request slot;

transmitting a relay request message requesting to relay a data packet, in the relay request slot on the downlink common control channel, in case that the downlink common control channel has the relay request slot;

receiving a reply message on a wireless distributed channel transmitted by a gateway apparatus which communicates with a base station of the WAN; and

establishing a wireless connection with the gateway apparatus in a wireless distributed network in response to the reply message by

determining the gateway apparatus through which a relay operation is to be made by measuring conditions of channels, wherein the wireless terminal compares channel conditions indicated in the reply message, and selects a gateway apparatus based at least in part on a gateway apparatus with a best channel condition and with a highest signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) as the gateway apparatus through which the relay operation is to be made, and

transmitting a selection message which contains an address of the gateway apparatus through which the relay operation is to be made.

7. A gateway apparatus which communicates with a base station in a wireless Wide Area network (WAN), comprising:

a wireless wide area network transceiving unit configured to transmit and receive messages in the wireless wide area network;

a wireless distributed network transceiving unit configured to transmit and receive messages in a wireless distributed network;

a detection unit configured to detect the messages received by the wireless wide area network transceiving unit on a downlink common control channel of the WAN, and determine whether the downlink common control channel has a relay request slot;

an access determination unit configured to determine that a wireless terminal needs to access the wireless distributed network in case that the detection unit detects a relay request slot and a relay request message is received on the relay request slot; and

a transmission control unit configured to instruct the wireless distributed network transceiving unit to transmit a reply message to establish a wireless connection with the wireless terminal in the wireless distributed network,

wherein the wireless distributed network transceiving unit is further configured to

transmit a reply message to the wireless terminal after receiving the relay request message,

receive a selection message transmitted by the wireless terminal and containing an address of the gateway apparatus through which a relay operation is to be made,

transmit to the wireless terminal a permit message to permit the wireless terminal transmitting the data packet to be relayed in response to the selection message,

transmit the reply message to the wireless terminal in the wireless distributed network, after the detection unit detects that a power level on the relay request slot is larger than a noise power.

9. The gateway apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the gateway apparatus performs data packet transmissions with multiple wireless terminals around in a polling manner.

8. A gateway apparatus which communicates with a base station in a wireless Wide Area network (WAN), comprising:

a wireless wide area network transceiving unit configured to transmit and receive messages in the wireless wide area network;

a wireless distributed network transceiving unit configured to transmit and receive messages in a wireless distributed network;

a detection unit configured to detect the messages received by the wireless wide area network transceiving unit on a downlink common control channel of the WAN, and determine whether the downlink common control channel has a relay request slot;

an access determination unit configured to determine that a wireless terminal needs to access the wireless distributed network in case that the detection unit detects a relay request slot and a relay request message is received on the relay request slot; and

a transmission control unit configured to instruct the wireless distributed network transceiving unit to transmit a reply message to establish a wireless connection with the wireless terminal in the wireless distributed network,

wherein the wireless distributed network transceiving unit is further configured to

transmit a reply message to the wireless terminal after receiving the relay request message,

receive a selection message transmitted by the wireless terminal and containing an address of the gateway apparatus through which a relay operation is to be made,

transmit to the wireless terminal a permit message to permit the wireless terminal transmitting the data packet to be relayed in response to the selection message, and

transmit the reply message to the wireless terminal in the wireless distributed network, after the detection unit detects a high level on the relay request slot.

10. A wireless terminal comprising:

a wireless distributed network transceiving unit configured to transmit and receive messages in a wireless distributed network;

a downlink common control channel transceiving unit configured to transmit a relay request message requesting to relay a data packet and receive messages on a downlink common control channel of a wireless wide area network (WAN);

a detection unit configured to detect the messages received by the downlink common control channel transceiving unit on the downlink common control channel, and determine whether the downlink common control channel has a relay request slot;

an access determination unit configured to instruct the wireless terminal to access the wireless distributed network in case that the detection unit detects a relay request slot and a data packet is to be relayed; and

a transmission control unit configured to instruct the downlink common control channel transceiving unit to transmit a relay request message requesting to relay a data packet, instruct the wireless distributed network transceiving unit to receive on the wireless distributed channel a reply message which is transmitted by a gateway apparatus which communicate with a base station in a wireless wide area network, and establish a wireless connection with the gateway apparatus in the wireless distributed network, and

wherein the detection unit is further configured to determine the gateway apparatus through which a relay operation is to be made by measuring channel conditions, and the wireless distributed network transceiving unit is further configured to transmit a selection message which contains an address of the gateway apparatus through which the relay operation is to be made, and

wherein the wireless terminal compares conditions of channels indicated in the reply message, and selects a gateway apparatus with a best channel condition and which needs a lowest transmission power for directly communicating therewith as the gateway apparatus through which the relay operation is to be made.

12. The wireless terminal according to claim 10, wherein the wireless terminal selects a nearest gateway apparatus as the gateway apparatus through which the relay operation is to be made.

11. A wireless terminal comprising:

a wireless distributed network transceiving unit configured to transmit and receive messages in a wireless distributed network;

a downlink common control channel transceiving unit configured to transmit a relay request message requesting to relay a data packet and receive messages on a downlink common control channel of a wireless wide area network (WAN);

a detection unit configured to detect the messages received by the downlink common control channel transceiving unit on the downlink common control channel, and determine whether the downlink common control channel has a relay request slot;

an access determination unit configured to instruct the wireless terminal to access the wireless distributed network in case that the detection unit detects a relay request slot and a data packet is to be relayed; and

a transmission control unit configured to instruct the downlink common control channel transceiving unit to transmit a relay request message requesting to relay a data packet, instruct the wireless distributed network transceiving unit to receive on the wireless distributed channel a reply message which is transmitted by a gateway apparatus which communicate with a base station in a wireless wide area network, and establish a wireless connection with the gateway apparatus in the wireless distributed network, and

wherein the detection unit is further configured to determine the gateway apparatus through which a relay operation is to be made by measuring conditions of channels, and the wireless distributed network transceiving unit is further configured to transmit a selection message which contains an address of the gateway apparatus through which the relay operation is to be made, and

wherein the wireless terminal compares channel conditions indicated in the reply message, and selects a gateway apparatus with a best channel condition and with a highest signal to interference and noise ratio as the gateway apparatus through which the relay operation is to be made.