Apparatus and method for transmitting and receiving control information in multi-hop relay broadband wireless communication system

• US 8,605,645 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2008
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Oh, Chang-Yoon, Rakesh, Taori, Son, Jung-Je, Lim, Hyoung-Kyu, Lee, Sung-Jin, Chang, Young-Bin, Kang, Hyun-Jeong
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhu, Alvin
• Application Number:
  US12/037,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20080207193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,114 Days
• Field of Search: 370/321, 370/337, 370/347, 370/472, 370/492, 370/498
• US Class Current: 370/322
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0032 Distributed allocation, i.e. involving a plurality of allocating devices, each making partial allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0094 Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations

Abstract

An apparatus and method for transmitting control information to a Relay Station (RS) in a multi-hop relay broadband wireless communication system is disclosed. The apparatus includes a generator, a controller, and a communication unit. The generator generates control information to be transmitted to a lower RS. The controller controls and transmits the control information during a first relay link transmission interval among at least one relay link transmission interval distributed within a frame. The communication unit transmits the control information to the lower RS.

Claims

1. A Relay Station (RS) apparatus in a multi-hop relay broadband wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a controller for identifying distribution of at least one relay link transmission interval of the RS within a frame by receiving a message including information that indicates the at least one relay link transmission interval of the RS at a time when the RS initially connects to an upper node; and

a communication unit for receiving first control information for the RS from an upper node during a first relay link transmission interval among the at least one relay link transmission interval of the RS distributed within a frame, and transmitting second control information for a lower RS to the lower RS during a first relay link transmission interval among at least one relay link transmission interval of the lower RS distributed within a frame,

wherein each of the first and second control information comprises a Relay-Frame Control Header (R-FCH), a DownLink MAP (DL-MAP), and an UpLink MAP (UL-MAP), and the at least one relay link transmission interval of the RS is at least one portion of the frame used for a relay link, and

wherein the message includes information indicating a start point of the at least one relay link transmission interval of the RS, a length of the at least one relay link transmission interval, and a mode of the at least one relay link transmission interval of the RS, the mode indicating that a corresponding relay link transmission interval is used as one of a transmission mode where the RS transmits a signal, a reception mode where the RS receives a signal, and an idle mode where the RS suspends a transmission and a reception.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one relay link transmission interval of the RS is distinguished by a time interval.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication unit transmits traffic data to the lower RS during the at least one relay link transmission interval of the RS.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication unit transmits data to a Mobile Station (MS) during an MS link interval.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication unit comprises:

a coder and modulator for converting an information bit stream into a complex symbol by channel-coding and modulating;

an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) modulator for transforming the complex symbol into an OFDM symbol by Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) operation; and

a transmitter for up converting the OFDM symbol into a Radio Frequency (RF) band signal and transmitting the RF band signal.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication unit further transmits, to the lower RS, traffic data via the first relay link transmission interval and additional traffic data via a second relay link transmission interval.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first relay link transmission interval is allocated in a time period for an access link transmission interval of a Base Station (BS) where the BS transmit signal to at least one Mobile Station (MS).

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frame comprises a plurality of access link transmission intervals where the RS transmits a signal to at least one MS.

9. A Relay Station (RS) apparatus in a multi-hop relay broadband wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a controller for identifying distribution of at least one relay link transmission interval within a frame by receiving a message including information that indicates the at least one relay link transmission interval at a time when the RS initially connects to an upper node; and

a communication unit for receiving control information during a first relay link reception interval among at least one relay link reception interval distributed within a frame, wherein the control information comprises a Relay-Frame Control Header (R-FCH), a DownLink MAP (DL-MAP), and an UpLink MAP (UL-MAP) and the at least one relay link transmission interval is at least one portion of the frame used for a relay link,

wherein the message includes information indicating a start point of the at least one relay link transmission interval, a length of the at least one relay link transmission interval, and a mode of the at least one relay link transmission interval, the mode indicating that a corresponding relay link transmission interval is used as one of a transmission mode where the RS transmits a signal, a reception mode where the RS receives a signal, and an idle mode where the RS suspends a transmission and a reception.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one relay link reception interval is distinguished by a time interval.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller acquires traffic data to be transmitted to a lower MS or a BS from a received signal during the at least one relay link reception interval.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the communication unit comprises:

a receiver for down converting a received RF band signal and acquiring a baseband OFDM symbol;

an OFDM demodulator for transforming the OFDM symbol into complex symbols by Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) operation; and

a demodulator and decoder for converting the complex symbols into an information bit stream by demodulating and decoding.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller further classifies traffic data from the received signal during the first relay link reception interval and classifies additional traffic data from the received signal during a second relay link reception interval among the plurality of relay link intervals distributed within the frame.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first relay link reception interval is allocated in a time period for an access link transmission interval of a Base Station (BS) where the BS transmit signal to at least one Mobile Station (MS).

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the frame comprises a plurality of access link transmission intervals where the RS transmits a signal to at least one MS.

16. A communication method of a Relay Station (RS) in a multi-hop relay broadband wireless communication system, the method comprising:

identifying distribution of at least one relay link transmission interval of the RS within a frame by receiving a message including information that indicates the at least one relay link transmission interval of the RS at a time when the RS initially connects to an upper node;

receiving first control information for the RS from an upper node during a first relay link transmission interval among the at least one relay link transmission interval of the RS distributed within a frame; and

transmitting second control information for a lower RS to the lower RS during a first relay link transmission interval of the lower RS among at least one relay link transmission interval distributed within a frame,

wherein each of the first and second control information comprises a Relay-Frame Control Header (R-FCH), a DownLink MAP (DL-MAP), and an UpLink MAP (UL-MAP) and the at least one relay link transmission interval of the RS is at least one portion of the frame used for a relay link,

wherein the message includes information indicating a start point of the at least one relay link transmission interval of the RS, a length of the at least one relay link transmission interval of the RS, and a mode of the at least one relay link transmission interval of the RS, the mode indicating that a corresponding relay link transmission interval is used as one of a transmission mode where the RS transmits a signal, a reception mode where the RS receives a signal, and an idle mode where the RS suspends a transmission and a reception.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one relay link transmission interval of the RS is distinguished by a time interval.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting traffic data to a lower RS during the at least one relay link transmission interval of the RS.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting data to an MS during an MS link interval.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein transmitting the second control information comprises:

processing and transmitting a signal in an OFDM communication fashion.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting, to the lower RS, traffic data via the first relay link transmission interval; and

transmitting additional traffic data via a second relay link transmission interval.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the first relay link transmission interval is allocated in a time period for an access link transmission interval of a Base Station (BS) where the BS transmit signal to at least one Mobile Station (MS).

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the frame comprises a plurality of access link transmission intervals where the RS transmits a signal to at least one MS.

24. A communication method of A Relay Station (RS) in a multi-hop relay broadband wireless communication system, the method comprising:

identifying distribution of at least one relay link reception interval within a frame by receiving a message including information that indicates the at least one relay link transmission interval at a time when the RS initially connects to an upper node; and

receiving control information during a first relay link reception interval among the at least one relay link reception interval distributed within a frame,

wherein the control information comprises a Relay-Frame Control Header (R-FCH), a DownLink MAP (DL-MAP), and an UpLink MAP (UL-MAP) and the at least one relay link transmission interval is at least one portion of the frame used for a relay link, and

wherein the message includes information indicating a start point of the at least one relay link transmission interval, a length of the at least one relay link transmission interval, and a mode of the at least one relay link transmission interval, the mode indicating that a corresponding relay link transmission interval is used as one of a transmission mode where the RS transmits a signal, a reception mode where the RS receives a signal, and an idle mode where the RS suspends a transmission and a reception.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the at least one relay link reception interval is distinguished by a time interval.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein converting the received signal into the bit stream comprises:

processing and converting the received signal into a bit stream in an OFDM communication fashion.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

receiving traffic data during the first relay link reception interval; and

receiving additional traffic data during a second relay link reception interval among the plurality of relay link intervals distributed within the frame.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the first relay link reception interval is allocated in a time period for an access link transmission interval of a Base Station (BS) where the BS transmit signal to at least one Mobile Station (MS).

29. The method of claim 24, wherein the frame comprises a plurality of access link transmission intervals where the RS transmits a signal to at least one MS.