Base station, wireless communication system, wireless resource allocating method, and wireless communicating method

• US 8,675,588 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2009
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Fujishima, Kenzaburo, Saito, Toshiyuki, Muto, Yuta, Uwano, Kouki
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Brenda H
• Application Number:
  US13/380,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20120127888A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,677 Days
• Field of Search: 370/227, 370/228, 370/331, 370/332, 370/341, 370/349, 370/322, 370/329
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15592 Adapting at the relay station communication parameters for supporting cooperative relaying, i.e. transmission of the same data via direct - and relayed path cooperative diversity H04B7/024
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations

Abstract

In a wireless communication system, when data communication is performed between a relay device and a terminal (in a second path), the same amount of data is required to be transferred between a base station and the relay device (in a third path). An amount of wireless communication resources required is obtained by adding an amount inversely proportional to a capacity of each of the second and third wireless transmission-paths. Therefore, the amount inversely proportional to the capacity of the third path is consumed in excess. Based on a channel quality of a first wireless channel between the base station and the terminal, a channel quality of a second wireless channel between the terminal and the relay station, and a channel quality of a third wireless channel between the base station and the relay station, it is determined whether data communication between the base station and the terminal is relayed.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system comprising:

a base station;

a terminal communicating with the base station via a first channel; and

a relay device communicating with the terminal via a second channel and communicating with the base station via a third channel,

the base station comparing a communication quality of the first channel, a communication quality of the second channel, and a communication quality of the third channel and setting a channel for data communication between the terminal and the base station according to a comparison result,

the first channel, the second channel, and the third channel being allocated by a communication resource for the data communication from a communication resource group,

the base station includes a determining unit determining whether the relay device is to relay based on the comparison result, and

a notifying unit notifying the relay device of a determination result,

the relay device including a relay control unit, when receiving data addressed to the terminal from the base station according to the determination result in response to the determination result, the relay control unit determining whether to transmit the data to the terminal.

2. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the base station further includes a first estimating unit estimating the communication quality of the first channel by using a first reference signal transmitted from the terminal and estimating the communication quality of the third channel by using a second reference signal transmitted from the relay device,

the relay device further includes a second estimating unit estimating the communication quality of the second channel by using a third reference signal transmitted from the terminal, and

a determining unit included in the base station device makes a relay necessity/unnecessity determination for the relay device in uplink communication from the terminal to the base station by referring to the estimated communication qualities of the channels.

3. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the terminal further includes a third estimating unit estimating the communication quality of the first channel by using a fourth reference signal transmitted from the base station and estimating the communication quality of the second channel by using a fifth reference signal transmitted from the relay device,

the relay device further includes a fourth estimating unit estimating the communication quality of the third channel by using a sixth reference signal transmitted from the base station, and

a determining unit included in the base station device makes a relay necessity/unnecessity determination for the relay device in downlink communication from the base station to the terminal by referring to the estimated communication qualities of the channels.

4. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the base station controls the terminal or the relay device to stop a process of transmitting the estimated communication qualities of the channels.

5. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the base station or the terminal transmits a reference signal, and the communication qualities of the channels are estimated by the relay device receiving the reference signal and the base station or the terminal receiving the reference signal,

a reference signal transmitted by the base station and a reference signal transmitted by the relay device in downlink communication are multiplexed and transmitted at a same time and a same frequency, and

a reference signal transmitted by the terminal and a reference signal transmitted by the relay device in uplink communication are multiplexed and transmitted at a same time and a same frequency.

6. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein

a communication performance loss and a communication performance gain when channels via the relay device are used are compared based on the communication quality of the first channel, the communication quality of the second channel, and the communication quality of the third channel, and a relay necessity/unnecessity determination is made based on a comparison result.

7. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the one relay device for use in relay communication is selected for the each terminal by using an evaluation function with at least one of the communication quality of the first channel, the communication quality of the second channel, and the communication quality of the third channel being taken as a variable, and

the one relay device for use in relay communication is selected for the each terminal by using an evaluation function with at least one of the communication quality of the first channel, the communication quality of the second channel, and the communication quality of the third channel and a number of terminals selecting a relay device being taken as variables.

8. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein

candidates for the relay device for communication with the terminal via the second channel are narrowed down by a threshold determination with respect to a distance between the terminal and the relay device or an index corresponding to the distance.

9. The wireless communication system according to claim 8, wherein

the index is decided based on position information of the relay device and position information of the terminal.

10. The wireless communication system according to claim 8, wherein

the index is decided based on reception strength of a wireless signal transmitted by the terminal at the relay device.

11. A base station comprising:

a comparing unit comparing

a communication quality of a first channel between the base station and a terminal,

a communication quality of second channel between a relay device and the terminal, and

a communication quality of a third channel between the base station and the relay device; and

a setting unit setting a channel for data communication between the terminal and the base station according to a comparison result,

the first channel, the second channel, and the third channel being allocated by a communication resource for the data communication from a communication resource group,

a determining unit determining whether the relay device is to relay based on the comparison result; and

a notifying unit notifying the relay device of the determination result,

the determining unit determining whether to relay with at least one relay device, and

the notifying unit notifying a plurality of relay devices of the determination result.

12. A wireless communicating method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a first reference signal from a base station to a terminal;

transmitting a second reference signal from a relay device to the terminal;

transmitting a third reference signal from the base station to the terminal;

obtaining, from the terminal, an estimation result of a communication quality of a first wireless channel between the base station and the terminal corresponding to the first reference signal;

obtaining, from the terminal device, an estimation result of a communication quality of a second wireless channel between the relay device and the terminal corresponding to the second reference signal;

obtaining, from the relay device, an estimation result of a communication quality of a third wireless channel between the base station and the relay device corresponding to the third reference signal; and

setting a wireless channel for downlink data communication from the base station to the terminal by using the estimation result of the communication quality of the first wireless channel, the estimation result of the communication quality of the second wireless channel, and the estimation result of the communication quality of the third wireless channel.