Apparatus and method for adding and deleting relay link in communication system

• US 8,804,597 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2010
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Won, Seung-Hwan, Kim, Young-Bum
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUONG, DUC T
• Application Number:
  US12/803,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20100329148A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,509 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/315
• 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 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations

Abstract

An apparatus and a method effectively adds and deletes a relay link in a communication system that includes a multiple relay system. The apparatus and method include determining by a relay mode controller whether to add or delete the relay link with consideration of at least one of a movement velocity of User Equipment (UE), a signal intensity of a Node-B and at least one relay station, and a channel state value of the UE. When addition or deletion of the relay link is determined, a message requesting addition of the relay link or a message informing deletion of the relay link is transmitted by a signaling processor to a relay station corresponding to the relay link whose addition or deletion has been determined.

Claims

1. A method for adding and deleting, at a User Equipment (UE), a relay link in a communication system, the method comprising:

determining whether to add the relay link based on a movement velocity of the UE, a signal intensity of a Node-B and at least one relay station, and a channel state value of the UE;

transmitting a message requesting addition of the relay link to a relay station corresponding to the relay link, the relay station configured to relay signals between the UE and the Node-B over the relay link;

determining whether to delete the relay link based on at least one of a movement velocity of the UE, a signal intensity of a Node-B and at least one relay station, and a channel state value of the UE; and

transmitting a message informing deletion of the relay link to a relay station corresponding to the relay link.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the movement velocity of the UE using a Doppler estimation value;

determining the signal intensity of the Node-B and the at least one relay station using an Energy per Chip over the Interference plus Noise (Ec/Io) of signals received from the Node-B and the at least one relay station; and

determining the channel state value of the UE using a modulation scheme mapped to Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the signal received from the Node-B comprises a signal received via a Primary-Common Pilot Channel (P-CPICH) allocated to the Node-B, and the signal received from the at least one relay station comprises a signal received via a Secondary-Common Pilot Channel (S-CPICH) allocated to a relevant relay station of the at least one relay station.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to add the relay link comprises, when the movement velocity of the UE is lower than a reference value, a relay station that includes a signal intensity greater than that of the Node-B exists among the at least one relay station, and the channel state value of the UE is smaller than a reference value, determining to add a relay link that corresponds to the relay station that exists.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to add the relay link comprises:

when the movement velocity of the UE is lower than a reference value, a relay station that includes a signal intensity greater than a signal intensity of the Node-B exists in a first period among the at least one relay station and the channel state value of the UE is not less than a reference value, determining whether the signal intensity of the relay station that exists is greater than the signal intensity of the Node-B in a second period; and

when the signal intensity of the relay station that exists is greater than the signal intensity of the Node-B in the second period, determining to add a relay link that corresponds to the relay station that exists.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to delete the relay link comprises, when the movement velocity of the UE is higher than a reference value, a relay station that includes one of a signal intensity smaller than a signal intensity of the Node-B and a signal intensity smaller than a signal intensity of a relay station whose relay mode is not currently activated exists among relay stations corresponding to a currently activated relay mode, and the channel state value of the UE is smaller than a reference value, determining to delete a relay link that corresponds to the relay station that exists.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to delete the relay link comprises:

when the movement velocity of the UE is not greater than a reference value, a relay station that includes one of a signal intensity smaller than a signal intensity of the Node-B and a signal intensity smaller than a signal intensity of a relay station whose relay mode is not currently activated exists, in a first period, among relay stations corresponding to a currently activated relay mode, and the channel state value of the UE is smaller than a reference value, determining whether the signal intensity of the relay station that exists is one of smaller than the signal intensity of the Node-B and smaller than the signal intensity of a relay station whose relay mode is not currently activated in a second period; and

when the signal intensity of the relay station that exists is smaller than one of the signal intensity of the Node-B and the signal intensity of the relay station whose relay mode is not currently activated in the second period, determining to delete a relay link corresponding to the relay station that exists.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the message requesting addition of the relay link and the message informing deletion of the relay link comprises information regarding an S-CPICH allocated to the relay station corresponding to the relay link, and is transmitted using one of a system information region of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message and a message region of a Random Access Channel (RACH).

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, when a message accepting the addition of the relay link is received from the Node-B, adding the relay link using physical channel configuration information included in the message accepting the addition of the relay link,

wherein the message accepting the addition of the relay link is received using one of a system information region of an RRC message and a part2 unused region of a High Speed Shared Control Channel (HS-SCCH).

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, when a message informing a reception success of the message informing the deletion of the relay link is received from the Node-B, deleting the relay link,

wherein the message informing the reception success of the message informing the deletion of the relay link is received using one of a system information region of an RRC message and a part2 unused region of a High Speed Shared Control Channel (HS-SCCH).

11. A method for controlling, at a relay station, addition of a relay link in a communication system, the method comprising:

when a request message requesting addition of the relay link is received from a User Equipment (UE), determining whether to accept addition of the relay link based on a total transmit carrier power; and

transmitting a response message comprising information as to whether the addition of the relay link is accepted to the UE,

wherein the request message comprises information regarding a Secondary-Common Pilot Channel (S-CPICH) allocated to the relay station, and wherein the request message is transmitted using one of a system information region of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message and a message region of a Random Access Channel (RACH).

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining whether to accept the addition of the relay link comprises:

determining whether the total transmit carrier power is not greater than a reference value;

when the total transmit carrier power is not greater than the reference value, determining to accept the addition of the relay link; and

when the total transmit carrier power is greater than the reference value, determining to reject the addition of the relay link.

13. An apparatus of User Equipment (UE) for adding and deleting a relay link in communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a relay mode controller configured to determine whether to add the relay link based on a movement velocity of the UE, a signal intensity of a Node-B and at least one relay station, and a channel state value of the UE, and determine whether to delete the relay link based on at least one of a movement velocity of the UE, a signal intensity of a Node-B and at least one relay station, and a channel state value of the UE; and

a signaling processor configured to generate a message requesting addition of the relay link when addition of the relay link is determined and generate a message informing deletion of the relay link when deletion of the relay link is determined,

wherein the message requesting addition of the relay link or the message informing deletion of the relay link are transmitted to a relay station corresponding to the relay link, the relay station configured to relay signals between the UE and the Node-B over the relay link.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

a Doppler estimator configured to determine the movement velocity of the UE using a Doppler estimation value;

an Ec/Io measuring unit configured to determine a signal intensity of the Node-B and the at least one relay station using an Energy per Chip over the Interference plus Noise (Ec/Io) of signals received from the Node-B and the at least one relay station; and

a Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) determining unit configured to determine a channel state value of the UE using a modulation scheme mapped to CQI information.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the signal received from the Node-B comprises a signal received via a Primary-Common Pilot Channel (P-CPICH) allocated to the Node-B, and the signal received from the at least one relay station comprises a signal received via a Secondary-Common Pilot Channel (S-CPICH) allocated to a relevant relay station.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein when the movement velocity of the UE is lower than a reference value, a relay station that includes a signal intensity greater than a signal intensity of the Node-B exists among the at least one relay station, and the channel state value of the UE is smaller than a reference value, the relay mode controller is further configured to determine to add a relay link corresponding to the relay station that exists.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein when the movement velocity of the UE is lower than a reference value, a relay station that includes a signal intensity greater than a signal intensity of the Node-B exists among the at least one relay station in a first period, but the channel state value of the UE is not less than a reference value, the relay mode controller is further configured to determine whether a signal intensity of the relay station that exists is greater than the signal intensity of the Node-B in a second period, and

when the signal intensity of the relay station that exists is greater than the signal intensity of the Node-B in the second period, the relay mode controller is further configured to determine to add a relay link corresponding to the relay station that exists.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein when the movement velocity of the UE is higher than a reference value, a relay station that includes one of a signal intensity smaller than a signal intensity of the Node-B and a signal intensity smaller than a signal intensity of a relay station whose relay mode is not currently activated exists among relay stations corresponding to a currently activated relay mode, and the channel state value of the UE is smaller than a reference value, the relay mode controller is further configured to determine to delete a relay link corresponding to the relay station that exists.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein when the movement velocity of the UE is not greater than a reference value, a relay station that includes one of a signal intensity smaller than a signal intensity of the Node-B and a signal intensity smaller than a signal intensity of a relay station whose relay mode is not currently activated exists, in a first period, among relay stations corresponding to a currently activated relay mode, and the channel state value of the UE is smaller than a reference value, the relay mode controller is further configured to determine whether a signal intensity of the relay station that exists is one of smaller than the signal intensity of the Node-B and smaller than the signal intensity of the relay station whose relay mode is not currently activated in a second period, and

when the signal intensity of the relay station that exists is one of smaller than the signal intensity of the Node-B and smaller than the signal intensity of the relay station whose relay mode is not currently activated in the second period, the relay mode controller is further configured to determine to delete a relay link corresponding to the relay station that exists.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein each of the message requesting addition of the relay link and the message informing deletion of the relay link comprises information regarding an S-CPICH allocated to the relay station corresponding to the relay link, and is transmitted using one of a system information region of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message and a message region of a Random Access Channel (RACH).

21. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein when a message accepting the addition of the relay link is received from the Node-B, the relay mode controller is further configured to add the relay link using physical channel configuration information included in the message accepting the addition of the relay link,

wherein the message accepting the addition of the relay link is received using one of a system information region of an RRC message and a part2 unused region of a High Speed Shared Control Channel (HS-SCCH).

22. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein when a message informing a reception success of a message informing the deletion of the relay link is received from the Node-B, the relay mode controller is further configured to delete the relay link,

wherein the message informing the reception success of the message informing the deletion of the relay link is received using one of a system information region of an RRC message and a part2 unused region of a High Speed Shared Control Channel (HS-SCCH).

23. An apparatus of a relay station, for controlling addition of a relay link in a communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a relay mode determining unit configured to, when a request message requesting addition of the relay link is received from a User Equipment (UE), determine whether to accept addition of the relay link based on a total transmit carrier power; and

a signaling processor configured to generate a message to be transmitted to the UE, the message comprising information as to whether the addition of the relay link is accepted,

wherein the request message comprises information regarding a Secondary-Common Pilot Channel (S-CPICH) allocated to the relay station and wherein the request message is transmitted using one of a system information region of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message and a message region of a Random Access Channel (RACH).

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the relay mode determining unit is further configured to:

determine whether the total transmit carrier power is not greater than a reference value,

determine to accept the addition of the relay link when the total transmit carrier power is not greater than the reference value, and

determine to reject the addition of the relay link when the total transmit carrier power is greater than the reference value.