Method, apparatus and computer program for signaling channel quality information in a network that employs relay nodes

• US 8,842,652 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2013
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Raaf, Bernhard, Teyeb, Oumer, Kovacs, Istvn Z, Phan, Vinh V
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaroenchonwanit, Bunjob
• Application Number:
  US13/875,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20130235753A1
• Time in Patent Office: 509 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0026 Transmission of channel quality indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0027 Scheduling of signalling, e.g. occurrence thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/20 using signal quality detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0097 Relays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/147 for predicting network behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/722 at the destination endpoint, e.g. reservation of terminal resources or buffer space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/724 at intermediate nodes, e.g. resource reservation protocol [RSVP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/83 based on usage prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations

Abstract

A relay node receives from user equipments UE CQI reports which give a CQI value per radio band resource RBR, from which are aggregated across the RBRs and/or aggregated per UE across that UE'"'"'s RBR values. The relay node reports an indication of the average to its controlling access node (eNodeB), either explicitly or implicitly (e.g., a gain applied to the CQI of the downlink between the relay and access nodes). The relay node also checks the UEs'"'"' buffer status (actual or predicted) and reports either periodically or based on an underflow/overflow occurrence. For periodic reports, each UE buffer experiencing the overrun/underrun is reported.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving by an apparatus which comprises a relay node, from a plurality of user equipments, indications of channel quality experienced by the user equipments;

aggregating by the apparatus the received indications of the user equipments into a compound signal quality metric, where the compound signal quality metric is formed by aggregating by the apparatus two or more of the received indications of channel quality on links between respective ones of the user equipments and the relay node;

monitoring by the apparatus a buffer status of an apparatus buffer of the relay node;

sending by the apparatus a combination of an indication of the compound signal quality metric and a further indication of the buffer status to enable an access node controlling a cell in which the user equipments operate; and

deciding an allocation of radio resources based at least in part on the compound signal quality metric to improve communications between the relay node and the user equipments.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising prior to the receiving:

receiving at the apparatus a grant from the access node of radio band resources that are available for allocation to the user equipments; and

allocating by the relay node to the user equipments at least some of the radio band resources;

wherein the indications are received at the relay node and are specific for a radio band resource allocated to the respective user equipment.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein received indications from each one of the plurality of user equipments are a plurality of channel quality indications for unique ones of a plurality of radio band resources.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein aggregating comprises averaging all of the channel quality indications that are received for the plurality of radio band resources from a single one of the user equipments, and the compound signal quality metric is specific to the single one of the user equipments.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein aggregating comprises averaging the channel quality indications that are received from multiple ones of the user equipments for a single one of the plurality of radio band resources.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein for a first instance aggregating comprises averaging all of the channel quality indications that are received by the apparatus from a single one of the user equipments;

and for a second later instance aggregating comprises averaging all of the channel quality indications that are received by the apparatus from multiple ones of the user equipments for a single radio band resource, wherein sending comprises sending an indication of the respective compound signal quality metric by the apparatus to the access node at different times.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the compound signal quality metric is the compound signal quality metric itself.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the compound signal quality metric comprises a gain applied to a downlink channel quality parameter that is measured by the apparatus that receives the indications of channel quality experienced by the user equipments.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the further indication of the buffer status comprises a buffer overload or a buffer underload state determined individually for one or more of the plurality of user equipments.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the buffer overload or the buffer underload state determined individually for one or more of the plurality of user equipments are predicted based on the compound signal quality metric.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the buffer underload or the buffer overload is a percentage value.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a receiver configured to receive, from a plurality of user equipments, indications of channel quality experienced by the user equipments;

a processor configured to aggregate the received indications of the user equipments into a compound signal quality metric and to monitor a buffer status of an apparatus buffer, where the compound signal quality metric is formed by the apparatus by aggregating two or more of the received indications of channel quality on links between respective ones of the user equipments and the relay node; and

a transmitter configured to send a combination of an indication of the compound signal quality metric and a further indication of the buffer status to enable an access node controlling a cell in which the user equipments operate;

wherein the processor is further configured to decide an allocation of radio resources based at least in part on the compound signal quality metric to improve communications between the apparatus and the user equipments, and

wherein the apparatus comprises a relay node.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

the receiver is configured to receive a grant from the access node of radio band resources that are available for allocation to the user equipments; and

the processor is configured to allocate to the user equipments at least some of the radio band resources;

wherein the received indications are specific for a radio band resource allocated to the respective user equipment.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein received indications from each one of the plurality of user equipments are a plurality of channel quality indications for unique ones of a plurality of radio band resources.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to aggregate by averaging all of the channel quality indications that are received for the plurality of radio band resources from a single one of the user equipments, and the compound signal quality metric is specific to the single one of the user equipments.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to aggregate by averaging the channel quality indications that are received from multiple ones of the user equipments for a single one of the plurality of radio band resources.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein for a first instance the processor aggregates by averaging all of the channel quality indications that are received from a single one of the user equipments;

and for a second later instance the processor aggregates by averaging all of the channel quality indications that are received from multiple ones of the user equipments for a single radio band resource, wherein the transmitter is configured to send an indication of the respective compound signal quality metric to the access node at different times.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the indication of the compound signal quality metric is the compound signal quality metric itself.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the indication of the compound signal quality metric comprises a gain applied to a downlink channel quality parameter that the apparatus measures.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the further indication of the buffer status comprises a buffer overload or a buffer underload state determined individually for one or more of the plurality of user equipments.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the buffer overload or the buffer underload state determined individually for one or more of the plurality of user equipments are predicted based on the compound signal quality metric.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the buffer underload or the buffer overload is a percentage value.

23. A computer readable memory device embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital data processor to perform actions directed toward sending quality indications, the actions comprising:

receiving by an apparatus which comprises a relay node, from a plurality of user equipments, indications of channel quality experienced by the user equipments;

aggregating by the apparatus the received indications of the user equipments into a compound signal quality metric, where the compound signal quality metric is formed by aggregating together by the apparatus two or more of the received indications of channel quality on links between respective ones of the user equipments and the relay node;

monitoring by the apparatus a buffer status of an apparatus buffer of the relay node; and

sending by the apparatus a combination of an indication of the compound signal quality metric and a further indication of the buffer status to enable an access node controlling a cell in which the user equipments operate; and

deciding an allocation of radio resources based at least in part on the compound signal quality metric to improve communications between the relay node and the user equipments.

24. The computer readable memory of claim 23, wherein received indications from each one of the plurality of user equipments are a plurality of channel quality indications for unique ones of a plurality of radio band resources, and wherein aggregating comprises at least one of:

aggregating all of the channel quality indications that are received for the plurality of radio band resources from a single one of the user equipments, and the compound signal quality metric is specific to the single one of the user equipments;

or

aggregating the channel quality indications that are received from multiple ones of the user equipments for a single one of the plurality of radio band resources.

25. The computer readable memory of claim 23, wherein the indication of the compound signal quality metric comprises a gain applied to a downlink channel quality parameter measured by a relay node that receives the indications of channel quality experienced by the user equipments.

26. The computer readable memory of claim 23, wherein the further indication of the buffer status comprises a buffer overload or a buffer underload state determined individually for one or more of the plurality of user equipments.

27. The computer readable memory of claim 26, wherein the buffer overload or the buffer underload state determined individually for one or more of the plurality of user equipments are predicted based on the compound signal quality metric.

28. The computer readable memory of claim 26, wherein the buffer underload or the buffer overload is a percentage value.

29. An apparatus comprising:

receiving means for receiving from a plurality of user equipments indications of channel quality experienced by the user equipments;

processing means for aggregating the received indications of the user equipments into a compound signal quality metric and for monitoring a buffer status of an apparatus buffer, where the compound signal quality metric is formed by the apparatus by aggregating two or more of the received indications of channel quality on links between respective ones of the user equipments and the apparatus; and

transmit means for sending a combination of an indication of the compound signal quality metric and a further indication of the buffer status to enable an access node that controls a cell in which the user equipments operate to decide an allocation of radio resources based at least in part on the compound signal quality metric to improve communications between the apparatus and the user equipments,

wherein the apparatus comprises a relay node.

30. A method comprising:

allocating by an apparatus in a first instance radio resources to a relay node for allocating by the relay node to user equipments for use by the user equipments under control of the relay node;

sending by the apparatus to the relay node a grant of radio band resources that are available for allocation to the user equipments;

receiving by the apparatus from the relay node a combination of a compound signal quality metric that aggregates channel quality experienced on links between the user equipments and the relay node using radio band resources from the grant allocated to corresponding user equipments, and an indication of the buffer status of a relay node buffer which comprises individual buffers for each of the plurality of user equipments, wherein the further indication of the buffer status comprises a buffer overload or a buffer underload state determined individually for one or more of the plurality of user equipments by prediction based on the compound signal quality metric;

deciding by the apparatus a new allocation of radio resources based at least in part on the compound channel quality metric and on the indication of the buffer status; and

allocating by the apparatus in a second instance the new allocation of radio resources to the relay node.

31. An apparatus comprising:

a data processor configured to allocate in a first instance radio resources to a relay node for allocating by the relay node to user equipments for use by the user equipments under control of the relay node;

a transmitter configured to send to the relay node the allocated radio resources for use by user equipments under control of the relay node;

a receiver configured to receive from the relay node a combination of a compound signal quality metric that aggregates channel quality experienced on links between the user equipments and the relay node using radio band resources from the grant allocated to corresponding user equipments, and an indication of the buffer status of a relay node buffer which comprises individual buffers for each of the plurality of user equipments, wherein the further indication of the buffer status comprises a buffer overload or a buffer underload state determined individually for one or more of the plurality of user equipments by prediction based on the compound signal quality metric;

a processor configured to decide a new allocation of radio resources based at least in part on the received compound channel quality metric and on the indication of the buffer status; and

the transmitter is further to send to the relay node in a second instance the new allocation of radio resources.

32. A method comprising:

allocating by an apparatus in a first instance radio resources to a relay node for allocating by the relay node to user equipments for use by the user equipments under control of the relay node;

sending by the apparatus to the relay node a grant of radio band resources that are available for allocation to the user equipments;

receiving by the apparatus from the relay node a combination of a compound signal quality metric that aggregates channel quality experienced on links between the user equipments and the relay node using radio band resources from the grant allocated to corresponding user equipments, and an indication of the buffer status of a relay node buffer which comprises individual buffers for each of the plurality of user equipments, wherein the further indication of the buffer status comprises a buffer overload or a buffer underload state determined individually for one or more of the plurality of user equipments by prediction based on the compound signal quality metric;

deciding by the apparatus a new allocation of radio resources based at least in part on the compound channel quality metric and on the indication of the buffer status; and

allocating by the apparatus in a second instance the new allocation of radio resources to the relay node.

33. An apparatus comprising:

a data processor configured to allocate in a first instance radio resources to a relay node for allocating by the relay node to user equipments for use by the user equipments under control of the relay node;

a transmitter configured to send to the relay node the allocated radio resources for use by user equipments under control of the relay node;

a receiver configured to receive from the relay node a combination of a compound signal quality metric that aggregates channel quality experienced on links between the user equipments and the relay node using radio band resources from the grant allocated to corresponding user equipments, and an indication of the buffer status of a relay node buffer which comprises individual buffers for each of the plurality of user equipments, wherein the further indication of the buffer status comprises a buffer overload or a buffer underload state determined individually for one or more of the plurality of user equipments by prediction based on the compound signal quality metric;

a processor configured to decide a new allocation of radio resources based at least in part on the received compound channel quality metric and on the indication of the buffer status; and

the transmitter is further to send to the relay node in a second instance the new allocation of radio resources.