Relay station, relay method, radio communication system, and radio communication apparatus

• US 9,184,825 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2010
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kimura, Ryota
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mansoury, Nourali
• Application Number:
  US13/497,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20120176962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,876 Days
• Field of Search: 370/315
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0003 by switching between different modulation schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0097 Relays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0008 arrangements for allowing a transmitter or receiver to use more than one type of modulation negotiating modulation type for two-way transmission paths H04L5/1453
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A relay node in a mobile communication network for relaying communications between a base station and a mobile terminal The relay node includes a first communication unit that communicates with the base station via a backhaul link using at least one of a first modulation method and a first multiplexing method, and a second communication unit that communicates with the mobile terminal via an access link using at least one of a second modulation method and a second multiplexing method. The relay node also includes a communication control unit that selects the at least one of the first modulation method and the first multiplexing method, or selects the at least one of the second modulation method and the second multiplexing method based on a characteristic of a link, a type of link or a type of data included in a communication signal.

Claims

1. A relay node in a mobile communication network for relaying communications between a base station and a mobile terminal, the relay node comprising:

circuitry configured to;

communicate with the base station via a backhaul link using a first combination of a first modulation method and a first multiplexing method;

communicate with the mobile terminal via an access link using a second combination of a second modulation method and a second multiplexing method; and

select either Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) as the first combination and the second combination based on whether the communication is via the backhaul link with the base station or the access link with the mobile terminal, and whether the communication is an uplink connection or a downlink connection, wherein

the circuitry is configured to select the OFDMA as the first combination when the circuitry determines a high transmission power is available for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station, or select the OFDMA as the second combination when the circuitry determines the high transmission power is available for the communication via the access link with the mobile terminal,

the circuitry is configured to select the SC-FDMA as the first combination when the circuitry determines the high transmission power is not available for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station, or select the SC-FDMA as the second combination when the circuitry determines the high transmission power is not available for the communication via the access link with the mobile terminal, and

the circuitry is configured to select either the SC-FDMA or the OFDMA for both of the uplink connection and the downlink connection when the circuitry determines data included in the communications is for a real-time application.

2. The relay node according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is configured to select the SC-FDMA for the communication via the access link with the mobile terminal in the uplink communication, select the OFDMA for the communication via the access link with the mobile terminal in the downlink communication, select either the SC-FDMA or the OFDMA for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station in the uplink communication, and select either the SC-FDMA or the OFDMA for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station in the downlink communication.

3. The relay node according to claim 2, wherein

the circuitry is configured to select the OFDMA for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station in the uplink communication.

4. The relay node according to claim 2, wherein

the circuitry is configured to select the SC-FDMA for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station in the downlink communication.

5. The relay node according to claim 2, wherein

the circuitry is configured to select either the SC-FDMA for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station in the uplink communication, and select the OFDMA for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station in the downlink communication.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including executable instructions, which when executed by a relay node, cause the relay node to perform a method of relaying communications between a base station and a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

selecting a first combination of a first modulation method and a first multiplexing method for communicating with the base station via a backhaul link;

selecting a second combination of a second modulation method and a second multiplexing method for communicating with the mobile terminal via an access link;

communicating with the base station via the backhaul link using the at least one of the first modulation method and the first multiplexing method;

communicating with the mobile terminal via the at least one of the second modulation method and the second multiplexing method;

selecting either Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) as the first combination and the second combination based on whether the communication is via the backhaul link with the base station or the access link with the mobile terminal, and whether the communication is an uplink connection or a downlink connection;

selecting the OFDMA as the first combination when a high transmission power is determined to be available for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station, or selecting the OFDMA as the second combination when the high transmission power is determined to be available for the communication via the access link with the mobile terminal;

selecting the SC-FDMA as the first combination when the high transmission power is determined to be not available for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station, or selecting the SC-FDMA as the second combination when the high transmission power is determined to be not available for the communication via the access link with the mobile terminal; and

selecting either the SC-FDMA or the OFDMA for both of the uplink connection and the downlink connection when data included in the communications is determined to be for a real-time application.

7. A method performed by a relay node of relaying communications between a base station and a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

selecting, by circuitry of the relay node, a first combination of a first modulation method and a first multiplexing method for communicating with the base station via a backhaul link;

selecting, by the circuitry of the relay node, a second combination of a second modulation method and a second multiplexing method for communicating with the mobile terminal via an access link;

communicating, by the circuitry of the relay node, with the base station via the backhaul link using the at least one of the first modulation method and the first multiplexing method;

communicating, by the circuitry of the relay node, with the mobile terminal via the access link using the at least one of the second modulation method and the second multiplexing method;

selecting, by the circuitry of the relay node, either Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) as the first combination and the second combination based on whether the communication is via the backhaul link with the base station or the access link with the mobile terminal, and whether the communication is an uplink connection or a downlink connection;

selecting, by the circuitry of the relay node, the OFDMA as the first combination when a high transmission power is determined to be available for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station, or selecting, by the circuitry of the relay node, the OFDMA as the second combination when the high transmission power is determined to be available for the communication via the access link with the mobile terminal;

selecting, by the circuitry of the relay node, the SC-FDMA as the first combination when the high transmission power is determined to be not available for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station, or selecting, by the circuitry of the relay node, the SC-FDMA as the second combination when the high transmission power is determined to be not available for the communication via the access link with the mobile terminal; and

selecting either the SC-FDMA or the OFDMA for both of the uplink connection and the downlink connection when data included in the communications is determined to be for a real-time application.

8. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a base station;

a relay node configured to relay communications between the base station and a mobile terminal; and

circuitry configured to;

select a first combination of a first modulation method and a first multiplexing method for communication between the relay node and the base station via a backhaul link;

select a second combination of a second modulation method and a second multiplexing method for communication between the relay node and the mobile terminal via an access link;

at the relay node, communicate with the base station via the backhaul link using the at least one of the first modulation method and the first multiplexing method;

at the relay node, communicate with the mobile terminal via the access link using the at least one of the second modulation method and the second multiplexing method;

select either Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) as the first combination and the second combination based on whether the communication is via the backhaul link with the base station or the access link with the mobile terminal, and whether the communication is an uplink connection or a downlink connection, wherein

the circuitry is configured to select the OFDMA as the first combination when the circuitry determines a high transmission power is available for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station, or select the OFDMA as the second combination when the circuitry determines the high transmission power is available for the communication via the access link with the mobile terminal,

the circuitry is configured to select the SC-FDMA as the first combination when the circuitry determines the high transmission power is not available for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station, or select the SC-FDMA as the second combination when the circuitry determines the high transmission power is not available for the communication via the access link with the mobile terminal, and

the circuitry is configured to select either the SC-FDMA or the OFDMA for both of the uplink connection and the downlink connection when the circuitry determines data included in the communications is for a real-time application.

9. A mobile terminal in a mobile communication network for receiving communications relayed from a base station to the mobile terminal via a relay node, the mobile terminal comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive data from the relay node via an access link using a first combination of a first modulation method and a first multiplexing method, which are selected by the relay node, wherein the data transmitted from the relay node to the mobile terminal is received at the relay node via a backhaul link using a second combination of a second modulation method and a second multiplexing method,

wherein either Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) is selected as the first combination and the second combination based on whether the communication is via the backhaul link with the base station or the access link with the mobile terminal, and whether the communication is an uplink connection or a downlink connection,

the OFDMA is selected as the first combination when a high transmission power is determined to be available for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station, or the OFDMA is selected as the second combination when the high transmission power is determined to be available for the communication via the access link with the mobile terminal,

the SC-FDMA is selected as the first combination when the high transmission power is determined to be not available for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station, or the SC-FDMA is selected as the second combination when the high transmission power is determined to be not available for the communication via the access link with the mobile terminal, and

either the SC-FDMA or the OFDMA for both of the uplink connection and the downlink connection is selected when data included in the communications is determined to be for a real-time application.