Radio relay station and control method

• US 9,585,071 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2011
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Kitaji, Mitsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tu X
• Application Number:
  US13/575,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20130052941A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,225 Days
• Field of Search: 455/11.1, 455/13.1, 455/450
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 36/0005 Control or signalling for completing the hand-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0016 Hand-off preparation specially adapted for end-to-end data sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations

Abstract

When a relay station load, which is the load of communications with radio terminals (300E-300G), of a relay node (200) exceeds a load allowable amount, which is determined according to the load of a radio base station (100A), the relay node transmits a handover request, which requests permission for a relay handover, to the radio base station (100A) and performs a relay handover if the relay node receives a handover command which instructs a relay handover.

Claims

1. A radio relay station that communicates with a first radio base station as a connection destination, communicates with at least one radio terminal, and thereby relays data to be exchanged between the first radio base station and the radio terminal, comprising:

a controller configured to;

transmit, to the first radio base station, load notification request requesting a notification of a load of a second radio base station, wherein the load indicates a load of connection of the second radio base station;

control a handover of the radio terminal based on the load of the second radio base station notified by the first radio base station, without changing the connection destination of the radio relay station;

transmit, to the first radio base station, a handover request for executing the handover of the radio terminal to the second radio base station; and

instruct, to the radio terminal, the handover to the second radio base station when the radio relay station receives from the first radio base station a response message indicating that the handover request is allowed.

2. A control method of a radio relay station that communicates with a first radio base station as a connection destination communicates with at least one radio terminal, and thereby relays data to be exchanged between the first radio base station and the radio terminal, comprising:

transmitting, to the first radio base station, load notification request requesting a notification of a load of a second radio base station, wherein the load indicates a load of connection of the second radio base station;

controlling a handover of the radio terminal base on the load of the second radio base station notified by the first radio base station, without changing the connection destination of the radio relay station;

transmitting, to the first radio base station, a handover request for executing the handover of the radio terminal to the second radio base station; and

instructing, to the radio terminal, the handover to the second radio base station when the radio relay station receives from the first radio base station a response message indicating that the handover request is allowed.