WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20140204835A1
• Filed: 08/15/2012
• Published: 07/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SCA IPLA Holdings Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Speight, Timothy James, Piggin, Paul William
• Granted Patent: US 9,526,088 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/364 Delay profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15 Active relay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15507 Relay station based processing for cell extension or control of coverage area, network planning with network coordinated processing with regard to cell extension H04W16/26; network topologies using dedicated repeater stations H04W84/047; terminal devices adapted for relaying to or from an other terminal H04W88/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15542 Selecting at relay station its transmit and receive resources selection of wireless resources by user or terminal H04W72/02; arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path by two-dimensional division of the resources H04L5/0003, or by allocating sub-channels H04L5/003
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations

Abstract

A wireless communications system including a base station, a relay device, and a terminal device. The terminal device is operable to receive from the base station an allocation of uplink resources for transmitting uplink data to the relay device, and to transmit uplink data to the relay device using the uplink resources allocated to the terminal device. The relay device is operable to receive the transmitted uplink data from the terminal device on the allocated resources, to receive an allocation of uplink data resources for relaying the received uplink data to the base station, and to transmit the received uplink data to the base station using the uplink resources allocated to the relay device.

Claims

1. :

A relay device for wirelessly relaying data from a terminal device to a base station, the relay device comprising;

a receiver for receiving from the terminal device uplink data transmitted on resources allocated to the terminal device by the base station; and

a transmitter for transmitting the received uplink data to the base station using uplink resources allocated to the relay device.

2. :

A relay device according to claim 1, wherein

the base station is operable to transmit the allocation of uplink resources to the terminal device on a shared channel; and

the relay device is operable

to monitor the shared channel and detect an allocation of uplink resources transmitted from the base station to the terminal device on the shared channel; and

to prepare to receive the uplink data from the terminal device on the resources allocated for transmitting the uplink data to the relay device based on the detected allocation of resources made on the shared channel.

3. :

A relay device according to claim 2, wherein the relay device is operable to detect the allocation of uplink resources made to a terminal device using an identifier of the terminal device.

4. :

A relay device according to claim 2, wherein the relay device is operable

to derive an allocation of uplink resources for relaying the received uplink data to the base station from the detected allocation of uplink resources for transmitting the uplink data to the relay device.

5. :

A relay device according to claim 4, wherein the derived allocation of uplink resources for relaying the received uplink data to the base station is a predetermined time offset following the detected allocation of uplink resources for transmitting the uplink data to the relay device.

6. :

A relay device according to claim 1, wherein the relay device is operable

to receive from the base station an indication of the allocation of uplink resources made to the terminal device for transmitting the uplink data to the relay device; and

to prepare to receive the uplink data from the terminal device on the resources allocated for transmitting the uplink data to the relay device based on the indication of the allocated resources provided by the base station.

7. :

A relay device according to claim 6, wherein the indication of the allocation of uplink resources made to the terminal device identifies the terminal device to which the uplink resources have been allocated.

8. :

A relay device according to claim 2, wherein the relay device is operable

to request, from the base station, the allocation of uplink resources for relaying the received uplink data to the base station.

9. :

A relay device according to claim 1, wherein the relay device is operable

to receive from the base station an indication of the allocation of uplink resources made to the terminal device for transmitting the uplink data to the relay device; and

to derive an allocation of uplink resources for relaying the received uplink data to the base station from the received indication of the allocation of uplink resources for transmitting the uplink data to the relay device.

10. :

A relay device according to claim 9, wherein the derived allocation of uplink resources for relaying the received uplink data to the base station is a predetermined time offset following the detected allocation of uplink resources for transmitting the uplink data to the relay device.

11. :

A relay device according to claim 9, wherein the relay device is operable to prepare to receive the uplink data from the terminal device on the resources allocated for transmitting the uplink data to the relay device based on the indication of the allocated resources provided by the base station.

12. :

A relay device according to claim 1, wherein the relay device is operable

to receive from the base station an uplink grant message comprising an indication of the allocation of uplink resources made to the terminal device for transmitting the uplink data to the relay device, and an indication of the allocation of uplink resources for relaying the received uplink data to the base station.

13. :

A relay device according to claim 1, wherein

the relay device is operable to

add a relay header to the uplink data received from the terminal device, the relay header comprising control information for controlling the transmission of subsequent messages from the terminal device to the relay device; and

relay the uplink data having the relay header added to the base station.

14. :

A relay device according to claim 13, wherein

the relay device is operable

to measure a received signal power of the uplink data received from the terminal device; and

to set power control information in the control information for controlling a power level of a subsequent transmission from the terminal device to the relay device.

15. :

A relay device according to claim 14, wherein the power control information specifies a power offset from the received signal power.

16. :

A relay device according to claim 13, wherein

the relay device is operable

to measure a propagation time delay between the terminal device and the relay device of the uplink data transmitted from the terminal device to the relay device;

to determine, based on the propagation time delay, a required timing advance offset for a subsequent transmission from the terminal device to the relay device so that a receive time of the subsequent transmissions at the relay device is synchronised with a receive time of transmissions from other terminal devices; and

to specify said timing advance offset in the control information.

17. :

A relay device according to claim 14, wherein the relay device is operable

to transmit the relay header to the base station in relation to an expected message from the terminal device even if the expected message was not correctly received at the relay device.

18. :

A relay device according to claim 17, wherein the message from the terminal device is expected if uplink resources have been allocated to the terminal device by the base station.

19. :

A relay device according to claim 13, wherein the relay header comprises an identification of the terminal device which transmitted the message.

20. :

A relay device according to claim 17, wherein the relay control element comprises an indication of whether the associated uplink data is present in the relay message.

21. :

A relay device according to claim 13, wherein the relay device is operable to process and relay the uplink data received from the terminal device at a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer in a protocol stack.

22. :

A terminal device for wirelessly communicating data to a base station via a relay device, the terminal device comprising;

a receiver operable to receive from the base station an allocation of uplink resources for transmitting uplink data to the relay device; and

a transmitter operable to transmit uplink data to the relay device using the uplink resources allocated to the terminal device;

wherein

the transmitted uplink data is received by the relay device and transmitted from the relay device to the base station using uplink resources allocated to the relay device for relaying the uplink data.

23. :

A terminal device according to claim 22, wherein

the base station is operable to transmit the allocation of uplink resources to the terminal device on a shared channel; and

the relay device is operable

to monitor the shared channel and detect an allocation of uplink resources transmitted from the base station to the terminal device on the shared channel; and

to prepare to receive the uplink data from the terminal device on the resources allocated for transmitting the uplink data to the relay device based on the detected allocation of resources made on the shared channel.

24. :

A terminal device according to claim 22, wherein the terminal device is responsive to power control information received from the base station to control the transmission power of a transmission to the relay device, the power control information being determined at the relay device based on a received signal power of the message received from the terminal device.

25. :

A terminal device according to claim 24, wherein the power control information specifies a power offset from the received signal power.

26. :

A terminal device according to claim 22, wherein

the terminal device is responsive to a timing advance offset received from the base station to control the timing of a transmission to the relay device so that a receive time of the transmission at the relay device is synchronised with a receive time of transmissions from other terminal devices, the timing advance offset being determined at the relay device from a propagation time delay between the terminal device and the relay device of the message transmitted by the terminal device.

27. :

A terminal device according to claim 22, wherein

the terminal device is operable to transmit a request for uplink resources to the base station, the uplink resources being allocated to the terminal device in response to the request.

28. :

A method of wirelessly relaying data from a terminal device to a base station via a relay device, comprising;

receiving at the relay device uplink data transmitted by the terminal device on resources allocated to the terminal device by the base station; and

transmitting the received uplink data to the base station using uplink resources allocated to the relay device.

29. :

A method of wirelessly communicating data from a terminal device to a base station via a relay device, comprising;

receiving at the terminal device from the base station an allocation of uplink resources for transmitting uplink data to the relay device; and

transmitting uplink data to the relay device using the uplink resources allocated to the terminal device;

wherein

the transmitted uplink data is received by the relay device and transmitted from the relay device to the base station using uplink resources allocated to the relay device for relay the uplink data.

30-31. -31. (canceled)