Systems, apparatus, and methods for range extension of wireless communication

• US 9,544,782 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2013
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Vardhan, Anurag, Krasnyanskiy, Maksim, Cherian, George
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOPATA, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US13/760,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20140126462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,434 Days
• Field of Search: 370/276, 370/277, 370/280
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices for communicating data in a wireless communications network are described herein. In some aspects, a relay may associate with an access point and then clone the access point by transmitting the service set identifier of the access point. An association between a wireless node and a relay may be formed such that the relay provides relay services for wireless network communication between the access point and the wireless node. In some aspects, the relay may generate messages which communicate its available capacity so that downstream nodes may determine from which relays service may be available. In addition, each node may generate messages for upstream relays which communicate the load an association with the node would cause. Through such communication between relays, admission control may be used to minimize associations being dropped because of insufficient available capacity.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication, comprising:

at a relay apparatus associated with one or more other devices, receiving a first message from a downstream relay, wherein the first message includes an indication of a number of devices that are associated with the downstream relay;

generating a second message for an upstream relay in response to the first message, wherein the second message is a request for an available capacity of the upstream relay;

transmitting the second message to the upstream relay;

receiving a response message from the upstream relay, the response message indicating the available capacity of the upstream relay; and

determining whether the relay apparatus can serve the downstream relay based on the available capacity of the upstream relay.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second message is transmitted with an association request or an action frame.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second message includes a list of IDs of devices associated with the relay apparatus.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second message includes a quantity of other devices associated with the relay apparatus.

5. A relay apparatus for wireless communications, the relay apparatus being associated with one or more other devices, the relay apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a first message from a downstream relay, wherein the first message includes an indication of a number of devices that are associated with the downstream relay; and

generate a second message for an upstream relay in response to the first message, wherein the second message is a request for an available capacity of the upstream relay;

a transmitter configured to transmit the second message to the upstream relay; and

a receiver configured to receive a response message from the upstream relay, the response message indicating the available capacity of the upstream relay, wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the relay apparatus can serve the downstream relay based on the available capacity of the upstream relay.

6. The relay apparatus of claim 5, wherein the second message is transmitted with an association request or an action frame.

7. The relay apparatus of claim 5, wherein the second message includes a list of IDs of devices associated with the relay apparatus.

8. The relay apparatus of claim 5, wherein the second message includes a quantity of other devices associated with the relay apparatus.

9. A relay apparatus for wireless communications, the relay apparatus being associated with one or more other devices, the relay apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a first message from a downstream relay, wherein the first message includes an indication of a number of devices that are associated with the downstream relay;

means for generating a second message for an upstream relay in response to the first message, wherein the second message is a request for an available capacity of the upstream relay;

means for transmitting the second message to the upstream relay;

means for receiving a response message from the upstream relay, wherein the response message indicates the available capacity of the upstream relay; and

means for determining whether the relay apparatus can serve the downstream relay based on the available capacity of the upstream relay.

10. The relay apparatus of claim 9, wherein the second message is transmitted with an association request or an action frame.

11. The relay apparatus of claim 9, wherein the second message includes a list of IDs of devices associated with the relay apparatus.

12. The relay apparatus of claim 9, wherein the second message includes a quantity of other devices associated with the relay apparatus.

13. A method of wireless communication, comprising:

at a relay apparatus associated with one or more other devices, receiving a first message from an upstream relay, wherein the first message includes an indication of a number of devices that the upstream relay has available capacity to serve;

comparing the number of devices that the upstream relay has available capacity to serve with a number of devices that the relay apparatus has available capacity to serve;

generating a second message for the one or more other devices, wherein the second message includes an indication of a lower of the number of devices that the upstream relay has available capacity to serve and the number of devices the relay apparatus has available capacity to serve;

transmitting the second message to at least one of the one or more other devices; and

receiving an association request from at least one of the one or more other devices.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the second message is transmitted with a beacon.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the second message is transmitted with a probe response.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the second message includes a number representing how many additional nodes can be serviced by the relay apparatus.

17. A relay apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a first message from an upstream relay, wherein the first message includes an indication of a number of devices that the upstream relay has available capacity to serve;

compare the number of devices that the upstream relay has available capacity to serve with a number of devices that the relay apparatus has available capacity to serve;

generate a second message for one or more devices, wherein the second message includes an indication of a lower of the number of devices that the upstream relay has available capacity to serve and the number of devices the relay apparatus has available capacity to serve;

a transmitter configured to transmit the second message to the one or more devices; and

a receiver configured to receive an association request from at least one of the one or more devices.

18. The relay apparatus of claim 17, wherein the second message is transmitted with a beacon.

19. The relay apparatus of claim 17, wherein the second message is transmitted with a probe response.

20. The relay apparatus of claim 17, wherein the second message includes a number representing how many additional nodes can be serviced by the relay apparatus.

21. A relay apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

means for receiving a first message from an upstream relay, wherein the first message includes an indication of a number of devices that the upstream relay has available capacity to serve;

means for comparing the number of devices that the upstream relay has available capacity to serve with a number of devices that the relay apparatus has available capacity to serve

means for generating a second message for one or more other devices, wherein the second message includes an indication of a lower of the number of devices that the upstream relay has available capacity to serve and the number of other devices the relay apparatus has available capacity to serve;

means for transmitting the message to at least one of the one or more other devices; and

means for receiving an association request from at least one of the one or more other devices.

22. The relay apparatus of claim 21, wherein the second message is transmitted with a beacon.

23. The relay apparatus of claim 21, wherein the second message is transmitted with a probe response.

24. The relay apparatus of claim 21, wherein the second message includes a number representing how many additional nodes can be serviced by the relay apparatus.

25. A method of wireless communication, comprising:

at a relay apparatus, wherein one or more other devices are associated with the relay apparatus, and wherein the relay apparatus is in communication with a relay device, receiving a message from the relay device, wherein the message includes an indication of a number of other devices the relay device has available capacity to serve;

determining whether the relay device has available capacity to serve the relay apparatus and the one or more other devices associated with the relay apparatus; and

sending an association request to the relay device if the relay device has the available capacity to serve the relay apparatus, wherein the receiving further comprises receiving another message from another relay device, wherein the other message includes an indication of a number of additional devices the other relay device has available capacity to serve, wherein the determining further comprises determining which of the relay device and the other relay device has the available capacity to serve the relay apparatus, and wherein the sending further comprises sending the association request to the determined relay device.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising generating a second message, wherein the second message includes an indication of a number of additional devices the relay apparatus has available capacity to serve.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the number of additional devices the relay apparatus has available capacity to serve is the lesser of the relay apparatus'"'"' own available capacity and the available capacity of the relay device.

28. A relay apparatus for wireless communications, wherein one or more other devices are associated with the relay apparatus, and wherein the relay apparatus is in communication with a relay device, the relay apparatus comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a message from the relay device, wherein the message includes an indication of a number of other devices the relay device has available capacity to serve;

a processor configured to determine whether the relay device has available capacity to serve the relay apparatus and the one or more other devices associated with the relay apparatus; and

a transmitter configured to send an association request to the relay device if the relay device has the available capacity to serve the relay apparatus, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive another message from another relay device, wherein the other message includes an indication of a number of additional devices the other relay device has available capacity to serve, wherein the processor is further configured to determine which of the relay device and the other relay device has the available capacity to serve the relay apparatus, and wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the association request to the determined relay device.

29. The relay apparatus of claim 28, further comprising generating a second message, wherein the second message includes an indication of a number of additional devices the relay apparatus has available capacity to serve.

30. The relay apparatus of claim 29, wherein the number of additional devices the relay apparatus has the available capacity to serve is the lesser of the relay apparatus'"'"' own available capacity and the available capacity of the relay device.

31. A relay apparatus for wireless communications, wherein one or more other devices are associated with the relay apparatus, and wherein the relay apparatus is in communication with a relay device, the relay apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a message from the relay device, wherein the message includes an indication of a number of other devices the relay device has available capacity to serve;

means for determining whether the relay device has available capacity to serve the relay apparatus and the one or more other devices associated with the relay apparatus; and

means for sending an association request to the relay device if the relay device has the available capacity to serve the relay apparatus, wherein the means for receiving further comprises means for receiving another message from another relay device, wherein the other message includes an indication of a number of additional devices the other relay device has available capacity to serve, wherein the means for determining further comprises means for determining which of the relay device and the other relay device has the available capacity to serve the relay apparatus, and wherein the means for sending the association request further comprises means for transmitting the association request to the determined relay device.

32. The relay apparatus of claim 31, further comprising generating a second message, wherein the second message includes an indication of a number of additional devices the relay apparatus has available capacity to serve.

33. The relay apparatus of claim 32, wherein the number of additional devices the relay apparatus has the available capacity to serve is the lesser of the relay apparatus'"'"' own available capacity and the available capacity of the relay device.