Relay device, relay method, and relay program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11923950-B2
Application number	US-201917291254-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2019
Priority date	Nov 7, 2018
Publication date	Mar 5, 2024
Grant date	Mar 5, 2024

Abstract

A relay device that relays between a plurality of radio devices that perform radio communication with terminals, and at least one radio control device that controls the radio devices, the relay device including: a replication necessity determination unit that determines whether or not to replicate a downlink signal received from the radio control device; a signal replicating unit that makes the same number of copies of a downlink signal as the number of destination radio devices only when the replication necessity determination unit determines that the downlink signal is to be replicated; and a downlink signal assignment unit that transfers a downlink signal that has been determined by the replication necessity determination unit as a signal that is not to be replicated, and downlink signals replicated by the signal replicating unit, to the radio devices respectively corresponding thereto.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A relay device that relays between a plurality of radio devices that perform radio communication with terminals, and at least one radio control device that controls the radio devices, the relay device comprising:
a processor; and
memory including a program, the program when executed by the processor performing functions including:
determining whether or not to replicate a downlink signal received from the radio control device based on destination information included in the downlink signal, the destination information including a single destination address;
making the same number of copies of a downlink signal as the number of destination radio devices only when the determining whether or not to replicate the downlink signal is that the downlink signal is to be replicated;
transferring a downlink signal that has been determined as a downlink signal that is not to be replicated, and replicated downlink signals, to the radio devices respectively corresponding thereto;
determining whether or not to combine uplink signals received from the plurality of radio devices;
combining a plurality of uplink signals that have been determined as signals that are to be combined, for each destination radio control device; and
transferring uplink signals that have been determined as signals that are not to be combined, and combined uplink signals, to the radio control device corresponding thereto.

2. The relay device according to claim 1 , wherein the determining whether or not to replicate a downlink signal includes determining whether or not to replicate the downlink signal further based on sender information included in the downlink signal, and the determining whether or not to combine uplink signals includes determining whether or not to combine uplink signals based on at least one of sender information and destination information included in each uplink signal.

3. The relay device according to claim 1 , wherein the determining whether or not to replicate a downlink signal includes determining whether or not to replicate the downlink signal further based on signal type information included in the downlink signal, and the determining whether or not to combine uplink signals includes determining whether or not to combine uplink signals based on signal type information included in each uplink signal.

4. The relay device according to claim 1 , wherein the determining whether or not to replicate a downlink signal includes determining whether or not to replicate the downlink signal further based on a format of the downlink signal, and the determining whether or not to combine uplink signals includes determining whether or not to combine uplink signals based on a format of each uplink signal.

5. The relay device according to claim 1 , wherein the determining whether or not to replicate a downlink signal received from the radio control device includes determining whether or not to replicate each downlink signal received from the radio control device.

6. The relay device according to claim 1 , wherein the determining whether or not to combine uplink signals includes determining whether or not to combine each set of uplink signals received.

7. A relay method for relaying between a plurality of radio devices that perform radio communication with terminals, and at least one radio control device that controls the radio devices, the relay method comprising:
a step of determining whether or not to replicate a downlink signal received from the radio control device based on destination information included in the downlink signal, the destination information including a single destination address;
a step of making the same number of copies of a downlink signal as the number of destination radio devices only when the downlink signal is determined as a signal that is to be replicated;
a step of transferring a downlink signal that has been determined as a signal that is not to be replicated, and replicated downlink signals, to the radio devices respectively corresponding thereto;
a step of determining whether or not to combine uplink signals received from the plurality of radio devices;
a step of combining a plurality of uplink signals that have been determined as signals that are to be combined, for each destination radio control device; and
a step of transferring uplink signals that have been determined as signals that are not to be combined, and combined uplink signals, to the radio control device corresponding thereto.

8. The relay method according to claim 7 , wherein the determining whether or not to replicate a downlink signal includes determining whether or not to replicate the downlink signal further based on sender information included in the downlink signal, and the determining whether or not to combine uplink signals includes determining whether or not to combine uplink signals based on at least one of sender information and destination information included in each uplink signal.

9. The relay method according to claim 7 , wherein the determining whether or not to replicate a downlink signal includes determining whether or not to replicate the downlink signal further based on signal type information included in the downlink signal, and the determining whether or not to combine uplink signals includes determining whether or not to combine uplink signals based on signal type information included in each uplink signal.

10. The relay method according to claim 7 , wherein the determining whether or not to replicate a downlink signal includes determining whether or not to replicate the downlink signal further based on a format of the downlink signal, and the determining whether or not to combine uplink signals includes determining whether or not to combine uplink signals based on a format of each uplink signal.

11. The relay method of claim 7 , wherein the determining whether or not to replicate a downlink signal received from the radio control device includes determining whether or not to replicate each downlink signal received from the radio control device.

12. The relay method of claim 7 , wherein the determining whether or not to combine uplink signals includes determining whether or not to combine each set of uplink signals received.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions that, upon execution of the instructions by a processor of a computer, cause the computer to perform functions including:
determining whether or not to replicate a downlink signal received from a radio control device based on destination information included in the downlink signal, the destination information including a single destination address;
making the same number of copies of a downlink signal as the number of destination radio devices only when the determining whether or not to replicate the downlink signal is that the downlink signal is to be replicated;
transferring a downlink signal that has been determined as a downlink signal that is not to be replicated, and replicated downlink signals, to the radio devices respectively corresponding thereto;
determining whether or not to combine uplink signals received from the plurality of radio devices;
combining a plurality of uplink signals that have been determined as signals that are to be combined, for each destination radio control device; and
transferring uplink signals that have been determined as signals that are not to be combined, and combined uplink signals, to the radio control device corresponding thereto.

Assignees

• Nippon Telegraph & Telephone

Inventors

• Shibata Naotaka
• Yamamoto Hirofumi
• Takahashi Keita
• Ota Noriyuki
• Terada Jun

Classifications

• H04B7/15507 Primary

  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 title

• H04W28/16

  Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service] · CPC title

• H04W88/12

  Access point controller devices · CPC title

• Y02D30/70

  in wireless communication networks · CPC title