Relay apparatus for relay communication, control method, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12289661-B2
Application number	US-202217859896-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 7, 2022
Priority date	Feb 6, 2020
Publication date	Apr 29, 2025
Grant date	Apr 29, 2025

Abstract

A relay apparatus for wirelessly relaying communication between a base station apparatus and a terminal apparatus determines, when a connection destination apparatus of wireless connection in a relay path is changed while being connected to a first base station apparatus via a relay path, whether a base station apparatus connected via the changed connection destination apparatus is the first base station apparatus or a second base station apparatus different from the first base station apparatus, and executes, when the base station apparatus connected via the changed connection destination apparatus is the second base station apparatus, first setting concerning a relay path after the change, and executing, when the base station apparatus connected via the changed connection destination apparatus is the first base station apparatus, second setting different from the first setting and concerning a relay path after the change.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A relay apparatus for wirelessly relaying communication between a base station apparatus and a terminal apparatus, comprising:
a determination unit configured to determine, when a connection destination apparatus of wireless connection in a relay path is changed while being connected to a first base station apparatus via a relay path, whether a base station apparatus connected via the changed connection destination apparatus is the first base station apparatus or a second base station apparatus different from the first base station apparatus; and
a setting unit configured to execute, when the base station apparatus connected via the changed connection destination apparatus is the second base station apparatus, a first setting processing concerning a relay path after the change, and execute, when the base station apparatus connected via the changed connection destination apparatus is the first base station apparatus, a second setting processing different from the first setting processing and concerning a relay path after the change,
wherein the first setting processing includes resetting information regarding a setting of the relay path used before changing the connection destination apparatus, while the second setting processing includes holding information regarding a setting of the relay path used before changing the connection destination apparatus.

2. The relay apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the setting unit makes, as the second setting processing, setting concerning the relay path after the change while maintaining an F1 interface already established with the first base station apparatus.

3. The relay apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the setting unit executes, as the first setting processing, processing of establishing an F1 interface with the second base station apparatus.

4. The relay apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the setting unit transmits, as the first setting processing, an F1 SETUP REQUEST message to the second base station apparatus.

5. The relay apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the setting unit removes, as the first setting processing, a setting of the relay path set with the first base station apparatus.

6. The relay apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the setting unit holds a setting of the relay path set with the first base station apparatus without removing the setting even while being connected to the second base station apparatus.

7. The relay apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the setting concerning the relay path includes storing, in association with each other, an identifier of the relay path and information indicating a next transfer destination of a signal in the relay path.

8. The relay apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the setting concerning the relay path includes storing information for specifying the relay apparatus used in relay transmission.

9. The relay apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit determines, based on an identifier received via the changed connection destination apparatus, whether the base station apparatus connected via the changed connection destination apparatus is the first base station apparatus or the second base station apparatus.

10. The relay apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the identifier is CellIdentity.

11. The relay apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising an acquisition unit configured to acquire, in advance, information for associating a base station apparatus and a physical cell identifier with each other,
wherein the identifier is a physical cell identifier.

12. A control method executed by a relay apparatus for wirelessly relaying communication between a base station apparatus and a terminal apparatus, comprising:
determining, when a connection destination apparatus of wireless connection in a relay path is changed while being connected to a first base station apparatus via a relay path, whether a base station apparatus connected via the changed connection destination apparatus is the first base station apparatus or a second base station apparatus different from the first base station apparatus; and
executing, when the base station apparatus connected via the changed connection destination apparatus is the second base station apparatus, a first setting processing concerning a relay path after the change, and executing, when the base station apparatus connected via the changed connection destination apparatus is the first base station apparatus, a second setting processing different from the first setting processing and concerning a relay path after the change,
wherein the first setting processing includes resetting information regarding a setting of the relay path used before changing the connection destination apparatus, while the second setting processing includes holding information regarding a setting of the relay path used before changing the connection destination apparatus.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a program for causing a computer, included in a relay apparatus for wirelessly relaying communication between a base station apparatus and a terminal apparatus, to
determine, when a connection destination apparatus of wireless connection in a relay path is changed while being connected to a first base station apparatus via a relay path, whether a base station apparatus connected via the changed connection destination apparatus is the first base station apparatus or a second base station apparatus different from the first base station apparatus, and
execute, when the base station apparatus connected via the changed connection destination apparatus is the second base station apparatus, a first setting processing concerning a relay path after the change, and execute, when the base station apparatus connected via the changed connection destination apparatus is the first base station apparatus, a second setting processing different from the first setting processing and concerning a relay path after the change,
wherein the first setting processing includes resetting information regarding a setting of the relay path used before changing the connection destination apparatus, while the second setting processing includes holding information regarding a setting of the relay path used before changing the connection destination apparatus.

Assignees

• Kddi Corp

Inventors

• Takeda Hiroki
• Watanabe Shingo

Classifications

• H04W40/22 Primary

  using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point · CPC title