Relay station, relay method, radio communication system, and radio communication apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9184825-B2
Application number	US-201013497945-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2010
Priority date	Oct 1, 2009
Publication date	Nov 10, 2015
Grant date	Nov 10, 2015

Abstract

A relay node in a mobile communication network for relaying communications between a base station and a mobile terminal The relay node includes a first communication unit that communicates with the base station via a backhaul link using at least one of a first modulation method and a first multiplexing method, and a second communication unit that communicates with the mobile terminal via an access link using at least one of a second modulation method and a second multiplexing method. The relay node also includes a communication control unit that selects the at least one of the first modulation method and the first multiplexing method, or selects the at least one of the second modulation method and the second multiplexing method based on a characteristic of a link, a type of link or a type of data included in a communication signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A relay node in a mobile communication network for relaying communications between a base station and a mobile terminal, the relay node comprising:
circuitry configured to:
communicate with the base station via a backhaul link using a first combination of a first modulation method and a first multiplexing method;
communicate with the mobile terminal via an access link using a second combination of a second modulation method and a second multiplexing method; and
select either Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) as the first combination and the second combination based on whether the communication is via the backhaul link with the base station or the access link with the mobile terminal, and whether the communication is an uplink connection or a downlink connection, wherein
the circuitry is configured to select the OFDMA as the first combination when the circuitry determines a high transmission power is available for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station, or select the OFDMA as the second combination when the circuitry determines the high transmission power is available for the communication via the access link with the mobile terminal,
the circuitry is configured to select the SC-FDMA as the first combination when the circuitry determines the high transmission power is not available for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station, or select the SC-FDMA as the second combination when the circuitry determines the high transmission power is not available for the communication via the access link with the mobile terminal, and
the circuitry is configured to select either the SC-FDMA or the OFDMA for both of the uplink connection and the downlink connection when the circuitry determines data included in the communications is for a real-time application.

2. The relay node according to claim 1 , wherein
the circuitry is configured to select the SC-FDMA for the communication via the access link with the mobile terminal in the uplink communication, select the OFDMA for the communication via the access link with the mobile terminal in the downlink communication, select either the SC-FDMA or the OFDMA for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station in the uplink communication, and select either the SC-FDMA or the OFDMA for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station in the downlink communication.

3. The relay node according to claim 2 , wherein
the circuitry is configured to select the OFDMA for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station in the uplink communication.

4. The relay node according to claim 2 , wherein
the circuitry is configured to select the SC-FDMA for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station in the downlink communication.

5. The relay node according to claim 2 , wherein
the circuitry is configured to select either the SC-FDMA for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station in the uplink communication, and select the OFDMA for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station in the downlink communication.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including executable instructions, which when executed by a relay node, cause the relay node to perform a method of relaying communications between a base station and a mobile terminal, the method comprising:
selecting a first combination of a first modulation method and a first multiplexing method for communicating with the base station via a backhaul link;
selecting a second combination of a second modulation method and a second multiplexing method for communicating with the mobile terminal via an access link;
communicating with the base station via the backhaul link using the at least one of the first modulation method and the first multiplexing method;
communicating with the mobile terminal via the at least one of the second modulation method and the second multiplexing method;
selecting either Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) as the first combination and the second combination based on whether the communication is via the backhaul link with the base station or the access link with the mobile terminal, and whether the communication is an uplink connection or a downlink connection;
selecting the OFDMA as the first combination when a high transmission power is determined to be available for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station, or selecting the OFDMA as the second combination when the high transmission power is determined to be available for the communication via the access link with the mobile terminal;
selecting the SC-FDMA as the first combination when the high transmission power is determined to be not available for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station, or selecting the SC-FDMA as the second combination when the high transmission power is determined to be not available for the communication via the access link with the mobile terminal; and
selecting either the SC-FDMA or the OFDMA for both of the uplink connection and the downlink connection when data included in the communications is determined to be for a real-time application.

7. A method performed by a relay node of relaying communications between a base station and a mobile terminal, the method comprising:
selecting, by circuitry of the relay node, a first combination of a first modulation method and a first multiplexing method for communicating with the base station via a backhaul link;
selecting, by the circuitry of the relay node, a second combination of a second modulation method and a second multiplexing method for communicating with the mobile terminal via an access link;
communicating, by the circuitry of the relay node, with the base station via the backhaul link using the at least one of the first modulation method and the first multiplexing method;
communicating, by the circuitry of the relay node, with the mobile terminal via the access link using the at least one of the second modulation method and the second multiplexing method;
selecting, by the circuitry of the relay node, either Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) as the first combination and the second combination based on whether the communication is via the backhaul link with the base station or the access link with the mobile terminal, and whether the communication is an uplink connection or a downlink connection;
selecting, by the circuitry of the relay node, the OFDMA as the first combination when a high transmission power is determined to be available for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station, or selecting, by the circuitry of the relay node, the OFDMA as the second combination when the high transmission power is determined to be available for the communication via the access link with the mobile terminal;
selecting, by the circuitry of the relay node, the SC-FDMA as the first combination when the high transmission power is determined to be not available for the communication via the backhaul link with the base station, or selecting, by the circuitry of the relay node, the SC-FDMA as the second combination when the high transmission power is determined to be not available for the communication via the access link with the mobile terminal; and
selecting either the SC-FDMA or the OFDMA for both of the uplink connection and the downlink connection when data included in the communications is determined to be for a real-time application.

8. A wireless communication sy

Assignees

• Kimura Ryota
• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Kimura Ryota

Classifications

• H04L1/0003

  by switching between different modulation schemes · CPC title

• H04B7/155 Primary

  Ground-based stations (H04B7/204 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04L2001/0097

  Relays · CPC title

• H04W16/26 Primary

  Cell enhancers {or enhancement}, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow · CPC title

• H04W84/045

  using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B · CPC title