Wireless communications system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9526088-B2
Application number	US-201214238671-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 15, 2012
Priority date	Aug 19, 2011
Publication date	Dec 20, 2016
Grant date	Dec 20, 2016

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.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A relay device for wirelessly relaying data from a terminal device to a base station, the relay device comprising:
circuitry configured to
receive, from the terminal device, uplink data transmitted on resources allocated to the terminal device by the base station;
set power control information for controlling a power level of a subsequent transmission from the terminal device to the relay device;
add a relay header to the uplink data received from the terminal device, the relay header including the power control information; and
transmit the uplink data, including the relay header, to the base station using uplink resources allocated to the relay device.

2. The relay device according to claim 1 , wherein
the base station transmits the allocation of uplink resources to the terminal device on a shared channel; and
the circuitry is configured 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
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. The relay device according to claim 2 , wherein the circuitry is configured to detect the allocation of uplink resources made to a terminal device using an identifier of the terminal device.

4. The relay device according to claim 2 , wherein the circuitry is configured to derive an allocation of uplink resources for relaying the uplink data to the base station from the detected allocation of uplink resources for transmitting the uplink data to the relay device.

5. The relay device according to claim 4 , wherein the derived allocation of uplink resources for relaying the 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. The relay device according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured 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
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. The 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. The relay device according to claim 2 , wherein the circuitry is configured to request, from the base station, the allocation of uplink resources for relaying the uplink data to the base station.

9. The relay device according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured 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
derive an allocation of uplink resources for relaying the 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. The relay device according to claim 9 , wherein the derived allocation of uplink resources for relaying the 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. The relay device according to claim 9 , wherein the circuitry is configured 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. The relay device according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured 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 uplink data to the base station.

13. The relay device according to claim 1 , wherein the relay header includes control information for controlling the transmission of subsequent messages from the terminal device to the relay device, the control information including the power control information.

14. The relay device according to claim 13 , wherein the circuitry is configured to
measure a received signal power of the uplink data received from the terminal device; and
set the power control information according to the received signal power.

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

16. The relay device according to claim 13 , wherein the circuitry is configured 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;
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 synchronized with a receive time of transmissions from other terminal devices; and
specify said timing advance offset in the control information.

17. The relay device according to claim 14 , wherein the circuitry is configured to transmit the relay header to the base station in relation to an expected message from the terminal device when the expected message was not correctly received at the relay device.

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

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

20. The relay device according to claim 17 , wherein the relay header further comprises an indication of whether the associated uplink data is present.

21. The relay device according to claim 13 , wherein the circuitry is configured 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:
circuitry configured to
receive from the base station an allocation of uplink resources for transmitting uplink data to the relay device;
transmit uplink data to the relay device using the uplink resources allocated to the terminal device;
receive power control information from the base station; and
control transmission power of a subsequent transmission according to the power control information, 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,
the power control information is set by the relay device, and
the relay device forwards the power control information to the base station.

23. The term

Assignees

• Speight Timothy James
• Piggin Paul William
• Sca Ipla Holdings Inc

Inventors

• Speight Timothy James
• Piggin Paul William

Classifications

• H04W72/23

  in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal · CPC title

• H04W74/0833

  Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access · CPC title

• H04W84/047

  using dedicated repeater stations · CPC title

• H04B7/15542 Primary

  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 title

• H04B7/15

  Active relay systems · CPC title