Uplink resource allocation for relay node based communication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9538510-B2
Application number	US-201214239713-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 15, 2012
Priority date	Aug 19, 2011
Publication date	Jan 3, 2017
Grant date	Jan 3, 2017

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 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 wireless communications system, comprising:
a base station;
a relay device; and
a terminal device; wherein
the terminal device is operable
to receive from the base station an allocation of uplink resources for transmitting uplink data to the relay device;
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 resources for relaying the received uplink data to the base station;
to add a relay header to the uplink data received from the terminal device, the relay header comprising control information for controlling the transmission of subsequent messages from the terminal device to the relay device; and
to relay the received uplink data having the relay header added to the base station using the uplink resources allocated to the relay device.

2. The wireless communications system according to claim 1 , wherein
the base station is operable to transmit the allocation of uplink resources to the terminal device on a shared channel; and
the relay device is operable
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
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 detected allocation of resources made on the shared channel.

3. The wireless communications system according to claim 2 , wherein
the relay device is operable to detect the allocation of uplink resources made to a terminal device using an identifier of the terminal device.

4. The wireless communications system according to claim 2 , wherein
the relay device is operable to derive an allocation of uplink resources for relaying the received uplink data to the base station from the detected allocation of uplink resources for transmitting the uplink data to the relay device.

5. The wireless communications system according to claim 4 , wherein
the derived allocation of uplink resources for relaying the received 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 wireless communications system according to claim 1 , wherein the relay device is operable
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
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.

7. The wireless communications system 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 wireless communications system according to claim 6 , wherein
the relay device is operable to request, from the base station, the allocation of uplink resources for relaying the received uplink data to the base station.

9. The wireless communications system according to claim 1 , wherein the relay device is operable
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
to derive an allocation of uplink resources for relaying the received 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 wireless communications system according to claim 9 , wherein
the derived allocation of uplink resources for relaying the received 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 wireless communications system according to claim 9 , wherein
the relay device is operable 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 wireless communications system according to claim 1 , wherein
the relay device is operable 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 received uplink data to the base station.

13. The wireless communications system according to claim 1 , wherein
the base station is operable to transmit the control information contained in the relay header to the terminal device; and
the terminal device is operable to transmit one or more subsequent messages to the relay device based on the control information included in the relay header.

14. The wireless communications system according to claim 1 , wherein the relay device is operable
to measure a received signal power of the uplink data received from the terminal device; and
to set power control information in the control information for controlling a power level of a subsequent transmission from the terminal device to the relay device.

15. The wireless communications system according to claim 14 , wherein
the power control information specifies a power offset from the received signal power.

16. The wireless communications system according to claim 14 , wherein
the terminal device is responsive to the power control information to control the transmission power of a subsequent transmission to the relay device.

17. The wireless communications system according to claim 1 , wherein the relay device is operable
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;
to 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
to specify said timing advance offset in the control information.

18. The wireless communications system according to claim 17 , wherein
the terminal device is responsive to the timing advance information to control the timing of a subsequent transmission from the terminal device to the relay device.

19. The wireless communications system according to claim 1 , wherein
the relay device is operable to transmit the relay header to the base station in relation to an expected message from the terminal device even if the expected message was not correctly received at the relay device.

20. The wireless communications system according to claim 19 , wherein
the message from the terminal device is expected if uplink resources have been allocated to the terminal device by the base station.

21. The wireless communications system according to claim 19 , wherein
the relay header comprises

Assignees

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

Inventors

• Speight Timothy James
• Piggin Paul William

Classifications

• H04W72/1263

  Mapping of traffic onto schedule, e.g. scheduled allocation or multiplexing of flows · CPC title

• H04W88/04

  adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user · CPC title

• H04W84/047

  using dedicated repeater stations · CPC title

• H04W72/04 Primary

  Wireless resource allocation · CPC title

• H04B7/155

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