KR101467466B1 - Apparatus and method for relay service in wireless communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for supporting a relay service using a terminal in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: confirming whether the terminal is operating in a charge mode; And relaying a signal transmitted and received between the upper node and the lower node when the upper node accepts the relay service support, the method comprising: accepting the relay service support; And determining whether or not the terminal is in a high-priority state based on the scheduling for the terminal in the superordinate node. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a situation where the terminal does not process its own signal due to insufficient power and processing power, There is an advantage that area expansion and processing capacity can be increased.

Relay service, charge mode, terminal relay station, relay service request

Description

[0001] APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR RELAY SERVICE IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM [0002]

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration for providing a relay service in a wireless communication system according to the related art;

2 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for providing a relay service in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a diagram illustrating an operation procedure of a terminal for providing a relay service in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.

4 is a block diagram of a terminal in a wireless communication system according to the present invention;

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for performing a relay service in a wireless communication system, and in particular, provides an apparatus and method for a terminal of the wireless communication system to perform an operation of a relay station to support the relay service.

In a general wireless communication system, since a communication is performed by a direct link between a fixed base station and a mobile station, the flexibility of the wireless network configuration is low. That is, in the wireless communication system, it is difficult to provide an efficient service in a wireless environment in which a traffic distribution or a call request amount is greatly changed.

Accordingly, in recent years, the wireless communication system performs communication using a relay service that transmits data in a multi-hop form using a relay station. Therefore, the wireless communication system using the relaying method can quickly reconfigure the network in response to a change in the communication environment, and can efficiently operate the entire wireless network. Also, the wireless communication system can provide a wireless channel having a better channel status to the terminal by installing a relay station between the base station and the terminal. That is, the wireless communication system can provide a high-speed data channel to the UEs in the cell boundary region where the channel state is poor using the relay station, and can expand the cell service area.

FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration for providing a relay service in a wireless communication system according to the related art.

As shown in FIG. 1, terminals 140, 150, 160 and 170 included in a wireless communication system providing a relay service provide services through the base station 100 and the relay stations 110, 120 and 130 Receive.

That is, the terminals 140 and 150 included in the service area 110 of the base station 100 communicate with the base station 100 directly using the terminal link L1. At this time, the terminal # 2 150 having a poor channel status receives a high-speed data channel using the relay terminal link (L2) of the relay station # 2 130.

The terminals 160 and 170 located outside the service area 101 of the base station 100 communicate with the base station 100 through the relay terminal link L3 of the first relay station 110. [ That is, the BS 100 can extend the service area by providing a communication link to the MSs 160 and 170 located outside the service area using the RS 1 110. At this time, the UE # 4 170, which is located in the cell boundary region in the service area of the RS # 1 110 and has poor channel status, increases the transmission capacity using the relay terminal link L 4 of the RS # 2 120 .

As described above, the wireless communication system can increase the cell area expansion and capacity by providing the control channel and the high-speed data channel to the terminals located in the cell boundary region and the shadow region, which have poor channel state, using the relay station. At this time, the wireless communication system can support a relay service using surrounding terminals or a separate relay station performing the relay service.

However, when the terminal of the wireless communication system supports the relay service, the terminal wastes limited power in order to relay signals of other users. Therefore, when the terminal attempts to process its own signal, it may not be able to process the signal because of insufficient power.

In addition, when the terminal relays signals of other users, there may arise a problem that the signal can not be processed due to the limitation of the processing power when the communication state of the terminal occurs.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for supporting a relay service using a terminal in a wireless communication system.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for providing a relay service using the terminal in consideration of power supplied to the terminal in a wireless communication system.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for providing a relay service using idle resources of a terminal operating in a charge mode in a wireless communication system.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for supporting a relay service in a terminal of a wireless communication system, the method comprising: checking whether the terminal is operating in a charge mode; Requesting an upper node to accept the request for relay service support; and relaying signals transmitted and received between the upper node and the lower node when the upper node accepts the relay service support, The acceptance of the relay service support is determined based on the scheduling of the MS in the upper node.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a terminal apparatus of a wireless communication system includes an interface connector for connecting to an external device, a charge mode control unit for controlling the terminal to operate in a charge mode by confirming connection or supply power of the interface connector, When the terminal is operating in the charging mode, control to request the upper node to accept the relay service support, and when the upper node has accepted the relay service support, And a relay mode control unit for controlling the relay node to relay the signal, and whether to accept the relay service is determined based on the scheduling for the terminal in the superordinate node.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

Hereinafter, a technique for supporting a relay service using a terminal in a multi-hop relay wireless communication system will be described.

When the terminal of the wireless communication system operates in the charging mode, it is determined that the power of a certain level or more is continuously supplied and that the user of the wireless communication system does not use the terminal for a certain period of time. Processing Power) occurs. Therefore, the terminal can support the relay service for the lower nodes using the idle resources. Here, the lower node means a lower relay station or a peripheral terminal, but the following description assumes that the terminal is a peripheral terminal.

At this time, the terminal requests the upper node to perform the relay function as shown in FIG. 2 to support the relay service using the idle resource. Thereafter, when the upper node accepts the relay function, the terminal performs a relay service for the lower nodes. Here, the upper node represents a base station or a higher relay station, but the following description assumes that the base station is a base station.

FIG. 2 illustrates a procedure for providing a relay service in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, it is assumed that the terminal 1 (203) is a terminal for supporting a relay service.

As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal 1 (203) confirms whether it is entering the charging mode. For example, when the terminal 1 (203) is connected to a charger or when power equal to or higher than a reference value is supplied for a predetermined time, the terminal (203) enters a charging mode. In the following description, the case where the terminal is connected to the charger is described as an example, but the same operation may be performed in the case of another method of continuously supplying power of a predetermined level or more, such as a method of adding a battery to the terminal.

If the terminal 1 (203) enters the charging mode (Step 211), it is determined that the power of a predetermined level or more is continuously supplied and that the user of the terminal 1 (203) (Step 213). That is, the terminal 1 (203) can support a relay service for peripheral terminals by using the idle resources generated in the charging mode. Therefore, the terminal 1 (203) informs the base station 201 that it can operate as a relay station supporting relay service.

Upon receiving a relay function execution request from the terminal 1 (203), the BS 201 determines whether the terminal 1 (203) performs a relay function through scheduling. If the first terminal 203 can perform the relay function, the base station 201 accepts the relay function to the first terminal 203 (step 215).

The terminal 1 203 provides a relay service between the neighboring terminals (for example, the second terminal 205) and the base station 201 (step 217) upon receiving the relay function execution acceptance from the base station 201, . That is, the terminal 1 (203) relays signals transmitted and received between the base station (201) and the terminal (2) (205).

After that, if the charging mode of the terminal # 1 203 is canceled, the base station informs the base station that the charging mode has been released. If the charging mode is released from the base station, the relay service is stopped.

A terminal for supporting a relay service in the wireless communication system operates as shown in FIG.

3 illustrates an operation procedure of a terminal for providing a relay service in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the UE determines in step 301 whether a charging mode is entered. For example, the terminal enters a charging mode when it is connected to a charger or when power over a reference value is supplied for a certain period of time.

If the charging mode is entered, the terminal proceeds to step 303 and confirms whether the relay service is supported. That is, when the idle resource occurs, the terminal confirms whether or not a predetermined relay service is supported. At this time, whether the terminal supports the relay service can be set by a key operation of the user.

If the MS does not support the relay service, the MS terminates the algorithm. That is, the terminal operates in a normal charging mode.

Meanwhile, if the MS supports the RS in step 303, the MS proceeds to step 305 and requests the BS to perform the RS function. That is, the terminal informs the base station that it can operate as a relay station supporting the relay service.

In step 307, the MS determines whether the BS accepts the RS of the MS. That is, the terminal determines whether a relay function acceptance signal is received from the base station.

If the base station refuses to perform the relay function of the terminal, the terminal ends the algorithm. At this time, the terminal determines that the relay function is rejected by the base station if the relay function cancellation signal is received from the base station or the relay function enable acknowledge signal is not received for a predetermined time.

On the other hand, when the BS accepts the relay function of the MS, the MS proceeds to step 309 and relays signals transmitted and received between the BS and the neighboring terminals.

While performing the relay service, the terminal proceeds to step 311 and checks whether the power is continuously supplied through the charger

If the power is continuously supplied, the terminal returns to step 309 to support the relay service.

Meanwhile, if the power supply is interrupted, the MS informs the BS that the MS can not continuously provide the MT service due to the power supply interruption, terminates the function as the RS, and terminates the present algorithm.

Hereinafter, a block configuration of the terminal for supporting a relay service according to a power supplied to the terminal or a state change of the terminal in the wireless communication system will be described.

FIG. 4 shows a block configuration of a terminal in a wireless communication system according to the present invention.

4, the terminal includes a control unit 400, an interface connector 410, a storage unit 420, a keypad 430, a display unit 440, a voice processing unit 450, and a communication unit 460 .

First, the controller 400 controls the overall operation of the terminal. And performs processing and control for voice communication and data communication, for example. The control unit 400 includes a charging mode control unit 401 and a relay mode control unit 403 to control the relay service according to the power supplied to the terminal.

The charging mode control unit 401 controls the terminal to operate in the charging mode when the terminal is connected to the charger through the interface connector 410 or receives power exceeding a reference value for a predetermined period of time.

The relay mode controller 403 controls the terminal to support the relay service for peripheral terminals when the terminal operates in the charge mode under the control of the charge mode controller 401. [ For example, when the terminal operates in the charging mode, the relay mode control unit 403 confirms the relay service support setting information. If the relay service is supported, the relay mode control unit 403 controls the base station to request the relay function to be performed. At this time, when the base station accepts the relay function, the relay mode controller 403 controls the terminal to operate as a relay station that relays signals transmitted and received between the surrounding terminals and the base station.

The interface connector 410 functions to connect an external device and the terminal. For example, the interface connector 410 connects the computer and the terminal through a cable. Also, the interface connector 410 connects the charger to the terminal so that the terminal operates in the charging mode.

The memory 420 includes a program memory, a data memory, and a nonvolatile memory. The memory 420 stores a program for controlling the overall operation of the terminal, temporary data generated during operation of the terminal, system parameters, and other storage data (telephone number, SMS message, etc.).

The key pad 430 includes a 4 × 3 numeric key matrix and a plurality of function keys (a call key, a direction key, an OK key, etc.) and transmits key input data corresponding to a key pressed by the user to the control unit 400 ).

The display unit 440 displays status information (or an indicator) generated during operation of the terminal, characters, a moving picture, and a still picture input by the user.

The voice processing unit 450 processes voice signals input and output through the speaker and the microphone under the control of the controller 400. [

The communication unit 460 processes a radio frequency (RF) signal transmitted / received through an antenna.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited by the illustrated embodiments, but should be determined by the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

As described above, in a wireless communication system using a relay scheme, a relay service is supported by using idle resources of a terminal operating in a charge mode, so that the processing power of the terminal is insufficient to process its signal It is advantageous to expand the cell area and increase the processing capacity by supporting the relay service. That is, the terminal informs that the upper node can utilize its own idle resources, thereby minimizing damage to the terminal due to resource shortage, thereby improving the efficiency of the overall communication system.

Claims (14)

A method for supporting a relay service in a terminal of a wireless communication system, Confirming whether the terminal operates in a charging mode, Requesting an upper node to accept the request for relay service when the mobile node operates in the charging mode; And relaying a signal transmitted and received between the upper node and the lower node when the upper node accepts the relay service support, Wherein the acceptance of the relay service support is determined based on scheduling for the terminal at the superordinate node. The method according to claim 1, The process for confirming whether the battery pack is operated in the charge mode includes: Confirming whether the terminal is connected to a charger, And determining that the terminal is operating in a charging mode when the terminal is connected to the charger. The method according to claim 1, The process for confirming whether the battery pack is operated in the charge mode includes: Checking a power supply of the terminal; And determining that the mobile terminal is operating in a charging mode when power equal to or greater than a reference value is supplied for a predetermined time. The method according to claim 1, Further comprising the step of confirming whether the terminal can support the relay service when operating in the charging mode, When the MS is able to support the relay service, the MS proceeds to the step of requesting the relay node to support the relay service. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the upper node is a base station or a higher relay station. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the lower node is a terminal or a lower relay station. The method according to claim 1, And stopping the signal relay between the upper node and the lower node when the charging mode is released. A terminal apparatus of a wireless communication system, An interface connector for connecting to an external device, A charging mode controller for controlling the terminal to operate in a charging mode by confirming connection or supply power of the interface connector; When the terminal operates in the charging mode, controls the upper node to request acceptance of the relay service support, and when accepting the relay service support in the upper node, transmits a signal transmitted / received between the upper node and the lower node And a relay mode control unit for controlling the relay mode control unit, Wherein the acceptance of the relay service support is determined based on the scheduling for the terminal at the superordinate node. 9. The method of claim 8, Wherein the charge mode control unit controls the terminal to operate in a charge mode when the interface connector and the charger are connected. 9. The method of claim 8, Wherein the charge mode control unit controls the terminal to operate in a charge mode when power equal to or greater than a reference value is supplied for a predetermined time. 9. The method of claim 8, Wherein the relay mode control unit controls the upper node to request the relay service support when the terminal operates in the charge mode, And to relay the signal transmitted and received between the upper node and the lower node when the upper node accepts the relay service support. 9. The method of claim 8, Wherein the relay mode control unit controls to stop signal relay between the upper node and the lower node when the charging mode of the terminal is released. 9. The method of claim 8, Wherein the upper node is a base station or a higher relay station. 9. The method of claim 8, And the lower node is a terminal or a lower relay station.

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