Relay Station Frame Structure for Single Transceiver Time Division
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Solution Overview
Problem
Relay stations in wireless communication networks face interference and high costs due to the need for double transceivers to manage concurrent transmission and reception, especially in OFDMA networks like IEEE 802.16, leading to degraded signal quality and increased expenses.
Innovation Solution
A frame structure is introduced with dedicated time zones for transmissions between base stations, relay stations, and mobile stations, allowing for a single switched-transceiver architecture that reduces interference and supports backward compatibility with existing standards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If relay stations use double transceiver architecture to handle concurrent transmission and reception, then communication coverage and reliability are improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic time-division multiplexing where the relay station alternates between transmission and reception phases in a cyclic manner. During transmission time zones, the relay transmits signals to mobile stations; during reception time zones, it receives signals from mobile stations. This periodic switching allows a single transceiver to handle both functions sequentially, eliminating the need for simultaneous transmit and receive capabilities that would require dual transceivers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic transceiver switching where the relay station's transceiver configuration changes over time based on the operational phase. The system dynamically allocates time zones for different functions (BS-RS transmission, BS-MS transmission, RS-MS transmission, and their uplink counterparts), allowing the single transceiver to adapt its role between transmitting and receiving depending on the current time zone, thereby achieving flexible resource utilization without hardware redundancy.
2Reliability
If relay stations use double transceiver architecture to manage concurrent operations, then signal transmission quality is improved, but operational cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes a single transceiver unit perform multiple functions that would traditionally require separate hardware components. The same transceiver is used for both transmission to mobile stations and reception from mobile stations, as well as for communication with the base station, by time-multiplexing its operation across different functional roles within a structured frame format.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the transmit and receive functions into a single integrated transceiver unit operating under time-division control. Instead of having separate transmit and receive chains running simultaneously, the system merges these functions into one unit that switches between modes, reducing hardware components while maintaining communication quality through careful time zone allocation and interference management.
3Ease of manufacture
If relay stations use single switched-transceiver architecture to reduce cost, then manufacturing cost decreases, but intra-cell interference increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the communication frame into distinct time zones, each dedicated to specific transmission or reception operations. By dividing the overall communication cycle into non-overlapping time slots for different functions (BS-RS downlink, BS-MS downlink, RS-MS downlink, and corresponding uplinks), the system eliminates simultaneous transmit-receive operations that would cause self-interference, allowing a single transceiver to operate without intra-cell interference issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The structured frame format acts as an intermediary mechanism that coordinates and separates conflicting transmission and reception operations. The frame structure with its defined time zones serves as a temporal mediator that organizes when each type of communication occurs, ensuring that the single transceiver is never required to transmit and receive simultaneously, thus preventing self-interference while enabling cost-effective single-transceiver architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
A frame structure for a relay station operating in an OFDMA network includes a downlink sub-frame having a first allocated time zone dedicated for transmission between a base station in the network and the relay station, a second allocated time zone dedicated for transmission between the base station and a mobile station in the network, and a third allocated time zone dedicated for transmission between the relay station and the mobile station; and an uplink sub-frame having a first allocated time zone dedicated for transmission between the mobile station and the relay station, a second allocated time zone dedicated for transmission between the mobile station and the base station, and a third allocated time zone dedicated for transmission between the relay station and the base station.