Multihop Relay Station Management for Wireless Networks

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Wireless wide-area communication networks using multihop relay stations face challenges in managing inactive relay stations during communication origination, termination, re-establishment, and handoff, particularly in determining channel quality and activating inactive stations to assist mobile stations.

Innovation Solution

The solution involves an improved Media Access Control (MAC) layer that maintains transmitter silence when not serving mobile stations, allowing the relay station to monitor nearby signals and activate only when necessary to minimize interference and improve channel quality estimation for uplink and downlink channels, enabling seamless handoff, origination, and termination.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-generated harmful factors

If relay stations remain inactive to reduce interference and save energy, then network interference is reduced and energy consumption is lowered, but channel quality estimation becomes difficult and handoff management becomes complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork interferenceVSAvoidchannel quality estimation

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-generated harmful factorsVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by having the mobile station report uplink channel quality measurements to the base station before handoff is needed. The base station stores these measurements and uses them proactively when a mobile station needs to handoff to an inactive relay station, eliminating the need for the relay station to be actively transmitting signals beforehand.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The base station acts as an intermediary that collects, stores, and manages channel quality information from mobile stations. It then provides this information to inactive relay stations when needed, enabling the relay stations to make informed decisions about activation without needing to actively monitor channels themselves.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If inactive relay stations activate to assist mobile stations in handoff, then handoff capability is improved, but network interference increases and latency is introduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehandoff capabilityVSAvoidactivation latency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The inactive relay station uses the pre-collected channel quality information from the base station to make autonomous decisions about whether to activate for handoff. This self-service approach eliminates the need for complex coordination protocols and reduces activation latency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Measurement precision

If relay stations continuously monitor and transmit signals, then channel quality estimation is improved, but energy consumption increases and interference is generated

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvechannel quality estimationVSAvoidrelay station energy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the channel quality measurement function from the relay station and places it at the mobile station. The mobile station measures the uplink channel quality and reports it to the base station, which then makes activation decisions. This eliminates the need for relay stations to continuously monitor and transmit signals.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The mobile station performs self-service by autonomously measuring channel quality and reporting it to the base station. This eliminates the need for relay stations to actively participate in channel quality estimation, reducing their energy consumption and interference generation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS8717964B2Wireless wide-area communication network multihop relay station management

Publication Date: 2014.05.06 ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC

AI summary

A system and method for managing a multihop relay station in a wireless wide-area communication network includes determining whether any mobile stations are being served by the relay station. If not, inactivating the relay station by; inactivating transmitted signals from the relay station, leaving a receiver active, and monitoring signals on the active receiver. Whereafter, estimating a channel quality of at least one mobile station from the monitored signals by the inactive relay station, and activating the relay station in response to the monitored signals indicating that a channel quality of the mobile station will improve when being served by the relay station.