COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE, COMMUNICATIONS APPARATUS OPERATING AS A RELAY NODE, INFRASTRUCTURE EQUIPMENT AND METHODS

摘要

A communications device and method of communicating using a communications device is disclosed for transmitting data to a mobile communications network or receiving data from a mobile communications network. The communications device comprises a transmitter configured to transmit signals representing data to an infrastructure equipment of a mobile communications network via a first wireless access interface and to transmit signals via a second wireless access interface to one or more communications apparatus which can act as relay nodes, a receiver configured to receive signals from the infrastructure equipment of the mobile communications network via the first wireless access interface and to receive signals via the second wireless access interface from the one or more communications apparatus which can act as relay nodes, and a controller. The controller is configured to form a relay assist request message and in combination with the transmitter and the receiver to transmit the relay assist request message on the second wireless access interface for reception by the one or more communications apparatus which can act as relay nodes to assist in communicating signals representing data to the infrastructure equipment via the first wireless access interface. The receiver receives from at least one of the communications apparatus, via the second wireless access interface, a relay response message providing an indication that the communications apparatus can act as a relay node for the communications device, and the transmitter transmits signals representing the data, for transmission to the infrastructure equipment, to the communications apparatus acting as a relay node via the second wireless access interface. In some examples the relay assist request message is transmitted as a broadcast signal to any communications apparatus which can act as relay node. In other examples the relay assist request message is transmitted selectively by the communications device, after receiving an indication of available communications apparatus which can act as relay nodes from the infrastructure equipment. According to this arrangement a communications device is provided with a facility to identify communications apparatus which can act as relay nodes.