WIRELESS COMMUNICATION METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS

摘要

A method, wireless device and computer program product for expanding the coverage of a cellular network. A wireless device (e.g., cellular telephone) is able to communicate with a base station in a cell of the cellular network over a non-cellular interface via another wireless device in a cell through the use of multi-hopping. A wireless device may request permission to communicate with the base station over a non-cellular interface via hopping off another wireless device when its signal strength is below a threshold. Alternatively, a wireless device may receive a request to communicate with the base station over a non-cellular interface via hopping off the wireless device that sent the request when that wireless device has excess capacity in its bandwidth with the base station. By enabling wireless devices to communicate with a base station in such a manner, the effective capacity of the cellular network is expanded and the effective capacity of the cellular network is improved.

主权项

1. A method of conveying data on a multi-hop communications network, the method comprising:
receiving, with a first communications interface of a first communications device, a first node-state signal from a second communications device; determining, in the first communications device, based on the first node-state signal, that the first communications device will make itself available as a relay for other communications devices in the multi-hop communications network via the second communications device; in response to determining that the first communications device will make itself available as a relay for other communications devices in the multi-hop communications network via the second communications device, transmitting, from a second communications interface of the first communications device, a second node-state signal indicating the availability of the first communications device as a relay for other communications devices in the multi-hop communications network; and receiving, at the first communications device:
uplink data from a third communications device and transmitting the uplink data to the second communications device; ordownlink data from the second communications device and transmitting the downlink data to a third communications device.