WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM AND METHOD

摘要

A wireless communications system includes a base station, a plurality of intermediate devices, and a terminal device. Downlink communications may be provided directly from the base station to the terminal device, including control signals which instruct the terminal device where to send uplink data. This enables the base station to directly control scheduling of uplink communications, and in particular to define an uplink route from the terminal device to the base station via one or more intermediate devices. Power is conserved at the terminal device on the uplink because a lower power transmission can be used which although insufficient to reach the base station can reach the intermediate device. The terminal device is not required to determine the uplink path itself and therefore does not require complex, expensive, and power consuming control logic.

主权项

1. An intermediate device for wirelessly relaying data between a base station and a terminal device within a wireless communications system, the intermediate device comprising: a receiver configured to wirelessly receive, from the base station, intermediate control signals indicating another intermediate device or the base station as a target device to which the intermediate device is to direct uplink signals intended for the base station; and to wirelessly receive, from the terminal device or from another intermediate device, the uplink signals intended for the base station; and a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the received uplink signals to the intermediate device or the base station indicated by the intermediate control signals.