CELL RELAY PROTOCOL

Info

Publication number: 20100103864
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 22, 2009
Publication Date: Apr 29, 2010
Applicant: QUALCOMM Incorporated (San Diego, CA)
Inventors: Fatih Ulupinar (San Diego, CA), Gavin B. Horn (La Jolla, CA), Parag A. Agashe (San Diego, CA), Nathan E. Tenny (Poway, CA), Yongsheng Shi (Falls Church, VA)
Application Number: 12/604,215

Abstract

Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate providing a relay protocol to facilitate communicating upper layer protocol data among relay and donor nodes. In particular, a donor node can create a relay protocol packet upon receiving data for a relay node from a core network. Donor node can indicate an assigned relay identifier in the relay protocol packet header to facilitate routing the packet among related downstream relay nodes to arrive at the appropriate relay node, which can process the upper layer protocol data. In addition, a relay node can formulate a relay protocol packet for communication to a donor node through zero or more intermediary upstream relay nodes. Similarly, the relay node can insert the assigned relay identifier in the header to allow the donor node to associate response or related packets from the core network with the relay node.

Description

Description

CLAIM OF PRIORITY UNDER 35 U.S.C. §119

The present application for patent claims priority to Provisional Application No. 61/108,287 entitled “CELL RELAY BASE STATION FOR LTE” filed Oct. 24, 2008, and assigned to the assignee hereof and hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The following description relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to providing a protocol for relay node communications.

2. Background

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as, for example, voice, data, and so on. Typical wireless communication systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, . . . ). Examples of such multiple-access systems may include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, and the like. Additionally, the systems can conform to specifications such as third generation partnership project (3GPP), 3GPP long term evolution (LTE), ultra mobile broadband (UMB), and/or multi-carrier wireless specifications such as evolution data optimized (EV-DO), one or more revisions thereof, etc.

Generally, wireless multiple-access communication systems may simultaneously support communication for multiple mobile devices. Each mobile device may communicate with one or more access points (e.g., base stations) via transmissions on forward and reverse links. The forward link (or downlink) refers to the communication link from access points to mobile devices, and the reverse link (or uplink) refers to the communication link from mobile devices to access points. Further, communications between mobile devices and access points may be established via single-input single-output (SISO) systems, multiple-input single-output (MISO) systems, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems, and so forth. Access points, however, can be limited in geographic coverage area as well as resources such that mobile devices near edges of coverage and/or devices in areas of high traffic can experience degraded quality of communications from an access point.

Cell relays can be provided to expand network capacity and coverage area by facilitating communication between mobile devices and access points. For example, a cell relay can establish a backhaul link with a donor access point, which can provide access to a number of cell relays, and the cell relay can establish an access link with one or more mobile devices or additional cell relays. To mitigate modification to backend core network components, communication interfaces, such as S1-U, can terminate at the donor access point. Thus, the donor access point appears as a normal access point to backend network components. To this end, the donor access point can route packets from the backend network components to the cell relays for communicating to the mobile devices.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects in order to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all aspects nor delineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

In accordance with one or more aspects and corresponding disclosure thereof, various aspects are described in connection with facilitating providing a relay protocol that supports packet routing, point-to-point communications, and/or the like. In particular, relay evolved Node Bs (eNB) can communicate using a relay protocol layer that carriers upper layer protocol messages. Relay eNBs can create a header for packets communicated over the relay protocol layer, which can include fields indicating a type of upper layer protocol message, an identifier for a destination relay eNB, a destination internet protocol (IP) address, and/or the like. In one example, the relay eNB identifier can be assigned by a donor eNB and communicated to each relay eNB in the chain to the destination relay eNB. In this regard, packets received from a core network at the donor eNB can be routed to the destination relay eNB by populating a relay ID field in the relay protocol header. Receiving relay eNBs can obtain the relay ID and route the packet according to a routing table associating relay IDs to downstream relay eNB identifiers.

According to related aspects, a method is provided that includes generating a relay protocol packet comprising an upper layer protocol payload. The method also includes populating a header of the relay protocol packet with a relay identifier and transmitting the relay protocol packet to one or more eNBs in a wireless network.

Another aspect relates to a wireless communications apparatus. The wireless communications apparatus can include at least one processor configured to create a relay protocol packet having an upper layer protocol payload and insert a relay identifier in a header of the relay protocol packet. The at least one processor is further configured to communicate the relay protocol packet to one or more eNBs. The wireless communications apparatus also comprises a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

Yet another aspect relates to an apparatus. The apparatus includes means for generating a relay protocol packet and means for inserting a relay identifier in a header of the relay protocol packet. The apparatus also includes means for communicating the relay protocol packet to one or more eNBs in a wireless network.

Still another aspect relates to a computer program product, which can have a computer-readable medium including code for causing at least one computer to generate a relay protocol packet comprising an upper layer protocol payload. The computer-readable medium can also comprise code for causing the at least one computer to populate a header of the relay protocol packet with a relay identifier and code for causing the at least one computer to transmit the relay protocol packet to one or more eNBs in a wireless network.

Moreover, an additional aspect relates to an apparatus including a relay protocol packet generating component that creates a relay protocol packet comprising an upper layer protocol payload and a relay protocol header populating component that inserts a relay identifier in a header of the relay protocol packet. The apparatus can further include a relay protocol communicating component that transmits the relay protocol packet to one or more eNBs in a wireless network.

According to an additional aspect, a method is provided that includes receiving a relay protocol packet comprising an upper layer protocol payload and a relay identifier. The method also includes determining a relay eNB to receive the relay protocol packet based at least in part on the relay identifier and transmitting the relay protocol packet to the relay eNB.

Another aspect relates to a wireless communications apparatus. The wireless communications apparatus can include at least one processor configured to obtain a relay protocol packet including an upper layer protocol payload and a relay identifier. The at least one processor is further configured to select a relay eNB to receive the relay protocol packet based at least in part on the relay identifier and forward the relay protocol packet to the relay eNB. The wireless communications apparatus also comprises a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

Yet another aspect relates to an apparatus. The apparatus includes means for storing a relay identifier along with an identifier of a next hop relay eNB. The apparatus also includes means for forwarding a relay protocol packet to the next hop relay eNB based at least in part on locating the relay identifier extracted from the relay protocol packet in the means for storing.

Still another aspect relates to a computer program product, which can have a computer-readable medium including code for causing at least one computer to receive a relay protocol packet comprising an upper layer protocol payload and a relay identifier and code for causing the at least one computer to determine a relay eNB to receive the relay protocol packet based at least in part on the relay identifier. The computer-readable medium can also comprise code for causing the at least one computer to transmit the relay protocol packet to the relay eNB.

Moreover, an additional aspect relates to an apparatus including a routing table component that stores a relay identifier along with an identifier of a next hop relay eNB. The apparatus can further include a relay protocol forwarding component that transmits a relay protocol packet to the next hop relay eNB based at least in part on locating the relay identifier extracted from the relay protocol packet in the routing table component.

According to yet another aspect, a method is provided that includes receiving a relay protocol packet comprising an upper layer protocol payload and a relay identifier and determining a type of the upper layer protocol payload. The method further includes communicating the upper layer protocol payload, along with the relay identifier, to a core network component over a disparate transport layer based at least in part on the type of the upper layer protocol payload

Another aspect relates to a wireless communications apparatus. The wireless communications apparatus can include at least one processor configured to obtain a relay protocol packet comprising an upper layer protocol payload and a relay identifier and discern a type of the upper layer protocol payload. The at least one processor is further configured to transmit the upper layer protocol payload along with the relay identifier over a disparate transport layer to an upstream network component. The wireless communications apparatus also comprises a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

Yet another aspect relates to an apparatus. The apparatus includes means for receiving a relay protocol packet comprising an upper layer protocol payload and a relay identifier and means for determining a type of the upper layer protocol payload. The apparatus also includes means for communicating the upper layer protocol payload along with the relay identifier to a core network component over a disparate transport layer.

Still another aspect relates to a computer program product, which can have a computer-readable medium including code for causing at least one computer to receive a relay protocol packet comprising an upper layer protocol payload and a relay identifier and code for causing the at least one computer to determine a type of the upper layer protocol payload. The computer-readable medium can also comprise code for causing the at least one computer to communicate the upper layer protocol payload, along with the relay identifier, to a core network component over a disparate transport layer based at least in part on the type of the upper layer protocol payload.

Moreover, an additional aspect relates to an apparatus including a relay protocol component that receives a relay protocol packet comprising an upper layer protocol payload and a relay identifier. The apparatus can further include a relay protocol header reading component that determines a type of the upper layer protocol payload and a backhaul link component that communicates the upper layer protocol payload along with the relay identifier to a core network component over a disparate transport layer.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the one or more aspects comprise the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative features of the one or more aspects. These features are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of various aspects may be employed and this description is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an example wireless communications system that facilitates providing relays for wireless networks.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an example wireless communications system that facilitates communicating over a relay protocol.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an example wireless communications system that communicates over a relay protocol using a cell radio network temporary identifier.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an example relay protocol component in accordance with aspects described herein.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of an example wireless communications system that utilizes cell relays to provide access to a wireless network.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of example protocol stacks that facilitate providing cell relay functionality for data plane communications using a relay protocol.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of an example methodology for communicating with upstream relay nodes using a relay protocol.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of an example methodology for receiving communications over a relay protocol.

FIG. 9 is an illustration of an example methodology that forwards relay protocol packets in a wireless network.

FIG. 10 is an illustration of an example methodology that receives relay protocol packets from downstream relay nodes and formulates associated core network packets.

FIG. 11 is an illustration of an example methodology that transmits relay protocol packets to downstream relay nodes.

FIG. 12 is an illustration of a wireless communication system in accordance with various aspects set forth herein.

FIG. 13 is an illustration of an example wireless network environment that can be employed in conjunction with the various systems and methods described herein.

FIG. 14 is an illustration of an example system that facilitates transmitting relay protocol packets to and receiving relay protocol packets from upstream relay nodes.

FIG. 15 is an illustration of an example system that facilitates forwarding relay protocol packets to relay nodes.

FIG. 16 is an illustration of an example system that facilitates communicating between relay nodes and a core network.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects are now described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of one or more aspects. It may be evident, however, that such aspect(s) may be practiced without these specific details.

As used in this application, the terms “component,” “module,” “system” and the like are intended to include a computer-related entity, such as but not limited to hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a computing device and the computing device can be a component. One or more components can reside within a process and/or thread of execution and a component may be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers. In addition, these components can execute from various computer readable media having various data structures stored thereon. The components may communicate by way of local and/or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal having one or more data packets, such as data from one component interacting with another component in a local system, distributed system, and/or across a network such as the Internet with other systems by way of the signal.

Furthermore, various aspects are described herein in connection with a terminal, which can be a wired terminal or a wireless terminal. A terminal can also be called a system, device, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile, mobile device, remote station, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, terminal, communication device, user agent, user device, or user equipment (UE). A wireless terminal may be a cellular telephone, a satellite phone, a cordless telephone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device having wireless connection capability, a computing device, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. Moreover, various aspects are described herein in connection with a base station. A base station may be utilized for communicating with wireless terminal(s) and may also be referred to as an access point, a Node B, or some other terminology.

Moreover, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from the context, the phrase “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, the phrase “X employs A or B” is satisfied by any of the following instances: X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B. In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from the context to be directed to a singular form.

The techniques described herein may be used for various wireless communication systems such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA and other systems. The terms “system” and “network” are often used interchangeably. A CDMA system may implement a radio technology such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), cdma2000, etc. UTRA includes Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA) and other variants of CDMA. Further, cdma2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95 and IS-856 standards. A TDMA system may implement a radio technology such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). An OFDMA system may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS). 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a release of UMTS that uses E-UTRA, which employs OFDMA on the downlink and SC-FDMA on the uplink. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE and GSM are described in documents from an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP). Additionally, cdma2000 and UMB are described in documents from an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project 2” (3GPP2). Further, such wireless communication systems may additionally include peer-to-peer (e.g., mobile-to-mobile) ad hoc network systems often using unpaired unlicensed spectrums, 802.xx wireless LAN, BLUETOOTH and any other short- or long-range, wireless communication techniques.

Various aspects or features will be presented in terms of systems that may include a number of devices, components, modules, and the like. It is to be understood and appreciated that the various systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc. and/or may not include all of the devices, components, modules etc. discussed in connection with the figures. A combination of these approaches may also be used.

Referring to FIG. 1, a wireless communication system 100 is illustrated that facilitates providing relay functionality in wireless networks. System 100 includes a donor eNB 102 that provides one or more relay eNBs, such as relay eNB 104, with access to a core network 106. Similarly, relay eNB 104 can provide one or more disparate relay eNBs, such as relay eNB 108, or UEs, such as UE 110, with access to the core network 106 via donor eNB 102. Donor eNB 102, which can also be referred to as a cluster eNB, can communicate with the core network 106 over a wired or wireless backhaul link, which can be an LTE or other technology backhaul link. In one example, the core network 106 can be a 3GPP LTE or similar technology network.

Donor eNB 102 can additionally provide an access link for relay eNB 104, which can also be wired or wireless, LTE or other technologies, and the relay eNB 104 can communicate with the donor eNB 102 using a backhaul link over the access link of the donor eNB 102. Relay eNB 104 can similarly provide an access link for relay eNB 108 and/or UE 110, which can be a wired or wireless LTE or other technology link. In one example, donor eNB 102 can provide an LTE access link, to which relay eNB 104 can connect using an LTE backhaul, and relay eNB 104 can provide an LTE access link to relay eNB 108 and/or UE 110. Donor eNB 102 can connect to the core network 106 over a disparate backhaul link technology. Relay eNB 108 and/or UE 110 can connect to the relay eNB 104 using the LTE access link to receive access to core network 106, as described. A donor eNB and connected relay eNBs can be collectively referred to herein as a cluster.

According to an example, relay eNB 104 can connect to a donor eNB 102 at the link layer (e.g., media access control (MAC) layer) as would a UE in regular LTE configurations. In this regard, donor eNB 102 can be a regular LTE eNB requiring no changes at the link layer or related interface (e.g., E-UTRA-Uu) to support the relay eNB 104. In addition, relay eNB 104 can appear to UE 110 as a regular eNB at the link layer, such that no changes are required for UE 110 to connect to relay eNB 104 at the link layer, for example. In addition, relay eNB 104 can configure procedures for resource partitioning between access and backhaul link, interference management, idle mode cell selection for a cluster, and/or the like.

With respect to transport layer communications, transport protocols related to relay eNB 108 or UE 110 communications can terminate at the donor eNB 102, referred to as cell relay functionality, since the relay eNB 104 is like a cell of the donor eNB 102. For example, in a cell relay configuration, donor eNB 102 can receive communications for the relay eNB 104 from the core network 106, terminate the transport protocol, and forward the communications to the relay eNB 104 over a disparate transport layer keeping the application layer substantially intact. It is to be appreciated that the forwarding transport protocol type can be the same as the terminated transport protocol type, but is a different transport layer established with the relay eNB 104.

Relay eNB 104 can determine a relay eNB or UE related to the communications, and provide the communications to the relay eNB or UE (e.g., based on an identifier thereof within the communications). Similarly, donor eNB 102 can terminate the transport layer protocol for communications received from relay eNB 104, translate the communications to a disparate transport protocol, and transmit the communications over the disparate transport protocol to the core network 106 with the application layer intact for relay eNB 104 as a cell relay. In these examples, where relay eNB 104 is communicating with another relay eNB, the relay eNB 104 can support application protocol routing to ensure communications reach the correct relay eNB.

Moreover, application layer protocols can terminate at upstream eNBs. Thus, for example, application layer protocols for relay eNB 108 and UE 110 can terminate at relay eNB 104, and similarly for relay eNB 104 can terminate at donor eNB 102. The transport and application layer protocols, for example, can relate to S1-U, S1-MME, and/or X2 interfaces. S1-U interface can be utilized to communicate in a data plane between a node and a serving gateway (not shown) of the core network 106. S1-MME interface can be utilized for control plane communications between a node and a mobility management entity (MME) (not shown) of the core network 106. X2 interface can be utilized for communications between eNBs. In addition, for example, donor eNB 102 can communicate with other relay eNBs to allow communications therebetween over the access network (e.g., relay eNB 104 can communicate with one or more additional relay eNBs connected to donor eNB 102).

According to an example, relay eNBs 104 and 108 and donor eNB 102 can communicate over a relay protocol layer, which can be communicated over a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer and can carry upper layer protocols. For example, communications over the relay protocol layer can utilize a header, which can include a field to indicate the upper layer protocol or interface type (e.g., S1-U, S1-MME, X2, another transport or application protocol, etc.) in the relay protocol packet payload, a destination or source relay eNB identifier, an internet protocol (IP) address related to a destination network node (e.g., MME, serving gateway (SGW), etc.), and/or the like. In one example, relay eNB 108 can request relay identifier assignment from donor eNB 102 via relay eNB 104. Donor eNB 102 can assign a relay identifier to the relay eNB 108 unique to the cluster provided by donor eNB 102, and provide the relay identifier to relay eNB 108 through one or more intermediary relay nodes, such as relay eNB 104. Donor eNB 102 and the intermediary relay nodes can create a routing table that associates the relay identifier to an identifier of a next downstream relay eNB (e.g., a related cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI)), for example. Subsequent routing of packets from core network 106 to relay eNB 108 can be based at least in part on determining identifiers of next hop relay eNBs associated with the relay identifier in respective routing tables.

In an example, relay eNB 108 can subsequently communicate with relay eNB 104 over a relay protocol, which can carry upper layer protocol data. A header for communications over the relay protocol can include the type of the upper layer protocol, an identifier for relay eNB 108, and a destination IP address for a node in core network 106, where applicable. Relay eNB 104 can forward the relay protocol communication to donor eNB 102, and donor eNB 102 can determine the type of upper layer protocol, formulate the appropriate transport layer packet, include the relay identifier in the packet, and transmit the packet to the appropriate node in core network 106; this can be based at least in part on the IP address if present, the upper layer protocol type, and/or the like.

Upon receiving a response or other related communication from core network 106, donor eNB 102 can obtain the relay identifier from the communication. In addition, donor eNB 102 can establish a relay protocol layer for communication with relay eNB 104 in place of a transport layer (e.g., user datagram protocol (UDP)/IP) utilized in communicating with core network 106 and generate a related relay protocol header. Donor eNB 102 can populate the header with a relay identifier for relay eNB 108, a protocol type for the application layer carried by the relay protocol, and/or the like, and attach the header to the application layer communication from core network 106. Donor eNB 102 can determine a next hop relay eNB from the routing table, described previously, by locating the relay identifier in the routing table and obtaining the related next hop relay eNB identifier. Donor eNB 102 can then transmit the relay protocol communication to the next hop relay, relay eNB 104, based at least in part on the identifier thereof in the routing table. Relay eNB 104 can receive the communication, extract the relay identifier, and forward the communication to relay eNB 108 based at least in part on locating relay eNB 108 as the next hop in a routing table, for example. Relay eNB 108 can receive the packet over the relay protocol and process that data. Where the data relates to a UE or other device communicating with the relay eNB 108, relay eNB 108 can forward at least a portion of the packet thereto.

Turning now to FIG. 2, an example wireless communication system 200 that facilitates communicating among eNBs using a relay protocol is illustrated. System 200 includes a donor eNB 102 that provides relay eNB 104 (and/or other relay eNBs) with access to core network 106. Additionally, as described, relay eNB 104 can provide relay eNB 108 with access to the core network 106 through the donor eNB 102. In an example, however, relay eNB 104 may not be present, and relay eNB 108 can communicate directly with donor eNB 102. In a similar example, there can be multiple relay eNBs 104 between the donor eNB 102 and relay eNB 108. In addition, it is to be appreciated that relay eNB 108 can comprise the components of relay eNB 104 and provide similar functionality, in one example. Moreover, donor eNB 102 can be a macrocell access point, femtocell access point, picocell access point, mobile base station, and/or the like. Relay eNBs 104 (and relay eNB 108) can similarly be mobile or stationary relay nodes that communicate with donor eNB 102 (and relay eNB 104) over a wireless or wired backhaul, as described.

Donor eNB 102 comprises an identifier request receiving component 202 that obtains a relay identifier assignment request from one or more relay eNBs, a relay identifier assigning component 204 that selects a relay identifier for the one or more relay eNBs, a routing table component 206 that stores associations between assigned relay identifiers and identifiers of next hop relay eNBs to reach the relay eNB related to the relay identifier, a backhaul link component 208 that communicates with core network 106 over a transport layer, and a relay protocol component 210 that communicates with relay eNBs over a disparate transport layer.

Relay eNB 104 can include an identifier request receiving component 212 that obtains a request for a relay identifier from a downstream eNB and forwards the request to an upstream eNB, a relay identifier receiving component 214 that obtains a relay identifier for a downstream eNB from one or more upstream eNBs and provides the relay identifier to a next hop downstream eNB, a routing table component 216 that stores an association between the relay identifier and an identifier of the next hop downstream eNB, and a relay protocol forwarding component 218 that establishes and communicates over a relay protocol to one or more eNBs.

Relay eNB 108 comprises an identifier requesting component 220 that transmits a request for a relay identifier to one or more upstream eNBs, a relay identifier receiving component 222 that obtains a relay identifier from the one or more upstream eNBs, a relay protocol component 224 that establishes and communicates over a relay protocol connection with one or more upstream eNBs, and a packet routing component 226 that communicates data received over a relay protocol to one or more UEs or other devices.

According to an example, identifier requesting component 220 can formulate a request for a relay identifier for communicating with other relay or donor eNBs over a relay protocol in a wireless network. Identifier requesting component 220 can transmit the request to relay eNB 104, if present, or donor eNB 102 if relay eNB 104 is not present. Where relay eNB 104 is present, identifier request receiving component 212 can obtain the request from relay eNB 108 and forward the request upstream to donor eNB 102. It is to be appreciated, in one example, that there can be multiple relay eNBs in the communication chain from relay eNB 108 to donor eNB 102, and the multiple relay eNBs can similarly receive and forward the request.

In any case, identifier request receiving component 202 can obtain the request for relay identifier assignment. Relay identifier assigning component 204 can select a relay identifier for relay eNB 108. The selection can conform to one or more specification details, such as size, character set, etc., and can be unique within the cluster served by donor eNB 102. Routing table component 206 can store an association between the relay identifier and an identifier of next hop eNB (eNB 104 if present, or eNB 108 if eNB 104 is not present), and relay identifier assigning component 204 can provide the relay identifier to the next hop eNB. If relay eNB 104 is present, relay identifier receiving component 214 can obtain the relay identifier for relay eNB 108, and routing table can store an association between the relay identifier and an identifier for the next hop relay eNB (relay eNB 108 in this example). It is to be appreciated that, where multiple relay eNBs exist in the communication chain between relay eNB 108 and donor eNB 102, each of the multiple relay eNBs can receive the relay identifier assignment, store an association to a next hop relay eNB in a routing table, and forward the relay identifier assignment to the next hop relay eNB.

In any case, relay identifier receiving component 222 can obtain and store the relay identifier. Relay protocol component 224 can subsequently generate relay protocol layer communications to relay eNB 104, if present, or donor eNB 102 if relay eNB 104 is not present. In one example, relay protocol component 224 can generate the relay protocol layer communications in response to receiving a request or other communications from UE 110 or another device. Relay protocol component 224 can create a relay protocol packet comprising a relay protocol header and a payload, which can comprise upper layer protocol data (e.g., S1-U, S1-MME, X2 data and/or the like). In addition, relay protocol component 224 can populate the header with the relay identifier, a protocol type of upper layer protocol data in the payload, an optional destination IP address (e.g., of an MME or SGW in the core network 106), and can transmit the relay protocol packet to relay eNB 104, if present, or donor eNB 102 if relay eNB 104 is not present.

Relay protocol forwarding component 218 can receive the relay protocol communications from relay eNB 108, if relay eNB 104 is present, and can forward the communications to donor eNB 102 over the relay protocol. Similarly, if multiple relay eNBs are in the communication path between relay eNB 108 and donor eNB 102, each of the multiple relay eNBs can similarly receive and forward the relay protocol communications to the next upstream relay eNB. Relay protocol component 210 can receive the communications over the relay protocol from relay eNB 104 or relay eNB 108 and can obtain the relay identifier from the relay protocol header. Backhaul link component 208 can generate a communication for core network 106 over a disparate transport layer, indicate the relay identifier in the communication, and transmit the communication to the core network 106, for example. The disparate transport layer can be a UDP/IP layer and/or the like, for example.

Backhaul link component 208 can receive a response or other communication related to relay eNB 108 from core network 106. Backhaul link component 208 can obtain the relay identifier from the communication, and routing table component 206 can determine a next hop relay eNB based on the relay identifier, as described. Relay protocol component 210 can generate a relay protocol packet comprising a header and payload, which can be the upper layer protocol data received from core network 106 by backhaul link component 208 (e.g., S1-U, S1-MME, or X2 data). Relay protocol component 210 can set the relay identifier field in the header to be the relay identifier of relay eNB 108 and the protocol type to indicate the type of upper layer protocol data in the payload. Relay protocol component 210 can transmit the relay protocol packet to the next hop relay eNB determined by the routing table component 206 (e.g., relay eNB 104 if present, or relay eNB 108 if relay eNB 104 is not present, in this example).

If relay eNB 104 is present, relay protocol forwarding component 218 can receive the packet from donor eNB 102 and can obtain the relay identifier in the relay protocol packet header. Routing table component 216 can determine the next hop relay eNB by locating the relay identifier in the routing table and retrieving the associated next hop relay eNB identifier. Relay protocol forwarding component 218 can forward the relay protocol packet to the next hop relay eNB. Where additional relay eNBs exist in the communication chain between relay eNB 108 and donor eNB 102, the additional relay eNBs can similarly receive the relay protocol packet, determine the relay identifier, discern a next hop relay eNB based on the relay identifier, and forward the packet to the next hop eNB.

Relay protocol component 224 can receive the relay protocol packet from relay eNB 104, if present, or donor eNB 102 if relay eNB 104 is not present, and can determine the upper layer protocol message type from the relay protocol header. For example, where the upper layer protocol type is a S1-U, S1-MME, or other message relating to a communication from UE 110 or another device, packet routing component 226 can forward the payload of the relay protocol message to UE 110 or other related device; this can be based on a previously created routing table, in one example. Where the protocol type is X2 or another message relating to eNB communications, relay eNB 108 can process the message. In one example, the relay protocol header can have a format similar to the following.

Protocol (3 bits) I (1 bit) Reserved (4 bits) Relay ID (16 bits) Destination IP Address (optional)

In this format, for example, the protocol field, as described, can relate to an upper layer protocol type for the payload data in the packet, the I (indicator) field can specify whether the destination IP address is present, the reserved field can be reserved for additional data, the relay ID field can store the relay identifier described above, and the destination IP field can hold an IP address for a destination SGW, MME, etc. (e.g., in uplink packets). It is to be appreciated that this is but one example of a relay packet header; substantially limitless formats are possible.

Turning now to FIG. 3, an example wireless communication system 300 that facilitates providing a relay protocol for a single tier relay node wireless network implementation is illustrated. System 300 includes a donor eNB 102 that provides relay eNB 108 (and/or other relay eNBs) with access to core network 106. Moreover, donor eNB 102 can be a macrocell access point, femtocell access point, picocell access point, mobile base station, and/or the like. Relay eNB 108 can similarly be mobile or stationary relay nodes that communicate with donor eNB 102 over a wireless or wired backhaul, as described.

Donor eNB 102 comprises a backhaul link component 208 that communicates with core network 106 over a transport layer and a relay protocol component 210 that communicates with relay eNBs over a disparate transport layer. Relay eNB 108 comprises a relay protocol component 224 that establishes and communicates over a relay protocol connection with one or more upstream eNBs and a packet routing component 226 that communicates data received over a relay protocol to one or more UEs or other devices.

According to an example, relay protocol component 224 can generate a communication for one or more core network 106 components (e.g., a SGW, MME, disparate eNB, and/or the like) along with a relay protocol packet for the communication. This can be based on receiving a communication from UE 110, in one example. Relay protocol component 224 can populate a relay identifier field in the relay protocol header with a C-RNTI of relay eNB 108, which is unique in the cluster provided by donor eNB 102 where only one tier of relay eNBs are attached to donor eNB 102 (e.g., there is only one relay eNB between end devices, such as UEs, and donor eNB 102). In this regard, no identifier requesting process is needed.

Relay protocol component 224 can transmit the relay protocol packet to donor eNB 102, and relay protocol component 210 can receive the packet. Relay protocol component 210 can additionally extract the relay identifier. Backhaul link component 208 can generate a packet over a disparate transport layer (e.g., UDP/IP layer) for transmission to core network 106. Backhaul link component 208 can also include the relay identifier (C-RNTI) in the packet and transmit the packet to core network 106. In addition, backhaul link component 208 can receive a response to the packet or other communication from core network 106 over the disparate transport layer. Backhaul link component can extract a relay identifier from the packet, for example. Relay protocol component 210 can generate a relay protocol packet with application layer data from the packet received over the backhaul link as the payload. Relay protocol component 210 can transmit the packet to relay eNB 108 based on the relay identifier (C-RNTI). Thus, no routing table is needed in this example either. Relay protocol component 224 can receive the packet and can communicate the payload to UE 110 using packet routing component 226, as described, where applicable.

Referring to FIG. 4, an example relay protocol component 400 is depicted in accordance with various aspects described herein. For example, relay protocol component 400 can be similar to relay protocol components 210 and 224 of the previous figures. Relay protocol component 400 can include a relay protocol communicating component 402 that receives and transmits data over a relay protocol, a relay protocol header reading component 404 that obtains one or more field values from a relay protocol header, a relay protocol packet generating component 406 that creates a relay protocol packet for transmitting to one or more eNBs, and a relay protocol header populating component 408 that initializes one or more fields in a relay protocol header.

According to an example, as described, relay protocol communicating component 402 can receive a relay protocol packet from one or more eNBs, and relay protocol header reading component 404 can extract one or more field values from the header, such as protocol type, relay identifier, destination IP address, and/or the like, as described. Other components, as described, can utilize the information to process payload of the relay protocol packet, route the packet, and/or the like. In another example, relay protocol packet generating component 406 can create relay protocol packets for transmitting to one or more eNBs, as described. In addition, the relay protocol packet generating component 406 can insert an upper layer protocol message in the payload of the relay protocol packet. Moreover, as described previously, the relay protocol header populating component 408 can set field values in the relay protocol header. Relay protocol communicating component 402 can transmit the relay protocol packet to one or more eNBs.

Now turning to FIG. 5, an example wireless communication network 500 that provides cell relay functionality is depicted. Network 500 includes a UE 110 that communicates with a relay eNB 104, as described, to receive access to a wireless network. Relay eNB 104 can communicate with a donor eNB 102 using a relay protocol to provide access to a wireless network, and as described, donor eNB 102 can communicate with an MME 502 and/or SGW 504 that relate to the relay eNB 104. SGW 504 can connect to or be coupled with a PGW 506, which provides network access to SGW 504 and/or additional SGWs. PGW 506 can communicate with a PCRF 508 to authenticate/authorize UE 110 to use the network, which can utilize an IMS 510 to provide addressing to the UE 110 and/or relay eNB 104.

According to an example, MME 502 and/or SGW 504 and PGW 506 can be related to donor eNB 102 serving substantially all relay eNBs in the cluster. Donor eNB 102 can also communicate with an SGW 516 and PGW 518 that relate to the UE 110, such that the PGW 518 can assign UE 110 a network address to facilitate tunneling communications thereto through the relay eNB 104, donor eNB 102, and SGW 516. Moreover, for example, SGW 516 can communicate with an MME 514 to facilitate control plane communications to and from the UE 110. It is to be appreciated that MME 502 and MME 514 can be the same MME, in one example. PGW 518 can similarly communicate with a PCRF 508 to authenticate/authorize UE 110, which can communicate with an IMS 510. In addition, PGW 518 can communicate directly with the IMS 510 and/or internet 512.

In an example, UE 110 can communicate with the relay eNB 104 over an E-UTRA-Uu interface, as described, and the relay eNB 104 can communicate with the donor eNB 102 using an E-UTRA-Uu interface or other interface using the relay protocol, as described herein. Donor eNB 102 communicates with the MME 502 using an S1-MME interface and the SGW 504 and PGW 506 over an S1-U interface, as depicted. In addition, as described, communications received from relay eNB 104 for MME 502 or SGW 504/PGW 506 can be over a relay protocol and can have an IP address of MME 502 or SGW 504/PGW 506 in the relay protocol header. Donor eNB 102 can appropriately route the packet according to the IP address and/or payload type of the relay protocol. In addition, the transport layers used over the S1-MME and S1-U interfaces are terminated at the donor eNB 102, as described. In this regard, upon receiving communications for the relay eNB 104 from the MME 502 or SGW 504, donor eNB 102 decouples the application layer from the transport layer by defining a new relay protocol packet and transmitting the application layer communication to the relay eNB 104 in the new relay protocol packet (over the E-UTRA-Uu interface, in one example).

Upon transmitting control plane communications from the relay eNB 104 to the MME 502, donor eNB 102 can indicate an identifier of the relay eNB 104 (e.g., in an S1-AP message), and MME 502 can transmit the identifier in responding communications to the donor eNB 102. When transmitting data plane communications from relay eNB 104 to SGW 504, donor eNB 102 can insert an identifier for the relay eNB 104 (or UE 110 or one or more related bearers) in the TEID of a general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol (GTP)-U header to identify the relay eNB 104 (or UE 110 or one or more related bearers). This can be an identifier generated for relay eNB 104 by donor eNB 102 such that donor eNB 102 can determine the relay eNB 104, or one or more downstream relay eNBs is to receive the translated packet, as described above. For example, this can be based at least in part on locating at least a portion of the identifier in a routing table at donor eNB 102. In addition, headers can be compressed, in one example, as described. As shown, MME 502 can communicate with SGW 504, and MME 514 to SGW 516, using an S11 interface. PGWs 506 and 518 can communicate with PCRF 508 over a Gx interface. Furthermore, PCRF 508 can communicate with IMS 510 using an Rx interface, and PGW 518 can communicate with IMS 510 and/or the internet 512 using an SGi interface.

Referring to FIG. 6, example protocol stacks 600 are illustrated that facilitate communicating in a wireless network to provide cell relay functionality for data (e.g., user) plane communications. A UE protocol stack 602 is shown comprising an L1 layer, MAC layer, an RLC layer, a PDCP layer, and an IP layer. A relay eNB1 (ReNB) access link protocol stack 604 is depicted having an L1 layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, and PDCP layer, as well as an ReNB1 backhaul link protocol stack 606 having an L1 layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, relay protocol (RP) layer, and a C-GTP-U/UDP/IP layer, which can be a compressed or uncompressed layer in one example, to facilitate communicating packets on the backhaul. An intermediary ReNB2 access link protocol stack 608 is shown having an L1 layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, and RP layer, as well as a backhaul link protocol stack 610 for the intermediary ReNB2 having the same layers.

A CeNB access link protocol stack 608 is also shown having an L1 layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, RP layer, and a C-GTP/UDP/IP layer, as well as a CeNB backhaul link protocol stack 610 having an L1 layer, L2 layer, a UDP/IP layer, and a GTP-U layer to maintain communications with a PGW/SGW using an address assigned by the PGW/SGW. PGW/SGW protocol stack 612 has an L1 layer, L2, layer, UDP/IP layer related to an address assigned to the CeNB, GTP-U layer, and another IP layer related to an address assigned to the UE.

According to an example, a UE can communicate with an ReNB1 to receive access to a PGW/SGW. In this regard, UE can communicate over L1, MAC, RLC, and PDCP layers with the ReNB1 over using a EUTRA-Uu interface, as shown between protocol stacks 602 and 604. The UE can tunnel IP layer communications through the ReNB1 and other entities to the PGW/SGW, which assigns an IP address to the UE, as shown between protocol stacks 602 and 616. To facilitate such tunneling, ReNB1 communicates with ReNB2 over an RP, as described herein, on top of L1, MAC, RLC, PDCP layers using an S1-U-R interface (or other new interface for communicating using a relay protocol), as shown between protocol stacks 606 and 608. In addition, the RP can carry the upper layer C-GTP-U/UDP/IP layer in the RP payload, as described previously, to the disparate RP, as shown between protocol stacks 606 and 608. Moreover, as described, the RP header can include an identifier of ReNB1, an IP address of the PGW/SGW, a protocol type indicating C-GTP-U/UDP/IP data in the RP payload, and/or the like.

ReNB2, and any other intermediary ReNBs, can forward the RP communication to the CeNB, as shown between protocol stack s 610 and 612. In this example, CeNB can receive the RP packet, over the lower layers, and can extract the C-GTP-U/UDP/IP packet from the payload and communicate with the PGW over separate GTP-U, UDP, and IP layers on top of L1 and L2 physical layers over an S1-U interface, as shown between protocol stacks 614 and 616. In one example, the CeNB can include the relay identifier from the RP packet header in the GTP-U communications. Thus, as described, downlink communications from PGW/SGW protocol stack 612 can include the relay identifier. In this regard, upon receiving downlink communications from PGW/SGW protocol stack 616 over CeNB backhaul link protocol stack 614, CeNB access link protocol stack 612 can generate an RP packet with a header comprising the relay identifier received over PGW/SGW protocol stack 616 and a compressed GTP-U/UDP/IP packet as the payload. CeNB access link protocol stack 612 can transmit the RP packet over ReNB2 backhaul link protocol stack 612, which can forward the RP packet over ReNB2 access link protocol stack 608 to ReNB backhaul link protocol stack 606 based on the relay identifier in the RP header, as described. ReNB1 backhaul link protocol stack 606 can obtain the C-GTP-U/UDP/IP payload of the RP packet and forward to UE protocol stack 602, where the RP packet payload is of certain types, as described.

Referring to FIGS. 7-11, methodologies relating to providing a relay protocol in relay node communications are illustrated. While, for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the methodologies are shown and described as a series of acts, it is to be understood and appreciated that the methodologies are not limited by the order of acts, as some acts may, in accordance with one or more aspects, occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other acts from that shown and described herein. For example, those skilled in the art will understand and appreciate that a methodology could alternatively be represented as a series of interrelated states or events, such as in a state diagram. Moreover, not all illustrated acts may be required to implement a methodology in accordance with one or more aspects.

Referring to FIG. 7, a methodology 700 is shown that facilitates transmitting upstream relay protocol packets with relay identifiers. At 702, a relay protocol packet can be generated comprising an upper layer protocol payload. For example, the relay protocol packet can be created based at least in part on receiving a request or other communication from a UE. In addition, the upper layer protocol payload can be the communication from the UE, which can be a S1-U, S1-MME, or similar protocol communication. In another example, the upper layer protocol payload can be an X2 protocol communication. At 704, a header of the relay protocol packet can be populated with a relay identifier. This can be an identifier previously received from a donor eNB, a C-RNTI, and/or the like, as described. At 706, the relay protocol packet can be transmitted. In one example, the packet can be transmitted to an upstream relay node to eventually reach a donor eNB. The donor eNB can utilize the relay identifier, as described herein, to associate response data to the transmitted packet. In another example, a destination IP address can be specified in the header, as described, to facilitate routing the packet to a certain core network component via the donor eNB.

Turning to FIG. 8, an example methodology 800 that facilitates receiving relay protocol packets from upstream relay or donor nodes is illustrated. At 802, a downstream relay protocol packet can be received. For example, the relay protocol can be received from an upstream relay or donor node. At 804, a type of an upper layer protocol payload of the relay protocol packet can be determined. In one example, the type can be specified in a header of the relay protocol packet, and thus can be determined by obtaining the type field from the header. At 806, the upper layer protocol payload can be processed according to the type. For example, if the upper layer protocol type is S1-U or S1-MME, the payload can be transmitted to a related UE. If the upper layer protocol type is X2, however, the payload can be processed locally, in an example.

Referring to FIG. 9, an example methodology 900 is shown that facilitates forwarding relay protocol packets among eNBs based on a relay identifier in the header of the relay protocol packets. At 902, a relay protocol packet comprising a relay identifier can be received. As described, the packet can be received from an upstream node, such as a donor eNB or a disparate relay eNB. A relay node to receive the relay protocol packet can be determined based at least in part on the relay identifier, at 904. As described, this step can include consulting a routing table to determine a next hop relay node relating to the relay identifier. The association can have been stored during an initial request for the relay identifier from a downstream relay node. At 906, the relay protocol packet can be forwarded to the relay node.

Turning to FIG. 10, an example methodology 1000 that facilitates communicating relay protocol data to a core network is illustrated. At 1002, a relay protocol packet comprising an upper layer protocol payload and a relay identifier is received. The relay protocol packet can be received from a downstream relay node, as described. At 1004, a type of the upper layer protocol payload can be determined. In one example, the type can relate to an S1-U, S1-MME, X2, or similar protocol. At 1006, the upper layer protocol payload can be transmitted over a disparate transport layer along with the relay identifier. Thus, for example, the payload can be transmitted over a backhaul link to a core network over a UDP/IP or other transport protocol. Depending on the type of the upper layer protocol payload, for example, the packet can be transmitted to different core network components (e.g., an SGW for S1-U payload, MME for S1-MME payload, a disparate eNB for X2 payload, etc.).

Referring to FIG. 11, an example methodology 1100 is shown that facilitates routing downstream packets from a core network to one or more relay nodes. At 1102, a communication can be received from a core network component comprising a relay identifier. A relay protocol packet can be generated including the communication as the payload at 1104. Using the relay protocol, as described, facilitates routing of the packets to one or more relay nodes, for example. At 1106, the relay protocol packet header can be populated with the relay identifier. Subsequent relay nodes, as described, can utilize the relay identifier to determine next hop relay nodes for the relay protocol packet. At 1108, a next hop relay node can be determined. In an example, this can be determined based at least in part on querying a routing table to locate an association between the relay identifier and an identifier of the next hop relay node, as described herein. At 1110, the relay protocol packet can be transmitted to the next hop relay node.

It will be appreciated that, in accordance with one or more aspects described herein, inferences can be made regarding generating a relay protocol packet, such as whether to include a destination IP address, etc., generating a relay identifier unique to a cluster, determining next hop relay eNBs, and/or other aspects described herein. As used herein, the term to “infer” or “inference” refers generally to the process of reasoning about or inferring states of the system, environment, and/or user from a set of observations as captured via events and/or data. Inference can be employed to identify a specific context or action, or can generate a probability distribution over states, for example. The inference can be probabilistic—that is, the computation of a probability distribution over states of interest based on a consideration of data and events. Inference can also refer to techniques employed for composing higher-level events from a set of events and/or data. Such inference results in the construction of new events or actions from a set of observed events and/or stored event data, whether or not the events are correlated in close temporal proximity, and whether the events and data come from one or several event and data sources.

Referring now to FIG. 12, a wireless communication system 1200 is illustrated in accordance with various embodiments presented herein. System 1200 comprises a base station 1202 that can include multiple antenna groups. For example, one antenna group can include antennas 1204 and 1206, another group can comprise antennas 1208 and 1210, and an additional group can include antennas 1212 and 1214. Two antennas are illustrated for each antenna group; however, more or fewer antennas can be utilized for each group. Base station 1202 can additionally include a transmitter chain and a receiver chain, each of which can in turn comprise a plurality of components associated with signal transmission and reception (e.g., processors, modulators, multiplexers, demodulators, demultiplexers, antennas, etc.), as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art.

Base station 1202 can communicate with one or more mobile devices such as mobile device 1216 and mobile device 1222; however, it is to be appreciated that base station 1202 can communicate with substantially any number of mobile devices similar to mobile devices 1216 and 1222. Mobile devices 1216 and 1222 can be, for example, cellular phones, smart phones, laptops, handheld communication devices, handheld computing devices, satellite radios, global positioning systems, PDAs, and/or any other suitable device for communicating over wireless communication system 1200. As depicted, mobile device 1216 is in communication with antennas 1212 and 1214, where antennas 1212 and 1214 transmit information to mobile device 1216 over a forward link 1218 and receive information from mobile device 1216 over a reverse link 1220. Moreover, mobile device 1222 is in communication with antennas 1204 and 1206, where antennas 1204 and 1206 transmit information to mobile device 1222 over a forward link 1224 and receive information from mobile device 1222 over a reverse link 1226. In a frequency division duplex (FDD) system, forward link 1218 can utilize a different frequency band than that used by reverse link 1220, and forward link 1224 can employ a different frequency band than that employed by reverse link 1226, for example. Further, in a time division duplex (TDD) system, forward link 1218 and reverse link 1220 can utilize a common frequency band and forward link 1224 and reverse link 1226 can utilize a common frequency band.

Each group of antennas and/or the area in which they are designated to communicate can be referred to as a sector of base station 1202. For example, antenna groups can be designed to communicate to mobile devices in a sector of the areas covered by base station 1202. In communication over forward links 1218 and 1224, the transmitting antennas of base station 1202 can utilize beamforming to improve signal-to-noise ratio of forward links 1218 and 1224 for mobile devices 1216 and 1222. Also, while base station 1202 utilizes beamforming to transmit to mobile devices 1216 and 1222 scattered randomly through an associated coverage, mobile devices in neighboring cells can be subject to less interference as compared to a base station transmitting through a single antenna to all its mobile devices. Moreover, mobile devices 1216 and 1222 can communicate directly with one another using a peer-to-peer or ad hoc technology (not shown).

According to an example, system 1200 can be a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication system. Further, system 1200 can utilize substantially any type of duplexing technique to divide communication channels (e.g., forward link, reverse link, . . . ) such as FDD, FDM, TDD, TDM, CDM, and the like. In addition, communication channels can be orthogonalized to allow simultaneous communication with multiple devices over the channels; in one example, OFDM can be utilized in this regard. Thus, the channels can be divided into portions of frequency over a period of time. In addition, frames can be defined as the portions of frequency over a collection of time periods; thus, for example, a frame can comprise a number of OFDM symbols. The base station 1202 can communicate to the mobile devices 1216 and 1222 over the channels, which can be create for various types of data. For example, channels can be created for communicating various types of general communication data, control data (e.g., quality information for other channels, acknowledgement indicators for data received over channels, interference information, reference signals, etc.), and/or the like.

FIG. 13 shows an example wireless communication system 1300. The wireless communication system 1300 depicts one base station 1310 and one mobile device 1350 for sake of brevity. However, it is to be appreciated that system 1300 can include more than one base station and/or more than one mobile device, wherein additional base stations and/or mobile devices can be substantially similar or different from example base station 1310 and mobile device 1350 described below. In addition, it is to be appreciated that base station 1310 and/or mobile device 1350 can employ the systems (FIGS. 1-5 and 12), protocol stacks (FIG. 6) and/or methods (FIGS. 7-11) described herein to facilitate wireless communication therebetween.

At base station 1310, traffic data for a number of data streams is provided from a data source 1312 to a transmit (TX) data processor 1314. According to an example, each data stream can be transmitted over a respective antenna. TX data processor 1314 formats, codes, and interleaves the traffic data stream based on a particular coding scheme selected for that data stream to provide coded data.

The coded data for each data stream can be multiplexed with pilot data using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) techniques. Additionally or alternatively, the pilot symbols can be frequency division multiplexed (FDM), time division multiplexed (TDM), or code division multiplexed (CDM). The pilot data is typically a known data pattern that is processed in a known manner and can be used at mobile device 1350 to estimate channel response. The multiplexed pilot and coded data for each data stream can be modulated (e.g., symbol mapped) based on a particular modulation scheme (e.g., binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM), etc.) selected for that data stream to provide modulation symbols. The data rate, coding, and modulation for each data stream can be determined by instructions performed or provided by processor 1330.

The modulation symbols for the data streams can be provided to a TX MIMO processor 1320, which can further process the modulation symbols (e.g., for OFDM). TX MIMO processor 1320 then provides N_Tmodulation symbol streams to N_Ttransmitters (TMTR) 1322a through 1322t. In various aspects, TX MIMO processor 1320 applies beamforming weights to the symbols of the data streams and to the antenna from which the symbol is being transmitted.

Each transmitter 1322 receives and processes a respective symbol stream to provide one or more analog signals, and further conditions (e.g., amplifies, filters, and upconverts) the analog signals to provide a modulated signal suitable for transmission over the MIMO channel. Further, N_Tmodulated signals from transmitters 1322a through 1322t are transmitted from N_Tantennas 1324a through 1324t, respectively.

At mobile device 1350, the transmitted modulated signals are received by N_Rantennas 1352a through 1352r and the received signal from each antenna 1352 is provided to a respective receiver (RCVR) 1354a through 1354r. Each receiver 1354 conditions (e.g., filters, amplifies, and downconverts) a respective signal, digitizes the conditioned signal to provide samples, and further processes the samples to provide a corresponding “received” symbol stream.

An RX data processor 1360 can receive and process the N_Rreceived symbol streams from N_Rreceivers 1354 based on a particular receiver processing technique to provide N_T“detected” symbol streams. RX data processor 1360 can demodulate, deinterleave, and decode each detected symbol stream to recover the traffic data for the data stream. The processing by RX data processor 1360 is complementary to that performed by TX MIMO processor 1320 and TX data processor 1314 at base station 1310.

A processor 1370 can periodically determine which precoding matrix to utilize as discussed above. Further, processor 1370 can formulate a reverse link message comprising a matrix index portion and a rank value portion.

The reverse link message can comprise various types of information regarding the communication link and/or the received data stream. The reverse link message can be processed by a TX data processor 1338, which also receives traffic data for a number of data streams from a data source 1336, modulated by a modulator 1380, conditioned by transmitters 1354a through 1354r, and transmitted back to base station 1310.

At base station 1310, the modulated signals from mobile device 1350 are received by antennas 1324, conditioned by receivers 1322, demodulated by a demodulator 1340, and processed by a RX data processor 1342 to extract the reverse link message transmitted by mobile device 1350. Further, processor 1330 can process the extracted message to determine which precoding matrix to use for determining the beamforming weights.

Processors 1330 and 1370 can direct (e.g., control, coordinate, manage, etc.) operation at base station 1310 and mobile device 1350, respectively. Respective processors 1330 and 1370 can be associated with memory 1332 and 1372 that store program codes and data. Processors 1330 and 1370 can also perform computations to derive frequency and impulse response estimates for the uplink and downlink, respectively.

It is to be understood that the aspects described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, or any combination thereof. For a hardware implementation, the processing units can be implemented within one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof.

When the aspects are implemented in software, firmware, middleware or microcode, program code or code segments, they can be stored in a machine-readable medium, such as a storage component. A code segment can represent a procedure, a function, a subprogram, a program, a routine, a subroutine, a module, a software package, a class, or any combination of instructions, data structures, or program statements. A code segment can be coupled to another code segment or a hardware circuit by passing and/or receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents. Information, arguments, parameters, data, etc. can be passed, forwarded, or transmitted using any suitable means including memory sharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc.

For a software implementation, the techniques described herein can be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, and so on) that perform the functions described herein. The software codes can be stored in memory units and executed by processors. The memory unit can be implemented within the processor or external to the processor, in which case it can be communicatively coupled to the processor via various means as is known in the art.

With reference to FIG. 14, illustrated is a system 1400 that facilitates communicating relay protocol packets to/from upstream relay or donor nodes. For example, system 1400 can reside at least partially within a base station, mobile device, etc. It is to be appreciated that system 1400 is represented as including functional blocks, which can be functional blocks that represent functions implemented by a processor, software, or combination thereof (e.g., firmware). System 1400 includes a logical grouping 1402 of electrical components that can act in conjunction. For instance, logical grouping 1402 can include an electrical component for generating a relay protocol packet 1404. For example, as described, this can be in response to a communication from a UE, and the payload of the packet can be the communication from the UE. Additionally, logical grouping 1402 can include an electrical component for inserting a relay identifier in a header of the relay protocol packet 1406. Thus, for example, the header can be subsequently used to identify the source system 1400 of the packet. Moreover, logical grouping 1402 can include an electrical component for communicating the relay protocol packet to one or more eNBs in a wireless network 1408.

Electrical component 1408 can additionally receive a disparate relay protocol packet, for example, in response or related to the communicated packet. In this regard, logical grouping 1402 can include an electrical component for determining a type of an upper layer protocol corresponding to a payload of a disparate relay protocol packet 1410. Moreover, logical grouping 1402 can include an electrical component for providing the payload of the relay protocol packet to a UE based at least in part on the type of the upper layer protocol 1412. For example, if the type is S1-U, S1-MME, or a similar type, electrical component 1412 can provide the upper layer protocol payload to the UE. Furthermore, logical grouping 1402 includes an electrical component for receiving the relay identifier from the donor eNB 1414. In addition, logical grouping 1402 includes an electrical component for requesting the relay identifier from the donor eNB 1416. Additionally, system 1400 can include a memory 1418 that retains instructions for executing functions associated with electrical components 1404, 1406, 1408, 1410, 1412, 1414, and 1416. While shown as being external to memory 1418, it is to be understood that one or more of electrical components 1404, 1406, 1408, 1410, 1412, 1414, and 1416 can exist within memory 1418.

With reference to FIG. 15, illustrated is a system 1500 that facilitates forwarding relay protocol packets based on a relay identifier comprised within packet headers. For example, system 1500 can reside at least partially within a base station, mobile device, etc. It is to be appreciated that system 1500 is represented as including functional blocks, which can be functional blocks that represent functions implemented by a processor, software, or combination thereof (e.g., firmware). System 1500 includes a logical grouping 1502 of electrical components that can act in conjunction. For instance, logical grouping 1502 can include an electrical component for storing a relay identifier along with an identifier of a next hop relay eNB 1504. For example, as described, this can be performed upon receiving a relay identifier assignment from an upstream node for a downstream node (e.g., the downstream node can be the next hop node). Moreover, logical grouping 1502 can include an electrical component for forwarding a relay protocol packet to the next hop relay eNB based at least in part on locating a relay identifier extracted from the relay protocol packet in the electrical component for storing 1506. Thus, the identifier for the next hop node can be determined and packet forwarded thereto, as described. Additionally, system 1500 can include a memory 1508 that retains instructions for executing functions associated with electrical components 1504 and 1506. While shown as being external to memory 1508, it is to be understood that one or more of electrical components 1504 and 1506 can exist within memory 1508.

With reference to FIG. 16, illustrated is a system 1600 that facilitates communicating relay protocol packets to/from downstream relay nodes. For example, system 1600 can reside at least partially within a base station, mobile device, etc. It is to be appreciated that system 1600 is represented as including functional blocks, which can be functional blocks that represent functions implemented by a processor, software, or combination thereof (e.g., firmware). System 1600 includes a logical grouping 1602 of electrical components that can act in conjunction. For instance, logical grouping 1602 can include an electrical component for receiving a relay protocol packet comprising an upper layer protocol payload and a relay identifier 1604. For example, as described, the packet can be received from a downstream relay node for communicating to a core network. Additionally, logical grouping 1602 can include an electrical component for determining a type of the upper layer protocol payload 1606. This can facilitate determining a recipient of the payload, as described (e.g., S1-U payload can go to an SGW, S1-MME to an MME, etc.). Moreover, logical grouping 1602 can include an electrical component for communicating the upper layer protocol payload along with the relay identifier to a core network component over a disparate transport layer 1608.

Thus, for example, the payload can be transmitted over a UDP/IP layer. In addition, logical grouping 1602 can include an electrical component for generating a disparate relay protocol packet including a communication as the payload 1610. In this regard, for example, electrical component 1608 can also receive communications from the core network component for transmitting to one or more relay nodes, for which a relay protocol packet can be generated (and the payload can be the communication from the core network component, for example). Moreover, logical grouping 1602 can include an electrical component for determining a next hop relay eNB to receive the disparate relay protocol packet 1612. As described, this can include searching a routing table to locate the next hop relay eNB identifier (e.g., C-RNTI) related to the relay identifier. In addition, logical grouping 1602 can include an electrical component for inserting the relay identifier in a header of the disparate relay protocol packet 1614. This allows subsequent downstream relay eNBs to forward the packet on to the relay eNB related to the relay identifier. Additionally, system 1600 can include a memory 1616 that retains instructions for executing functions associated with electrical components 1604, 1606, 1608, 1610, 1612, and 1614. While shown as being external to memory 1616, it is to be understood that one or more of electrical components 1604, 1606, 1608, 1610, 1612, and 1614 can exist within memory 1616.

The various illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but, in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. Additionally, at least one processor may comprise one or more modules operable to perform one or more of the steps and/or actions described above.

Further, the steps and/or actions of a method or algorithm described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium may be coupled to the processor, such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. Further, in some aspects, the processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. Additionally, the ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal. Additionally, in some aspects, the steps and/or actions of a method or algorithm may reside as one or any combination or set of codes and/or instructions on a machine readable medium and/or computer readable medium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

In one or more aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage medium may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection may be termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs usually reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

While the foregoing disclosure discusses illustrative aspects and/or embodiments, it should be noted that various changes and modifications could be made herein without departing from the scope of the described aspects and/or embodiments as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, although elements of the described aspects and/or embodiments may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. Additionally, all or a portion of any aspect and/or embodiment may be utilized with all or a portion of any other aspect and/or embodiment, unless stated otherwise. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim. Furthermore, although elements of the described aspects and/or aspects may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. Additionally, all or a portion of any aspect and/or embodiment may be utilized with all or a portion of any other aspect and/or embodiment, unless stated otherwise.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

generating a relay protocol packet comprising an upper layer protocol payload;

populating a header of the relay protocol packet with a relay identifier; and

transmitting the relay protocol packet to one or more evolved Node Bs (eNB) in a wireless network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a downstream relay protocol packet from the one or more eNBs;

determining a type of an upper layer protocol corresponding to a payload of the downstream relay protocol packet; and

processing the payload according to the type of the upper layer protocol.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the processing the payload includes providing the payload to a user equipment (UE) based at least in part on the type of the upper layer protocol.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the generating the relay protocol packet includes generating the relay protocol packet based on a communication received from the UE.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the type of the upper layer protocol is S1-U, S1-MME, X2, or other transport layer or application protocol.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising populating the header of the relay protocol packet with a destination address of a serving gateway (SGW) or a mobility management entity (MME).

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting a protocol type value in the header of the relay protocol packet to a type of the upper layer protocol payload.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the upper layer protocol payload is a compressed or uncompressed general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol (GTP)-U/user datagram protocol (UDP)/internet protocol (IP) packet.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the relay identifier in an assignment from a donor eNB.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the relay identifier is a received cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI).

11. A wireless communications apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor configured to: create a relay protocol packet having an upper layer protocol payload; insert a relay identifier in a header of the relay protocol packet; and communicate the relay protocol packet to one or more evolved Node Bs (eNB); and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

12. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

receive a disparate relay protocol packet from the one or more eNBs;

discern a type of an upper layer protocol related to a payload of the disparate relay protocol packet.

13. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to provide the payload to a user equipment (UE) based at least in part on the type of the upper layer protocol.

14. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 12, wherein the type of the upper layer protocol is S1-U, S1-MME, X2, or other transport or application protocol.

15. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor creates the relay protocol packet based at least in part on a request from a UE.

16. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to insert a destination address of a serving gateway (SGW) or a mobility management entity (MME) in the header.

17. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to initialize a protocol type field in the header to a type of the upper layer protocol payload.

18. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 11, wherein the upper layer protocol payload is a compressed or uncompressed general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol (GTP)-U/user datagram protocol (UDP)/internet protocol (IP) packet.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

means for generating a relay protocol packet; and

means for inserting a relay identifier in a header of the relay protocol packet; and

means for communicating the relay protocol packet to one or more evolved Node Bs (eNB) in a wireless network.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising means for determining a type of an upper layer protocol corresponding to a payload of a disparate relay protocol packet, wherein the means for communicating further receives the disparate relay protocol packet from the one or more eNBs.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising means for providing the payload of the disparate relay protocol packet to a user equipment (UE) based at least in part on the type of the upper layer protocol.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the type of the upper layer protocol is S1-U, S1-MME, X2, or other transport or application protocol.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the means for generating the relay protocol packet generates the relay protocol packet based at least in part on a communication received from a UE.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the means for inserting the relay identifier also inserts a destination address of a serving gateway (SGW) or mobility management entity (MME) in the header of the relay protocol packet.

25. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the means for inserting the relay identifier also inserts a type of an upper layer protocol payload of the relay protocol packet in the header of the relay protocol packet.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the upper layer protocol payload is a compressed or uncompressed general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol (GTP)-U/user datagram protocol (UDP)/internet protocol (IP) packet.

27. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising means for receiving the relay identifier from a donor eNB.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising means for requesting the relay identifier from the donor eNB, wherein the means for receiving the relay identifier receives the relay identifier based at least in part on requesting the relay identifier.

29. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising: code for causing at least one computer to generate a relay protocol packet comprising an upper layer protocol payload; code for causing the at least one computer to populate a header of the relay protocol packet with a relay identifier; and code for causing the at least one computer to transmit the relay protocol packet to one or more evolved Node Bs (eNB) in a wireless network.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises:

code for causing the at least one computer to receive a downstream relay protocol packet from the one or more eNBs;

code for causing the at least one computer to determine a type of an upper layer protocol corresponding to a payload of the downstream relay protocol packet; and

code for causing the at least one computer to process the payload according to the type of the upper layer protocol.

31. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein the code for causing the at least one computer to process the payload provides the payload to a user equipment (UE) based at least in part on the type of the upper layer protocol.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the code for causing the at least one computer to generate the relay protocol packet generates the relay protocol packet based on a communication received from the UE.

33. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein the type of the upper layer protocol is S1-U, S1-MME, X2, or other transport or application protocol.

34. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises code for causing the at least one computer to populate the header of the relay protocol packet with a destination address of a serving gateway (SGW) or a mobility management entity (MME).

35. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises code for causing the at least one computer to set a protocol type value in the header of the relay protocol packet to a type of the upper layer protocol payload.

36. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the upper layer protocol payload is a compressed or uncompressed general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol (GTP)-U/user datagram protocol (UDP)/internet protocol (IP) packet.

37. An apparatus, comprising:

a relay protocol packet generating component that creates a relay protocol packet comprising an upper layer protocol payload; and

a relay protocol header populating component that inserts a relay identifier in a header of the relay protocol packet; and

a relay protocol communicating component that transmits the relay protocol packet to one or more evolved Node Bs (eNB) in a wireless network.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, further comprising a relay protocol header reading component that determines a type of an upper layer protocol corresponding to a payload of a disparate relay protocol packet, wherein the relay protocol communicating component further receives the disparate relay protocol packet from the one or more eNBs.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, further comprising a packet routing component that provides the payload of the disparate relay protocol packet to a user equipment (UE) based at least in part on the type of the upper layer protocol.

40. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the type of the upper layer protocol is S1-U, S1-MME, X2, or other transport or application protocol.

41. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the relay protocol packet generating component creates the relay protocol packet based at least in part on a communication received from a UE.

42. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the relay protocol header populating component also inserts a destination address of a serving gateway (SGW) or mobility management entity (MME) in the header of the relay protocol packet.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the relay protocol header populating component also inserts a type of the upper layer protocol payload in the header of the relay protocol packet.

44. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the upper layer protocol payload is a compressed or uncompressed general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol (GTP)-U/user datagram protocol (UDP)/internet protocol (IP) packet.

45. The apparatus of claim 37, further comprising a relay identifier receiving component that receives the relay identifier from a donor eNB.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, further comprising an identifier requesting component that requests the relay identifier from the donor eNB, wherein the relay identifier receiving component receives the relay identifier based at least in part on requesting the relay identifier.

47. A method, comprising:

receiving a relay protocol packet comprising an upper layer protocol payload and a relay identifier;

determining a relay evolved Node B (eNB) to receive the relay protocol packet based at least in part on the relay identifier; and

transmitting the relay protocol packet to the relay eNB.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the determining the relay eNB to receive the relay protocol packet includes locating the relay identifier in a routing table associating relay identifiers to cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) of next hop downstream relay eNBs.

49. The method of claim 47, further comprising:

receiving a disparate relay protocol packet from the relay eNB; and

forwarding the disparate relay protocol packet to an eNB from which the relay protocol packet is received.

50. A wireless communications apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor configured to: obtain a relay protocol packet including an upper layer protocol payload and a relay identifier; select a relay evolved Node B (eNB) to receive the relay protocol packet based at least in part on the relay identifier; and forward the relay protocol packet to the relay eNB; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

51. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 50, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to maintain a routing table associating relay identifiers with identifiers of next hop relay eNBs, and the at least one processor selects the relay eNB based at least in part on locating the relay identifier in the routing table along with an associated identifier of the relay eNB.

52. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 50, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

receive a disparate relay protocol packet from the relay eNB; and

forward the disparate relay protocol packet to an eNB from which the relay protocol packet is obtained.

53. An apparatus, comprising:

means for storing a relay identifier along with an identifier of a next hop relay evolved Node B (eNB); and

means for forwarding a relay protocol packet to the next hop relay eNB based at least in part on locating the relay identifier extracted from the relay protocol packet in the means for storing.

54. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the means for forwarding determines a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) of the next hop relay eNB associated with the relay identifier in the means for storing and forwards the relay protocol packet based on the C-RNTI.

55. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the means for forwarding further forwards a disparate relay protocol packet received from the next hop relay eNB to an eNB from which the relay protocol packet is received.

56. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising: code for causing at least one computer to receive a relay protocol packet comprising an upper layer protocol payload and a relay identifier; code for causing the at least one computer to determine a relay evolved Node B (eNB) to receive the relay protocol packet based at least in part on the relay identifier; and code for causing the at least one computer to transmit the relay protocol packet to the relay eNB.

57. The computer program product of claim 56, wherein the code for causing the at least one computer to determine the relay eNB to receive the relay protocol packet locates the relay identifier in a routing table associating relay identifiers to cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) of next hop downstream relay eNBs.

58. The computer program product of claim 56, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises:

code for causing the at least one computer to receive a disparate relay protocol packet from the relay eNB; and

code for causing the at least one computer to forward the disparate relay protocol packet to an eNB from which the relay protocol packet is received.

59. An apparatus, comprising:

a routing table component that stores a relay identifier along with an identifier of a next hop relay evolved Node B (eNB); and

a relay protocol forwarding component that transmits a relay protocol packet to the next hop relay eNB based at least in part on locating the relay identifier extracted from the relay protocol packet in the routing table component.

60. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the relay protocol forwarding component determines a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) of the next hop relay eNB associated with the relay identifier in the routing table component and forwards the relay protocol packet based on the C-RNTI.

61. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the relay protocol forwarding component further forwards a disparate relay protocol packet received from the next hop relay eNB to an eNB from which the relay protocol packet is received.

62. A method, comprising:

receiving a relay protocol packet comprising an upper layer protocol payload and a relay identifier;

determining a type of the upper layer protocol payload; and

communicating the upper layer protocol payload, along with the relay identifier, to a core network component over a disparate transport layer based at least in part on the type of the upper layer protocol payload.

63. The method of claim 62, further comprising determining a destination internet protocol (IP) address of the core network component from a header of the relay protocol packet, wherein the communicating is further based at least in part on the destination IP address.

64. The method of claim 62, wherein the determining the type of the upper layer protocol payload includes determining the type of the upper layer protocol payload to be S1-U and the communicating includes communicating the upper layer protocol payload to a serving gateway (SGW).

65. The method of claim 62, wherein the determining the type of the upper layer protocol payload includes determining the type of the upper layer protocol payload to be S1-MME and the communicating includes communicating the upper layer protocol payload to a mobility management entity (MME).

66. The method of claim 62, further comprising:

receiving a communication from the core network component comprising the relay identifier;

generating a disparate relay protocol packet including the communication as a payload thereof;

determining an next hop relay evolved Node B (eNB) to receive the disparate relay protocol packet; and

transmitting the disparate relay protocol packet to the next hop relay eNB.

67. The method of claim 66, further comprising populating a header of the disparate relay protocol packet with the relay identifier.

68. The method of claim 66, wherein the determining the next hop relay eNB includes locating an association between an identifier of the next hop relay eNB and the relay identifier in a routing table of such identifier associations.

69. A wireless communications apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor configured to: obtain a relay protocol packet comprising an upper layer protocol payload and a relay identifier; discern a type of the upper layer protocol payload; and transmit the upper layer protocol payload along with the relay identifier over a disparate transport layer to an upstream network component; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

70. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 69, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine the upstream network component based at least in part on the type of the upper layer protocol payload.

71. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 70, wherein the type of the upper layer protocol payload is S1-U and the upstream network component is a serving gateway (SGW).

72. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 70, wherein the type of the upper layer protocol payload is S1-MME and the upstream network component is a mobility management entity (MME).

73. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 69, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine a destination internet protocol (IP) address of the upstream network component from a header of the relay protocol packet, and the at least one processor transmits the upper layer protocol payload to the upstream network component based on the destination IP address.

74. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 69, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

obtain a communication from the upstream network component comprising the relay identifier;

create a disparate relay protocol packet having the communication as a payload;

select a next hop relay evolved Node B (eNB) to receive the disparate relay protocol packet; and

transmit the relay protocol packet to the next hop relay eNB.

75. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 74, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to populate a header of the disparate relay protocol packet with the relay identifier.

76. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 74, wherein the at least one processor selects the next hop relay eNB based at least in part on locating an association between the relay identifier and an identifier of the next hop relay eNB in a routing table.

77. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving a relay protocol packet comprising an upper layer protocol payload and a relay identifier; and

means for determining a type of the upper layer protocol payload; and

means for communicating the upper layer protocol payload along with the relay identifier to a core network component over a disparate transport layer.

78. The apparatus of claim 77, wherein the means for communicating selects the core network component based at least in part on the type of the upper layer protocol payload.

79. The apparatus of claim 78, wherein the type of the upper layer protocol payload is S1-U and the core network component is a serving gateway (SGW).

80. The apparatus of claim 78, wherein the type of the upper layer protocol payload is S1-MME and the core network component is a mobility management entity (MME).

81. The apparatus of claim 77, wherein the means for determining the type of the upper layer protocol payload further extracts a destination internet protocol (IP) address of the core network component from a header of the relay protocol packet, and the means for communicating selects the core network component based on the destination IP address.

82. The apparatus of claim 77, further comprising:

means for generating a disparate relay protocol packet including a communication as a payload thereof; and

means for determining a next hop relay evolved Node B (eNB) to receive the disparate relay protocol packet, wherein the means for communicating receives the communication from the core network component, and the means for receiving transmits the disparate relay protocol packet to the next hop relay eNB.

83. The apparatus of claim 82, further comprising means for inserting the relay identifier in a header of the disparate relay protocol packet.

84. The apparatus of claim 82, wherein the means for determining the next hop relay eNB determines the next hop relay eNB based at least in part on locating the relay identifier in a routing table.

85. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising: code for causing at least one computer to receive a relay protocol packet comprising an upper layer protocol payload and a relay identifier; code for causing the at least one computer to determine a type of the upper layer protocol payload; and code for causing the at least one computer to communicate the upper layer protocol payload, along with the relay identifier, to a core network component over a disparate transport layer based at least in part on the type of the upper layer protocol payload.

86. The computer program product of claim 85, further comprising code for causing the at least one computer to determine a destination internet protocol (IP) address of the core network component from a header of the relay protocol packet, wherein the code for causing the at least one computer to communicate communicates the upper layer protocol payload further based at least in part on the destination IP address.

87. The computer program product of claim 85, wherein the code for causing the at least one computer to determine the type of the upper layer protocol payload determines the type of the upper layer protocol payload to be S1-U and the code for causing the at least one computer to communicate communicates the upper layer protocol payload to a serving gateway (SGW).

88. The computer program product of claim 85, wherein the code for causing the at least one computer to determine the type of the upper layer protocol payload determines the type of the upper layer protocol payload to be S1-MME and the code for causing the at least one computer to communicate communicates the upper layer protocol payload to a mobility management entity (MME).

89. The computer program product of claim 85, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises:

code for causing the at least one computer to receive a communication from the core network component comprising the relay identifier;

code for causing the at least one computer to generate a disparate relay protocol packet including the communication as a payload thereof;

code for causing the at least one computer to determine an next hop relay evolved Node B (eNB) to receive the disparate relay protocol packet; and

code for causing the at least one computer to transmit the disparate relay protocol packet to the next hop relay eNB.

90. The computer program product of claim 89, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises code for causing the at least one computer to populate a header of the disparate relay protocol packet with the relay identifier.

91. The computer program product of claim 89, wherein the code for causing the at least one computer to determine the next hop relay eNB locates an association between an identifier of the next hop relay eNB and the relay identifier in a routing table of such identifier associations.

92. An apparatus, comprising:

a relay protocol component that receives a relay protocol packet comprising an upper layer protocol payload and a relay identifier; and

a relay protocol header reading component that determines a type of the upper layer protocol payload; and

a backhaul link component that communicates the upper layer protocol payload along with the relay identifier to a core network component over a disparate transport layer.

93. The apparatus of claim 92, wherein the backhaul link component selects the core network component based at least in part on the type of the upper layer protocol payload.

94. The apparatus of claim 93, wherein the type of the upper layer protocol payload is S1-U and the core network component is a serving gateway (SGW).

95. The apparatus of claim 93, wherein the type of the upper layer protocol payload is S1-MME and the core network component is a mobility management entity (MME).

96. The apparatus of claim 92, wherein the relay protocol header reading component further extracts a destination internet protocol (IP) address of the core network component from a header of the relay protocol packet, and the backhaul link component selects the core network component based on the destination IP address.

97. The apparatus of claim 92, further comprising:

a relay protocol packet generating component that creates a disparate relay protocol packet including a communication as a payload thereof; and

a routing table component that determines a next hop relay evolved Node B (eNB) to receive the disparate relay protocol packet, wherein the backhaul link component receives the communication from the core network component, and the relay protocol component transmits the disparate relay protocol packet to the next hop relay eNB.

98. The apparatus of claim 97, further comprising a relay protocol header populating component that inserts the relay identifier in a header of the disparate relay protocol packet.

99. The apparatus of claim 97, wherein the routing table component determines the next hop relay eNB based at least in part on locating the relay identifier in a routing table.