Method, apparatus, and system for controlling link in cooperative communication

A base station, comprising:

• a confirming unit, configured to confirm that a beneficial user equipment and a pre-supportive user equipment have a capability of performing cooperative communication;
• a transceiver unit, configured to:
• after the confirming unit confirms that the beneficial user equipment and the pre-supportive user equipment have a capability of performing cooperative communication;
• separately send a first-hop link setup request to the beneficial user equipment and the pre-supportive user equipment, so that the beneficial user equipment and the pre-supportive user equipment establish first-hop physical links according to the first-hop link setup request;
• and separately receive initial measurement information sent by the pre-supportive user equipment and/or the beneficial user equipment, wherein the initial measurement information is sent after initial measurement is performed on the first-hop physical link;
• a selecting unit, configured to:
• when there is one beneficial user equipment and there is at least one pre-supportive user equipment, select a supportive user equipment of the beneficial user equipment from the pre-supportive user equipment according to the initial measurement information received by the transceiver unit;
• or when there is at least one beneficial user equipment and there is one pre-supportive user equipment, use the pre-supportive user equipment as a supportive user equipment, and select, according to the initial measurement information received by the transceiver unit, a beneficial user equipment that needs to be supported by the supportive user equipment;
• an establishing unit, configured to establish, based on a first-hop physical link between the beneficial user equipment and the supportive user equipment, a support link;
• wherein
• the transceiver unit is further configured to separately receive link measurement information of the support link established by the establishing unit, which is reported by the beneficial user equipment and/or the supportive user equipment, wherein the link measurement information is obtained by the beneficial user equipment and/or the supportive user equipment by performing measurement on the support link;
• and
• a control unit, configured to control the support link according to the link measurement information that is received by the transceiver unit.

A terminal, comprising:

• a receiving unit, configured to receive a first-hop link setup request sent by a base station;
• a physical link establishing unit, configured to establish a first-hop physical link according to the first-hop link setup request that is received by the receiving unit;
• a physical link measuring unit, configured to perform initial measurement on the first-hop physical link established by the physical link establishing unit, and send the initial measurement information to the base station, wherein the initial measurement information is used, when the terminal comprises one beneficial user equipment and at least one pre-supportive user equipment, by the base station to select a supportive user equipment of the beneficial user equipment from the pre-supportive user equipment according to the initial measurement information;
• or the initial measurement information is used, when the terminal comprises at least one beneficial user equipment and one pre-supportive user equipment, by the base station to use the pre-supportive user equipment as a supportive user equipment, and select, according to the initial measurement information, a beneficial user equipment that needs to be supported by the supportive user equipment;
• a support link establishing unit, configured to establish a support link based on the physical link;
• a support link measuring unit, configured to perform measurement on the support link established by the support link establishing unit to obtain link measurement information;
• and
• a sending unit, configured to send the link measurement information measured by the support link measuring unit to the base station, so that the base station controls the support link according to the link measurement information.