# US 2021/0344381 A1 · Relay apparatus and relay method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0344381 A1 - Document ID: US20210344381A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/261,814 - Filed: 2019-07-23 - Published: 2021-11-04 - Earliest claimed: 2018-07-24 - Assignees: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation - Applicants: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation - Inventors: Kenji Miyamoto; Keita Takahashi; Hirofumi Yamamoto; Noriyuki Ota; Jun TERADA - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210344381A1 ## CPC - H04B 7/026: Co-operative diversity, e.g. using fixed or mobile stations as relays - H04B 7/15528: {Control of operation parameters of a relay station to exploit the physical medium} - H04B 7/15542: {Selecting at relay station its transmit and receive resources (selection of wireless resources by user or terminal H04W72/02; arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path by two-dimensional division of the resources H04L5/0003, or by allocating sub-channels H04L5/003)} - H04W 88/08: Access point devices - H04W 88/085: {Access point devices with remote components} - H04W 92/04: Interfaces between hierarchically different network devices - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A relay device for relaying communications between a plurality of radio devices that perform radio communications with a terminal and a radio control apparatus that controls the plurality of radio devices, the relay device including a plurality of signal combination units that are each provided for one of functional splitting points between the plurality of radio devices and the radio control apparatus, and are each configured to convert signal data transmitted from one of the plurality of radio devices based on a signal format in accordance with the one of the functional splitting points, and transmit the converted signal data to the radio control apparatus, and a signal switching unit configured to output the signal data transmitted from the one of the plurality of radio devices, to one of the plurality of signal combination units supporting one of the functional splitting points that corresponds to the one of the plurality of radio devices. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A relay device for relaying communications between a plurality of radio devices that perform radio communications with a terminal and a radio control apparatus that controls the plurality of radio devices, the relay device comprising: a plurality of signal combiners that are each provided for one of functional splitting points between the plurality of radio devices and the radio control apparatus, and are each configured to convert signal data transmitted from one of the plurality of radio devices based on a signal format in accordance with the one of the functional splitting points, and transmit the converted signal data to the radio control apparatus; and a signal switcher configured to output the signal data transmitted from the one of the plurality of radio devices, to one of the plurality of signal combiners supporting one of the functional splitting points that corresponds to the one of the plurality of radio devices. ### Claim 2 A relay device for relaying communications between a plurality of radio devices that perform radio communications with a terminal and a radio control apparatus that controls the plurality of radio devices, the relay device comprising: a plurality of signal combiners that are each provided for one of functional splitting points between the plurality of radio devices and the radio control apparatus, and are each configured to convert signal data transmitted from one of the plurality of radio devices based on a signal format in accordance with the one of the functional splitting points and transmit the converted signal data to the radio control apparatus; and a signal switcher configured to output a plurality of pieces of the signal data transmitted from the plurality of radio devices respectively, to the plurality of signal combiners supporting the functional splitting points that correspond to the plurality of radio devices that transmitted the signal data respectively. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The relay device according to claim 1, wherein the converted signal data is first signal data obtained by adding the plurality of pieces of the signal data, second signal data obtained by selecting one of the plurality of pieces of the signal data, or third signal data indicating a signal transmitted from the terminal detected in accordance with the plurality of pieces of the signal data. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The relay device according to claim 3, wherein the second signal data is signal data selected in accordance with control information included in signals transmitted from the plurality of radio devices. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The relay device according to claim 3, wherein the second signal data is signal data selected in accordance with a control signal transmitted and received between the radio devices and the radio control apparatus. ### Claim 6 A relay device for relaying communications between a plurality of radio devices that perform radio communications with a terminal and a radio control apparatus that controls the radio devices, the relay device comprising a signal distributer configured to copy signal data transmitted from the radio control apparatus, and transmit the copied signal data to only a target radio device of the plurality of the radio devices in accordance with a functional splitting point. ### Claim 7 A computer-implemented relay method for relaying communications between a plurality of radio devices that perform radio communications with a terminal and a radio control apparatus that controls the plurality of radio devices, the method comprising: a plurality of signal combination steps, each performed for one of functional splitting points between the plurality of radio devices and the radio control apparatus, of converting signal data transmitted from one of the plurality of radio devices based on a signal format in accordance with the one of the functional splitting points, and transmitting the converted signal data to the radio control apparatus; and a signal switching step of implementing one of the plurality of signal combination steps corresponding to one of the functional splitting points that corresponds to the one of the plurality of radio devices to process the signal data transmitted from the one of the plurality of radio devices. ### Claim 8 A computer-implemented relay method for relaying communications between a plurality of radio devices that perform radio communications with a terminal and a radio control apparatus that controls the plurality of radio devices, the method comprising: a plurality of signal combination steps, each performed for one of functional splitting points between the plurality of radio devices and the radio control apparatus, of each converting signal data transmitted from one of the plurality of radio devices based on a signal format in accordance with the one of the functional splitting points, and transmitting the converted signal data to the radio control apparatus; and a signal switching step of implementing the plurality of signal combination steps corresponding to the functional splitting points that correspond to the plurality of radio devices to process a plurality of pieces of the signal data transmitted from the plurality of radio devices that transmitted the signal data respectively.