Method and apparatus for uplink scheduling using relays

A relay node configured to act as a relay between a user equipment (UE) and a donor base station of a wireless communication network, said relay node comprising:

• an access link communication interface configured for communicating with the UE and a backhaul communication interface for communicating with the donor base station;
• and
• one or more processing circuits, including a scheduling controller, configured to:
• receive an access link scheduling request from a UE having uplink data to send to the relay node;
• trigger an early relay node Buffer Status Report (BSR) toward the donor base station before receiving any of the uplink data;
• send a backhaul link scheduling request to the donor base station responsive to triggering said early node BSR and correspondingly receive a backhaul link scheduling grant from the donor base station;
• and
• send the early relay node BSR to the donor base station responsive to said backhaul link scheduling grant.

A method at a donor base station in a wireless communication network, said method comprising:

• receiving a relay node Buffer Status Report (BSR) from a relay node that communicatively couples user equipments (UEs) to the donor base station, wherein the relay node and the donor base station communicate on a backhaul link and the relay node and the UEs communicate on an access link;
• determining from the relay node BSR that the relay node has an empty uplink transmit data buffer but has one or more uplink data transmissions pending from one or more of the UEs supported by the relay node;
• and
• incorporating the determination that the relay node has one or more uplink data transmissions pending into scheduling decisions made by a scheduling controller of the donor base station, wherein said scheduling controller determines scheduling of uplink resources on the backhaul link with the relay node and on a second access link with one or more additional UEs that are directly supported by the donor base station.

A base station configured for use as a donor base station with respect to a relay node in a wireless communication network, said donor base station comprising:

• a scheduling controller configured to make scheduling decisions for scheduling uplink transmissions on a backhaul link for user equipments (UEs) indirectly supported by the donor base station via an associated relay node, and scheduling uplink transmissions on an access link for UEs directly supported by the donor base station;
• an access link interface configured for sending downlink transmissions to UEs on the access link and receiving uplink transmissions from UEs on the access link;
• a backhaul link interface configured for sending downlink transmissions to UEs on the backhaul link, via the relay node, and for receiving uplink transmissions from the UEs on the backhaul link, via the relay node;
• and
• wherein said scheduling controller is configured to receive relay node Buffer Status Reports (BSRs), and to determine from any one of the BSRs that the relay node has an empty uplink transmit data buffer but that the relay node has one or more uplink data transmissions pending from one or more of the UEs supported by the relay nodes, and incorporate the determination that the relay node has one or more uplink data transmissions pending into the scheduling decisions.