Method for accessing hybrid network, and gateway apparatus, wireless terminal and communication system thereof

A method for establishing a wireless connection at a gateway apparatus which communicates with a base station in a wireless Wide Area Network (WAN), the method comprising steps of:

• sensing a downlink common control channel of the WAN to determine whether the downlink common control channel has a relay request slot;
• receiving a relay request message requesting to relay a data packet, in the relay request slot on the downlink common control channel, in case that the downlink common control channel has the relay request slot;
• establishing a wireless connection with a wireless terminal in a wireless distributed network in response to the relay request message, wherein establishing a wireless connection with the wireless terminal comprises
• transmitting a reply message to the wireless terminal after receiving the relay request message,
• receiving a selection message transmitted by the wireless terminal, the selection message contains an address of the gateway apparatus through which a relay operation is to be made, and
• in response to the selection message, transmitting to the wireless terminal a permit message to permit the wireless terminal transmitting the data packet to be relayed;
• and
• transmitting the reply message to the wireless terminal in the wireless distributed network, after detecting a high level on the relay request slot.

A method for establishing a wireless connection at a wireless terminal, the method comprising steps of:

• sensing a downlink common control channel of a wireless Wide Area Network (WAN) to determine whether the downlink common control channel has a relay request slot;
• transmitting a relay request message requesting to relay a data packet, in the relay request slot on the downlink common control channel, in case that the downlink common control channel has the relay request slot;
• receiving a reply message on a wireless distributed channel transmitted by a gateway apparatus which communicates with a base station of the WAN;
• and
• establishing a wireless connection with the gateway apparatus in a wireless distributed network in response to the reply message by
• determining the gateway apparatus through which a relay operation is to be made by measuring conditions of channels, wherein the wireless terminal compares channel conditions indicated in the reply message and selects a gateway apparatus based at least in part on a gateway apparatus with a best channel condition and which needs a lowest transmission power for directly communicating therewith as the gateway apparatus through which the relay operation is to be made, and
• transmitting a selection message which contains an address of the gateway apparatus through which the relay operation is to be made.

A method for establishing a wireless connection at a wireless terminal, the method comprising steps of:

• sensing a downlink common control channel of a wireless Wide Area Network (WAN) to determine whether the downlink common control channel has a relay request slot;
• transmitting a relay request message requesting to relay a data packet, in the relay request slot on the downlink common control channel, in case that the downlink common control channel has the relay request slot;
• receiving a reply message on a wireless distributed channel transmitted by a gateway apparatus which communicates with a base station of the WAN;
• and
• establishing a wireless connection with the gateway apparatus in a wireless distributed network in response to the reply message by
• determining the gateway apparatus through which a relay operation is to be made by measuring conditions of channels, wherein the wireless terminal compares channel conditions indicated in the reply message, and selects a gateway apparatus based at least in part on a gateway apparatus with a best channel condition and with a highest signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) as the gateway apparatus through which the relay operation is to be made, and
• transmitting a selection message which contains an address of the gateway apparatus through which the relay operation is to be made.

A gateway apparatus which communicates with a base station in a wireless Wide Area network (WAN), comprising:

• a wireless wide area network transceiving unit configured to transmit and receive messages in the wireless wide area network;
• a wireless distributed network transceiving unit configured to transmit and receive messages in a wireless distributed network;
• a detection unit configured to detect the messages received by the wireless wide area network transceiving unit on a downlink common control channel of the WAN, and determine whether the downlink common control channel has a relay request slot;
• an access determination unit configured to determine that a wireless terminal needs to access the wireless distributed network in case that the detection unit detects a relay request slot and a relay request message is received on the relay request slot;
• and
• a transmission control unit configured to instruct the wireless distributed network transceiving unit to transmit a reply message to establish a wireless connection with the wireless terminal in the wireless distributed network,
• wherein the wireless distributed network transceiving unit is further configured to
• transmit a reply message to the wireless terminal after receiving the relay request message,
• receive a selection message transmitted by the wireless terminal and containing an address of the gateway apparatus through which a relay operation is to be made,
• transmit to the wireless terminal a permit message to permit the wireless terminal transmitting the data packet to be relayed in response to the selection message,
• transmit the reply message to the wireless terminal in the wireless distributed network, after the detection unit detects that a power level on the relay request slot is larger than a noise power.

A gateway apparatus which communicates with a base station in a wireless Wide Area network (WAN), comprising:

• a wireless wide area network transceiving unit configured to transmit and receive messages in the wireless wide area network;
• a wireless distributed network transceiving unit configured to transmit and receive messages in a wireless distributed network;
• a detection unit configured to detect the messages received by the wireless wide area network transceiving unit on a downlink common control channel of the WAN, and determine whether the downlink common control channel has a relay request slot;
• an access determination unit configured to determine that a wireless terminal needs to access the wireless distributed network in case that the detection unit detects a relay request slot and a relay request message is received on the relay request slot;
• and
• a transmission control unit configured to instruct the wireless distributed network transceiving unit to transmit a reply message to establish a wireless connection with the wireless terminal in the wireless distributed network,
• wherein the wireless distributed network transceiving unit is further configured to
• transmit a reply message to the wireless terminal after receiving the relay request message,
• receive a selection message transmitted by the wireless terminal and containing an address of the gateway apparatus through which a relay operation is to be made,
• transmit to the wireless terminal a permit message to permit the wireless terminal transmitting the data packet to be relayed in response to the selection message, and
• transmit the reply message to the wireless terminal in the wireless distributed network, after the detection unit detects a high level on the relay request slot.

A wireless terminal comprising:

• a wireless distributed network transceiving unit configured to transmit and receive messages in a wireless distributed network;
• a downlink common control channel transceiving unit configured to transmit a relay request message requesting to relay a data packet and receive messages on a downlink common control channel of a wireless wide area network (WAN);
• a detection unit configured to detect the messages received by the downlink common control channel transceiving unit on the downlink common control channel, and determine whether the downlink common control channel has a relay request slot;
• an access determination unit configured to instruct the wireless terminal to access the wireless distributed network in case that the detection unit detects a relay request slot and a data packet is to be relayed;
• and
• a transmission control unit configured to instruct the downlink common control channel transceiving unit to transmit a relay request message requesting to relay a data packet, instruct the wireless distributed network transceiving unit to receive on the wireless distributed channel a reply message which is transmitted by a gateway apparatus which communicate with a base station in a wireless wide area network, and establish a wireless connection with the gateway apparatus in the wireless distributed network, and
• wherein the detection unit is further configured to determine the gateway apparatus through which a relay operation is to be made by measuring channel conditions, and the wireless distributed network transceiving unit is further configured to transmit a selection message which contains an address of the gateway apparatus through which the relay operation is to be made, and
• wherein the wireless terminal compares conditions of channels indicated in the reply message, and selects a gateway apparatus with a best channel condition and which needs a lowest transmission power for directly communicating therewith as the gateway apparatus through which the relay operation is to be made.

A wireless terminal comprising:

• a wireless distributed network transceiving unit configured to transmit and receive messages in a wireless distributed network;
• a downlink common control channel transceiving unit configured to transmit a relay request message requesting to relay a data packet and receive messages on a downlink common control channel of a wireless wide area network (WAN);
• a detection unit configured to detect the messages received by the downlink common control channel transceiving unit on the downlink common control channel, and determine whether the downlink common control channel has a relay request slot;
• an access determination unit configured to instruct the wireless terminal to access the wireless distributed network in case that the detection unit detects a relay request slot and a data packet is to be relayed;
• and
• a transmission control unit configured to instruct the downlink common control channel transceiving unit to transmit a relay request message requesting to relay a data packet, instruct the wireless distributed network transceiving unit to receive on the wireless distributed channel a reply message which is transmitted by a gateway apparatus which communicate with a base station in a wireless wide area network, and establish a wireless connection with the gateway apparatus in the wireless distributed network, and
• wherein the detection unit is further configured to determine the gateway apparatus through which a relay operation is to be made by measuring conditions of channels, and the wireless distributed network transceiving unit is further configured to transmit a selection message which contains an address of the gateway apparatus through which the relay operation is to be made, and
• wherein the wireless terminal compares channel conditions indicated in the reply message, and selects a gateway apparatus with a best channel condition and with a highest signal to interference and noise ratio as the gateway apparatus through which the relay operation is to be made.