Uplink buffer status reporting of relay stations in wireless networks

1. A method comprising:

monitoring using one or more processors, an uplink buffer of a relay station communicating with a base station, wherein the uplink buffer comprises data to be transmitted from one or more user terminals to the base station;

sending using the one or more processors,an uplink buffer status report from the relay station to the base station, the uplink buffer status report comprises occupancy status information of the monitored uplink buffer and a number of user terminals having data pending at the relay station for transmission to the base station; and

reserving, using the one or more processors, a given amount of uplink resources from the uplink buffer on the occupancy status information, wherein the given amount of uplink resources is configured to optimize a current load of the uplink buffer when transmitting the data pending, wherein based on the occupancy status of the uplink buffer, the relay station decides for the base station either to schedule the user terminals to send more data or not without the BS knowing how many user terminals are currently coupled to the relay station.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the relay station sends the uplink buffer status report to the base station after a periodic time trigger indicating that a periodic time interval has past.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the relay station sends the uplink buffer status report to the base station when occupancy of the uplink buffer reaches a threshold level or when occupancy of the uplink buffer changes by a threshold level.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the relay station sends the uplink buffer status report to the base station when the relay station receives data from a new user terminal to be transmitted to the base station.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the occupancy status information specifies an amount of data pending in the uplink buffer to be transmitted from the relay station to the base station.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the uplink buffer status report specifies an amount of data pending for each logical channel group and a number of user terminals that have their data for that particular logical channel group.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the uplink buffer status report specifies an amount of data pending for each logical channel and a number of user terminals that have their data for that particular logical channel.

8. A method comprising:

receiving using one or more processors an uplink buffer status report at a base station from a relay station, wherein the uplink buffer status report comprises occupancy status information of the uplink buffer of the relay station indicating a number of user terminals having data pending for transmitted to the base station;

reserving, using the one or more processors, a given amount of communication resources, based on the occupancy status informayion, by the base station for the relay station to transmit the data pending for transmission from the user terminals on the uplink buffer, wherein the given amount of communication resources is configured to optimize a current load

of the uplink buffer when the data pending, wherein based on the occupancy status of the uplink buffer, the relay station decides for the base station either to schedule the user terminals to send more data or not without the BS knowing how many user terminals are currently coupled to the relay station; and

accepting, using the one or more processors, the pending data from the user terminals received at the base station through the relay station.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the base station receives the uplink buffer status report from the relay station at a time trigger indicating that a periodic time interval has past.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the buffer occupancy status information specifies an amount of data pending to be transmitted from the relay station to the base station.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the base station ensures fair scheduling of transmission resources by considering the number of user terminals that have data pending at the relay station to be transmitted to the base station connected to the relay station, and considering the user terminals that are directly connected to the base station and having data pending to be transmitted to the base station.

12. A relay station comprising:

a network interface to communicate with a base station and one or more user terminals;

a memory including an uplink buffer, wherein the uplink buffer stores data from the one or more user terminals pending to be transmitted to the base station; and

a processor coupled with the memory and the network interface, wherein the processor is configured to:

monitor an occupancy status of the uplink buffer;

determine a number of user terminals having data pending to be transmitted to the base station;

determine an amount of data transmitted by each of the determined number of user terminals;

send an uplink buffer status report to the base station using the network interface, wherein the uplink buffer status report comprises occupancy status information of the uplink buffer and the number of user terminals having data pending for transmission in the uplink buffer to the base station, and

reserve a given amount of uplink resources from the uplink buffer based on the occupancy status information, wherein the given amount of uplink resources is configured to optimize a current load of the uplink buffer when transmitting the data pending, wherein based on the occupancy status of the uplink buffer, the relay station decides for the base station either to schedule the user terminals to send more data or not without the BS knowing how many user terminals are currently coupled to the relay station.

13. The relay station of claim 12 sends the uplink buffer status report to the base station either periodically or when occupancy of the uplink buffer reaches a threshold level or when occupancy of the uplink buffer changes by a threshold level.

14. The relay station of claim 12 , wherein the uplink buffer status report indicates a number of user terminals that have data to be sent to the base station.

15. The relay station of claim 12 further determines the type of data to be transmitted to the base station by the user terminals.

16. The relay station of claim 12 , wherein the occupancy status information further comprises the amount of data pending at the uplink buffer of the relay station.

17. The relay station of claim 12 sends the pending data to the base station after the base station schedules resource blocks for each of the user terminals based on the uplink buffer status report.

18. The relay station of claim 12 communicates with the base station and the one or more user terminals wirelessly in accordance with at least one of a 3GPP LTE (Long Term Evolution) standard, LTE-Advanced standard, UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) standard, and GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) standard.