Method for the communication of information and apparatus employing the method

• US 20020042283A1
• Filed: 10/02/2001
• Published: 04/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Moulsley, Timothy J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,845,237 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/517
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0001 Systems modifying transmission characteristics according to link quality, e.g. power backoff adaptive data allocation for multicarrier modulation H04L5/0044; controlling transmission power for radio systems H04W52/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1867 Arrangements specially adapted for the transmitter end
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/343 taking into account loading or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/346 distributing total power among users or channels

Abstract

A method of transferring information in units over a wireless digital communications link between a transmitting station and a receiving station comprising the steps of: transmitting first information units at a first energy level; monitoring if correct reception of the transmitted units occurred; and transmitting second information units associated with the first information units, for which first information units the monitoring did not indicate correct reception occurred, at second energy levels, the second information units allowing the content of the first information units to be established, wherein at least one of the associated second information units is transmitted at an energy level which is selected at least partly so as to minimise the total transmitted energy when averaged over a series of first information unit transmissions with respective second information unit transmissions. At least one of the second information units may be transmitted with an energy level below the energy level used in transmission of the first information units. Second information units may be transmitted with a redundancy content which is selected to at least partly minimize the total redundant data content when averaged over a series of first information unit transmissions with respective second information unit transmissions.

Claims

1. A method of transferring information in units over a wireless digital communications link between a transmitting station and a receiving station comprising the steps of:

transmitting first information units at a first energy level;

monitoring if correct reception of the transmitted units occurred; and

transmitting second information units associated with the first information units, for which first information units the monitoring did not indicate correct reception occurred, at second energy levels, the second information units allowing the content of the first information units to be established,

wherein at least one of the associated second information units is transmitted at an energy level which is selected at least partly so as to minimise the total transmitted energy when averaged over a series of first information unit transmissions with respective second information unit transmissions.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the second information units is transmitted with an energy level below the energy level used in transmission of the first information units.

3. The method of claim 1 and further comprising the step of combining first information units received at the receiving station and associated second information units received at the receiving station so that the received energy of the or each second information unit transmissions supplements the received energy of the first and any previous second information unit transmissions, the step of combining being performed such that the total energy of the combined received transmissions increases with each second information unit transmission event.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein, for a given first information unit transmission, associated consecutive second information unit transmission events are performed with a progressive increase in transmission energy with respect to one another.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and any associated consecutive second information unit transmission events are each performed with a transmission energy such that the total transmission energy obtained by combining the first and any second information unit transmission events increases in value substantially exponentially.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and any associated consecutive second information unit transmission events are each performed with a transmission energy such that the total transmission energy obtained by combining the first and any second information unit transmission events substantially conforms to the expression E.kⁿ⁻

1 where E is the transmission energy used for the first information unit transmission event, k is a constant and n is the individual information unit transmission event where n=1 in the case of the first information unit transmission event and n=2, 3, 4, . . . n for each consecutive second information unit transmission event respectively.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein k=1.4.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein, for each second information unit transmission event, the second information units are transmitted with second energy levels selected partly on the basis of a target quality of reception parameter for each said second information unit.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said target quality of reception parameter for each second information unit is calculated as a function of at least one previous target or actual quality of reception parameter.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said target quality of reception parameter for each second information unit is also calculated as a function of the energy received due to transmission of the information units.

11. The method of claim 8, and further comprising the step of analysing the disparity between the actual and target quality of reception parameters of received information unit transmissions and decreasing the information unit transmission power level during transmission of said information unit if the quality of reception parameter for said received information unit transmission is greater than the target quality of reception parameter, otherwise increasing the information unit transmission power level during transmission of said information unit if the quality of reception parameter for said received information unit transmission is less than the target quality of reception parameter.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the communications link is established by equipment operating in accordance with a communications protocol based on the Universal Mobile Telecommunication System.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the receiving station sends transmission power regulation commands to the transmitting station in the transmit power control (TPC) field carried on a control channel set up in the communications link.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the target quality of reception parameter for first information units is selected to correspond to a defined probability of failed first information units transmission and consequent second information units transmission.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein at least one of the second information units is transmitted with a data redundancy content below the redundant data content level used in transmission of the first information units.

20. The method of claim 18 and further comprising the step of combining first information units received at the receiving station and associated second information units received at the receiving station.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein for a given first information unit transmission, associated consecutive second information unit transmission events are performed with a progressive increase in redundant data content with respect to one another.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the first and any associated consecutive second information unit transmission events are each performed with a redundancy data content such that the total redundancy data content obtained by combining the first and any second information unit transmission events increases in value substantially exponentially.

15. A digital wireless communication system comprising at least one transmitter having means for transmitting first information units at a first power level;

at least one receiver having means for receiving the transmitted information units; and

monitoring means for monitoring if correct reception of the transmitted units occurred;

wherein the transmitting means transmits second information units associated with the first information units, for which first information units the monitoring did not indicate correct reception occurred, at second energy levels, the second information units allowing the content of the first information units to be established, and further wherein at least one of the associated second information units is transmitted at an energy level which is selected at least partly so as to minimise the total transmitted energy when averaged over a series of first information unit transmissions with respective second information unit transmissions.

16. A transmitter station for digital wireless transmission of traffic information to a receiver, said transmitter station having:

a transmitter for transmitting first information units at a first energy level; and

monitoring means for monitoring if correct reception of the transmitted units occurred;

wherein the transmitter transmits second information units associated with the first information units, for which first information units the monitoring means did not indicate correct reception occurred, at second energy levels, the second information units allowing the content of the first information units to be established, and further wherein at least one of the associated second information units is transmitted at an energy level which is selected at least partly so as to minimise the total transmitted energy when averaged over a series of first information unit transmissions with respective second information unit transmissions.

17. A receiver for use in a digital wireless communication system comprising at least one transmitter having means for transmitting first information units at a first power level;

the receiver having means for receiving the transmitted information units; and

monitoring means for monitoring if correct reception of the transmitted units occurred;

wherein the transmitting means transmits second information units associated with the first information units, for which first information units the monitoring did not indicate correct reception occurred, at second energy levels, the second information units allowing the content of the first information units to be established, and further wherein at least one of the associated second information units is transmitted at an energy level which is selected at least partly so as to minimise the total transmitted energy when averaged over a series of first information unit transmissions with respective second information unit transmissions.

18. A method of transferring information in units over a wireless digital communications link between a transmitting station and a receiving station comprising the steps of:

transmitting first information units with a first redundancy content;

monitoring if correct reception of the transmitted units occurred; and

transmitting second information units associated with the first information units, for which first information units the monitoring did not indicate correct reception occurred, with a second redundancy content, the second information units allowing the content of the first information units to be established,

wherein at least one of the associated second information units is transmitted with a data redundancy content which is selected at least partly so as to minimise the total redundant data content when averaged over a series of first information unit transmissions with respective second information unit transmissions.

23. A digital wireless communication system comprising at least one transmitter having means for transmitting first information units with a first redundancy content;

at least one receiver having means for receiving the transmitted information units; and

monitoring means for monitoring if correct reception of the transmitted units occurred;

wherein the transmitting means transmits second information units associated with the first information units, for which first information units the monitoring did not indicate correct reception occurred, with a second redundancy content, the second information units allowing the content of the first information units to be established, and further wherein at least one of the associated second information units is transmitted with a data redundancy content which is selected at least partly so as to minimise the total redundant data content when averaged over a series of first information unit transmissions with respective second information unit transmissions.

24. A transmitter station for digital wireless transmission of traffic information to a receiver, said transmitter station having:

a transmitter for transmitting first information units with a first redundancy content; and

monitoring means for monitoring if correct reception of the transmitted units occurred;

wherein the transmitter transmits second information units associated with the first information units, for which first information units the monitoring means did not indicate correct reception occurred, with a second redundancy content, the second information units allowing the content of the first information units to be established, and further wherein at least one of the associated second information units is transmitted with a data redundancy content which is selected at least partly so as to minimise the total redundant data content when averaged over a series of first information unit transmissions with respective second information unit transmissions.

25. A receiver for use in a digital wireless communication system comprising at least one transmitter having means for transmitting first information units with a first redundancy content, the receiver having means for receiving the transmitted information units;

and

monitoring means for monitoring if correct reception of the transmitted units occurred;

wherein the transmitting means transmits second information units associated with the first information units, for which first information units the monitoring did not indicate correct reception occurred, with a second redundancy content, the second information units allowing the content of the first information units to be established, and further wherein at least one of the associated second information units is transmitted with a data redundancy content which is selected at least partly so as to minimise the total redundant data content when averaged over a series of first information unit transmissions with respective second information unit transmissions.