Method for controlling transmission over a radio channel between a sending unit and receiving units and equipments for implementing the method

• US 20060046733A1
• Filed: 09/15/2004
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Boumendil, Sarah, Fauconnier, Denis
• Granted Patent: US 8,699,408 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1657 Implicit acknowledgement of correct or incorrect reception, e.g. with a moving window
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1812 Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1845 Combining techniques, e.g. code combining
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/188 Time-out mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1887 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for controlling transmission over a radio channel between a sending unit and a group of receiving units in a radio communication system, the method comprising the following steps relating to information aimed at a subgroup of at least one receiving unit of said group of receiving units: transmitting said information over the radio channel from the sending unit; upon reception of said information, transmitting an acknowledgement from at least each receiving unit of the subgroup, which has received said information correctly over said radio channel; and checking whether acknowledgments have been received by the sending unit from each receiving unit of said subgroup.

Claims

1. A method for controlling transmission over a radio channel between a sending unit and a group of receiving units in a radio communication system, the method comprising the following steps relating to information aimed at a subgroup of at least one receiving unit of said group of receiving units:

transmitting said information over the radio channel from the sending unit;

upon reception of said information, transmitting an acknowledgement from at least each receiving unit of the subgroup, which has received said information correctly over said radio channel; and

checking whether acknowledgments have been received by the sending unit from each receiving unit of said subgroup.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information transmitted over the radio channel from the sending unit contains an indication of the receiving units of the subgroup, the method further comprising a step of determining at each receiving unit of said group of receiving units whether said receiving unit is one of the receiving units indicated by said indication.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said information is further discarded at the receiving units not indicated by said indication.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the indication of the receiving units of the subgroup contained in the transmitted information comprises an identity or an address of said receiving units of the subgroup.

5. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the indication of the receiving units of the subgroup contained in the transmitted information comprises at least one protocol entity identity or address previously associated with at least one of said receiving units of the subgroup.

6. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the information transmitted over the radio channel from the sending unit further contains a type of said information.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, comprising a further step of detecting, at each receiving unit indicated by said indication, the type of said information.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the receiving units of said group of receiving units are connected to a radio network controller and wherein if the type of said information detected is signaling, said information is not forwarded to the radio network controller, whereas if the type of said information detected is data, said information is forwarded by each receiving unit indicated by said indication to the radio network controller to be combined.

9. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the step of transmitting an acknowledgement is performed only by the receiving units indicated by said indication.

10. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the step of transmitting an acknowledgement is performed by each receiving unit of said group of receiving units.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmission of said information over the radio channel from the sending unit is repeated when an acknowledgment has not been received from at least one receiving unit of said subgroup after a preset time period.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiving units of said group of receiving units are base stations and the sending unit is a radio terminal, and wherein said radio channel is a high speed uplink channel.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said information comprises scheduling information for at least said high speed uplink channel aimed at a subgroup of receiving units consisting in one master scheduler receiving unit of said group of receiving units.

14. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein at least one of the receiving units of said group of receiving units supports a high speed downlink packet access feature for sending information to said sending unit over at least one high speed downlink channel, and wherein said information transmitted over a radio channel from the sending unit comprises signalling relating to information received from a receiving unit over a high speed downlink channel.

15. A receiving unit among a group of receiving units arranged for receiving information from a sending unit over a radio channel between the sending unit and said group of receiving units, said receiving unit comprising means, relating to information aimed at a subgroup of at least one receiving unit of said group of receiving units, said information containing an indication of the receiving units of the subgroup, for determining whether said receiving unit is one of the receiving units indicated by said indication, and means for acknowledging said information to the sending unit if said receiving unit is one of the receiving units indicated by said indication, wherein the receiving units of said group of receiving units are base stations and the sending unit is a radio terminal, and wherein said radio channel is a high speed uplink channel.

16. A receiving unit as claimed in claim 15, wherein said information comprises scheduling information for at least said high speed uplink channel aimed at a subgroup of receiving units consisting in one master scheduler receiving unit of said group of receiving units.

17. A receiving unit as claimed in claim 15, wherein at least one of the receiving units of said group of receiving units, including said receiving unit, supports a high speed downlink packet access feature for sending information to at least said sending unit over at least one high speed downlink channel, and wherein said information received by said receiving unit over a radio channel from the sending unit comprises signalling relating to information received from a receiving unit over a high speed downlink channel.

18. A receiving unit as claimed in claim 15, wherein the indication of the receiving units of the subgroup contained in said information comprises an identity or an address of said receiving units of the subgroup.

19. A receiving unit as claimed in claim 15, wherein the indication of the receiving units of the subgroup contained in the transmitted information comprises at least one protocol entity identity or address previously associated with at least one of said receiving units of the subgroup.

20. A receiving unit as claimed in claim 15, comprising means for detecting a type of said information further contained in said information.

21. A receiving unit as claimed in claim 20, wherein said receiving unit is connected to a radio network controller and further comprises means for selectively forwarding said information to the radio network controller for a forthcoming combining depending on whether the type of said information is data or signalling.

22. A sending unit comprising:

means for transmitting information to a group of receiving units over a radio channel, said information being aimed at a subgroup of at least one receiving unit of said group of receiving units;

means for receiving acknowledgments from receiving units which have received said information correctly over said radio channel; and

means for checking whether acknowledgments have been received by the receiving means from each receiving unit of said subgroup.

23. A sending unit as claimed in claim 22, further comprising means for including an indication of the receiving units of the subgroup in said information to be transmitted by the transmitting means.

24. A sending unit as claimed in claim 23, wherein the indication of the receiving units of the subgroup comprises an identity or an address of said receiving units of the subgroup.

25. A sending unit as claimed in claim 23, wherein the indication of the receiving units of the subgroup comprises at least one protocol entity identity or address previously associated with at least one of said receiving units of the subgroup.

26. A sending unit as claimed in claim 23, further comprising means for including a type of said information in said information to be transmitted by the transmitting means.

27. A sending unit as claimed in claim 22, comprising means for retransmitting said information over said radio channel when the checking means detect that an acknowledgment has not been received from at least one receiving unit of said subgroup after a preset time period.

28. A sending unit as claimed in claims 22, wherein the receiving units of said group of receiving units are base stations and the sending unit is a radio terminal, and wherein said radio channel is a high speed uplink channel.

29. A sending unit as claimed in claim 28, wherein said information comprises scheduling information for at least said high speed uplink channel aimed at a subgroup of receiving units consisting in one master scheduler receiving unit of said group of receiving units.

30. A sending unit as claimed in claim 28, comprising means for receiving information over at least one high speed downlink channel from at least one of the receiving units of said group of receiving units supporting a high speed downlink packet access feature, and wherein said information transmitted by said transmitting means comprises signalling relating to information received from a receiving unit over a high speed downlink channel.