Apparatus and method for efficient transmission of acknowledgments

• US 20060133273A1
• Filed: 12/22/2004
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Julian, David Jonathan, Teague, Edward Harrison
• Granted Patent: US 7,440,399 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1671 the supervisory signal being transmitted together with control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1819 with retransmission of additional or different redundancy
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1825 Adaptation of specific ARQ protocol parameters according to transmission conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1854 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/323 Discarding or blocking control packets, e.g. ACK packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/28 using user profile, e.g. mobile speed, priority or network state, e.g. standby, idle or non transmission

Abstract

Method and apparatus for transmission of information in multiple access communication system is described. Information from a plurality of access terminals is received. Alternatively, an access terminal determines what information needs to be sent to the access point. A determination is made as to whether sufficient resources, such as time, power level, or channels, are available to send an indication of acknowledgment. If sufficient resources are not available at the given time, the transmission of an indication of acknowledgment is delayed until sufficient resources are available.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting information from an access point in a multiple access communication system, the method comprising:

receiving information from a plurality of access terminals, wherein at least one of the access terminals is relatively close to the access point and at least one of the terminals is relatively far from the access point;

determining if sufficient resources are available to send an indication of acknowledgment to the access terminals; and

delaying transmission of an indication of acknowledgment to the access terminals relatively far from the access point until sufficient resources are available.

2. The method set forth in claim 1, further comprising transmitting information to the access terminals relatively close to the access point.

3. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein the act of delaying further comprises incrementing a counter.

4. The method set forth in claim 3, further comprising transmitting the indication of acknowledgment to the access terminals relatively far from the access point when the counter exceeds a predetermined threshold.

5. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein transmitting further comprises transmitting the indication of acknowledgment using incremental redundancy.

6. The method set forth in claim 4, further comprising transmitting in accordance with an Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) protocol.

7. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein determining if sufficient resources are available further comprises determining if sufficient power is available to send an indication of acknowledgment.

8. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein determining if sufficient resources are available further comprises determining if sufficient time is available to send an indication of acknowledgment.

9. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein determining if sufficient resources are available further comprises determining if sufficient channels are available to send an indication of acknowledgment.

10. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein the act of transmitting further comprises transmitting in accordance with a Frequency Division Multiplex (FDM) scheme.

11. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein the act of transmitting further comprises transmitting in accordance with a Code Division Multiplex (CDM) scheme.

12. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein the act of transmitting further comprises transmitting in accordance with an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex (OFDM) scheme.

13. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein the act of transmitting further comprises transmitting in accordance with an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) scheme.

14. A method for transmission of information in a multiple access communication system, the method comprising:

determining if sufficient resources are available to send an indication of acknowledgment;

incrementing a count if sufficient resources are not available; and

transmitting an indication of acknowledgment when the count exceeds a predetermined threshold.

15. The method set forth in claim 14, wherein determining if sufficient resources are available further comprises determining if sufficient power is available to send an indication of acknowledgment.

16. The method set forth in claim 14, wherein determining if sufficient resources are available further comprises determining if sufficient time is available to send an indication of acknowledgment.

17. The method set forth in claim 14, wherein determining if sufficient resources are available further comprises determining if sufficient channels are available to send an indication of acknowledgment.

18. A apparatus for transmitting information from an access point in a multiple access communication system, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving information from a plurality of access terminals, wherein at least one of the access terminals is relatively close to the access point and at least one of the terminals is relatively far from the access point;

means for determining if sufficient resources are available to send an indication of acknowledgment to the access terminals; and

means for delaying transmission of an indication of acknowledgment to the access terminals relatively far from the access point until sufficient resources are available.

19. The apparatus set forth in claim 18, further comprising means for transmitting information to the access terminals relatively close to the access point.

20. The apparatus set forth in claim 18, wherein the means for delaying further comprises incrementing a counter.

21. The apparatus set forth in claim 20, further comprising means for transmitting the indication of acknowledgment to the access terminals relatively far from the access point when the counter exceeds a predetermined threshold.

22. The apparatus set forth in claim 18, wherein means for transmitting further comprises means for transmitting the indication of acknowledgment using incremental redundancy.

23. The apparatus set forth in claim 18, further comprising means for transmitting in accordance with an Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) protocol.

24. The apparatus set forth in claim 18, wherein means for determining if sufficient resources are available further comprises means for determining if sufficient power is available to send an indication of acknowledgment.

25. The apparatus set forth in claim 18, wherein means for determining if sufficient resources are available further comprises means for determining if sufficient time is available to send an indication of acknowledgment.

26. The apparatus set forth in claim 18, wherein means for determining if sufficient resources are available further comprises means for determining if sufficient channels are available to send an indication of acknowledgment.

27. The apparatus set forth in claim 18, wherein the means for transmitting further comprises means for transmitting in accordance with a Frequency Division Multiplex (FDM) scheme.

28. The apparatus method set forth in claim 18, wherein the means for transmitting further comprises means for transmitting in accordance with a Code Division Multiplex (CDM) scheme.

29. The apparatus set forth in claim 18, wherein the means for transmitting further comprises means for transmitting in accordance with an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex (OFDM) scheme.

30. The apparatus set forth in claim 18, wherein the means for transmitting further comprises means for transmitting in accordance with an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) scheme.

31. An apparatus configured to transmit information in a multiple access system, the apparatus comprising:

a receiver configured to receive information from a plurality of access terminals;

a processor configured to determine if sufficient resources are available to send an indication of acknowledgment to the access terminals; and

a controller configured to delay transmission of an indication of acknowledgment to the access terminals relatively far from the access point until sufficient resources are available.

32. The apparatus set forth in claim 31, further comprising a counter configured to keep track of the quantity of messages received from at least a portion of the access terminals.

33. The method set forth in claim 31, further comprising a threshold value and a comparer, wherein the comparer is configured to compare a value generated by the counter with the threshold value.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, further comprising a transmitter configured to transmit an indication of acknowledgment to the access terminals relatively far from the access point when the counter exceeds the threshold value.

35. A machine-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations including:

receiving information from a plurality of access terminals;

determining if sufficient resources are available to send an indication of acknowledgment to the access terminals; and

delaying transmission of an indication of acknowledgment to the access terminals until sufficient resources are available

36. The medium set forth in claim 35, wherein determining if sufficient resources are available further comprises determining if sufficient power, time, or frequency channels are available to send an indication of acknowledgment.

37. A method of transmitting information in a multiple access communication system, the method comprising:

receiving information;

determining if sufficient resources are available to send an indication of acknowledgment; and

delaying transmission of an indication of acknowledgment until sufficient resources are available.

38. The method set forth in claim 37, wherein determining if sufficient resources are available further comprises determining if sufficient power, time, or frequency channels are available to send an indication of acknowledgment.

39. A method of transmitting information from an access terminal in a multiple access communication system, the method comprising:

receiving information from an access point;

determining if sufficient resources are available to send an indication of acknowledgment to the access point; and

delaying transmission of an indication of acknowledgment to the access point until sufficient resources are available.

40. The method set forth in claim 39, further comprising transmitting the indication of acknowledgment to the access point before a maximum number of allowable non-responses is reached.

41. The method set forth in claim 40, wherein transmitting further comprises transmitting the indication of acknowledgment using incremental redundancy.

42. The method set forth in claim 40, further comprising transmitting in accordance with an Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) protocol.

43. The method set forth in claim 39, wherein determining if sufficient resources are available further comprises determining if sufficient power, time or frequency channels are available to send an indication of acknowledgment.

44. An apparatus for transmission of information from an access terminal in a multiple access communication system, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving information from an access point;

means for determining if sufficient resources are available to send an indication of acknowledgment to the access point; and

means for delaying transmission of an indication of acknowledgment to the access point until sufficient resources are available.

45. The apparatus set forth in claim 44, further comprising means for transmitting the indication of acknowledgment to the access point before a maximum number of allowable non-responses is reached.

46. The apparatus set forth in claim 45, wherein transmitting further comprises means for transmitting the indication of acknowledgment using incremental redundancy.

47. The apparatus set forth in claim 45, further comprising means for transmitting in accordance with an Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) protocol.

48. The apparatus set forth in claim 44, wherein means for determining if sufficient resources are available further comprises means for determining if sufficient power, time or frequency channels are available to send an indication of acknowledgment.