Multi-carrier incremental redundancy for packet-based wireless communications

• US 20060203924A1
• Filed: 09/28/2005
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Casaccia, Lorenzo, Malladi, Durga Prasad
• Granted Patent: US 8,009,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/260
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0045 Arrangements at the receiver end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/04 using frequency diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/08 by repeating transmission, e.g. Verdan system H04L1/1858 and H04L1/189 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1819 with retransmission of additional or different redundancy
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1845 Combining techniques, e.g. code combining
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1893 Physical mapping arrangements physical resource mapping in general H04L5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/18 Phase-modulated carrier systems, i.e. using phase-shift keying H04L27/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/06 the signals being represented by different frequencies combined with time-division multiplexing H04L5/26

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed herein for providing incremental redundancy in a wireless communication system to aid in error recovery. One or more redundancy versions are sent on different carriers than the primary version of information to be transmitted. At the receiver end the redundancy versions may be combined using hard or soft combining techniques, including selection combining, selective soft combining or soft combining.

Claims

1. A method of providing redundancy for error recovery in multi-carrier wireless communications, the method comprising:

encoding a primary version of information to be transmitted with a first encoding scheme;

encoding a redundancy version of the information to be transmitted with a second encoding scheme;

transmitting the primary version of the information encoded with the first encoding scheme, the primary version being transmitted on a first carrier; and

transmitting the redundancy version of the information encoded with the second encoding scheme, at least part of the redundancy version being transmitted on a second carrier;

wherein the redundancy version is transmitted in response to transmitting the primary version of the information within a same transmission time period as the primary version.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the redundancy version and the primary version are transmitted simultaneously.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communications are compatible with Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM).

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the wireless communications are compatible with Multi-Carrier General Packet Radio Service (MC-GPRS).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first encoding scheme and the second encoding scheme belong to the same encoding scheme family.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first encoding scheme is selected from a group consisting of MCS-9, MCS-6 and MCS-3.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the redundancy version is transmitted in two or more transmissions, one of the two or more transmissions being transmitted on a third carrier within the same transmission time period as the primary version.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the redundancy version is a first redundancy version, the method further comprising:

encoding a second redundancy version of the information with a third encoding scheme; and

wirelessly transmitting to the receiver, on a third carrier, the second redundancy version of the information encoded with the third encoding scheme.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiver is a mobile unit and the primary version is transmitted via a base station to the mobile unit.

10. An apparatus for providing redundancy for error recovery in multi-carrier wireless communications, the apparatus comprising:

means for encoding a primary version of information to be transmitted with a first encoding scheme;

means for encoding a redundancy version of the information to be transmitted with a second encoding scheme;

means for transmitting the primary version of the information encoded with the first encoding scheme, the primary version being transmitted on a first carrier; and

means for transmitting the redundancy version of the information encoded with the second encoding scheme, at least part of the redundancy version being transmitted on a second carrier;

wherein the redundancy version is transmitted in response to transmitting the primary version of the information within a same transmission time period as the primary version.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the redundancy version and the primary version are transmitted simultaneously.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the wireless communications are compatible with Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM).

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the wireless communications are compatible with Multi-Carrier General Packet Radio Service (MC-GPRS).

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first encoding scheme and the second encoding scheme belong to the same encoding scheme family.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first encoding scheme is selected from a group consisting of MCS-9, MCS-6 and MCS-3.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the redundancy version is transmitted in two or more transmissions, one of the two or more transmissions be transmitted on a third carrier within the same transmission time period as the primary version.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the redundancy version is a first redundancy version, the apparatus further comprising:

means for encoding a second redundancy version of the information with a third encoding scheme; and

means for wirelessly transmitting to the receiver, on a third carrier, the second redundancy version of the information encoded with the third encoding scheme.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the receiver is a mobile unit and the primary version is transmitted via a base station to the mobile unit.

19. A communication device for providing redundancy for error recovery in multi-carrier wireless communications, the device comprising:

an encoder for encoding a primary version of information to be transmitted with a first encoding scheme, and encoding a redundancy version of the information to be transmitted with a second encoding scheme; and

a transmitter for transmitting the primary version of the information encoded with the first encoding scheme, the primary version being transmitted on a first carrier, and transmitting the redundancy version of the information encoded with the second encoding scheme, at least part of the redundancy version being transmitted on a second carrier;

wherein the redundancy version is transmitted in response to transmitting the primary version of the information within a same transmission time period as the primary version.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein the redundancy version and the primary version are transmitted simultaneously.

21. The device of claim 19, wherein the wireless communications are compatible with Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM).

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the wireless communications are compatible with Multi-Carrier General Packet Radio Service (MC-GPRS).

23. The device of claim 19, wherein the first encoding scheme and the second encoding scheme belong to the same encoding scheme family.

24. The device of claim 22, wherein the first encoding scheme is selected from a group consisting of MCS-9, MCS-6 and MCS-3.

25. The device of claim 19, wherein the redundancy version is transmitted in two or more transmissions, one of the two or more transmissions be transmitted on a third carrier within the same transmission time period as the primary version.

26. The device of claim 19, wherein the redundancy version is a first redundancy version, and wherein encoder encodes a second redundancy version of the information with a third encoding scheme, and the transmitter transmits on a third carrier, the second redundancy version of the information encoded with the third encoding scheme.

27. A computer readable media embodying a method for error recovery in multi-carrier wireless communications, the method comprising:

encoding a primary version of information to be transmitted with a first encoding scheme;

encoding a redundancy version of the information to be transmitted with a second encoding scheme;

transmitting the primary version of the information encoded with the first encoding scheme, the primary version being transmitted on a first carrier; and

transmitting the redundancy version of the information encoded with the second encoding scheme, at least part of the redundancy version being transmitted on a second carrier;

wherein the redundancy version is transmitted in response to transmitting the primary version of the information within a same transmission time period as the primary version.