Method and apparatus for high rate packet data transmission

• US 20070019608A1
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Published: 01/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sindhushayana, Nagabhushana, Padovani, Roberto, Hinderling, Jurg, Black, Peter, Wheatley, Charles, Bender, Paul, Grob, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 7,848,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/347
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/264 for data rate control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0002 by adapting the transmission rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0025 Transmission of mode-switching indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0026 Transmission of channel quality indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1809 Selective-repeat protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1829 Arrangements specially adapted for the receiver end
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

In a data communication system capable of variable rate transmission, high rate packet data transmission improves utilization of the forward link and decreases the transmission delay. Data transmission on the forward link is time multiplexed and the base station transmits at the highest data rate supported by the forward link at each time slot to one mobile station. The data rate is determined by the largest C/I measurement of the forward link signals as measured at the mobile station. Upon determination of a data packet received in error, the mobile station transmits a NACK message back to the base station. The NACK message results in retransmission of the data packet received in error. The data packets can be transmitted out of sequence by the use of sequence number to identify each data unit within the data packets.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a communication system, comprising:

means for receiving, periodically, quality indicators from a plurality of mobile stations, each quality indicator indicative of a quality of a link in the communication system; and

means for scheduling data transmissions as a function of the quality indicators received.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising means for determining data rates for the data transmissions as a function of the quality indicators.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each quality indicator is a data request message containing an indication of the quality of the link.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each quality indicator is a data request message containing a requested data rate.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the data rates correspond to the requested data rates contained in the quality indicators.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising means for determining the data rates based on resources available.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising means for determining the data rates based on an available transmit power.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising means for determining the data rates based on a data queue size.

9. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising means for transmitting a determined data rate for a data transmission to a receiver.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the means for transmitting is further configured to transmit the determined data rate concurrently with the data transmission to the receiver.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the means for transmitting is further configured to transmit the determined data rate prior to transmitting the data transmission to the receiver.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising means for encoding data for the data transmission according to the determined data rate.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each quality indicator maps to an index.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the index corresponds to a transmission data rate.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the index corresponds to a set of traffic channel parameters used for a data transmission.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the set of traffic channel parameters includes at least one of a packet length, a number of time slots per packet, a modulation format, and a channel coding scheme.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for scheduling is further configured to schedule the data transmissions as a function of resources available.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for scheduling is further configured to schedule the data transmissions as a function of an available transmit power.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for scheduling is further configured to schedule the data transmissions as a function of a data queue size.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for scheduling is further configured to schedule the data transmissions at each time slot as a function of the quality indicators received.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for scheduling is further configured to schedule data transmissions for a plurality of base stations.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the data transmissions for the plurality of base stations are scheduled based on information indicating which of the plurality of base stations transmitted data in a time slot.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the means for scheduling includes a channel scheduler.

24. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 23, wherein the apparatus is a computer program product configured to increase data throughput and efficiency in the communication system, when coupled to a computing device.

25. A method in a communication system, comprising:

receiving, periodically, quality indicators from a plurality of mobile stations, each quality indicator indicative of a quality of a link in the communication system; and

scheduling data transmissions as a function of the quality indicators received.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising determining data rates for the data transmissions as a function of the quality indicators.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein each quality indicator is a data request message containing an indication of the quality of the link.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein each quality indicator is a data request message containing a requested data rate.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the data rates correspond to the requested data rates contained in the quality indicators.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising determining the data rates based on resources available.

31. The method of claim 26, further comprising determining the data rates based on an available transmit power.

32. The method of claim 26, further comprising determining the data rates based on a data queue size.

33. The method of claim 26, further comprising transmitting a determined data rate for a data transmission to a receiver.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising transmitting the determined data rate concurrently with the data transmission to the receiver.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising transmitting the determined data rate prior to transmitting the data transmission to the receiver.

36. The method of claim 33, further comprising encoding data for the data transmission according to the determined data rate.

37. The method of claim 25, wherein each quality indicator maps to an index.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the index corresponds to a transmission data rate.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein the index corresponds to a set of traffic channel parameters used for a data transmission.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the set of traffic channel parameters includes at least one of a packet length, a number of time slots per packet, a modulation format, and a channel coding scheme.

41. The method of claim 25, further comprising scheduling the data transmissions as a function of resources available.

42. The method of claim 25, further comprising scheduling the data transmissions as a function of an available transmit power.

43. The method of claim 25, further comprising scheduling the data transmissions as a function of a data queue size.

44. The method of claim 25, further comprising scheduling the data transmissions at each time slot as a function of the quality indicators received.

45. The method of claim 25, further comprising scheduling data transmissions for a plurality of base stations.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the data transmissions for the plurality of base stations are scheduled based on information indicating which of the plurality of base stations transmitted data in a time slot.

47. A computer program product for increasing data throughput and efficiency in a communication system, comprising:

instructions for receiving, periodically, quality indicators from a plurality of mobile stations, each quality indicator indicative of a quality of a link in the communication system; and

instructions for scheduling data transmissions as a function of the quality indicators received.