Efficient partitioning of control and data fields

• US 20070109988A1
• Filed: 06/07/2006
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sampath, Ashwin
• Granted Patent: US 7,940,687 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/321
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0083 Formatting with frames or packets; Protocol or part of protocol for error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1854 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements

Abstract

Embodiments describe efficient tradeoff of latencies with processing times. A single control field can be placed within a frame to tradeoff encoding time with decoding time. Alternatively, a control field can be split into two portions to achieve good latency performance while maintaining sufficient processing time for scheduling, encoding and decoding. In accordance with some embodiments, a ACK/NACK field on one hop can serve the dual purpose of being a request for resources on the next hop in a multi-hop system. Also described is implicit acknowledgment monitoring that can improve latency performance.

Claims

1. A method for data communication, comprising:

determining a time division between an encoding time and a decoding time; and

selectively placing a control field within a frame based in part on the determined time division.

2. The method of claim 1, selectively placing a control field further comprising:

placing the control field right of a slot center if the decoding time is longer than the encoding time or placing the control field left of the slot center if the decoding time is shorter than the encoding time.

3. The method of claim 1, selectively placing a control field further comprising:

splitting the control field into at least two portions; and

providing a request field as part of one of the at least two portions of the control field.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dividing the control field into a first portion and a second portion;

placing in the first portion of the control field at least one of a REQUEST, a PILOT, and a control information; and

placing in a second portion of the control field at least one of a GRANT, an ACK/NACK, and information relating to assignment of resources or decoding outcome.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

decoding an acknowledgment sent by a node at a prior hop; and

using the decoded acknowledgment as an implicit request for resources.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the control field comprises a request field, a grant field, and an acknowledgment/negative acknowledgment field.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether to place an anticipatory request in the frame; and

placing the anticipatory request in the frame by a transmitting node based on the anticipatory request determination.

8. The method of claim 7, if the determination indicates the anticipatory request should not be placed in the frame, the method further comprising:

determining whether to place an additional request field in the second portion of the control field; and

including the additional request field by the transmitting node based on the additional request field determination.

9. The method of claim 8, if the determination indicates the additional request field should not be placed in the second portion of the control field, the method further comprising monitoring an implicit request by a receiving node.

10. An apparatus for data communication, comprising:

a time partition module that determines a time partition between an encoding time and a decoding time; and

a slot placement module that determines placement of the control field within a frame based in part on the determined time partition.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, the slot placement module places the single control field right of a slot center if the decoding time is longer than the encoding time or left of the slot center if the decoding time is shorter than the encoding time.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising an implicit request monitor that monitors an ACK/NACK field from a sending node and considers the ACK/NACK field as a request for resources.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, the time partition module splits the control field into two portions and locates a request field in one of the two portions.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, the time partition module places a REQUEST and a PILOT in a first portion of the divided control field and places a GRANT and an ACK/NACK in a second portion of the divided control field.

15. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for data communication, the instructions being configured to:

determine a time division between an encoding time and a decoding time; and

selectively place a control field within a frame based in part on the determined time division.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, the instructions further being configured to:

place the control field right of a slot center if the decoding time is longer than the encoding time or placing the control field left of the slot center if the decoding time is shorter than the encoding time.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, the instructions further being configured to:

divide the control field into a first portion and a second portion; and

perform one of;

providing a request field as part of the first portion of the control field; and

decoding an acknowledgment sent by a node at a prior hop; and

using the decoded acknowledgment as an implicit request for resources.

18. A processor for data communication, the processor being configured to:

determine a time division between an encoding time and a decoding time; and

selectively placing a control field within a frame based in part on the determined time division.

19. The processor of claim 18, the processor further configured to:

divide the control field into a first portion and a second portion;

place in the first portion of the control field at least one of a REQUEST, a PILOT, and a control information; and

place in a second portion of the control field at least one of a GRANT, an ACK/NACK, and information relating to assignment of resources or decoding outcome.

20. An apparatus for data communication comprising:

means for determining a time division between an encoding time and a decoding time; and

means for selectively placing a control field within a frame based in part on the determined time division.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:

means for dividing the control field into two portions; and

means for selectively including an anticipatory request; and

means for decoding an ACK and using the ACK as an implicit request for resources.