Retransmission

• US 20100042883A1
• Filed: 07/09/2009
• Published: 02/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Germany GmbH (Intel Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lantiq Beteiligungs-GmbH & Company KG (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: HEISE, Bernd
• Granted Patent: US 9,450,713 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/748
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1874 Buffer management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1896 ARQ related signaling

Abstract

Embodiments related to retransmission are described and depicted.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating at a DSL transmitter time-marker information for a data unit;

storing the time-marker information at the DSL transmitter;

transmitting the data unit from the DSL transmitter to a DSL receiver;

transmitting a request for retransmission from the DSL receiver to the DSL transmitter; and

based on the request, retransmitting the data unit including the time-marker information from the DSL transmitter to the DSL receiver.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the data unit from the DSL transmitter to the DSL receiver comprises:

transmitting the data unit without the time-marker information from the DSL transmitter to the DSL receiver.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein generating at the DSL transmitter time-marker information includes generating time-marker information based on a number of transmitted data bits, a sequence numbering of a multicarrier symbol or a sequence numbering of a FEC codeword.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein generating at the DSL transmitter time-marker information includes generating time-marker information based on an anticipated sequence number of a transmit multicarrier symbol or an anticipated sequence number of a FEC codeword.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the anticipated sequence number is calculated based on an expected delay from a predetermined first point of the transmitter processing flow to a predetermined second point of the transmitter processing flow.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the time-marker information is generated

based on number of transmitted data bits, or

based on the sequence number of a currently generated transmit multicarrier symbol, or

based on the sequence number of a currently processed FEC codeword.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the generating of the time-marker information is initiated based on the receiving of the data unit at a sublayer hierarchically higher than the sublayer which provides the timebase for the time-marker information, and wherein retransmission data units are multiplexed into the process flow between the hierarchically higher sublayer and the sublayer providing the timebase for the time-marker information.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the timebase for the time-marker information is derived from subsequent numbering of data bits, or subsequent numbering of multicarrier symbols or subsequent numbering of FEC codewords.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at a bonding layer data to be transmitted, the bonding layer being provided for bonding of a first link and a second link;

distributing the data unit to a first processing path associated with the first link and a further data unit to a second processing path associated with the second link;

providing a first time-marker information for the data unit distributed to the first processing path and providing a second time-marker information for the further data unit distributed to the second processing path;

transmitting the data unit and the further data unit over the first and second link, respectively;

based on a request for retransmission on the first link, retransmitting the data unit including the first time-marker information and

based on a request for retransmission on the second link, retransmitting the further data unit including the second time-marker information.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the retransmitted data unit at the DSL receiver;

determining a point in time for transferring the retransmitted data unit to a hierarchical higher sublayer of the DSL receiver based on the time-marker information;

transferring the retransmitted data unit to the hierarchical higher sublayer based on the determined point in time.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the hierarchical higher sublayer is a bonding layer for bonding a first and second DSL link.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the determined point in time approximately equals a point in time when the data unit would have been transferred to the hierarchical higher sublayer when no retransmission would have occurred.

13. A DSL transmitter device comprising:

a first entity configured to generate time-marker information for a data unit;

a buffer to store the time-marker information at the device;

a second entity configured to initiate transmission of the data unit over a subscriber line; and

a third entity configured to initiate retransmission of the data unit including the time-marker information over the subscriber line based on a request for retransmission.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein the second entity is configured to initiate a transmission of the data unit over the subscriber line without the time-marker information.

15. The device according to claim 13, wherein the first entity is configured to generate the time-marker information based on a number of transmitted data bits, a sequence numbering of a transmit multicarrier symbol, or a sequence numbering of a FEC codeword.

16. The device according to claim 13, wherein the first entity is configured to generate the time-marker information based on an anticipated sequence number of a transmit multicarrier symbol or an anticipated sequence number of a FEC codeword.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein the first entity is configured to calculate the anticipated sequence number based on an expected delay from a predetermined first point of a processing flow to a predetermined second point of a processing flow in the device.

18. The device according to claim 13, wherein the first entity is configured to generate the time-marker information based on a sequence number of a transmit multicarrier symbol currently processed in a multicarrier symbol processing or based on a sequence number of a FEC codeword currently processed in a FEC processing.

19. The device according to claim 13, wherein the device is configured to initiate the generating of the time-marker information based on the receiving of the data unit at a sublayer hierarchically higher than the sublayer which provides the timebase for the time-marker information, and wherein retransmission data units are multiplexed into the process flow between the hierarchically higher sublayer and the sublayer providing the timebase for the time-marker information.

20. The device according to claim 13, wherein a timebase for the time-marker information is derived from subsequent numbering of multicarrier transmit symbols or from a subsequent numbering of FEC codewords.

21. The device according to claim 13, further comprising:

a bonding entity, the bonding entity being provided for bonding of a first link and a second link;

wherein the bonding entity is configured to distribute the data unit to a first processing path associated with the first link and a further data unit to a second processing path associated with the second link;

wherein the first entity is configured to provide a first time-marker information for the data unit distributed to the first processing path and a second time-marker information for the further data unit distributed to the second processing path;

wherein the second entity is configured to initiate transmission of the data unit and the further data unit over the first and second link, respectively;

and wherein the third entity is configured to initiate retransmitting the data unit including the first time-marker information based on a request for retransmission on the first link, and to initiate retransmission of the further data unit including the second time-marker information based on a request for retransmission on the second link.

22. A DSL receiver device comprising:

a first input to receive a data unit transmitted from a DSL transmitter to the DSL receiver device over a Subscriber line;

a buffer to store the received data unit;

a first entity configured to determine a point in time to transfer the data unit to a higher sublayer in a processing flow, wherein the first entity is configured to determine the point in time based on a time base derived from a sequence numbering of multicarrier symbols or from a sequence numbering of FEC codewords.

23. A DSL protocol stack implemented in a chip, the protocol stack comprising functionality to provide time-marker information used for retransmission, the functionality being capable of providing time-marker information for a transmitted data unit based on a time base derived from a sequence numbering of multicarrier symbols or from a sequence numbering of FEC codewords.

24. A DSL system comprising:

a DSL transmitter device, the DSL transmitter device comprising;

a first entity to generate time-marker information for a data unit;

a first buffer to store the time-marker information at the DSL transmitter device;

a second entity to initiate transmission of the data unit;

an input to receive a request for retransmission of the data unit; and

a third entity to initiate retransmission of the data unit including the time-marker information; and

a DSL receiver device, the DSL receiver device comprising;

a first input to receive the data unit transmitted from the DSL transmitter device to the DSL receiver device;

a second buffer to store the received data unit;

a fourth entity to calculate a point in time to transfer the data unit to a higher sublayer in a processing flow, wherein the first entity is configured to calculate the point in time based on the time-marker information included in the retransmitted data unit.