METHOD AND ARRANGEMENT FOR EFFICIENTLY UTILIZING RADIO RESOURCES IN A COMMUNICATION NETWORK

• US 20100091721A1
• Filed: 10/27/2006
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Sagfors, Mats, Torsner, Johan, Larmo, Anna, Rathonyi, Bela
• Granted Patent: US 8,699,428 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1825 Adaptation of specific ARQ protocol parameters according to transmission conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1829 Arrangements specially adapted for the receiver end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1851 using multiple timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/188 Time-out mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and an arrangement for obtaining efficient radio resource utilization over a radio interface in a communication network comprising a transmitting entity (18) transmitting data over said radio interface to a receiving entity (15), said transmitting entity (18) comprising at least an upper layer utilizing an automatic repeat request (ARQ) protocol on top of a lower layer utilizing a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) protocol, whereby a timer in said upper layer is arranged to supervise operation of said upper layer. Said timer is set based on an indication of receipt status of the transmitted data in said receiving entity (15) according to said lower layer hybrid automatic repeat request protocol.

Claims

1. A method in a transmitting entity (18) for obtaining efficient radio resource utilization over a radio interface in a communication network comprising said transmitting entity (18) transmitting data over said radio interface to a receiving entity (15), said transmitting entity (18) comprising at least an upper layer utilizing an automatic repeat request protocol on top of a lower layer utilizing a hybrid automatic repeat request protocol, the method comprising:

setting said at least one timer based on an indication of receipt status of the transmitted data in said receiving entity (15) according to said lower layer hybrid automatic repeat request protocol; and

supervising operation of the upper layer using the at least one timer.

2. A method according to claim 1, where said indication indicates successful transmission in said lower layer.

3. A method according to claim 1, where said indication indicates unsuccessful transmission in said lower layer.

4. A method according to claim 3, where said indication of unsuccessful transmission is sent from said lower layer to said upper layer after a pre-determined number of unsuccessful transmission attempts has been made.

5. A method according to claim 1, where said indication is sent from said lower layer to said upper layer when a loss of transmitted data has occurred.

6. A method according to claim 5, where the method further comprises:

directly re-transmitting said lost data to said receiving entity when said indication is received in said upper layer.

7. A method according to claim 1, where said indication indicates a signalling error in said lower layer, and where a message of said signalling error is sent from said upper layer to a second receiving entity.

8. A method according to claim 1, where said indication is sent from said lower layer to said upper layer for every transmission attempt, where said at least one timer is started at the first transmission attempt and re-started when said indication is received.

9. A method according to claim 1, where said at least one timer is set to last until a maximum number of transmission attempts is reached.

10. A method according to claim 1, where said upper layer is a radio link control (RLC) layer and said lower layer is a medium access control (MAC) layer.

11. An arrangement in a transmitting entity for obtaining efficient radio resource utilization over a radio interface in a communication network comprising said transmitting entity (18) transmitting data over said radio interface to a receiving entity (15), said transmitting entity (18) comprising at least an upper layer utilizing an automatic repeat request protocol on top of a lower layer utilizing a hybrid automatic repeat request protocol, the arrangement comprises:

means for setting said at least one timer based on an indication of receipt status of the transmitted data in said receiving entity (15) according to said lower layer hybrid automatic repeat request protocol; and

means for supervising the upper layer using the at least one timer.

12. An arrangement according to claim 11, where said indication indicates successful transmission in said lower layer.

13. An arrangement according to claim 11, where said indication indicates unsuccessful transmission in said lower layer.

14. An arrangement according to claim 13, where said lower layer is arranged to send said indication of unsuccessful transmission to said upper layer after a pre-determined number of unsuccessful transmission attempts has been made.

15. An arrangement according to claim 11, where said lower layer is arranged to send said indication to said upper layer when a loss of transmitted data has occurred.

16. An arrangement according to claim 15, where said transmitting entity (18) is arranged to directly re-transmit said lost data to said receiving entity (15) when said indication is received in said upper layer.

17. An arrangement according to claim 11, where said indication indicates a signalling error in said lower layer, where said upper layer is arranged to send a message of said signalling error to a second receiving entity (10).

18. An arrangement according to claim 11, where said lower layer is arranged to send said indication to said upper layer for every transmission attempt, where said at least one timer is started at the first transmission attempt and restarted when said indication is received.

19. An arrangement according to claim 11, where said means for setting said at least one timer is arranged to set said at least one timer to last until a maximum number of transmission attempts is reached.

20. An arrangement according to claim 11, where said upper layer is a radio link control (RLC) layer and said lower layer is a medium access control (MAC) layer.

21. A user equipment (18) for obtaining efficient radio resource utilization over a radio interface, comprising:

a lower layer utilizing a hybrid automatic repeat request protocol,

at least an upper layer utilizing an automatic repeat request protocol on top of the lower layer utilizing the hybrid automatic repeat request protocol,

at least one timer in said upper layer to supervise operation of said upper layer, and

means for setting said at least one timer based on an indication of receipt status of the transmitted data in a receiving entity (10, 15) according to said lower layer hybrid automatic repeat request protocol.

22. A computer-readable medium (60) containing computer program for obtaining efficient radio resource utilization over a radio interface in a communication network comprising a transmitting entity transmitting data over said radio interface to a receiving entity, said transmitting entity comprising at least an upper layer utilizing an automatic repeat request protocol on top of a lower layer utilizing a hybrid automatic repeat request protocol, the computer program, when executed by the transmitting entity, causes the transmitting entity to a method comprising:

setting said at least one timer based on an indication of receipt status of the transmitted data in said receiving entity according to said lower layer hybrid automatic repeat request protocol; and

supervising operation of the upper layer using the at least one timer.