Multi-Carrier Incremental Redundancy For Packet Based Wireless Communications

• US 20100157791A1
• Filed: 02/10/2010
• Published: 06/24/2010
• 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 8,073,087 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/216
• 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:

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

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

decoding the primary version of the information received with the first encoding scheme;

decoding the redundancy version of the information received with the second encoding scheme;

wherein the redundancy version is received after receiving the primary version begins and before receiving a next said primary version, wherein said encoding schemes provide redundancy for error recovery.

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

receiving, on a third carrier, a second redundancy version of the information encoded with a third encoding scheme; and

decoding the second redundancy version of the information with the third encoding scheme.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising selectively combining one said redundancy version, wherein one said redundancy version is selected for use.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising soft combining said redundancy versions, wherein all said redundancy versions are combined.

5. The method according to claim 2, further comprising selectively soft combining said redundancy versions, wherein at least one said redundancy version is combined and at least one other said redundancy version is discarded.

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

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

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

means for decoding the primary version of the information received with the first encoding scheme;

means for decoding the redundancy version of the information received with the second encoding scheme;

wherein the redundancy version is received after receiving the primary version begins and before receiving a next said primary version, wherein said encoding schemes provide redundancy for error recovery.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the redundancy version is a first redundancy version, the apparatus further comprising:

means for receiving, on a third carrier, a second redundancy version of the information encoded with a third encoding scheme; and

means for decoding the second redundancy version of the information with the third encoding scheme.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising means for selectively combining one said redundancy version, wherein one said redundancy version is selected for use.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising means for soft combining said redundancy versions, wherein all said redundancy versions are combined.

10. The method according to claim 7, further comprising means for selectively soft combining said redundancy versions, wherein at least one said redundancy version is combined and at least one other said redundancy version is discarded.

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

a receiver for receiving a primary version of the information encoded with a first encoding scheme, the primary version being received on a first carrier, and receiving a redundancy version of the information encoded with a second encoding scheme, at least part of the redundancy version being received on a second carrier; and

a decoder for decoding the primary version of information received with the first encoding scheme, and decoding the redundancy version of the information received with the second encoding scheme, wherein the redundancy version is received after the reception of the primary version begins and before receiving a next said primary version, wherein said encoding schemes provide redundancy for error recovery.

12. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the redundancy version is a first redundancy version, and wherein the receiver receives on a third carrier, a second redundancy version of the information encoded with a third encoding scheme and wherein the decoder decodes the second redundancy version of the information with the third encoding scheme.

13. The communication device according to claim 12, wherein said decoder selectively combines one said redundancy version, wherein one said redundancy version is selected for use.

14. The communication device according to claim 12, wherein said decoder soft combines said redundancy versions, wherein all said redundancy versions are combined.

15. The communication device according to claim 12, wherein said decoder selectively soft combines said redundancy versions, wherein at least one said redundancy version is combined and at least one other said redundancy version is discarded.

16. A computer program product for error recovery in multi-carrier wireless communications, comprising:

computer readable medium comprising

code for causing a computer to receive a primary version of information encoded with a first encoding scheme, the primary version being received on a first carrier; and

code for causing a computer to receive a redundancy version of the information encoded with a second encoding scheme, at least part of the redundancy version being received on a second carrier;

code for causing a computer to decode the primary version of the information received with the first encoding scheme;

code for causing a computer to decode the redundancy version of the information received with the second encoding scheme;

wherein the redundancy version is received after receiving the primary version begins and before receiving a next said primary version, wherein said encoding schemes provide redundancy for error recovery.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the redundancy version is a first redundancy version, the computer program product further comprising:

code for causing a computer to receive, on a third carrier, a second redundancy version of the information encoded with a third encoding scheme; and

code for causing a computer to decode the second redundancy version of the information with the third encoding scheme.

18. The computer program product according to claim 17, further comprising code for causing a compute to selectively combine one said redundancy version, wherein one said redundancy version is selected for use.

19. The computer program product according to claim 17, further comprising code for causing a computer to soft combine said redundancy versions, wherein all said redundancy versions are combined.

20. The computer program product according to claim 17, further comprising code for causing a computer to selectively soft combine said redundancy versions, wherein at least one said redundancy version is combined and at least one other said redundancy version is discarded.