System and Method for Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Timing for Device-to-Device Communication Overlaid on a Cellular Network

• US 20130225184A1
• Filed: 02/27/2012
• Published: 08/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Liu, Deping, Sartori, Philippe, Classon, Brian, Desai, Vipul
• Granted Patent: US 9,209,945 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1812 Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1822 involving configuration of automatic repeat request [ARQ] with parallel processes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1854 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1864 ARQ related signaling H04L1/1607 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1893 Physical mapping arrangements physical resource mapping in general H04L5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/005 of common pilots, i.e. pilots destined for multiple users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/121 for groups of terminals or users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

An embodiment of a system for operating a communications controller for a group of user equipments engaged in a DMC link in a wireless communications system is provided. The communications controller is configured to allocate a set of subframes in one periodic group of subframes to the group of UEs for the DMC link, signal the set of allocated subframes to the group of UEs, and transmit parameters related to a group of HARQ processes of the DMC link. In an embodiment, the communication controller uses HARQ processes for cellular UE transmission that are determined independently from HARQ processes of the group of HARQ processes for the DMC link, and the parameters are configured to enable the group of UEs to manage the group of HARQ processes for the DMC link.

Claims

1. A method of operating a communications controller for a direct mobile communication (“

DMC”

) link for a group of user equipments (“

UEs”

), the method comprising;

allocating a set of subframes in one periodic group of subframes to the group of UEs;

signaling the allocated set of subframes to the group of UEs; and

transmitting parameters related to a group of Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (“

HARQ”

) processes of the DMC link,

wherein the communication controller uses HARQ processes for cellular UE transmission that are determined independently from HARQ processes of a group of HARQ processes for the DMC link, and

wherein the parameters are configured to enable the group of UEs to manage the group of HARQ processes for the DMC link.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the parameters related to the group of HARQ processes for the DMC link comprise a maximum number of HARQ processes.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the maximum number of HARQ processes is derived from at least a number of UEs in the group of UEs.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the maximum number of HARQ processes is derived from at least a number of subframes within the set of allocated subframes.

5. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the maximum number of HARQ processes is derived from at least a configuration of the communications controller.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein a first HARQ process in the group of HARQ processes of the DMC link corresponds to a first subframe of the set of subframes allocated to the group of UEs.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the HARQ processes of the DMC link are identified according to the subframes allocated for the group of UEs.

8. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein the identification is sequential.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the transmitting the parameters related to the group of HARQ processes is transmitted in a radio resource control signaling message.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the transmitting the parameters related to the group of HARQ processes of the DMC link is transmitted in a control channel.

11. A method of operating a UE, the method comprising:

receiving from a communications controller an allocation of a first set of subframes for a group of UEs for a DMC link; and

receiving from the communications controller parameters related to a group of HARQ processes of the DMC link,

wherein the UE manages a group of HARQ processes of a cellular UE transmission and at least one HARQ process from the group of HARQ processes of the DMC link, and

wherein the UE maps the at least one HARQ process from the group of HARQ processes of the DMC link in accordance with the allocated first set of subframes and the received parameters.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein the mapping of the at least one HARQ process comprises mapping all HARQ processes from the group of HARQ processes of the DMC link.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein a process number of a HARQ process from the group of HARQ processes of the cellular UE transmission is equal to a process number of a HARQ process from the group of HARQ processes of the DMC link.

14. The method as recited in claim 11 further comprising receiving from the communications controller an allocation of a second set of subframes,

wherein the allocated second set of subframes is a subset of the allocated first set of subframes, and

wherein the UE may transmit information in the allocated second set of subframes.

15. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein the transmitting information in the allocated second set of subframes uses the mapped at least one HARQ process from the group of HARQ processes.

16. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein the UE receives information on the allocated first set of subframes that are not part of the allocated second set of subframes.

17. The method as recited in claim 11 further comprising receiving information from another UE within the group of UEs in a subframe from the allocated first set of subframes using the mapped at least one HARQ process from the group of HARQ processes.

18. The method as recited in claim 11 further comprising transmitting a New Data Indicator bit.

19. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein the mapping of the at least one HARQ process from the group of HARQ processes is sequential to the allocated first set of subframes.

20. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein the receiving the parameters related to the group of HARQ processes of the DMC link is received in a radio resource control signaling message.

21. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein the parameters related to the group of HARQ processes of the DMC link comprise an indication of a maximum number of the group of HARQ processes of the DMC link.

22. A communications controller, comprising:

a transceiver; and

a processor unit coupled to the transceiver, the processor unit, in conjunction with the transceiver, configured to cause the communications controller to;

allocate a set of subframes in one periodic group of subframes to a group of UEs,

signal the set of allocated subframes to the group of UEs,

transmit parameters related to a group of Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (“

HARQ”

) processes of a DMC link,

determine HARQ processes for cellular UE transmission independently from HARQ processes of the group of HARQ processes for the DMC link, and

configure the parameters to enable the group of UEs to manage the group of HARQ processes for the DMC link.

23. A user equipment (“

UE”

), comprising;

a transceiver; and

a processor unit coupled to the transceiver, the processor unit, in conjunction with the transceiver, configured to cause the UE to;

receive from a communications controller an allocation of a first set of subframes for a group of UEs for a DMC link,

receive from the communications controller parameters related to a group of HARQ processes of the DMC link,

manage a group of HARQ processes of a cellular UE transmission and at least one HARQ process from a group of HARQ processes of the DMC link, and

map the at least one HARQ process from the group of HARQ processes from the group of HARQ processes of the DMC link based on the allocated first set of subframes and the received parameters.