Methods and Systems for HARQ Protocols

• US 20150049723A1
• Filed: 09/29/2014
• Published: 02/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Fong, Mo-Han, Vrzic, Sophie, Novak, Robert, Yuan, Jun, Yu, Dong-Sheng
• Granted Patent: US 9,197,377 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0003 by switching between different modulation schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0009 by adapting the channel coding H04L1/1812 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1812 Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1816 with retransmission of the same, encoded, message
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1861 Physical mapping arrangements for ACK signaling see also H04L5/0053
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1887 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1896 ARQ related signaling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2659 Coarse or integer frequency offset determination and synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2666 Acquisition of further OFDM parameters, e.g. bandwidth, subcarrier spacing, or guard interval length
• 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 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/044 based on the type of the allocated resource
• 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 72/1268 of uplink data flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/535 based on resource usage policies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Methods described herein are for wireless communication systems. One aspect of the invention is directed to a method for a HARQ process, in which the HARQ process includes a first transmission of an encoder packet and at least one retransmission. The method involves allocating a transmission resource for each respective transmission. The method involves transmitting control information from a base station to a mobile station for each respective transmission. The control information includes information to uniquely identify the HARQ process and an identification of one of a time resource, a frequency resource and a time and frequency resource that is allocated for the transmission. In some embodiments of the invention, specific control information is signalled from a base station to a mobile station to enable RAS-HARQ operation. In some embodiments of the invention, retransmission signaling in included as part of regular unicast signaling used for both first transmission and retransmissions. In some embodiments of the invention, a 3-state acknowledgement channel and associated error recovery operation enables the base station and mobile station to recover from control signaling error and reduce packet loss.

Claims

1-19. -19. (canceled)

20. A method comprising:

a mobile station performing,

determining, in response to a previously sent negative acknowledgement (NAK) to a base station, timing for receiving one of a transmission and a retransmission of a sub-packet of an encoder packet from the base station;

wherein the timing is based on configuration signaling, wherein the configuration signaling defines a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (ACK) delay, retransmit delay and number of HARQ interlaces, and wherein each is a function of at least one of a time division duplexing downlink/uplink (TDD DL/UL) ratio and a frequency division duplexing downlink/uplink (FDD DL/UL) ratio.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the ACK/NAK and the transmission and retransmissions are transmitted on a time resource.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the ACK/NAK and the transmission and retransmissions are transmitted on a frequency resource.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the ACK/NAK and the transmission and retransmissions are transmitted on a time and frequency resource.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

transmitting a plurality of UL ACKs in one UL sub-frame in response to determining that DL transmissions occur in more DL sub-frames of the frame than UL sub-frames that are available for the UL ACKs.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the HARQ acknowledgement (ACK) delay, retransmission delay and number of HARQ interlaces are also a function of portioning of legacy and non-legacy transmission resources.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein a non-legacy transmission resource is a transmission resource supported by at least one of IEEE 802.16m, WiMax, and LTE Advanced.

27. A method comprising:

a base station performing,

determining, in response to a previously sent transmission of an encoder packet to a mobile station, timing for receiving an acknowledgment/negative acknowledgement (ACK/NAK) from the mobile station based on configuration signaling;

wherein the timing is based on configuration signaling, wherein the configuration signaling defines a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (ACK) delay, retransmit delay and number of HARQ interlaces, and wherein each is a function of at least one of a time division duplexing downlink/uplink (TDD DL/UL) ratio and a frequency division duplexing downlink/uplink (FDD DL/UL) ratio.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the ACK/NAK and the transmission and retransmissions are transmitted on a time resource.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the ACK/NAK and the transmission and retransmissions are transmitted on a frequency resource.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the ACK/NAK and the transmission and retransmissions are transmitted on a time and frequency resource.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of UL ACKs in one UL sub-frame in response to determining that DL transmissions occur in more DL sub-frames of the frame than UL sub-frames that are available for the UL ACKs.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein the HARQ acknowledgement (ACK) delay, retransmission delay and number of HARQ interlaces are also a function of portioning of legacy and non-legacy transmission resources.

33. A user equipment device (UE), comprising:

at least one antenna;

at least one radio coupled to the antenna, wherein the at least one radio is configured to perform cellular communication using at least one radio access technology (RAT);

one or more processors coupled to the at least one radio, wherein the one or more processors and the at least one radio are configured to perform voice and/or data communications;

wherein the UE is configured to;

determine, in response to a previously sent negative acknowledgement (NAK) to a base station, timing for receiving one of a transmission and a retransmission of a sub-packet of an encoder packet from the base station;

wherein the timing is based on configuration signaling, wherein the configuration signaling defines a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (ACK) delay, retransmit delay and number of HARQ interlaces, and wherein each is a function of at least one of a time division duplexing downlink/uplink (TDD DL/UL) ratio and a frequency division duplexing downlink/uplink (FDD DL/UL) ratio.

34. The UE of claim 33, wherein the ACK/NAK and the transmission and retransmissions are transmitted on a time resource.

35. The UE of claim 33, wherein the ACK/NAK and the transmission and retransmissions are transmitted on a frequency resource.

36. The UE of claim 33, wherein the ACK/NAK and the transmission and retransmissions are transmitted on a time and frequency resource.

37. The UE of claim 33, wherein the UE is further configured to:

transmit a plurality of UL ACKs in one UL sub-frame in response to determining that DL transmissions occur in more DL sub-frames of the frame than UL sub-frames that are available for the UL ACKs.

38. The UE of claim 33, wherein the HARQ acknowledgement (ACK) delay, retransmission delay and number of HARQ interlaces are also a function of portioning of legacy and non-legacy transmission resources.

39. The UE of claim 38, wherein a non-legacy transmission resource is a transmission resource supported by at least one of IEEE 802.16m, WiMax, and LTE Advanced.