Method for computer-aided signaling in an automatic repeat request procedure

• US 6,314,541 B1
• Filed: 11/30/1998
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Wimmer, Bernhard, Seytter, Fritz
• Primary Examiner(s): Baker, Stephen M.
• Application Number:
  US09/194,470
• Time in Patent Office: 1,072 Days
• Field of Search: 714/751, 714/748
• US Class Current: 714/748
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1812 Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1835 Buffer management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1848 Time-out mechanisms

Abstract

In an automatic repeat request procedure (ARQ), a first message is transmitted from a first computer unit to a second computer unit. Upon detection of a transmission error in the first message, a back-signalling message is coded in the second computer unit and transmitted to the first computer unit. The back-signalling message has at least one request field having the length of exactly one bit. A second message is requested by means of the request field. The second message contains additional information required for the error correction of the first message, or is the repetition of a message already transmitted or lost. The second message is transmitted to the second computer unit and decoded in the second computer unit together with the first message.

Claims

1. A method for computer-aided back signaling in an automatic repeat request procedure, comprising the steps of:

coding an information word, which has an arbitrary number of bits, in a first computer unit into at least a first message and further messages by using a perforation code;

transmitting the first message in the first computer unit to a second computer unit;

receiving the first message in the second computer unit;

decoding the first message in the second computer unit;

checking in the second computer unit whether the first message was transmitted without errors;

coding and transmitting at least one back-signaling message to the first computer unit for the case in which the first message was not transmitted without errors, wherein the back-signaling message has at least one request field with a length of exactly one bit by means of which a second message is identified;

receiving and decoding the back-signaling message in the first computer unit;

transmitting the requested second message to the second computer unit, wherein the requested second message contains an additional item of information relating to the first message for the purpose of error correction together with the first message in the second computer unit; and

receiving and decoding the second message in the second computer unit together with the first message;

wherein a value of the at least one request field does not change upon further iterative transmissions of further back-signaling messages upon further messages being received in the second computer unit with errors.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the perforation code is a perforation convolutional code.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

requesting further messages by means of further back-signaling messages;

transmitting the further messages from the first computer unit to the second computer unit; and

decoding the further messages in the second computer unit together with the previously received, coded messages.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

requesting further messages by means of further back-signaling messages;

transmitting the further messages from the first computer unit to the second computer unit; and

decoding the further messages in the second computer unit together with the previously received, coded messages.