Method and apparatus for carrying packetized voice and data in wireless communication networks

• US 6,529,527 B1
• Filed: 07/07/2000
• Issued: 03/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Leung, Nikolai K. N., Hsu, Raymond Tah-Sheng, Chen, Tao
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): LY, ANH VU H
• Application Number:
  US09/612,075
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 370/277, 370/328, 370/329, 370/335, 370/338, 370/342, 370/437, 370/441, 370/479, 370/510, 370/529, 370/503, 370/324, 370/509
• US Class Current: 370/503
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/18 Automatic repetition systems, e.g. Van Duuren systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365

Abstract

A method and apparatus for reducing transmission delay in a wireless communication system that carries packetized voice and data information. Interruptions in the traffic channels cause loss of synchronization between a header compressor and a header decompressor. Rather than transmitting resynchronization information on the traffic channel, the information dropped by an interruption is re-transmitted on a non-traffic channel in parallel with the traffic channel. At the remote station, information from the traffic channel and the non-traffic channel is reassembled before input into the decompressor. Alternatively, the non-traffic channel can be used to carry overflow information so that a higher average data rate can be achieved than the average data rate of the traffic channel alone.

Claims

1. A method for reducing transmission delay in a wireless communication system carrying packetized information between a base station and a remote station, wherein the base station and the remote station communicate through multiple channels, comprising:

transmitting a plurality of frames on a traffic channel from a transmitter to a receiver;

detecting an interruption of the traffic channel, wherein a payload overhead is generated to maintain synchronicity between the transmitter and the receiver; and

re-transmitting the payload overhead on at least one additional channel, wherein the re-transmission of the payload overhead on the at least one additional channel occurs concurrently with the transmission of the plurality of frames on the traffic channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional channel is a control channel.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the control channel is shared by a plurality of receivers.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the payload overhead is scrambled with a unique code, wherein the unique code is associated with at least one of the plurality of receivers.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the payload overhead is re-transmitted using a frame size associated with the control channel, wherein the frame size is the smallest allowable frame size that contains the payload overhead.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the payload overhead is re-transmitted using a predetermined frame size, wherein the predetermined frame size is based on the number of bits of the payload overhead.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional channel is a supplemental channel.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the supplemental channel is shared by a plurality of receivers.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of receivers shares the supplemental channel through a scheduled assignment.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of receivers share the supplemental channel by being assigned a unique scrambling code, wherein the payload overhead is scrambled by the unique scrambling code.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the payload overhead is re-transmitted in a sequential order.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the payload overhead is re-transmitted in a predetermined order in accordance with a predetermined criteria.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one additional channel includes a control channel and a supplemental channel, and the re-transmission of the payload overhead comprises:

determining the size of the payload overhead;

if the bit size of the payload overhead is less than a maximum control channel frame size, then transmitting the payload overhead on the control channel; and

if the bit size of the payload overhead is greater than or equal to the maximum control channel frame size, then transmitting the payload overhead on the control channel and the supplemental channel.

14. An apparatus for reducing transmission delay in a wireless communication system carrying packetized information between a base station and a remote station, wherein the base station and the remote station communicate through multiple channels, comprising:

means for transmitting a plurality of frames on a traffic channel from a transmitter to a receiver;

means for detecting an interruption of the traffic channel, wherein a payload overhead is generated to maintain synchronicity between the transmitter and the receiver; and

means for re-transmitting the payload overhead on at least one additional channel, wherein the re-transmission of the payload overhead on the at least one additional channel occurs concurrently with the transmission of the plurality of frames on the traffic channel.

15. An apparatus for reducing transmission delay in a wireless communication system carrying packetized information between a base station and a remote station, wherein the base station and the remote station communicate through multiple channels, comprising:

a processor;

a storage element coupled to the processor comprising an instruction set executable by the processor, wherein the instruction set comprise instructions for;

transmitting a plurality of frames on a traffic channel from a transmitter to a receiver;

detecting an interruption of the traffic channel, wherein a payload overhead is generated to maintain synchronicity between the transmitter and the receiver; and

re-transmitting the payload overhead on at least one additional channel, wherein the re-transmission of the payload overhead on the at least one additional channel occurs concurrently with the transmission of the plurality of frames on the traffic channel.