RLP communication device and method for mobile communication system

• US 6,718,500 B1
• Filed: 10/15/1999
• Issued: 04/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Chang, Hoon, Lee, Hyun-Seok
• Primary Examiner(s): Chung, Phung M.
• Application Number:
  US09/418,607
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: 714/749, 714/746, 714/750
• US Class Current: 714/749
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1621 Group acknowledgement, i.e. the acknowledgement message defining a range of identifiers, e.g. of sequence numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1809 Selective-repeat protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections

Abstract

An RLP communication method for a mobile communication system. In the RLP communication method, an RLP layer transfers an information frame including information about a transmission side to a physical layer/multiplexing layer at set periods, when there is no data to transmit. The physical layer/multiplexing layer receives the information frame and transmits the received information frame to the other party over a physical channel.

Claims

1. A radio link protocol (RLP) communication device for a mobile communication system, the communication device and communication system supporting a discontinuous transmission (DTX) mode, comprising:

an RLP layer for transferring an information frame including information about a transmission side to a physical layer/multiplexing layer at set periods, when there is no data to transmit; and

the physical layer/multiplexing layer for receiving the information frame and transmitting the received information frame to the other party over a physical channel.

2. The RLP communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the RLP layer stores the information frame after transmission of the information frame, and retransmits the information frame when an ACK (Acknowledge) frame is not received in response to the transmitted information frame for a predetermined time.

3. The RLP communication device as claimed in claim 2, wherein upon receipt of an ACK frame, the RLP layer compares a sequence number of the stored information frame with a sequence number of the ACK frame, and deletes the stored information frame when the sequence numbers are equal to each other.

4. The RLP communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information frame includes information L_V(N) indicating that all RLP frames whose sequence numbers precede a specific sequence number have been received.

5. The RLP communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information frame includes information L_V(R) indicating that an RLP frame whose sequence number precedes a specific sequence number has been received.

6. The RLP communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information frame includes information L_V(S) indicating that an RLP frame whose sequence number precedes a specific sequence number has been transmitted.

7. The RLP communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information frame comprises:

a field for storing lower bits of a sequence number used in a radio link protocol;

a field indicating an information frame;

a field for storing remaining upper bits of the sequence number;

a field indicating an ACK frame;

a field for storing an ACK sequence number;

a field indicating an amount of information; and

at least one field for storing information to be transmitted.

8. The RLP communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the set period is differently set every transmission of the information frame.

9. The RLP communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the RLP layer transfers blank frames to the physical layer/multiplexing layer at regular intervals for the set period.

10. An RLP communication method for a mobile communication system, the communication system supporting a discontinuous transmission (DTX) mode, comprising the steps of:

transferring, at an RLP layer, an information frame including information about a transmission side to a physical layer/multiplexing layer at set periods, when there is no data to transmit;

receiving, at the physical layer/multiplexing layer, the information frame; and

transmitting the received information frame to the other party over a physical channel.

11. The RLP communication method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the RLP layer stores the information frame after transmission of the information frame, and retransmits the information frame when an ACK frame is not received in response to the transmitted information frame for a predetermined time.

12. The RLP communication method as claimed in claim 10, wherein upon receipt of an ACK frame, the RLP layer compares a sequence number of the stored information frame with a sequence number of the ACK frame, and deletes the stored information frame when the sequence numbers are equal to each other.

13. The RLP communication method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the information frame includes information L_V(N) indicating that all RLP frames whose sequence numbers precede a specific sequence number have been received.

14. The RLP communication method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the information frame includes information L_V(R) indicating that an RLP frame whose sequence number precedes a specific sequence number has been received.

15. The RLP communication method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the information frame includes information L_V(S) indicating that an RLP frame whose sequence number precedes a specific sequence number has been transmitted.

16. The RLP communication method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the information frame comprises:

a field for storing lower bits of a sequence number used in a radio link protocol;

a field indicating an information frame;

a field for storing remaining upper bits of the sequence number;

a field indicating an ACK frame;

a field for storing an ACK sequence number;

a field indicating an amount of information; and

at least one field for storing information to be transmitted.

17. The RLP communication method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the set period is differently set every transmission of the information frame.

18. The RLP communication method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the RLP layer transfers blank frames to the physical layer/multiplexinglayer at regular intervals for the set period.