Method and apparatus for dynamically allocating H-ARQ processes

• US 7,710,911 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2005
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Terry, Stephen E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Danh C
• Application Number:
  US11/139,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20060007880A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,803 Days
• Field of Search: 370/335, 370/329, 370/34, 370/342, 370/395.42, 370/328, 370/338, 455/450, 455/452.2, 709/231
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1812 Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1887 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 Access point controller devices

Abstract

A method and apparatus for dynamically allocating hybrid automatic repeat request (H-ARQ) processes in a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) for supporting enhanced uplink (EU) transmissions. The H-ARQ processes in the WTRU are reserved for specific transport channels (TrCHs), dedicated channel medium access control (MAC-d) flows or logical channels associated with different data transmission priority classes. The WTRU allocates H-ARQ processes from those reserved H-ARQ processes that are available. Optionally, a higher priority channel may be allowed to allocate an H-ARQ process reserved for lower priority channels. Lower priority H-ARQ processes may be preempted. The preemption may be restricted by urgency of data transmission, or by radio network controller (RNC) configuration of H-ARQ processes. Alternatively, a common pool of H-ARQ processes may be configured and an H-ARQ process may be allocated from the common pool in accordance with a priority of each channel, and lower priority H-ARQ may be preempted.

Claims

1. A method for supporting enhanced uplink (EU) transmissions, implemented in a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), comprising:

providing, by the WTRU, a set of hybrid automatic repeat request (H-ARQ) processes for supporting enhanced dedicated channel (E-DCH) transmission;

in response to signaling from a radio network controller (RNC), received by the WTRU, for a dedicated channel medium access control (MAC-d) flow, limiting the E-DCH H-ARQ processes used to transmit the MAC-d flow; and

scheduling, by the WTRU, H-ARQ processing of MAC-d flows based on a priority of the MAC-d flows;

in response to signaling from the RNC, received by the WTRU, allocating at least one H-ARQ process reserved for use by a MAC-d flow; and

selecting, by the WTRU, transmissions of a data transmission priority class associated with the MAC-d flow using the at least one allocated H-ARQ process reserved for the MAC-d flow.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the MAC-d flow is configured as a high priority MAC-d flow, and having a subset of H-ARQ processes assigned to the MAC-d flow.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the MAC-d flow is associated with at least one signaling radio bearer (SRB).

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising limiting a data rate.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein a data transmission is a Signal Radio Bearer (SRB) transmission.

6. A method of dynamically allocating a plurality of hybrid-automatic repeat request (H-ARQ) processes in a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) for supporting enhanced uplink (EU) transmissions, the method comprising:

configuring, by the WTRU, the H-ARQ processes in the WTRU for a plurality of dedicated channel medium access control (MAC-d) flows;

configuring, by the WTRU, at least one of the MAC-d flows and at least one associated H-ARQ process to support the transmission of data associated with a highest data transmission priority class; and

transmitting, by the WTRU, the data, wherein the data transmission is supported by the at least one configured H-ARQ process associated with the at least one configured MAC-d flow.

7. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) comprising:

a controller configured to;

provide a set of hybrid automatic repeat request (H-ARQ) processes for supporting enhanced dedicated channel (E-DCH) transmission and;

in response to signaling from a radio network controller (RNC), for a dedicated channel medium access control (MAC-d) flow, limit the B-DCH H-ARQ processes used to transmit the MAC-d flow;

schedule H-ARQ processing of MAC-d flows based on a priority of the MAC-d flows;

in response to signaling from the RNC, allocate at least one H-ARQ process reserved for use by a MAC-d flow; and

select transmissions of a data transmission priority class associated with the MAC-d flow using the at least one allocated H-ARQ process reserved for the MAC-d flow.

8. The WTRU of claim 7 wherein the controller is further configured to limit a data rate.

9. The WTRU of claim 7 wherein a data transmission is a Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB) transmission.