Data packet transmission

• US 7,810,007 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2004
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Sharp Corporation (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Herrmann, Christoph
• Primary Examiner(s): Alphonse; Fritz
• Application Number:
  US10/578,655
• Publication Number:
  US 20070133605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,162 Days
• Field of Search: 714/746, 714/748, 714/751, 714/752, 714/758, 714/701, 714/703, 714/712, 714/48, 714/49, 714/50, 714/56, 714/755, 714/52, 370/389, 370/392, 370/200
• US Class Current: 714/746
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1812 Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1832 Details of sliding window management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/187 Details of sliding window management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1887 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0096 Channel splitting in point-to-point links
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0098 Unequal error protection

Abstract

Using the attribute “priority” to achieve a stronger Forward Error Correction (FEC) for Radio Link Control (RLC) Control Protocol Data Units (PDUs) transmitted via the High Speed Downlinik Shared Channel (HS-DSCH) also entails prioritized handling so that an RLC Control PDU is likely to overhaul an RLC Data PDU. As a consequence the RLC protocol operation can severely be disturbed, since it relies on in-sequence delivery of control and data PDUs. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, two types of containers are provided in which data packets may be transmitted, wherein the first type of container is provided with a stronger error coding than the second type of container and wherein data packets which comprise control instructions are only transmitted in the first container type with the stronger error correction. Due to this, an improved forward error correction for control PDUs of the AM RLC protocol of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) may be provided.

Claims

1. A data transmitting method comprising:

transmitting first data packets and second data packets from a transmitting station to a receiving station in containers;

wherein the first data packets comprise first data, in particular control instructions;

wherein the second data packets comprise second data;

wherein a first container comprises at least one first data packet;

providing the first container with a first error coding;

wherein a second container comprises at least one second data packet and no first data packet; and

providing the second container with a second error coding;

wherein the first error coding is stronger than the second error coding;

wherein the number of first and second data packets in the first container is smaller than the number of second data packets in the second container such that a first data payload transmitted in the first container is lower than a second data payload transmitted in the second container.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

controlling by a first retransmission protocol a transmission and retransmission of a third data packet of the first and second data packets;

controlling by a second retransmission protocol a transmission and retransmission of the first and the second containers;

providing the first container and the second container with a corresponding container sequence number; and

providing each data packet of the second data packets with a corresponding data packet sequence number;

wherein a first order of the first and second data packets which results when the first and second data packets are sent in first and second containers remains unchanged compared with a second order of the first and second data packets with which the first and second data packets are received by the second retransmission protocol.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second retransmission protocol determines whether a fourth data packet, which the second retransmission protocol receives from the first retransmission located above the second retransmission protocol, is a first data packet or a second data packet.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second retransmission protocol performs the determination whether the fourth data packet is a first data packet or a second data packet by analyzing a header information, which is associated with the fourth data packet by the first retransmission protocol.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein, if the fourth data packet is a first data packet, the fourth data packet is labeled when carried from a first transmission protocol to a second transmission protocol, which first transmission protocol is located above the second transmission protocol.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is applied for data transmission over the High Speed Downlink Shared Channel in Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS).

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first data packets are Radio Link Control (RLC) Control Protocol Data Units (PDUs);

and herein the second data packets are RLC Data PDUs.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

controlling by a first retransmission protocol a transmission and retransmission of a third data packet of the first and second data packets;

controlling by a second retransmission protocol a transmission and retransmission of the first and the second containers;

providing the first container and the second container with a corresponding container sequence number;

providing each data packet of the second data packets with a corresponding data packet sequence number; and

discarding by the receiving entity of the first retransmission protocol second data packets, the sequence number of which is outside a receiving window, wherein a first peer entity of two peer entities of the first retransmission protocol is adapted to initiate a reset of both peer entities, which reset is done by means of a first and second reset message included in the first data packets, which reset causes the first entity to send a first reset message to the second entity, and the second entity to send a second reset message to the first entity in reply to the first reset message, which first reset message sets the lower edge of the receiving window of the second entity equal to the lower edge of the transmission window of the first entity, which lower edge was used before the reset, which second reset message sets the lower edge of the receiving window of the first entity equal to the lower edge of the transmitting window of the second entity, which lower edge was used before the receipt of the first reset message.

9. A communication system comprising:

means for transmitting first data packets and second data packets from a transmitting station to a receiving station, wherein the first data packets comprise first data, in particular control instructions;

wherein the second data packets comprise second data;

wherein the first data packets and the second data packets are transmitted from the transmitting station to the receiving station in containers;

wherein a first container comprises at least one first data packet;

means for providing the first container with a first error coding;

wherein a second container comprises at least one second data packet and no first data packet; and

means for providing the second container with a second error coding; and

wherein the first error coding is stronger than the second error coding;

wherein the number of first and second data packets in the first container is smaller than the number of second data packets in the second container such that a first data payload transmitted in the first container is lower than a second data payload transmitted in the second container.

10. A transmitting station comprising:

means for transmitting first data packets and second data packets to a receiving station, wherein the first data packets comprise first data, in particular control instructions;

wherein the second data packets comprise second data;

wherein the first data packets and the second data packets are transmitted from the transmitting station to the receiving station in containers;

wherein a first container comprises at least one first data packet;

means for providing the first container with a first error coding;

wherein a second container comprises at least one second data packet and no first data packet; and

means for providing the second container with a second error coding; and

wherein the first error coding is stronger than the second error coding;

wherein the number of first and second data packets in the first container is smaller than the number of second data packets in the second container such that a first data a load transmitted in the first container is lower than a second data payload transmitted in the second container.

11. A receiving station comprising:

means for receiving first data packets and second data packets from a transmitting station, wherein the first data packets comprise first data, in particular control instructions;

wherein the second data packets comprise second data;

wherein the first data packets and the second data packets are transmitted from the transmitting station to the receiving station in containers;

wherein a first container comprises at least one first data packet;

means for providing the first container with a first error coding;

wherein a second container comprises at least one second data packet and no first data packet; and

means for providing the second container with a second error coding; and

wherein the first error coding is stronger than the second error coding;

wherein the number of first and second data packets in the first container is smaller than the number of second data packets in the second container such that a first data payload transmitted in the first container is lower than a second data payload transmitted in the second container.

12. A software program product storing a set of instructions configured for being executed by at least one processor for performing a method comprising the steps of:

transmitting first data packets and second data packets from a transmitting station to a receiving station, wherein the first data packets comprise first data, in particular control instructions;

wherein the second data packets comprise second data;

wherein the first data packets and the second data packets are transmitted from the transmitting station to the receiving station in containers;

wherein a first container comprises at least one first data packet;

providing the first container with a first error coding;

wherein a second container comprises at least one second data and no first data packet; and

providing the second container with a second error coding; and

wherein the first error coding is stronger that the second error coding;

wherein the number of first and second data packets in the first container is smaller than the number of second data packets in the second container such that a first data payload transmitted in the first container is lower than a second data payload transmitted in the second container.