Method and apparatus for performing random access procedures

• US 8,307,252 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2011
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Chun, Sung-Duck, Yi, Seung-June, Park, Sung-Jun, Lee, Young-Dae
• Primary Examiner(s): LAMARRE, GUY J
• Application Number:
  US13/115,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20110222498A1
• Time in Patent Office: 532 Days
• Field of Search: 714748-751, 370/474, 370/335
• US Class Current: 714/748
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1812 Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1822 involving configuration of automatic repeat request [ARQ] with parallel processes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1864 ARQ related signaling H04L1/1607 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1877 for semi-reliable protocols, e.g. for less sensitive applications like streaming video buffer level management for video bitstream control arrangements H04N21/44004
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1887 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0838 using contention-free random access [CFRA]

Abstract

A mobile terminal and a method of performing a random access procedure by the terminal is achieved by transmitting a random access preamble to a base station, receiving a random access response from the base station, and performing an uplink transmission using an uplink grant from the base station. The uplink transmission is performed by using a maximum number of HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest) transmissions parameter, which is included in a System Information Block (SIB) received from the base station.

Claims

1. A method of performing a random access procedure by a terminal, the method comprising:

transmitting a random access preamble to a base station;

receiving a random access response from the base station; and

performing an uplink transmission using an uplink grant from the base station,

wherein the uplink transmission is performed by using either a maximum number of HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest) transmissions parameter or a maximum number of Msg3(Message3) HARQ transmissions parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the uplink grant is included in the received random access response.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the random access preamble is selected at a MAC (Medium Access Control) layer in the terminal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the uplink transmission includes a mobile terminal identifier.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the uplink transmission includes the uplink grant and associated HARQ information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the uplink grant and the HARQ information are received from a lower layer with respect to the MAC layer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the random access response triggers generation of a message that is temporarily stored and wherein the maximum number of HARQ transmissions parameter is used in deciding when to flush a buffer in the terminal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the maximum number of HARQ transmissions parameter is used for transmissions on all HARQ processes and all logical channels except for transmission of a data unit stored in a buffer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the maximum number of Msg3 HARQ transmissions parameter is used for transmissions of a data unit stored in a buffer.

10. A terminal comprising:

an RRC (Radio Resource Control) layer configured to receive a maximum number of transmissions parameters; and

a MAC (Medium Access Control) layer configured to receive two kinds of maximum number of transmissions parameters from the RRC layer,

wherein a first kind of maximum number of transmissions parameter is used for transmission of data related to a random access channel (RACH) procedure, and a second kind of maximum number of transmissions parameter is used for other types of transmissions.

11. The terminal of claim 10, wherein the transmission of data related to the RACH procedure uses a RACH MSG3 message.

12. The terminal of claim 10, wherein the first kind of maximum number transmissions parameter is received via system information, and the second kind of maximum number of transmissions parameter is received via a dedicated message.

13. The terminal of claim 10, wherein the transmission of data related to the RACH procedure is defined as an uplink transmission using an uplink grant received in a RACH access response.

14. The terminal of claim 13, wherein the RACH access response triggers generation of a message, which is temporarily stored.

15. The terminal of claim 10, wherein the maximum number of transmissions parameters is used in deciding when to flush a buffer in the terminal.

16. The terminal claim 10, wherein the first kind and second kind of the maximum number of transmissions parameters are configured by the RRC layer.

17. The terminal claim 10, wherein the first kind of the maximum number of transmissions parameter is a maximum number of Msg3(Message3) HARQ transmissions parameter for transmission of a data unit stored in a buffer.

18. The terminal claim 10, wherein the second kind of the maximum number of transmissions parameter is a maximum number of HARQ transmissions parameter for transmissions on all HARQ processes and all logical channels except for transmission of a data unit stored in a buffer.