Detection and recovery of HARQ NAK-to-ACK feedback error in wireless communications systems

• US 8,959,409 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2008
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Zhu, Yuan, Yang, Xiangying, Yin, Hujun
• Primary Examiner(s): Torres, Joseph D
• Application Number:
  US12/317,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20100005354A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,248 Days
• Field of Search: 714/748
• US Class Current: 714/748
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/08 by repeating transmission, e.g. Verdan system H04L1/1858 and H04L1/189 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/14 in which the signals are sent back to the transmitter to be checked ; echo systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1812 Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1825 Adaptation of specific ARQ protocol parameters according to transmission conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1864 ARQ related signaling H04L1/1607 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1887 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1896 ARQ related signaling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0248 dependent on the time of the day, e.g. according to expected transmission activity
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In wireless communication networks that use ARQ/HARQ feedback protocols, when a first device receives an apparent HARQ ACK from a second device, the first device may make a new transmission using a HARQ Channel ID whose previous usage was under conditions indicating a likelihood of error in the ACK. When the second device receives the new transmission, the reuse of that HARQ Channel ID in a new transmission rather than a retransmission lets the second device know that its previous NAK transmission was incorrectly received as an ACK.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

identifying, by a first wireless communications device, a group of Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) Channel IDs (ACIDs) whose previous use by the first wireless communications device was in a transmission that resulted in an ACK being received;

selecting, by the first wireless communications device, a first ACID from the group of ACIDs based on an indication that a first ACK associated with the first ACID had a likelihood of error; and

transmitting a first transmission to the second wireless communications device, the first transmission containing the first ACID and a HARQ Sequence Number (AI_SN) indicating a new transmission.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication comprises a low signal-to-noise ratio for the first ACK.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication comprises a low signal level for the first ACK.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, after transmitting the first transmission, a NAK for a previous transmission; and

retransmitting the previous transmission;

wherein the NAK is associated with the first ACID and conforms to Automatic Repeat Request protocols.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the new transmission includes new data.

6. An apparatus, comprising:

a first communications device for a wireless communications network, the first communications device comprising a processor, a memory, and a radio, the first communications device to;

identify a group of Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) Channel IDs (ACIDS) whose previous use by the first communications device was in a transmission that resulted in an ACK being received;

select a first ACID from the group of ACIDs based on an indication that a first ACK associated with the first ACID had a likelihood of error; and

transmit a first transmission to the second communications device, the first transmission containing the first ACID and a HARQ Sequence Number (AI_SN) indicating a new transmission.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the indication comprises a low signal-to-noise ratio for the first ACK.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the indication comprises a low signal level for the first ACK.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first communications device is to:

receive, after transmitting the first transmission, a NAK for a previous transmission; and

retransmit the previous transmission;

wherein the NAK is associated with the first ACID and conforms to Automatic Repeat Request protocols.

10. An article comprising

a tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium that contains instructions, which when executed by one or more processors result in a first wireless communications device performing operations comprising:

identifying a group of Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) Channel IDs (ACIDs) whose previous use by the first wireless communications device was in a transmission that resulted in an ACK being received;

selecting a first ACID from the group of ACIDs based on an indication that a first ACK associated with the first ACID had a likelihood of error; and

transmitting a first transmission to the second wireless communications device, the first transmission containing the first ACID and a HARQ Sequence Number (AI_SN) indicating a new transmission.

11. The article of claim 10, wherein the indication comprises a low signal-to-noise ratio for the first ACK.

12. The article of claim 10, wherein the indication comprises a low signal level for the first ACK.

13. The article of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, after transmitting the first transmission, a NAK for a previous transmission; and

retransmitting the previous transmission;

wherein the NAK is associated with the first ACID and conforms to Automatic Repeat Request protocols.