Random access method using NDI and user equipment for the same

• US 9,178,662 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2010
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Sung Jun, Yi, Seung June, Chun, Sung Duck
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Jae Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Voltaire, Jean F
• Application Number:
  US13/148,285
• Publication Number:
  US 20110305197A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,099 Days
• Field of Search: 370328-338, 455/450
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/1896 ARQ related signaling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/002 Transmission of channel access control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A random access method for preventing unnecessary uplink (UL) signal transmission using a New Data Indicator (NDI) and a user equipment for the same are disclosed. In the random access procedure, in order to prevent unnecessary transmission when a user equipment erroneously recognizes a UL grant signal transmitted using a cell identifier (C-RNTI) of another user equipment as a UL grant signal transmitted using its temporary cell identifier (temporary C-RNTI), toggling of an NDI indicating whether new data is transmitted may be used in a Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) system. In addition, determination as to whether or not the UL grant signal received during the random access procedure is different from that of a HARQ process used for transmission of a third message (Msg3) may be used.

Claims

1. A method of a user equipment (UE) communicating with a base station (BS) in a mobile communication system, the method comprising:

transmitting uplink (UL) data according to a first Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) process;

setting a New Data Indicator (NDI) value corresponding to the first HARQ process to a first value; and

receiving a downlink (DL) message including an NDI having a second value, the NDI having the second value used by the UE to determine whether to retransmit the UL data in a first state in which a random access procedure is not performed and to determine whether to retransmit a random access preamble in a second state in which the random access procedure is performed,

wherein the UE in the first state determines to not retransmit the UL data when the first value is different from the second value and determines to retransmit the UL data when the first value is the same as the second value, and

wherein the UE in the second state determines to retransmit the random access preamble when the first value is different from the second value and determines to not retransmit the random access preamble when the first value is the same as the second value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the mobile communication system is a synchronous HARQ system;

the DL message further includes an UL grant signal; and

the UE in the second state considers the random access as not successful if the UL grant signal is received at a time point corresponding to a second HARQ process.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the DL message comprises:

receiving a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) signal indicated by a first type identifier; and

receiving the DL message via a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) transmitted through a resource area according to PDCCH information of the PDCCH signal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the UL data includes a Medium Access Control (MAC) Packet Data Unit (PDU) including a second type identifier.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first type identifier is a temporary Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI) and the second type identifier is a C-RNTI.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the temporary C-RNTI is a C-RNTI of a UE other than the UE that performs the random access if the first value is different from the second value.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the UE has the C-RNTI before starting the random access; and

the random access is determined as successful if the PDCCH signal is received after transmitting the UL data.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

discarding the first type identifier if the random access is determined as not successful.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

ignoring the UL grant signal if the random access is determined as not successful.

10. A user equipment (UE) communicating with a base station (BS) in a mobile communication system, the UE comprising:

a physical layer module including a transmission module for transmitting uplink (UL) data to the BS and a reception module for receiving a downlink (DL) message including a New Data Indicator (NDI) from the BS; and

a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer module for;

controlling a plurality of Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) processes; and

determining whether to retransmit the UL data or a random access preamble based on the NDI value,

wherein the MAC layer module determines to retransmit the UL data when the UE is not performing a random access procedure and the NDI value is not toggled and when the UE is not performing the random access procedure and the NDI value is, and

wherein the MAC layer module determines not to retransmit the random access preamble when the UE is performing the random access procedure and the NDI value is not toggled and when the UE is performing the random access procedure and the NDI value is toggled.

11. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein:

the mobile communication system is a synchronous HARQ system;

the DL message further includes an UL grant signal; and

the MAC layer module determines the random access as not successful if the UL grant signal is received at a time point corresponding to a second HARQ process.

12. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein receiving the DL message comprises:

receiving a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) signal indicated by a first type identifier; and

receiving the DL message via a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) transmitted through a resource area according to PDCCH information of the PDCCH signal.

13. The user equipment of claim 12, wherein the UL data includes a MAC Packet Data Unit (PDU) including a second type identifier.

14. The user equipment of claim 13, wherein the first type identifier is a temporary Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI) and the second type identifier is a C-RNTI.

15. The user equipment of claim 14, wherein:

the UE has the C-RNTI before starting the random access; and

the random access is determined as successful if the PDCCH signal is received after transmitting the UL data.

16. The user equipment of claim 12, wherein the MAC layer module is further for discarding the first type identifier if the random access is determined as not successful.

17. The user equipment of claim 11, wherein the MAC layer module is further for ignoring the UL grant signal if the random access is determined as not successful.

18. The user equipment of claim 14, wherein the temporary C-RNTI is a C-RNTI of a UE other than a UE that performs the random access if the NDI value is toggled.