Acknowledgment messaging over reference signals

• US 9,591,619 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2013
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Kalhan, Amit
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cairns, Thomas R
• Application Number:
  US14/400,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20150131556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,384 Days
• Field of Search: 370/329
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1607 Details of the supervisory signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/563 of the wireless resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

A first wireless communication device transmits a reference signal at a series of transmission times to transmit a plurality of reference signals over time. The first wireless communication device receives a communication signal from a second device. In response to determining at the first device that an acknowledgment response should be sent to the second device in response to the communication signal, the first wireless communication device applies a code to the reference signal for at least one of the transmission times of the series of transmission times. The resulting coded reference signal indicates an acknowledgment response to the second wireless communication device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting, from a first device, a reference signal at a series of transmission times, wherein the first device is a first device-to-device (D2D) wireless communication device operating in a cellular communication system;

receiving a communication signal from a second device, wherein the second device is a second D2D wireless communication device operating in the cellular communication system and the communication signal is a D2D signal transmitted over D2D communication resources that are a subset of defined macrocell communication resources, the defined macrocell communication resources defined by a communication specification; and

in response to determining at the first device that an acknowledgment response should be sent to the second device in response to the communication signal, generating a response scrambling code by applying an exclusive-or (XOR) function to a response code and a device identifier (ID); and

scrambling the reference signal with the response scrambling code for at least one transmission time of the series of transmission times to generate at least one scrambled reference signal indicating an acknowledgment response.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the acknowledgment response is a positive acknowledgment (ACK) response, and wherein the response code is a positive acknowledgement (ACK) response code.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the acknowledgment response is a negative acknowledgment (NACK) response, and wherein is a negative acknowledgement (NACK) response code.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

to indicate a positive acknowledgment response to the second device, the response code is positive acknowledgment (ACK) response code and

to indicate a negative acknowledgment response to the second device, the response code is a negative acknowledgment (NACK) response code.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

transmitting the reference signal without indicating the acknowledgment response during at least one other transmission time of the series of transmission times, the transmitting comprising scrambling the reference signal with the device ID without generating the response scrambling code.

6. A wireless communication device, comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit a reference signal at a series of transmission times, wherein the wireless communication device is a first device-to-device (D2D) wireless communication device operating in a cellular communication system;

a receiver configured to receive a communication signal from another wireless communication device, wherein the another wireless communication device is a second D2D wireless communication device operating in the cellular communication system and the communication signal is a D2D signal transmitted over D2D communication resources that are a subset of defined macrocell communication resources, the defined macrocell communication resources defined by a communication specification;

a controller configured to determine that an acknowledgment response should be sent to the second device in response to the communication signal;

a coding device configured to generate a response scrambling code by applying an exclusive-or (XOR) function to a response code and a device identifier (ID); and

a scrambling device configured to scramble the reference signal with the response scrambling code for at least one transmission time of the series of transmission times to generate at least one scrambled reference signal indicating an acknowledgment response,

the transmitter configured to transmit the at least one scrambled reference signal to the another wireless communication device.

7. The wireless communication device of claim 6, wherein the acknowledgment response is a positive acknowledgment (ACK) response, and wherein the response code is a positive acknowledgement (ACK) response code.

8. The wireless communication device of claim 6, wherein the acknowledgment response is a negative acknowledgment (NACK) response, and wherein the response code is a negative acknowledgement (NACK) response code.

9. The wireless communication device of claim 6, wherein:

to indicate a positive acknowledgment response to the second device, the response code a positive acknowledgment (ACK) response code and

to indicate a negative acknowledgment response to the second device, the response code is a negative acknowledgment (NACK) response code.

10. The wireless communication device of claim 9, wherein the transmitter transmits the reference signal without indicating the acknowledgment response by scrambling the reference signal with the device ID without generating the response scrambling code.

11. A method of detecting an acknowledgment response sent from a first wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device, wherein the first wireless communication device is a first device-to-device (D2D) wireless communication device operating in a cellular communication system and the second wireless communication device is a second D2D wireless communication device operating in the cellular communication system, the method performed in the second wireless communication device, the method comprising:

transmitting a communication signal from the second wireless communication device to the first wireless communication device, wherein the communication signal is a D2D signal transmitted over D2D communication resources that are a subset of defined macrocell communication resources, the defined macrocell communication resources defined by a communication specification, the communication signal requiring an acknowledgment response from the first wireless communication device, the first wireless communication device transmitting a reference signal at a series of transmission times to transmit a plurality of reference signals over time;

applying an exclusive-or (XOR) function to a positive acknowledgment code and a device identifier (ID) to generate a positive acknowledgement descrambling code;

applying the positive acknowledgment descrambling code to at least one reference signal of the plurality of reference signals;

applying the exclusive-or (XOR) function to a negative acknowledgment code and the device identifier (ID) to generate a negative acknowledgement descrambling code;

applying the negative acknowledgment descrambling code to the at least one reference signal; and

determining that a positive acknowledgment was sent by the first wireless communication device when the at least one reference signal is successfully descrambled by the positive acknowledgment descrambling code; and

determining that a negative acknowledgment was sent by the first wireless communication device when the at least one reference signal is successfully descrambled by the negative acknowledgment descrambling code.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

applying the device ID as a descrambling code to the plurality of reference signals.