Device and method for processing HARQ data selectively using internal and external memories

• US 9,667,389 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2014
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yi, Chae Hag, Lee, Hae Chul, Jeong, Hyeong Seok, Huh, Jun Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Chung, Phung M
• Application Number:
  US14/518,420
• Publication Number:
  US 20150113360A1
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/10 Adding special bits or symbols to the coded information, e.g. parity check, casting out 9's or 11's
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1845 Combining techniques, e.g. code combining
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1864 ARQ related signaling H04L1/1607 takes precedence

Abstract

A device and method for selectively using an internal memory and an external memory when processing Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) data are provided. The device includes a combiner configured to receive a first HARQ burst; an internal memory positioned within the device; and a memory selector configured to compare a size of the first HARQ burst with a predetermined threshold, to select one of the internal memory and an external memory positioned outside the device according to a comparison result, and to store the first HARQ burst in a selected memory. At least one among a size of the internal memory and the threshold is determined based on a characteristic of a first service type that has been predetermined.

Claims

1. A device for receiving and processing Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) burst data, the device comprising:

a HARQ processor comprising;

a combiner configured to receive a first HARQ burst;

an internal memory positioned within the HARQ processor; and

a memory selector configured to compare a size of the first HARQ burst with a predetermined threshold to generate a first comparison result, to select the internal memory as a first selected memory when the size of the first HARQ burst does not exceed the threshold, to select an external memory positioned outside the HARQ processor as the first selected memory when the size of the first HARQ burst exceeds the threshold, and to store the first HARQ burst in the first selected memory,

wherein at least one among a size of the internal memory and the threshold is determined based on a characteristic of a service type that has been predetermined.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a decoder configured to decode the first HARQ burst, wherein when there is no error in a decoding result, the first HARQ burst stored in one of the internal memory and the external memory is erased or flushed from the memory.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein when there is an error in a result of decoding the first HARQ burst, the combiner receives a second HARQ burst related to the first HARQ burst and generates a first composite signal by combining the second HARQ burst with the first HARQ burst read from one of the internal memory and the external memory;

and

wherein the memory selector compares a size of the first composite signal with the threshold to generate a second comparison result, selects one of the internal memory and the external memory as a second selected memory according to the second comparison result, and stores the first composite signal in the second selected memory.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising a cache configured to be connected with the external memory and to temporarily store data that will be stored in or has been stored in the external memory.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the service type is one selected from the group consisting of an average of transmission block sizes or HARQ burst sizes, a variance thereof, and a combination of the average and the variance.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the service type comprises at least one among a Voice over Long Term Evolution (VoLTE) service, a messenger service, a Social Network Service (SNS), a web browsing service, an on-line game service, and a low speed streaming service.

7. A method of receiving and processing Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) burst data in a communication device, which comprises a HARQ processor and an external memory, the method comprising:

receiving, by the HARQ processor, a first HARQ burst;

comparing, by the HARQ processor, a size of the first HARQ burst with a predetermined threshold to generate a first comparison result;

selecting, by the HARQ processor, an internal memory positioned within the HARQ processor as a first selected memory, when the size of the first HARQ burst does not exceed the threshold;

selecting, by the HARQ processor, the external memory positioned outside the HARQ processor as the first selected memory, when the size of the first HARQ burst exceeds the threshold; and

storing, by the HARQ processor, the first HARQ burst in the first selected memory,

wherein at least one among a size of the internal memory and the threshold is determined based on a characteristic of a service type that has been predetermined.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

decoding the first HARQ burst; and

erasing or flushing the first HARQ burst stored in the first selected memory when there is no error in a decoding result.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

informing a HARQ burst transmitter of occurrence of an error when there is an error in the decoding result;

receiving a second HARQ burst related to the first HARQ burst from the HARQ burst transmitter;

generating a first composite signal by combining the second HARQ burst with the first HARQ burst read from one of the internal memory and the external memory; and

comparing a size of the first composite signal with the threshold to generate a second comparison result, selecting one of the internal memory and the external memory as a second selected memory according to the second comparison result, and storing the first composite signal in the second selected memory.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the characteristic of the service type is one selected from the group consisting of an average of transmission block sizes or HARQ burst sizes, a variance thereof, and a combination of the average and the variance.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the service type comprises at least one among a Voice over Long Term Evolution (VoLTE) service, a messenger service, a Social Network Service (SNS), a web browsing service, an on-line game service, and a low speed streaming service.

12. A device for receiving and processing Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) burst data, the device comprising:

a HARQ processor comprising;

a combiner configured to receive a first HARQ burst;

an internal memory positioned within the HARQ processor; and

a memory selector configured to select the internal memory when a service type of the first HARQ burst is a first service type and the internal memory has available space, to select an external memory positioned outside the HARQ processor when the service type is a second service type, different from the first service type, or when the internal memory has no available space, and to store the first HARQ burst in a selected memory.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the service type is determined by a service type signal externally input to the device.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the service type is determined by a characteristic of a transmission block size or HARQ burst size.

15. A wireless communication device comprising:

a demodulator configured to demodulate a received signal and generate a demodulated signal;

a log likelihood ratio (LLR) demapper configured to remap the demodulated signal to an LLR signal of N bits, where N is a real number of at least 1;

a Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) processor configured to receive the LLR signal, to determine whether the LLR signal is a new signal or a retransmitted signal, and to generate a composite signal by combining the LLR signal with a related signal that has been received and previously stored in a first memory when the LLR signal is the retransmitted signal; and

a decoder configured to decode the composite signal of the HARQ processor,

wherein the HARQ processor is further configured to select the first memory when a service type of the LLR signal is a first service type and when the first memory has available space, and the HARQ processor selects a second memory when the service type is a second service type, different from the first service type, or when the first memory has no available space.

16. The wireless communication device of claim 15, wherein the first memory is an internal memory positioned within the HARQ processor and the second memory is an external memory positioned outside the HARQ processor.

17. The wireless communication device of claim 16, wherein the service type is determined based on a transmission block size or a HARQ burst size.

18. The wireless communication device of claim 16, wherein the demodulated signal is an M-ary Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (M-QAM) signal, where M is a real number of at least 2.