Method of Handling HARQ Feedbacks and Related Communication Device

• US 20150016351A1
• Filed: 07/02/2014
• Published: 01/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Lee, Chien-Min
• Granted Patent: US 9,479,293 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1607 Details of the supervisory signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1671 the supervisory signal being transmitted together with control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1812 Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1854 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1861 Physical mapping arrangements for ACK signaling see also H04L5/0053
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1887 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0032 Distributed allocation, i.e. involving a plurality of allocating devices, each making partial allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861

Abstract

A method of transmitting hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedbacks for a communication device comprises transmitting at least one first HARQ feedback to a first base station according to first downlink (DL) control information (DCI) indicating at least one first DL packet, if the at least one first HARQ feedback is at least triggered by the at least one first DL packet, wherein the at least one first DL packet is transmitted by the first base station to the communication device; and transmitting at least one second HARQ feedback to the first base station, if the at least one second HARQ feedback is only triggered by at least one second DL packet, wherein the at least one second DL packet is transmitted by a second base station to the communication device.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedbacks for a communication device, the method comprising:

transmitting at least one first HARQ feedback to a first base station according to first downlink (DL) control information (DCI) indicating at least one first DL packet, if the at least one first HARQ feedback is at least triggered by the at least one first DL packet, wherein the at least one first DL packet is transmitted by the first base station to the communication device; and

transmitting at least one second HARQ feedback to the first base station, if the at least one second HARQ feedback is only triggered by at least one second DL packet, wherein the at least one second DL packet is transmitted by a second base station to the communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one first HARQ feedback is transmitted to the first base station according to a function of a location of the first DCI indicating the at least one first DL packet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one first HARQ feedback is transmitted to the first base station according to an indication in the first DCI and a function of a location of the first DCI indicating the at least one first DL packet.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the indication is in a transmit power control (TPC) field of the first DCI.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one second HARQ feedback is transmitted to the first base station according to second DCI indicating the at least one second DL packet.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one second HARQ feedback is transmitted to the first base station according to a higher layer configuration.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication device is configured to transmit the at least one first HARQ feedback and the at least one second HARQ feedback according to a physical uplink (UL) control channel (PUCCH) format 1a or 1b.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a primary cell of the communication device is controlled by the first base station.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one first HARQ feedback is at least triggered by the at least one first DL packet, if the at least one first HARQ feedback is triggered only by the at least one first DL packet.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one first HARQ feedback is at least triggered by the at least one first DL packet, if a first set of the at least one first HARQ feedback is triggered by the at least one first DL packet and a second set of the at least one first HARQ feedback is triggered by at least one third DL packet transmitted by the second base station.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication device transmits the at least one first HARQ feedback by transmitting a first bit representing the first set of the at least one first HARQ feedback and a second bit representing the second set of the at least one first HARQ feedback.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication device transmits the at least one second HARQ feedback by transmitting a bit representing the at least one second HARQ feedback.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication device transmits the at least one first HARQ feedback according to the first DCI and second DCI indicating at least one third DL packet, if the at least one first HARQ feedback is at least triggered by the at least one first DL packet and the at least one third DL packet, wherein the at least one third DL packet is transmitted by the first base station to the communication device.

14. A method of transmitting hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedbacks for a communication device, the method comprising:

transmitting at least one first HARQ feedback to a first base station according to a first physical uplink (UL) control channel (PUCCH) format, if the at least one first HARQ feedback is at least triggered by at least one first downlink (DL) packet, wherein the at least one first DL packet is transmitted by the first base station to the communication device; and

transmitting at least one second HARQ feedback to the first base station according to a second PUCCH format, if the at least one second HARQ feedback is only triggered by at least one second DL packet, wherein the at least one second DL packet is transmitted by a second base station to the communication device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first PUCCH format is a PUCCH format 3, and the second PUCCH format is a PUCCH format 1a/1b.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first PUCCH format is a PUCCH format 3, and the second PUCCH format is the PUCCH format 3.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one first HARQ feedback is transmitted in a first PUCCH resource to the first base station according to the first PUCCH format, the at least one second HARQ feedback is transmitted in a second PUCCH resource to the first base station according to the second PUCCH format, and the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource are respectively determined according to physical signalings, higher layer signalings or predetermined resources.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one first HARQ feedback is at least triggered by the at least one first DL packet, if the at least one first HARQ feedback is triggered only by the at least one first DL packet.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one first HARQ feedback is at least triggered by the at least one first DL packet, if a first set of the at least one first HARQ feedback is triggered by the at least one first DL packet and a second set of the at least one first HARQ feedback is triggered by at least one third DL packet transmitted by the second base station.