Method and apparatus in a wireless communication system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10027387-B2
Application number	US-201715446941-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 1, 2017
Priority date	Sep 21, 2012
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

There is disclosed a method performed by a User Equipment, UE, for Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request, HARQ, retransmission of data in a multi-antenna wireless communication system. The method comprises, receiving Acknowledgement/Negative Acknowledgement, ACK/NACK, feedback information relating to data transmitted on two streams, and performing, upon rank reduction where only one stream is available for transmission, retransmission of data on a cancelled stream over the remaining stream. There is furthermore disclosed a UE configured for performing the method. A transmission method together with an arrangement for a UE is also disclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, for Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request, HARQ, retransmission of data in a multi-antenna wireless communication system, comprising:
receiving Acknowledgement/Negative Acknowledgement, ACK/NACK, feedback information relating to first data transmitted on a primary stream and second data transmitted on a secondary stream, wherein the first data transmitted on the primary stream is associated with a first HARQ process and the second data transmitted on the secondary stream is associated with a second HARQ process,
associating the received ACK/NACK feedback with a correct HARQ process, the correct HARQ process comprising either the first HARQ process or the second HARQ process; and
retransmitting any requested data based on the association.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising reducing a transmission rank.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the step of reducing the transmission rank comprises the step of reducing the rank from rank 2, where said transmitting is performed over the primary stream and the secondary stream, to rank 1, whereby the secondary stream is cancelled and wherein the correct HARQ process is the second HARQ process.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the correct HARQ process is the second HARQ process and said retransmitting step comprises retransmitting data associated with a NACK from the secondary stream over the primary stream.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said associating step comprises the step of deciding which of either the first HARQ process or the second HARQ process should be targeted when the ACK/NACK information is received.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said step of associating, in the case of a single feedback, comprises the steps of:
determining a number of transmission attempts for each of the first and second HARQ processes; and
determining that the HARQ process with the largest of said number of transmission attempts is the correct HARQ process requested for retransmission.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said step of associating, comprises the steps of:
comparing buffer sizes of the first and second HARQ processes and assuming that the HARQ process with a largest buffer size is the correct HARQ process requested for retransmission.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of associating, comprises the step of:
monitoring a parameter introduced in the second HARQ process, said parameter providing an indication of whether a retransmission of a transmission on the secondary stream is to be performed on the primary stream, and based on the state of said parameter, associate the ACK/NACK feedback information with the correct HARQ process.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said parameter is a parameter whose default value is set to zero or false, indicating that no TBs initially transmitted on the secondary stream were transmitted on the primary stream, and whose value is set to one or true if TB(s) initially transmitted on the secondary stream are retransmitted on the primary stream.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of associating is combined with the use of information about a signature of one or more channels carrying the ACK/NACK feedback information to target the correct HARQ process associated with said ACK/NACK feedback information.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said UE is configured for uplink Multiple Input Multiple Output, MIMO.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said multi-antenna wireless communication system is a system supporting Multiple Input Multiple Output, MIMO, enabled High Speed Uplink Packet Access, HSUPA, with Frequency Division Duplex, FDD.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said primary and secondary streams are carried on Enhanced Dedicated Channels, E-DCH and said ACK/NACK feedback information is carried on E-DCH Hybrid ARQ indicator Channels, E-HICH.

14. An arrangement for a user equipment, UE, configured for HARQ transmission of data, comprising:
a transmitter unit configured to transmit transport blocks, TBs, over two streams;
an Acknowledgement/Negative Acknowledgement, ACK/NACK feedback information receiver configured to receive ACK/NACK feedback relating to the transmitted transport blocks, wherein a first stream is associated with a first HARQ process and a second stream is associated with a second HARQ process;
an associating unit configured to associate ACK/NACK feedback information with a correct HARQ process, the correct HARQ process comprising either the first HARQ process or the second HARQ process; and
a retransmitting unit, configured to transmit any requested TBs based on the association.

15. The arrangement according to claim 14 , further comprising:
a rank controller configured to reduce a transmission rank.

16. The arrangement according to claim 15 , wherein said rank controller is further configured to reduce the rank from rank 2, wherein transmission of TBs is performed over the first stream and the second stream, to rank 1, wherein the secondary stream is cancelled.

17. The arrangement according to claim 15 , wherein said rank controller is a rank unit.

18. The arrangement according to claim 14 , wherein said associating unit is further configured to determine a number of attempted retransmissions of the first and second HARQ processes.

19. The arrangement according to claim 14 , wherein said associating unit is further configured to compare two or more buffer sizes of the first and second HARQ processes.

20. The arrangement according to claim 14 , wherein said associating unit is further configured to introduce and monitor a parameter in the second HARQ process, said parameter providing an indication of whether a retransmission of a transmission on the secondary stream is to be performed on the primary stream, and based on the state of said parameter associate the ACK/NACK feedback information with the correct HARQ process.

21. The arrangement according to claim 20 , wherein said associating unit is further configured to set a default value of said parameter to zero or false, said default value indicating that no data initially transmitted on the secondary stream was transmitted on the primary stream, and set the parameter to one or true if data initially transmitted on the secondary stream is retransmitted on the primary stream.

22. The arrangement according to claim 14 , wherein said associating unit is further configured to use information about a signature of one or more channels carrying the ACK/NACK feedback information to target the correct HARQ process associated with said ACK/NACK feedback information.

23. The arrangement according to claim 14 , wherein said UE is configured for uplink Multiple Input Multiple Output, MIMO.

24. The arrangement according to claim 14 , wherein said UE is configured for Multiple Input Multiple Output, MIMO, and High Speed Uplink Packet Access, HSUPA, with Frequency Division Duplex, FDD.

25. The arrangement according to claim 14 , wherein said two streams are carried on Enhanced Dedicated Channels, E-DCHs and said feedback information is carried on E-DCH Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channels, E-HICHs.

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M
• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Lidian Namir
• Caverni Alessandro
• Konuskan Cagatay
• Larsson Erik
• Von Wrycza Peter

Classifications

• H04W72/20

  Control channels or signalling for resource management · CPC title

• H04W72/563

  of the wireless resources · CPC title

• H04B7/0404

  the mobile station comprising multiple antennas, e.g. to provide uplink diversity · CPC title

• H04W28/04

  Error control · CPC title

• H04B7/061

  using feedback from receiving side · CPC title