The present invention relates to uplink packet scheduling in wireless communication, and more particularly to signaling supporting dynamically adjusted high speed packet delivery and redelivery.
In a cellular network, a geographical area is covered by a plurality of cells. Each cell has a base station that communicates with, and regulates, a plurality of wireless devices, referred to herein as “user equipment” (UE). The base station is sometimes referred to herein as Node B. Wireless communications may conform to various wireless protocols. Of particular interest is the code division multiple access (CDMA) protocol since it provides advantages over other protocols such as increased system capacity.
So called third generation systems are being developed to promote wireless connectivity for voice, text and data services based on packet-based connectivity. In these third generation systems, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), a radio network using Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), is expected to provide 384 kilobits per second (kb/s) to 2 Megabits per second (Mbps) data transmission rates. This broadband multimedia communications system will potentially integrate the infrastructure for mobile and fixed communications with circuit-switched as well as packet-switched services. It would also support mixed media traffic and bandwidth-on-demand. Additional UMTS related information is available at http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/Specs/2003-06.
The UE and the base station also exchange information to establish a desirable rate of data transmission. Moreover, control information, typically transmitted in quadrature with the data, provides information for properly interpreting the data frames being sent by the UE.
In UMTS, available transport formats are typically arranged in the form of a tree such that a particular UE is allowed to use formats that are children of a specified node in the transport format tree. Thus, moving up the tree makes many more nodes, each representing a particular format specifying rate and other particulars, available.
UMTS permits dedicated logical channels to be set up for a particular UE to transmit its data and control information to the base station. Efficient use of dedicated channels requires ongoing adjustments to data transmission rates in order to improve data throughput. For example, transmission rates may be lowered when the data to be transmitted by the UE is insufficient to the keep the channel busy or increased when data to be transmitted exceeds the rate at which it is actually being transmitted. In addition, transmission errors, such as missing or corrupted data packets, must be detected and the data must be either recovered, if possible, or retransmitted. In UMTS, these functions are carried out by a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) entity, which is a part of the protocol stack in both the transmitting and receiving devices.
In the transmitting device, the HARQ entity detects whether a transmitted packet has been properly received, and determines whether a retransmission is required. In the receiving device, the HARQ entity automatically signals to the transmitting device the successful receipt of a packet, organizes the received packets in the proper sequence and forwards them to the higher layers in the protocol stack for further processing. The receiving HARQ entity also automatically detects and signals defective or missing packets. Since the higher layers expect packets to be sequentially ordered, defective or missing packets may delay the delivery to the higher layers of subsequently received packets.
Published Patent Application No. U.S. 2003/0219037 A1, assigned to Nokia Corporation, describes a system using distributed signaling for uplink transmission rate control. The application describes a channel through which a UE can request an increase or decrease in the uplink transmission rate from Node-B in a message sent over a dedicated uplink channel. In response a rate control signal from Node-B is sent over a dedicated downlink channel to change the uplink transmission rate. This described system requires multiple transactions between a UE and a network node for adjusting the uplink data rates, which transactions both consume bandwidth and slow down the dynamic adjustment of the channel capacity in providing broadband connectivity.
The prior art rate control mechanisms do not allow sufficiently flexible control to enable a UE to select a rate better suited for its available power, or its data buffer, or even avoiding excessive errors. Moreover, the prior art uses dedicated channels for the uplink and downlink communications, which is more resource intensive than using shared channels.
There is a need, for a mechanism for uplink transmission rate adjustment that dynamically takes into account not only the network conditions, but also the condition of the UE and a network node, such as Node-B, to balance local and non-local factors in setting an uplink transmission rate. There is further a need for a fast uplink signaling scheme where a servicing node, e.g., a base station or Node-B, is capable of transmitting rate adjustment information with reduced bandwidth and other resource requirements.
The present invention provides a method and system for flexibly and efficiently adjusting uplink data transmission rates. In particular, the invention disclosed herein overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art. The various embodiments of the invention are particularly useful in facilitating efficient wireless based links that can flexibly handle data flow rates large enough to support not merely voice or text based services, but also multimedia services. This flexibility results from allowing local details, such as a UE's condition and state, the network conditions and network node capabilities to be taken into account in selecting an uplink transmission rate. The base station as part of its communication protocol with a UE and without necessarily any request from the UE for transmission-rate information, transmits to the UE information regarding the change in the maximum allowed uplink data transmission rate. A UE can then select an actual uplink data transmission rate bounded by the maximum rate, taking into account its own context, such as data awaiting transmission to the base station, the rate at which data is being accumulated for transmission to the base station, available power for transmission of data to the base station, a tolerable error rate, and the like.
In one aspect of the invention, the data packets from the UE are sent over an enhanced uplink-dedicated physical data channel (EU-DPDCH) while control information regarding the data packets is sent over an enhanced uplink-dedicated physical control channel (EU-DPCCH). This provides high data rates in accordance with high speed direct packet access (HSDPA). Downlink communications are over a shared channel. Examples of a shared control channel include an enhanced uplink-response control shared channel (EU-RSCCH) and an enhanced uplink-shared control channel (EU-SCCH).
In accordance with a method of the present invention, a network entity, such as Node-B, transmits to the UE one of an acknowledge (ACK) and a non-acknowledge (NAK) signal to confirm receipt of a previously transmitted packet. This acknowledgement or lack thereof is sent with a transport format limit indicator (TFLI) signal on a shared response channel. The TFLI signal does not command the UE to lower or increase its uplink transmission rate. Instead, the UE interprets the TFLI signal, in combination with the ACK and NAK signals, as a change (e.g., increase or decrease), or lack thereof, in its maximum allowed uplink transmission rate.
In the WCDMA context, the UE can use the TFLI signal to determine the node in the transport format combination (TFC) that specifies the allowed transport formats. In general, in accordance with the present invention, the ACK/NAK and TFLI signals can be used to specify the range of available formats among any predetermined navigable specification of transport format tree. This information enables the UE to determine whether a prior transmission of a packet to the network entity was effective and flexibly adjust the transmission rate for subsequent communications. For example, if the transmission rate can be increased, i.e., the network entity is willing to receive additional packets at a higher transmission rate, then the TFLI signal may be set to 1 to indicate such a possibility. Similarly, if the previous packet was not received by the network entity, then the TFLI signal may indicate a lowering of the permissible uplink transmission rates available to the UE. Thus, the UE uses, possibly in conjunction with other factors, the TFLI, ACK and NAK signals sent by, for example, Node-B to adjust its uplink transmission rate.
The UE, may select the actual uplink transmission rate based on the allowed formats and at least one of the status of a MAC-EU-rc buffer, which is a buffer with data intended for transmission to the base station, and available power for transmission of signals. In some embodiments, the UE may also take into account its tolerance for errors in the transmission and reception of signals in selecting a particular data rate. A retransmit indicator identifies a retransmitted packet.
In one embodiment of the invention, the TFLI signal is sent in an enhanced uplink-rate control signaling channel (EU-RCSCH) subframe to the UE. The TFLI signal may, for example, occupy one bit to indicate that the uplink transmission rate may be either increased or left unchanged on the one hand or that it needs to be decreased on the other hand.
In one embodiment, the HARQ entity in the Node B may respond to the detection of a corrupted packet by sending a TFLI signal and a NAK signal to a UE over a shared control channel. The TFLI signal may lower a limit on uplink transmission rates available to the UE for a subsequent retransmission of the data in the packet since such a reduction may improve the likelihood of successful reception of the packet. The UE may also undertake other measures to improve transmission of the packets, such as increasing its transmission power or change its location, which may improve the received signal quality.
The HARQ entity in the Node B may respond to the successful receipt of a packet by sending to the UE an ACK signal and a TFLI signal to allow an increase in the highest available uplink transmission rate.
An apparatus in accordance with the present invention may be compliant with Release 5 or later of the W-CDMA specification.
These and other aspects of the invention are further described below with the aid of the following illustrative figures.
The methods and systems described herein may be implemented using software and hardware, individually or as a combination.
An FSU may be physically integrated with the RNC, e.g., block 10 in
Uplink signaling by a wireless terminal to a Node-B for high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) typically conveys hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) related information and channel quality feedback. The inevitable air interface in wireless communications makes the efficient and accurate recovery of transmitted packets a challenge. The reliability of data transmission may be improved in newer-generation CDMA systems by HARQ.
HARQ reduces errors by causing retransmission of packets that are determined at the receiver to be corrupted or missing. In W-CDMA Release 5, the Medium Access Control (MAC)-hs sublayer residing on top of the physical layer includes HARQ. Typically, a HARQ entity at the transmitter processes data into packets having sequential transmission sequence numbers (TSNs) corresponding to the sequential order in which they are then transmitted to the receiver, for instance, UE 2, 4 for a downlink transmission, or Node-B 6 for an uplink transmission.
At the receiver, a corresponding HARQ entity attempts to recover each transmitted packet while detecting corrupted or missing packets. Corrupted packets may be buffered for further processing. Upon detection of a missing or corrupted packet, a negative acknowledgment (NAK) is automatically sent from the receiver to the transmitter to initiate a retransmission of the corrupted or missing packet.
The receiver HARQ entity provides the recovered packets (i.e., those decoded correctly) to higher layers. Typically, the higher layers expect ordered data. Since packets may be recovered out-of-order at the receiver, packets are re-ordered and buffered prior to providing the packets in the proper order, as they become available, to higher layers.
Communications between the UEs and base stations may be conducted over shared or dedicated channels, or a combination thereof. Examples of shared channels include the broadcast channel (BCH), paging channel (PCH) and the random access channel (RACH), the enhanced uplink-rate control signaling channel (EU-RCSCH), and the enhanced uplink-shared control channel (EU-SCCH), and others. EU-SCCH is described in greater detail in the co-pending patent application that is also assigned to the assignee of this application, and is identified by Ser. No. 10/649,088, which application is incorporated herein by reference.
Nonexhaustive examples of dedicated channels, which may be assigned for use by specific UE in a downlink and/or uplink directions, include the dedicated physical data channel (DPDCH), high-speed-dedicated physical data channel (HS-DPDCH), enhanced uplink-dedicated physical data channel (EU-DPDCH), dedicated physical control channel (DPCCH), high-speed-dedicated physical control channel (HS-DPCCH), enhanced uplink-dedicated physical control channel (EU-DPCCH), and others. UE 2 in
The uplink DPCCH is used to carry control information generated at layer 1 (the physical layer, PHY) of the protocol stack, including known pilot bits for channel estimation for coherent detection, transmit power-control (TPC) commands, feedback information (FBI), and the optional transport-format combination indicator (TFCI).
In one embodiment of the invention, in a rate-controlled mode, a UE 2, 4 selects an uplink transmission rate from the current allowed transport format combination system (TFCS) in order to initiate uplink transmissions. This selection may be based on one or more of the current buffer size, the available power, and the desired/tolerable error rate with hybrid automatic response request functionality. The available transmit power for communicating over EU-DPDCH may be determined from a stored table. Typically, the table entries exhibit a one-to-one correspondence between the available uplink transmission rates and the selected transport format. Thus, selection of a transmission format also determines the uplink transmission rate. Packet data is carried over EU-DPDCH with the associated EU-DPCCH in the rate-controlled mode.
At the receiver, base station 6 decodes the EU-DPCCH, while buffering the concurrently received data over EU-DPDCH. After a fixed period of time, for example three time intervals, base station 6 transmits either an ACK (acknowledge) or a NAK (not acknowledge) signal.
In the present invention, along with the ACK/NAK signals, Node-B transmits a transport format limit indicator (TFLI) signal. The TFLI signal contains information about the adjustments to the maximum uplink transmission rate that is available to UE 2 for communicating with Node-B over an EU-RCSCH.
The hand-shaking protocol for a rate-controlled mode between a Node-B and a UE is illustrated in
At step 215, in response to receiving the NAK signal and the TFLI signal, the UE may adjust the available transport formats, which may include the uplink transmission rate and/or block size, for the next transmission. Node-B may learn of the actual uplink transmission rate from the UE transmissions themselves. This information may be part of the control information or may be determined in the course of decoding, the control information, which is sent over EU-DPCCH. At step 220, if a NAK was received, the UE retransmits the data over EU-DPDCH and EU-DPCCH at a given rate selected among the available transport formats. In addition, a signal (NDI set to 0) is transmitted indicating that this is a retransmission of a previously sent packet. Certain embodiments may also signal the sequence or other identifying number of the unacknowledged packet.
At step 225, the Node-B receives the retransmission and decodes it. At step 230, it then sends back an ACK/NAK signal and a TFLI signal on EU-RSCCH. It should be noted that while the actual uplink transmission rate may not exceed prescribed limits, the UE may select a lower value, for instance, for a desired Quality of Service or in view of its power resources and MAC-EU-rc buffer status.
UE may then transmit a new packet, if any. At step 235, the UE again decides if a readjustment to its uplink transmission rate is desired based on the interactions with the Node-B. After several such, although not identical exchanges and associated adjustments to the uplink transmission rate, the UE quits the rate-controlled mode at step 240.
In
In
Next, Node-B responds at time 316 to the first data packet sent by UE1 at time 312 with an ACK signal and a TFLI value of 1, which results in no change in the maximum permitted uplink transmission rate at UE1. UE1 transmits a new third packet, indicated by a New Data Indicator (NDI) set to 1, at time 320. At time 322, Node-B responds to it with a NAK signal and a TFLI signal value of 1. At time 326, at UE1, this results in a change in the range of available formats at UE1, for example, being increased by a predetermined increment to allow a greater range of uplink transmission speeds to UE1. It should be noted that different implementations of Node-B and UE will have different rules for changing formats and responding to even the same ACK/NAK and TFLI signal values depending on the type of service particular providers seek to provide. Thus, this description is for the purpose of illustration only.
Node-B responds to the first packet sent by UE2 with a NAK and a TFLI value of 0 at time 350. UE2 is further away from Node-B (than is UE1) and communication with it accordingly takes longer as illustrated. In response, at time 354, UE2 decreases the available formats in a predetermined manner and retransmits the packet with the NDI set to 0 to indicate the retransmission. As is readily seen, at time 356, transmission from UE2 result in another set of NAK and TFLI=0 transmissions by Node-B. These, in turn, result in another retransmission at time 360 of the packet with NDI set to 0 to indicate the retransmission. This retransmission is made after another downward adjustment in the available formats by UE2. Node-B is still unable to satisfactorily receive the transmission from UE2. It sends, at time 362, yet another NAK and TFLI signal combination with TFLI having a value of ‘0’ to UE2 in the response to the retransmission at time 360. At time 366, UE2 retransmits, following another downward adjustment in the available formats, the packet with NDI set to ‘0’ to indicate the retransmission in response to a previous unsuccessful transmission.
Returning to the interactions between Node-B and UE1, the packet transmitted at time 320 and another transmission at time 326 by UE1 result in Node-B responding at times 328 and 334 respectively. Both of the response contain NAK and TFLI values of 0. UE1, then decreases the available formats and retransmits packets originally transmitted at times 320 and 326 at times 332 and 338 respectively. Notably, such downward adjustments increase the likelihood of a reduction in the uplink transmission rate selected by the UE1, although such a reduction is not required by Node-B in every case.
The packet sent by UE1 at time 332 is received in satisfactory condition by Node-B and an ACK signal with a TFLI setting of 1 is sent at time 340. UE1 does not send a new packet since its buffer is empty. However, the packet sent by UE1 at time 338 is corrupted as received by Node-B resulting in an NAK signal with a TFLI value of 1 being sent to UE1 at time 344. In response, UE1 increases its range of available formats and responds with a re-transmission at time 346 of the packet last sent at time 338.
The above-described method and system requires nominal bandwidth while enabling dynamic responses that are sensitive to the local environment and state of a wireless device, such as a UE, and the network condition and the state of a network entity, such as Node-B. Significantly, the UE does not have to request a change in the uplink transmission rate. Adjustments to the uplink transmission rates may be automatic and include the input of both the network node and the UTE.
As was previously mentioned, a UE is not allowed to select any rate for uplink transmissions above the limit set by the formats available in the transport format combination set for the UE. The available formats and, consequently, the available uplink transmission rates may be modified in response to the TFLI signal. Again, the TFLI may be, but is no necessarily, a single bit, but may be more. The rate selection by the UE is based on one or more of the MAC-EU-rc buffer status, the available power and an acceptable error rate with the use of hybrid automatic response request procedures.
The rate of a spreading code, which are employed in UMTS, is specified as a chip rate rather than a bit rate. The EU-RCSCH subframe may be synchronized in the manner described for the enhanced uplink-shared control channel (EU-SCCH), i.e., with a timing offset of (1280-T0 mod 7680) chips from the start of the P-CCPCH frame boundary. This timing offset is employed regardless of whether the downlink communications include high-speed downlink packet access. The two control channels may provide two types of control information concurrently. Thus two types of control information, if present, can be sent via quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) to ensure lack of latency between them and allow the receiver to make a choice based on the alternatives presented by the two types of control information. Similar considerations apply to data and control information for their handling.
The invention includes a method for use by a node or other entity of a radio access network in communicating with UE in a rate-controlled mode so as to regulate an uplink transmission rate used by the UE in communicating with the entity of the radio access network. The method comprises, as shown in
The communication system supports a method for effecting retransmission of data by a hybrid automatic retransmission entity, comprising: transmitting a packet to a target entity; receiving an indication, such as an ACK or a NAK signal in response from the target entity over a shared control channel, such as an EU-RCSCH; receiving a TFLI signal from the target entity over the shared control channel; and re-transmitting the data to the target entity in response to receiving the NAK signal at an uplink transmission rate selected based on at least one of the transmit buffer state, the available power, and an acceptable error rate.
In this aspect of the invention, during step 420, the UE adjusts the uplink transmission rate based on at least one of a MAC-EU-rc buffer status and available power at the UE. The UE may also use other parameters, such as a specification for an acceptable error rate in choosing an uplink transmission rate within its allowed range. The different choices for interpreting TFLI and ACK/NAK signals result in allowing designs aimed at various degrees of responsiveness to user needs while taking into account the UE resources.
During step 430, if needed due to a NAK response from the network node, the data packet is retransmitted with an indicator, communicated via, for instance, a ‘new data indicator’ (NDI), that it is not a new packet, but is a retransmitted packet.
In one aspect of the invention, the TFLI signal may be sent in an enhanced uplink-rate control signaling channel (EU-RCSCH) subframe to the UE from Node-B. The TFLI signal may comprise one bit.
In one aspect of the invention, the uplink transmission rate may be lowered by the UE in response to a NAK signal. Non-acknowledged packet may then be sent again at the lower rate with a retransmit indicator. Further, the uplink transmission rate can be increased by the UE in response to receiving an ACK signal. However, these rules do not require that such lowering or raising of the uplink transmission rates depend only on the receiving an ACK or a NAK signal. Thus, for instance, the uplink transmission rate can be increased or left unchanged by the UE in response to receiving the acknowledgement of a packet transmitted by the UE along with a set TFLI from the target entity.
At Node-B the received packet is evaluated during step 540 to determine if it is corrupted or missing with the aid of a HARQ entity. If the packet is corrupted, then control shifts to step 550, during which NAK and TFLI signals are sent by Node-B to the UE over a shared control channel. In one embodiment of the invention, the TFLI signal may be selected to lower a limit on available uplink transmission rates for a subsequent retransmission of the data in the corrupted packet. Alternatively, if the packet is not corrupted, then control shifts to step 500 for sending an acknowledgement. Advantageously, the value of the TFLI signal permits raising the limit on the available uplink transmission rates for a subsequent transmission.
The TFLI signal may use, in certain embodiments of the invention, as little as one bit in the transmission over the shared control channel to the wireless entity, such as an EU-RCSCH or an EU-SCCH. The data packets are sent by the wireless entity over an EU-DPDCH via an air interface, while the control information regarding the data packets may be sent over an EU-DPCCH to provide HSDPA compliant transmissions.
Upon receiving the retransmitted packet, as indicated by, for instance, a ‘0’ value for a NDI, it is combined with the buffered corrupted packet during step 640. During step 650, the buffered data is evaluated to determine if the packet data can be recovered with the reduced signal to noise ratio due to the combining of the results of two or more transmissions of the same packet data. If the packet data cannot be recovered, control flows back to step 600. Otherwise, upon recovery of the packet data, control flows to step 660, during which an ACK signal is sent to the UE.
The techniques described herein for improving high speed broadband wireless transmissions may be implemented by various hardware, software, or combinations thereof functioning as means for achieving a described function. The elements used to implement the techniques, e.g., the HARQ functionality for detecting a missing or corrupted packet, or an entity in a UE for sensing its power resources and MAC-EU-rc buffer may be implemented within one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof. For a software implementation, these techniques may be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, and so on) that perform the functions described herein. The software codes may be stored in a memory unit and executed by a processor (e.g., a programmable logic device). The memory unit may be implemented within the processor or external to the processor, in which case it can be communicatively coupled to the processor via various means as is known in the art. Thus, various functions described in the context of some illustrative means may be implemented in numerous combinations of the illustrative hardware and software recited above.
One embodiment of the invention is an apparatus supporting the hybrid automatic response request protocol comprising: means for detecting a defective, incomplete, or missing packet in a plurality of ordered packets received at a target entity via at least one air interface; means for buffering received complete packets ordered after the detected defective, incomplete, or missing packet while attempting to reconstruct the detected defective, incomplete, or missing packet; means for buffering the detected defective, incomplete, or missing packet; and means for automatically effecting retransmission of data in the detected defective, incomplete, or missing packet by generating a NAK signal and a TFLI signal; and means for sending the NAK signal and the TFLI signal to a source entity over a shared control channel, wherein the source entity is instructed to lower its uplink transmission rate in response to receiving the combination of the non-acknowledge signal and the TFLI signal.
Such an apparatus may further comprise: means for combining the buffered detected defective, incomplete, or missing packet with the retransmitted data in the detected defective, incomplete, or missing packet to recover the data in the detected defective, incomplete, or missing packet. The apparatus may also comprise: means for forwarding a plurality of ordered packets for processing; and means for automatically generating an ACK signal and the TFLI signal for transmission to the source entity over the shared control channel, wherein the source entity is permitted to increase its uplink transmission rate in response to receiving the combination of the generated ACK signal and TFLI signal. The apparatus may advantageously be compliant with Release 5 or later of W-CDMA specification.
It should be noted that the distinct modules of
The illustrative descriptions of the application of the principles of the present invention are to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosed invention. All references cited herein are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. These descriptions are susceptible to numerous modifications and alternative arrangements by those skilled in the art. Such modifications and alternative arrangements are not intended to be outside the scope of the present invention. The appended claims are intended to cover such modifications and arrangements. Thus, the present invention should not be limited to the described illustrative embodiments but, instead, is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.