Apparatus, method and computer program product providing uplink H-ARQ using limited signaling
Disclosed is a method, a computer program product and a device operable to receive a packet at a first network device from a second network device; to decode the received packet using a first decoding scheme defined for decoding a new transmission of a packet, and to also decode the received packet using a second decoding scheme defined for decoding a re-transmission of a packet and, in response to decoding, to determine whether the received packet is a new transmission of a packet or a re-transmission of a previous packet, without requiring an explicit signaling from the second network device for specifying the type of the packet.
1 . A method, comprising:
receiving a packet at a first network device from a second network device;
decoding the received packet using a first decoding scheme defined for decoding a new transmission of a packet, and also decoding the received packet using a second decoding scheme defined for decoding a re-transmission of a packet; and
in response to decoding, determining whether at least a NACK indication that was previously transmitted to the second network device was correctly interpreted by the second network device.
2 . The method of claim 1 , where a re-transmitted packet is transmitted with a predetermined offset to a corresponding new packet.
3 . The method of claim 1 , where determining comprises comparing a result of the use of the first decoding scheme with a result of the use of the second decoding scheme for identifying a best decoding scheme for the received packet.
4 . The method of claim 1 , where the packet is transmitted from the second network device without explicitly signaling the first network device whether the packet is a new transmission.
5 . A method, comprising:
receiving a packet at a first network device from a second network device;
decoding the received packet using a first decoding scheme defined for decoding a new transmission of a packet, and also decoding the received packet using a second decoding scheme defined for decoding a re-transmission of a packet; and
in response to decoding, determining whether the received packet is a new transmission of a packet or a re-transmission of a previous packet, without requiring an explicit signaling from the second network device for specifying the type of the packet.
6 . The method of claim 5 , where a re-transmitted packet is transmitted with a predetermined offset to a corresponding new packet.
7 . The method of claim 5 , where determining comprises comparing a result of the use of the first decoding scheme with a result of the use of the second decoding scheme for identifying a best decoding scheme for the received packet.
8 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising, in response to decoding, determining whether an ACK or a NACK indication that was previously transmitted to the second network device was correctly interpreted by the second network device.
9 . The method of claim 5 , where the second decoding scheme comprises combining the result of the decoding with a result of decoding a previously received packet.
10 . The method of claim 5 , where the first network device comprises a base station, and where the second network device comprises user equipment.
11 . A method, comprising:
in response to transmitting a packet to a first network device from a second network device, receiving one of an ACK or a NACK indication from the first network device; and
in response to receiving an ACK indication, transmitting a first instance of a new packet to the first network device without implicitly signaling that the transmitted packet is a first instance of a new packet.
12 . The method of claim 11 , where the first network device comprises a base station, and where the second network device comprises user equipment.
13 . A computer program product comprising program instructions embodied in a computer readable medium, execution of the program instructions by a data processor resulting operations that comprise:
receiving a packet at a first network device from a second network device;
decoding the received packet using a first decoding scheme defined for decoding a new transmission of a packet, and also decoding the received packet using a second decoding scheme defined for decoding a re-transmission of a packet; and
in response to decoding, determining whether at least a NACK indication that was previously transmitted to the second network device was correctly interpreted by the second network device.
14 . The computer program product of claim 13 , where a re-transmitted packet is transmitted with a predetermined offset to a corresponding new packet.
15 . The computer program product of claim 13 , where determining comprises comparing a result of the use of the first decoding scheme with a result of the use of the second decoding scheme for identifying a best decoding scheme for the received packet.
16 . The computer program product of claim 13 , where the packet is transmitted from the second network device without explicitly signaling the first network device whether the packet is a new transmission.
17 . A computer program product comprising program instructions embodied in a computer readable medium, execution of the program instructions by a data processor resulting operations that comprise:
receiving a packet at a first network device from a second network device;
decoding the received packet using a first decoding scheme defined for decoding a new transmission of a packet, and also decoding the received packet using a second decoding scheme defined for decoding a re-transmission of a packet; and
in response to decoding, determining whether the received packet is a new transmission of a packet or a re-transmission of a previous packet, without requiring an explicit signaling from the second network device for specifying the type of the packet.
18 . The computer program product of claim 17 , where a re-transmitted packet is transmitted with a predetermined offset to a corresponding new packet.
19 . The computer program product of claim 17 , where determining comprises comparing a result of the use of the first decoding scheme with a result of the use of the second decoding scheme for identifying a best decoding scheme for the received packet.
20 . The computer program product of claim 17 , further comprising, in response to decoding, determining whether an ACK or a NACK indication that was previously transmitted to the second network device was correctly interpreted by the second network device.
21 . The computer program product of claim 17 , where the second decoding scheme comprises combining the result of the decoding with a result of decoding a previously received packet.
22 . The computer program product of claim 17 , where the first network device comprises a base station, and where the second network device comprises user equipment.
23 . A computer program product comprising program instructions embodied in a computer readable medium, execution of the program instructions by a data processor resulting operations that comprise:
in response to transmitting a packet to a first network device from a second network device, receiving one of an ACK or a NACK indication from the first network device; and
in response to receiving an ACK indication, transmitting a first instance of a new packet to the first network device without implicitly signaling that the transmitted packet is a first instance of a new packet.
24 . The computer program product of claim 23 , where the first network device comprises a base station, and where the second network device comprises user equipment.
in response to decoding, determining whether the received packet is a new transmission of a packet or a re-transmission of a previous packet, without requiring an explicit signaling from the second network device for specifying the type of the packet.
25 . A device, comprising:
a receiver to receive a packet from a second network device;
a decoder to decode the received packet using a first decoding scheme defined for decoding a new transmission of a packet, and also decoding the received packet using a second decoding scheme defined for decoding a re-transmission of a packet; and
a determination unit, responsive to an output of the decoder, to determine whether at least a NACK indication that was previously transmitted to the second network device was correctly interpreted by the second network device.
26 . The device of claim 25 , where a re-transmitted packet is transmitted with a predetermined offset to a corresponding new packet.
27 . The device of claim 25 , where said determination unit comprises a comparator to compare a result of the use of the first decoding scheme with a result of the use of the second decoding scheme for identifying a best decoding scheme for the received packet.
28 . The device of claim 25 , where the packet is transmitted from the second network device without explicitly signaling the network device whether the packet is a new transmission.
29 . A device, comprising:
a receiver to receive a packet from a second network device;
a decoder to decode the received packet using a first decoding scheme defined for decoding a new transmission of a packet, and also decoding the received packet using a second decoding scheme defined for decoding a re-transmission of a packet; and
a determination unit, responsive to an output of the decoder, to determine whether the received packet is a new transmission of a packet or a re-transmission of a previous packet, without requiring an explicit signaling from the second network device for specifying the type of the packet.
30 . The device of claim 29 , where a re-transmitted packet is transmitted with a predetermined offset to a corresponding new packet.
31 . The device of claim 29 , where said determination unit comprises a comparator to compare a result of the use of the first decoding scheme with a result of the use of the second decoding scheme for identifying a best decoding scheme for the received packet.
32 . The device of claim 29 , said determination unit further comprising, in response to decoding, means to determine whether an ACK or a NACK indication that was previously transmitted to the second network device was correctly interpreted by the second network device.
33 . The device of claim 29 , where the decoder when executing the second decoding scheme comprises means for combining the result of the decoding with a result of decoding a previously received packet.
34 . The device of claim 29 , where the network device comprises a base station, and where the second network device comprises user equipment.
35 . The device of claim 29 , embodied at least partially in an integrated circuit.
36 . The device of claim 29 , where the output of the decoder comprises a CRC.
37 . A user equipment, comprising:
a receiver to receive one of an ACK or a NACK indication from a base station in response to transmission of a packet to the base station; and
synchronous automatic repeat request means, responsive to receiving an ACK indication, for sending a first instance of a new packet to the base station without implicitly signaling that the sent packet is a first instance of a new packet.
38 . The user equipment of claim 37 , where if a NACK indication is received, the synchronous automatic repeat request means sends a re-transmission of a packet sent previously with a predetermined offset relative to the packet sent previously.
39 . The user equipment of claim 37 , where at least one of the receiver means and the synchronous automatic repeat request means is embodied at least partially in an integrated circuit.
40 . The user equipment of claim 37 , where at least one of the receiver means and the synchronous automatic repeat request means is embodied at least partially as computer program code that is stored on a computer-readable data storage means.