Cooperative transmission in wireless communication system

1. A method, comprising:

establishing a cooperative data transmission mode, wherein at least one wireless communication device is an assisting transmitter and a potential re-transmitter for another wireless communication device being an original transmitter of a data packet destined to a receiver in an original transmission, wherein the establishing comprises the original transmitter:

contacting the receiver to obtain an identifier for the assisting transmitter to allow the original transmitter to transmit to the assisting transmitter,

transmitting its own data packets to the assisting transmitter, and

receiving an acknowledgment message or no acknowledgment message from the assisting transmitter,

wherein receiving a positive acknowledgment message from the assisting transmitter means that the assisting transmitter is determined to have received the data packets, and

wherein receiving a negative acknowledgment message or no acknowledgment message from the assisting transmitter means that the assisting transmitter is determined to not have received the data packets;

determining whether or not a data packet transmitted by the original transmitter in the original transmission is received at the receiver, wherein the determining comprises the original transmitter:

transmitting its own data packets to the receiver,

receiving an acknowledgment message or no acknowledgment message from the receiver,

wherein receiving a positive acknowledgement message from the receiver means that the receiver is determined to have received the data packets, and

wherein receiving a negative acknowledgment message or no acknowledgment message from the receiver means that the receiver is determined to not have received the data packets; and

selecting, when the receiver is determined as not having received the data packet, a re-transmitter among the original transmitter and the assisting transmitter which received the data packet from the original transmitter coincident with the original transmission to the receiver and decoded the data packet, wherein the selecting comprises the original transmitter:

in response to a positive acknowledgement message from the receiver, not retransmitting,

in response to a negative acknowledgment message or no acknowledgment message from the receiver and a positive acknowledgement message from the assisting transmitter, indicating to the assisting transmitter to retransmit, and

in response to a negative acknowledgment message or no acknowledgment message from the receiver and a negative acknowledgment message or no acknowledgment message from the assisting transmitter, retransmitting by the original transmitter itself.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiver is determined to have received the data packet upon reception of a positive acknowledgment message from the receiver, and wherein the receiver is determined to not have received the data packet upon reception of a negative acknowledgment message received from the receiver or upon reception of no acknowledgment message from the receiver.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: controlling the selection of the re-transmitter with acknowledgment messages exchanged between the wireless communication devices in the cooperative data transmission mode.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the selection further comprises:

selecting as the re-transmitter an assisting transmitter which has decoded the data packet error-freely; or

selecting the original transmitter as the re-transmitter, if no assisting transmitter has decoded the data packet error-freely.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, from the receiver in the assisting transmitter, a plurality of acknowledgment messages related to data packets transmitted by the assisting transmitter;

monitoring the quality of a communication channel between the assisting transmitter and the receiver on the basis of the received acknowledgment messages; and

selecting the re-transmitter on the basis of the monitored channel quality.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the monitoring comprises:

counting the number of received positive acknowledgment messages or received negative acknowledgment messages or both received positive acknowledgment messages and received negative acknowledgment messages within a determined period of time, wherein reception of no acknowledgment message with respect to a given data packet is deemed as a negative acknowledgment message; and

approximating the channel quality on the basis of the number of positive or negative or both positive and negative acknowledgment messages received within the determined period of time.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the monitoring comprises: determining the instantaneous quality of the communication channel on the basis of the latest determined acknowledgment for a data packet transmitted from the assisting transmitter.

8. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the selection of the re-transmitter further comprises:

comparing the quality of the communication channel with a predetermined threshold level; and

selecting the assisting transmitter as the re-transmitter for the data packet, if the comparison indicates that the quality of the communication channel is better than the predetermined threshold level.

9. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising:

receiving a data packet destined to the receiver at the assisting transmitter;

decoding the received data packet and checking if the data packet comprises errors after the decoding;

if the data packet is decoded error-freely and if the quality of the communication channel is better than the predetermined threshold level, transmitting a positive acknowledgment indicating the error-free reception of the data packet to the original transmitter as an indication that the assisting transmitter is the re-transmitter for the data packet.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein only one wireless communication device is selected as the re-transmitter.

11. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory distribution medium readable by a computer and comprising program instructions which, when loaded into an apparatus, execute the method according to claim 1 .

12. An apparatus, comprising:

an interface to enable a communication connection; and

a controller configured

to establish a cooperative data transmission mode, wherein at least one wireless communication device is an assisting transmitter and a potential re-transmitter for an original transmission from another wireless communication device being an original transmitter of a data packet destined to a receiver,

to determine whether or not a data packet transmitted by the original transmitter is received at the receiver, and

to select, when the receiver is determined as not having received the data packet, a re-transmitter among the original transmitter and the at least one assisting transmitter which received the original transmission and decoded the data packet from the original transmitter in the original transmission,

wherein to establish a cooperative data transmission mode comprises:

the controller negotiating among the original transmitter, the assisting transmitter, and the receiver, obtaining an identifier from the receiver for the assisting transmitter to allow the original transmitter to transmit to the assisting transmitter, and

the controller controlling the original transmitter to transmit its own data packets to the assisting transmitter, and the assisting transmitter sending an acknowledgment message to the original transmitter,

wherein sending a positive acknowledgement message to the original transmitter means that the assisting transmitter is determined to have received the data packets, and

wherein sending a negative acknowledgment message to the original transmitter means that the assisting transmitter is determined to not have received the data packets; to receive an acknowledgment message or no acknowledgment message from the assisting transmitter,

wherein to determine reception comprises:

the controller directing the original transmitter or the assisting transmitter to transmit data packets to the receiver,

the controller receiving an acknowledgment message or no acknowledgment message from the receiver,

wherein receiving a positive acknowledgement message from the receiver means that the receiver is determined to have received the data packets, and

wherein receiving a negative acknowledgment message or no acknowledgment message from the receiver means that the receiver is determined to not have received the data packets; and

wherein to select retransmission comprises:

the controller, in response to a negative acknowledgment message or no acknowledgment message from the receiver and a positive acknowledgement message from the assisting transmitter, indicating to the assisting transmitter to retransmit, and

the controller, in response to a negative acknowledgment message or no acknowledgment message from the receiver and a negative acknowledgment message or no acknowledgment message from the assisting transmitter, indicating to the original transmitter to retransmit.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the receiver is determined to have received the data packet upon reception of a positive acknowledgment message from the receiver, and wherein the receiver is determined to not have received the data packet upon reception of a negative acknowledgment message received from the receiver or upon reception of no acknowledgment message from the receiver.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the selection of the re-transmitter with acknowledgment messages exchanged between the wireless communication devices in the cooperative data transmission mode.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the controller is further configured to select as the re-transmitter an assisting transmitter which has decoded the data packet error-freely, or to select the original transmitter as the re-transmitter, if no assisting transmitter has decoded the data packet error-freely.

16. The apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the controller is applicable to the assisting transmitter and further configured to receive, from the receiver through the interface, a plurality of acknowledgment messages related to data packets transmitted by the assisting transmitter, to monitor the quality of a communication channel between the assisting transmitter and the receiver on the basis of the received acknowledgment messages, and to select the re-transmitter on the basis of the monitored channel quality.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the controller is further configured to count the number of received positive acknowledgment messages or received negative acknowledgment messages or both received positive acknowledgment messages and received negative acknowledgment messages within a determined period of time, wherein reception of no acknowledgment message with respect to a given data packet is deemed as a negative acknowledgment message, and to approximate the channel quality on the basis of the number of positive or negative or both positive and negative acknowledgment messages received within the determined period of time.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the controller is further configured to determine an instantaneous quality of the communication channel on the basis of the latest determined acknowledgment for a data packet transmitted from the assisting transmitter.

19. The apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the controller is further configured to compare the quality of the communication channel with a predetermined threshold level, and to select the assisting transmitter as the re-transmitter for the data packet, if the comparison indicates that the quality of the communication channel is better than the predetermined threshold level.

20. The apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the controller is further configured to receive a data packet destined to the re-ceiver at the assisting transmitter, to decode the received data packet, to check whether or not the data packet comprises errors after the decoding, and if the data packet is decoded error-freely and if the quality of the communication channel is better than the predetermined threshold level, to send a positive acknowledgment indicating the error-free reception of the data packet to the original transmitter as an indication that the assisting transmitter is the re-transmitter for the data packet.

21. A method comprising

establishing a cooperative data transmission mode, wherein at least one wireless communication device is an assisting transmitter and a potential re-transmitter for another wireless communication device being an original transmitter of a data packet destined to a receiver in an original transmission, wherein the establishing comprises the assisting transmitter

receiving data packets from the original transmitter, and

sending an acknowledgment message to the original transmitter,

wherein sending a positive acknowledgement message to the original transmitter means that the assisting transmitter is determined to have received the data packets, and

wherein sending a negative acknowledgment message to the original transmitter means that the assisting transmitter is determined to not have received the data packets;

determining whether or not a data packet transmitted by the original transmitter in the original transmission is received at the receiver, wherein the determining comprises the assisting transmitter

transmitting its own data packets to the receiver,

receiving an acknowledgment message or no acknowledgment message from the receiver,

wherein receiving a positive acknowledgement message from the receiver means that the receiver is determined to have received the data packets, and

wherein receiving a negative acknowledgment message or no acknowledgment message from the receiver means that the receiver is determined to not have received the data packets; and

selecting, when the receiver is determined as not having received the data packet, a re-transmitter among the original transmitter and the assisting transmitter which received the data packet from the original transmitter coincident with the original transmission to the receiver and decoded the data packet, wherein the selecting retransmission comprises the assisting transmitter

in response to a negative acknowledgement message to the original transmitter, not retransmitting,

in response to a positive acknowledgement message to the original transmitter and a negative acknowledgment message or no acknowledgment message from the receiver, not retransmitting, and

in response to a positive acknowledgement message to the original transmitter and a positive acknowledgment message from the receiver, retransmitting.

22. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory distribution medium readable by a computer and comprising program instructions which, when loaded into an apparatus, execute the method according to claim 21 .