IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,341,617
Granted Patent B2
US 12,341,617 · App. 17/629,968 · Granted Jun 24, 2025

Method and apparatus for improving HARQ in a non-terrestrial network

Inventor: Mythri Hunukumbure (Staines, GB)
Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
H04L1/189H04B17/318H04L1/0003H04L1/0009H04L1/0013H04L1/0026H04L1/1896H04W84/06
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,341,617
App. No.
17/629,968
Granted
Jun 24, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a pre-5th-Generation (5G) or 5G communication system to be provided for supporting higher data rates Beyond 4th-Generation (4G) communication system such as Long Term Evolution (LTE). Disclosed is a method of operating a base station in a non-terrestrial network telecommunication system, comprising the steps of: the base station detecting a block fading condition in a communication channel; the base station determining an average spectral efficiency value and reporting this to a user equipment in communication with the base station; and the base station allocating a modulation and coding scheme and activating a pre-emptive HARQ operation wherein the pre-emptive HARQ operation comprises the steps of: the base station determining an average fade duration; and sending multiple copies of a given data packet separated by a time at least equal to the average fade duration, with an MCS level matching a signal level associated with a non-fading condition of the communication channel.

Claims (31)

1. A method performed by a base station in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

identifying an average fade duration of a block fade based on a pattern of a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) received from a user equipment (UE) via a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH); and

in response to identifying the average fade duration of the block fade:

identifying a number of re-transmissions based on the average fade duration, wherein the re-transmissions are spaced at a time interval greater than the average fade duration,

transmitting, to the UE, an average spectral efficiency (SE) level corresponding to a duty cycle of UE channel quality indicator (CQI) reporting via radio resource control (RRC) signaling,

transmitting, to the UE, downlink control information (DCI) allocating a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) level according to a channel state in which a fade does not exist, wherein the DCI indicates that data is repeatedly transmitted, and

repeatedly transmitting, to the UE, data by using at least two symbols that have the time interval,

wherein the average fade duration is indicated to the UE based on a ratio of a SE level associated with the MCS level and the average SE level transmitted to the UE.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the block fade is a channel state in which a first period in which fade exists and a second period in which fade does not exist alternate.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the number of the re-transmissions is further based on fade depth of the block fade.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, from the UE, a HARQ-ACK with regard to the repeatedly transmitted data.

5. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

transmitting, to a base station, a plurality of hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) messages via a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH);

receiving, from the base station, a signal identifying a block fade based on a pattern of the HARQ-ACK messages;

receiving, from the base station, an average spectral efficiency (SE) level corresponding to a duty cycle of UE channel quality indicator (CQI) reporting via radio resource control (RRC) signaling;

receiving, from the base station, downlink control information (DCI) allocating a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) level according to a channel state in which a fade does not exist;

identifying re-transmissions of data based on the MCS level;

identifying an average fade duration based on a ratio of a SE level associated with the MCS level and the average SE level, wherein a number of the re-transmissions is based on the average fade duration, wherein the re-transmissions are spaced at a time interval greater than the average fade duration; and

repeatedly receiving, from the base station, data by using at least two symbols that have the time interval.

6. A base station in a wireless communication system, the base station comprising:

a transceiver; and

at least one processor coupled with the transceiver and configured to:

identify an average fade duration of a block fade based on a pattern of a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) received from a user equipment (UE) via a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), and

in response to identifying the average fade duration of the block fade:

identify a number of re-transmissions based on an average fade duration, wherein the re-transmissions are spaced at a time interval greater than the average fade duration,

transmit, to the UE, an average spectral efficiency (SE) level corresponding to a duty cycle of UE channel quality indicator (CQI) reporting via radio resource control (RRC) signaling,

transmit, to the UE, downlink control information (DCI) allocated allocating a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) level according to a channel state in which a fade does not exist, wherein the DCI indicates that data is repeatedly transmitted, and

repeatedly transmit, to the UE, data by using at least two symbols that have the time interval,

wherein the average fade duration is indicated to the UE based on a ratio of a SE level associated with the MCS level and the average SE level transmitted to the UE.

7. The base station of claim 6 , wherein the block fade is a channel state in which a first period in which fade exists and a second period in which fade does not exist alternate.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 25, 2022
From: HUNUKUMBURE, MYTHRI
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 058761/0175 →
Priority Claims (2)
GB 1910721 · Jul 26, 2019 · national
KR 10-2020-0075530 · Jun 22, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220255673A1 · Aug 11, 2022
References Cited (22)
US 11589315B2 · Roy · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20020150064A1 · Lucidarme · 2002 [cited by applicant]
US 20060270360A1 · Han et al. · 2006 [cited by applicant]
US 20100246730A1 · Al-Naffouri et al. · 2010 [cited by applicant]
US 20110117915A1 · Chang · 2011 [cited by applicant]
US 20140112272A1 · Ro · 2014 [cited by examiner]
US 20150139000A1 · Matin et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20200015099A1 · Futatsugi · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200059296A1 · Regunathan · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200313795A1 · Xu · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20210391952A1 · Hofström · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20220052756A1 · Choinière · 2022 [cited by examiner]
EP 1750408A2 · 2007 [cited by applicant]
WO 2017057206A1 · 2017 [cited by applicant]
3GPP TR 38.811 V15.0.0 (Jun. 2018); Technical Report; 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Study on New Radio (NR) to support non terrestrial networks (Release 15) (Yea… [cited by examiner]
ZTE, Discussion on the HARQ procedure for NTN, R1-1906873, 3GPP TSG RAN WG1 #97, May 13, 2019, Reno, USA. [cited by applicant]
European Search Report dated Jul. 29, 2022, issued in European Application No. 20847804.0. [cited by applicant]
László Csurgai-Horváth et al., Renewal Properties of Fade and Interfade Duration on Land Mobile Satellite Channel. [cited by applicant]
Samsung, HARQ procedure in NTN, 3GPP TSG RAN WG1 Meeting #97, R1-1906954, May 3, 2019, Reno, USA. [cited by applicant]
Mediatek Inc., Summary Delay-tolerant re-transmission mechanisms in NR-NTN Document for: Discussion and Decision, 3GPP TSG RAN WG1 Meeting #96bis, R1-1905733, Apr. 10, 2019, Xi'an, China. [cited by applicant]
GB Combined Search and Examination Report dated Dec. 5, 2019, issued in GB Application No. GB1910721.8. [cited by applicant]
International Search Report dated Oct. 12, 2020, issued in International Application No. PCT/KR2020/008098. [cited by applicant]