RU2396726C2 - Radio communication protocols for multichannel communication systems - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: information technologies.

SUBSTANCE: in version of realisation packet of upper level is segmented into packets of channel level subject to transfer along multiple transferring channels, which include each first sequence number in compliance with previously specified sequence. Besides the second sequence number is added to each packet of channel level subject to transfer for the first time. The second sequence number is created from area of sequences related to specific transfer channel and may be used to detect missed packets.

EFFECT: improved efficiency of data transfer in multichannel communication system.

30 cl, 15 dwg

Description

Description

This patent application claims priority on the filing date of provisional application No. 60/654605, entitled “Radio Communication Protocols for Multichannel Communication Systems”, filed February 18, 2005; by the filing date of provisional patent application No. 60/659642, entitled “Radio communication protocols for multichannel communication systems”, filed March 7, 2005; and by the filing date of provisional patent application No. 60/715730, entitled “Radio Communication Protocols for Multichannel Communication Systems”, filed September 8, 2005, which all belong to the applicant of this application and are expressly incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to wireless communication systems. More specifically, the embodiments described herein relate to a new set of radio protocol (RLP) radiocommunication protocols designed to increase the efficiency of multi-channel communication systems.

State of the art

Wireless communication systems are widely used to provide various types of transmission (eg, voice, data, etc.) to many users. Such systems may be based on code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), or other multiple access techniques. A wireless communication system may be designed to implement one or more standards, such as IS-95, cdma2000, IS-856, W-CDMA, TD-SDMA and other standards.

In response to the growing demand for multimedia services and high-speed data, multi-channel modulation in wireless communication systems has been proposed. The challenge here is to provide efficient and sustainable multi-channel communication systems.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 shows an embodiment of a multi-channel transmission system;

2 shows an embodiment of packets arriving at a receiver through a plurality of transmission channels;

3 shows an embodiment of packet segmentation for packets transmitted the first time;

4 shows an embodiment of packet segmentation for retransmitted packets;

5 shows an embodiment of a protocol set for a multi-channel communication system;

6 shows an embodiment of an architecture in a multi-channel communication system;

7 shows an embodiment — how packets are interleaved across multiple communication channels;

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of packet transmission during cell switching service; FIG.

Fig.9 shows a variant of the serial number (SAR-seq) of the octet segmentation and assembly;

10 shows a scenario in a multi-channel communication system;

11 shows another scenario in a multi-channel communication system;

12 shows a flowchart of a process that can be used in an embodiment of data transmission in a multi-channel communication system;

13 shows a flowchart of a process that can be used in an embodiment of a data processing implementation in a multi-channel communication system;

Fig. 14 shows a block diagram of an apparatus in which some of the described embodiments may be implemented; and

FIG. 15 shows a block diagram of an apparatus in which some of the described embodiments may be implemented.

The implementation of the invention

The embodiments described herein relate to providing a new set of protocol protocols (RLPs) for radio channels and related procedures designed to increase the efficiency of multi-channel communication systems.

1 shows an embodiment of a multi-channel system 100. As an example, various access terminals (ATs) (AT) 110, including ATs 110a-110c, are distributed in the system. Each AT 110 may communicate with an access network (AN) (AN) 120 through one or more channels with different frequencies on the forward channel and / or return channel at the moment, as shown by the two-way arrows 130. For illustration and clarity, the two-way arrows 130 are shown for each AT 110. There may be any number of channels (or frequencies) in the forward channel or reverse channel in the communication system. In addition, the number of frequencies of the forward channel does not have to be equal to the number of frequencies of the reverse channel.

In addition, AN 120 may communicate with a core network, such as a packet data network through a packet data service node (PDSN) (PDSN) 140. In an embodiment, system 100 can be created to support one or more standards, for example, IS-95, cdma2000, IS-856, W-CDMA, TD-SCDMA, other multichannel standards, or combinations thereof.

The base station transceiver system (BTS) described here may be referred to as and / or perform the functions of a network access transceiver (ANT), access point (AP) (AP), base station (BS) (BS) , transceiver (PGM) (MPT) group of modems, Node B (for example, in a system such as W-CDMA), etc. A cell may relate to a coverage area served by a BTS. In addition, the cell may include one or more sectors. In addition, the base station controller (BSC) may relate to a part of the communication system created for interfacing with the base station (for example, a packet data network), and forward data packets between the AT and the base station to perform various radio access and channel maintenance functions (such as soft transmission technology), control of radio transmitters and receivers, etc. The BSC may also refer to and / or perform the functions of a network access controller (ANC). The BSC and one or more BTS may form part of the AN.

The AT described here can relate to various types of devices, including (but not limited to) a mobile phone, cell phone, laptop computer, multimedia wireless device, personal computer (PC) wireless card, personal digital assistant (DSP) ( PDA), external or internal modem, etc. An AT can be any data device that communicates through a wireless channel and / or through a wired channel (for example, in the form of fiber optic or coaxial cables). An AT may have various names, such as, access unit, access unit, subscriber unit, mobile station, mobile device, mobile unit, mobile phone, remote station, remote terminal, remote unit, user device, user equipment, hand-held device, etc. d. Different ATs can be built into the system. ATs can be mobile or stationary and can be distributed throughout the communication system. An AT may connect to one or more BTSs of the forward channel and / or reverse channel at a given time.

The “transmitter” described herein may be a BTS, AN, AT, or any other means designed to transmit data packets over one or more transmission channels. The “receiver” described herein may be AT, BTS, AN, or any other means created to receive data packets on one or more transmission channels. A transmission channel may include a radio frequency (RF) carrier, a fiber optic channel, a coaxial cable, other digital communications, or a combination thereof.

The multi-channel communication system described herein may include a frequency division multiplexing system, an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing system, or other multi-channel modulation systems, where each channel corresponds to a frequency range.

In some single-channel communication systems, a transmitter (e.g., BTS) segments a top-level packet (e.g., an Internet Protocol (IP) packet) into multiple packets and adds a sequence number to each packet before transmitting packets to the receiver (e.g., AT) over the channel transmission (e.g., RF carrier). The receiver uses the sequence numbers of the received packets to restore the initial top-level packet. If the receiver detects a gap (or gap) in the sequence numbers (for example, the sequence numbers of two consecutively received packets are interrupted), then it sends a negative acknowledgment (OP) message (NAK) to the transmitter, indicating that the packet (s) was missed (for example, deletion) ) The transmitter then retransmits the missed packet (s).

In a communication system using multiple transmission channels (eg, multiple RF carriers and / or other digital transmission channels), since packets arrive at the receiver through different transmission channels, the sequence numbers of received packets may be interrupted even in the absence of missing packets. In such situations, the aforementioned packet transmission scheme can cause a large number of NAK messages (for example, from the receiver) and false retransmitted packets (for example, from the transmitter), and as a result, the transmission speed is reduced.

Therefore, it is necessary to have a new scheme to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages and ensure efficient data transmission in a multi-channel communication system.

The embodiments described herein relate to a new set of RPLs designed to provide efficient data transmission in a multi-channel communication system.

In an embodiment, a method for transmitting data in a multi-channel communication system comprises segmenting a top-level packet into channel layer packets to be transmitted over a plurality of transmission channels; adding a first sequence number to each link layer packet (for example, in accordance with a predetermined order); and add a second sequence number to each channel layer packet to be transmitted for the first time, the second sequence number is in the sequence space associated with a particular transmission channel. A second sequence number may be used to detect missing packets, as will be described below.

In an embodiment, a data processing method in a multi-channel communication system comprises checking two channel-level packets received sequentially on a particular transmission channel, wherein each channel-level packet is identified by a first sequence number and a second sequence number, a second sequence number is associated with a specific transmission channel; and transmitting a message to the transmitter to request retransmission of one or more missing link layer packets if the second sequence numbers of two consecutively received data packets are interrupted.

In one embodiment, a multi-channel RLP is provided, including a segmentation and acquisition (SAR) part (SAR) and an automatic repeat request (APR) part (ARQ). A portion of the SAR RLP may respond to segmentation of a higher layer packet (e.g., IP packet), to the parts called here “link layer packets” and add the (first) serial number, called “SAR_seq” here, to each link layer packet. The receiver may use the SAR_seq of the received packets to recover the top-level packet. The ARQ RLP part may add another (second) sequence number, called “ARQ_seq” here, to each link layer packet. ARQ_seq may belong to a sequence space that is associated with a particular logical transmission channel, which allows the receiver to detect missing packets by identifying any gap (s) in ARQ_seq packets received on the transmission channel. ARQ_seq may be long enough to cycle through during the erasure packet on the transmission channel, but not necessarily so long to prevent the sequence of cyclic transitions during retransmission. In an embodiment, the logical communication channel may include forward channel pilots that retrieve packets from the same BTS queue.

As an example, FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of two “streams” (or “channels”) 210, 220 of packets arriving at the receiver via two transmission channels, for example Link # 1 and Link # 2. For illustration purposes, each packet is identified by a pair of sequence numbers: SAR_seq and ARQ_seq. If the receiver detects a gap in ARQ_seq of received packets in each channel (for example, the sequence numbers of two packets received sequentially on the same channel in accordance with the transmission scheme are interrupted), the receiver can send a message (for example, a NAK message) to the transmitter, informing about missed package (s). Note that SAR_seq in each transmission channel may not be ordered. The receiver can use the SAR_seq of the received packets (through various channels) to restore the initial top-level packet.

Figure 3 shows an embodiment of packet segmentation for packets transmitted the first time. A packet (e.g., an IP packet) of a higher layer may be segmented into a plurality of channel layer packets. Each link layer packet may include a first sequence number, for example, the least significant bit (s) SAR_seq (SAR-seq LSB); second serial number, for example ARQ_seq; Other RLP fields associated with this channel and the F / R flag. The F / R flag can be created to indicate whether the packet is transmitted for the first time (for this, the F / R flag is set to “F”, as shown in FIG. 3) or retransmitted (for this the F / R flag is set to “R ", As shown in figure 4). Note that in the shown embodiment, the RLP-ARQ does not further segment the RLP-SAR packet, because RLP-ARQ may request an RLP-SAR to segment a top-level packet so that it matches the payload of the physical layer.

4 shows an embodiment of packet segmentation for retransmitted packets. In this case, ARQ_seq should not be re-included in the transmitted packet (taking into account the packet already identified by the receiver as “missed”). The F / R flag is set to "R". Note that the length of the SAR_seq field included in the retransmitted RLP-SAR packets may be longer than the length of the packet transmitted for the first time (for example, SAR_seq vs. SAR_seq LSB). This allows the SAR_seq length for packets transmitted for the first time (which make up the majority of sent packets) to be shorter, without causing the retransmitted RLP-SAR packets to cycle. For example, the length of the SAR_seq in the RLP-SAR packet transmitted for the first time may be such as not to make a circular transition during the error packet.

In some embodiments, when an RLP packet is retransmitted using a delayed ARQ, referred to herein as D-ARQ, the format shown in FIG. 4 may be used. This avoids the possibility of a cyclic transition of a small ARQ_seq (such as shown in FIG. 3) between the first packet transmission time and the D-ARQ packet sending time.

5 shows an embodiment of a set of protocols, for example, mapping the relationship between the upper layer protocol, examples of RLP-SAR and RLP-ARQ, for example, on each channel stream. For illustration and clarity, two transmission channels are clearly shown. The embodiment of FIG. 5 may extend to a system using more than two transmission channels.

6 shows an embodiment of an architecture in a multi-channel communication system, where the BSC 610 is in communication with the service sector using two transmission channels 620, 630. Similarly, for the single-channel case, RLP headers can be added by the sector to enable time-accurate packetization of RLP packets.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the queue associated with each packet in the BSC may be metadata indicating the SAR_seq associated with the octets in the packet. Flow control between the BTS and the BSC can be performed using frame identifiers (or FrameIDs), which depend on the SAR_seq area. Thus, the fact that top-level packets in each BSC queue can be interrupted does not affect the BTS-BSC interface. In some embodiments, the BSC may segment the upper layer packets passing through the BTS associated with various channels. Decadroning can be performed at the receiver after the joint RLP reverse entry of frames in SAR_seq order. If the top-level packet framing is performed by RLP, then the RLP packet may not contain octets from more than one top-level packet. If high-level channel control (HDLC) data framing is used, then the RLP payload may contain octets from more than one top-level packet until the octets from the upper-level packets are interrupted.

7 shows an embodiment of how packets are interleaved through multiple channels. For example, an RLP packet with SAR_seq = 81 in Link # 2 may also include 91-100 octets.

Upon cell switching, each serving BTS may indicate two parameters to the BSC, for example <FrameID, octet_offset>, associated with the last frame that is served. Based on this information, the BSC can determine which octets are already served and send only octets for the new service sector. In contrast to the single-channel case, the octets obtained for the new service sector should not be interrupted, as shown in FIG.

In an embodiment, when determining a gap in ARQ_seq on any of the transmission channels, the receiver may send a status report message, which may include the following: pairs of SAR_seq, the beginning and end of the gap of the SAR sequence associated with the transmission channel where the ARQ_seq gap is detected. Alternatively, the receiver may send a NAK message to the transmitter, which may include information such as the missing SAR_seq and / or the last SAR_seq received on the transmission channel.

In an embodiment, the transmitter may maintain a list of SAR_seq sent on each channel. The transmitter can use this card to determine whether it is necessary to retransmit the SAR packet whose SAR_seq is included in the status report message (in the light that it may still be in the process of transmission). In an embodiment, when receiving a status report message, the transmitter can perform the following actions associated with each reported SAR gap in the status report message: a) determine a transmission channel with which the SAR gap is associated; b) retransmit RLP data blocks that are associated with the reported SAR gap in the status report message, and send over the transmission channel for which the SAR gap is reported.

There may be situations where a receiver (eg, AT) is re-routed (or switched) from one cell to another while packets are being received over multiple transmission channels. In one embodiment, the ARQ_seq sequence space may be created based on for each cell and for each frequency. For example, ARQ_seq may receive an initial state when the cell is set to an active state. ARQ_seq may not be reset when re-routed to the cell. Sectors that are in soft transfer mode can share the same ARQ_seq space. In some embodiments, a transmitter (eg, AN) may determine sectors that explicitly share the same ARQ_seq space, for example, from a message that is sent to a receiver (eg, AT). This allows the AT to detect any gaps at the start of service from the sector.

In some embodiments, it may be desirable to determine the skipping of RLP packets at the end of pilot transmission. Consider the following scenarios:

In an embodiment, the method described below can be used to detect remote RLP packets at the end of a pilot transmission. When the DSC is re-routed or the pilot is active, the AT sends a message to the AN, which may include the last SAR_seq from the pilot (s) that are not long in the service sector. (In some situations, to eliminate sending so many NAK messages when AT switches back and forth between two cells, AT can only send a report if a predetermined period of time has passed (e.g. T ms) and AT has not sent its DSC back to the initial cell). In the case of re-sending the DSC, the message may include the last SAR_seq of the pilots in the old service sector. In the case of removal of the active state of the pilot, the message may include the last SAR_seq from the pilot, which is removed from the service sector. Upon receiving a message from the AT, the AN can determine if the AT has missed any RLP packets.

There may be situations where the receiver passes RLP packets that are sent by the transmitter at the end of the data packet from the transmission channels. To detect such missing packets in an embodiment, the receiver may start a timer (for example, an “intercept” timer) when it determines a skip in SAR_seq. The timer can be reset if the skip is full or if the receiver sends a NAK message that includes a skip (due to other triggers). When the timer expires, the receiver can send a NAK message for this gap. The NAK message may include the last SAR_seq received from all serving pilots.

In an embodiment, the following may apply when a status report message or NAK message is sent:

There may also be situations where the receiver passes RLP packets that are sent by the transmitter at the end of the data packet (not just from one transmission channel). In an embodiment, the following may be used to detect such missing packets:

The examples described below will illustrate the various embodiments described herein.

In the example of removing a pilot from the service sector, a scenario is considered where a pilot belonging to channel # 2 (Link # 2) is deleted from the service sector after he has served packet <3.10>:

Upon receipt of a traffic channel assignment message that removes the active state from the pilot, the AT may send a message to the AN including the following information:

AT Status_Report_Message {pilot x link_2: last_SAR_seq = 6}.

AN sequentially retransmits packets with SAR_seq = 8, 10, respectively, for any of the remaining pilots in the service sector.

In the cell switching examples, a scenario is considered where the serving cell is exchanged and the following packets are served by the old serving cell:

When switching, the AT can send a message to AN, which includes the following information:

AT Status_Report_Message {pilot x link_2: last_SAR_seq = 6

pilot y link_1: last_SAR_seq = 7}.

AN then resends packets with SAR_seq = 8, 9, 10, respectively, for any of the pilots in the service sector.

The following shows a segment-based SAR_seq example:

When a packet <3, 9> is received on channel # 1 (Link # 1), the receiver can send:

Status_Report_message {SAR_missing_boundary = 5, 9}.

When the transmitter receives the above status report message, it can retransmit only the packet with SAR_seq = 7, because a status report message indicates to the transmitter that a) deletion occurred in channel # 1 (where packets with SAR_seq = 5, 9 were sent) and b) the RLP data blocks that were sent on channel # 1 and with SAR_seq between 5 and 9 were skipped When the transmitter retransmits a packet with SAR_seq = 7, it can send it on channel # 1 or channel # 2. A retransmitted packet with SAR_seq = 7 can be sent without ARQ_seq.

When a packet <3, 10> is received on channel # 2, the receiver can send (it is assumed that a retransmitted packet with SAR_seq = 7 has not yet been received): Status_Report_message {SAR_missing_boundary = 6, 10}.

When the transmitter receives the above status report message, it can retransmit the packet with SAR_seq = 8.

9 shows an example of an octet based SAR_seq, which is similar to a segment based example shown above, with the difference that the SAR_seq is an octet based sequence number. In this case, the receiver may send a status report message after receiving the RLP packet containing “Octets 81-90”. A status report is generated because The receiver detects a gap in ARQ_seq in channel # 1. A status report message may indicate:

The transmitter may do the following after receiving the status report message:

For each missing_interval reported, the transmitter detects the transmission channel through which the RLP data blocks are transmitted, and retransmits the missing data blocks, telling the receiver that they belong to the missing_interval and are sent on this channel. When retransmitting, it may not matter which transmission channel in the service sector is selected to send the missed octets.

10 shows an example in which the receiver sends a status report message based on a gap detection result in ARQ_seq. In this case, the transmission channel (for example, Link # 1), on which the packet “1” is sent, may be clogged and thus unavailable; packet "2" may be deleted during transmission. After the “intercepting timer” has expired, the receiver sends a status report message requesting the retransmission of packets that are not sent on channel # 1 and with SAR_seq between 0 and 2.

11 shows an example similar to one shown in FIG. 10, with the difference that the status report message is deleted. As a result, the transmitter resends packets “1” and “2” upon receipt of the NAK message.

12 shows a flowchart of a process 1200 that can be used in an embodiment to perform data transfer in a multi-channel communication system. Step 1210 segments the upper layer packet into channel layer packets to be transmitted over a plurality of transmission channels. Step 1220 adds a first sequence number (e.g., SAR_seq LSB or SAR_seq) to each link layer packet. Step 1230 adds a second sequence number (eg, ARQ_seq) to each channel layer packet to be transmitted for the first time, the second sequence number is a sequence area associated with a particular communication channel.

13 shows a flowchart of a process 1300 that can be used in an embodiment of data processing in a multi-channel communication system. Step 1310 checks for two link layer packets received sequentially on a particular transmission channel, each link layer packet is identified by a first sequence number and a second sequence number, and a second sequence number is associated with a specific transmission channel. Step 1320 transmits a message to the transmitter to request retransmission of one or more missing link layer packets if the second sequence numbers of two consecutively received data packets are interrupted.

FIG. 14 shows a block diagram of an apparatus 1400 that can be used to implement some of the described options (as described above). For example, device 1400 may include a segmentation unit (or module) 1410 designed to segment a top-level packet into channel layer packets to be transmitted over a plurality of transmission channels; and a sequence number adding unit 1420 created to add a first sequence number to each link layer packet (as described above). A sequence number adding unit 1420 may also be created to add a second sequence number to each link layer packet to be transmitted for the first time (as described above). Apparatus 1400 may also include a receiver unit 1430 designed to receive a message (such as a status report message or NAK message described above) from a receiver, for example, reporting one or more missed packets; and a transmitting unit 1440 created to transmit the data packet to the receiver.

In the device 1400, the segmentation unit 1410, the serial number adding unit 1420, the receiving unit 1430 and the transmitting unit 1440 may be connected to the communication bus 1450. Processing unit 1460 and memory unit 1470 may also be connected to communication bus 1450. Processing unit 1460 may be created to control and / or coordinate the operation of various units. The memory unit 1470 may execute instructions executed by the processing unit 1460. FIG. 15 shows a block diagram of an apparatus 1500 that can be used to execute some of the described embodiments (as described above). For example, device 1500 may include a verification unit (or module) 1510 designed to monitor two link layer packets received sequentially over a particular transmission channel, each link layer packet is identified by a first sequence number and a second sequence number; and the transmitting unit 1520 is designed to transmit a message to the receiver, for example, if the second sequence numbers of two consecutively received data packets are interrupted, or if other missing packets are detected (as described above). Apparatus 1500 may further include a receiver unit 1530, for example, designed to receive a packet of data and messages from a transmitter.

The device 1500, the verification unit 1510, the transmitting unit 1520 and the receiving unit 1530 may be connected to the communication bus 1540. The processing unit 1550 and the memory unit 1560 may also be connected to the communication bus 1540. Processing block 1550 may be created to control and / or coordinate the operation of various blocks. The memory unit 1560 may execute instructions executed by the processing unit 1550. (In some embodiments, the memory unit 1560 may also maintain an active AT state, as described above).

The various blocks / modules of FIGS. 14-15 and other embodiments may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. The various blocks / modules described herein may be executed in hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In hardware execution, various units can be executed in one or more specialized integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPs) (DSPD), user programmable gate arrays (PPM) ( FPGA), processors, microprocessors, controllers, microcontrollers, programmable logic devices (PLDs), other electronic units, or any combination thereof. In software execution, various blocks may be executed with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the functions described herein. Program codes may be stored in a memory unit and executed on a processor (or processing unit). The memory unit can be executed with the processor or externally to the processor, in the case of which it can contact contact with the processor by various means known from the prior art.

The options described here provide some RLP embodiments and are implemented for multi-channel communication systems. There are other options for implementation and implementation. The various described embodiments may be performed in BTS, BSC, AT, and other transmitters and receivers designed for communication systems.

A person skilled in the art understands that information and signals can be represented using any of various technologies and methods. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols and chips that may be referred to throughout the foregoing description may be represented in the form of voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any their combinations.

In addition, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in conjunction with the embodiments described herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination thereof. For clarity, to show the equivalence of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are described above in general terms of their functionality. If such functionality is performed in hardware or software, it depends on the specific application and the given design constraints for the entire system. A highly qualified specialist can perform the described functionality in various ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as a departure from the scope of the present invention.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the embodiments described herein may be implemented or implemented with a general purpose processor, digital signal processor (DSP), custom programmable integrated circuit (ASIC) (ASIC) gate array (FPGA) (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, logic elements on discrete components or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, intended to carry out the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or terminal device. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computer devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

The steps of a method or algorithm described herein in conjunction with the embodiments described herein may be directly implemented in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or a combination thereof. The software module may belong to random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM or any other the form of a storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from and write information to the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium may belong to the ASIC. ASIC may belong to AT. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may belong to discrete components in an AT.

The previous disclosure of the described embodiments is provided to enable one skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications of these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the basic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The present invention is not intended to be limited by the embodiments shown here, but is provided for a wide scope consistent with the principles and new features described herein.

Claims (33)

1. A method of transmitting data in a multi-channel communication system, comprising the steps of segmenting a top-level packet into channel-level packets to be transmitted over a plurality of transmission channels;
add the first serial number to each link layer packet; and add a second sequence number to each channel level packet to be transmitted for the first time, while the second sequence number is in the sequence space associated with a particular communication channel. 2. The method according to claim 1, in which the first sequence number contains the least significant bits of the segment number and collection (SAR_seq LSB), and the second sequence number contains the sequence number (ARQ_seq) of the automatic repeat request for each link layer packet to be transmitted to the first time. 3. The method according to claim 1, in which the first sequence number contains the sequence number (SAR_seq) of segmentation and collection for each packet of the channel level to be retransmitted. 4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising adding a status flag to each link layer packet, the status flag indicating whether each link layer packet is a packet transmitted for the first time or a retransmitted packet. 5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving a message from the receiver, the message comprising breaking a first sequence number indicated by the first sequence numbers of two consecutively received link layer packets having interrupted second sequence numbers. 6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising determining a transmission channel with which a break of the first sequence number is associated. 7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising retransmitting one or more data link layer packets having first sequence numbers filling a gap of the first sequence number and transmitted over a specific transmission channel. 8. A method of processing data in a multi-channel communication system, comprising the steps of checking two channel-level packets received sequentially on a particular communication channel, wherein each channel-level packet is identified by a first sequence number and a second sequence number, the second sequence number is associated with a specific channel communication; and transmitting the first message to the transmitter to request retransmission of one or more missing link layer packets if the second sequence numbers of two consecutively received data packets are interrupted. 9. The method of claim 8, in which the first sequence number contains the least significant bits of the segmentation and acquisition sequence number (SAR_seq LSB), and the second sequence number contains the automatic repeat request sequence number (ARQ_seq). 10. The method of claim 8, in which the first message includes the first sequence numbers of two consecutively received data packets. 11. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving an indication of removal of an active state from the pilot; and transmitting a second message to the transmitter, wherein the second message includes a first sequence number of the last link layer packet received from the pilot prior to the removal of the active state. 12. The method according to claim 11, in which the second message is transmitted after a predetermined period of time after receiving the instructions. 13. The method of claim 8, further comprising switching a serving cell from a first cell to a second cell; and transmitting a second message to the transmitter, wherein the second message includes a first sequence number of the last channel layer packet from each pilot associated with the first cell. 14. The method according to item 13, in which the second message is transmitted after a predetermined period of time after receiving the instructions. 15. An apparatus adapted to transmit data in a multi-channel communication system, comprising: means for segmenting a top-level packet into channel-level packets to be transmitted over a plurality of communication channels;
means for adding a first sequence number to each channel layer packet; and means for adding a second sequence number to each channel layer packet to be transmitted for the first time, wherein the second sequence number is in the sequence space associated with a particular communication channel. 16. The device according to clause 15, in which the first sequence number contains the least significant bits of the segment number and collection (SAR_seq LSB) and the second sequence number contains the sequence number (ARQ_seq) of the automatic repeat request for each channel level packet to be transmitted for the first time. 17. The device according to clause 15, in which the first sequence number contains the sequence number (SAR_seq) segmentation and collection for each packet of the channel level to be retransmitted. 18. A device adapted for processing data in a multi-channel communication system, comprising means for checking two channel level packets received sequentially on a particular communication channel, wherein each channel level packet is characterized by a first sequence number and a second sequence number, the second sequence number is associated with a specific communication channel; and means for transmitting a message to the transmitter to request retransmission of one or more missed link layer packets; if the second sequence numbers of two consecutively received data packets are interrupted. 19. The device according to p, in which the first sequence number contains the least significant bits of the sequence number (SAR_seq LSB) segmentation and collection and the second sequence number contains the sequence number (ARQ_seq) of the automatic repeat request. 20. The device according to p, in which the message includes the first serial numbers of two consecutively received data packets. 21. A machine-readable medium including instructions executed by a processor to segment a top-level packet into channel-level packets to be transmitted over a plurality of communication channels;
adding a first sequence number to each channel layer packet and adding a second sequence number to each channel layer packet to be transmitted for the first time, wherein the second sequence number is in the sequence space associated with a particular communication channel. 22. A machine-readable medium including instructions executed by a processor to check two channel-level packets received sequentially over a particular communication channel, wherein each channel-level packet is identified by a first serial number and a second serial number, a second serial number is associated with a specific communication channel; and transmitting a message to the transmitter to request retransmission of one or more missing link layer packets if the second sequence numbers of two consecutively received data packets are interrupted. 23. A method of processing data in a multi-channel communication system,
comprising the steps of receiving a skip message from the transmitter, wherein the skip message indicates the end of the data packet and includes the last transmitted link layer packet; and send a message to the transmitter if a gap is detected in the sequence numbers of the received data link packets. 24. The method according to item 23, in which each sequence number contains a sequence number (SAR_seq) segmentation and Assembly. 25. A method of processing data in a multi-channel communication system, comprising the steps of starting the timer when a gap is detected in the sequence numbers of the received data link packets and transmitting the message to the transmitter after the timer expires, the message including the gap and the serial number of the last data packet accepted from each serving pilot. 26. The method according A.25, also containing the re-establishment of the timer upon receipt of one or more data packets having sequence numbers that fill the gap. 27. The method of claim 25, further comprising re-setting a timer when transmitting a message to the transmitter. 28. The method according A.25, in which the serial number contains the serial number (SAR_seq) segmentation and collection. 29. A device configured to transmit data in a multi-channel communication system, comprising:
a circuit configured to:
segmentation of the top-level packet into channel-level packets to be transmitted over multiple communication channels;
adding the first serial number to each link layer packet; and adding a second sequence number to each channel layer packet to be transmitted for the first time, the second sequence number being in the sequence space associated with a particular communication channel. 30. A device configured to process data in a multi-channel communication system, comprising:
a circuit configured to:
checking two channel level packets received sequentially on a particular communication channel, wherein each channel level packet is identified by a first serial number and a second serial number, the second serial number is associated with a specific communication channel; and transmitting the first message to the transmitter to request retransmission of one or more missing link layer packets; if the second sequence numbers of two consecutively received data packets are interrupted.
Priority on points: 02/18/2005 according to claims 1-11, 13, 15-22; 03/07/2005 according to claims 23-28; 09/08/2005 according to claims 12, 14.

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