Dynamic bundling in LTE using explicit signalling

摘要

The teachings herein disclose methods (600, 700) and apparatuses (36, 50) for dynamically rescheduling retransmissions from a selected Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest, “HARQ”, process, based on temporarily remapping the selected HARQ process to one or more subframes (12) that are by default scheduled for another HARQ process running synchronously with the first HARQ process. One advantage of dynamic rescheduling is that a retransmission for a given HARQ process can be accelerated in time, as compared to when the retransmission would occur absent the remapping. In another advantageous aspect, in at least some embodiments, the control signalling (20) for dynamic rescheduling is included in the Downlink Control Information, “DCI”, used to send scheduling grants for the HARQ processes, such that dynamic rescheduling uses control signalling (20) that is compatible with existing scheduling grant signalling.

主权项

1. A method at a base station in a wireless communication network that provides communication services to a wireless device supporting multiple Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) processes, wherein each HARQ process has its own scheduled subframes according to a default mapping of respective HARQ processes to respective subframes, and wherein the method comprises:
deciding to dynamically reschedule a retransmission from a first one of the HARQ processes; dynamically rescheduling the retransmission from the first HARQ process by sending control signalling to the wireless device that temporarily remaps one or more scheduled subframes from a remaining one of the HARQ processes to the first HARQ process as rescheduled subframes to be used by the first HARQ process for the retransmission; receiving the retransmission from the wireless device in the one or more rescheduled subframes; and processing the retransmission as part of the first HARQ process.