Electronic device performing rate adaptation using downlink and uplink retransmission indicators and operating method thereof

Abstract

This electronic device comprises one or more processors comprising processing circuitry and a memory storing instructions. The instructions, when executed individually or collectively by the one or more processors, cause the electronic device to perform the operations of: transmitting a plurality of uplink data packets encoded by a codec on the basis of a first bit rate, during a first time duration; identify the number of first retransmission uplink data packets having a first retransmission count, which is greater than or equal to a first retransmission threshold value, from among the plurality of first uplink data packets; and adjust a bit rate of the codec from the first bit rate to a second bit rate, on the basis of the number of first retransmission uplink data packets.

Description

Electronic device for performing rate adaptation using downlink and uplink retransmission indicators and method of operating the same

[0001] Embodiments relate to an electronic device and a method of operating the same for performing rate adaptation using downlink and uplink retransmission metrics.

[0002] An electronic device may perform uplink and / or downlink communications with a network. For example, the electronic device may transmit packets (e.g., voice packets) to the network and / or receive packets (e.g., voice packets) from the network.

[0003] Electronic devices can calculate a block error rate (BLER) when performing uplink communications and perform rate adaptation based on the BLER. For example, if the BLER is calculated to be relatively high during uplink communications, the electronic device can lower the bit rate of the codec.

[0004] In other words, electronic devices can perform rate adaptation based on the BLER value rather than whether packet transmission problems occur. Consequently, if the BLER is calculated to be relatively high even when no packet transmission problems actually occur, the electronic device may lower the codec's bit rate, which can degrade audio quality.

[0005] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure can provide an electronic device capable of performing rate adaptation when a problem occurs in packet transmission or packet reception, thereby avoiding unnecessary degradation of audio quality.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device includes one or more processors including a processing circuit and a memory storing instructions. The instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to transmit a plurality of first uplink data packets encoded by a codec based on a first bit rate during a first time interval. The instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to identify a number of first retransmitted uplink data packets among the plurality of first uplink data packets that have a first retransmission count greater than or equal to a first retransmission threshold. The instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to adjust a bit rate of the codec from the first bit rate to a second bit rate based on the number of the first retransmitted uplink data packets.

[0007] The operation of adjusting the bit rate may include adjusting the bit rate of the codec from the first bit rate to the second bit rate based on the number of the first retransmission uplink data packets being greater than or equal to a first retransmission threshold. The second bit rate may be lower than the first bit rate.

[0008] The operation of adjusting the bit rate may include adjusting the bit rate of the codec from the first bit rate to the second bit rate based on the number of the first retransmitted uplink data packets being less than a second count threshold. The second bit rate may be higher than the first bit rate.

[0009] The above instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to determine the first retransmission threshold.

[0010] The above instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to receive a maximum retransmission threshold from the base station. The first retransmission threshold may correspond to the maximum retransmission threshold.

[0011] The operation of identifying the number of said first retransmission uplink data packets may include the operation of identifying whether a second retransmission count of at least one uplink data packet among said plurality of first uplink data packets reaches the maximum retransmission threshold. The operation of adjusting the bit rate may include the operation of adjusting the bit rate from the first bit rate to a bit rate lower than the first bit rate based on whether the second retransmission count of the at least one uplink data packet reaches the maximum retransmission threshold.

[0012] The instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may further cause the electronic device to perform the following operations: determining an uplink retransmission index based on retransmission counts of the first retransmitted uplink data packets; determining whether to adjust a bit rate of the codec based on the uplink retransmission index; and adjusting the first bit rate based on the determination to adjust the bit rate of the codec.

[0013] The operation of determining the uplink retransmission index may include the operation of calculating a first ratio between the number of the first uplink data packets and the number of the first retransmitted uplink data packets.

[0014] The operation of determining whether to adjust the bit rate may include determining whether a ratio between a number of second uplink data packets during a time interval preceding the first time interval and a number of second retransmission uplink data packets during the previous time interval and the calculated first ratio are each greater than or equal to a first threshold value, wherein the second retransmission uplink data packets are associated with a second retransmission count among the second uplink data packets that is greater than or equal to the first retransmission threshold. Alternatively, the operation of determining whether to adjust the bit rate may include determining whether each of the ratio and the calculated first ratio is less than a second threshold value.

[0015] The operation of adjusting the first bit rate may include an operation of adjusting the bit rate of the codec from the first bit rate to a third bit rate based on the ratio and the calculated first ratio being greater than or equal to the first threshold value, wherein the third bit rate is less than the first bit rate. The operation of adjusting the first bit rate may include an operation of adjusting the bit rate of the codec from the first bit rate to a fourth bit rate based on the ratio and the calculated first ratio being less than the second threshold value, wherein the fourth bit rate is higher than the first bit rate.

[0016] The operation of determining the above uplink retransmission index may include the operation of calculating a second ratio between the number of uplink data packets whose retransmission count reaches a maximum retransmission threshold and the number of the plurality of first uplink data packets.

[0017] The operation of determining whether to adjust the bit rate may include an operation of determining whether to adjust the bit rate of the codec based on the second ratio.

[0018] The operation of adjusting the first bit rate may include an operation of adjusting the bit rate of the codec from the first bit rate to a bit rate lower than the first bit rate based on the second ratio being equal to or greater than a third threshold value. The operation of adjusting the first bit rate may include an operation of adjusting the bit rate of the codec from the first bit rate to a bit rate higher than the first bit rate based on the second ratio being equal to or less than a fourth threshold value.

[0019] The instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to perform the following operations: receiving a plurality of first downlink data packets during the first time interval; identifying first retransmitted downlink data packets retransmitted during the first time interval among the plurality of first downlink data packets; determining a downlink retransmission index based on retransmission counts of the first retransmitted downlink data packets; and determining whether to adjust a bit rate of the codec based on the downlink retransmission index.

[0020] The operation of determining the downlink retransmission index may include calculating a third ratio between the number of the first downlink data packets and the number of the first retransmitted downlink data packets. The operation of determining whether to adjust the bit rate may include determining whether the ratio between the number of second retransmitted downlink data packets retransmitted among downlink data packets during a time interval preceding the first time interval and the number of downlink data packets during the previous time interval and the calculated third ratio are each greater than or equal to a fifth threshold value. Alternatively, the operation of determining whether to adjust the bit rate may include determining whether the ratio and the calculated third ratio are each less than or equal to a sixth threshold value. Alternatively, the operation of determining whether to adjust the bit rate may include determining whether the calculated third ratio is less than or equal to a seventh threshold value.

[0021] The operation of adjusting the first bit rate may include an operation of adjusting the bit rate of the codec from the first bit rate to a bit rate lower than the first bit rate based on the ratio and the calculated third ratio being greater than or equal to the fifth threshold value. Alternatively, the operation of adjusting the first bit rate may include an operation of adjusting the bit rate of the codec to a bit rate higher than the first bit rate based on the ratio and the calculated third ratio being less than or equal to the sixth threshold value. The operation of adjusting the bit rate of the codec to a bit rate higher than the first bit rate based on the calculated third ratio being less than or equal to the seventh threshold value.

[0022] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device includes one or more processors including a processing circuit and a memory storing instructions. The instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to transmit a plurality of first uplink data packets during a first time interval. The instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to identify, among the plurality of first uplink data packets, first retransmission uplink data packets having a first retransmission count greater than or equal to a first retransmission threshold. The instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to determine an uplink retransmission index based on the retransmission counts of the first retransmission uplink data packets. The instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, may cause the electronic device to determine whether to adjust a bit rate of a codec based on the uplink retransmission index. The bit rate of the codec may be adjusted based on a decision to adjust the bit rate of the codec.

[0023] The operation of determining the uplink retransmission index may include calculating a first ratio between the number of the first uplink data packets and the number of the first retransmission uplink data packets. The operation of determining whether to adjust the bit rate may include determining whether a ratio between the number of the second uplink data packets during a time interval preceding the first time interval and the number of the second retransmission uplink data packets during the previous time interval and the calculated first ratio are each greater than or equal to a first threshold value, wherein the second retransmission uplink data packets are associated with a second retransmission count among the second uplink data packets that is greater than or equal to the first retransmission threshold. Alternatively, the operation of determining whether to adjust the bit rate may include determining whether each of the ratio and the calculated first ratio is less than or equal to a second threshold value.

[0024] The operation of adjusting the bit rate may include an operation of lowering the bit rate of the codec based on the ratio and the calculated first ratio being greater than or equal to the first threshold value. The operation of adjusting the bit rate may include an operation of increasing the bit rate of the codec based on the ratio and the calculated first ratio being less than the second threshold value.

[0025] The operation of determining the above uplink retransmission index may include the operation of calculating a second ratio between the number of uplink data packets for which the retransmission count reaches a maximum retransmission threshold and the number of the first uplink data packets. The operation of determining whether to adjust the bit rate may include the operation of determining whether the calculated second ratio is greater than or equal to a third threshold value or whether the calculated second ratio is less than or equal to a fourth threshold value.

[0026] The operation of adjusting the bit rate may include an operation of lowering the bit rate of the codec based on the second ratio being greater than or equal to the third threshold value. The operation of adjusting the bit rate may include an operation of increasing the bit rate based on the second ratio being less than or equal to the fourth threshold value.

[0027] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method of operating an electronic device may include transmitting a plurality of uplink data packets during a time interval, the plurality of uplink data packets being generated by a codec based on a first bit rate. The method of operating the electronic device may include identifying a number of retransmitted uplink data packets having a retransmission count greater than or equal to a retransmission threshold among the plurality of uplink data packets. The method of operating the electronic device may include adjusting a bit rate of the codec from the first bit rate to a second bit rate based on the number of retransmitted uplink data packets.

[0028] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions. The computer-executable instructions, when individually or collectively executed by one or more processors, can cause an electronic device to perform the following operations: transmitting a plurality of first uplink data packets encoded by a codec based on a first bit rate during a first time interval; identifying a number of first retransmission uplink data packets having a first retransmission count greater than or equal to a first retransmission threshold among the plurality of first uplink data packets; and adjusting a bit rate of the codec from the first bit rate to a second bit rate based on the number of first retransmission uplink data packets.

[0029] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions. The computer-executable instructions, when individually or collectively executed by one or more processors, may cause an electronic device to perform the following operations: transmit a plurality of first uplink data packets during a first time interval; identify first retransmitted uplink data packets among the plurality of first uplink data packets having a first retransmission count greater than or equal to a first retransmission threshold; determine an uplink retransmission index based on the retransmission counts of the first retransmitted uplink data packets; determine whether to adjust a bit rate of a codec based on the uplink retransmission index; and adjust the bit rate of the codec based on the determination to adjust the bit rate of the codec.

[0030] Additional aspects may be presented in some of the following description, and some may become apparent from the description and / or may be understood by practice of the embodiments presented.

[0031] The above-described and other aspects, features, and advantages of specific embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0032] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an electronic device within a network environment according to one embodiment.

[0033] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electronic device in a network environment including multiple cellular networks according to one embodiment.

[0034] FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are diagrams illustrating an example of a method for determining a downlink retransmission index according to one embodiment.

[0035] FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are diagrams illustrating an example of a method for determining an uplink retransmission index according to one embodiment.

[0036] FIGS. 5 and 6 are drawings illustrating examples of a method of operating an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0037] FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are drawings illustrating an example of an operating method of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0038] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation of an electronic device adjusting a bit rate based on an uplink retransmission index according to one embodiment.

[0039] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation of an electronic device adjusting a bit rate based on a downlink retransmission index according to one embodiment.

[0040] FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0041] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method of operating an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0042] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method of operating an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0043] The following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, is provided to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. While various specific details are included to aid understanding, such details are to be considered merely exemplary. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and variations to the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Furthermore, descriptions of well-known functions and structures are omitted for clarity and conciseness.

[0044] In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar or related elements. It should be understood that the singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more things unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, phrases such as "A or B," "at least one of A and B," "at least one of A or B," "A, B, or C," "at least one of A, B, and C," and "at least one of A, B, or C" may include one or all possible combinations of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase. Terms such as "first" and "second" or "primary" and "secondary" as used herein may be used simply to distinguish corresponding components from other components and do not limit the components in any other respect (e.g., importance or order). For example, terms such as "first," "second," and "third" may not necessarily imply a sequence or any form of numerical meaning. When a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as being "coupled to," "coupled with," "connected to," or "connected with" another component (e.g., a second component), whether or not the terms "operatively" or "communicatively," this may mean that the component can be coupled to the other component directly (e.g., wired), wirelessly, or via a third component.

[0045] Throughout this disclosure, the terms "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an exemplary embodiment," or similar expressions may indicate that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the indicated embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present solution. Accordingly, throughout this disclosure, the expressions "in one embodiment," "in an embodiment," "in an exemplary embodiment," and similar expressions may all refer to the same embodiment, but do not necessarily. The embodiments described herein are exemplary embodiments, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto and may be implemented in various other forms.

[0046] It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the disclosed process / flow diagrams is merely illustrative of an exemplary approach. It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the process / flow diagrams may be rearranged based on design preferences. Furthermore, some blocks may be combined or omitted. The appended claims present elements of various blocks in an exemplary order and are not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0047] The embodiments described herein may be described and illustrated in terms of blocks that perform the described function or functions, as illustrated in the drawings. These blocks, which may be referred to herein as units or modules, or by names such as devices, logic, circuits, controllers, counters, comparators, generators, converters, and the like, may be physically implemented by analog and / or digital circuits that include one or more of logic gates, integrated circuits, microprocessors, microcontrollers, memory circuits, passive electronic components, active electronic components, optical components, and the like.

[0048] In this specification, the articles "a" and "an" are intended to include one or more items, and may be used interchangeably with "one or more." Where only one item is intended, the term "a" or a similar term is used. For example, the term "processor" may refer to a single processor or multiple processors. When a processor is described as performing one operation and the processor is also referred to as performing additional operations, the multiple operations may be performed by the single processor, one of multiple processors, or a combination of multiple processors.

[0049] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

[0050] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device (101) within a network environment (100) according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, in the network environment (100), the electronic device (101) may communicate with the electronic device (102) via a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or may communicate with at least one of the electronic device (104) or the server (108) via a second network (199) (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to an embodiment, the electronic device (101) may communicate with the electronic device (104) via the server (108). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may include a processor (120), a memory (130), an input module (150), an audio output module (155), a display module (160), an audio module (170), a sensor module (176), an interface (177), a connection terminal (178), a haptic module (179), a camera module (180), a power management module (188), a battery (189), a communication module (190), a subscriber identification module (196), or an antenna module (197). In some embodiments, the electronic device (101) may omit at least one of these components (e.g., the connection terminal (178)), or may have one or more other components added. In some embodiments, some of these components (e.g., the sensor module (176), the camera module (180), or the antenna module (197)) may be integrated into one component (e.g., the display module (160)).

[0051] The processor (120) may control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware or software component) of the electronic device (101) connected to the processor (120) by executing, for example, software (e.g., a program (140)), and may perform various data processing or calculations. According to one embodiment, as at least a part of the data processing or calculation, the processor (120) may store a command or data received from another component (e.g., a sensor module (176) or a communication module (190)) in a volatile memory (132), process the command or data stored in the volatile memory (132), and store the resulting data in a non-volatile memory (134). According to one embodiment, the processor (120) may include a main processor (121) (e.g., a central processing unit or an application processor) or a secondary processor (123) (e.g., a graphics processing unit, a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor) that can operate independently or together therewith. For example, if the electronic device (101) includes a main processor (121) and a secondary processor (123), the secondary processor (123) may be configured to use less power than the main processor (121) or to be specialized for a specified function. The secondary processor (123) may be implemented separately from the main processor (121) or as a part thereof.

[0052] The auxiliary processor (123) may control at least a portion of functions or states associated with at least one component (e.g., a display module (160), a sensor module (176), or a communication module (190)) of the electronic device (101), for example, on behalf of the main processor (121) while the main processor (121) is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, or together with the main processor (121) while the main processor (121) is in an active (e.g., application execution) state. In one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as a part of another functionally related component (e.g., a camera module (180) or a communication module (190)). In one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., a neural network processing unit) may include a hardware structure specialized for processing artificial intelligence models. The artificial intelligence models may be generated through machine learning. This learning can be performed, for example, on the electronic device (101) itself where the artificial intelligence model is executed, or can be performed through a separate server (e.g., server (108)). The learning algorithm can include, for example, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning, but is not limited to the examples described above. The artificial intelligence model can include multiple artificial neural network layers.The artificial neural network may be one of a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM), a deep belief network (DBN), a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network (BRDNN), a deep Q-network, or a combination of two or more of the above, but is not limited to the examples described above. In addition to, or alternatively to, a hardware structure, an artificial intelligence model may include a software structure.

[0053] The memory (130) can store various data used by at least one component (e.g., processor (120) or sensor module (176)) of the electronic device (101). The data can include, for example, software (e.g., program (140)) and input data or output data for commands related thereto. The memory (130) can include volatile memory (132) or non-volatile memory (134).

[0054] The program (140) may be stored as software in the memory (130) and may include, for example, an operating system (142), middleware (144), or an application (146).

[0055] The input module (150) can receive commands or data to be used in a component of the electronic device (101) (e.g., a processor (120)) from an external source (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (101). The input module (150) can include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, a key (e.g., a button), or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

[0056] The audio output module (155) can output audio signals to the outside of the electronic device (101). The audio output module (155) can include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker can be used for general purposes, such as multimedia playback or recording playback. The receiver can be used to receive incoming calls. In one embodiment, the receiver can be implemented separately from the speaker or as part of the speaker.

[0057] The display module (160) can visually provide information to an external party (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (101). The display module (160) may include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector, and a control circuit for controlling the device. According to one embodiment, the display module (160) may include a touch sensor configured to detect a touch, or a pressure sensor configured to measure the intensity of a force generated by the touch. The display module (160) may be implemented with an illustrative foldable structure and / or a rollable structure. For example, the size of the display screen of the display module (160) may be reduced when folded, and may be expanded when unfolded.

[0058] The audio module (170) can convert sound into an electrical signal, or vice versa, convert an electrical signal into sound. In one embodiment, the audio module (170) can acquire sound through the input module (150), output sound through the sound output module (155), or an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)) (e.g., speaker or headphone) directly or wirelessly connected to the electronic device (101).

[0059] The sensor module (176) can detect the operating status (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic device (101) or the external environmental status (e.g., user status) and generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected status. According to one embodiment, the sensor module (176) can include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an IR (infrared) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

[0060] The interface (177) may support one or more designated protocols that may be used to directly or wirelessly connect the electronic device (101) to an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102)). In one embodiment, the interface (177) may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an SD card interface, or an audio interface.

[0061] The connection terminal (178) may include a connector through which the electronic device (101) may be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)). In one embodiment, the connection terminal (178) may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

[0062] A haptic module (179) can convert electrical signals into mechanical stimuli (e.g., vibration or movement) or electrical stimuli that a user can perceive through tactile or kinesthetic sensations. In one embodiment, the haptic module (179) may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulation device.

[0063] The camera module (180) can capture still images and videos. In one embodiment, the camera module (180) may include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

[0064] The power management module (188) can manage the power supplied to the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, the power management module (188) can be implemented as, for example, at least a part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0065] A battery (189) may power at least one component of the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, the battery (189) may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

[0066] The communication module (190) may support the establishment of a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102), electronic device (104), or server (108)), and the performance of communication through the established communication channel. The communication module (190) may operate independently from the processor (120) (e.g., application processor) and may include one or more communication processors that support direct (e.g., wired) communication or wireless communication. According to one embodiment, the communication module (190) may include a wireless communication module (192) (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module (194) (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module, or a power line communication module). Among these communication modules, the corresponding communication module can communicate with an external electronic device (104) via a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, wireless fidelity (WiFi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or a second network (199) (e.g., a long-range communication network such as a legacy cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a LAN or WAN)). These various types of communication modules can be integrated into a single component (e.g., a single chip) or implemented as multiple separate components (e.g., multiple chips). The wireless communication module (192) can verify or authenticate the electronic device (101) within a communication network such as the first network (198) or the second network (199) by using subscriber information (e.g., an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identification module (196).

[0067] The wireless communication module (192) can support 5G networks and next-generation communication technologies following the 4G network, such as NR access technology (new radio access technology). The NR access technology can support high-speed transmission of high-capacity data (eMBB (enhanced mobile broadband)), minimization of terminal power and connection of multiple terminals (mMTC (massive machine type communications)), or high reliability and low latency (URLLC (ultra-reliable and low-latency communications)). The wireless communication module (192) can support, for example, a high-frequency band (e.g., mmWave band) to achieve a high data transmission rate. The wireless communication module (192) can support various technologies for securing performance in a high-frequency band, such as beamforming, massive multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO), full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antenna, analog beam-forming, or large scale antenna. The wireless communication module (192) can support various requirements specified in the electronic device (101), an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (104)), or a network system (e.g., the second network (199)). According to one embodiment, the wireless communication module (192) can support a peak data rate (e.g., 20 Gbps or more) for eMBB realization, a loss coverage (e.g., 164 dB or less) for mMTC realization, or a U-plane latency (e.g., 0.5 ms or less for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL), or 1 ms or less for round trip) for URLLC realization.

[0068] The antenna module (197) can transmit or receive signals or power to or from an external device (e.g., an external electronic device). In one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may include an antenna including a radiator formed of a conductor or a conductive pattern formed on a substrate (e.g., a PCB). In one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may include a plurality of antennas (e.g., an array antenna). In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication method used in a communication network, such as the first network (198) or the second network (199), may be selected from the plurality of antennas, for example, by the communication module (190). A signal or power may be transmitted or received between the communication module (190) and an external electronic device via the at least one selected antenna. In some embodiments, in addition to the radiator, another component (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) may be additionally formed as a part of the antenna module (197).

[0069] According to various embodiments, the antenna module (197) may form a mmWave antenna module. According to one embodiment, the mmWave antenna module may include a printed circuit board, an RFIC disposed on or adjacent to a first side (e.g., a bottom side) of the printed circuit board and capable of supporting a designated high-frequency band (e.g., a mmWave band), and a plurality of antennas (e.g., an array antenna) disposed on or adjacent to a second side (e.g., a top side or a side side) of the printed circuit board and capable of transmitting or receiving signals in the designated high-frequency band.

[0070] At least some of the above components can be interconnected and exchange signals (e.g., commands or data) with each other via a communication method between peripheral devices (e.g., a bus, GPIO (general purpose input and output), SPI (serial peripheral interface), or MIPI (mobile industry processor interface)).

[0071] According to one embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (104) via a server (108) connected to a second network (199). Each of the external electronic devices (102 or 104) may be the same or a different type of device as the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, all or part of the operations executed in the electronic device (101) may be executed in one or more of the external electronic devices (102, 104, or 108). For example, when the electronic device (101) is to perform a certain function or service automatically or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device (101) may, instead of or in addition to executing the function or service itself, request one or more external electronic devices to perform the function or at least a part of the service. One or more external electronic devices that receive the request may execute at least a portion of the requested function or service, or an additional function or service related to the request, and transmit the result of the execution to the electronic device (101). The electronic device (101) may process the result as is or additionally and provide it as at least a portion of a response to the request. For this purpose, cloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), or client-server computing technology may be used, for example. The electronic device (101) may provide an ultra-low latency service by using distributed computing or mobile edge computing, for example. In another embodiment, the external electronic device (104) may include an Internet of Things (IoT) device. The server (108) may be an intelligent server utilizing machine learning and / or a neural network. According to one embodiment, the external electronic device (104) or the server (108) may be included in the second network (199).The electronic device (101) can be applied to intelligent services (e.g., smart home, smart city, smart car, or healthcare) based on 5G communication technology and IoT-related technology.

[0072] Electronic devices according to the various embodiments disclosed in this document may take various forms. Electronic devices may include, for example, portable communication devices (e.g., smartphones), computer devices, portable multimedia devices, portable medical devices, cameras, wearable devices, or home appliances. Electronic devices according to the embodiments of this document are not limited to the aforementioned devices.

[0073] Various embodiments of the present document may be implemented as software (e.g., a program (140)) including one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (e.g., an internal memory (136) or an external memory (138)) readable by a machine (e.g., an electronic device (101) of FIG. 1). For example, a processor (e.g., a processor (120)) of the machine (e.g., an electronic device (101)) may call at least one instruction among the one or more instructions stored from the storage medium and execute it. This enables the machine to operate to perform at least one function according to the at least one called instruction. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, 'non-transitory' simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves), and the term does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently or temporarily on the storage medium.

[0074] According to one embodiment, the method according to various embodiments disclosed in the present document may be provided as included in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a product between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)), or may be distributed online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) via an application store (e.g., Play Store™) or directly between two user devices (e.g., smart phones). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily generated in a machine-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or an intermediary server.

[0075] According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or a program) of the above-described components may include one or more entities, and some of the entities may be separated and placed in other components. According to various embodiments, one or more components or operations of the aforementioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (e.g., a module or a program) may be integrated into a single component. In such a case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components identically or similarly to those performed by the corresponding component among the plurality of components prior to the integration. According to various embodiments, the operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0076] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electronic device (201) in a network environment (200) including multiple cellular networks according to one embodiment.

[0077] Referring to FIG. 2, the electronic device (201) may be similar to or include the electronic device (101) described above with reference to FIG. 1 in many respects, and may include additional features not previously mentioned. Accordingly, a redundant description of the electronic device (201) described above with reference to FIG. 1 may be omitted for brevity.

[0078] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the electronic device (201) (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1) may include a processor (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1 or a communication processor), a first-first radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) (222-1), a first-second RFIC (222-2), a second RFIC (224), a first radio frequency front end (RFFE) (232), a second RFFE (234), a first antenna module (242), a second antenna module (244), and a third antenna module (246). In some embodiments, the first-first RFIC (222-1) and the first-second RFIC (222-2) may be implemented as one RFIC (222). The second network (199) may include a first cellular network (292) (e.g., a legacy network) and a second cellular network (294) (e.g., a 5G network). The electronic device (201) may further include at least one component among those described in FIG. 1 , and the second network (199) may further include at least one other network. In one embodiment, the second RFIC (224) may be omitted or included as part of the third RFIC (226).

[0079] According to one embodiment, the first RFIC (222-1), the first RFIC (222-2), the second RFIC (224), the first RFFE (232), and the second RFFE (234) of FIG. 2 may be included in the communication module (190) of FIG. 1 (e.g., the wireless communication module (192)), and the first antenna module (242), the second antenna module (244), and the third antenna module (246) of FIG. 2 may be included in the antenna module (197) of FIG. 1.

[0080] According to one embodiment, the processor (210) may support establishment of a communication channel in a band to be used for wireless communication with a first cellular network (292), and legacy network communication through the established communication channel. The first cellular network (292) may be or include a legacy network, such as a second generation (2G), 3G, 4G, or long term evolution (LTE) network. The processor (210) may support establishment of a communication channel corresponding to a first band (e.g., about 6 GHz to about 60 GHz) (or a frequency range (FR)2 of the 5G standard (e.g., 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz)) among the bands to be used for wireless communication with a second cellular network (294), and 5G network communication through the established communication channel. The second cellular network (294) may be a 5G network defined by 3GPP. The processor (210) can establish a communication channel corresponding to a second band (e.g., about 6 GHz or less) (or FR1 of the 5G standard (e.g., 410 MHz to 7.125 GHz)) among the bands to be used for wireless communication with the second cellular network (294), and can support 5G network communication through the established communication channel.

[0081] According to one embodiment, the first RFIC (222-1) (or the first RFIC (222)) may, upon transmission, convert a baseband signal generated by the processor (210) into a radio frequency (RF) signal in a frequency band (e.g., about 700 megahertz (MHz) to about 3 GHz) used in the first cellular network (292). Upon reception, the RF signal may be received or acquired from the first cellular network (292) via the first antenna module (242) and preprocessed via the first RFFE (232). The first RFIC (222-1) (or the first RFIC (222)) may convert the preprocessed RF signal into a baseband signal so that it may be processed by the processor (210).

[0082] According to one embodiment, the 1-2 RFIC (222-2) (or the 1st RFIC (222)) may, upon transmission, convert a baseband signal generated by the processor (210) into an RF signal (hereinafter, a 5G Sub6 RF signal) of a Sub6 band (e.g., about 6 GHz or less) used in the second cellular network (294). Upon reception, the 5G Sub6 RF signal may be received or acquired from the second cellular network (294) via the second antenna module (244) and preprocessed via the second RFFE (234). The 1-2 RFIC (222-2) (or the 1st RFIC (222)) may convert the preprocessed 5G Sub6 RF signal into a baseband signal so that it can be processed by the processor (210).

[0083] According to one embodiment, the third RFIC (226) may convert the baseband signal generated by the processor (210) into an RF signal (hereinafter, 5G Above6 RF signal) of a 5G Above6 band (e.g., about 6 GHz to about 60 GHz) to be used in the second cellular network (294). Upon reception, the 5G Above6 RF signal may be received or acquired from the second cellular network (294) via the third antenna module (246) (e.g., antenna (248)) and preprocessed via the third RFFE (236). The third RFIC (226) may convert the preprocessed 5G Above6 RF signal into a baseband signal so that it can be processed by the processor (210). According to one embodiment, the third RFFE (236) may be formed as a part of the third RFIC (226).

[0084] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (201) may include a second RFIC (224) separately from or at least as a part of the third RFIC (226). In this case, the second RFIC (224) may convert a baseband signal generated by the processor (210) into an RF signal (hereinafter, an intermediate frequency (IF) signal) of an intermediate frequency band (e.g., about 9 GHz to about 11 GHz) and transmit the IF signal to the third RFIC (226). The third RFIC (226) may convert the IF signal into a 5G Above6 RF signal. Upon reception, the 5G Above6 RF signal may be received or acquired from the second cellular network (294) via the third antenna module (246) (e.g., antenna (248)) and converted into an IF signal by the third RFIC (226). The second RFIC (224) can convert the IF signal into a baseband signal so that the processor (210) can process it.

[0085] According to one embodiment, at least one antenna module of the first antenna module (242) or the second antenna module (244) may be omitted or combined with another antenna module to process RF signals of a corresponding plurality of bands.

[0086] According to one embodiment, the third RFIC (226) and the antenna (248) may be disposed on the same substrate to form a third antenna module (246). For example, the processor (120) may be disposed on a first substrate (e.g., main PCB). In this case, the third RFIC (226) may be disposed on a portion (e.g., bottom surface) of a second substrate (e.g., sub PCB) separate from the first substrate, and the antenna (248) may be disposed on another portion (e.g., top surface) of the second substrate (e.g., sub PCB), thereby forming the third antenna module (246). By disposing the third RFIC (226) and the antenna (248) on the same substrate, it is possible to reduce the length of the transmission line therebetween. This can reduce, for example, the loss (e.g., attenuation) of signals in a high-frequency band (e.g., about 6 GHz to about 60 GHz) used in 5G network communications due to transmission line transmission. As a result, the electronic device (201) can improve the quality and / or speed of communications with a second cellular network (294) (e.g., a 5G network).

[0087] According to one embodiment, the antenna (248) may be formed as an antenna array including a plurality of antenna elements that may be used for beamforming. In this case, the third RFIC (226) may include a plurality of phase shifters (238) corresponding to the plurality of antenna elements, for example, as part of the third RFFE (236). Upon transmission, each of the plurality of phase shifters (238) may shift the phase of a 5G Above6 RF signal to be transmitted to an external source (e.g., a base station of a 5G network) of the electronic device (201) via its corresponding antenna element. Upon reception, each of the plurality of phase shifters (238) may shift the phase of a 5G Above6 RF signal received from an external source (e.g., a base station of a 5G network) via its corresponding antenna element to the same or substantially the same phase. Therefore, transmission and / or reception through beamforming between the electronic device (201) and the external source may be possible.

[0088] The second cellular network (294) may operate independently of the first cellular network (292) (e.g., Stand-Alone (SA)) or may be connected to it (e.g., Non-Stand Alone (NSA)). For example, a 5G network may only have an access network (e.g., a 5G radio access network (RAN) or next generation RAN (NG RAN)) and no core network (e.g., next generation core (NGC)). In this case, the electronic device (201) may access an external network (e.g., the Internet) under the control of a core network (e.g., evolved packet core (EPC)) of a legacy network after accessing the access network of the 5G network. Protocol information for communication with the legacy network (e.g., LTE protocol information) or protocol information for communication with the 5G network (e.g., New Radio (NR) protocol information) may be stored in a memory (e.g., memory (130) of FIG. 1) and accessed by the processor (210).

[0089] FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are diagrams illustrating an example of a method for determining a downlink retransmission index according to one embodiment.

[0090] Referring to FIG. 3A, a method (300A) for determining a downlink retransmission index may include, in operation 310, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1, the electronic device 201 of FIG. 2) performing communication according to an embodiment. For example, the electronic device may perform a call according to voice over LTE (VoLTE) and / or a call according to voice over NR (VoNR). However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The electronic device may transmit voice packets (and / or voice data) to a network (e.g., the second network (199) of FIGS. 1 and 2) and / or receive voice packets (or voice data) from the network. As another example, the electronic device may transmit video packets (or video data) to the network and / or receive them from the network. As another example, the electronic device may transmit data regarding play of an online game to the network and / or receive data from the network.

[0091] In operation 320, the electronic device performs a time interval while performing communication. i A downlink retransmission (ReTX) indicator can be determined (or calculated). The downlink retransmission indicator can represent an indicator related to retransmission of downlink data, for example.

[0092] In one embodiment, the time interval i The downlink retransmission indicator in may include, for example, an indicator regarding whether the electronic device (301) receives data retransmitted by the network (and / or whether the electronic device (301) receives the same data repeatedly from the network) (hereinafter referred to as “downlink retransmission”). Time interval i The downlink retransmission indicator in is, for example, an electronic device that transmits data over a time interval i The number of retransmitted data received (or the time interval) by the electronic device iThe number of data received in duplicate (hereinafter referred to as "downlink retransmission count (or first DL ReTX indicator)") may include a time interval. i The downlink retransmission indicator in is, for example, a time interval i The number of data received and the time interval i The ratio between the number of downlink retransmissions in (hereinafter referred to as “downlink retransmission ratio (or second DL ReTX index)”) may be included. The downlink retransmission index is described later with reference to FIG. 3b.

[0093] At operation 330, the electronic device is timed i It can determine whether this is the last time interval of communication.

[0094] Electronic devices are time-span i If it is not the last time interval of the communication (NO in action 330), then in action 340, the time interval i The index (i) of can be updated to i+1, and in operation 320, the time interval i+1 The electronic device can determine the downlink retransmission index in the time interval i If this is not the last time interval of the communication (NO in action 330), then the next time interval (e.g. time interval i+1 ) can determine the downlink retransmission index.

[0095] Time interval i If this is the last time interval of communication (e.g. in operation 330), method 300A may be terminated.

[0096] In the example process (300B) illustrated in FIG. 3B, the electronic device (301) may receive data (or downlink data) (e.g., one or more packets) from a network (or base station) (399) in a time interval (350). The electronic device (301) may be similar to or include the electronic device (101) or the electronic device (201) described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 in many respects, and may include additional features not previously mentioned. Therefore, a redundant description of the electronic device (301) described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 may be omitted for brevity.

[0097] The electronic device (301) may receive data A (361) (e.g., voice packet A) from the network (399) and transmit an acknowledgment (ACK) (e.g., hybrid automatic repeat and request (HARQ) ACK) for the data A (361) to the network (399). In one embodiment, the uplink environment between the network (399) and the electronic device (301) may not be suitable for supporting communication, and as a result, for example, the network (399) may not receive an ACK for the data A (361) from the electronic device (301). If the network (399) does not receive an ACK for the data A (361) from the electronic device (301), the network (399) may transmit data A (362) to the electronic device (301) that is substantially similar and / or identical to the data A (361).

[0098] The electronic device (301) may receive data A (362) from the network (399). Data A (362) may be substantially similar and / or identical to data A (361), and thus data A (362) may correspond to retransmission data. The electronic device (301) may discard data A (362) because data A (362) is substantially similar and / or identical to data A (361). The electronic device (301) may transmit an ACK for data A (362) to the network (399). When the network (399) receives an ACK for data A (362) from the electronic device (301), it may transmit data B (363) (e.g., voice packet B) to the electronic device (301).

[0099] The electronic device (301) can receive data B (363) from the network (399) and transmit an ACK for data B (363) to the network (399). When the network (399) receives an ACK for data B (363) from the electronic device (301), it can transmit data C (364) (e.g., voice packet C) to the electronic device (301).

[0100] The electronic device (301) can receive data C (364) from the network (399) and transmit an ACK for the data C (364) to the network (399). The network (399) may not receive an ACK for the data C (364) from the electronic device (301) and may transmit data C (365) to the electronic device (301) that is substantially similar and / or identical to the data C (364). The electronic device (301) can receive data C (365) from the network (399). The data C (365) may be substantially similar and / or identical to the data C (364) already received, and thus, the data C (365) may correspond to retransmission data. The electronic device (301) can discard the data C (365) and transmit an ACK for the data C (365) to the network (399). The network (399) may not receive an ACK for data C (365) and may transmit data C (366) to the electronic device (301) that is substantially similar and / or identical to data C (364). The electronic device (301) may receive data C (366) from the network (399). Data C (366) may be substantially similar and / or identical to data C (364) that has already been received, such that data C (366) may correspond to retransmission data. The electronic device (301) may discard data C (366) and transmit an ACK for data C (366) to the network (399). When the network (399) receives an ACK for data C (366) from the electronic device (301), it may transmit data D (367) (e.g., voice packet D) to the electronic device (301).

[0101] The electronic device (301) can receive data D (367) from the network (399) and transmit an ACK for the data D (367) to the network (399). The network (399) may not receive an ACK for the data D (367) from the electronic device (301) and may transmit data D (368) that is substantially similar and / or identical to the data D (367) to the electronic device (301). The electronic device (301) can receive the data D (368) from the network (399). The data D (368) may be substantially similar and / or identical to the already received data D (367), so that the data D (368) may correspond to retransmission data, and the electronic device (301) may discard the data D (368). The electronic device (301) can transmit an ACK for data D (368) to the network (399). When the network (399) receives the ACK for data D (368), it can transmit data E (369) (e.g., voice packet E) to the electronic device (301).

[0102] The electronic device (301) can receive data E (369) from the network (399) and transmit an ACK for the data E (369) to the network (399). When the network (399) receives an ACK for the data E (369) from the electronic device (301), it can transmit data F (370) (e.g., voice packet F) to the electronic device (301). The electronic device (301) can receive data F (370) from the network (399).

[0103] According to one embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 3b, during a time interval (350), the electronic device (301) may receive a total of 10 data (e.g., data A (361), data A (362), data B (363), data C (364), data C (365), data C (366), data D (367), data D (368), data E (369), and data F (370)). The electronic device (301) may discard retransmitted (and / or redundantly received) data (e.g., data A (362), data C (365), data C (366), and data D (368)) among a total of 10 data (e.g., data A (361), data A (362), data B (363), data C (364), data C (365), data C (366), data D (367), data D (368), data E (369), and data F (370)). The discarded data (e.g., data A (362), data C (365), data C (366), and data D (368)) may correspond to downlink retransmission. Data that is not discarded (e.g., data A (361), data B (363), data C (364), data D (367), data E (369), and data F (370)) may not be subject to downlink retransmission.

[0104] According to one embodiment, in the time interval (350), each of data A (362), data C (365), data C (366), and data D (368) may correspond to retransmission data, so that the electronic device (301) may determine (or determine) the number of downlink retransmissions (e.g., the number of retransmission data received by the electronic device (301) in the time interval (350)) as 4. The electronic device (301) may determine (or calculate) the downlink retransmission ratio (e.g., the ratio between the number of data received in the time interval (350) and the number of downlink retransmissions) in the time interval (350) as 0.4 (e.g., 4 / 10=0.4). The electronic device (301) may receive data (e.g., at least one voice packet) in the next time interval of the time interval (350) and determine (or calculate) the downlink retransmission index in the next time interval.

[0105] FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are diagrams illustrating an example of a method for determining an uplink retransmission index according to one embodiment.

[0106] Referring to FIG. 4A, a method (400A) for determining an uplink retransmission index may include, at operation 410 (e.g., similar to operation 310), an electronic device (301) performing communication. For example, the electronic device (301) may perform a call according to VoLTE and / or a call according to VoNR. As another example, the electronic device (301) may transmit and / or receive a video packet (or video data) to and / or from a network. As another example, the electronic device (301) may transmit and / or receive data regarding play of an online game to and / or from the network.

[0107] In operation 420, the electronic device (301) performs a time interval while performing communication. i An uplink retransmission metric can be determined (or calculated) in the uplink retransmission metric. The uplink retransmission metric can represent, for example, an metric related to retransmission of uplink data.

[0108] In one embodiment, the time interval i Uplink retransmission metrics in are, for example, time intervals i It can indicate an indicator regarding the retransmission of uplink data of an electronic device (301) (hereinafter referred to as “uplink retransmission (UL ReTX)”). Time interval i The uplink retransmission indicator in is, for example, (i) time interval i The ratio (or number) of data whose uplink retransmission count is greater than or equal to the first count (hereinafter referred to as "time interval i (referred to as "first UL retx indicator" in the first UL retx indicator) and / or (ii) time interval i The rate (or number) of data for which the uplink retransmission count reaches the maximum count (hereinafter referred to as "time interval i The first count may include, for example, a first UL retx indicator (referred to as "indicator"). The first count may be determined, for example, by the electronic device (301). The first count may be preset, for example. The maximum count may correspond to, for example, maxHARQ-Tx described in the LTE communication standard (or 5G communication standard). The uplink retransmission count may correspond to, for example, an indicator indicating which number of times data (or uplink data) is retransmitted. The uplink retransmission indicator will be described later with reference to FIG. 4b. The first count may be referred to as a first retransmission threshold, and the maximum count may be referred to as a maximum retransmission threshold.

[0109] In operation 430, the electronic device (301) is time-interval i It can determine whether this is the last time interval of communication.

[0110] Electronic device (301) is a time interval i If it is not the last time interval of the communication (NO in action 430), then in action 440, the time interval iThe index (i) of can be updated to i+1, and in operation 420, the time interval i+1 The uplink retransmission index can be determined in the electronic device (301). The time interval i If this is not the last time interval of the communication (NO in action 430), then the next time interval (time interval i+1 ) can determine the uplink retransmission index.

[0111] Time interval i If this is the last time interval of communication (e.g. in operation 430), the method (400A) may be terminated.

[0112] As illustrated in FIG. 4B, in an example process (400B), an electronic device (301) may transmit data (or uplink data) (e.g., one or more packets) to a network (or base station) (399) in a time interval (450).

[0113] The electronic device (301) may transmit data α (451) (e.g., voice packet α) to the network (399). Since the data α (451) may not be retransmitted data, the electronic device (301) may set an uplink retransmission count (UL ReTX count) of the data α (451) to 0. The electronic device (301) may receive an ACK (e.g., HARQ ACK) for the data α (451) from the network (399). When the electronic device (301) receives an ACK for the data α (451) from the network (399), the electronic device (301) may transmit data β (452) (e.g., voice packet β) to the network (399). Since data β (452) may not be retransmitted data, the electronic device (301) may set the uplink retransmission count of data β (452) to 0.

[0114] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (301) may receive a negative ACK (NAK) (or not receive an ACK) from the network (399) after transmitting data β (452). When the electronic device (301) receives the NAK (or not receive an ACK), the electronic device (301) may transmit data β (453) substantially similar to and / or identical to the data β (452) to the network (399). The data β (453) may correspond to data that is retransmitted for the first time, and thus the electronic device (301) may set the uplink retransmission count of the data β (453) to 1. The electronic device (301) may receive a NAK (or not receive an ACK) from the network (399) after transmitting data β (453), and may transmit data β (454) substantially similar to and / or identical to data β (452) to the network (399). The data β (454) may correspond to data that is retransmitted for the second time, and thus the electronic device (301) may set an uplink retransmission count of the data β (454) to 2. The electronic device (301) may receive a NAK (or not receive an ACK) from the network (399) after transmitting data β (454), and may transmit data β (455) substantially similar to and / or identical to data β (452) to the network (399). Data β (455) may correspond to the third retransmitted data, and thus the electronic device (301) may set the uplink retransmission count of data β (455) to 3. After transmitting data β (455), the electronic device (301) may receive a NAK (or not receive an ACK) from the network (399) and transmit data β (456) substantially similar to and / or identical to data β (452) to the network (399). Data β (456) may correspond to the fourth retransmitted data, and thus the electronic device (301) may set the uplink retransmission count of data β (456) to 4.

[0115] The electronic device (301) may receive an ACK from the network (399) after transmitting data β (456) and may transmit data γ (457) to the network (399). Since the data γ (457) may not be retransmitted data, the electronic device (301) may set the uplink retransmission count of the data γ (457) to 0. The electronic device (301) may receive a NAK (or not receive an ACK) from the network (399) after transmitting data γ (457), and may transmit data γ (458) substantially similar to and / or identical to the data γ (457) to the network (399). Since the data γ (458) may correspond to retransmitted data, the electronic device (301) may set the uplink retransmission count of the data γ (458) to 1. The electronic device (301) may receive a NAK (or not receive an ACK) from the network (399) after transmitting data γ (458), and may transmit data γ (459) substantially similar and / or identical to data γ (457) to the network (399). The data γ (459) may correspond to data to be retransmitted for the second time, and thus the electronic device (301) may set the uplink retransmission count of the data γ (459) to 2.

[0116] The electronic device (301) may receive an ACK from the network (399) after transmitting data γ (459) and may transmit data δ (460) to the network (399). Since the data δ (460) may not be retransmitted data, the electronic device (301) may set the uplink retransmission count of the data δ (460) to 0.

[0117] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (301) can determine (or calculate) an uplink retransmission indicator (e.g., a first UL ReTX indicator and / or a second UL ReTX indicator) in a time interval (450).

[0118] In the example illustrated in FIG. 4B, the first count may be, for example, 3. The electronic device (301) may determine that among the data transmitted in the time section (450) (e.g., data α (451), data β (452), data β (453), data β (454), data β (455), data β (456), data γ (457), data γ (458), data γ (459), and data δ (460)), the uplink retransmission count of data β (455) is 3 and the uplink retransmission count of data β (456) is 4. The electronic device (301) can determine (or identify) the number of data having an uplink retransmission count greater than or equal to a first retransmission threshold (e.g., 3) among the data transmitted in the time section (450) (e.g., data α (451), data β (452), data β (453), data β (454), data β (455), data β (456), data γ (457), data γ (458), data γ (459), and data δ (460)). Since the electronic device (301) transmits 10 data (e.g., data α (451), data β (452), data β (453), data β (454), data β (455), data β (456), data γ (457), data γ (458), data γ (459), and data δ (460)) in the time interval (450), the first UL ReTX indicator (e.g., the ratio of data having an uplink retransmission count greater than or equal to the first count) in the time interval (450) can be determined (or calculated) as 0.2 (=2 / 10).

[0119] In the example illustrated in FIG. 4b, if the maximum count is, for example, 4, the electronic device (301) can determine that the uplink retransmission count of data β (456) has reached the maximum count (e.g., 4). Since the electronic device (301) transmitted 10 data (451 to 460) in the time interval (450), the second UL ReTX indicator (e.g., the ratio of data whose uplink retransmission count has reached the maximum count) in the time interval (450) (e.g., the ratio between the number of data transmitted in the time interval (450) and the number of data whose uplink retransmission count has reached the maximum count) can be determined (or calculated) as 0.1 (= 1 / 10).

[0120] The electronic device (301) can transmit data (e.g., at least one voice packet) to the network (399) in the next time interval of the time interval (450) and determine (or calculate) an uplink retransmission index in the next time interval.

[0121] Although the first count was exemplified as 3 and the maximum count as 4, these are merely exemplary, and the first count is not limited to 3 and the maximum count is not limited to 4. According to an embodiment, the electronic device (301) may configure the maximum count based on the maxHARQ-Tx received from the network (399) (or base station).

[0122] FIGS. 5 and 6 are drawings illustrating examples of a method of operating an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0123] The uplink data described below may correspond to, for example, an uplink data packet.

[0124] Referring to FIG. 5, according to the operating method (500) of the electronic device (301), in operation 510, the electronic device (301) can identify uplink data having an uplink retransmission count greater than or equal to a first count among uplink data transmitted during a time interval (e.g., time interval (450) of FIG. 4b).

[0125] As illustrated in FIG. 6, in the example process (600), the electronic device (301) can determine and / or check the uplink retransmission count of each of the uplink data (611-1 to 611-n) transmitted to the network (399) during the third time interval (650). The electronic device (301) can determine uplink data among the uplink data (611-1 to 611-n) whose uplink retransmission count is greater than or equal to the first count (e.g., 4). The electronic device (301) can determine uplink data among the uplink data (621-1 to 621-n) transmitted to the network (399) during the second time interval (660) whose uplink retransmission count is greater than or equal to the first count (e.g., 4). The electronic device (301) can identify uplink data (631-1 to 631-n) transmitted to the network (399) during the first time interval (670) that has an uplink retransmission count greater than or equal to a first count (e.g., 4).

[0126] In operation 520, the electronic device (301) can determine an uplink retransmission index (e.g., a first UL ReTX index and / or a second UL ReTX index) in a time interval through the recognized uplink data (e.g., uplink data having an uplink retransmission count greater than or equal to a first count in a time interval).

[0127] For example, in the example illustrated in FIG. 6, the electronic device (301) can determine a first UL retx indicator in the third time interval (650) (e.g., a ratio between the number of uplink data (611-1 to 611-n) and the number of uplink data whose uplink retransmission count is greater than or equal to the first count among the uplink data (611-1 to 611-n)) and / or a second UL ReTX indicator in the third time interval (650) (e.g., a ratio between the number of uplink data (611-1 to 611-n) and the number of uplink data whose uplink retransmission count reaches the maximum count among the uplink data (611-1 to 611-n)).

[0128] The electronic device (301) can determine a first UL ReTX indicator in the second time interval (660) (e.g., a ratio between the number of uplink data (621-1 to 621-n) and the number of uplink data whose uplink retransmission count is greater than or equal to the first count among the uplink data (621-1 to 621-n)) and / or a second UL retx indicator in the second time interval (660) (e.g., a ratio between the number of uplink data (621-1 to 621-n) and the number of uplink data whose uplink retransmission count reaches a maximum count among the uplink data (621-1 to 621-n).

[0129] The electronic device (301) can determine a first UL retx indicator (e.g., a ratio between the number of uplink data (631-1 to 631-n) and the number of uplink data whose uplink retransmission count is greater than or equal to the first count) in the first time interval (670) and / or a second UL retx indicator (e.g., a ratio between the number of uplink data (631-1 to 631-n) and the number of uplink data whose uplink retransmission count reaches a maximum count) in the first time interval (670).

[0130] In operation 530, the electronic device (301) may determine whether adjustment of a bit rate (e.g., a bit rate of a codec) is required based on an uplink retransmission indicator (e.g., a first UL ReTX indicator and / or a second UL ReTX indicator) in a time interval.

[0131] For example, the electronic device (301) can determine whether an uplink retransmission indicator (e.g., a first UL ReTX indicator) in each of consecutive time intervals (e.g., first to third time intervals (650, 660, 670)) is greater than or equal to a first threshold value (e.g., 0.2 or 20%). The first threshold value may represent, but is not limited to, a threshold value that the electronic device (301) uses to determine whether to reduce a bit rate of a codec based on the first UL ReTX indicator.

[0132] As another example, the electronic device (301) may determine whether an uplink retransmission indicator (e.g., a second UL ReTX indicator) in one time interval (e.g., a first time interval (670)) is greater than or equal to a third threshold value (e.g., 0.1 or 10%). The third threshold value may represent, but is not limited to, a threshold value used by the electronic device (301) to determine whether to reduce a bit rate of a codec based on the second UL ReTX indicator.

[0133] If the electronic device (301) determines that bit rate adjustment is required (yes in operation 530), the electronic device (301) may adjust the bit rate in operation 540. Alternatively, if the electronic device (301) determines that bit rate adjustment is not required (no in operation 530), the electronic device (301) may maintain the bit rate in operation 550.

[0134] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (301) may determine that the first UL ReTX indicator in the first time interval (670) is greater than or equal to a first threshold value (e.g., 0.2 or 20%). At this time, the first UL ReTX indicator in the second time interval (660) and the first UL ReTX indicator in the third time interval (650) may each be greater than or equal to the first threshold value (e.g., 0.2 or 20%). The electronic device (301) may determine that the first UL ReTX indicator in each of the consecutive time intervals (650, 660, 670) is greater than or equal to the first threshold value. In this case, in operation 540, the electronic device (301) may adjust the bit rate to be relatively low and / or lower the bit rate.

[0135] For example, a codec may be set to bit rate #1 (e.g., bit rate #1 in FIG. 9). The electronic device (301) may cooperate with the network (399) and / or the communication counterpart of the electronic device (301) (e.g., the electronic device (104) in FIG. 1) to determine the bit rate of the codec to be bit rate #2 (e.g., bit rate #2 in FIG. 9) when the first UL ReTX indicator in each of consecutive time intervals (650, 660, 670) (e.g., time intervals (ta, tb, tc) (910, 920, 930) in FIG. 9) is greater than or equal to the first threshold value. The bit rate #2 may be lower than the bit rate #1. The electronic device (301) can change the bit rate of the codec from bit rate #1 to bit rate #2 when the bit rate of the codec is determined as bit rate #2.

[0136] The number of consecutive time intervals may be three, as in the example illustrated in FIG. 6, but this is merely exemplary, and the number of consecutive time intervals may be two or more. For example, the electronic device (301) may adjust the bit rate to be relatively low and / or lower the bit rate when the first UL retx indicator in each of the third and second time intervals (650, 660) is equal to or greater than the first threshold value.

[0137] In each of the time intervals (e.g., the time intervals between the end of the time interval (tc) (930) of FIG. 9 and the start of the time interval (td) (940) of FIG. 9) following the first time interval (670) (e.g., the time intervals between the end of the time interval (tc) (930) of FIG. 9 and the start of the time interval (td) (940) of FIG. 9), the electronic device (301) may determine whether the first UL ReTX indicator is less than a second threshold value (e.g., 0.2 or 20%). The second threshold value may represent, but is not limited to, a threshold value that the electronic device (301) uses to determine whether to increase the bit rate of the codec based on the first UL ReTX indicator. In each of the time intervals following the first time interval (670), if the first UL ReTX indicator is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, the electronic device (301) may maintain the bit rate of the codec at bit rate #2 in operation 550.

[0138] The first UL ReTX indicator in each of the time intervals (e.g., time intervals (td, te, tf) (940, 950, 960) of FIG. 9) may be less than the second threshold while the bit rate of the codec is maintained at bit rate #2. In this case, the electronic device (301) may change the bit rate of the codec from bit rate #2 to bit rate #1. The electronic device (301) may restore the bit rate of the codec to a normal bit rate (e.g., bit rate #1) when the first UL ReTX indicator in each of the time intervals (e.g., time intervals (td, te, tf) (940, 950, 960) of FIG. 9) is less than the second threshold.

[0139] According to one embodiment, the second UL ReTX indicator in the second time interval (660) and the second UL ReTX indicator in the third time interval (650) may be less than a third threshold value (e.g., 0.1 or 10%). The electronic device (301) may determine that the second UL ReTX indicator in the first time interval (670) is greater than or equal to the third threshold value. The electronic device (301) may determine that the percentage (or number) of data for which the uplink retransmission count in the first time interval (670) reaches the maximum count is greater than or equal to a certain level (e.g., a level corresponding to the third threshold value). In this case, in operation 540, the electronic device (301) may adjust the bit rate to be relatively low and / or lower the bit rate.

[0140] For example, a codec may be set to bit rate #1 (e.g., bit rate #1 in FIG. 9). If a second UL ReTX indicator in a first time interval (670) (e.g., time interval (tc) (930) in FIG. 9) is greater than or equal to a third threshold value, the electronic device (301) may cooperate with the network (399) and / or the communication counterpart of the electronic device (301) (e.g., the electronic device (104) in FIG. 1) to determine the bit rate of the codec to bit rate #2 (e.g., bit rate #2 in FIG. 9). If the bit rate of the codec is determined to be bit rate #2, the electronic device (301) may change the bit rate of the codec from bit rate #1 to bit rate #2.

[0141] In each of the subsequent time intervals (e.g., the time intervals between the end of the time interval (tc) (930) of FIG. 9 and the start of the time interval (tf) (960) of FIG. 9) of the first time interval (670), the electronic device (301) may determine whether the second UL ReTX indicator is less than or equal to a fourth threshold value (e.g., 0.02 or 2%). The fourth threshold value may represent, but is not limited to, a threshold value that the electronic device (301) uses to determine whether to increase the bit rate of the codec based on the second UL ReTX indicator. The electronic device (301) may maintain the bit rate of the codec at bit rate #2 when the second UL ReTX indicator in each of the subsequent time intervals of the first time interval (670) exceeds the fourth threshold value.

[0142] The second UL ReTX indicator may be less than or equal to the fourth threshold value during a time interval (e.g., time interval (tf) (960) of FIG. 9) while the bit rate of the codec is maintained at bit rate #2. In this case, the electronic device (301) may change the bit rate of the codec from bit rate #2 to bit rate #1.

[0143] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (301) can stepwise lower the bit rate of the codec from bit rate #1 (e.g., change from bit rate #1 to bit rate #2 and change from bit rate #2 to bit rate #3 which is lower than bit rate #2), and can stepwise increase the lowered bit rate (e.g., change from bit rate #3 to bit rate #2 and change from bit rate #2 to bit rate #1) to restore the bit rate of the codec to bit rate #1.

[0144] An electronic device (301) according to one embodiment may perform operations 510 to 550 at specified time intervals (e.g., a first time interval (670), a second time interval (660), and / or a third time interval (650)).

[0145] FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are drawings illustrating an example of an operating method of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0146] The downlink data described below may correspond to, for example, a downlink data packet.

[0147] Referring to FIG. 7, according to the operating method (700), in operation 710, the electronic device (301) can identify retransmitted downlink data (or discarded downlink data) among the downlink data received during the time interval.

[0148] As illustrated in FIG. 8, in the example process (800), the electronic device (301) can identify downlink data (811-1 to 811-n) received from the network (399) during a third time interval (850) (e.g., the third time interval (650) of FIG. 6) that has been retransmitted from the network (or discarded data among the downlink data (811-1 to 811-n)). The electronic device (301) can identify downlink data (821-1 to 821-n) received from the network (399) during a second time interval (860) (e.g., the second time interval (660) of FIG. 6) that has been retransmitted from the network (or discarded data among the downlink data (821-1 to 821-n)). The electronic device (301) can identify downlink data (831-1 to 831-n) received from the network (399) during the first time interval (870) (e.g., the first time interval (670) of FIG. 6) that has been retransmitted from the network (or discarded data).

[0149] In operation 720, the electronic device (301) can determine a downlink retransmission index (e.g., number of downlink retransmissions and / or downlink retransmission ratio) in a time interval through the identified downlink data (or discarded downlink data).

[0150] For example, in the example illustrated in FIG. 8, the electronic device (301) can determine the number of downlink retransmissions (or first DL ReTX indicator) in the third time interval (850) (e.g., the number of retransmitted downlink data among downlink data (811-1 to 811-n)) and / or the downlink retransmission ratio (or second DL ReTX indicator) (e.g., the ratio between the number of downlink data (811-1 to 811-n) and the number of downlink retransmissions in the third time interval (850).

[0151] The electronic device (301) can determine the number of downlink retransmissions in the second time interval (860) (e.g., the number of retransmitted downlink data among downlink data (821-1 to 821-n)) and / or the downlink retransmission ratio (e.g., the ratio between the number of downlink data (821-1 to 821-n) and the number of downlink retransmissions in the second time interval (860).

[0152] The electronic device (301) can determine the number of downlink retransmissions in the first time interval (870) (e.g., the number of retransmitted downlink data among downlink data (831-1 to 831-n)) and / or the downlink retransmission ratio (e.g., the ratio between the number of downlink data (831-1 to 831-n) and the number of downlink retransmissions in the first time interval (870).

[0153] In operation 730, the electronic device (301) may determine whether adjustment of a bit rate (e.g., a bit rate of a codec) is required based on a downlink retransmission indicator (e.g., a number of downlink retransmissions and / or a downlink retransmission ratio) in a time interval.

[0154] For example, the electronic device (301) can determine whether the number of retransmitted downlink data in one time interval (e.g., the first time interval (870) of FIG. 8) is greater than or equal to the number of downlink data that does not correspond to downlink retransmission.

[0155] As another example, the electronic device (301) may determine whether a downlink retransmission index (e.g., a downlink retransmission ratio) in each of consecutive time intervals (e.g., the first to third time intervals (850, 860, 870) of FIG. 8) is greater than or equal to a fifth threshold value (e.g., 0.4 or 40%). The fifth threshold value may represent, but is not limited to, a threshold value that the electronic device (301) uses to determine whether to reduce a bit rate of a codec based on the downlink retransmission ratio.

[0156] If the electronic device (301) determines that bit rate adjustment is required (yes in operation 730), it can adjust the bit rate in operation 740. If the electronic device (301) determines that bit rate adjustment is not required (no in operation 730), it can maintain the bit rate in operation 750.

[0157] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (301) may determine that the downlink retransmission ratio in the first time interval (870) is greater than or equal to a fifth threshold value (e.g., 0.4 or 40%). At this time, the downlink retransmission ratio in the second time interval (860) and the downlink retransmission ratio in the third time interval (850) may each be greater than or equal to the fifth threshold value (e.g., 0.4 or 40%). In this case, the electronic device (301) may adjust the bit rate to be relatively low and / or lower the bit rate.

[0158] For example, a codec may be set to bit rate #1 (e.g., bit rate #1 in FIG. 10). The electronic device (301) may cooperate with the network (399) and / or the communication counterpart of the electronic device (301) (e.g., the electronic device (104) in FIG. 1) to determine the bit rate of the codec to bit rate #2 (e.g., bit rate #2 in FIG. 10) when the downlink retransmission ratio in each of consecutive time intervals (850, 860, 870) (e.g., time intervals (ta, tb, tc) (1010, 1020, 1030) in FIG. 10) is greater than or equal to a fifth threshold value. When the bit rate of the codec is determined to be bit rate #2, the electronic device (301) may change the bit rate of the codec from bit rate #1 to bit rate #2.

[0159] The number of consecutive time intervals may be three, as in the example illustrated in Fig. 8, but this is merely exemplary, and the number of consecutive time intervals may be two or more. For example, the electronic device (301) may adjust the bit rate to be relatively low and / or lower the bit rate when the downlink retransmission ratio in each of the third and second time intervals (850, 860) is equal to or greater than the fifth threshold value.

[0160] In each of the time intervals (e.g., time intervals between the end of the time interval (tc) (1030) of FIG. 10 and the start of the time interval (td) (1040) of FIG. 10) after the first time interval (870) (e.g., time intervals (tc) (1030) of FIG. 10) the electronic device (301) may determine whether the downlink retransmission ratio is less than a sixth threshold value (e.g., 0.4 or 40%). The sixth threshold value may represent, but is not limited to, a threshold value that the electronic device (301) uses to determine whether to increase the bit rate of the codec based on the downlink retransmission ratio in a situation where the network status does not change abruptly (e.g., No in operation 1210 of FIG. 12). The electronic device (301) may maintain the bit rate of the codec at bit rate #2 in operation 750 if the downlink retransmission rate is greater than or equal to the sixth threshold value in each subsequent time interval of the first time interval (870).

[0161] The downlink retransmission ratio in each of the time intervals (e.g., time intervals (td, te, tf) (1040, 1050, 1060) of FIG. 10) may be less than the sixth threshold while the bit rate of the codec remains at bit rate #2. In this case, the electronic device (301) may change the bit rate of the codec from bit rate #2 to bit rate #1.

[0162] According to one embodiment, in operation 730, the electronic device (301) may determine that the number of retransmitted downlink data in the first time interval (870) (e.g., the time interval (tc) (1030) of FIG. 10) is greater than the number of downlink data (831-1 to 831-n) of the first time interval (870) that do not correspond to downlink retransmission (or the remaining downlink data excluding the retransmitted downlink data among the downlink data (831-1 to 831-n)). In this case, the electronic device (301) may adjust the bit rate of the codec from bit rate #1 (e.g., bit rate #1 of FIG. 10) to bit rate #2 (e.g., bit rate #2 of FIG. 10).

[0163] In each subsequent time interval of the first time interval (870) (e.g., the time intervals between the end of the time interval (tc) (1030) of FIG. 10 and the start of the time interval (tf) (1060) of FIG. 10), the electronic device (301) may determine whether the downlink retransmission rate is less than a seventh threshold value (e.g., 0.05 or 5%). The seventh threshold value may represent, but is not limited to, a threshold value that the electronic device (301) uses to determine whether to increase the bit rate of the codec based on the downlink retransmission rate in a situation where the network status has changed abruptly (e.g., the example in operation 1210 of FIG. 12). The electronic device (301) may maintain the bit rate of the codec at bit rate #2 if the downlink retransmission rate exceeds the seventh threshold value in each subsequent time interval of the first time interval (870).

[0164] The downlink retransmission rate may be less than or equal to the seventh threshold value during a time interval (e.g., time interval (tf) (1060) of FIG. 10) while the bit rate of the codec remains at bit rate #2. In this case, the electronic device (301) may change the bit rate of the codec from bit rate #2 to bit rate #1.

[0165] An electronic device (301) according to one embodiment may perform operations 710 to 750 at specified time intervals (e.g., a first time interval (870), a second time interval (860), and / or a third time interval (850)).

[0166] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation of an electronic device adjusting a bit rate based on an uplink retransmission index according to one embodiment.

[0167] As illustrated in FIG. 9, in the example processor (900), the electronic device (301) can perform encoding (or compression) on a voice signal at bit rate #1 through a codec, and transmit uplink data (e.g., voice data or voice packets) generated based on the encoding to a network. The codec can be, for example, but is not limited to, AMR WB (adaptive multi-rate wideband).

[0168] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (301) can adjust a bit rate of the codec based on a first UL ReTX indicator (e.g., a percentage of uplink data having an uplink retransmission count greater than or equal to a first count) in each of the time intervals (ta, tb, tc) (910, 920, 930). For example, the electronic device (301) can determine a first UL ReTX indicator in each of the time intervals (ta, tb, tc) (910, 920, 930). The electronic device (301) can perform bit rate reduction (or adjust a bit rate of the codec to be relatively low and / or lower the bit rate) when the first UL retx indicator in each of the time intervals (ta, tb, tc) (910, 920, 930) is greater than or equal to a first threshold. The electronic device (301) can adjust (or change) the bit rate of the codec from bit rate #1 to bit rate #2 when the first UL ReTX indicator in each of the time intervals (ta, tb, tc) (910, 920, 930) is greater than or equal to a first threshold value. Bit rate #2 may be lower than bit rate #1. The electronic device (301) can maintain the bit rate of the codec at bit rate #1 when the first UL ReTX indicator in each of the time intervals (ta, tb) (910, 920) is greater than or equal to the first threshold value and the first UL ReTX indicator in the time interval (tc) (930) is less than the first threshold value.

[0169] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (301) can adjust the bit rate of the codec based on a second UL ReTX indicator (e.g., a percentage of uplink data for which an uplink retransmission count reaches a maximum count) in a time interval (tc) (930). For example, the second UL ReTX indicator in each of the time intervals (ta, tb) (910, 920) can be less than a third threshold value (e.g., 0.1 or 10%) and the second UL ReTX indicator in the time interval (tc) (930) can be greater than or equal to the third threshold value (e.g., 0.1 or 10%). The electronic device (301) can perform bit rate reduction (or adjust the bit rate of the codec to be relatively low and / or lower the bit rate) when the second UL retx indicator in the time interval (tc) (930) is greater than or equal to the third threshold value. The electronic device (301) can adjust (or change) the bit rate of the codec from bit rate #1 to bit rate #2 when the second UL ReTX indicator in the time interval (tc) (930) is greater than or equal to the third threshold value.

[0170] According to one embodiment, when the bit rate of the codec is adjusted from bit rate #1 to bit rate #2, the electronic device (301) can perform encoding (or compression) on a voice signal at bit rate #2 through the codec, and transmit uplink data generated based on the encoding to a network.

[0171] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (301) can adjust a bit rate of the codec based on a first UL ReTX indicator (e.g., a percentage of uplink data having an uplink retransmission count greater than or equal to the first count) in each of the time intervals (td, te, tf) (940, 950, 960). For example, the electronic device (301) can determine the first UL ReTX indicator in each of the time intervals (td, te, tf) (940, 950, 960). The electronic device (301) can perform a bit rate increase (or adjust the bit rate of the codec relatively high and / or increase the bit rate) when the first UL ReTX indicator in each of the time intervals (td, te, tf) (940, 950, 960) is less than a second threshold value (e.g., 0.2 or 20%). The electronic device (301) can adjust (or change) the bit rate of the codec from bit rate #2 to bit rate #1 when the first UL ReTX indicator in each of the time intervals (td, te, tf) (940, 950, 960) is less than the second threshold value. The electronic device (301) can maintain the bit rate of the codec at bit rate #2 when the first UL ReTX indicator in each of the time intervals (td, te) (940, 950) is less than the second threshold value and the first UL ReTX indicator in the time interval (tf) (960) is greater than the second threshold value.

[0172] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (301) can adjust the bit rate of the codec based on a second UL ReTX indicator (e.g., a percentage of uplink data for which an uplink retransmission count reaches a maximum count) in a time interval (tf) (960). For example, the second UL ReTX indicator in each of the time intervals (td, te) (940, 950) can exceed a fourth threshold value (e.g., 0.02 or 2%), and the second UL ReTX indicator in the time interval (tf) (960) can be less than or equal to the fourth threshold value (e.g., 0.02 or 2%). The electronic device (301) can perform a bit rate increase (or adjust the bit rate of the codec relatively higher and / or increase the bit rate) when the second UL ReTX indicator in the time interval (tf) (960) is less than or equal to the fourth threshold value. The electronic device (301) can adjust (or change) the bit rate of the codec from bit rate #2 to bit rate #1 when the second UL ReTX indicator in the time interval (tf) (960) is less than or equal to the fourth threshold. The electronic device (301) can maintain the bit rate of the codec at bit rate #2 when the second UL ReTX indicator in the time interval (tf) (960) is greater than the fourth threshold.

[0173] According to one embodiment, when the bit rate of the codec is adjusted from bit rate #2 to bit rate #1, the electronic device (301) can perform encoding (or compression) on a voice signal at bit rate #1 and transmit uplink data generated based on the encoding to a network.

[0174] In one embodiment, the first threshold value and the second threshold value may be the same. Without limitation, the first threshold value and the second threshold value may be different.

[0175] In one embodiment, the third threshold value and the fourth threshold value may be the same. Without limitation, the third threshold value and the fourth threshold value may be different.

[0176] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (301) may perform bit rate reduction immediately when the bit rate reduction condition of FIG. 9 is satisfied (e.g., the condition that the first UL ReTX indicator in each of the time sections (ta, tb, tc) (910, 920, 930) is greater than or equal to the first threshold value or the condition that the second UL ReTX indicator in the time section (tc) (930) is greater than or equal to the third threshold value). Without being limited thereto, the electronic device (301) may perform bit rate reduction after a predetermined time delay when the bit rate reduction condition of FIG. 9 is satisfied.

[0177] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (301) may perform the bit rate increase immediately when the bit rate increase condition of FIG. 9 is satisfied (e.g., the condition that the first UL ReTX indicator in each of the time sections (td, te, tf) (940, 950, 960) is less than the second threshold value or the condition that the second UL ReTX indicator in the time section (tf) (960) is less than the fourth threshold value). Without being limited thereto, the electronic device (301) may perform the bit rate increase after a predetermined time delay when the bit rate increase condition of FIG. 9 is satisfied.

[0178] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (301) can perform a bit rate reduction immediately if the bit rate reduction condition of FIG. 9 is satisfied, and can perform a bit rate increase after a certain time delay or perform a bit rate increase immediately if the bit rate increase condition of FIG. 9 is satisfied. Alternatively, the electronic device (301) can perform a bit rate reduction after a certain time delay if the bit rate reduction condition of FIG. 9 is satisfied, and can perform a bit rate increase after a certain time delay or perform a bit rate increase immediately if the bit rate increase condition of FIG. 9 is satisfied.

[0179] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation of an electronic device adjusting a bit rate based on a downlink retransmission index according to one embodiment.

[0180] As illustrated in FIG. 10, in the example process (1000), the electronic device (301) can perform decoding on downlink data (e.g., voice data or voice packets) at bit rate #1 through a codec, and provide a signal (e.g., a voice signal) generated by the decoding to a user.

[0181] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (301) can adjust the bit rate of the codec based on the downlink retransmission (DL ReTX) ratio in each of the time intervals (ta, tb, tc) (1010, 1020, 1030). For example, the electronic device (301) can determine the downlink retransmission ratio in each of the time intervals (ta, tb, tc) (1010, 1020, 1030). The electronic device (301) can determine whether the downlink retransmission ratio in each of the time intervals (ta, tb, tc) (1010, 1020, 1030) is greater than or equal to a fifth threshold value (e.g., 0.4 or 40%). The electronic device (301) can perform bit rate reduction (or adjust the bit rate of the codec to be relatively low and / or lower the bit rate) if the downlink retransmission ratio in each of the time intervals (ta, tb, tc) (1010, 1020, 1030) is greater than or equal to a fifth threshold value (e.g., 0.4 or 40%).

[0182] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (301) may adjust the bit rate of the codec based on the number of retransmitted downlink data in the time interval (tc) (1030) and the number of downlink data that does not correspond to downlink retransmission. For example, the electronic device (301) may determine whether the number of retransmitted downlink data in the time interval (tc) (1030) is greater than or equal to the number of downlink data that does not correspond to downlink retransmission. If the number of retransmitted downlink data in the time interval (tc) (1030) is greater than or equal to the number of downlink data that does not correspond to downlink retransmission, the electronic device (301) may perform bit rate reduction (or adjust the bit rate of the codec to be relatively lower and / or lower the bit rate). The electronic device (301) may adjust (or change) the bit rate of the codec from bit rate #1 to bit rate #2.

[0183] According to one embodiment, when the bit rate of the codec is adjusted from bit rate #1 to bit rate #2, the electronic device (301) can perform decoding on downlink data at bit rate #2 through the codec and provide a signal (e.g., a voice signal) generated based on the decoding to the user.

[0184] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (301) can adjust the bit rate of the codec based on the downlink retransmission ratio in each of the time intervals (td, te, tf) (1040, 1050, 1060). For example, the electronic device (301) can determine the downlink retransmission ratio in each of the time intervals (td, te, tf) (1040, 1050, 1060). The electronic device (301) can determine whether the downlink retransmission ratio in each of the time intervals (td, te, tf) (1040, 1050, 1060) is less than a sixth threshold value (e.g., 0.4 or 40%). The electronic device (301) may perform a bit rate increase (or adjust the bit rate of the codec relatively high and / or increase the bit rate) if the downlink retransmission ratio in each of the time intervals (td, te, tf) (1040, 1050, 1060) is less than a sixth threshold value (e.g., 0.4 or 40%). The electronic device (301) may adjust the bit rate of the codec from bit rate #2 to bit rate #1.

[0185] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (301) can adjust the bit rate of the codec based on the downlink retransmission ratio in the time interval (tf) (1060). For example, the electronic device (301) can determine whether the downlink retransmission ratio in the time interval (tf) (1060) is less than or equal to a seventh threshold value (e.g., 0.05 or 5%). If the downlink retransmission ratio in the time interval (tf) (1060) is less than or equal to the seventh threshold value, the electronic device (301) can perform a bit rate increase (or adjust the bit rate of the codec to be relatively high and / or increase the bit rate). The electronic device (301) can adjust the bit rate of the codec from bit rate #2 to bit rate #1.

[0186] According to one embodiment, when the bit rate of the codec is adjusted from bit rate #2 to bit rate #1, the electronic device (301) can perform decoding on downlink data at bit rate #1 and provide a signal generated based on the decoding to the user.

[0187] In one embodiment, the fifth threshold value and the sixth threshold value may be the same. Without limitation, the fifth threshold value and the sixth threshold value may be different.

[0188] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (301) may perform bit rate reduction immediately when the bit rate reduction condition of FIG. 10 is satisfied (e.g., the condition that the downlink retransmission ratio is greater than or equal to the fifth threshold value during the time intervals (ta, tb, tc) (1010, 1020, 1030) or the condition that the number of retransmitted downlink data in the time interval (tc) (1030) is greater than or equal to the number of downlink data that does not correspond to downlink retransmission). Without being limited thereto, the electronic device (301) may perform bit rate reduction after a predetermined time delay when the bit rate reduction condition of FIG. 10 is satisfied.

[0189] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (301) may perform the bit rate increase immediately when the bit rate increase condition of FIG. 10 is satisfied (e.g., the condition that the downlink retransmission rate during the time intervals (td, te, tf) (1040, 1050, 1060) is less than the sixth threshold value or the condition that the downlink retransmission rate in the time interval (tf) (1060) is less than the seventh threshold value). Without being limited thereto, the electronic device (301) may perform the bit rate increase after a predetermined time delay when the bit rate increase condition of FIG. 10 is satisfied.

[0190] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (301) can perform a bit rate reduction immediately if the bit rate reduction condition of FIG. 10 is satisfied, and can perform a bit rate increase after a certain time delay or perform a bit rate increase immediately if the bit rate increase condition of FIG. 10 is satisfied. Alternatively, the electronic device (301) can perform a bit rate reduction after a certain time delay if the bit rate reduction condition of FIG. 10 is satisfied, and can perform a bit rate increase after a certain time delay or perform a bit rate increase immediately if the bit rate increase condition of FIG. 10 is satisfied.

[0191] FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0192] Referring to FIG. 11, the electronic device (1101) may be similar to or include the electronic devices (101, 201, 301) previously described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10 in many respects, and may include additional features not previously mentioned. Accordingly, a repetitive description of the electronic device (1101) previously described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10 may be omitted for the sake of brevity.

[0193] As illustrated in FIG. 11, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (1101) may include a memory (1110) (e.g., memory (130) of FIG. 1) and a processor (1120) (e.g., processor (120) of FIG. 1, processor (210) of FIG. 2).

[0194] The processor (1120) may include processing circuitry.

[0195] The processor (1120) may be operatively connected to the memory (1110).

[0196] The memory (1110) can store one or more instructions executable by the processor (1120). The one or more instructions, when executed by the processor (1120), can cause the electronic device (1101) to perform operations of the electronic device (1101).

[0197] According to one embodiment, the processor (1120) or memory (1110) may include a voice engine. The processor (1120) may execute the voice engine. The processor (1120) may process received downlink data through the voice engine to generate a voice signal and provide the voice signal to the user. The processor (1120) may process a voice signal received from the user through the voice engine to generate uplink data and transmit the generated uplink data to the network.

[0198] According to one embodiment, the processor (1120) can identify first uplink data among uplink data transmitted during a time interval, the uplink retransmission count of which is greater than or equal to a first count.

[0199] According to one embodiment, the processor (1120) may determine an indicator (e.g., a first UL ReTX indicator) regarding uplink retransmission in a time interval based on the identified first uplink data. For example, the processor (1120) may calculate a first ratio (e.g., a first UL ReTX indicator) between the number of uplink data transmitted during a time interval (e.g., the first time interval (670) of FIG. 6) and the number of first uplink data.

[0200] According to one embodiment, the processor (1120) can calculate a second ratio (e.g., a second UL ReTX indicator) between the number of uplink data for which the uplink retransmission count reaches a maximum count in a time interval (e.g., a first time interval (670) of FIG. 6) and the number of uplink data transmitted during the time interval (e.g., the first time interval (670) of FIG. 6).

[0201] According to one embodiment, the processor (1120) may determine whether adjustment of a bit rate (e.g., a bit rate used for encoding and / or decoding) is necessary based on an indicator of uplink retransmissions in a time interval.

[0202] For example, the processor (1120) may determine whether a ratio between the number of second uplink data having an uplink retransmission count greater than or equal to a first count among uplink data transmitted during one or more previous time intervals (e.g., the second time interval (660) and / or the third time interval (650) of FIG. 6) of a time interval (e.g., the first time interval (670) of FIG. 6)) and the number of uplink data transmitted during the previous time interval and a first ratio calculated in the time interval (e.g., the first time interval (670) of FIG. 6) are greater than or equal to a first threshold value or less than a second threshold value, respectively.

[0203] For another example, the processor (1120) may determine whether the calculated second ratio is greater than or equal to a third threshold value or whether the calculated second ratio is less than or equal to a fourth threshold value.

[0204] In one embodiment, if the electronic device (1101) determines that bit rate adjustment is necessary, the processor (1120) may adjust the bit rate.

[0205] For example, the processor (1120) may adjust the bit rate to be lower if the ratio between the number of second uplink data having an uplink retransmission count greater than or equal to a first count among the uplink data transmitted during the previous time interval and the number of uplink data transmitted during the previous time interval and the first ratio calculated during the time interval are each greater than or equal to a first threshold value. Alternatively, the processor (1120) may adjust the bit rate to be higher if the ratio and the first ratio calculated during the time interval are each less than a second threshold value.

[0206] For another example, the processor (1120) may adjust the bit rate lower if the second ratio calculated during the time interval is greater than or equal to a third threshold value, or may adjust the bit rate higher if the second ratio calculated during the time interval is less than or equal to a fourth threshold value.

[0207] According to one embodiment, the processor (1120) can identify the first downlink data that has been retransmitted among the downlink data received during the time interval.

[0208] According to one embodiment, the processor (1120) may determine an indicator of downlink retransmissions in a time interval (e.g., number of downlink retransmissions and / or downlink retransmission ratio) through the identified first downlink data.

[0209] For example, the processor (1120) may calculate a third ratio (e.g., a downlink retransmission ratio) between the number of downlink data received in a time interval (e.g., the first time interval (870) of FIG. 8) and the number of first downlink data identified.

[0210] According to one embodiment, the processor (1120) may determine whether a bit rate adjustment is necessary based on an indicator regarding downlink retransmission. If the electronic device (1101) determines that a bit rate adjustment is necessary, the processor (1120) may adjust the bit rate.

[0211] For example, the processor (1120) can calculate a ratio between the number of second downlink data retransmitted among downlink data received during one or more previous time intervals (e.g., the second time interval (860) and / or the third time interval (850) of FIG. 8) of a time interval (e.g., the first time interval (870) of FIG. 8) and the number of downlink data received during the previous time interval, and can determine whether each of the calculated ratio during the previous time interval and the calculated third ratio during the time interval is greater than or equal to a fifth threshold value or less than a sixth threshold value. The processor (1120) can adjust the bit rate lower when each of the calculated ratio (e.g., the ratio between the number of second downlink data retransmitted among downlink data received during the previous time interval and the number of downlink data received during the previous time interval) and the calculated third ratio is greater than or equal to the fifth threshold value. Alternatively, the processor (1120) may adjust the bit rate higher if each of the calculated ratio and the calculated third ratio is less than the sixth threshold value.

[0212] For another example, the processor (1120) may determine whether the third ratio calculated during the time interval is less than or equal to a seventh threshold value. The processor (1120) may adjust the bit rate higher if the calculated third ratio is less than or equal to the seventh threshold value.

[0213] For another example, the processor (1120) may determine whether the number of remaining downlink data received in a time interval, excluding the number of first downlink data, is less than the number of first downlink data. If the number of remaining data is less than the number of first downlink data, the processor (1120) may adjust the bit rate to a lower value.

[0214] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (1101) can check the packet transmission status or packet reception status, and perform rate adaptation in a situation where there is a problem with voice quality by considering the packet transmission status or packet reception status.

[0215] According to one embodiment, the electric field state between the electronic device (1101) and the network may be a first electric field state (e.g., a weak electric field state in which the strength of a signal received from the network is lower than a first level). When the electric field state is the first electric field state, the electronic device (1101) may perform rate adaptation (e.g., increase in bit rate or decrease in bit rate) using an uplink retransmission index and / or a downlink retransmission index.

[0216] According to one embodiment, the electric field state between the electronic device (1101) and the network may be a second electric field state (e.g., a strong electric field state in which the strength of a signal received from the network is equal to or greater than a second level). In a situation in which the electric field state is the second electric field state, the electronic device (1101) may perform rate adaptation when an uplink retransmission index is below a certain level (e.g., when a first UL ReTX index in each of consecutive time intervals is equal to or greater than a first threshold value, or when a second UL ReTX index in a specific time interval is equal to or less than a third threshold value) or a downlink retransmission index is below a certain level (e.g., when a downlink retransmission ratio in each of consecutive time intervals is equal to or greater than a fifth threshold value, or when the number of downlink data retransmitted in a specific time interval is equal to or greater than the number of remaining downlink data excluding retransmitted downlink data).

[0217] In one embodiment, interference may occur between the electronic device (1101) and the network, or the network environment (or the state of the network) may change rapidly. For example, the electronic device (1101) may move rapidly, or the electronic device (1101) may move into an elevator, or the electronic device (1101) may move out of an elevator. If interference occurs between the electronic device (1101) and the network, or the network environment (or the state of the network) changes rapidly, the uplink retransmission index and / or the downlink retransmission index may fall below a certain level. In this case, the electronic device (1101) may perform rate adaptation.

[0218] The embodiments described through FIGS. 1 to 10 can be applied to the electronic device (1101) of FIG. 11.

[0219] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method of operating an electronic device (1200) according to one embodiment.

[0220] The operating method (1200) to be described through FIG. 12 can be performed by an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101) of FIG. 1, electronic device (201) of FIG. 2, electronic device (301) of FIGS. 3A to 10, electronic device (1101) of FIG. 11).

[0221] Referring to FIG. 12, at operation 1210, the electronic device can determine whether the state (e.g., electric field state) of a network (e.g., network (399) of FIGS. 3B and 4B) has changed abruptly.

[0222] In one embodiment, the electronic device can determine whether the state of the network has changed abruptly based on the second UL ReTX indicator.

[0223] For example, the electronic device may determine that the state of the network has changed abruptly (e.g., deteriorated) if the second UL ReTX indicator in a time interval (e.g., time interval (tb) (920) of FIG. 9) is less than a third threshold value and the second UL ReTX indicator in a time interval (e.g., time interval (tc) (930) of FIG. 9) is greater than or equal to the third threshold value.

[0224] For example, the electronic device may determine that the state of the network has changed abruptly (e.g., improved) when the second UL ReTX indicator in a time interval (e.g., time interval (te) (950) of FIG. 9) exceeds the fourth threshold value and the second UL ReTX indicator in a time interval (e.g., time interval (tf) (960) of FIG. 9) is less than or equal to the fourth threshold value.

[0225] In one embodiment, the electronic device can determine whether the network status has changed abruptly based on the number of downlink retransmissions.

[0226] For example, the electronic device may determine that the network status has changed abruptly (e.g., deteriorated) if the number of downlink retransmissions in a time interval (e.g., time interval (tb) (1020) of FIG. 10) is less than the number of downlink data that does not correspond to downlink retransmissions and the number of downlink retransmissions in a time interval (e.g., time interval (tc) (1030) of FIG. 10) is greater than the number of downlink data that does not correspond to downlink retransmissions.

[0227] In one embodiment, the electronic device can determine whether the network status has changed abruptly based on the downlink retransmission rate.

[0228] For example, the electronic device may determine that the network status has changed abruptly (e.g., improved) if the downlink retransmission rate in a time interval (e.g., time interval (te) (1050) of FIG. 10) exceeds a seventh threshold value and the downlink retransmission rate in a time interval (e.g., time interval (tf) (1060) of FIG. 10) is less than or equal to the seventh threshold value.

[0229] If the electronic device determines that the state of the network has changed abruptly (e.g., in operation 1210), it may adjust the bit rate of the codec in operation 1230.

[0230] For example, if the electronic device determines that the network condition has deteriorated rapidly based on the second UL ReTX indicator, it can adjust the bit rate of the codec from bit rate #1 (e.g., bit rate #1 in FIG. 9) to bit rate #2 (e.g., bit rate #2 in FIG. 9).

[0231] For example, if the electronic device determines that the network condition has improved significantly based on the second UL ReTX indicator, it may adjust the bit rate of the codec from bit rate #2 to bit rate #1.

[0232] For example, if the electronic device determines that the network condition has deteriorated rapidly based on the number of downlink retransmissions, it may adjust the bit rate of the codec from bit rate #1 (e.g., bit rate #1 in FIG. 10) to bit rate #2 (e.g., bit rate #2 in FIG. 10).

[0233] For example, if the electronic device determines that the network condition has improved significantly based on the downlink retransmission rate, it may adjust the bit rate of the codec from bit rate #2 to bit rate #1.

[0234] If the electronic device determines that the network status has not changed abruptly (NO in operation 1210), then in operation 1220, it can determine whether a metric (e.g., first UL retx metric, downlink retransmission ratio) in a specified number of time intervals satisfies a specified condition.

[0235] According to one embodiment, the determined condition is, for example, a first condition in which a first UL ReTX indicator in each of consecutive time intervals (e.g., time intervals (ta, tb, tc) (910, 920, 930) of FIG. 9) is greater than or equal to a first threshold value, a second condition in which the first UL ReTX indicator in each of consecutive time intervals (e.g., time intervals (td, te, tf) (940, 950, 960) of FIG. 9) is less than a second threshold value, a third condition in which a downlink retransmission ratio in each of consecutive time intervals (e.g., time intervals (ta, tb, tc) (1010, 1020, 1030) of FIG. 10) is greater than or equal to a fifth threshold value, or a fourth condition in which a downlink retransmission ratio in each of consecutive time intervals (e.g., time intervals (td, te, tf) (1040, 1050, 1060) of FIG. 10) is greater than or equal to a fifth threshold value. 1060)) may include at least one or all of the fourth conditions in which the downlink retransmission ratio in each is less than the sixth threshold value.

[0236] According to one embodiment, the specified number of actions 1220 may be, for example, but is not limited to, three.

[0237] The electronic device may adjust the bit rate of the codec in operation 1230 if a given condition (e.g., a first condition, a second condition, a third condition, or a fourth condition) is satisfied (e.g., an example in operation 1220). For example, the electronic device may adjust the bit rate of the codec from bit rate #1 (e.g., bit rate #1 of FIG. 9) to bit rate #2 (e.g., bit rate #2 of FIG. 9) if the first condition is satisfied. The electronic device may adjust the bit rate of the codec from bit rate #2 (e.g., bit rate #2 of FIG. 9) to bit rate #1 (e.g., bit rate #1 of FIG. 9) if the second condition is satisfied. The electronic device may adjust the bit rate of the codec from bit rate #1 (e.g., bit rate #1 of FIG. 10) to bit rate #2 (e.g., bit rate #2 of FIG. 10) if the third condition is satisfied. The electronic device can adjust the bit rate of the codec from bit rate #2 (e.g., bit rate #2 in FIG. 10) to bit rate #1 (e.g., bit rate #1 in FIG. 10) if the fourth condition is satisfied.

[0238] The electronic device may maintain the bit rate of the codec in operation 1240 if the established condition is not satisfied (NO in operation 1220).

[0239] The embodiments described through FIGS. 1 to 11 can be applied to the electronic device of FIG. 12.

[0240] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method of operating an electronic device (1300) according to one embodiment.

[0241] The operating method (1300) to be described through FIG. 13 can be performed by an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101) of FIG. 1, electronic device (201) of FIG. 2, electronic device (301) of FIGS. 3A to 10, electronic device (1101) of FIG. 11).

[0242] Referring to FIG. 13, in operation 1310, the electronic device may transmit a plurality of uplink data packets (e.g., uplink data (631-1 to 631-n) of FIG. 6) to a network (e.g., network (399) of FIGS. 3B and 4B) (or a base station) during a time interval (e.g., a first time interval (670) of FIG. 6). The plurality of uplink data packets may be generated based on a bit rate by, for example, a codec. For example, the electronic device may perform encoding on the user's voice data based on the first bit rate using the codec, and may generate each of the uplink data packets through this encoding. The electronic device may transmit each of the uplink data packets to the network.

[0243] In operation 1320, the electronic device may identify a number of first uplink data packets associated with a retransmission count (e.g., an uplink retransmission count) greater than or equal to a first count among a plurality of uplink data packets. Each of the first uplink data packets may correspond to an uplink data packet having a retransmission count (e.g., an uplink retransmission count) greater than or equal to the first count among the uplink data packets during a time interval, for example.

[0244] In operation 1330, the electronic device may adjust a bit rate (e.g., a bit rate of the codec) based on the number of first uplink data packets during the time interval. Based on the number of first uplink data packets during the time interval, the electronic device may adjust the bit rate of the codec from the first bit rate to a second bit rate. For example, if the number of first uplink data packets during the time interval (e.g., the first time interval (670) of FIG. 6) is greater than or equal to the first number (or the first retransmission threshold), the second bit rate (e.g., bit rate #2) may be lower than the first bit rate (e.g., bit rate #1). For another example, if the number of first uplink data packets during a time interval (e.g., the first time interval (670) of FIG. 6) is less than a second number (or a second retransmission threshold), the second bit rate (e.g., bit rate #4 higher than bit rate #1) may be higher than the first bit rate (e.g., bit rate #1). The first number and the second number may be the same, but are not limited thereto, and the first number and the second number may be different.

[0245] In one embodiment, the first count may be less than a maximum count received from the base station.

[0246] In one embodiment, the first count may correspond to (or be equal to) a maximum count (e.g., maxHARQ-Tx) received from the base station. In this case, the electronic device may identify whether a retransmission count of any one of the uplink data packets during the time interval reaches the maximum count. If a retransmission count of any one of the uplink data packets during the time interval reaches the maximum count, the electronic device may adjust a bit rate lower than the first bit rate. For example, the bit rate of the codec may be adjusted from the first bit rate (e.g., bit rate #1) to a bit rate lower than the first bit rate (e.g., bit rate #2).

[0247] According to one embodiment, the electronic device can determine an indicator for uplink retransmission in a time interval (e.g., the first time interval (670) of FIG. 6) through first uplink data packets. The electronic device can determine whether a bit rate (e.g., a first bit rate) needs to be adjusted based on the determined indicator. If the electronic device determines that a bit rate (e.g., the first bit rate) needs to be adjusted, the electronic device can adjust the bit rate (e.g., the first bit rate).

[0248] For example, the electronic device may calculate a first ratio between the number of uplink data packets during a time interval (e.g., the first time interval (670) of FIG. 6) and the number of first uplink data packets during the time interval (e.g., the first time interval (670) of FIG. 6). The electronic device may determine whether the ratio between the number of second uplink data packets during a previous time interval (e.g., at least one of the second time interval (660) and the third time interval (650) of FIG. 6) and the number of uplink data packets during the previous time interval and the first ratio are each greater than or equal to a first threshold value. Here, the second uplink data packets may be associated with a retransmission count greater than or equal to the first count among the uplink data packets during the previous time interval. Each of the second uplink data packets may correspond to an uplink data packet having a retransmission count greater than or equal to the first count among the uplink data packets during the previous time interval.

[0249] The electronic device may adjust the bit rate to a lower bit rate than the first bit rate if the ratio between the number of second uplink data packets during the previous time interval and the number of uplink data packets during the previous time interval and the first ratio are each greater than or equal to the first threshold value. For example, the bit rate of the codec may be adjusted from the first bit rate (e.g., bit rate #1) to a bit rate lower than the first bit rate (e.g., bit rate #2).

[0250] The electronic device may determine whether a ratio between the number of second uplink data packets during the previous time interval and the number of uplink data packets during the previous time interval and the first ratio are each less than a second threshold. The electronic device may adjust a bit rate to a higher bit rate than the first bit rate if the ratio between the number of second uplink data packets during the previous time interval and the number of uplink data packets during the previous time interval and the first ratio are each less than the second threshold. For example, the bit rate of the codec may be adjusted from the first bit rate (e.g., bit rate #1) to a bit rate higher than the first bit rate (e.g., bit rate #4 higher than bit rate #1).

[0251] As another example, the electronic device may calculate a second ratio between the number of uplink data packets for which a retransmission count (e.g., an uplink retransmission count) reaches a maximum count among the uplink data packets during a time interval (e.g., a first time interval (670) of FIG. 6) and the number of uplink data packets during the time interval. The electronic device may determine whether the second ratio is greater than or equal to a third threshold or less than or equal to a fourth threshold. If the second ratio is greater than or equal to the third threshold, the electronic device may adjust the bit rate to a lower bit rate than the first bit rate. For example, the bit rate of the codec may be adjusted from the first bit rate (e.g., bit rate #1) to a lower bit rate (e.g., bit rate #2) than the first bit rate. If the second ratio is less than or equal to the fourth threshold, the electronic device may adjust the bit rate to a higher bit rate than the first bit rate. For example, the bit rate of the codec can be adjusted from a first bit rate (e.g., bit rate #1) to a bit rate higher than the first bit rate (e.g., bit rate #4 higher than bit rate #1).

[0252] The embodiments described through FIGS. 1 to 12 can be applied to the electronic device of FIG. 13.

[0253]

[0254] According to one embodiment, an electronic device (101, 201, 301, 1101) may include a memory (130, 1110) for storing instructions and at least one processor (120, 210, 1120) including a processing circuit. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to: transmit a plurality of uplink data packets during a time interval, wherein the plurality of uplink data packets are encoded by a codec based on a first bit rate; identify a number of first uplink data packets among the plurality of uplink data packets associated with a retransmission count greater than or equal to a first count (or a first retransmission threshold); and adjust the first bit rate to a second bit rate based on the number of the first uplink data packets during the time interval.

[0255] If the number of the first uplink data packets during the time interval is greater than or equal to a first number, the second bit rate may be lower than the first bit rate. The first number may be expressed differently as a first count threshold.

[0256] If the number of the first uplink data packets during the time interval is less than the second number, the second bit rate may be higher than the first bit rate. The second number may be expressed differently as a second count threshold.

[0257] The above first count can be determined by the electronic device.

[0258] The above first count may correspond to the maximum count (or maximum retransmission threshold) received from the base station.

[0259] The operation of identifying the number of the first uplink data packets among the plurality of uplink data packets may include the operation of identifying whether a retransmission count of any one of the plurality of uplink data packets reaches the maximum count. The operation of adjusting from the first bit rate to the second bit rate may include the operation of adjusting to a bit rate lower than the first bit rate if a retransmission count of any one of the plurality of uplink data packets reaches the maximum count.

[0260] The above-described adjusting operation may include an operation of determining an indicator (or an uplink retransmission indicator) regarding uplink retransmission in the time interval through the first uplink data packets, an operation of determining whether adjustment of the first bit rate is necessary based on the determined indicator (e.g., the determined uplink retransmission indicator), and an operation of adjusting the first bit rate when it is determined that adjustment of the first bit rate is necessary.

[0261] The operation of determining the above metric (e.g., the uplink retransmission metric) may include the operation of calculating a first ratio between the number of the uplink data packets during the time interval and the number of the first uplink data packets during the time interval.

[0262] The operation of determining whether adjustment of the first bit rate is necessary may include an operation of determining whether a ratio between a number of second uplink data packets during a previous time interval of the time interval and a number of uplink data packets during the previous time interval and the calculated first ratio are each greater than or equal to a first threshold value (wherein the second uplink data packets are associated with a retransmission count greater than or equal to the first count among uplink data packets during the previous time interval), or an operation of determining whether each of the ratio and the calculated first ratio are less than a second threshold value.

[0263] The operation of adjusting the first bit rate may include an operation of adjusting the bit rate to a lower bit rate than the first bit rate when each of the ratio and the calculated first ratio is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, or an operation of adjusting the bit rate to a higher bit rate than the first bit rate when each of the ratio and the calculated first ratio is less than the second threshold value.

[0264] The operation of determining the above metric (e.g., the uplink retransmission metric) may include calculating a second ratio between the number of uplink data packets for which the retransmission count reaches a maximum count and the number of uplink data packets during the time interval. The operation of determining whether adjustment of the first bit rate is necessary may include determining whether the calculated second ratio is greater than or equal to a third threshold value or whether the calculated second ratio is less than or equal to a fourth threshold value.

[0265] The operation of adjusting the first bit rate may include an operation of adjusting the bit rate to a lower bit rate than the first bit rate when the calculated second ratio is equal to or greater than the third threshold value, or an operation of adjusting the bit rate to a higher bit rate than the first bit rate when the calculated second ratio is equal to or less than the fourth threshold value.

[0266] The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to perform the following operations: identifying first downlink data packets that have been retransmitted among downlink data packets received during the time interval; determining an indicator of downlink retransmission (or downlink retransmission indicator) in the time interval through the first downlink data packets; and determining whether adjustment of the first bit rate is necessary based on the indicator of downlink retransmission (e.g., the determined downlink retransmission indicator).

[0267] The operation of determining the above indicator (e.g., the downlink retransmission indicator) may include the operation of calculating a third ratio between the number of the received downlink data packets and the number of the first downlink data packets. The operation of determining whether adjustment of the first bit rate is necessary may include the operation of determining whether the ratio between the number of second downlink data packets retransmitted among downlink data packets during a previous time interval of the time interval and the number of downlink data packets during the previous time interval and the calculated third ratio are each greater than or equal to a fifth threshold value, the operation of determining whether the ratio and the calculated third ratio are each less than or equal to a sixth threshold value, or the operation of determining whether the calculated third ratio is less than or equal to a seventh threshold value.

[0268] The above-described adjusting operation may include an operation of adjusting to a bit rate lower than the first bit rate when each of the above-described ratio and the calculated third ratio is equal to or greater than the fifth threshold value, an operation of adjusting to a bit rate higher than the first bit rate when each of the above-described ratio and the calculated third ratio is less than the sixth threshold value, or an operation of adjusting to a bit rate higher than the first bit rate when the calculated third ratio is equal to or less than the seventh threshold value.

[0269] According to one embodiment, an electronic device (101, 201, 301, 1101) may include a memory (130, 1110) for storing instructions and at least one processor (120, 210, 1120) including a processing circuit. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to perform the following operations: transmitting a plurality of uplink data packets during a time interval; identifying first uplink data packets among the plurality of uplink data packets associated with a retransmission count greater than or equal to a first count; determining an indicator of uplink retransmissions during the time interval through the first uplink data packets; determining whether adjustment of a bit rate of a codec is necessary based on the indicator; and adjusting the bit rate when adjustment of the bit rate is determined to be necessary.

[0270] The operation of determining the indicator may include calculating a first ratio between the number of the uplink data packets during the time interval and the number of the first uplink data packets during the time interval. The operation of determining whether an adjustment of the bit rate is necessary may include determining whether the ratio between the number of the second uplink data packets during a time interval preceding the time interval and the number of the uplink data packets during the previous time interval and the calculated first ratio are each greater than or equal to a first threshold value, or may include determining whether the ratio and the calculated first ratio are each less than or equal to a second threshold value. The second uplink data packets may be associated with a retransmission count greater than or equal to the first count among uplink data packets transmitted during the previous time interval.

[0271] The operation of adjusting the bit rate may include an operation of adjusting the bit rate lower when each of the ratio and the calculated first ratio is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, or an operation of adjusting the bit rate higher when each of the ratio and the calculated first ratio is less than the second threshold value.

[0272] The operation of determining the above indicator may include calculating a second ratio between the number of uplink data packets for which the retransmission count reaches a maximum count and the number of uplink data packets during the time interval. The operation of determining whether adjustment of the bit rate is necessary may include determining whether the calculated second ratio is greater than or equal to a third threshold value or whether the calculated second ratio is less than or equal to a fourth threshold value.

[0273] The operation of adjusting the bit rate may include an operation of adjusting the bit rate lower when the calculated second ratio is equal to or greater than the third threshold value, or an operation of adjusting the bit rate higher when the calculated second ratio is equal to or less than the fourth threshold value.

[0274] According to one embodiment, a method of operating an electronic device (101, 201, 301, 1101) may include transmitting a plurality of uplink data packets during a time interval, the plurality of uplink data packets being generated by a codec based on a bit rate, identifying a number of first uplink data packets associated with a retransmission count greater than or equal to a first count among the plurality of uplink data packets, and adjusting the bit rate based on the number of the first uplink data packets during the time interval.

[0275] According to one embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium may store instructions. The instructions, when executed by at least one processor of an electronic device (101, 201, 301, 1101), may cause the electronic device to perform the following operations: transmitting a plurality of uplink data packets during a time interval, wherein the plurality of uplink data packets are generated by a codec based on a bit rate; identifying a number of first uplink data packets among the plurality of uplink data packets associated with a retransmission count greater than or equal to a first count; and adjusting the bit rate based on the number of the first uplink data packets during the time interval.

[0276] According to one embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium may store instructions. When executed by at least one processor of an electronic device (101, 201, 301, 1101), the instructions may cause the electronic device to perform the following actions: transmitting a plurality of uplink data packets during a time interval; identifying first uplink data packets associated with a retransmission count greater than or equal to a first count among the plurality of uplink data packets; determining an indicator of uplink retransmissions during the time interval through the first uplink data packets; determining whether a bit rate of a codec needs to be adjusted based on the indicator; and adjusting the bit rate when it is determined that adjustment of the bit rate needs to be made.

[0277] While the invention described above has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, this description should not be construed as limiting. Other embodiments of the invention described above, as well as various modifications and combinations of the exemplary embodiments, will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reviewing this description. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to encompass all such modifications and embodiments.

Claims

In electronic devices (101, 201, 301, 1101), One or more processors (120, 210, 1120) including a processing circuit; and Memory for storing commands (130, 1110) Including, The above instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, cause the electronic device to: An operation of transmitting a plurality of first uplink data packets encoded by a codec based on a first bit rate during a first time interval; An operation of identifying the number of first retransmission uplink data packets having a first retransmission count greater than or equal to a first retransmission threshold among the plurality of first uplink data packets, and An operation of adjusting the bit rate of the codec from a first bit rate to a second bit rate based on the number of the first retransmission uplink data packets. to do, Electronic devices. In the first paragraph, The operation of adjusting the above bit rate is as follows: An operation of adjusting the bit rate of the codec from the first bit rate to the second bit rate based on the number of the first retransmission uplink data packets being greater than or equal to the first retransmission threshold. Including, The second bit rate is lower than the first bit rate, Electronic devices. In the first paragraph, The operation of adjusting the above bit rate is as follows: An operation of adjusting the bit rate of the codec from the first bit rate to the second bit rate based on the number of the first retransmission uplink data packets being less than a second count threshold. Including, The second bit rate is higher than the first bit rate, Electronic devices. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 3, The above instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, cause the electronic device to: The operation of determining the first retransmission threshold to make it more, Electronic devices. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 4, The above instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, cause the electronic device to: The action of receiving the maximum retransmission threshold from the base station. and do more, The above first retransmission threshold corresponds to the above maximum retransmission threshold, Electronic devices. In paragraph 5, The operation of identifying the number of the first retransmitted uplink data packets is: An operation for identifying whether a second retransmission count of at least one uplink data packet among the plurality of first uplink data packets reaches the maximum retransmission threshold. Including, The operation of adjusting the above bit rate is as follows: An operation of adjusting the bit rate from the first bit rate to a bit rate lower than the first bit rate based on the second retransmission count of the at least one uplink data packet reaching the maximum retransmission threshold. including, Electronic devices. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 6, The above instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, cause the electronic device to: An operation of determining an uplink retransmission index based on the retransmission counts of the first retransmission uplink data packets; An operation for determining whether to adjust the bit rate of the codec based on the uplink retransmission indicator; and An operation of adjusting the first bit rate based on a decision to adjust the bit rate of the codec. to make it more, Electronic devices. In paragraph 7, The operation of determining the above uplink retransmission index is: An operation of calculating a first ratio between the number of the first uplink data packets and the number of the first retransmitted uplink data packets. Including, The action that determines whether to adjust the above bit rate is: An operation of determining whether a ratio between the number of second uplink data packets during a previous time interval of the first time interval and the number of second retransmission uplink data packets during the previous time interval and the calculated first ratio are each greater than or equal to a first threshold value, wherein the second retransmission uplink data packets are associated with a second retransmission count greater than or equal to the first retransmission threshold among the second uplink data packets, or An operation for determining whether each of the above ratio and the calculated first ratio is less than a second threshold value. including, Electronic devices. In paragraph 8, The operation of adjusting the above first bit rate is as follows: An operation of adjusting the bit rate of the codec from the first bit rate to a third bit rate based on the ratio and the calculated first ratio being greater than or equal to the first threshold value, wherein the third bit rate is less than the first bit rate; and An operation of adjusting the bit rate of the codec from the first bit rate to a fourth bit rate based on the above ratio and the calculated first ratio being less than the second threshold value, wherein the fourth bit rate is higher than the first bit rate. including, Electronic devices. In paragraph 7, The operation of determining the above uplink retransmission index is: An operation of calculating a second ratio between the number of uplink data packets whose retransmission count reaches a maximum retransmission threshold and the number of the plurality of first uplink data packets. Including, The action that determines whether to adjust the above bit rate is: An operation for determining whether to adjust the bit rate of the codec based on the second ratio. including, Electronic devices. In Article 10, The operation of adjusting the above first bit rate is as follows: An operation of adjusting the bit rate of the codec from the first bit rate to a bit rate lower than the first bit rate based on the second ratio being greater than or equal to a third threshold value; and An operation of adjusting the bit rate of the codec from the first bit rate to a bit rate higher than the first bit rate based on the second ratio being less than or equal to the fourth threshold value. including, Electronic devices. In the first paragraph, The above instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the one or more processors, cause the electronic device to: An operation of receiving a plurality of first downlink data packets during the first time interval; An operation of identifying first retransmitted downlink data packets retransmitted during the first time interval among the plurality of first downlink data packets; An operation of determining a downlink retransmission index based on the retransmission counts of the first retransmission downlink data packets, and An operation for determining whether to adjust the bit rate of the codec based on the above downlink retransmission index. to do, Electronic devices. In Article 12, The operation of determining the above downlink retransmission index is: An operation of calculating a third ratio between the number of the first downlink data packets and the number of the first retransmitted downlink data packets. Including, The action that determines whether to adjust the above bit rate is: An operation of determining whether a ratio between the number of second retransmitted downlink data packets among downlink data packets retransmitted during a time interval preceding the first time interval and the number of downlink data packets during the previous time interval and the calculated third ratio are each greater than or equal to a fifth threshold value; An operation of determining whether each of the above ratio and the calculated third ratio is less than a sixth threshold value, or An operation for determining whether the calculated third ratio is less than or equal to the seventh threshold value. including, Electronic devices. In Article 13, The operation of adjusting the above first bit rate is as follows: An operation of adjusting the bit rate of the codec from the first bit rate to a bit rate lower than the first bit rate based on the above ratio and the calculated third ratio being greater than or equal to the fifth threshold value; An operation of adjusting the bit rate of the codec to a bit rate higher than the first bit rate based on the above ratio and the calculated third ratio being less than the sixth threshold value; or An operation of adjusting the bit rate of the codec to a bit rate higher than the first bit rate based on the calculated third ratio being less than or equal to the seventh threshold value. including, Electronic devices. In a method of operating an electronic device (101, 201, 301, 1101), An operation of transmitting a plurality of uplink data packets during a time interval, wherein the plurality of uplink data packets are generated by a codec based on a first bit rate; An operation of identifying the number of retransmitted uplink data packets having a retransmission count greater than or equal to a retransmission threshold among the plurality of uplink data packets; and An operation of adjusting the bit rate of the codec from the first bit rate to the second bit rate based on the number of the retransmitted uplink data packets. including, How an electronic device operates.

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