Network-Controlled HARQ Feedback Skipping in Downlink Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge of reducing power consumption and feedback overheads in HARQ processes for terminal devices in wireless communication systems, particularly in downlink transmission, has not been adequately addressed.
Innovation Solution
Implementing flexible HARQ feedback mechanisms in terminal devices, controlled by network devices, allowing for skipping ACK or NACK feedback based on received information, and optimizing resource allocation through dynamic scheduling and semi-persistent scheduling resources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the terminal device sends HARQ feedback (ACK/NACK) for every downlink data packet, then the reliability of data transmission is improved, but the power consumption of the terminal device increases and air interface resources are wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by having the terminal device send HARQ feedback only when necessary (when downlink data is actually received), rather than sending feedback for every possible transmission opportunity. This reduces power consumption while maintaining transmission reliability through selective feedback based on actual data reception events.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic HARQ feedback where the terminal device adaptively determines whether to send ACK or NACK based on decoding results and receives dynamic scheduling indications from the network. This dynamic approach allows the system to optimize between reliability and power consumption based on actual channel conditions and traffic patterns.
2Reliability
If the terminal device sends HARQ feedback for every downlink data packet, then the transmission reliability is improved, but the air interface resource overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reduces air interface overhead by having the terminal send HARQ feedback only when downlink data is actually received and decoded, rather than transmitting feedback in every uplink opportunity. This partial feedback approach maintains reliability for actual transmissions while reducing unnecessary resource consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes unnecessary HARQ feedback transmissions from the communication protocol. By eliminating redundant ACK/NACK messages that would be sent when no downlink data is received, the system reduces air interface overhead while preserving essential feedback for actual data transmissions.
3Speed
If the terminal device continuously monitors for downlink data to send HARQ feedback, then the transmission responsiveness is improved, but the power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic monitoring where the terminal device wakes up at specific intervals to check for downlink data and send HARQ feedback, rather than continuously monitoring. This periodic approach maintains transmission responsiveness by checking at regular intervals while significantly reducing power consumption compared to continuous monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses dynamic scheduling where the terminal device monitors for downlink assignments based on network scheduling decisions rather than continuous monitoring. The terminal adapts its monitoring behavior based on received scheduling indications, maintaining responsiveness when data is available while conserving energy during idle periods.
Data Source
AI summary
A communication method and an apparatus includes a network device sends first information to a terminal device, so that the terminal device can determine a HARQ feedback manner based on the first information, where the HARQ feedback manner includes skipping ACK feedback and/or NACK feedback. In this manner, the network device controls the HARQ feedback manner used by the terminal device, so that the terminal device can be flexibly controlled to use different HARQ feedback manners in different scenarios, to adapt to a service constraint, effectively reduce power consumption of the terminal device, and save air interface resources.