Predictive HARQ Subcodeword Decodability Estimation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Communication networks face delays due to erroneous data transmissions and associated retransmission requests, as existing retransmission mechanisms often require additional round-trip time to correct decoding failures, especially in noisy channels.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a predictive hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process using low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes, where a subcodeword is transmitted first to allow early decodability estimation at the receiver, enabling early retransmission requests and reducing latency by sending additional redundancy during the next transmission interval.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional retransmission mechanisms are used, then decoding failures can be corrected, but additional round-trip time is required causing delays

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedecoding successVSAvoidretransmission delay
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by transmitting a subcodeword before the complete codeword, allowing the receiver to perform early decodability estimation. This enables the receiver to determine whether additional redundancy will be needed before the entire codeword is transmitted, thereby reducing the round-trip time required for retransmission requests while maintaining decoding reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Loss of time

If early decodability estimation is performed using subcodeword, then retransmission latency is reduced, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveretransmission latencyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies segmentation by dividing the complete codeword into a subcodeword (transmitted first) and remaining codeword parts. The subcodeword is sufficient for early decodability estimation, allowing the system to make retransmission decisions without processing the entire codeword, thus reducing latency while controlling the complexity increase through structured segmentation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If additional redundancy is transmitted during next transmission interval, then decoding reliability is improved, but data processing efficiency may be reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedecoding reliabilityVSAvoiddata processing efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies feedback by using the early decodability estimation result to control whether additional redundancy is transmitted. The receiver's estimation feedback enables the transmitter to send redundancy only when necessary, improving decoding reliability while maintaining data processing efficiency by avoiding unnecessary retransmissions that would reduce overall throughput.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3829092B1Receiver, transmitter, communication network, data signal and method improving a retransmission process in a communication network
Publication Date: 2023.10.04 KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS NV
  • EP3829092B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3829092B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3829092B1 patent drawingFigure 3(a)

AI summary

A receiver is described which receives encoded data over a channel (102) from a transmitter. The data is parity-check encoded to obtain a codeword. The codeword is defined by a plurality of variable nodes associated with a plurality of the check nodes of a bipartite graph representing the code. The codeword is received over the channel (102) such that certain variable nodes, which are associated with a subset of the check nodes of the bipartite graph, are received prior to other variable nodes, and the certain variable nodes define a subcodeword (116a) known by the receiver. The receiver estimates a decodability of the transmitted codeword using the subcodeword (116a) prior to receiving all variable nodes of the codeword. Responsive to an estimation indicating that the codeword cannot be decoded, the receiver requests from the transmitter additional redundancy, and, responsive to an estimation indicating that the codeword can be decoded, the receiver signals the transmitter to stop transmitting additional redundancy. To estimate the decodability of the transmitted codeword, the receiver takes into account in addition one or more of the channel quality, the channel estimation, and CRC symbols.