Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TRANSMITTING DEVICE, RECEIVING DEVICE AND METHODS PERFORMED
THEREIN
Technical field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a transmitting device, a receiving
device and methods performed therein. Embodiments herein relate to wireless
communication and in particular to methods and devices for communicating data
using a flexible packet structure.
Background
[0002] In a typical wireless communication network, devices, also known as
mobile stations and/or user equipments (UEs), communicate via a Radio Access
Network (RAN) to one or more core networks (CN). The RAN covers a
geographical area which is divided into cell areas, with each cell area being
served
by a base station, e.g., a radio base station (RBS), which in some networks
may
also be called, for example, a "NodeB" or "eNodeB". A cell is a geographical
area
where radio coverage is provided by the radio base station at a base station
site or
an antenna site in case the antenna and the radio base station are not
collocated.
Each cell is identified by an identity within the local radio area, which is
broadcast
in the cell. Another identity identifying the cell uniquely in the whole
wireless
communication network is also broadcast in the cell. One base station may have
one or more cells. The base stations communicate over the air interface
operating
on radio frequencies with the devices within range of the base stations.
[0003] A Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a third
generation mobile communication system, which evolved from the second
generation (2G) Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). The UMTS
terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) is essentially a RAN using wideband
code division multiple access (WCDMA) and/or High Speed Packet Access
(HSPA) for devices. In a forum known as the Third Generation Partnership
Project
(3GPP), telecommunications suppliers propose and agree upon standards for
third
generation networks and UTRAN specifically, and investigate enhanced data rate
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and radio capacity. In some versions of the RAN as e.g. in UMTS, several base
stations may be connected, e.g., by landlines or microwave, to a controller
node,
such as a radio network controller (RNC) or a base station controller (BSC),
which
supervises and coordinates various activities of the plural base stations
connected
thereto. The RNCs are typically connected to one or more core networks.
[0004] Specifications for the Evolved Packet System (EPS) have been
completed within the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and this work
continues in the coming 3GPP releases. The EPS comprises the Evolved
Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), also known as the Long
Term Evolution (LTE) radio access, and the Evolved Packet Core (EPC), also
known as System Architecture Evolution (SAE) core network. E-UTRAN/LTE is a
variant of a 3GPP radio access technology wherein the radio base stations are
directly connected to the EPC core network rather than to RNCs. In general, in
E-
UTRAN/LTE the functions of a RNC are distributed between the radio base
stations, e.g. eNodeBs in LTE, and the core network. As such, the Radio Access
Network (RAN) of an EPS has an essentially "flat" architecture comprising
radio
base stations without reporting to RN Cs.
[0005] A radio spectrum is generally divided into different parts, e.g. a
licensed
spectrum or bands, which comprise bandwidths of frequencies that may be used
by e.g. wireless communication networks such as GSM, UMTS, LTE, and an
unlicensed spectrum or bands, which comprise bandwidths of frequencies that
may be used by e.g. short range communicating device, e.g. between devices
using Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) or Bluetooth wireless technology.
[0006] The part of the available spectrum allocated to unlicensed frequency
bands is relatively large. Common for many of these short range technologies
is
that they are based on ad-hoc methods and typically mandated courtesy roles to
access the unlicensed frequency bands, e.g. Industrial, Scientific and Medical
(ISM) bands. This may create an uncontrolled interference situation to operate
in
the unlicensed bands, normally quite different from the interference situation
in
licensed frequency bands. The communication operates under different radio
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channel conditions, ranging from good to really poor conditions with large
dynamics. An example of a situation that may result in a good radio channel
condition is when the devices are close to each other in a line-of-sight
position.
Opposite, if the devices are far away from each other and the environment is
such
that there are objects like walls or large objects hindering and shadowing the
radio
signals these situations may create a poor radio channel condition. The short
range technologies are often operated without any power control mechanism.
[0007] These short range technologies are commonly having relaxed
specifications based on old architectures. Some devices may operate with much
better performance and even largely exceeding what is a minimum performance
required in the specifications.
[0008] Pilot symbols and synchronisation in particular should be
sufficiently
good for the most robust coding and modulation used for the data. This means
that in case there is a large difference in robustness for the data, the
synchronization may be unnecessarily good and thus may result in an
unnecessary overhead when designed for a worst radio channel condition
scenario but operated at a different, better, radio channel condition. Another
issue
is that different implementations of the same standard may have different
performances. An example could be a link between devices of different
performances such as a link between a sensor and a network node. The sensor
may be implemented using the most cost efficient and energy efficient
technology
in order to be as cheap as possible and to allow efficient operation on a coin
cell
battery. The network node, on the other hand, may be implemented with a radio
link performance as the main design objective. This may effectively mean that
it
may be considerably simpler to demodulate a data packet transmitted from the
network node, signal generated with high quality, than the same type of data
packet transmitted from the sensor node. However, in case a receiving device,
e.g. a sensor or the network node, has no information about the quality of the
transmitted signal, it typically has to assume that the transmitted signal
with the
data packet is of a poor quality and thus will not be able to use more
efficient
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methods in a receiving process relying on the signal is generated with a high
quality. E.g. a first algorithm in the receiving device may be very robust to
frequency error in a transmitted signal, but the algorithm has relatively poor
sensitivity. The sensitivity is the same regardless whether the frequency
error is
zero or very large. A second algorithm may not be able to deal with large
frequency errors, but in case there is no frequency error the performance is
much
better than for the robust one. Hence, the receiving device may use the first
algorithm as it assumes a poor quality. This results in an inefficient use of
radio
resources that may affect the performance of the wireless communication
network.
Summary
[0009] An object is to provide a mechanism for providing an improved
performance of a wireless communication network.
[00010] According to an aspect of embodiments herein the object is achieved by
providing a method performed by a transmitting device for transmitting a
packet to
a receiving device in a wireless communication network. The transmitting
device
determines one or more of: a radio channel condition of a channel between the
transmitting device and the receiving device, a coding rate or modulation of
the
packet, a coding rate of a header of the packet, and a quality of the
transmitting
device and/or the receiving device. Furthermore, the transmitting device
determines a packet structure based on the determined radio channel condition,
the determined coding rate or modulation of the packet, the determined coding
rate of the header of the packet, and/or the determined quality of the
transmitting
device and/or the receiving device. The transmitting device then transmits
data
with the determined packet structure to the receiving device.
[00011] According to another aspect of embodiments herein the object is
achieved by providing a method performed by a receiving device for receiving a
packet from a transmitting device in a wireless communication network. The
receiving device receives a packet with a packet structure from the
transmitting
device. The receiving device transmits, to the transmitting device, at least
one of: a
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received signal quality at the receiving device, a quality of the receiving
device,
and a feedback relating to the previously received packet associated with a
radio
channel condition of a channel between the receiving device and the
transmitting
device. Furthermore, the receiving device receives data in an adjusted packet
structure from the transmitting device, the adjusted packet structure being
based
on the radio channel condition and/or a quality of the transmitting device
and/or
the receiving device.
[00012] According to yet another aspect of embodiments herein the object is
achieved by providing a transmitting device for transmitting a packet to a
receiving
device in a wireless communication network. The transmitting device is
configured
to determine one or more of: a radio channel condition of a channel between
the
transmitting device and the receiving device, a coding rate or modulation of
the
packet, a coding rate of a header of the packet, and a quality of the
transmitting
device and/or the receiving device. Furthermore, the transmitting device is
configured to determine a packet structure based on the determined radio
channel
condition, the determined coding rate or modulation of the packet, the
determined
coding rate of the header of the packet, and/or the determined quality of the
transmitting device and/or the receiving device. The transmitting device is
also
configured to transmit data with the determined packet structure to the
receiving
device.
[00013] According to still another aspect of embodiments herein the object is
achieved by providing a receiving device for receiving a packet from a
transmitting
device in a wireless communication network. The receiving device is configured
to
receive a packet with a packet structure from the transmitting device. The
receiving device is further configured to transmit, to the transmitting
device, at
least one of: a received signal quality at the receiving device, a quality of
the
receiving device, and a feedback relating to the previously received packet
associated with a radio channel condition of a channel between the receiving
device and the transmitting device. The receiving device is further configured
to
receive data in an adjusted packet structure from the transmitting device, the
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adjusted packet structure being based on the radio channel condition and/or a
quality of the transmitting device and/or the receiving device.
[00014] By determining the packet structure based on the determined radio
channel condition, the determined coding rate or modulation of the packet, the
determined coding rate of the header of the packet, and/or the determined
quality
of the transmitting device and/or the receiving device, the resources are
efficiently
used as the receiving device may use an appropriate algorithm for the radio
channel condition/coding rate/modulation/quality of the devices, leading to an
improved performance of the wireless communication network. Determining
packet structure covers: determining synchronization word in the packet;
determining length of synchronization word or header in the packet;
determining
density of pilot signals in the packet; and/or changing a coding or modulation
for a
header in the packet.
Brief description of drawings
[00015] Embodiments will now be described in more detail in relation to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[00016] Figure 1 is a schematic overview depicting a wireless communication
network according to embodiments herein.
[00017] Figure 2a is a schematic flowchart depicting a method performed in a
first
communication device according to embodiments herein.
[00018] Figure 2b is a schematic flowchart depicting a method performed in a
second communication device according to embodiments herein.
[00019] Figure 3a is an illustration of an example of a packet to be
transmitted to
a receiving device.
[00020] Figure 3b is an illustration of another example of a packet to be
transmitted to a receiving device.
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[00021] Figure 4 is an illustration of an example of a packet to be
transmitted to a
receiving device, wherein the (length of the) syncword is flexible.
[00022] Figure 5 is an illustration of an example of a packet to be
transmitted to a
receiving device, wherein the (length of the) syncword is dependent on the
quality
of the transmitting and/or the receiving device.
[00023] Figure 6 is an illustration of an example of a packet to be
transmitted to a
receiving device, wherein the density of the pilot symbols depends at least
partly
on a channel quality.
[00024] Figure 7 is an illustration of how successively longer syncwords may
be
generated.
[00025] Figure 8 is a flowchart of a method performed by a transmitting device
for
transmitting a packet to a receiving device according to an exemplifying
embodiment.
[00026] Figure 9 is a block diagram of a transmitting device adapted for
transmitting a packet to a receiving device according to an exemplifying
embodiment.
[00027] Figure 10 is a block diagram of a transmitting device for transmitting
a
packet to a receiving device according to an exemplifying embodiment.
[00028] Figure 11 is a block diagram of an arrangement in a transmitting
device
adapted for transmitting a packet to a receiving device according to an
exemplifying embodiment.
[00029] Figure 12 is a block diagram depicting a receiving device according to
embodiments herein.
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Detailed description
[00030] The figures are schematic and simplified for clarity, and they merely
show details which are essential to the understanding of the embodiments
presented herein, while other details have been left out. Throughout the
disclosure, the same reference numerals are used for identical or
corresponding
parts or actions.
[00031] Embodiments herein relate to wireless communication networks in
general. Fig. 1 is a schematic overview depicting a wireless communication
network 1. The wireless communication network 1 comprises one or more RANs
and one or more CNs. The wireless communication network 1 may use a number
of different technologies, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced,
Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Global System for Mobile
communications/Enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution (GSM/EDGE), Worldwide
Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), or Ultra Mobile Broadband
(UMB),
just to mention a few possible implementations. The wireless communication
network 1 is exemplified herein as a Bluetooth network.
[00032] In the wireless communication network 1, a receiving device 10,
exemplified as a wireless device, also known as a receiving communication
device, e.g. a mobile station, a user equipment and/or a wireless terminal,
communicates via a RAN to one or more CNs. It should be understood by the
skilled in the art that "wireless device" is a non-limiting term which means
any
wireless terminal, user equipment, Machine Type Communication (MTC) device, a
Device to Device (D2D) terminal, or node e.g. Personal Digital Assistant
(PDA),
laptop, mobile phone, sensor, relay, mobile tablets or even a small base
station
communicating within respective cell.
[00033] The wireless communication network 1 covers a geographical area which
is divided into cell areas, e.g. a cell 11 being served by a radio access
network
node. The radio access network node is an example of a transmitting device 12.
The radio access network node may also be referred to as a radio base station
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such as a NodeB, an evolved Node B (eNB, eNode B), a base transceiver station,
Access Point Base Station, base station router, or any other network unit
capable
of communicating with a wireless device within the cell 11 served by the radio
access network node depending e.g. on the radio access technology and
terminology used. The radio access network node may serve one or more cells,
such as the cell 11.
[00034] A cell is a geographical area where radio coverage is provided by
radio
base station equipment at a base station site or at remote locations in Remote
Radio Units (RRU). The cell definition may also incorporate frequency bands
and
radio access technology used for transmissions, which means that two different
cells may cover the same geographical area but using different frequency
bands.
Each cell is identified by an identity within the local radio area, which is
broadcast
in the cell. Another identity identifying the cell 11 uniquely in the whole
wireless
communication network 1 is also broadcasted in the cell 11. The radio access
network node communicates over the air or radio interface operating on radio
frequencies with the wireless device within range of the radio access network
node. The wireless device transmits data over the radio interface to the radio
access network node in Uplink (UL) transmissions and the radio access network
node transmits data over an air or radio interface to the wireless device in
Downlink (DL) transmissions.
[00035] Briefly described, methods, and apparatuses that are flexible and can
adjust to the actual radio conditions to further optimise performance by
minimising
signalling overhead are provided. In exemplified embodiments herein the
receiving
device 10 is exemplified as a wireless device and the transmitting device 12
is
exemplified as a radio access network node. However, the transmitting device
12
may be the wireless device and the receiving device 10 may be the radio access
network node, or both the receiving device 10 and the transmitting device 12
may
be wireless devices, e.g. sensors, communicating.
[00036] To better address the increased market for low power wireless
technologies with a large difference in implementations, data rate usage as
well as
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a large difference in radio channel conditions, there is a need for the
methods, and
apparatuses that are flexible and can adjust to the actual radio channel
conditions
to further optimise performance by minimising overhead.
[00037] The method actions in the transmitting device 12 for transmitting a
packet
to the receiving device 10 in the wireless communication network 1 according
to
embodiments herein will now be described with reference to a flowchart
depicted
in Fig. 2a. The actions do not have to be taken in the order stated below, but
may
be taken in any suitable order. Actions performed in some embodiments are
marked with dashed boxes.
[00038] Action 201. The transmitting device 12 may pair with the receiving
device 10. During this pairing the transmitting device 12 and the receiving
device
10 may exchange information such as quality of the different devices and/or
radio
channel conditions.
[00039] Action 202. The transmitting device 12 determines one or more of: a
radio channel condition of a channel between the transmitting device 12 and
the
receiving device 10, a coding rate or modulation of the packet, a coding rate
of a
header of the packet, and a quality of the transmitting device 12 and/or the
receiving device 10. The transmitting device 12 may determine the radio
channel
condition by determining at least one of: a received signal quality at the
receiving
device 10, and a feedback received from the receiving device 10 relating to a
previously transmitted packet.
[00040] Action 203. The transmitting device 12 determines a packet structure
based on the determined radio channel condition, the determined coding rate or
modulation of the packet, the determined coding rate of the header of the
packet,
and/or the determined quality of the transmitting device 12 and/or the
receiving
device 10. For example, the transmitting device 12 may determine a
synchronisation word in the packet structure based on the determined radio
channel condition, the determined coding rate or modulation of the packet, the
determined coding rate of the header of the packet, and/or the determined
quality
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of the transmitting device 12 and/or the receiving device 10. Additionally or
alternatively, the transmitting device 12 may determine the packet structure
by
determining a shorter synchronisation word when a higher coding rate is used
for
data than a synchronisation word when a lower coding rate is used for data.
The
synchronisation word may be constructed by repeating one shorter
synchronisation word an integer number of times. The transmitting device 12
may,
additionally or alternatively, determine a density of pilot signals in the
packet
structure based on the determined radio channel condition, the determined
coding
rate or modulation of the packet, the determined coding rate of the header of
the
packet, and/or the determined quality of the transmitting device 12 and/or the
receiving device 10. The transmitting device 12 may determine the packet
structure by changing a coding or modulation for the header in the packet
structure
based on a coding or modulation used for a user data. The transmitting device
12
may determine the packet structure by changing length of a header in the
packet
structure based on the determined radio channel condition, the determined
coding
rate or modulation of the packet, the determined coding rate of the header of
the
packet, and/or the determined quality of the transmitting device 12 and/or the
receiving device 10. The transmitting device 12 determines or selects the
packets
structure to minimize overhead in the packet structure. That quality of the
transmitting device 12 and/or the receiving device 10 is taken into account
means
that accuracy of the transmitting device 12 and/or the receiving device 10 may
be
taken into account when determining the packet structure.
[00041] Action 204. The transmitting device 12 transmits data with the
determined packet structure to the receiving device 10.
[00042] The method actions performed in the receiving device 10 receiving a
packet from the transmitting device 12 in the wireless communication network 1
according to some embodiments will now be described with reference to a
flowchart depicted in Fig. 2b. The actions do not have to be taken in the
order
stated below, but may be taken in any suitable order. Actions performed in
some
embodiments are marked with dashed boxes.
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[00043] Action 211. The receiving device 10 may pair with the transmitting
device 12.
[00044] Action 212. The receiving device 10 receives a packet with a packet
structure from the transmitting device 12.
[00045] Action 213. The receiving device 10 transmits to the transmitting
device
12, at least one of: a received signal quality at the receiving device 10, a
quality of
the receiving device 10, and a feedback relating to the previously received
packet
associated with a radio channel condition of a channel between the receiving
device 10 and the transmitting device 12.
[00046] Action 214. The receiving device 10 receives data in an adjusted
packet
structure from the transmitting device 12, the adjusted packet structure being
based on the radio channel condition and/or the quality of the transmitting
device
12 and/or the receiving device 10.
[00047] To ease the description, the description is made under the assumption
that a packet comprises a synchronisation word, hereinafter referred to as a
syncword, a header field, and a data field as illustrated in Figure 3a. The
syncword may be used for synchronisation, for instance time and frequency
estimation; the header field may comprise the address of the intended
receiving
device 10, and possibly also of the transmitting device 12 in case that is
needed,
the length of the packet, and the modulation and coding scheme that is used
for
the actual data; and the data field may comprise the actual data. In the art
there
may be other terms used, and also the exact way of processing may be
different.
Instead of the syncword there may be a preamble and a syncword, and the
contents of the header may vary. Also, the data field may contain some control
information or may contain only user data. Regardless of which is the exact
packet structure, the present disclosure is applicable. Figure 3b shows a
packet
with pilot symbols or pilots in the data field.
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[00048] To further ease the description, suppose that the data may be coded by
means of an error correcting code of different rates, where the possible rates
are
1/L, where L = 2,4,8,16 is the order of redundancy. Here an increasing L,
i.e.,
lowering the rate resulting in lower data payload rate, is assumed to give
better
sensitivity, i.e. the received signal can be decoded at a lower received
power.
The sensitivity may be defined in absolute terms of the received power, e.g., -
100 dBm, or it may be conveniently defined by the signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR),
e.g. 3 dB. In embodiments described herein, the latter will be used.
Embodiments described herein will only discuss in terms of changed coding
rate,
assuming the same modulation is used all the time. In a more general case,
both
coding and modulation may be changed to make the transmission more or less
robust. All embodiments also cover the case that also the modulation would
have
been possible to change, but for the sake of simplicity the examples are only
discussing in terms of changing coding rate. One skilled in the art would
understand how the embodiments are to be interpreted in case of more than one
possible modulation format are used and how this relates to the data rate.
[00049] For the sake of illustration, suppose that L = 2 corresponds to a SNR=
3
dB, L = 4 corresponds to 0 dB, L = 8 corresponds to SNR = -3dB, and L = 16
corresponds to SNR = -6 dB. That is, for every doubling of L, a 3 dB gain in
sensitivity is obtained.
[00050] The above numbers may correspond to a situation where the receiving
device 10 has been properly synchronised to the transmitting device 12, i.e.
both
time and frequency may have been estimated, compensations may have been
made, etc. For this to be possible, a suitable syncword is needed. Basically,
the
lower the operating point, i.e., the lower the received SNR, the harder it
becomes
to synchronise. Suppose as for illustration, that the synchronisation is such
that
32 bits are needed for SNR = 3 dB, 64 bits are needed for SNR = 0 dB, 128 bits
are needed for SNR = -3 dB, and 256 bits are needed for SNR = -6dB.
[00051] Since synchronisation is needed for all values of L, this implies that
a
syncword of length 256 is needed in case the syncword is the same for all
values
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of L since that a syncword of length 256 is needed for the worst targeted
sensitivity operation condition when L is equal to 16. This effectively means
that
in case L = 2, (256-32) = 224 useless bits are transmitted in the syncword as
it
would have sufficed with a syncword of length 32.
[00052] According to embodiments herein the transmitting device 12 determines
a radio channel condition, a coding rate of the packet, a coding rate of a
header of
the packet, and/or a quality of the transmitting device 12 and/or the
receiving
device 10, and then determines, e.g. adjusts, a packet structure based on the
determined radio channel condition, the determined coding rate of the packet,
the
determined coding rate of the header of the packet, and/or the determined
quality
of the transmitting device 12 and/or the receiving device 10. The transmitting
device 12 then transmits data with the determined packet structure.
[00053] The channel radio condition may be determined based on at least one
of:
a received signal quality at the receiving device 10, and a feedback received
from
the receiving device 10 relating to a previously transmitted packet.
[00054] In some embodiments disclosed herein, illustrated in figure 4, the
transmitting device 12 may determine the packet structure by choosing a
synchronisation word depending on the coding rate used for the data. Figure 4
shows a first packet with a first syncword 41, a first header 42 and a high
rate
data field 43, a second packet with a second syncword 44, a second header
45 and a medium rate data field 46, a third packet with a third syncword 47, a
third header 48 and a low rate data field 49. Specifically, a shorter syncword
may be selected the higher the coding rate, i.e. a smaller L. In another
version of
this embodiment, the longer syncwords are constructed by repeating one of the
shorter syncwords an integer number of times. This is illustrated in Figure 5.
[00055] Also the coding required for the header may depend on the operating
point/condition, so also covered by this embodiment is when the coding for the
header may be selected based on the coding used for the user data. In Figure 6
this is illustrated. Thus this embodiment covers the case that at least one of
the
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syncword and the coding scheme used for the header may be made flexible and
may be selected based on the coding scheme used for the data payload.
[00056] Another property that may impact the performance of a receiver, i.e.
the
receiving device 10, is the received signal accuracy of, for instance, the
time and
frequency. This may for instance be the spread, tolerance, in a crystal
oscillator,
but it could also be what kind of architecture and component quality that is
used
for implementing a transmitter. E.g. an accurate transmitter with an accuracy
of
lppm, means that this corresponds to a frequency error of 2.5 kHz when the
carrier frequency is 2.5 GHz. For an inaccurate transmitter, with an accuracy
of
50 ppm, the frequency error may instead be 125kHz. 'Accuracy may be used
herein but also 'quality' of the transmitting device 12 and the receiving
device 10
is used herein. Specifically, in case an accurate, stable, transmitter is
used, it
may be possible to perform coherent accumulation of a large number of bits,
which is preferable from a performance point of view, whereas in case the
transmitter, i.e. the transmitting device 12, is less stable transmitting
signals with
lower quality, the receiving device 10 may have to use some more robust
mechanism, at least partly based on non-coherent combining. When the
receiving device 10 does not know if the frequency error may be large, the
receiving device 10 has to use the robust one since if in fact there is a
large
frequency error a less robust algorithm will not work. If it is so, however,
that the
signal is of high accuracy and with no frequency error it has been wasteful to
use
this robust mode. Methods for coherent and non-coherent combining are well
known in the art, and so is when it is preferable to use the respective
technique.
[00057] In some embodiments, this quality knowledge may be exploited in that
if
it is known that both the transmitting device 12 and the receiving device 10
are
accurate, a more efficient synchronisation technique may be used and thereby a
shorter syncword 61 may be used resulting in reduced overhead. In case the
transmitting device 12 is accurate, whereas the receiver is not (or vice
versa), a
somewhat longer syncword 62, and finally, if both the transmitter and the
receiver have low accuracy, e.g. only fulfilling the minimum requirements from
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specification, an even longer syncword 63 may be used. This embodiment is
illustrated in Figure 5. In this fig. 6 also the length of the header is
changed
based on the accuracy of the transmitter and the receiver. A short header 64
may be used if both the transmitting device 12 and the receiving device 10 has
high accuracy, i.e. high quality of the transmitting device 12 and the
receiving
device 10. A normal header 65 may be used if one of the transmitting device 12
and the receiving device 10 has high accuracy. And a long header 66 may be
used if none of the transmitting device 12 and the receiving device 10 has
high
accuracy. This header change may or may not be used, but both cases are
covered by this embodiment. The information about transmitting device 12 and
the receiving device 10 accuracy, e.g., high or minimum accuracy or quality,
may
be stored and updated in a device memory, storing information about the paired
devices. For example, if the transmitting device 12 has been successfully
paired
with receiving device 10 and learned about receiving device's
transmission/reception, TX/RX accuracy, the transmitting device 12 can store
this information along with other information it stores regarding to receiving
device 10. Alternatively, respective address may be reserved for respective
device meeting higher TX/RX accuracy requirements. In this case, a proper
syncword may be selected dependent on a recipient address.
[00058] To ensure that proper reception is obtained may be to send known
symbols embedded in the data to aid the receiving device 10. These known
symbols are commonly known as pilot symbols, or just pilots. As these pilots
are
overhead and do not carry explicit information, it may be desirable to send as
few
of these as possible. On the other hand, a sufficient number of pilots may be
needed in order to ensure that the data may be properly demodulated.
Typically,
the more variations there are in the signal, either due to varying radio
channel
conditions or due to variations in the transmitting device 12 and the
receiving
device 10, the more dense the pilots need to be sent. Thus, a third property
that
may depend on the radio channel condition (SNR), also referred to as operating
point, but in particular on the accuracy of the transmitting device 12 and the
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receiving device 10, is how much pilots are used in the transmission, e.g. how
many data symbols are transmitted between two pilots.
[00059] This is illustrated in figure 7, where more pilots are used the lower
the
coding rate is, i.e., the lower the expected operating condition reflected as
e.g.
the SNR at the receiving device 10. In the above embodiments, it has been
assumed that the syncword and/or the coding for the header is made dependent
on the coding rate used for the actual data in the way that given that the
coding
for the data is known, there is only one choice concerning what syncword to
use
and what coding for the header to use. In another embodiment, the receiving
device 10 is determining how well the synchronisation works in relation to
what is
needed for the particular coding being used, and feeds back this information
to
the transmitting device 12. In this embodiment the suitable syncword may be
based at least partly on feedback from the receiving device 10 to potentially
further minimise the overhead. This feedback may either be explicit or
implicit. In
the explicit type of feedback, the receiving device 10 may signal specific
information or index pointing out the syncword to use, e.g. if there are 8
different
syncwords numbered between 0 up to 7 to select from, the receiving device 10
may signal a selection value of '3' as example. An example of implicit
signalling
is that the transmitting device 10 may receive acknowledgements on safe
received data packages and may draw conclusion from that. In yet a further
embodiment, the method how to utilise such implicit measurements to find the
syncword or amount of pilots to use is disclosed. The method may be
exemplified for illustration purpose by the following sequence of transmitting
packets: the first packet is transmitted using a best performing, i.e.
longest,
syncword; if the transmission is acknowledged a second packet is transmitted
with a shorter syncword e.g. a second most reliable syncword; if this
transmission is also acknowledged a third packet is transmitted with a yet
shorter
syncword e.g. a third most reliable syncword, etc. If the transmitting device
12
reaches a shortest possible syncword and the transmitting device 12 keeps
receiving acknowledgements on received packets, then no further reduction in
the syncword length is done. On the other hand, when no acknowledgement is
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received; then for example a last packet is re-transmitted with the same
syncword as used at the failure; if this re-transmission also fails, i.e. no
acknowledgment received, the transmitting device 12 may re-transmit the packet
again with a next more robust, i.e. longer syncword, until acknowledgement is
received. Alternatively, no repetition of the failed syncword length is done,
and a
length increase is done in the next re-transmission directly. Embodiments
cover
different starting selection of syncword as well different selections of
syncwords
in the iterative stages. Further the embodiments also cover the selection of
the
starting syncword both as random, according to some other criteria as received
power level of packets from the receiving device 10 or as the transmitting
device
12 has recorded and stored in memory a latest previous used syncword or
related quality needed.
[00060] In an example, the transmitting device 12, also referred to as a first
wireless device, and the receiving device 10, also referred to as a second
wireless
device, first make contact in order to become paired. As described above, many
of
these short range technologies are based on ad-hoc methods in order to get
"connected" to each other. The transmitting device 12 and the receiving device
10
may send and/or receive one or more messages exchanging different information
about themselves. Once the two devices have some basic information about each
other, they are said to be paired. The information they exchange may for
example
relate to capabilities they have. The procedures or methods for getting paired
may
be Bluetooth, Wi-Fi based, HomeRF, 802.11 technologies or similar.
[00061] When the transmitting device 12 wants to send a packet to receiving
device 10, the packet may comprise, as described above, a syncword, a header
and a data part. Figure 8 is a flowchart of an exemplifying embodiment of a
method 800 performed by the transmitting device 12 for transmitting the packet
to
the receiving device 10. Firstly, the transmitting device 12 gets paired 810
with the
receiving device 10. Then the transmitting device 12 determines 820 at least
one
of: the coding rate or modulation of the data, the coding rate of the header,
the
received signal quality, the quality of the transmitting device 12 and/or the
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receiving device 10, and feedback received from the receiving device 10
relating
to a previous transmitted packet.
[00062] According to some embodiments herein, the transmitting device 12 may
then generate or determine 830 a syncword to be included in the packet to be
sent
to the receiving device 10. The transmitting device 12 thus determines the
syncword based on at least one of the coding rate or modulation of the data,
the
coding rate of the header, the received signal quality such as e.g. SNR or
Signal to
Noise and Interference Ratio (SINR) quality of the transmitting device 12
and/or
the receiving device 10, and feedback received from the receiving device 10
relating to a previous transmitted packet. Determining the syncword may
comprise
determining the length of the syncword and/or the syncword itself.
[00063] The coding rate of the data and the coding rate of the header may be
known to the transmitting device 12, since it is the transmitting device 12
that
determines the respective coding rate. The received signal quality may be
obtained in different ways. For example, the transmitting device 12 may
measure
the received signal quality of signals received from the receiving device 10,
either
when receiving data packets transmitted from the receiving device 10 or during
the
procedure for getting paired when the transmitting device 12 and the receiving
device 10 transmit and receive various signals for exchanging information. The
transmitting device 12 may alternatively receive a measurement report from the
receiving device 10 relating to the received signal quality of a previously
transmitted packet and/or signal transmitted from the transmitting device 12.
The
received signal quality may be mapped to a coding rate. For example, the
received
signal quality may be an estimate of SNR, and coding rate 1/2, i.e. repetition
factor L = 2, may be chosen if the estimated SNR = 3 dB; coding rate 1/4, i.e.
repetition factor L = 4, may be chosen if the estimated SNR = 0 dB; coding
rate
1/8, i.e. repetition factor L = 8, may be chosen if the estimated SNR = -3dB;
and
coding rate 1/16, i.e. repetition factor L = 16, may be chosen if the
estimated
SNR = -6 dB.
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[00064] Information relating to the quality or accuracy of the transmitting
device
12 and the receiving device 10 may be exchanged between the devices at some
point, for example during the procedure to become paired. Thus, the
transmitting
device 12 has knowledge of the quality of the receiving device 10 as well as
its
own quality.
[00065] Also as described above, the receiving device 10 may send
acknowledgements of received transmissions which may indicate either just
received or may alternatively also comprise information about e.g. received
signal
quality or any other information that the transmitting device 12 may use to
deduce
that the syncword of the previous transmission was just enough or possible too
long.
[00066] The transmitting device 12 may further determine a density of pilot
symbols to use in the packet to be sent to the receiving device 10. The
transmitting device 12 may determine the density, i.e. how many pilot symbols
to
insert in the packet, based on e.g. the received signal quality and/or the
quality of
the transmitting device 12 and/or the receiving device 10.
[00067] An advantage with the proposed methods and apparatuses is that
embodiments herein may minimise the overhead that is needed in a packet based
system where more than one fixed packet type, data rate and/or operational
condition are used. Embodiments herein may also allow for decreased overhead
in case the transmitter, the receiver, or both transmitter and receiver are
implemented with a better quality i.e. accuracy and performance than minimum
required by the specification. A reduced overhead may directly translate into
improved power efficiency, increased battery life, reduced interference to
other
devices, and smaller probability of being interfered by other devices. This in
its
turn leads to an improved performance of the wireless communication network 1.
[00068] By some embodiments and examples described above, a transmitting
device 12 is provided where at least one of the synchronisation word and the
modulation and coding used for the header of a packet may at least in part be
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selected based on what coding and modulation is used for the data part of the
packet.
[00069] A longer synchronisation word may be used the more robust coding
and/or modulation is used for the data part of the packet.
[00070] A more robust coding scheme for the header may be selected when a
more robust coding scheme is used for the data.
[00071] A transmitting device 12 and a communication system are disclosed
where there are more than one possible syncword and where the selected
syncword to be used may at least partly be based on the accuracy of at least
one
of the transmitting device 12 and the receiving device 10.
[00072] A transmitting device 12 and a communication system are disclosed
using pilots embedded in the data part of the signal, wherein the fraction of
pilots
relative to the data is dependent on what modulation and coding is used for
the
data.
[00073] A transmitting device 12 and a communication system are disclosed
using pilots embedded in the data part of the signal/packet, wherein the
fraction of
pilots relative to the data may be dependent on the accuracy of at least one
of the
transmitting wireless device and the receiving wireless device.
[00074] A transmitting device 12 and a communication system are disclosed,
where a higher fraction of pilots may be used the less accurately the at least
one
of the transmitting wireless device and receiving wireless device is.
[00075] A transmitting device 12 and a communication system are disclosed,
where more than one syncword may be used, and where the longer syncwords
are constructed by repeating one of the shorter syncwords an integer number of
times.
[00076] An iterative method to implicitly find the syncword to use is
disclosed
herein.
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[00077] A method performed by a transmitting device 12 is disclosed for
selecting
the starting syncword to use.
[00078] Fig. 9 is a block diagram of the transmitting device 12 adapted to
perform
the methods described above for transmitting a packet to the receiving device
10
in the wireless communication network 1. The transmitting device 12 is
configured
to determine one or more of: a radio channel condition of a channel between
the
transmitting device 12 and the receiving device 10, a coding rate or
modulation of
the packet, a coding rate of a header of the packet, and a quality of the
transmitting device 12 and/or the receiving device 10.
[00079] The transmitting device 12 is configured to determine a packet
structure
based on the determined radio channel condition, the determined coding rate or
modulation of the packet, the determined coding rate of the header of the
packet,
and/or the determined quality of the transmitting device 12 and/or the
receiving
device 10.
[00080] The transmitting device 12 is further configured to transmit data with
the
determined packet structure to the receiving device 10.
[00081] The transmitting device 12 may further be configured to determine the
radio channel condition based on at least one of: a received signal quality at
the
receiving device 10, and a feedback received from the receiving device 10
relating
to a previously transmitted packet.
[00082] The transmitting device 12 may further be configured to determine
packet
structure by determining a synchronisation word in the packet structure based
on
the determined radio channel condition, the determined coding rate or
modulation
of the packet, the determined coding rate of the header of the packet, and/or
the
determined quality of the transmitting device 12 and/or the receiving device
10.
[00083] The transmitting device 12 may further be configured to determine
packet
structure by determining a shorter synchronisation word when a higher coding
rate
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is used for data than a synchronisation word when a lower coding rate is used
for
data.
[00084] The transmitting device 12 may further be configured to construct the
synchronisation word by repeating one shorter synchronisation word an integer
number of times.
[00085] The transmitting device 12 may be configured to determine packet
structure by determining a density of pilot signals in the packet structure
based on
the determined radio channel condition, the determined coding rate or
modulation
of the packet, the determined coding rate of the header of the packet, and/or
the
determined quality of the transmitting device 12 and/or the receiving device
10.
[00086] The transmitting device 12 may be configured to determine packet
structure by changing a coding or modulation for the header in the packet
structure
based on a coding or modulation used for a user data.
[00087] The transmitting device 12 may be configured to determine packet
structure by changing length of a header in the packet structure based on the
determined radio channel condition, the determined coding rate or modulation
of
the packet, the determined coding rate of the header of the packet, and/or the
determined quality of the transmitting device 12 and/or the receiving device
10.
[00088] The transmitting device 12 may further be configured to pair the
transmitting device 12 with the receiving device 10.
[00089] The transmitting device 12 may further be configured to determine the
packet structure to minimize overhead in the packet structure.
[00090] The transmitting device 12 may comprise a processor 921 and memory
922, wherein the memory 922 comprises instructions which when executed by the
processor 921 causes the transmitting device 12 to perform the methods
described above.
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[00091] Figure 9 also illustrates the transmitting device 12 comprising a
memory
910. It shall be pointed out that figure 9 is merely an exemplifying
illustration and
memory 910 may be optional, be a part of the memory 922 or be a further memory
of the transmitting device 12. The memory may for example comprise information
relating to the transmitting device 12, to statistics of operation of the
transmitting
device 12, just to give a couple of illustrating examples. In another example,
the
memory 910 comprises information relating to the receiving device, e.g.
obtained
during the pairing of the transmitting and the receiving device. Figure 9
further
illustrates the transmitting device 12 comprising processing means 920, which
comprises the memory 922 and the processor 921. Still further, figure 9
illustrates
the transmitting device 12 comprising a communication unit 930. The
communication unit 930 may comprise an interface through which the
transmitting
device 12 communicates with other nodes or entities of the wireless
communication network as well as wireless device and the receiving device 10
of
the wireless communication network 1. Figure 9 also illustrates the
transmitting
device 12 comprising further functionality 940. The further functionality 940
may
comprise hardware of software necessary for the transmitting device 12 to
perform
different tasks that are not disclosed herein.
[00092] Figure 10 is a block diagram of the transmitting device 12 for
performing
the methods described above. The transmitting device 900 is an example and
illustrated comprising a receiving unit 1003 for receiving transmissions and
signals from other nodes and devices, e.g. receiving device 10 during pairing.
The
transmitting device 12 is also illustrated comprising a pairing unit 1004 for
performing actions relating to the pairing process with another device, e.g.
the
receiving device 10. Further, the transmitting device 12 is illustrated
comprising a
determining unit 1005 for determining e.g. the syncword as described above and
a transmitting unit 1006 for transmitting the packet to another node or
device,
e.g. receiving device 10.
[00093] The processing means 920 and/or the determining unit 1005 may be
configured to determine one or more of: a radio channel condition of a channel
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between the transmitting device 12 and the receiving device 10, a coding rate
or
modulation of the packet, a coding rate of a header of the packet, and a
quality of
the transmitting device 12 and/or the receiving device 10.
[00094] The processing means 920 and/or the determining unit 1005 may be
configured to determine a packet structure based on the determined radio
channel
condition, the determined coding rate or modulation of the packet, the
determined
coding rate of the header of the packet, and/or the determined quality of the
transmitting device 12 and/or the receiving device 10.
[00095] The processing means 920 and/or the transmitting unit 1006 may be
configured to transmit data with the determined packet structure to the
receiving
device 10.
[00096] The processing means 920 and/or the determining unit 1005 may be
configured to determine the radio channel condition based on at least one of:
a
received signal quality at the receiving device 10, and a feedback received
from
the receiving device 10 relating to a previously transmitted packet.
[00097] The processing means 920 and/or the determining unit 1005 may be
configured to determine packet structure by determining a synchronisation word
in
the packet structure based on the determined radio channel condition, the
determined coding rate or modulation of the packet, the determined coding rate
of
the header of the packet, and/or the determined quality of the transmitting
device
12 and/or the receiving device 10.
[00098] The processing means 920 and/or the determining unit 1005 may be
configured to determine packet structure by determining a shorter
synchronisation
word when a higher coding rate is used for data than a synchronisation word
when
a lower coding rate is used for data.
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[00099] The processing means 920 and/or the determining unit 1005 may be
configured to construct the synchronisation word by repeating one shorter
synchronisation word an integer number of times.
[000100] The processing means 920 and/or the determining unit 1005 may be
configured to determine packet structure by determining a density of pilot
signals
in the packet structure based on the determined radio channel condition, the
determined coding rate or modulation of the packet, the determined coding rate
of
the header of the packet, and/or the determined quality of the transmitting
device
12 and/or the receiving device 10.
[000101] The processing means 920 and/or the determining unit 1005 may be
configured to determine packet structure by changing a coding or modulation
for
the header in the packet structure based on a coding or modulation used for a
user data.
[000102] The processing means 920 and/or the determining unit 1005 may be
configured to determine packet structure by changing length of a header in the
packet structure based on the determined radio channel condition, the
determined
coding rate of the packet, the determined coding rate or modulation of the
header
of the packet, and/or the determined quality of the transmitting device 12
and/or
the receiving device 10.
[000103] The processing means 920 and/or the pairing unit 1004 may be
configured to pair the transmitting device 12 with the receiving device 10.
[000104] The processing means 920 and/or the determining unit 1005 may be
configured to determine the packet structure to minimize overhead in the
packet
structure.
[000105] In Fig. 10, the transmitting device 12 is also illustrated comprising
a
communication unit 1001. Through this communication unit 1001, the
transmitting device 12 is adapted to communicate with other nodes and/or
entities
in the wireless communication network 1. The communication unit 1001 may
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comprise more than one receiving arrangement. For example, the communication
unit 1001 may be connected to both a wire and an antenna, by means of which
the
transmitting device 12 enabled to communicate with other nodes and/or entities
and devices in the wireless communication network. Similarly, the
communication
unit 1001 may comprise more than one transmitting arrangement, which in turn
may be connected to both a wire and an antenna, by means of which the
transmitting device 12 is enabled to communicate with other nodes and/or
entities
and devices in the wireless communication network. The transmitting device
12further comprises a memory 1002 for storing data. Further, the transmitting
device 12 may comprise a control or processing unit (not shown) which in turn
is
connected to the different units 1003-1006. It shall be pointed out that this
is
merely an illustrative example and the transmitting device 12 may comprise
more,
less or other units or modules which execute the functions of the transmitting
device 12 in the same manner as the units illustrated in Fig. 10.
[000106] It should be noted that Fig. 10 merely illustrates various functional
units
in the transmitting device 12 in a logical sense. The functions in practice
may be
implemented using any suitable software and hardware means/circuits etc. Thus,
the embodiments are generally not limited to the shown structures of the
transmitting device 12 and the functional units. Hence, the previously
described
exemplary embodiments may be realised in many ways. For example, one
embodiment includes a computer-readable medium having instructions stored
thereon that are executable by the control or processing unit for executing
the
method steps in the transmitting device 12. The instructions executable by the
computing system and stored on the computer-readable medium perform the
method steps of the transmitting device 12 as described above.
[000107] Fig. 11 schematically shows an embodiment of an arrangement in the
transmitting device 12. Comprised in the arrangement in the transmitting
device 12
are here a processing unit 1106, e.g. with a Digital Signal Processor, DSP.
The
processing unit 1006 may be a single unit or a plurality of units to perform
different
actions of procedures described herein. The transmitting device 12 may also
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comprise an input unit 1102 for receiving signals from other entities, and an
output unit 1104 for providing signal(s) to other entities. The input unit
1102 and
the output unit 1104 may be arranged as an integrated entity or as illustrated
in the
example of figure 10, as one or more interfaces or communication units 1001.
[000108] Furthermore, the arrangement in the transmitting device 12 comprises
at
least one computer program product 1108 in the form of a non-volatile memory,
e.g. an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), a
flash memory and a hard drive. The computer program product 1108 comprises a
computer program 1110, which comprises code means, which when executed in
the processing unit 1106 in the arrangement in the transmitting device 12
causes
the transmitting device 12 to perform the actions e.g. of the procedure
described
earlier, for example as in Fig. 2.
[000109] The computer program 1110 may be configured as a computer program
code structured in computer program modules 1110a-1110e. Hence, in an
exemplifying embodiment, the code means in the computer program of the
transmitting device 12 comprises a receiving unit, or module, for receiving
transmissions and signals from other nodes and devices, e.g. receiving device.
The computer program further comprises a pairing unit, or module, for
performing
actions relating to the pairing process with another device, e.g. receiving
device
10. Further, the computer program comprises a determining unit, or module, for
determining the syncword as described above and a transmitting unit, or
module,
for transmitting the packet to another node or device, e.g. receiving device
10.
[000110] The computer program modules could essentially perform the actions
described above, or of the flow illustrated in Fig. 2, to emulate the
transmitting
device 12. In other words, when the different computer program modules are
executed in the processing unit 1106, they may correspond to the units 1003-
1006
of Fig. 10.
[000111] Although the code means in the embodiments and examples disclosed
above may be implemented as computer program modules which when executed
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in the processing unit causes the transmitting device to perform the actions
described above, at least one of the code means may in alternative embodiments
be implemented at least partly as hardware circuits.
[000112] The processor may be a single Central Processing Unit, CPU, but could
also comprise two or more processing units. For example, the processor may
include general purpose microprocessors; instruction set processors and/or
related chips sets and/or special purpose microprocessors such as Application
Specific Integrated Circuits, ASICs. The processor may also comprise board
memory for caching purposes. The computer program may be carried by a
computer program product connected to the processor. The computer program
product may comprise a computer readable medium on which the computer
program is stored. For example, the computer program product may be a flash
memory, a Random-Access Memory RAM, Read-Only Memory, ROM, or an
EEPROM, and the computer program modules described above could in
alternative embodiments be distributed on different computer program products
in
the form of memories within the transmitting device.
[000113] It is to be understood that the choice of interacting units, as well
as the
naming of the units within this disclosure are only for exemplifying purpose,
and
nodes suitable to execute any of the methods described above may be configured
in a plurality of alternative ways in order to be able to execute the
suggested
procedure actions.
[000114] It should also be noted that the units described in this disclosure
are to
be regarded as logical entities and not with necessity as separate physical
entities.
[000115] Fig. 12 is a block diagram depicting the receiving device 10 for
receiving
a packet from a transmitting device 12 in a wireless communication network 1.
The
receiving device 10 is configured to receive a packet with a packet structure
from
the transmitting device 12.
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[000116] The receiving device 10 is further configured to transmit, to the
transmitting device 12, at least one of: a received signal quality at the
receiving
device 10, a quality of the receiving device 10, and a feedback relating to
the
previously received packet associated with a radio channel condition of a
channel
between the receiving device 10 and the transmitting device 12.
[000117] The receiving device 10 is further configured to receive data in an
adjusted packet structure from the transmitting device 12, the adjusted packet
structure being based on the radio channel condition and/or a quality of the
transmitting device 12 and/or the receiving device 10.
[000118] The receiving device 10 may further be configured to pair the
receiving
device 10 with the transmitting device 12.
[000119] For example, the receiving device 10 may comprise processing means
1201. The receiving device may comprise a receiving module 1202. The
processing means 1201 and/or the receiving module 1202 may be configured to
receive the packet with a packet structure from the transmitting device 12.
The
processing means 1201 and/or the receiving module 1202 may further be
configured to receive data in an adjusted packet structure from the
transmitting
device 12, the adjusted packet structure being based on the radio channel
condition and/or a quality of the transmitting device 12 and/or the receiving
device
10.
[000120] The receiving device may comprise a transmitting module 1203. The
processing means 1201 and/or the transmitting module 1203 may be configured to
transmit, to the transmitting device 12, at least one of: a received signal
quality at
the receiving device 10, a quality of the receiving device 10, and a feedback
relating to the previously received packet associated with a radio channel
condition of a channel between the receiving device 10 and the transmitting
device
12.
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[000121] The receiving device may comprise a pairing module 1204. The
processing means 1201 and/or the pairing module 1204 may be configured to pair
the receiving device 10 with the transmitting device 12.
[000122] The methods according to the embodiments described herein for the
receiving device 10 are respectively implemented by means of e.g. a computer
program 1205 or a computer program product, comprising instructions, i.e.,
software code portions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause
the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as
performed
by the receiving device 10. The computer program 1205 may be stored on a
computer-readable storage medium 1206, e.g. a disc or similar. The computer-
readable storage medium 1206, having stored thereon the computer program,
may comprise the instructions which, when executed on at least one processor,
cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as
performed by the receiving device 10. In some embodiments, the computer-
readable storage medium may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage
medium.
[000123] As will be readily understood by those familiar with communications
design, that functions means or modules may be implemented using digital logic
and/or one or more microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other digital
hardware.
In some embodiments, several or all of the various functions may be
implemented
together, such as in a single application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC),
or in two
or more separate devices with appropriate hardware and/or software interfaces
between them. Several of the functions may be implemented on a processor
shared with other functional components of a wireless device or network node,
for
example.
[000124] Alternatively, several of the functional elements of the processing
means
discussed may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware, while others
are provided with hardware for executing software, in association with the
appropriate software or firmware. Thus, the term "processor" or "controller"
as
used herein does not exclusively refer to hardware capable of executing
software
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and may implicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP)
hardware, read-only memory (ROM) for storing software, random-access memory
for storing software and/or program or application data, and non-volatile
memory.
Other hardware, conventional and/or custom, may also be included. Designers of
communications receivers will appreciate the cost, performance, and
maintenance
tradeoffs inherent in these design choices.
[000125] According to an aspect a method performed by a transmitting device
for
transmitting a packet to a receiving device is provided in some embodiments.
The
method may comprise pairing itself with the receiving device; and determining
at
least one of coding rate of the data, coding rate of the header, received
signal
quality, quality of the transmitting device and/or the receiving device, and
feedback
received from the receiving device relating to a previous transmitted packet.
The
method may further comprise determining a syncword (synchronisation word)
based on at least one of coding rate of the data, coding rate of the header,
received signal quality, quality of the transmitting device and/or the
receiving
device, and feedback received from the receiving device relating to a previous
transmitted packet.
[000126] According to an aspect, a transmitting device adapted for
transmitting a
packet to a receiving device is provided in some embodiments. The transmitting
device may be configured to pair itself with the receiving device; and to
determine
at least one of coding rate of the data, coding rate of the header, received
signal
quality, quality of the transmitting device and/or the receiving device, and
feedback
received from the receiving device relating to a previous transmitted packet.
The
transmitting device may further be configured to determine a syncword based on
at least one of coding rate of the data, coding rate of the header, received
signal
quality, quality of the transmitting device and/or the receiving device, and
feedback
received from the receiving device relating to a previous transmitted packet.
[000127] It will be appreciated that the foregoing description and the
accompanying drawings represent non-limiting examples of the methods and
apparatus taught herein. As such, the inventive apparatus and techniques
taught
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herein are not limited by the foregoing description and accompanying drawings.
Instead, the embodiments herein are limited only by the following claims and
their
legal equivalents.
