# US 10,771,198 B2 · Adaptive repetition in wireless communication systems > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,771,198 B2 - Document ID: US10771198B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/982,117 - Filed: 2018-05-17 - Published: 2019-11-21 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2018-05-17 - Assignees: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. - Applicants: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. - Inventors: Yupeng Jia; Darwin Parra; Prabhakara Aithal; Ping-Chun Hsieh - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10771198B2 ## CPC - H04L 1/0009: {by adapting the channel coding (H04L1/1812 takes precedence)} - H04L 1/1825: Adaptation of specific ARQ protocol parameters according to transmission conditions - H04L 1/0002: {by adapting the transmission rate} - H04L 1/0026: {Transmission of channel quality indication} - H04L 1/003: {Adaptive formatting arrangements particular to signalling, e.g. variable amount of bits} - H04L 1/08: by repeating transmission, e.g. Verdan system {(H04L1/1858 and H04L1/189 take precedence)} - H04L 1/189: {Transmission or retransmission of more than one copy of a message} - H04L 1/20: using signal quality detector - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract The described technology is generally directed towards adaptively selecting a repetition level in wireless communications, based on events to improve coverage range via the repetition level while not unnecessarily reducing throughput. One such event can include a current signal-to-noise-ratio, e.g., as reported in a channel quality indicator report from a user equipment. Another such event can comprise a number of consecutive hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgments or negative acknowledgments (HARQ ACKS/NACKS), in which consecutive ACKs tend to indicate good signal quality, while consecutive NACKs tend to indicate poor signal quality. A combination of channel quality indicator-based adaptive repetition level and HARQ ACK/NACK-based adaptive repetition level can be employed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method, comprising: configuring, by a network device comprising a processor, a user equipment with a first repetition level, wherein the first repetition level is applicable to repetition of a data block communicated between the user equipment and the network device for a transmission of the data block; detecting, by the network device, a channel quality event corresponding to an indicator of a change in channel quality between the user equipment and the network device, wherein the detecting the channel quality event comprises determining that a counter associated with hybrid automatic repeat request feedback has reached a threshold value that is greater than one; and in response to the detecting of the channel quality event, facilitating, by the network device, a change of the first repetition level in use by the user equipment to a second repetition level. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the channel quality event further comprises evaluating a channel quality indicator reported by the user equipment, and wherein the facilitating the change of the first repetition level to the second repetition level comprises: in response to the channel quality indicator reported by the user equipment indicating an increase in signal quality, facilitating a decrease of the first repetition level to the second repetition level, and in response to the channel quality indicator reported by the user equipment indicating a decrease in the signal quality, facilitating an increase of the first repetition level to the second repetition level. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the facilitating the change of the first repetition level to the second repetition level comprises accessing a data structure that maps the channel quality indicator to a specified repetition level. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the channel quality event further comprises receiving the hybrid automatic repeat request feedback in response to a data block request, and wherein the facilitating the change of the first repetition level to the second repetition level comprises facilitating the change of the first repetition level to the second repetition level based on the hybrid automatic repeat request feedback. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the receiving the hybrid automatic repeat request feedback comprises receiving a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment, and wherein the facilitating the change of the first repetition level to the second repetition level comprises facilitating an increase of the counter, wherein the counter is a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment counter, and based on determining that the hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment counter has reached the threshold value, facilitating a decrease of the first repetition level to change to the second repetition level. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the facilitating the decrease of the first repetition level to the second repetition level comprises dividing the first repetition level by two to obtain the second repetition level. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, further comprising, in response to the receiving the hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment, resetting, by the network device, a hybrid automatic repeat request negative acknowledgment counter. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the receiving the hybrid automatic repeat request feedback comprises receiving a hybrid automatic repeat request negative acknowledgment, and wherein the facilitating the change of the first repetition level to the second repetition level comprises facilitating an increase of the counter, wherein the counter is a hybrid automatic repeat request negative acknowledgment counter, and based on determining that the hybrid automatic repeat request negative acknowledgment counter has reached the threshold value, facilitating an increase of the first repetition level to the second repetition level. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the facilitating the increase of the first repetition level to the second repetition level comprises multiplying the first repetition level by two to obtain the second repetition level. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising, in response to the receiving the hybrid automatic repeat request negative acknowledgment, resetting, by the network device, a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment counter. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the channel quality event further comprises evaluating a channel quality indicator reported by the user equipment, and wherein the facilitating the change of the first repetition level to the second repetition level comprises: in response to the channel quality indicator reported by the user equipment indicating an increase in signal quality, facilitating a decrease of the first repetition level to the second repetition level, or in response to the channel quality indicator reported by the user equipment indicating a decrease in the signal quality, facilitating an increase of the first repetition level to the second repetition level, or event corresponding to the change in the channel quality, or wherein the detecting the channel quality event further comprises receiving the hybrid automatic repeat request feedback in response to a data block request, and wherein the facilitating the change of the first repetition level to the second repetition level comprises facilitating the change of the first repetition level to the second repetition level based on the hybrid automatic repeat request feedback. ### Claim 12 A network device, comprising: a processor; and a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising: detecting a channel quality event corresponding to a change in channel quality between a user equipment and the network device, wherein the detecting the channel quality event comprises determining that a counter associated with hybrid automatic repeat request feedback has reached a threshold value that is greater than one; and configuring the user equipment with a data block repetition level based on the channel quality event, wherein the data block repetition level is applicable to repetition of a data block communicated between the user equipment and the network device for a transmission of the data block. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The network device of claim 12, wherein the detecting the channel quality event further comprises evaluating a channel quality indicator reported by the user equipment, and wherein the configuring the user equipment with the repetition level based on the channel quality event comprises accessing a data structure that maps the channel quality indicator to a specified repetition level and configuring the user equipment with the specified repetition level as the data block repetition level. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The network device of claim 12, wherein the detecting the channel quality event further corresponding to the change in the channel quality comprises receiving the hybrid automatic repeat request feedback, and wherein the configuring the user equipment with the data block repetition level based on the channel quality event comprises changing a first data block repetition level in use by a the equipment to a second data block repetition level based on the hybrid automatic repeat request feedback. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The network device of claim 14, wherein the receiving the hybrid automatic repeat request feedback comprises receiving a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment, and wherein the changing the first data block repetition level to the second data block repetition level based on the channel quality event comprises increasing the counter, wherein the counter is a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment counter, determining that the hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment counter has reached the threshold value, and based on the determining, decreasing the first data block repetition level to change to the second data block repetition level. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The network device of claim 14, wherein the receiving the hybrid automatic repeat request feedback comprises receiving a hybrid automatic repeat request negative acknowledgment, and wherein the changing the first data block repetition level to the second data block repetition level based on the channel quality event comprises increasing the counter, wherein the counter is a hybrid automatic repeat request negative acknowledgment counter, determining that the hybrid automatic repeat request negative acknowledgment counter has reached the threshold value, and based on the determining, increasing the first data block repetition level to change to the second data block repetition level. ### Claim 17 A machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a network device, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising: facilitating configuring a user equipment with a first repetition level, wherein the first repetition level is applicable to repetition of a data block communicated between the user equipment and the network device for a transmission of the data block; detecting a channel quality event corresponding to an indicator of a change in channel quality between the user equipment and the network device, wherein the detecting the channel quality event comprises determining that a counter associated with hybrid automatic repeat request feedback has reached a threshold value that is greater than one; and reconfiguring the first repetition level to a second repetition level based on the channel quality event. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the detecting the channel quality event further comprises evaluating a channel quality indicator reported by the user equipment, and wherein the reconfiguring the first repetition level to the second repetition level based on the channel quality event comprises decreasing the first repetition level to change to the second repetition level in response to the channel quality indicator being determined to indicate improved signal quality, and increasing the first repetition level to change to the second repetition level in response to the channel quality indicator reported by the user equipment being determined to indicate reduced signal quality. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the detecting the channel quality event further comprises receiving the hybrid automatic repeat request feedback from the user equipment in response to a data block request, and wherein the reconfiguring the first repetition level to the second repetition level based on the channel quality event comprises changing the first repetition level to the second repetition level based on the hybrid automatic repeat request feedback. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the detecting the channel quality event further comprises evaluating a channel quality indicator reported by the user equipment or receiving the hybrid automatic repeat request feedback from the user equipment, and wherein the reconfiguring the first repetition level to the second repetition level based on the channel quality event comprises changing the first repetition level to the second repetition level based on the channel quality indicator or based on the hybrid automatic repeat request feedback.