# US 11,910,233 B2 · Reliable data packet transmission among entities of a radio access network of a mobile communication network > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,910,233 B2 - Document ID: US11910233B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/165,893 - Filed: 2023-02-07 - Published: 2023-06-08 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2017-03-23 - Assignees: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. - Applicants: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. - Inventors: Thomas Wirth; Thomas Schierl; Cornelius Hellge; Eiko Seidel - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11910233B2 ## CPC - H04L 5/0094: {Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated} - H04W 28/04: Error control - H04L 1/1812: Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ] - H04L 1/1819: {with retransmission of additional or different redundancy} - H04L 1/1851: {using multiple timers} - H04L 1/1896: {ARQ related signaling} - H04L 5/0044: {Allocation of payload; Allocation of data channels, e.g. PDSCH or PUSCH} - H04W 28/0268: {using specific QoS parameters for wireless networks, e.g. QoS class identifier [QCI] or guaranteed bit rate [GBR] (negotiating SLA or negotiating QoS H04W28/24)} - H04W 28/06: Optimizing {the usage of the radio link}, e.g. header compression, information sizing {, discarding information (system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365)} - H04W 64/003: {locating network equipment} - H04W 76/27: Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states - H04W 80/02: Data link layer protocols - H04W 80/08: Upper layer protocols {(network arrangements or communication protocols for networked applications H04L67/00)} - H04L 5/0055: {Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK (for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861)} - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A user equipment for a mobile communication network is provided. The mobile communication network has a radio access network including a plurality of cells and being configured to serve the user equipment within a cell. To receive a data packet from the radio access network, the user equipment is configured to receive a plurality of different versions of the data packet transmitted by the radio access network to the user equipment in parallel via different physical resources. To provide a data packet to the radio access network, the user equipment is configured to provide a plurality of different versions of the data packet and to transmit the plurality of different versions of the data packet to the radio access network in parallel via different physical resources. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A user equipment (UE) for a mobile communication network, the mobile communication network comprising a radio access network (RAN) comprising a plurality of cells and being configured to serve the user equipment within a cell, the user equipment comprising: one or more antennas for receiving from and/or providing to the radio access network a data packet, and a signal processor, wherein, to receive the data packet from the radio access network, the user equipment is configured to receive a plurality of different versions of the data packet transmitted by the radio access network to the user equipment in parallel via different physical resources, and/or wherein, to provide the data packet to the radio access network, the user equipment is configured to provide a plurality of different versions of the data packet and to transmit the plurality of different versions of the data packet to the radio access network in parallel via different physical resources, wherein the plurality of different versions of the data packet are acquired by performing a packet redundancy/duplication, and wherein the user equipment (UE) is configured to send or receive for the plurality of different versions of the data packet a single ACK/NACK message, or only a NACK message wherein the single ACK/NACK message includes information about which physical resource provided an ACK and which physical resource provided a NACK. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the information included in the single ACK/NACK message provides for a dynamic adaption of a packet redundancy/duplication decision. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The user equipment of claim 2, wherein, after a number of successive NACKs, one or more non-reliable links are removed from the set of links to be used for transmitting the plurality of different versions of the data packet. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the single ACK/NACK message or the NACK message is encoded using a stronger coding when compared to ACK/NACK messages sent for every transmission. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the NACK message causes a reconfiguration of the packet redundancy/duplication to make the transmission reliable again. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the different physical resources comprise one or more of: different frequency resources, or different carriers (carrier aggregation), or different physical links (dual connectivity), or different resource pools for a direct communication. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The user equipment of claim 1, wherein transmitting the plurality of different versions of the data packet in parallel comprises transmitting the plurality of different versions of the data packet in a coordinated manner, and wherein transmitting the plurality of different versions of the data packet in a coordinated manner comprises one or more of: transmitting the plurality of different versions of the data packet in a time coordinated manner, or transmitting the plurality of different versions of the data packet together with control information identifying the plurality of different versions of the data packet. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the radio access network comprises a certain data radio bearer and/or a certain logic channel, and wherein the certain data radio bearer and/or the certain logic channel exhibits a static configuration causing that for each data packet the plurality of different versions is provided, or wherein the certain data radio bearer and/or the certain logic channel exhibits an adaptive configuration causing that providing the plurality of different versions of the data packet is switched on or off or deciding about a number and details of the physical resources to be used for providing the plurality of different versions of the data packet. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the radio access network is configured to transmit the plurality of different versions of the data packet via a plurality of transmission links, each using different physical resources, and to receive, for each transmission link, a control signaling message (PDCCH) indicating the physical resources allocated to the plurality of different versions of the data packet. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The user equipment of claim 9, wherein the one or more control signaling messages, and the plurality of different versions of the data packet are part of one self-contained physical resource allocation. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the radio access network is configured to transmit a control signaling message to the user equipment indicating that the user equipment to operate in an autonomous mode, the control signaling message defining one or more conditions when the user equipment provides one version or the plurality of different versions of the uplink data packet and transmits the one version or the plurality of different versions of the uplink data packet to the radio access network or to another user equipment via different uplink physical resources, wherein the user equipment is configured to determine whether or not one or more of the conditions exist. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The user equipment of claim 11, wherein the one or more conditions comprise one or more of: one or more predefined thresholds of user equipment measurements, or an indication the UE receives from a higher layer protocol (cross layer design), or a position of the user equipment within the cell, or a distance form a serving base station, or a speed at which the user equipment moves, or a transmission power currently used by the user equipment, or battery power of the user equipment. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The user equipment of claim 1, wherein data packet redundancy is provided for providing RRC diversity to make RRC control signaling faster and more reliable. ### Claim 14 A mobile communication network, comprising: a radio access network comprising a plurality of cells, the radio access network being configured to serve a user equipment within a cell, wherein, to provide a data packet to the user equipment, the radio access network is configured to provide a plurality of different versions of the data packet and to transmit the plurality of different versions of the data packet to the user equipment in parallel via different physical resources, and/or wherein, to provide a data packet to the radio access network, the user equipment is configured to provide a plurality of different versions of the data packet and to transmit the plurality of different versions of the data packet to the radio access network in parallel via different physical resources, wherein the plurality of different versions of the data packet are acquired by performing a packet redundancy/duplication, and wherein the user equipment (UE) is configured to send or receive for the plurality of different versions of the data packet a single ACK/NACK message, or only a NACK message, wherein the single ACK/NACK message includes information about which physical resource provided an ACK and which physical resource provided a NACK. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The mobile communication network of claim 14, wherein the radio access network comprises a plurality of base stations to serve the user equipment within the cell, a first base station is configured to provide a first transmission link to the user equipment, and a second base station is configured to provide a second transmission link to the user equipment, the first and second transmission links being separate from each other, and to provide a data packet to the user equipment, the radio access network is configured to transmit the plurality of different versions of the data packet to the user equipment in parallel via the first and second transmission links to the user equipment. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The mobile communication network of claim 14, wherein the first base station is a primary base station, and the second base station is a secondary base station, the primary and secondary base stations comprising a common radio bearer for the connection to the user equipment, the MAC layer of the radio access network protocol stack of the common radio bearer is configured to receive the data packet, to provide the plurality of different versions of the data packet, and to send the plurality of different versions of the data packet towards multiple downlink shared channels (DL-SCH/PDSCH) on different component carriers (CC), wherein a first component carrier provides the first transmission link from the primary base station to the user equipment, and a second component carrier provides the second transmission link from the secondary base station to the user equipment. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The mobile communication network of claim 14, wherein the first base station and the second base station are independent base stations comprising independent radio bearers for the connection to the user equipment, the PDCP layer of the radio access network protocol stack of a first radio bearer for the first base station is configured to receive the data packet, to provide the plurality of different versions of the data packet, to send the data packet towards the MAC layer of the first radio bearer, and to send the plurality of different versions of the data packet the MAC layer of a second radio bearer for the second base station, and the MAC layers of the first and second radio bearers send the plurality of different versions of the data packet towards multiple downlink shared channels (DL-SCH/PDSCH) on the independent transmission links from the first base station to the user equipment, and from the second base station to the user equipment. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The mobile communication network of claim 14, wherein at least one of the first base station and second base stations is a primary base station having associated therewith a secondary base station, the primary and secondary base stations comprising a common radio bearer for the connection to the user equipment, the MAC layer of the radio access network protocol stack of the common radio bearer is configured to receive a data packet from the PDCP layer, and to send the data packet towards multiple downlink shared channels (DL-SCH/PDSCH) on different component carriers (CC), wherein a first component carrier provides the first transmission link from the primary base station to the user equipment, and a second component carrier provides the second transmission link from the secondary base station to the user equipment. ### Claim 19 A method for transmitting a data packet in a mobile communication network, the mobile communication network comprising a radio access network comprising a plurality of cells and serving a user equipment within a cell, the method comprising: providing, by the user equipment or by the radio access network, a plurality of different versions of the data packet, and transmitting the plurality of different versions of the data packet to the radio access network or to the user equipment in parallel via different physical resources, wherein the plurality of different versions of the data packet are acquired by performing a packet redundancy/duplication, and wherein the user equipment (UE) is configured to send or receive for the plurality of different versions of the data packet a single ACK/NACK message, or only a NACK message, wherein the single ACK/NACK message includes information about which physical resource provided an ACK and which physical resource provided a NACK.