Patent Abstract:
Provided are an Automatic ReQuest (ARQ) apparatus and method for a multihop system in a broadband wireless access communication system. When the number of ACK MAPs in ARQ feedback information element of ARQ feedback message transmitted from a destination or Multi-Hop Base Transceiver Station (MH-BTS) is not zero, and it is determined that the destination or a lower MH-BTS successfully receives data corresponding to Block Sequence Number (BSN), the BSN is updated with a BSN successfully received at the destination or the lower MH-BTS, and is transmitted to the upper MH-BTS or the source. Accordingly, when the MH-BTS successfully receives the data from the source but the destination fails to receive the data, the source does not retransmit same data to the MH-BTS.

Full Description:
PRIORITY  
       [0001]     This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to an application filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Nov. 4, 2005 and assigned Serial No. 2005-105529, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates generally to an automatic request apparatus and method for a multihop system in a broadband wireless access communication network.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     With the increase of services requiring a higher data rate, there is a demand for a communication system to provide a higher data rate than a Third Generation (3G) mobile communication using Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA).  
         [0006]     A multihop technology using a relay is essential for implementation of a system having a higher data rate and a wider area of service coverage. According to the multihop technology, a relay is located between a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) and a Mobile Station (MS), which relay is referred to as an MH-BTS (multihop-BTS).  
         [0007]     When data is transmitted from the BTS to the MS, an Automatic Request (ARQ) technology is used for reliable data transmission.  
         [0008]     According to the multihop technology, instead of directly transmitting data from the BTS to the MS, the MH-BTS located between the BTS and the MS receives data from the BTS and transmits the received data to the MS. Because of the addition of the MH-BTS, the multihop technology requires a new ARQ scheme, thus necessitating a new ARQ mechanism and message scheme.  
         [0009]     When the conventional ARQ technology is used in the multihop system, an ARQ state between the BTS and the MH-BTS and an ARQ state between the MH-BTS and the MS must be considered.  
         [0010]     When the MS is a destination in data transmission, whether the MS successfully receives an ARQ block or not can be known from an ARQ feedback message transmitted from the MS to the BTS.  
         [0011]     The ARQ block indicates whether data error occurs. The ARQ feedback message is used in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 system and is transmitted together with a generic Medium Access Control (MAC) header.  
         [0012]     Table 1 below shows an ARQ feedback message format.  
                           TABLE 1                                   Syntax   Size                           ARQ_Feedback_Message Format( ){                 Management Message Type = 33   8 bits             ARQ_Feedback_Payload   variable           }                      
 
         [0013]     In Table 1, “Management Message Type=33” represents that the message is the ARQ feedback message. The ARQ feedback payload format is defined as Table 2 below.  
                       TABLE 2                       Syntax   Size   Notes                   ARQ_Feedback_Payload_Format( ){                 do           ARQ_Feedback_IE(LAST)   variable   Insert as many as               desired, until               LAST= =TRUE         until (last)       }                  
 
         [0014]     The ARQ feedback payload format includes a plurality of ARQ feedback Information Element (IE) formats. The ARQ feedback IE format is defined as Table 3 below.  
                       TABLE 3                       Syntax   Size   Notes                   ARQ_feedback_IE(LAST){   variable            CID   16 bits   The ID of the connection               being referenced        LAST   1 bit   0=More ARQ Feedback IE               in list               1=Last ARQ Feedback IE               in list        ACK Type    2 bits   0×0=Selective ARQ entry               0×1=Cumulative ACK               entry               0×2=Cumulative with               Selective entry               0×3=Cumulative ACK with               block               Sequence ACK entry        BSN   11 bits        Number of ACK MAPs    2 bits   If ACK Type= =01,               the field is reserved and set               to 00. Otherwise               the field indicates the               number of ACK MAPs;               0×0=1,               0×1=2,               0×2=3, 0×3=4        If(ACK Type!=01) {         For(i=0;i&lt;Number of ACK       MAPs+1;++1) {         If(ACK Type!=3) {          Selective ACK MAP   16 bits         }         Else {       Start of Block Sequence               ACK MAP definition               (16 bits)          Sequence Format   1 bit   Number of Block sequences               associated with descriptor               0: 2 Block sequence               1: 3 Block sequence          If(Sequence Format=0) {           Sequence ACK MAP    2 bits       Sequence 1 length    6 bits           Sequence 2 length    6 bits           Reserved   1 bit          }          Else {       Sequence ACK MAP    3 bits       Sequence 1 Length    4 bits       Sequence 2 Length    4 bits           Sequence 3 length    4 bits          }         }       End of Block Sequence               ACK MAP definition        }       }       }                  
 
         [0015]     In the case of the cumulative ACK ARQ format, whether the MS successfully receives the ARQ block is represented in the Block Sequence Number (BSN) field of Table 3.  
         [0016]     If the MH-BTS does not transparently relay the ARQ feedback information between the BS and the MS, the management of the data received from the BTS and the ARQ received from the MS becomes complicated and the data to be transmitted to the MS is continuously accumulated in a buffer of the MH-BTS, resulting in ineffective data transmission/reception.  
         [0017]      FIG. 1  illustrates a conventional transmission environment of an ARQ feedback IE.  
         [0018]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a Service Data Unit (SDU) # 1   105  and an SDU # 2   110  are fragmented into three Protocol Data Units (PDUs)  115 ,  120  and  125 .  
         [0019]     The SDUs  105  and  110  and the PDUs  115 ,  120  and  125  are all used in a datalink layer, and the SDUs  105  and  110  are located at a higher layer than the PDU  115 ,  120  and  125 . “#” indicates a sequence number.  
         [0020]     In  FIG. 1 , the destination successfully receives the PDU# 1   115  and the PDU# 3   125 , but fails to receive the PDU# 2   120 .  
         [0021]     Table 4 below shows the ARQ feedback IE when the cumulative ACK entry is used in the environment of  FIG. 1 .  
                       TABLE 4                       Name   Size   Description                   CID   ######   Connection ID of destination       LAST   1   Indicates the last ARQ feedback IE       ACK   0×1   Indicates the use of cumulative ACK entry       Type       BSN   7   Indicates that all blocks having               a smaller value               than a corresponding block are successfully               received       Number of   0×0   00 = Reserved       ACK       MAPs                  
 
         [0022]     Upon the forward data transmission, if the MH-BTS does not manage the ARQ state between the BTS and the MS, that is, the MH-BTS only transmits the ARQ feedback information, the BTS retransmits the same data to the MH-BTS when the MS does not successfully receive the data, even though the MH-BTS successfully receives the data from the BTS.  
         [0023]     Upon the reverse data transmission, the MS retransmits the same data to the MH-BTS when the BTS does not successfully receive the data, even though the MH-BTS successfully receives the data from the MS. This results in ineffective data transmission/reception.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0024]     An object of the present invention is to substantially solve at least the above problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages below. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an ARQ apparatus and method for a multihop system in a broadband wireless access communication network.  
         [0025]     According to the present invention, an ARQ apparatus of a relay in a broadband wireless access communication network includes a receive data sorter for sorting received data according to transmission nodes a receive data analyzer for analyzing the data of a lower node, which is received from the receive data sorter, and determining whether the lower node successfully receives the data, a transmit data processor for generating a first feedback data containing the information about data reception success/fail of an upper node and outputting the first feedback data together with the data of the upper node, a receive data processor for receiving the analysis result of the receive data analyzer and the first feedback data to generate a second feedback data to be transmitted to the upper node, the second feedback data containing reception success/fail of the lower node containing the relay, and a transmit data adjuster for receiving the first feedback data from the transmit data processor to output the received first feedback data to the receive data processor, scheduling the data of the upper node and the second feedback data, and transmitting the data and the second feedback data through an antenna.  
         [0026]     According to the present invention, an ARQ method of a relay in a broadband wireless access communication network includes determining whether data from an upper node is successfully received, receiving a first feedback data from a lower node when or after the determining step is carried out, generating a second feedback data when it is determined from the first feedback data that the lower node fails to receive the data and the relay successfully receives the data, and transmitting the first feedback data and the second feedback data to the upper node, the second feedback data containing the determination result indicating whether the data from the upper node is successfully received. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0027]     The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0028]      FIG. 1  illustrates a conventional transmission environment of an ARQ feedback IE;  
         [0029]      FIG. 2  illustrates a broadband wireless access communication network supporting a multihop system according to the present invention;  
         [0030]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of an ARQ apparatus of a source according to the present invention;  
         [0031]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram of an ARQ apparatus of an MH-BTS according to the present invention;  
         [0032]      FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an MH-BTS for generating a cumulative ACK MAP in a multihop system according to the present invention;  
         [0033]      FIG. 6  illustrates a TLV format according to the present invention;  
         [0034]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  are flowcharts illustrating an analysis process of a source receiving a cumulative ACK MAP in a multihop system according to the present invention;  
         [0035]      FIG. 8  illustrates an operation environment and a PDU TX/RX success/fail in a 2-hop system according to the present invention; and  
         [0036]      FIG. 9  illustrates an operation environment and a PDU TX/RX success/fail in a 3-hop system according to the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0037]     Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described herein below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail for the sake of clarity and conciseness.  
         [0038]      FIG. 2  illustrates a broadband wireless access communication network supporting a multihop system according to the present invention.  
         [0039]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , an MS  230  transmits/receives data to/from a BTS  210  through an MH-BTS  220 . The BTS  210  is connected to the Internet (backhaul)  200 .  
         [0040]     The MS  230  transparently manages an ARQ state between the MS  230  and the BTS  210  without regard to the MH-BTS  220 .  
         [0041]     In the case of the forward link, the MH-BTS  220  receives data from the BTS  210  and transmits the received data to the MS  230 . Also, the MH-BTS  220  combines ACK/NACK for the received data and ARQ feedback information received from the MS  230  and reconfigures a dedicated ARQ feedback IE of the MH-BTS  220 .  
         [0042]     When the dedicated ARQ feedback IE is used, the BTS  210  does not retransmit the data that is successfully received by the MH-BTS  220 .  
         [0043]     The destination transmits to the MH-BTS  220  the ARQ feedback message generated using the conventional ARQ feedback IE format.  
         [0044]     In the case of the forward link, the MS  230  and the BTS  210  are the destination and the source, respectively. In the case of the reverse link, the MS  230  and the BTS  210  are the source and the destination, respectively.  
         [0045]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of an ARQ apparatus of a source according to the present invention.  
         [0046]     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the ARQ apparatus of the source is divided into a physical layer apparatus and a datalink layer apparatus. The physical layer apparatus includes a transmitter, a receiver, and a Radio Frequency (RF) switch  330 .  
         [0047]     Although the physical layer apparatus using an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) scheme will be taken as an example, the present invention can also be applied to a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) scheme and a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) scheme using a Time Division Duplex (TDD).  
         [0048]     In addition, although the physical layer apparatus will be described focusing on a TDD system, the present invention can also be applied to a Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system because the ARQ apparatus is independent of the physical layer apparatus.  
         [0049]     The receiver includes an RF processor  321 , an Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC)  323 , an OFDM demodulator  325 , and a decoder  327 .  
         [0050]     The RF processor  321  converts an RF signal received through an antenna into a baseband analog signal. The ADC  323  converts the baseband analog signal into a digital signal.  
         [0051]     The OFDM demodulator  325  Fast Fourier Transform (FFT)-processes time-domain sample data received from the ADC  323  into frequency-domain data.  
         [0052]     The decoder  327  decodes the frequency-domain data at a coding rate in a modulation scheme and outputs the decoded data to a data receiver  307 .  
         [0053]     The transmitter includes an encoder  319 , an OFDM modulator  317 , a Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC)  315 , and an RF processor  313 .  
         [0054]     The encoder  319  encodes data received from a data transmitter  305  in a modulation scheme. Examples of the modulation scheme include Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK), Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK), 16 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (16QAM), and 64QAM.  
         [0055]     The OFDM modulator  317  Inverse FFT (IFFT)-processes the data received from the encoder  319  to output time-domain sample data (OFDM symbol).  
         [0056]     The DAC  315  converts the time-domain sample data into an analog signal. The RF processor  313  converts the analog signal into an RF signal and transmits the RF signal through the antenna.  
         [0057]     Upon receipt of data, the RF switch  330  connects the receiver to the antenna. Upon transmission of data, the RF switch  330  connects the transmitter to the antenna.  
         [0058]     In the datalink layer apparatus, a Transmit (TX) data processor  301  fragments data to be transmitted, inserts header information, and transmits to a TX data adjuster  303 .  
         [0059]     The TX data adjuster  303  manages a data transmission scheduling and a TX data processing and transmits the data to the data transmitter  305 .  
         [0060]     The data transmitter  305  transmits the data to the encoder  319 .  
         [0061]     The data receiver  307  receives data from the decoder  327  and transmits the received data to an RX data sorter  309 .  
         [0062]     The RX data sorter  309  sorts the received data into data received from the destination and data received from the MH-BTS  220 , and transmits the sorted data to an RX data analyzer  311 .  
         [0063]     The RX data analyzer  311  analyzes the received data according to whether it is received from the MH-BTS  220  or the destination. When the relay successfully receives the data but the destination fails to receive the data, the RX data analyzer  311  decides not to retransmit the corresponding data. When the relay fails to receive the data, the RX data analyzer  311  decides to retransmit the corresponding data and transmits it to the TX data adjuster  303 .  
         [0064]     The TX data adjuster  303  determines whether to retransmit the data and adjust ARQ_TX_WINDOW according to the analysis result of the RX data analyzer  311 . When the ACK for the transmitted data does not arrive for a period of time, the TX data adjuster  303  discards the corresponding data.  
         [0065]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram of an ARQ apparatus of an MH-BTS according to the present invention.  
         [0066]     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the ARQ apparatus of the MH-BTS is divided into a physical layer apparatus and a data link layer apparatus. The physical layer apparatus includes a transmitter, a receiver and an RF switch  430 .  
         [0067]     Although the physical layer apparatus using an OFDM scheme will be taken as an example, the present invention can also be applied to a CDMA scheme and a TDMA scheme using a TDD.  
         [0068]     In addition, although the physical layer apparatus will be described focusing on a TDD system, the present invention can also be applied to an FDD system because the ARQ apparatus is independent of the physical layer apparatus. Elements and functions of the physical layer apparatus illustrated in  FIG. 4  are similar to those of the physical layer apparatus illustrated in  FIG. 3 , but a significant difference is that a data transmitter  409  transmits data to an encoder  421  and a decoder  429  transmits data to a data receiver  401 .  
         [0069]     A data receiver  401  receives data from the decoder  429  and transmits the received data to an RX data sorter  403 .  
         [0070]     The RX data sorter  403  sorts the received data into data received from the source and data received from the destination. When the received data is the data transmitted from the source, it transmits the corresponding data to a TX data processor  405 .  
         [0071]     The TX data processor  405  processes the data received from the RX data sorter  403  and transmits the processed data to a TX data adjuster  407 . The data processing is performed to generate feedback information indicating whether the MH-BTS successfully receives the data. The data transmitted from the transmitter to the receiver and the feedback information are transmitted to the TX data adjuster  407 .  
         [0072]     The TX data adjuster  407  manages a data transmission scheduling and a TX data processing, and transmits to the data transmitter  409  the feedback information to be transmitted to the source or the original data to be transmitted to the destination. The TX data adjuster  407  transmits the feedback data from the TX data processor  405  to the RX data processor. The TX data adjuster  407  transmits the feedback data provided from the RX data processor  413  to the data transmitter  409 . The data transmitter  409  transmits the data to the encoder  421 .  
         [0073]     When the received data is ACK transmitted from the destination, the RX data sorter  403  transmits the data to the RX data analyzer  411 .  
         [0074]     The RX data analyzer  411  analyzes the received data to determine whether the destination receives the data, and transmits the determination result to the RX data processor  413 .  
         [0075]     The RX data processor  413  combines the feedback data (ACK) of the destination and the feedback data provided from the TX data adjuster  407 , and generates feedback data to be transmitted to the source.  
         [0076]     The generated feedback data is transmitted to the TX data adjuster  407 , and the TX data adjuster  407  transmits the data to the data transmitter  409 .  
         [0077]     An operation of the MH-BTS  220  having the ARQ apparatus of  FIG. 4  will be described below.  
         [0078]     The MH-BTS  220  transmits the ARQ feedback message to the source using the dedicated ARQ feedback IE format. The dedicated ARQ feedback IE format is similar to the conventional ARQ feedback IE format, but it is different in the usage of the cumulative ACK MAP.  
         [0079]     When the CID of the generic MAC header indicates the MH-BTS  220 , the source recognizes that the ARQ feedback message is received from the MH-BTS  220 , and analyzes the cumulative ACK MAP according to the dedicated ARQ feedback IE format.  
         [0080]      FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the MH-BTS for generating the cumulative ACK MAP in the multihop according to the present invention.  
         [0081]     Referring to  FIG. 5 , the MH-BTS  220  determines in step  501  whether number of ACK MAPs in the ARQ feedback IE of the received ARQ feedback message is zero. A “number of ACK MAPs” field will also be referred to herein as an “MH-type” field.  
         [0082]     In step  503 , when the number of ACK MAPs (MH-type) is zero, the BSN is updated with a BSN successfully received at the destination.  
         [0083]     The BSN indicates a maximum value of ARQ block the destination successfully receives. In the case of the ACK ARQ, the existing MH-BTS field is reserved and set to 0.  
         [0084]     Therefore, when the MH-type field is zero, the destination transmits the feedback data to the source without regard to the MH-BTS  220 . Thus, the BSN outputted from the source corresponds to the BSN successfully received at the destination.  
         [0085]     When the MH-type field is 0x1, it represents a 2-hop system. When the MH-type field is 0x2, it represents a 3-hop system. When the MH-type field is 0x3, it represents a 4-hop-or-more system. That is, information about how many hops the destination receives data through can be primarily obtained from the value of the MH-type field.  
         [0086]     In step  505 , when the MH-type field is not zero, it is determined whether the destination successfully receives the data from the MH-BTS  220 .  
         [0087]     When the destination is successful in step  505 , the BSN is updated with a BSN successfully received at the destination in step  509 .  
         [0088]     When the destination fails in step  505 , it indicates that the data is successfully transmitted up to the MH-BTS  220 . Thus, the process proceeds to step  507  to add the corresponding BSN in a Type Length Value (TLV) format.  
         [0089]     In step  508 , the BSN is updated with the corresponding BSN successfully received at the destination.  
         [0090]      FIG. 6  illustrates the TVL format according to the present invention.  
         [0091]     Referring to  FIG. 6 , a type  601  indicates the order of MH-BTSs. In this embodiment, the type  601  uses 2 bits. However, the bit length of the type  601  is variable.  
         [0092]     A length  603  is a bit length of values  605  and  607  and has a size of (bit size of the type)×11 bits. The 11 bits are the number of bits required to indicate the BSN. In this embodiment, because the bit size of type  601  is 2 bits, the length  603  is 22 bits.  
         [0093]     A value  1   605  is the smallest BSN of successive ARQ blocks that fail to be received by the destination, even though the MH-BTS  220  receives them from the source and then transmits to the destination. A value  2   607  is the largest BSN of the successive ARQ blocks that fail to be received at the destination, even though the MH-BTS  220  receives them from the source and then transmits to the destination.  
         [0094]     Therefore, in the case of the ARQ feedback message transmitted through several MH-BTSs to the destination, the TLVs are stored successively.  
         [0095]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  are flowcharts illustrating an analysis process of the source receiving the cumulative ACK MAP in the multihop according to the present invention.  
         [0096]     Referring to  FIGS. 7A and 7B , when the cumulative ACK ARQ feedback message is received, the source determines in step  701  whether the MH-type field is zero.  
         [0097]     When the MH-type field is zero, it indicates that the data is directly transmitted to the destination without passing through the MH-BTS  220 . Thus, the process proceeds to step  703  to increase ARQ_TX_WINDOW_START by BSN x +1. That is, the ARQ_TX_WINDOW_START is updated with a value greater by 1 than the BSN successfully received by the destination. The ARQ_TX_WINDOW_START is a window start BSN value when the ARQ block is transmitted.  
         [0098]     When the MH-type field is not zero, the process proceeds to step  705  to determine whether the corresponding BSN exists in the value fields of the TLV within the cumulative ACK ARQ feedback message. When the MH-type field is 1, it represents a 2-hop system. When the MH-type field is 2, it represents a 3-hop system. When the MH-type field is 3, it represents a 4-or-more-hop system.  
         [0099]     When the corresponding BSN exists in the value fields of the TLV in step  705 , the process proceeds to step  707 . In step  707 , the source waits for ACK from the MH-BTS  200  without retransmission to the MH-BTS  220 , because the MH-BTS  220  successfully receives the data although the destination fails to receive the data.  
         [0100]     When the ACK is received while waiting for ARQ_BLOCK_INT_LIFETIME in step  709 , the process proceeds to step  711 . The ARQ_BLOCK_INT_LIFETIME is newly defined in the present invention and indicates a waiting time during which the ACK received from the destination when the MH-BTS  220  successfully retransmits the data can be transmitted to the source.  
         [0101]     Step  711  represents that both the MH-BTS  200  and the destination successfully receive the data, and increases ARQ_TX_WINDOW_START by BSN x +1. In step  720 , the destination updates the ARQ_TX_WINDOW_START with a value that is greater than the successfully received BSN by one.  
         [0102]     In step  713 , when the ACK is not received after waiting for ARQ_BLOCK_INT_LIFETIME, the process proceeds to step  713  to discard the corresponding ARQ block.  
         [0103]     When the corresponding BSN does not exist in the value fields of the TLV, the process proceeds to step  715 . In step  715 , because the MH-BTS  220  also fails to receive the data, the source retransmits the data to the MH-BTS  220 .  
         [0104]     When the source receives the ACK within ARQ_BLOCK_LIFETIME, the process proceeds to step  719 . The ARQ_BLOCK_LIFETIME indicates the lifetime of the ARQ block.  
         [0105]     Step  719  represents that both the MH-BTS  220  and the destination successfully receive the data and increases the ARQ_TX_WINDOW_START by BSN x +1. That is, the destination updates the ARQ_TX_WINDOW_START with a value that is greater than the successfully received BSN by one.  
         [0106]     In step  720 , the corresponding BSN is updated with the successfully received BSN.  
         [0107]     When the source does not receive the ACK within the ARQ_BLOCK_LIFETIME in step  717 , the process proceeds to step  721  to discard the corresponding ARQ block. Then, the algorithm of the present invention is terminated.  
         [0108]      FIG. 8  illustrates an operation environment and a PDU TX/RX success/fail in a 2-hop system according to the present invention.  
         [0109]     Referring to  FIG. 8 , when the SDU# 1   105  and the SDU# 2   110  are fragmented into three PDUs, fragmentation subheaders are inserted into the foremost of the PDUs  115 ,  120  and  125  in order to notify information about the PDUs  115 ,  120  and  125 .  
         [0110]     Referring to  FIG. 8 , the PDU# 1   115  is successfully received at the MH-BTS  220  and the destination in step  810 . In step  820 , the PDU# 2  fails to be received at the MH-BTS  220 . In step  830 , the PDU# 3   125  is successfully received at the MH-BTS  220  but fails to be received at the destination.  
         [0111]     Table 5 below shows ARQ feedback IE of ARQ block transmitted from the destination in the above-described environment.  
                       TABLE 5                       Name   Size   Description                   CID   ######   Connection ID of destination       LAST   1   Indicates the last ARQ feedback IE       ACK Type   0×1   Indicates the use of cumulative ACK entry       BSN   7   Indicates that all blocks having a               smaller value than a corresponding               block are successfully received       Number of   0×1   The number of MH-BTS is 1.       ACK MAPs                  
 
         [0112]     Table 6 below shows ARQ feedback IE of ARQ block in the MH-BTS  220  receiving the ARQ feedback IE of the ARQ block transmitted from the destination.  
                       TABLE 6                       Name   Size   Description                   CID   ######   Connection ID of destination       LAST   1   Indicates last ARQ feedback IE       ACK Type   0×1   Indicates the use of cumulative ACK entry       BSN   7   Indicates that all blocks having a               smaller value than a               corresponding block successfully               receive data       Number of   0×0   00 = Reserved       ACK MAPs       TLV   01 010110   ARQ block TX/RX states of MH-BTS           00000001100           00000001110                  
 
         [0113]     In the TLV of Table 6, the type  601  is variable. In this embodiment, the type  601  is 2 bits and its the value is 1, which indicates the first MH-BTS.  
         [0114]     The length  603  is 6 bits and indicates a size of (type size×11 bits). In Table 6, the length  603  has 22 bits.  
         [0115]     The value  1   605  is 11 bits and indicates the smallest BSN among BSNs that are successfully received at the MH-BTS but fail to be received at the MS as illustrated in  FIG. 6 . In Table 6, the value  1   605  is 12.  
         [0116]     The value  2   607  is 11 bits and indicates the largest BSN among BSNs that are successfully received at the MH-BTS but fail to be received. In Table 6, the value  2   607  is 14.  
         [0117]     The CID of the generic MAC header in the ARQ feedback message containing the ARQ feedback IE is transmitted using the CID of the MH-BTS  220 . Therefore, the source can recognize that ARQ feedback message is received from the MH-BTS  220  by using the generic MAC header, and can determine which destination the message is associated with by using the CID of the ARQ feedback IE.  
         [0118]     When the source recognizes that the ARQ feedback message is received from the MH-BTS  220  by using the CID of the generic MAC header, it analyzes the cumulative ACK MAP. Since the received BSN is 7, it can be recognized that the blocks having the BSN of 1-7 are successfully transmitted to the destination.  
         [0119]     Therefore, ARQ_TX_WINDOW is adjusted. That is, the ARQ_TX_WINDOW_START increases to 8 because the transmission succeeds up to the block having the BSN of 7.  
         [0120]     The ARQ_TX_WINDOW_START indicates that the source successfully transmits the ARQ blocks having the BSN smaller than the ARQ_TX_WINDOW_START.  
         [0121]     When the number of ACK MAPs received by the source is not zero (e.g., 0x1), the source recognizes the use of the MH-BTS  220  and reads the TLV.  
         [0122]     Although the BSN is 7, the values of 12 and 14 are obtained from the TLV. Thus, the source recognizes that the MH-BTS  220  fails to receive the blocks having the BSN of 8-11. Consequently, the source retransmits the corresponding ARQ block to the MH-BTS  220 .  
         [0123]     When the ACK is not received even after waiting for ARQ_BLOCK_LIFETIME, the corresponding ARQ block is discarded. When the ACK for the blocks having the BSN of 8-11 is received before discarding the corresponding ARQ block, the ARQ_TX_WINDOW_START increases to 12 and the corresponding BSN is modified to 11.  
         [0124]     In addition, because the source obtains the BSNs of 12 and 14 from the TLV, the source recognizes that the MH-BTS  220  successfully receives the blocks having the BSN of 12-14, but the destination fails to receive them.  
         [0125]     Therefore, the source does not perform the retransmission with respect to the BSNs of 12-14, but waits for the ACK. When the ACK is not received even after the ARQ_BLOCK_INT_LIFETIME, the source discards the corresponding ARQ block.  
         [0126]     When the ACK for the blocks having the BSNs of 12-14 is received before the ARQ_BLOCK_INT_LIFETIME passes by, the ARQ_TX_WINDOW_START increases to 15 and the corresponding BSN is modified to 14.  
         [0127]      FIG. 9  illustrates an operation environment and a PDU TX/RX success/fail in a 3-hop system according to the present invention.  
         [0128]     Referring to  FIG. 9 , a PDU# 1   910  is successfully received at both the MH-BTSs and the destination, and a PDU# 2   920  fails to be received at the first MH-BTS. A PDU# 3   930  is successfully received at the first MH-BTS but fails to be received at the second MH-BTS. A PDU# 4   940  is successfully received at the first MH-BTS and the second MH-BTS but fails to be received at the destination.  
         [0129]     Table 7 below shows ARQ feedback IE of ARQ block in the first MH-BTS receiving the ARQ feedback IE of the ARQ block of the second MH-BTS in the above-described environment.  
                       TABLE 7                       Name   Size   Description                   CID   ######   Connection ID of destination       LAST   1   Indicates last ARQ feedback IE       ACK Type   0×1   Indicates the use of cumulative ACK entry       BSN   7   Indicates that all blocks having               a smaller value than a               corresponding block are successfully               received       Number of   0×2   The number of MH-BTS is 2       ACK MAPs       TLV1   01 010110   ARQ block TX/RX states of the first           00000001100   MH-BTS           00000001110       TLV2   10 010110   ARQ block TX/RX states of the           00000001111   second MH-BTS           00000010001                  
 
         [0130]     In the 3-hop environment, the TLV of Table 7 includes two TLVs, i.e., TLV1 and TLV2. The TLV1 indicates the TX/RX states of the ARQ blocks from the destination to the first MH-BTS, and the TLV2 indicates the TX/RX states of the ARQ blocks from the first MH-BTS to the second MH-BTS.  
         [0131]     As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the type  601  of the TLV1 is variable, but 2 bits are used in this embodiment. In Table 8, the type  601  is 1, which indicates the first MH-BTS.  
         [0132]     The length  603  is 6 bits and a size of (type size×11 bits). In Table 7, the length  603  has 22 bits.  
         [0133]     The value  1   605  is 11 bits and indicates the smallest BSN among BSNs that are successfully received at the first MH-BTS but fail to be received at the second MH-BTS. In Table 7, the value  1   605  is 12.  
         [0134]     The value  2   607  is 11 bits and indicates the largest BSN among BSNs that are successfully received at the first MH-BTS but fail to be received at the second MH-BTS. In Table 7, the value  2   607  is 14.  
         [0135]     In this embodiment, the type  601  of the TLV2 is 2 bits. In Table 8, the type  601  is 2, which indicates the second MH-BTS.  
         [0136]     The length  603  is 6 bits. In Table 7, the length  603  is 22. The value  1   605  is 11 bits and indicates the smallest BSN among BSNs that are successfully received at the first MH-BTS and the second MH-BTS but fail to be received at the MS. In Table 7, the value  1   605  is 15. The value  2   607  is 11 bits and indicates the largest BSN among BSNs that are successfully received at the first MH-BTS and the second MH-BTS but fail to be received at the MS. In Table 7, the value  2   607  is 17.  
         [0137]     The CID of the generic MAC header of the ARQ feedback message containing the ARQ feedback IE is transmitted using the CID of the MH-BTS  220 . Therefore, the source can recognize that ARQ feedback message is received from the MH-BTS  220  by using the generic MAC header, and can determine which destination the message is associated with by using the CID of the ARQ feedback IE.  
         [0138]     When the source recognizes that the ARQ feedback message is received from the first MH-BTS  220  by using the CID of the generic MAC header, it analyzes the cumulative ACK MAP. Since the received BSN is 7, it can be recognized that the blocks having BSN of 1-7 are successfully transmitted to the destination.  
         [0139]     Therefore, ARQ_TX_WINDOW is adjusted. That is, the ARQ_TX_WINDOW_START increases to 8 because the transmission succeeds up to the block having the BSN of 7.  
         [0140]     The ARQ_TX_WINDOW_START indicates that the source successfully transmits ARQ blocks having the BSN smaller than the ARQ_TX_WINDOW_START.  
         [0141]     When the number of ACK MAPs received by the source is not zero (e.g., 0x2), the source recognizes that two MH-BTSs are used, and reads the TLV.  
         [0142]     Although the BSN is 7, the values of 12 and 14 and the values of 15 and 17 are obtained from the TLV1 and the TLV2, respectively. Thus, the source recognizes that the first MH-BTS fails to receive the blocks having the BSN of 8-11. Consequently, the source retransmits the corresponding ARQ blocks to the first MH-BTS.  
         [0143]     When the ACK is not received even after waiting for ARQ_BLOCK_LIFETIME, the source discards the corresponding ARQ block. When the ACK for the blocks having the BSN of 8-11 is received before discarding the corresponding ARQ block, the ARQ_TX_WINDOW_START increases to 12 and the corresponding BSN is modified to 11.  
         [0144]     Because the BSNs of 12 and 14 are obtained from the TLV1, the source recognizes that the first MH-BTS successfully receives the blocks having the BSNs of 12-14 but the second MH-BTS fails to receive them.  
         [0145]     Therefore, the source does not retransmit the ARQ blocks having the BSNs of 12-14, but waits for ACK. When the ACK is not received even after the ARQ_BLOCK_INT_LIFETIME, the source discards the corresponding ARQ block.  
         [0146]     When the ACK for the blocks having the BSNs of 12-14 is received before the ARQ_BLOCK_INT_LIFETIME passes by, the ARQ_TX_WINDOW_START increases to 15 and the corresponding BSN is modified to 14.  
         [0147]     Because the BSNs of 15-17 are obtained from the TLV2, the source recognizes that the second MH-BTS successfully receives the blocks having the BSNs of 15-17 but the destination fails to receive them.  
         [0148]     Therefore, the source does not retransmit the ARQ blocks having the BSNs of 15-17, but waits for ACK. When the ACK is not received even after the ARQ_BLOCK_INT_LIFETIME, the source discards the corresponding ARQ block.  
         [0149]     When the ACK for the blocks having the BSNs of 15-17 is received before the ARQ_BLOCK_INT_LIFETIME passes by, the ARQ_TX_WINDOW_START increases to 18 and the corresponding BSN is modified to 17.  
         [0150]     In the case of the forward link, the MS  230  and the BTS  210  are the destination and the source, respectively. When there are a plurality of MH-BTSs, the MH-BTS first connected to the BTS  210  is the first MH-BTS, and the MH-BTS first connected to the MS  230  is the last MH-BTS. The MH-BTS closer to the BTS  210  is the upper MH-BTS.  
         [0151]     In the case of the reverse link, the MS  230  and the BTS  210  are the source and the destination, respectively. The MH-BTS first connected to the MS  230  is the first MH-BTS, and the MH-BTS first connected to the BTS  210  is the last MH-BTS. The MH-BTS closer to the MS  230  is the upper MH-BTS.  
         [0152]     As described above, when the ARQ technology is applied to the multihop system in the broadband wireless access communication network, the MS can transparently manage the ARQ state between the MS and the BTS without regard to the MH-BTS. Thus, the complexity of the MH-BTS can be reduced.  
         [0153]     In addition, when the MH-BTS successfully receives data from the BTS while the MS fails to receive the data, it is possible to prevent the BTS from retransmitting the same data to the MH-BTS.  
         [0154]     While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 7