Method and Apparatus for Sending Control Signaling

Abstract

A method of signaling is disclosed. A terminal receives downlink control signaling from a base station and sends an uplink packet to the base station. The uplink packet is sent according to the received downlink control signaling. The downlink control signaling includes a field that includes N bits. The field itself is dynamically indicative of one of a payload size or a redundancy version such that the field itself is indicative of the payload size if a packet that the terminal will send to a base station is an initial transmission and the field itself is indicative of the redundancy version if the packet that the terminal will send to the base station is a retransmission.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of signaling comprising:
 receiving, by a terminal, downlink control signaling from a base station (BS); and   sending, by the terminal, an uplink packet to the BS, the uplink packet being sent according to the received downlink control signaling,   wherein the downlink control signaling comprises a field, wherein the field includes N bits,   wherein the field itself is dynamically indicative of a payload size or a Redundancy Version (RV),   wherein the field itself is indicative of the payload size if the uplink packet is an initial transmission, and   wherein the field itself is indicative of the RV if the uplink packet is a retransmission.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining, by the terminal, that the RV is a default value if the received downlink control signaling is indicative of the payload size on the field.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving the downlink control signaling comprises:
 sending, by the terminal, a detecting Discontinuous Transmission signal to the BS; and   receiving, by the terminal, the downlink control signaling indicative of the payload size or RV in the field.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein receiving the downlink control signaling comprises:
 receiving, by the terminal, the downlink control signaling indicating the RV in the field of the downlink control signaling to be received a next time if a packet transmission count reaches or exceeds a pre-defined value; and   receiving, by the terminal, the downlink control signaling indicating the payload size in the field of the downlink control signaling to be received the next time if the packet transmission count does not reach the pre-defined value.   
     
     
         5 . An apparatus for signaling comprising:
 a downlink control signaling receiver, configured to receive downlink control signaling from a base station (BS), wherein the downlink control signaling comprises a field, wherein the field includes N bits, wherein the field itself is dynamically indicative of one of a payload size or a Redundancy Version (RV) such that the field itself is indicative of the payload size if an uplink packet being sent to a base station is an initial transmission, and the field itself is indicative of the RV if the uplink packet being sent to the base station is a retransmission; and   a transmitter, configured to send the uplink packet to the BS, the uplink packet sent according to the received downlink control signaling.   
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , further comprising a processor, configured to determine that the RV is a default value if the received downlink control signaling is indicative of the payload size on the field. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the apparatus is integrated into a terminal.