Systems and methods for smart harq for wifi

Abstract

Systems, methods, and instrumentalities are provided to implement a method of communicating a feedback in a wireless local area network (WLAN). A WLAN device may receive a data frame with a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) data indicator in a frame header. The WLAN device may send an acknowledgement frame when the data frame is correctly received and decoded. The WLAN device may send a negative acknowledgement frame when the data frame is not correctly received and decoded.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for use in a station (STA), the method comprising:
 receiving, from another STA, a first transmission that includes a first data packet; and   sending, based on decoding of the first data packet, to the another STA, a second transmission that includes an aggregated packet being different than the first data packet, wherein the aggregated packet includes at least one of an acknowledgement (ACK), a negative acknowledgement (NACK), or a second data packet.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second transmission is sent after determining that the first transmission is intended for the STA and the decoding of the first data packet failed. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first transmission further comprises an indication of a number of times that the first data packet has been transmitted. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving a NACK from the another STA, wherein the received NACK relates to a second data packet sent in the second transmission; and   sending a third transmission comprising a second aggregated packet, wherein the third transmission uses a redundancy version.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 maintaining a counter associated with a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) process related to the third transmission; and   when an ACK or a NACK has not been received before the counter expires, retransmitting the redundancy version of the third transmission.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of a TXVector or an RXVector used by the STA include at least one of: a HARQ transmission parameter, a HARQ type parameter, a redundancy version parameter, or a HARQ process ID. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first transmission and the second transmission are IEEE 802.11 messages. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second transmission further comprises an indication of a number of times that the second data packet has been transmitted. 
     
     
         9 . A station (STA) comprising:
 a receiver configured to receive, from another STA, a first transmission that includes a first data packet; and   a transmitter configured to send, based on decoding of the first data packet, to the another STA, a second transmission that includes an aggregated packet being different than the first data packet, wherein the aggregated packet includes at least one of an acknowledgement (ACK), a negative acknowledgement (NACK), or a second data packet.   
     
     
         10 . The STA of  claim 9 , wherein the second transmission is sent after determining that the first transmission is intended for the STA and the decoding of the first data packet failed. 
     
     
         11 . The STA of  claim 9 , wherein the first transmission further comprises an indication of a number of times that the first data packet has been transmitted. 
     
     
         12 . The STA of  claim 9 , wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a NACK from the another STA, wherein the received NACK relates to a second data packet sent in the second transmission, and
 wherein the transmitter is further configured to send a third transmission comprising a second aggregated packet, wherein the third transmission uses a redundancy version.   
     
     
         13 . The STA of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a processor configured to maintain a counter associated with a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) process related to the third transmission, wherein when an ACK or a NACK has not been received before the counter expires, the transmitter is configured to retransmit the redundancy version of the third transmission.   
     
     
         14 . The STA of  claim 9 , wherein one or more of a TXVector or an RXVector used by the STA include at least one of a HARQ transmission parameter, a HARQ type parameter, a redundancy version parameter, or a HARQ process ID. 
     
     
         15 . The STA of  claim 9 , wherein the first transmission and the second transmission are IEEE 802.11 messages. 
     
     
         16 . The STA of  claim 9 , wherein the second transmission further comprises an indication of a number of times that the second data packet has been transmitted.