Method and apparatus for handling uplink transmission skipping

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described. The method can include receiving an UL grant for each of a plurality of CCs. In one aspect, each UL grant can include the number of transport blocks (TBs) assigned to each CC. The method can further include sorting the CCs as a function of at least partially based on the number of TBs for each of the CCs in the plurality of CCs, and transmitting one or more packet data units (PDUs) using a subset of the CCs in the plurality of CCs. In one aspect, the subset of the CCs can be at least partially based on the sorting, and any CC in the plurality of CCs in which only media access control (MAC) padding PDUs will be transmitted can not be included in the subset of the CCs.

Description

[0001] Priority Claim under 35 U.S.C.§119

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 16 / 591,228, filed on October 2, 2019, entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING OF UPLINK TRANSMISSION SKIPPING", the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Background Technical Field

[0004] This disclosure generally relates to communication systems, and more particularly to the handling of uplink (UL) transmission (TX) skipping for one or more component carriers (CCs).

[0005] Background

[0006] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. A typical wireless communication system may employ multiple access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources. Examples of such multiple access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, and time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems.

[0007] These various radio access technologies (RATs) have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate at the urban, national, regional, and even global levels. An example telecommunication standard is 5G New Radio (NR). 5G NR is part of the continuous mobile broadband evolution promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to meet new requirements associated with latency, reliability, security, scalability (e.g., with the Internet of Things (IoT)), and other requirements. Some aspects of 5G NR can be based on the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. There is a need for further improvement in 5G NR technology. These improvements can also be applied to other multiple access technologies and telecommunication standards that employ these technologies.

[0008] Summary

[0009] The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices, or apparatuses for supporting optimized uplink (UL) transmission (TX) skipping for one or more component carriers (CCs) in a carrier aggregation (CA) environment.

[0010] A wireless communication method is described. The method may include receiving an UL grant for each of a plurality of CCs. In one aspect, each UL grant may include the number of transport blocks (TBs) assigned to each CC. The method may further include sorting the CCs as a function of at least partially based on the number of TBs for each of the CCs in the plurality of CCs, and transmitting one or more packet data units (PDUs) using a subset of the CCs in the plurality of CCs. In one aspect, the subset of the CCs may be at least partially based on the sorting, and any CC in the plurality of CCs in which only media access control (MAC) padding PDUs will be transmitted may not be included in the subset of the CCs.

[0011] A device for wireless communication is described. The device may include means for receiving an UL grant for each of a plurality of CCs. In one aspect, each UL grant may include the number of transport blocks (TBs) assigned to each CC. The device may further include means for sorting the CCs as a function of at least partially based on the number of TBs for each of the CCs in the plurality of CCs, and means for transmitting one or more packet data units (PDUs) using a subset of the CCs in the plurality of CCs. In one aspect, the subset of the CCs may be at least partially based on the sorting, and any CC in the plurality of CCs in which only media access control (MAC) padding PDUs will be transmitted may not be included in the subset of the CCs.

[0012] Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory in electronic communication with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to receive an UL grant for each of a plurality of CCs. In one aspect, each UL grant may include the number of transport blocks (TBs) assigned to each CC. The instructions are executable by the processor to further cause the apparatus to: sort the CCs as a function of at least partially based on the number of TBs for each of the CCs in the plurality of CCs, and transmit one or more packet data units (PDUs) using a subset of the CCs in the plurality of CCs. In one aspect, the subset of the CCs may be at least partially based on the sorting, and any CC in the plurality of CCs in which only media access control (MAC) padding PDUs will be transmitted may not be included in the subset of the CCs.

[0013] Describes a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication. The code may include instructions executable by a processor for the following operations: receiving an UL grant for each of a plurality of CCs. In one aspect, each UL grant may include the number of transport blocks (TBs) assigned to each CC. The code may further include instructions executable by the processor for the following operations: sorting the CCs as a function of at least partially the number of TBs for each of the CCs in the plurality of CCs, and transmitting one or more packet data units (PDUs) using a subset of the CCs in the plurality of CCs. In one aspect, the subset of the CCs may be at least partially based on the sorting, and any CC in the plurality of CCs in which only MAC padding PDUs will be transmitted may not be included in the subset of the CCs. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] Figure 1 Is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and an access network.

[0015] Figure 2A 、 2B Figures 2C and 2D are diagrams respectively illustrating examples of a DL frame structure, DL channels within a downlink (DL) frame structure, an uplink (UL) frame structure, and UL channels within the UL frame structure.

[0016] Figure 3 Is a diagram illustrating an example of a base station and a user equipment (UE) in an access network.

[0017] Figure 4 Is a diagram illustrating an example wireless communication system having a UE and a base station (BS) capable of supporting carrier aggregation (CA).

[0018] Figure 5 Is a flowchart of a wireless communication method.

[0019] Figure 6 Is a conceptual data flow diagram illustrating the data flow between different devices / components in an example device.

[0020] Figure 7 Is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of a device employing a processing system. Detailed Description

[0021] The following detailed description, presented in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring such concepts.

[0022] Certain aspects of a telecommunications system will now be presented with reference to various devices and methods. These devices (apparatus) and methods will be described in detail below and illustrated in the drawings by various blocks, components, circuits, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as “elements”). These elements can be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0023] By way of example, an element, or any portion of an element, or any combination of elements can be implemented as a “processing system” that includes one or more processors. Examples of processors include: microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), application processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, system on a chip (SoC), baseband processors, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functions described throughout this disclosure. One or more processors in the processing system can execute software. Software should be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, execution threads, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to in software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

[0024] Accordingly, in one or more example aspects, the described functionality can be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions can be stored or encoded as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes computer storage media. Storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, combinations of the foregoing types of computer-readable media, or any other medium that can be used to store instructions or data structures in the form of computer-executable code that can be accessed by a computer.

[0025] Figure 1 It is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and an access network 100. The wireless communication system (also known as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) includes a base station 102, a UE 104, and an evolved packet core (EPC) 160. The base station 102 may include a macro cell (high-power cellular base station) and / or a small cell (low-power cellular base station). The macro cell includes a base station. The small cell includes a femto cell, a pico cell, and a micro cell.

[0026] The base stations 102 (collectively referred to as the evolved universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN)) interface with the EPC 160 via a backhaul link 132 (e.g., the S1 interface). In addition to other functions, the base station 102 may also perform one or more of the following functions: transfer of user data, radio channel ciphering and deciphering, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, radio access network (RAN) sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracing, radio access network information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of alert messages. The base stations 102 may communicate directly or indirectly (e.g., via the EPC 160) with each other over a backhaul link 134 (e.g., the X2 interface). The backhaul link 134 may be wired or wireless.

[0027] Base station 102 can communicate wirelessly with UE 104. Each base station 102 can provide communication coverage for its respective geographical coverage area 110. There may be overlapping geographical coverage areas 110. For example, small cell 102' may have a coverage area 110' that overlaps with the coverage area 110 of one or more macro base stations 102. A network including small cells and macro cells can be referred to as a heterogeneous network. The heterogeneous network may also include a Home evolved Node B (HeNB), which can serve a restricted group called a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG). The communication link 120 between base station 102 and UE 104 can include an uplink (UL) (also known as the reverse link) transmission from UE 104 to base station 102 and / or a downlink (DL) (also known as the forward link) transmission from base station 102 to UE 104. The communication link 120 can use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. These communication links can be through one or more carriers. For each carrier allocated in a carrier aggregation of up to a total of Yx MHz (x component carriers) for transmission in each direction, base station 102 / UE 104 can use a spectrum with a bandwidth of up to Y MHz (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 100 MHz). These carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other. The allocation of carriers can be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to DL compared to UL). Component carriers can include a primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers. The primary component carrier can be referred to as the Primary Cell (PCell), and the secondary component carriers can be referred to as Secondary Cells (SCells).

[0028] Some UEs 104 can communicate with each other using device-to-device (D2D) communication links 192. D2D communication links 192 can use DL / UL WWAN spectrum. D2D communication links 192 can use one or more sidelink channels, such as the Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH), Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), and Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH). D2D communication can be through various wireless D2D communication systems, such as, for example, FlashLinQ, WiMedia, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, LTE, or NR.

[0029] The wireless communication system may further include a Wi-Fi access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a Wi-Fi station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in the 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum. When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the STA 152 / AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) before communication to determine whether the channel is available.

[0030] The small cell 102' may operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in the unlicensed spectrum, the small cell 102' may adopt NR and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum as that used by the Wi-Fi AP 150. The small cell 102' adopting NR in the unlicensed spectrum may boost the coverage of the access network and / or increase the capacity of the access network.

[0031] A g Node B (gNB) 180 may operate in millimeter wave (mmW) frequencies and / or near mmW frequencies to communicate with a UE 104. When the gNB 180 operates in mmW or near mmW frequencies, the gNB 180 may be referred to as an mmW base station. The extremely high frequency (EHF) is a part of the RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. The EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength between 1 millimeter and 10 millimeters. The radio waves in this band may be referred to as millimeter waves. The near mmW may be extended downward to a 3 GHz frequency with a 100 millimeter wavelength. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz, which is also referred to as centimeter waves. Communication using the mmW / near mmW radio frequency band has extremely high path loss and short range. The mmW base station 180 may utilize beamforming 184 with the UE 104 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range.

[0032] The EPC 160 may include a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, a Serving Gateway 166, a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) Gateway 168, a Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BM-SC) 170, and a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway 172. The MME 162 may be in communication with a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 174. The MME 162 is a control node that processes signaling between the UE 104 and the EPC 160. Generally, the MME 162 provides bearer and connection management. All User Internet Protocol (IP) packets are routed through the Serving Gateway 166, which is itself connected to the PDN Gateway 172. The PDN Gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. The PDN Gateway 172 and the BM-SC 170 are connected to IP services 176. The IP services 176 may include the Internet, an intranet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), a PS streaming service, and / or other IP services. The BM-SC 170 may provide functions for MBMS user service provisioning and delivery. The BM-SC 170 may serve as an entry point for content provider MBMS transmissions, may be used to authorize and initiate MBMS bearer services within a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), and may be used to schedule MBMS transmissions. The MBMS Gateway 168 may be used to distribute MBMS traffic to base stations 102 belonging to a Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) area for a particular broadcast service, and may be responsible for session management (start / stop) and for collecting eMBMS-related charging information.

[0033] A base station may also be referred to as a gNB, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), access point, base transceiver station, radio base station, radio transceiver, transceiver function, basic service set (BSS), extended service set (ESS), or some other suitable term. Base station 102 provides an access point to EPC 160 for UE 104. Examples of UE 104 include cellular phones, smart phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, laptop devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), satellite radios, global positioning systems, multimedia devices, video devices, digital audio players (e.g., MP3 players), cameras, game consoles, tablet devices, smart devices, wearable devices, vehicles, electric meters, gas pumps, large or small kitchen appliances, healthcare devices, implants, displays, or any other similar functional device. Some of the UEs in UE104 may be referred to as IoT devices (e.g., parking meters, gas stations, ovens, vehicles, etc.). UE 104 may also be referred to as a station, mobile station, subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other suitable term.

[0034] Referring again to Figure 1 , in some aspects, UE 104 may include a UL CC selection component 198. Initially, although the following description may focus on discussing transmissions on the selected UL CC in a 5G NR environment, the concepts described herein may apply to any scenario in which the UE communicates via a RAT that supports selective skipping of UL transmissions. In one aspect, the UL CC selection component 198 may enable UE 104 to select a subset of the assigned CCs on which to perform UL transmissions. Generally, UE 104 may receive UL grants on each of multiple CCs via downlink control information (DCI grant) at the physical (PHY) layer. The UL grant may be conveyed from the PHY layer to a higher layer (e.g., the L2 layer). The L2 layer may include a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a media access control (MAC) layer. At the L2 layer, UE 104 may build packets (e.g., packet data units (PDUs)) based on data stored in the UE 104 buffer and may add padding to the MAC PDU based on the UL grant. By way of example and not limitation, there is a relaxation of the UL transmission requirements in 5G NR that allows UE 104 to selectively skip UL transmissions. In one aspect, this relaxation may be enabled and / or disabled via a flag (e.g., UL transmission skip (ULTXSKIP) flag).

[0035] As described in more detail below, the UL CC selection component 198 enables the UE 104 to sort UL grants and selectively transmit MAC PDUs on a subset of CCs while skipping the transmission of CCs that are substantially carrying MAC padding data. In one aspect, the UL CC selection component 198 enables the PHY layer to sort physical uplink shared channels (PUSCH) CCs in descending order of the UL DCI grant TB size and notify the L2 layer to build packets on the CCs in the sorted order. In this aspect, the L2 layer can build packets in the sorted order received from the PHY layer, at least in part based on the pending UL data to be transmitted (e.g., buffered data). Additionally, in this aspect, after building packets based on the data in the UL available buffer, if the UE 104 data buffer is empty and there are additional PUSCH grant TBs available, MAC / L2 can fill the remaining PUSCH CC space with MAC padding PDUs. Thereafter, in this aspect, the UL CC selection component 198 enables the UE 104 to skip the transmission of PUSCH on CCs that are substantially carrying MAC padding data. In another aspect, the selective skip functionality of the UL CC selection component 198 can be dynamically turned on or off based on various factors such as, but not limited to, timeline constraints, CA configuration, etc. Additionally or alternatively, in another aspect, the UL CC selection component 198 enables the PHY layer to implement a PUSCH CC selection priority order. In this aspect, the selection can be a function of values such as, but not limited to, the number of received UL DCI grants, the number of activated CCs, the grant TB size, the size of each MAC PDU, the UL data buffer size, the CC transmission power, etc. In this aspect, at least one of these values can be provided from the MAC layer to the PHY layer. Additionally, in this aspect, the UL CC selection component 198 enables the PHY layer to determine the PUSCH CC order that results in a substantially minimum presence of MAC padding data.

[0036] By enabling the UE 104 to selectively skip the transmission on CCs that are substantially carrying MAC padding data, the UL CC selection component 198 provides many benefits to the UE 104. The benefits include, but are not limited to, UE power savings, fewer UE processing resources, fewer UE transmission resources, less system interference, higher battery savings in high throughput scenarios such as when there is substantially continuous UL activity, etc.

[0037] Figure 2A FIG. 200 is a diagram illustrating an example of a DL frame structure. Figure 2B FIG. 230 is a diagram illustrating an example of channels within a DL frame structure. Figure 2C FIG. 250 is a diagram illustrating an example of a UL frame structure. Figure 2DFIG. 280 is an illustration of an example of channels within the UL frame structure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels. A frame (10 ms) may be divided into 10 equally sized subframes. Each subframe may include two consecutive time slots. A resource grid may be used to represent these two time slots, with each time slot including one or more time-concurrent resource blocks (RBs) (also referred to as physical RBs (PRBs)). The resource grid is divided into multiple resource elements (REs). For normal cyclic prefix, an RB may contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 7 consecutive symbols in the time domain (OFDM symbols for DL; SC-FDMA symbols for UL), for a total of 84 REs. For extended cyclic prefix, an RB may contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 6 consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 72 REs. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0038] As Figure 2A explained, some REs carry DL reference (pilot) signals (DL-RS) for channel estimation at the UE. DL-RS may include cell-specific reference signals (CRS) (sometimes also referred to as common RS), UE-specific reference signals (UE-RS), and channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS). Figure 2A Illustrated are the CRS for antenna ports 0, 1, 2, and 3 (denoted as R0, R1, R2, and R3, respectively), the UE-RS for antenna port 5 (denoted as R5), and the CSI-RS for antenna port 15 (denoted as R).

[0039] Figure 2B Illustrates an example of various channels within the DL subframe of a frame. The physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH) is within symbol 0 of time slot 0 and carries a control format indicator (CFI) indicating whether the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) occupies 1, 2, or 3 symbols ( Figure 2B illustrates the PDCCH occupying 3 symbols). The PDCCH carries downlink control information (DCI) within one or more control channel elements (CCEs), with each CCE including 9 resource element groups (REGs), and each REG including 4 consecutive REs in the OFDM symbol. The UE may be configured with UE-specific enhanced PDCCH (ePDCCH) that also carries DCI. The ePDCCH may have 2, 4, or 8 RB pairs ( Figure 2BTwo resource block (RB) pairs are shown, with each subset including one RB pair). The physical hybrid automatic repeat request (ARQ) (HARQ) indicator channel (PHICH) is also within symbol 0 of slot 0 and carries a HARQ indicator (HI) that indicates HARQ acknowledgement (ACK) / negative ACK (NACK) feedback based on the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). The primary synchronization channel (PSCH) may be within symbol 6 of slot 0 in subframes 0 and 5 of a frame. The PSCH carries a primary synchronization signal (PSS) that is used by the UE 104 to determine subframe / symbol timing and the physical layer identity. The secondary synchronization channel (SSCH) may be within symbol 5 of slot 0 in subframes 0 and 5 of a frame. The SSCH carries a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) that is used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identity group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identity and the physical layer cell identity group number, the UE may determine the physical cell identifier (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE may determine the location of the above-mentioned DL-RS. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH) that carries the master information block (MIB) may be logically grouped with the PSCH and SSCH to form a synchronization signal (SS) block. The MIB provides the number of RBs in the DL system bandwidth, the PHICH configuration, and the system frame number (SFN). The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information (such as SIBs) that is not transmitted through the PBCH, and paging messages.

[0040] As Figure 2C explained, some resource elements (REs) carry demodulation reference signals (DM-RSs) for channel estimation at the base station. The UE may additionally transmit sounding reference signals (SRSs) in the last symbol of a subframe. The SRS may have a comb structure, and the UE may transmit the SRS on one of the combs. The SRS may be used by the base station for channel quality estimation to enable frequency-dependent scheduling on the UL.

[0041] Figure 2D Examples of various channels within the UL subframe of a frame are explained. The physical random access channel (PRACH) may be within one or more subframes of a frame based on the PRACH configuration. The PRACH may include six consecutive RB pairs within a subframe. The PRACH allows the UE to perform initial system access and achieve UL synchronization. The physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) may be located at the edge of the UL system bandwidth. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as a scheduling request, a channel quality indicator (CQI), a precoding matrix indicator (PMI), a rank indicator (RI), and HARQ ACK / NACK feedback. The PUSCH carries data and may additionally be used to carry a buffer status report (BSR), a power headroom report (PHR), and / or UCI.

[0042] Figure 3 It is a block diagram showing the communication between the base station 310 and the UE 350 in the access network. In the DL, IP packets from the EPC 160 can be provided to the controller / processor 375. The controller / processor 375 implements layer 3 and layer 2 functionalities. Layer 3 includes the RRC layer, and layer 2 includes the PDCP layer, the RLC layer, and the MAC layer. The controller / processor 375 provides RRC layer functionalities associated with the broadcast of system information (e.g., MIB, SIB), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), mobility between radio access technologies (RATs), and measurement configuration for UE measurement reports; PDCP layer functionalities associated with header compression / decompression, security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionalities associated with the transfer of upper layer packet data units (PDUs), error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and re-ordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionalities associated with the mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel priority differentiation.

[0043] The transmit (TX) processor 316 and the receive (RX) processor 370 implement layer 1 functionalities associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, including the physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) coding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. The TX processor 316 handles the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The encoded and modulated symbols can then be split into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to OFDM subcarriers, multiplexed with reference signals (e.g., pilots) in the time domain and / or frequency domain, and then combined together using the inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to generate a physical channel carrying a time-domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM stream is space precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from the channel estimator 374 can be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes and for spatial processing. The channel estimates can be derived from reference signals transmitted by the UE 350 and / or channel state feedback. Each spatial stream can then be provided to a different antenna 320 via a separate transmitter 318TX. Each transmitter 318TX modulates an RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0044] At the UE 350, each receiver 354RX receives signals via its respective antenna 352. Each receiver 354RX recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides this information to the receive (RX) processor 356. The TX processor 368 and the RX processor 356 implement layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. The RX processor 356 may perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE 350. If there are multiple spatial streams destined for the UE 350, they may be combined by the RX processor 356 into a single OFDM symbol stream. The RX processor 356 then uses the fast Fourier transform (FFT) to transform the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols and reference signals on each subcarrier are recovered and demodulated by determining the signal constellation points most likely transmitted by the base station 310. These soft decisions may be based on the channel estimates computed by the channel estimator 358. These soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the original data and control signals transmitted by the base station 310 on the physical channel. These data and control signals are then provided to the controller / processor 359 that implements layer 3 and layer 2 functionality.

[0045] The controller / processor 359 may be associated with a memory 360 that stores program code and data. The memory 360 may be referred to as a computer-readable medium. In the UL, the controller / processor 359 provides demultiplexing between transport channels and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the EPC 160. The controller / processor 359 is also responsible for error detection using the ACK and / or NACK protocols to support HARQ operations.

[0046] Similar to the functionality described in connection with DL transmissions performed by the base station 310, the controller / processor 359 provides RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression and security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with the transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with the mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks, demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from transport blocks, scheduling information reporting, error correction via HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0047] Channel estimates derived by channel estimator 358 from reference signals or feedback transmitted by base station 310 can be used by TX processor 368 to select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by TX processor 368 can be provided to different antennas 352 via separate transmitters 354TX. Each transmitter 354TX can modulate an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

[0048] UL transmissions are processed at base station 310 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with the receiver functionality at UE 350. Each receiver 318RX receives a signal via its respective corresponding antenna 320. Each receiver 318RX recovers information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to RX processor 370.

[0049] Controller / processor 375 can be associated with a memory 376 that stores program code and data. Memory 376 can be referred to as a computer-readable medium. In the UL, controller / processor 375 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, control signal processing to recover IP packets from UE 350. The IP packets from controller / processor 375 can be provided to EPC 160. Controller / processor 375 is also responsible for error detection using the ACK and / or NACK protocols to support HARQ operations.

[0050] Figure 4 FIG. is a diagram illustrating an example wireless communication system 400 with a UE 402 that can communicate with at least one base station 404 using one or more RATs (e.g., 5G NR, LTE, 3G, 2G, EV-DO, etc.). In one aspect, UE 402 can communicate with base station 404 on multiple CCs. In this aspect, base station 404 can transmit DCI grants 406 for each CC that include UL grants (e.g., UL grant 1, UL grant 2, UL grant 3, UL grant N). UE 402 can convey UL data 408 (e.g., CC 1 UL data, CC 2 UL data, CC N UL data, etc.). In one aspect, which will be described in more detail below, UE 402 can skip transmissions on UL CCs on which only MAC padding data has been substantially transmitted. In this aspect, assuming that "N" UL grants are assigned, UE402 can transmit UL data on N minus M UL CCs, where M is the number of CCs on which only MAC padding data will be transmitted.

[0051] UE 402 may include a UL grant receiving component 410 that enables the UE 402 to receive UL grants 406, where each UL grant 406 may be associated with a different CC. Additionally, each UL grant 406 may indicate the number of transport blocks (TBs) available for UL communication. The UE 402 may also include a UL CC sorting component 420 that enables the UE 402 to sort the UL grants 406. By way of example and not limitation, the UL CC sorting component 420 may sort the UL grants 406 based on the number of received UL DCI grants, the number of activated CCs, the grant TB size, each MAC PDU size, the UL data buffer size, the CC transmission power, etc. In one aspect, the UL CC sorting component 420 may sort the UL grants 406 at the PHY layer. The UE 402 may also include a UL data component 430 that enables the UE 402 to determine whether any data is queued for uplink transmission (e.g., in the UL data buffer 432), and if so, determine how much data is waiting for uplink transmission. In one aspect, the UL data component 430 may convey information to the UL CC sorting component 420 at the PHY layer to assist in the sorting process. The information may include, but is not limited to, the UL data buffer 432 size, the CC transmission power, etc. The UE 402 may also include a UL CC allocation component 440 that enables the UE 402 to selectively allow UL data (e.g., from the UL data buffer 432) to go to the sorted UL CCs. For example, the UL CC allocation component 440 may allocate UL data to UL CCs in a manner that reduces the number of CCs used to convey the UL data. In another example, the UL CC allocation component 440 may allocate UL data to UL CCs in a manner that reduces the total transmission power used by the UE 402 to transmit the UL data. In yet another example, the UL CC allocation component 440 may allocate UL data to UL CCs based on values such as, but not limited to, the number of received UL DCI grants, the number of activated CCs, the grant TB size, each MAC PDU size, the UL data buffer size, the CC transmission power, etc. In one aspect, the UL CC allocation component 440 may be associated with MAC layer functionality. In another aspect, the UL CC allocation component 440 may be associated with PHY layer functionality. The UE 402 may also include a UL CC transmission component 450 that enables the UE 402 to transmit UL data on multiple UL CCs 408. In one aspect, at least partially based on the UL CC allocation component 440 allocating UL data to a CC, the UL CC transmission component 450 may transmit UL data on fewer CCs than the assigned UL grants 406. In this aspect, the use of fewer than the assigned number of UL CCs may be enabled by a flag (e.g., ULTXSKIP).

[0052] In one operational aspect, the UE 402 may have 1000 bytes in the UL data buffer 432. Additionally, the UE 402 can receive UL DCI grants on multiple CCs via the UL grant receiving component 410, with each CC having a defined number of available TBs (e.g., CA0 has 200 bytes, CA1 has 100 bytes, CA2 has 300 bytes, CA3 has 100 bytes, CA4 has 500 bytes). In this operational aspect, the UL CC sorting component 420 can sort the CAs based on a certain factor (such as but not limited to, the grant TB size). Continuing with this example CA values, the sorted order would be CA4, CA2, CA0, CA1, and then CA3. Further in this operational aspect, the UL data component 430 uses the 1000 bytes in the UL data buffer 432 to provide data to the UL CC allocation component 440 to construct packets on CA4, CA2, and CA0. Additionally, the UL CC allocation component 440 does not construct packets for CA1 and CA3 as these are just MAC padding data. In one aspect, this allocation can be performed at the MAC layer. In this aspect, the UL CC allocation component 440 can notify the PHY layer which CCs have UL data and which CCs essentially have MAC padding data. In another aspect, this allocation can be performed at the PHY layer. Even further, in this operational aspect, the UL CC transmission component 450 transmits UL data on CA4, CA2, CA0 while skipping transmissions on CA1 and CA3.

[0053] Figure 5 Is a flowchart 500 of a wireless communication method. This method can be performed by a UE (e.g., UE 104, UE 402). At 502, the UE can receive UL grants from multiple CCs. In one aspect, each UL grant can indicate the number of TBs available for UL transmission. Additionally, in one aspect, the reception of the UL grants can be associated with the PHY layer. In one aspect, the UE 402 UL grant receiving component 410 can be configured to receive UL grants as described at 502.

[0054] At 504, the UE can sort the CCs among multiple component carriers (CCs). In one aspect, this sorting can be done as a function at least partially based on the number of TBs for each of these CCs. In one aspect, the sorting of the CCs can be based on giving priority to CCs with larger TB sizes over those with smaller TB sizes. In one aspect, the sorting of the CCs can be based on minimizing UE power usage. In one aspect, the UE 402 UL CC sorting component 420 can be configured to sort the CCs as described at 504.

[0055] In one operational aspect, at 506, the UE may convey information associated with the sorting of CCs to the MAC layer. In one aspect, the UE 402 UL CC sorting component 420 may be configured to convey the CCs to the MAC layer as described at 506.

[0056] In a further operational aspect, at 508, information may be received from the MAC layer at the PHY layer. For example, the MAC layer may provide information such as, but not limited to, the number of received UL DCI grants, the number of activated CCs, the grant TB size, the size of each MAC PDU, the UL data buffer size, the CC transmission power, etc. In one aspect, the UE 402 UL CC sorting component 420 may be configured to convey this information from the MAC layer to the PHY layer as described at 508.

[0057] At 510, the UE allocates data to a subset of the sorted CCs. In one aspect associated with 506, this allocation may be performed at the MAC layer. While in one aspect associated with 508, this allocation may be performed at the PHY layer. In one aspect, the subset of CCs may be defined as the CCs available for conveying data other than MAC padding data. In other words, the CCs that are substantially used for conveying MAC padding data are not included in the subset of CCs. In one aspect, the UE 402 UL CC allocation component 440 may be configured to allocate data to the subset of CCs as described at 510.

[0058] In one operational aspect, at 512, the PDU and information associated with the subset of CCs may be conveyed from the MAC layer to the PHY layer. In the operational aspect associated with 506, the MAC layer performs the allocation of the subset of CCs and then conveys the information back to the MAC layer. In one aspect, the UE 402 UL CC allocation component 440 may be configured to convey data and information associated with the subset of CCs as described at 512.

[0059] At 514, the UE uses the subset of CCs to transmit the PDU. In one aspect, the UE may skip transmissions on CCs that substantially include MAC padding data. In one aspect, when a flag (e.g., UL TXSKIP) is enabled, transmissions of the subset of CCs may be allowed. Additionally, the flag may be changed dynamically.

[0060] Figure 6FIG. 600 is a conceptual data flow diagram that illustrates the data flow between different devices / components in an exemplary device 602. The device may be a UE. The device includes a receiving component 604 that may receive UL grants 612 for each of a plurality of CCs. In one aspect, each UL grant may include the number of transport blocks (TBs) assigned to each CC. The device may further include a UL CC sorting component 606 that may use the UL grant information 612 to provide a sorted CC list 614 to a UL CC allocation component 608. The UL CC allocation component 608 may determine a subset of the CCs on which to transmit UL data and provide the subset 616 of the CCs to a transmission component 610. The transmission component 606 may use the subset 616 of the CCs to transmit UL data 620.

[0061] The device may include additional components that perform Figure 5 each block of the algorithms in the foregoing flowcharts. Thus, Figure 5 each block in the foregoing flowcharts may be performed by a component and the device may include one or more of those components. These components may be one or more hardware components specifically configured to perform the processes / algorithms, implemented by a processor configured to perform the processes / algorithms, stored in a computer-readable medium for implementation by a processor, or some combination thereof.

[0062] Figure 7 FIG. 700 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of a device 602' employing a processing system 714. The processing system 714 may be implemented to have a bus architecture generally represented by a bus 724. Depending on the specific application and overall design constraints of the processing system 714, the bus 724 may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges. The bus 724 links together various circuits, including one or more processors and / or hardware components (represented by processor 704, components 604, 606, 608, 610, and computer-readable medium / memory 706). The bus 724 may also link various other circuits, such as timing sources, peripheral devices, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and will not be described further herein.

[0063] The processing system 714 can be coupled to the transceiver 710. The transceiver 710 is coupled to one or more antennas 720. The transceiver 710 provides means for communicating with various other devices via a transmission medium. The transceiver 710 receives signals from the one or more antennas 720, extracts information from the received signals, and provides the extracted information to the processing system 714 (specifically, the receiving component 604). Additionally, the transceiver 710 receives information from the processing system 714 (specifically, the transmitting component 610) and generates signals to be applied to the one or more antennas 720 based on the received information. The processing system 714 includes a processor 704 coupled to a computer-readable medium / memory 706. The processor 704 is responsible for general processing, including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable medium / memory 706. The software, when executed by the processor 704, causes the processing system 714 to perform the various functions described above for any particular device. The computer-readable medium / memory 706 can also be used to store data manipulated by the processor 704 when executing the software. The processing system 714 further includes at least one of the components 604, 606, 608, 610. These components can be software components running in the processor 704, software components resident / stored in the computer-readable medium / memory 706, one or more hardware components coupled to the processor 704, or some combination thereof. The processing system 714 can be a component of the UE 350 and can include the memory 360 and / or at least one of the following: a TX processor 368, an RX processor 356, and a controller / processor 359.

[0064] In one configuration, a device 602 / 602' for wireless communication includes means for receiving a UL grant for each of a plurality of CCs. In one aspect, each UL grant can include the number of TBs assigned to each CC. The device 602 / 602' for wireless communication further includes means for sorting the CCs among the plurality of CCs as a function of at least partially the number of TBs for each CC, and means for transmitting one or more PDUs using a subset of the CCs among the plurality of CCs. In one aspect, the subset of CCs can be at least partially based on the sorting, and any CC among the plurality of CCs in which only MAC-padding PDUs will be transmitted is not included in the subset of CCs. The foregoing means can be one or more of the foregoing components of the device 602 and / or the processing system 714 of the device 602' configured to perform the functions recited by the foregoing means. As described above, the processing system 714 can include a TX processor 368, an RX processor 356, and a controller / processor 359. Thus, in one configuration, the foregoing means can be the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the controller / processor 359 configured to perform the functions recited by the foregoing means.

[0065] It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of the various boxes in the disclosed process / flowchart is an illustration of exemplary approaches. It should be understood that based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of the various boxes in these process / flowcharts can be rearranged. Additionally, some boxes may be combined or omitted. The appended method claims present the elements of the various boxes in an exemplary order and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0066] The foregoing description has been provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of the claims, where the singular forms of the elements are not intended to mean "one and only one" unless specifically stated otherwise, but rather "one or more." The term "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or superior to other aspects. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term "some / a certain" refers to one or more. Combinations such as "at least one of A, B, or C," "one or more of A, B, or C," "at least one of A, B, and C," "one or more of A, B, and C," and "any combination of A, B, C, or any thereof" include any combination of A, B, and / or C and may include multiple A's, multiple B's, or multiple C's. Specifically, combinations such as "at least one of A, B, or C," "one or more of A, B, or C," "at least one of A, B, and C," "one or more of A, B, and C," and "any combination of A, B, C, or any thereof" can be A only, B only, C only, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, where any such combination can include one or more members of A, B, or C. Elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are presently known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art as all structural and functional equivalents are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be covered by the claims. Additionally, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public, whether or not such disclosure is expressly recited in the claims. The terms "module," "mechanism," "element," "device," etc. are not intended to be substitutes for the term "apparatus." Thus, no claim element should be construed as apparatus plus function unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase "means for...".

Claims

1. A wireless communication method, comprising: Receiving an uplink (UL) grant for each of a plurality of component carriers (CCs), wherein each UL grant includes the number of transport blocks (TBs) assigned to each CC; Sorting the CCs among the plurality of CCs in descending order of the TB size assigned to each CC among the plurality of component carriers (CCs); Constructing one or more packet data units (PDUs) from the data available in the UL data buffer according to the sorted order and the TB size assigned to each CC among the CCs; And Transmitting the PDU on a subset of the CCs among the plurality of CCs, wherein when the construction results in any of the CCs among the plurality of CCs not having data assigned from the UL data buffer, the transmission on that CC is skipped.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The sorting is done at the physical (PHY) layer, and wherein the method further comprises: Communicating information associated with the sorting of the CCs to the MAC layer; At the MAC layer, allocating one or more PDUs to the subset of the CCs among the plurality of CCs based on the information associated with the sorting of the CCs; and Communicating the one or more PDUs to the PHY layer for transmission on the subset of the CCs.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The total number of TBs to be used for the transmission of the one or more PDUs is less than the total number of TBs assigned in the UL grant by a first number of TBs.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The first number of TBs is greater than the number of TBs assigned to at least one CC among the plurality of CCs.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein Sorting the CCs among the plurality of CCs is based on giving preference to CCs with larger TB sizes over CCs with smaller TB sizes.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Sorting the CCs among the plurality of CCs is based on minimizing power usage.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein, When the UL transmission skip (ULTXSKIP) flag is enabled, transmission using the subset of the CCs is allowed.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The ULTXSKIP flag is configured to be dynamically enabled or disabled.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Receiving from the MAC layer at least one of: UL data buffer size, MAC PDU size, or any combination thereof; And wherein the sorting is further at least partially a function of at least one of: the UL data buffer size, the MAC PDU size, or any combination thereof.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The sorting is further at least partially a function of at least one of: the number of active CCs, the transmit power of each CC, or any combination thereof.

11. A device for wireless communication, comprising: Means for receiving an uplink (UL) grant for each of a plurality of component carriers (CCs), wherein each UL grant includes the number of transport blocks (TBs) assigned to each CC; Means for sorting the CCs among the plurality of CCs in descending order of the TB size assigned to each CC among the plurality of component carriers (CCs); Apparatus for constructing one or more packet data units (PDUs) from data available in a UL data buffer according to a sorted order and TB sizes assigned to each CC in the CCs; and Apparatus for transmitting the PDUs on a subset of CCs among the plurality of CCs, wherein when the construction results in any CC among the plurality of CCs not having data assigned from the UL data buffer, transmission on that CC is skipped.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein, The apparatus for sorting is further configured to: communicate information associated with the sorting of the CCs to the MAC layer; at the MAC layer, assign one or more PDUs to the subset of CCs among the plurality of CCs based on the information associated with the sorting of the CCs; and communicate the one or more PDUs to the PHY layer for transmission on the subset of CCs.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein The total number of TBs to be used for the transmission of the one or more PDUs is less than the total number of TBs assigned in the UL grant by a first number of TBs, and wherein the first number of TBs is greater than the number of TBs assigned to at least one CC among the plurality of CCs.

14. The device according to claim 11, wherein, Sorting the CCs among the plurality of CCs is based on prioritizing CCs with larger TB sizes over CCs with smaller TB sizes, minimizing power usage, or any combination thereof.

15. The device according to claim 11, wherein When the UL transmission skip (ULTXSKIP) flag is enabled, transmission using the subset of CCs is allowed, and wherein the ULTXSKIP flag is configured to be dynamically enabled or disabled.

16. The device according to claim 11, wherein The apparatus for sorting is configured to: receive from the MAC layer at least one of: UL data buffer size, MAC PDU size, or any combination thereof; and wherein the apparatus for sorting is further a function of at least one of: the UL data buffer size, the MAC PDU size, or any combination thereof.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein, The apparatus for sorting is further a function of at least one of: the number of active CCs, the transmit power of each CC, or any combination thereof.

18. A wireless communication device, comprising: at least one modem; at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one modem; and at least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and storing processor-readable code, the processor-readable code when executed by the at least one processor in conjunction with the at least one modem causes the wireless communication device to: receive an uplink (UL) grant for each of a plurality of component carriers (CCs), wherein each UL grant includes the number of transport blocks (TBs) assigned to each CC; sort the CCs among the plurality of component carriers (CCs) in descending order of the TB sizes assigned to each CC; construct one or more packet data units (PDUs) from data available in the UL data buffer according to the sorted order and the TB sizes assigned to each CC in the CCs; and Transmit the PDU on a subset of CCs among the plurality of CCs, wherein when the construction results in any CC among the plurality of CCs not having data assigned from the UL data buffer, the transmission on that CC is skipped.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein, The physical (PHY) layer sorts the CCs, and wherein the wireless communication device is further configured to: Communicate information associated with the sorting of the CCs to the MAC layer; At the MAC layer, allocate one or more PDUs to the subset of CCs among the plurality of CCs based on the information associated with the sorting of the CCs; And Communicate the one or more PDUs to the PHY layer for transmission on the subset of CCs.

20. The device according to claim 19, wherein, The total number of transport blocks (TBs) to be used for the transmission of the one or more PDUs is less than the total number of TBs assigned in the UL grant by a first number of TBs.

21. The device according to claim 20, wherein The first number of TBs is greater than the number of TBs assigned to at least one CC among the plurality of CCs.

22. The device according to claim 18, wherein, The CCs among the plurality of CCs are sorted based on prioritizing CCs with larger TB sizes over CCs with smaller TB sizes.

23. The device according to claim 18, wherein, The CCs among the plurality of CCs are sorted based on minimizing power usage.

24. The device according to claim 18, wherein When the UL transmission skip (ULTXSKIP) flag is enabled, transmission using the subset of CCs is allowed.

25. The device according to claim 24, wherein, The ULTXSKIP flag is configured to be dynamically enabled or disabled.

26. The device according to claim 18, wherein, The wireless communication device is further configured to: Receive from the MAC layer at least one of the following: UL data buffer size, MAC PDU size, or any combination thereof; and wherein the CCs among the plurality of CCs are further sorted as a function of at least one of the following: the UL data buffer size, the MAC PDU size, or any combination thereof.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein, The CCs among the plurality of CCs are further sorted as a function of at least one of the following: the number of active CCs, the transmit power of each CC, or any combination thereof.

28. A computer-readable medium comprising code executable by one or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to: Receive an uplink (UL) grant for each of a plurality of component carriers (CCs), wherein each UL grant includes the number of transport blocks (TBs) assigned to each CC; Sort the CCs among the plurality of component carriers (CCs) in descending order of the TB size assigned to each CC; Construct one or more packet data units (PDUs) from the data available in the UL data buffer according to the sorted order and the TB size assigned to each of the CCs; And Transmit the PDUs on a subset of CCs among the plurality of CCs, wherein when the construction results in any CC among the plurality of CCs not having data assigned from the UL data buffer, the transmission on that CC is skipped.

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