Methods, apparatuses, systems, architectures and interfaces for uplink control information (UCI) transmission via uplink shared data channel

Abstract

To provide a method to be implemented in a transmitter / transceiver.SOLUTION: In one embodiment, the method includes: mapping any number of elements of an uplink control information signal sequence (UCI SS) to available subcarriers for transmitting an OFDM symbol for carrying information associated with a PUSCH, each of the subcarriers having at least two layers; precoding the mapped elements as a function of the layer of the subcarrier to which the elements are mapped, where first precoding applied to a mapped element of a first layer of a subcarrier is different than second precoding applied to a mapped element of a second layer of the subcarrier; feeding the mapped elements of the UCI SS to an IDFT unit; and transforming the mapped elements into an IDFT transformed signal that includes the mapped elements of the UCI SS carried by a plurality of resources for transmission.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Background technology]

[0001] The field of the invention relates to communications, and more particularly to methods, apparatus, systems, architectures and interfaces for communications in advanced or next generation wireless communications systems, including communications using new radio and / or new radio access technologies and involving the transmission of control information, such as uplink control information, and reference signals. Summary of the Invention

[0002] An exemplary device includes circuitry including a processor, a memory, a receiver, and a transmitter, the processor including, in a subcarrier mapping unit, mapping a number of elements of an uplink control information (UCI) signal sequence to a subset of a set of subcarriers available for transmitting orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols to carry information associated with a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), each of the subcarriers having at least two layers; and precoding the mapped elements as a function of the layer of the subcarrier to which the elements are mapped. the transmitter is configured to: precode, such that a first precoding applied to a mapped element of a first layer of a subcarrier is different from a second precoding applied to a mapped element of a second layer of the same subcarrier; inputting the mapped elements of the UCI signal sequence to an Inverse Discrete Fourier Transform (IDFT) unit; and transforming the mapped elements into an IDFT transformed signal using the IDFT unit, such that the IDFT transformed signal comprises the mapped elements of the UCI signal sequence carried by the multiple resources for transmission; and the transmitter is configured to transmit the IDFT transformed signal as an OFDM signal.

[0003] Methods, apparatuses, and systems for reference signal configuration, generation, and / or transmission implemented within a transmitter / receiver are provided. An exemplary method includes: mapping, in a subcarrier mapping unit, a number of elements of an uplink control information (UCI) signal sequence to a subset of a set of subcarriers available for transmitting orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols to carry information associated with a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), each of the subcarriers having at least two layers; precoding the mapped elements as a function of a layer of the subcarrier to which the elements are mapped, a first precoding applied to the mapped elements of a first layer of subcarriers being different from a second precoding applied to the mapped elements of a second layer of the same subcarriers; passing the mapped elements of the UCI signal sequence into an inverse discrete Fourier transform (IDFT) unit; and transforming the mapped elements into an IDFT transformed signal using the IDFT unit, such that the IDFT transformed signal includes the mapped elements of the UCI signal sequence carried by multiple resources for transmission. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0004] A more detailed understanding may be had from the following detailed description, given by way of example in connection with the drawings attached hereto. The figures in such drawings, like the detailed description, are examples. Thus, the figures and detailed description should not be considered limiting, as other, equally valid examples are possible and probable. Moreover, like reference numbers in the figures indicate like elements. [Figure 1A] FIG. 1 is a system diagram illustrating an example communication system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. [Figure 1B] 1A is a system diagram illustrating an example wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A in accordance with an embodiment. [Figure 1C]FIG. 1B is a system diagram illustrating an example radio access network (RAN) and an example core network (CN) that may be used within the communication system illustrated in FIG. 1A in accordance with an embodiment. [Figure 1D] FIG. 1B is a system diagram illustrating a further example RAN and a further example CN that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 illustrates UCI transmission in a PUSCH according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 illustrates an OFDM waveform generator according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 illustrates UCI transmission with additional DM-RS using OFDM according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 illustrates another UCI transmission along with an additional DM-RS using OFDM according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 illustrates another UCI transmission along with an additional PT-RS using OFDM according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 illustrates UCI and data codeword multiplexing options according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 illustrates a codeword-to-layer mapping according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 illustrates codeword-layer mapping with and without UCI repetition according to an embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 illustrates a layer-subcarrier mapping in which UCIs are mapped to the same subcarrier, according to an embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 illustrates a layer-subcarrier mapping in which UCIs are mapped to different subcarriers according to an embodiment. [Figure 12] A diagram illustrating layer-subcarrier mapping in which repeated UCIs are mapped to the same subcarrier, according to an embodiment. [Figure 13]FIG. 1 illustrates a layer-subcarrier mapping in which repeated UCIs are mapped to different subcarriers according to an embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 illustrates a DFT-s-OFDM waveform generator according to an embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 1 illustrates an example DFT-s-OFDM waveform for UCI transmission in PUSCH. [Figure 16] FIG. 1 illustrates another DFT-s-OFDM waveform for UCI transmission in PUSCH. [Figure 17] FIG. 1 illustrates another DFT-s-OFDM waveform for UCI transmission in PUSCH. [Figure 18] FIG. 1 illustrates UCI transmission along with additional DM-RS using DFT-s-OFDM according to an embodiment. [Figure 19] 1 illustrates an example DM-RS density and pattern based on PUSCH type and UCI type according to an embodiment. [Figure 20] 1 illustrates DM-RS density and pattern based on PUSCH type according to an embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 2 illustrates a frequency interleaved resource mapping of CQI on a PUSCH according to an embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 2 illustrates a time-frequency interleaved resource mapping of CQI on a PUSCH according to an embodiment. [Figure 23] 1 illustrates a method for generating OFDM symbols performed by a WTRU according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0005] Next, a detailed description of the exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to the figures. However, although the present invention may be described in relation to the representative embodiments, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited thereto, and that other embodiments may be used or modifications and additions may be made to the described embodiments to perform the same functions of the present invention without departing from the present invention.

[0006] Although exemplary embodiments are generally illustrated below using a wireless network architecture, any number of different network architectures may be used including, for example, networks having wired and / or wireless components.

[0007] Exemplary Network for Implementation of the Invention 1A is a diagram illustrating an example communication system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communication system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content, such as voice, data, video, messages, broadcasts, etc., to multiple wireless users. The communication system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through sharing of system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communication system 100 may use one or more channel access methods, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), Single Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), Zero-tailed Unique Word DFT Spread OFDM (ZT UW DTS-s OFDM), Unique Word OFDM (UW-OFDM), Resource Block Filtered OFDM, Filter Bank Multi-Carrier (FBMC), etc.

[0008] 1A, the communications system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, a RAN 104 / 113, a CN 106 / 115, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112, although it will be understood that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, any of which may be referred to as a “station” and / or “STA,” may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals, and may include user equipment (UE), mobile stations, fixed or mobile subscriber units, subscription-based units, pagers, cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), smartphones, laptops, netbooks, personal computers, wireless sensors, hotspot devices or Mi-Fi devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearables, head mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or automated processing chain context), consumer electronics devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d may be referred to interchangeably as UEs.

[0009] The communication system 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the CN 106 / 115, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node-B, an eNode B, a home Node B, a home eNode B, a gNB, a NR NodeB, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, etc. Although the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it will be understood that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0010] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 104 / 113, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), relay nodes, etc. The base station 114a and / or base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as cells (not shown). These frequencies may be in the licensed spectrum, the unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of the licensed and unlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide coverage for wireless services in a particular geographic area, which may be relatively fixed or may change over time. A cell may be further divided into cell sectors. For example, a cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, one for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, the base station 114a may use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology and may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to transmit and / or receive signals in a desired spatial direction.

[0011] The base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communications link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0012] More specifically, as mentioned above, the communication system 100 may be a multiple access system and may use one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, etc. For example, the base stations 114a and WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in the RAN 104 / 113 may implement a radio technology, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may establish the air interface 115 / 116 / 117 using Wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA may include communication protocols, such as High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High Speed ​​Downlink (DL) Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High Speed ​​UL Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0013] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and / or LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A-Pro).

[0014] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology, such as New Radio (NR) radio access, which may establish the air interface 116 using NR.

[0015] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement LTE and NR radio access together, e.g., using a dual connectivity (DC) principle. Thus, the air interface utilized by the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions sent to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., eNBs and gNBs).

[0016] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102 may implement a wireless technology such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), or the like.

[0017] The base station 114b in FIG. 1A may be, for example, a wireless router, a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, or an access point, and may utilize any suitable RAT to facilitate wireless connectivity within a localized area, such as a business office, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by a drone), a road, etc. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR, etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. 1A, the base station 114b may have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Thus, the base station 114b may not be required to access the Internet 110 via the CN 106 / 115.

[0018] The RAN 104 / 113 may communicate with the CN 106 / 115, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, application, and / or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have various Quality of Service (QoS) requirements, such as different throughput requirements, delay requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, etc. The CN 106 / 115 may provide call control, charging services, mobile location-based services, prepaid calls, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform high-level security functions, such as user authentication. Although not shown in FIG. 1A, it will be understood that the RAN 104 / 113 and / or the CN 106 / 115 may communicate directly or indirectly with other RANs that use the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104 / 113, which may utilize NR radio technology, the CN 106 / 115 may also communicate with another RAN (not shown) using GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0019] The CN 106 / 115 may also act as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include a circuit-switched telephone network providing plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a worldwide system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and / or Internet Protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP Internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired and / or wireless communication networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the network 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may use the same RAT as the RANs 104 / 113 or may use a different RAT.

[0020] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communications system 100 may include multi-mode characteristics (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links). For example, the WTRU 102c illustrated in FIG. 1A may be configured to communicate with a base station 114a, which may use a cellular-based radio technology, and with a base station 114b, which may use an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0021] Figure 1B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. As shown in Figure 1B, the WTRU 102 may include, among other things, a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a Global Positioning System (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138. It will be understood that the WTRU 102 may include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0022] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) circuit, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, etc. The processor 118 may perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality for the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. Although FIG. 1B depicts the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 as separate components, it will be understood that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0023] The transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit signals to a base station (e.g., base station 114a) over the air interface 116 or receive signals from a base station (e.g., base station 114a) over the air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In an embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive, for example, IR signals, UV signals, or visible light signals. In yet another embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive both RF and light signals. It will be understood that the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0024] 1B as a single element, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may use MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[0025] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate signals to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and demodulate signals received by the transmit / receive element 122. As mentioned above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode characteristics. Thus, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers to enable the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.11, for example.

[0026] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to and may receive user input data from a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, and / or a display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in any type of suitable memory, such as a non-removable memory 130 and / or a removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, or the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or home computer (not shown), and store data in memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102.

[0027] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134 and may be configured to distribute and / or control the power to other components within the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd), Nickel-Zinc (NiZn), Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH), Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, etc.

[0028] The processor 118 may also be coupled to a GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to or instead of information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information over the air interface 116 from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) and / or determine its location based on the timing of signals received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be understood that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by way of any suitable location determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0029] The processor 118 may be further coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality, and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an electronic compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photos and / or videos), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands-free headset, a Bluetooth module, a frequency modulation (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an Internet browser, a virtual and / or augmented reality (VR / AR) device, an activity tracker, and the like. The peripherals 138 may include one or more sensors, which may be one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a Hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, an orientation sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor, a geolocation sensor, an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, and / or a humidity sensor.

[0030] The WTRU 102 may include a full-duplex radio where transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with a particular subframe for both the UL (e.g., for transmission) and the downlink (e.g., for reception)) may be parallel and / or simultaneous. The full-duplex radio may include an interference management unit 139 that reduces and or substantially eliminates self-interference via either hardware (e.g., a choke) or signal processing via a processor (e.g., via a separate processor (not shown) or via the processor 118). In an embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include a half-duplex radio for transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with a particular subframe for either the UL (e.g., for transmission) or the downlink (e.g., for reception)).

[0031] 1C is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to an embodiment. As mentioned above, the RAN 104 may communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116 using E-UTRA radio technology. The RAN 104 may also communicate with the CN 106.

[0032] The RAN 104 may include eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, although it will be understood that the RAN 104 may include any number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO techniques. Thus, the eNode-B 160a may, for example, use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to and / or receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a.

[0033] Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, etc. As shown in FIG 1C, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another over an X2 interface.

[0034] 1C may include a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 162, a Serving Gateway (SGW) 164, and a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (i.e., PGW) 166. Although each of the foregoing elements is depicted as part of the CN 106, it will be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0035] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 162a, 162b, 162c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may act as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, etc. The MME 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0036] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the eNode Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface. The SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164 may perform other functions, such as anchoring the user plane during inter-eNode B handovers, triggering paging when DL data is available to the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing the context of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, etc.

[0037] The SGW 164 may be connected to a PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0038] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices. For example, the CN 106 may include or communicate with an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that acts as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0039] Although the WTRU is described in FIGS. 1A-1D as a wireless terminal, it is contemplated that in some representative embodiments such a terminal may use a wired communications interface (e.g., temporarily or permanently) with the communications network.

[0040] In an exemplary embodiment, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0041] A WLAN in infrastructure basic service set (BSS) mode may have an access point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP may have access or interface to a distribution system (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic to and / or from the BSS. Traffic to a STA originating from outside the BSS may arrive through the AP and be delivered to the STA. Traffic originating from a STA to a destination outside the BSS may be sent to the AP to be delivered to the respective destination. Traffic between STAs in a BSS may be sent through the AP, where, for example, a source STA may send traffic to the AP and the AP may deliver traffic to the destination STA. Traffic between STAs in a BSS may be considered and / or referred to as peer-to-peer traffic. Peer-to-peer traffic may be sent between (e.g., directly between) a source STA and a destination STA using a direct link setup (DLS). In some representative embodiments, the DLS may use 802.11e DLS or 802.11z Tunneled DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an Independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and the STAs within or using the IBSS (e.g., all of the STAs) may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS mode of communication is sometimes referred to herein as an "ad-hoc" mode of communication.

[0042] When using an 802.11ac infrastructure mode of operation or a similar mode of operation, an AP may transmit a beacon on a fixed channel, such as a primary channel. The primary channel may be a fixed width (e.g., a 20 MHz wide bandwidth) or may be dynamically set via signaling. The primary channel may be an operating channel of the BSS and may be used by STAs to establish a connection with the AP. In some representative embodiments, carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) may be implemented, for example, in an 802.11 system. With CSMA / CA, STAs (e.g., every STA), including the AP, may sense the primary channel. If the primary channel is sensed / detected by a particular STA and / or determined to be in use, the particular STA may be backed off. One STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any given time in a given BSS.

[0043] High throughput (HT) STAs may use the 40 MHz wide channel for communication, for example, via combination of the primary 20 MHz channel with adjacent or non-adjacent 20 MHz channels to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[0044] A very high throughput (VHT) STA may support 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and / or 160 MHz wide channels. The 40 MHz and / or 80 MHz channels may be formed by combining contiguous 20 MHz channels. The 160 MHz channel may be formed by combining eight contiguous 20 MHz channels or by combining two non-contiguous 80 MHz channels, which may be referred to as an 80+80 configuration. For the 80+80 configuration, the data may be passed through a segment parser after channel encoding, which may split the data into two streams. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) processing and time domain processing may be performed separately on each stream. The streams may be mapped onto two 80 MHz channels, and the data may be transmitted by the transmitting STA. At the receiver of the receiving STA, the operations described above for the 80+80 configuration may be reversed, and the combined data may be sent to the media access control (MAC).

[0045] Sub 1 GHz modes of operation are supported by 802.11af and 802.11ah. Channel operating bandwidths and carriers are reduced in 802.11af and 802.11ah compared to those used in 802.11n and 802.11ac. 802.11af supports 5 MHz, 10 MHz, and 20 MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.11ah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.11ah may support meter-type control / machine-type communication such as MTC devices in macro coverage areas. MTC devices may have some characteristics, including support for (e.g., only support for) some and / or limited bandwidths. MTC devices may include a battery with a battery life above a threshold (e.g., to maintain a very long battery life).

[0046] A WLAN system that may support multiple channels and channel bandwidths, such as 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11af, and 802.11ah, includes a channel that may be designated as a primary channel. The primary channel may have a bandwidth equal to the maximum common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be set and / or limited by the STA among all STAs when operating in the BSS that supports the smallest bandwidth operating mode. In an 802.11ah example, the primary channel may be 1 MHz wide for STAs (e.g., MTC type devices) that support (e.g., only) 1 MHz mode, even if they are APs, and other STAs in the BSS support 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 16 MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and / or network allocation vector (NAV) setting may depend on the status of the primary channel. For example, if a STA (that only supports a 1 MHz mode of operation) transmits to an AP such that the primary channel is in use, the entire available frequency band may be considered in use even though most of the frequency band may remain idle and available for use.

[0047] In the United States, the available frequency bands that can be used by 802.11ah are 902MHz to 928MHz. In South Korea, the available frequency bands are 917.5MHz to 923.5MHz. In Japan, the available frequency bands are 916.5MHz to 927.5MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11ah is 6MHz to 26MHz, depending on the country code.

[0048] 1D is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 113 and the CN 115 according to an embodiment. As discussed above, the RAN 113 may communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116 using NR radio technology. The RAN 113 may also communicate with the CN 115.

[0049] The RAN 113 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, although it will be understood that the RAN 113 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO techniques. For example, the gNBs 180a, 108b may utilize beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a may transmit wireless signals to and / or receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a, for example, using multiple antennas. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement carrier aggregation techniques. For example, the gNB 180a may transmit multiple component carriers to the WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on an unlicensed spectrum, and the remaining component carriers may be on a licensed spectrum. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement coordinated multipoint (CoMP) techniques. For example, the WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from the gNBs 180a and 180b (and / or gNB 180c).

[0050] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with scalable numerology. For example, the OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframes or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of various or scalable lengths (e.g., containing various numbers of OFDM symbols and / or lasting various lengths of absolute time).

[0051] The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be configured to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in a standalone configuration and / or a non-standalone configuration. In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c without accessing any other RAN (e.g., eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, etc.). In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may utilize one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c as mobility anchor points. In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using signals in unlicensed bands. In a non-standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate / connect with a gNB 180a, 180b, 180c while also communicating / connecting with another RAN, such as an eNode-B 160a, 160b, 160c. For example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement DC principles to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c and one or more eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c substantially simultaneously. In a non-standalone configuration, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may act as a mobility anchor for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may provide additional coverage and / or throughput to serve the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0052] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, support for network slicing, dual connectivity, interworking between NR and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data towards user plane functions (UPFs) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information towards access and mobility management functions (AMFs) 182a, 182b, etc. As shown in FIG. 1D, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may communicate with each other over an Xn interface.

[0053] 1D may include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one Session Management Function (SMF) 183a, 183b, and possibly a Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b. Although each of the foregoing elements is depicted as part of the CN 115, it will be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0054] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via an N2 interface and may act as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, supporting network slicing (e.g., handling different PDU sessions with different requirements), selecting a particular SMF 183a, 183b, managing registration areas, terminating NAS signaling, mobility management, etc. Network slicing may be used by the AMF 182a, 182b to customize CN support for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c based on the type of service being utilized by the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. For example, different network slices may be established for different use cases, such as services relying on ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) access, services relying on enhanced massive mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services for machine type communications (MTC) access, and / or others. The AMF 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 113 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, and / or non-3GPP access technologies such as WiFi.

[0055] The SMFs 183a, 183b may be connected to the AMFs 182a, 182b in the CN 115 via an N11 interface. The SMFs 183a, 183b may also be connected to the UPFs 184a, 184b in the CN 115 via an N4 interface. The SMFs 183a, 183b may select and control the UPFs 184a, 184b and configure the routing of traffic through the UPFs 184a, 184b. The SMFs 183a, 183b may perform other functions such as managing and allocating IP addresses for UEs, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, providing downlink data notification, etc. The PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP-based, Ethernet-based, etc.

[0056] The UPFs 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via an N3 interface, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The UPFs 184, 184b may perform other functions, such as routing and forwarding packets, enforcing user plane policies, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering downlink packets, providing mobility anchoring, etc.

[0057] The CN 115 may facilitate communication with other networks. For example, the CN 115 may include or communicate with an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that acts as an interface between the CN 115 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 115 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. In an embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to local data networks (DNs) 185a, 185b through the UPFs 184a, 184b via an N3 interface to the UPFs 184a, 184b and an N6 interface between the UPFs 184a, 184b and the DNs 185a, 185b.

[0058] 1A-1D and the corresponding description thereof, one or more, or all of the functions described herein with respect to one or more of the WTRUs 102a-d, base stations 114a-b, eNode-Bs 160a-c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNBs 180a-c, AMFs 182a-b, UPFs 184a-b, SMFs 183a-b, DNs 185a-b, and / or any other devices described herein may be performed by one or more emulation devices (not shown). The emulation devices may be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more, or all of the functions described herein. For example, the emulation devices may be used to test other devices and / or to simulate network functions and / or WTRU functions.

[0059] The emulation device may be designed to perform one or more tests of other devices in a lab environment and / or an operator network environment. For example, the emulation device or devices may perform one or more, or all, functions while fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network to test other devices in the communication network. The emulation device or devices may perform one or more, or all, functions while temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The emulation device may be directly coupled to another device for testing purposes and / or may perform testing using over-the-air wireless communications.

[0060] The emulation device or devices may perform one or more functions inclusively while not being implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communications network. For example, the emulation device may be utilized in a test scenario within a test laboratory and / or within a non-deployed (e.g., test) wired and / or wireless communications network to perform testing of one or more components. The emulation device or devices may be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communication via RF circuitry (which may include, e.g., one or more antennas) may be used by the emulation device to transmit and / or receive data.

[0061] Although the WTRU is described in FIGS. 1-4 as a wireless terminal, it is contemplated that in some representative embodiments such a terminal may use a wired communications interface (e.g., temporarily or permanently) with the communications network.

[0062] The design of the next generation of wireless systems is currently underway in academia, industry, regulatory bodies, and standardization organizations. The IMT-2020 Vision sets the framework and overall goals for the development of the next generation of wireless systems. To address the expected increase in wireless data traffic, the demand for higher data rates, lower latency, and massive connectivity, the IMT-2020 Vision defines the main use cases that will drive the fifth generation (5G) design requirements: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine-type communications (mMTC). These use cases have a wide range of different targets in terms of peak data rates, latency, spectral efficiency, and mobility.

[0063] The IMT-2020 Vision indicates that not all key characteristics are equally important for a given use case, but flexibility can be built into the 5G design, for example, to enable meeting anticipated use case specific requirements and to support multiple services. The air interface, specifically the physical (PHY) layer waveform, is one of several key components for the new 5G technology. In this regard, 3GPP is conducting research and development on new radio and / or new radio access technologies (collectively referred to as "NR") for advanced or next generation (e.g., 5G) wireless communication systems, considering the key use cases and various other / different applications, in addition to their various uses, needs, and / or development scenarios and accompanying (e.g., mandated specific) performance measurements, metrics, and / or requirements thereof.

[0064] In a communication network, control signaling may be transmitted over an uplink control channel. For example, in the case of Long Term Evolution (LTE), uplink Layer 1 and / or Layer 2 control signaling may be transmitted within a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH). This control signaling (e.g., data, information, messages, etc.) may include any of Channel Quality Information (CQI), MIMO feedback, Scheduling Requests (SR), or Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) Acknowledgement / Negative Acknowledgement (ACK / NACK), or any other similar and / or suitable type of Layer 1 and / or Layer 2 signaling.

[0065] LTE transmissions may include transmitting either PUCCH transmissions and physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmissions. To avoid fragmenting resource blocks (RBs) available for PUSCH transmissions, for example, PUCCH transmissions may be (1) for RBs at the edge of the channel bandwidth and / or (2) span an entire slot. A resource block may include any number of resource elements (REs), where REs may be referred to as resources, elements, time-frequency resources, and / or elements, etc. For LTE transmissions with a given total transmit power, a narrow bandwidth allocated to PUCCH within a slot (e.g., each slot, only a single resource block) may maximize the power per subcarrier. Various PUCCH formats may be defined based on link performance and multiplexing capacity for a range of uplink control payloads. For example, format 1 / 1a / 1b may be implemented to carry 1 to 2 bits of control information, and format 2 / 2a / 2b may be capable of carrying 20 to 22 coded bits of control information.

[0066] When simultaneous uplink PUSCH data and control signaling are scheduled for a UE / WTRU, the control signaling may be multiplexed with the data before DFT spreading to preserve the single-carrier low cubic metric (CM) nature of the uplink transmission. Thus, an uplink control channel, e.g., PUCCH, may be used by the UE / WTRU to transmit control signaling (e.g., any necessary control signaling) in subframes (e.g., only in subframes) in which the UE / WTRU has not been allocated any RBs for PUSCH transmission. The PUSCH may be used to carry control information, and some of the resources allocated for PUSCH transmission are used to transmit the control information.

[0067] In the New Radio (NR) case, the physical uplink control signaling may be used to carry either HARQ ACK, channel state information (CSI) reports (e.g., including beamforming information), and scheduling requests (SR). Furthermore, NR may support two ways of transmitting the NR uplink (UL) control channel: short-term transmission and long-term transmission. In the case of transmitting the UL control channel in short-term transmission, the control signaling is transmitted around the last transmitted UL symbol of the slot. In the case of long-term transmission, the UL control signaling may be transmitted on multiple UL symbols to improve coverage. In the case of short-term transmission of the UL control channel, sometimes called short PUCCH, both time division multiplexing (TDM) and / or frequency division multiplexing (FDM) with the UL data channel in the slot may be performed. In the case of long-term transmission of the UL control channel, sometimes called long PUCCH, FDM with the UL data channel in the slot (e.g., only FDM) may be enabled.

[0068] In the case of NR using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and a Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT)-Spread-OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) waveform, techniques may be implemented to support uplink control information (UCI) transmission on PUSCH resources.

[0069] According to an embodiment, as discussed herein, an ACK / NACK symbol may refer to a coefficient used to transmit ACK / NACK information. For example, an ACK / NACK bit may be coded and modulated such that a modulation symbol may be referred to as an ACK / NACK symbol, and / or the ACK / NACK bit may be modulated and the modulation symbol may be multiplexed with a sequence, and each coefficient of the multiplexed sequence may be referred to as an ACK / NACK symbol. Similar definitions may hold other types of control information. A transmission time interval (TTI) may refer to the time it takes to transmit a predefined number of OFDM (or DFT-s-OFDM) symbols. For example, a TTI may be a slot, a subframe, and a slot may consist of seven OFDM symbols.

[0070] Uplink Control Information (UCI) Transmission in PUSCH for OFDM Waveforms According to embodiments, the ACK / NACK symbols may be transmitted on OFDM symbols adjacent to a demodulation reference symbol (DM-RS), which may also be referred to as a data demodulation reference symbol. According to embodiments, the number of OFDM symbols carrying the ACK / NACK symbols may correspond to the number of ACK / NACK symbols and may be signaled and / or configured by the network, e.g., by a base station, which may be referred to as any of a Node B, an enhanced Node B (eNB), a gNB, an access point (AP), and / or other similar network devices / entities. According to some embodiments, the number of OFDM symbols may be implicitly determined by the UE / WTRU based on any of the specified parameters, e.g., PUCCH format, number of ACK / NACK symbols, etc. For example, subcarrier k on OFDM symbols m+1, m+2, ... m+K may be used to carry the ACK / NACK symbols, where OFDM symbol m+1 may be an OFDM symbol adjacent to the DM-RS symbol, and K may be a parameter (e.g., PUCCH format).

[0071] According to an embodiment, a rank indicator (RI) symbol may be transmitted on an OFDM symbol adjacent to a DM-RS symbol. According to an embodiment, the number of OFDM symbols carrying the RI symbols may correspond to the number of RI symbols and may be configured and / or signaled by the eNB, gNB, and / or other AP. According to some embodiments, the number of OFDM symbols may be determined by the UE / WTRU based on either the PUCCH format, the number of RI symbols, etc. As an example, subcarrier l on OFDM symbols m+1, m+2, ... m+L may be used to carry the RI symbol, where OFDM symbol m+1 may be an OFDM symbol adjacent to the DM-RS symbol, and L is a parameter (e.g., PUCCH format).

[0072] According to an embodiment, the DM-RS may be front-loaded (e.g., it may be transmitted before the transmission of user data (e.g., before the PUSCH transmission)). There may be one or more DM-RS symbols. According to an embodiment, in the case of multiple DM-RS symbols, the UCI data transmission may start after the last DM-RS symbol of the front-loaded DM-RS. According to an embodiment, other types of UCI, such as CQI, may be placed on a designated set of subcarriers over several OFDM symbols. The number of OFDM symbols may span some or all of the TTI. These subcarriers may be interleaved across the entire or partial bandwidth allocation, for example, to obtain frequency diversity.

[0073] The placement of the ACK / NACK symbols in the PUSCH may be achieved by any of the following methods. According to an embodiment, a first method may involve the ACK / NACK symbols puncturing the PUSCH. For example, the ACK / NACK symbols may replace (e.g. puncture) data modulation symbols (e.g. 16 QAM symbols) that are to be transmitted in the PUSCH. According to an embodiment, a second method may involve the PUSCH being rate-matched around the ACK / NACK symbols. According to an embodiment, in the case of rate matching, the PUSCH resources that are to be loaded with the ACK / NACK symbols are not added to the number of resources available for PUSCH transmission.

[0074] According to an embodiment, the decision regarding the above method, e.g., (a) whether the ACK / NACK symbol punctures the PUSCH and / or (b) whether the PUSCH is rate matched around the ACK / NACK symbol, may depend on any of: (1) the number of OFDM symbols available for PUSCH within the TTI; (2) the number of total PUSCH resources (e.g., the number of OFDM symbols available for PUSCH transmission within the TTI multiplied by the number of allocated subcarriers); and / or (3) the number of ACK / NACK symbols to be transmitted within the PUSCH.

[0075] According to an embodiment, as discussed herein, n may refer to the number of OFDM symbols available for PUSCH, k may refer to the number of allocated subcarriers, and m may refer to the number of ACK / NACK symbols. According to an embodiment, the following rules, i.e., (1) when m < M, the ACK / NACK symbol may puncture the PUSCH, when m ≥ M, the PUSCH may be rate-matched around the ACK / NACK symbol, the parameter M may be configured by the eNB, gNB, and / or other APs, and / or it may be determined according to the PUCCH format, (2) when n < N, the PUSCH may be rate-matched around the ACK / NACK symbol, the parameter N may be configured by the eNB, gNB, and / or other APs, and / or it may be determined by the PUCCH format, when n ≥ N and m < M, the ACK / NACK symbol may puncture the PUSCH symbol, or when n ≥ N and m ≥ M, the PUSCH may be rate-matched around the ACK / NACK symbol, and / or, (3) when nk < L, the PUSCH may be rate-matched around the ACK / NACK symbol, the parameter L may be configured by the eNB, gNB, and / or other APs, and / or it may be determined by the PUCCH format, when nk ≥ L, the ACK / NACK symbol may puncture the PUSCH symbol, when m < M, or when m ≥ M, the PUSCH may be rate-matched around the ACK / NACK symbol, may be applied (e.g., by the method discussed above).

[0076] According to an embodiment, the ACK / NACK symbols may puncture the PUSCH. For example, in cases where the ratio of the number of ACK / NACK symbols to the number of modulation symbols in a code block is below a threshold, the ACK / NACK symbols may puncture the PUSCH. According to an embodiment, there may be cases where Z information bits are coded to generate bZ coded bits, where b may be a rational number. In such cases, the bZ coded bits may be modulated using a modulation scheme, such as QAM modulation, to generate modulation symbols.

[0077] According to an embodiment, the modulation symbols may be transmitted on a set of PUSCH resources, e.g., PUSCH allocated resources consisting of several subcarriers on any number of OFDM symbols, and the coding rate may be 1 / b. According to an embodiment, in cases where some of the modulation symbols are punctured and replaced by ACK / NACK symbols, the effective coding rate may be greater than 1 / b. According to an embodiment, in cases where the increase in coding rate when puncturing is used is less than a threshold (e.g., Δ<β, where Δ is the effective coding rate increase and β is a threshold), the ACK / NACK symbols may puncture the PUSCH, otherwise the PUSCH may be rate matched around the ACK / NACK symbols. According to an embodiment, Δ and β may be configured by a central controller. According to an embodiment, the PUSCH may be rate matched around the RI symbols and / or the CQI symbols.

[0078] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating UCI transmission in a PUSCH according to an embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an OFDM waveform generator according to an embodiment.

[0079] Referring to FIG. 2, the x-axis indicates OFDM symbols and the y-axis indicates subcarriers. According to an embodiment, each resource, e.g., each OFDM symbol-subcarrier pair, is allocated for PUSCH transmission, but some of the resources are used to carry UCI data instead of user data. According to an embodiment, the ACK / NACK 202 and / or RI 203 symbols may be transmitted on OFDM symbols adjacent to the last DM-RS 201 of the front-loaded DM-RS 201. Although FIG. 2 has one OFDM symbol allocated to the DM-RS 201, the disclosure is not limited thereto and there may be multiple OFDM symbols used as DM-RS 201. According to an embodiment, the CQI 204 may be transmitted on several OFDM symbols following the DM-RS 201. The UCI symbols may be transmitted on either adjacent subcarriers, non-adjacent subcarriers, and / or subcarriers where groups of subcarriers may not be adjacent but subcarriers within a group may be adjacent.

[0080] According to an embodiment, the OFDM waveform generator of FIG. 3 may be used to generate the second OFDM symbol of FIG. 2 in which the ordered PUSCH symbols and UCI symbols are inserted into a set of IDFT inputs, each input corresponding to a subcarrier.

[0081] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating UCI transmission with additional DM-RS using OFDM according to an embodiment.

[0082] According to an embodiment, in addition to or instead of the front-loaded DM-RS, a DM-RS 401 symbol may be configured for transmission within the TTI. According to an embodiment, the additional DM-RS 401 symbol may improve channel estimation accuracy, for example, when mobility is high. In such cases, either an ACK / NACK 203 symbol and / or a RI 403 symbol may be placed around the front-loaded DM-RS 401 and the additional DM-RS symbol 401, as illustrated in FIG.

[0083] In the case illustrated in FIG. 4 , either (1) an ACK / NACK 402 symbol to be transmitted on an OFDM symbol adjacent to the brought-forward DM-RS 401 may be repeated on an OFDM symbol adjacent to the additional DM-RS 401 symbol, and if two or more additional DM-RSs 401 are configured, the ACK / NACK 402 symbol may be transmitted on an OFDM symbol adjacent to at least one of the additional DM-RS 401 symbols, and / or (2) the total number of ACK / NACK 402 symbols may be divided into a set of groups, and each group may be transmitted on an OFDM symbol adjacent to one of the DM-RS 401 symbols, and if two or more additional DM-RSs 401 are configured, the ACK / NACK 402 symbol may be transmitted on an OFDM symbol adjacent to at least one of the additional DM-RS 401 symbols, may be applied.

[0084] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating another UCI transmission along with an additional DM-RS using OFDM according to an embodiment.

[0085] According to an embodiment, in cases where additional reference symbols are multiplexed with other types of symbols (e.g., symbols used for PUSCH transmission) within the OFDM symbols illustrated in FIG. 5, the ACK / NACK 502 symbol and / or the RI 503 symbol may be placed within the same OFDM symbol as the DM-RS 501.

[0086] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating another UCI transmission along with an additional PT-RS using OFDM according to an embodiment.

[0087] According to an embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 6, some reference symbols, e.g., phase tracking reference signal (PT-RS) 605 symbols, which may be used to estimate and track phase noise, may be dynamically used (e.g., PT-RS transmission is enabled / turned on) and transmitted on some subcarriers of a particular OFDM symbol. Although the techniques discussed below are presented in the context of a PT-RS, the disclosure is not so limited and the techniques are applicable to other types of RSs. When PT-RS transmission is possible, any of the following methods may be applied: (1) UCI ​​symbols may be punctured by PT-RS 605; (2) if UCI is not ACK / NACK 602 and / or RI 603, UCI symbols may be punctured by PT-RS 605; (3) PT-RS 605 may be punctured by UCI; (4) if UCI is ACK / NACK 602 and / or RI 603, PT-RS 605 may be punctured by UCI; and / or (5) the subcarrier index of either UCI or PT-RS 605 may be shifted according to an established rule to prevent collision between UCI and PT-RS 605. For example, if subcarriers k, k+1 are to carry UCI and PT-RS 605 is enabled (e.g., turned on) for subcarrier k, UCI may be transmitted on subcarriers k+1, k+2 and / or PT-RS 605 may be transmitted on subcarrier k-1.

[0088] According to embodiments, the disclosed techniques may be applicable to transmission schemes in which the TTI may be shared for downlink and uplink transmissions as well. In such mixed transmission time interval cases, the disclosed schemes may be applied to the uplink transmission part of the mixed transmission time interval.

[0089] UCI transmission using MIMO As may be referred to herein, a data codeword may refer to a data symbol that is coded and modulated for transmission within a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). Additionally, a data codeword may be interchangeably referred to as a codeword. According to an embodiment, a data codeword, i.e., a codeword, may be associated with (e.g., may include) any number of layers based on the transmission rank of the PUSCH and / or the number of data codewords for a PUSCH transmission. As may be referred to herein, a UCI codeword may refer to a control information symbol that is coded and modulated for transmission within a PUSCH. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the control information symbol may be coded and modulated for transmission within any of the PUSCH, the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), and any other similar or suitable channel.

[0090] According to embodiments, the PUSCH may be transmitted on (e.g., via, using) any number of spatial layers using any number of antennas. According to embodiments, a data codeword (e.g., one codeword) may be split into any number of streams, e.g., each stream may be transmitted on a spatial layer (e.g., a respective spatial layer). According to embodiments, two or more data codewords (e.g., multiple codewords) may be split into multiple streams, e.g., each stream may be transmitted on a spatial layer (e.g., a respective spatial layer). According to embodiments, a spatial layer (e.g., one layer) may be associated with (e.g., limited to carrying) only data symbols corresponding to a single codeword. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and a spatial layer may be associated with symbols corresponding to any number of codewords.

[0091] According to an embodiment, the number of codewords for a transmission (e.g., the number of data codewords for a PUSCH transmission) may be determined based on the number of layers for (e.g., associated with) the PUSCH transmission. According to an embodiment, the number of layers per codeword may be determined based on the number of layers for the PUSCH transmission. For example, in the case of more than one codeword, one or more of the layers for the PUSCH transmission may be associated with each codeword. According to an embodiment, the codeword-layer mapping may be determined according to any of predefined rules, configurations, downlink control information (DCI), indicators, or other explicit and / or implicit information. According to an embodiment, the number of layers for a PUSCH transmission may be indicated by the network, for example, using any of broadcast information, DCI, configuration information, or other similar information and / or signaling.

[0092] According to an embodiment, the WTRU may transmit UCI in either the PUSCH or PUCCH within a slot (e.g., subframe), such as the same slot (e.g., the same subframe). According to an embodiment, the WTRU may be configured, scheduled, notified, indicated, etc., to transmit PUSCH and PUCCH within the same slot. According to an embodiment, the WTRU may transmit UCI according to either a waveform, a transmission rank, or a transmit power. For example, the WTRU may transmit UCI in a channel selected according to either a waveform, a transmission rank, or a transmit power.

[0093] In the waveform case, the WTRU may transmit UCI on the PUSCH if the WTRU is configured (e.g., determined) to use a first waveform (e.g., CP-OFDM) for uplink transmissions (e.g., PUSCH and / or PUCCH), and may transmit UCI on the PUCCH if the WTRU is configured (e.g., determined) to use a second waveform (e.g., DFT-s-OFDM) for uplink transmissions. In the transmission rank case, if the WTRU is configured (e.g., determined) to transmit a PUSCH with a rank below a predefined threshold, the WTRU may transmit UCI on the PUSCH. Otherwise, the WTRU may transmit UCI on the PUCCH, or vice versa. In the transmit power case, if the UE is configured (e.g., indicated or determined) to transmit a PUSCH with a transmit power above a predefined threshold, the WTRU may transmit UCI on the PUCCH. Otherwise, the UE may transmit UCI on the PUSCH, or vice versa. According to an embodiment, in the case where the WTRU transmits UCI on a PUCCH, the WTRU may transmit the PUSCH and the PUCCH simultaneously (e.g., in the same slot) or may discard the PUSCH in the slot (e.g., may not transmit it).

[0094] According to an embodiment, UCI may be transmitted in the PUSCH using multiple streams, or in other words, UCI associated with multiple streams may be transmitted in the PUSCH. According to an embodiment, UCI symbols associated with (e.g., belonging to) a UCI codeword (e.g., either a coded and modulated ACK / NACK bit, a coded and modulated RI bit, or a jointly coded and modulated ACK / NACK bit and RI bit) may be transmitted in the PUSCH by rate matching the data codeword (e.g., by transmitting the data codeword using available resources). According to an embodiment, in the case of rate matching, the length of the codeword (e.g., the codeword of the PUSCH transmission) may be adjusted to match the number of resources available for data transmission (e.g., resources allocated for UCI transmission are not included in this number) over the duration of the transmission interval, e.g., either a slot or a subframe.

[0095] According to embodiments, in the case of more than one codeword (e.g., there are two or more data codewords), a set of UCI symbols (e.g., ACK / NACK UCI symbols) may be transmitted within more than one data codeword. For example, two or more data codewords may be rate matched around the same set of UCI symbols. According to embodiments, UCI symbols may be repeated on a data codeword, for example according to the type of UCI. According to embodiments, ACK / NACK (e.g., HARQ-ACK) and / or RI UCI symbols may be repeated on any of multiple data codewords or layers. According to embodiments, CQI UCI symbols may be transmitted in either one codeword or layer or multiple codewords or layers without repetition.

[0096] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating UCI and data codeword multiplexing options according to an embodiment.

[0097] Referring to Fig. 7, in case (a), the same UCI symbol 803 is multiplexed with data codeword (or layer) symbols 701, 702 of two data codewords (or layers). In case (a), the two UCI symbols 703 may belong to the same UCI codeword (or layer) and may be ACK / NACK UCI. Referring to Fig. 7, in case (b), the UCI symbol 703 multiplexed with data codeword #1 is different from the UCI symbol 703 multiplexed with data codeword #2. In case (b), the four UCI symbols 703 may belong to the same UCI codeword and may be CQI UCI.

[0098] 8 is a diagram illustrating codeword-layer mapping according to an embodiment. According to an embodiment, a codeword (e.g., a data codeword, a UCI codeword) may be (e.g., may need to be) mapped to a spatial layer.

[0099] 8, multiplexed data, such as data codeword #1 symbols 801, and UCI codewords, such as UCI symbols 802, may be mapped to three spatial layers. According to an embodiment, the mapping may be performed such that each spatial layer includes (e.g., has, contains) symbols from a UCI codeword. According to an embodiment, the total number of UCI symbols, N, may be N=kM+L…………[Formula 1] where k is the number of spatial layers, M and L are integers, and L=mod(N,k). According to an embodiment, each layer k may contain at least M UCI symbols, and the remaining L symbols may be evenly distributed among the L layers, or all L symbols may be assigned to a layer (e.g., one single layer).

[0100] According to an embodiment, any number of UCI symbols may be repeated on multiple layers of any number of data codewords (e.g., of only one data codeword). For example, there may be cases where layers 1 to 4 are used to transmit data codeword #1 and layers 5 to 8 are used to transmit data codeword #2. According to an embodiment, in such cases, UCI symbols may be repeated (1) on any (e.g., all) of layers 1 to 4, (2) on any (e.g., all) of layers 5 to 8, or (3) on a group of layers including any layers from both 1 to 4 and 5 to 8. According to an embodiment, a type of UCI may be used to determine whether UCI symbols are repeated on multiple layers of a codeword. For example, at least ACK / NACK UCI symbols and / or RI UCI symbols may be repeated on multiple layers. Furthermore, according to an embodiment, repetition of UCI symbols may reduce the length of the data codeword.

[0101] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating codeword-layer mapping with and without UCI repetition according to an embodiment.

[0102] 9, case (a) illustrates codeword-layer mapping without repetition of UCI on two spatial layers, and case (b) illustrates codeword-layer mapping with repetition of UCI on two spatial layers. For example, in case (a), UCI symbol 902 is mapped to each of the two spatial layers without repetition, and in case (b), UCI symbol 902 is repeated in each of the two spatial layers and data codeword #1 symbol 901 is mapped to the two spatial layers.

[0103] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating layer-subcarrier mapping in which UCIs are mapped to the same subcarrier, according to an embodiment.

[0104] According to an embodiment, the spatial layers may be mapped to a set of PUSCH subcarriers for transmission. With reference to Figure 10, the spatial layers may be mapped to subcarriers such that UCI symbols may be placed on the same subcarriers across the layers in which they are transmitted. For example, UCI symbols 1002 may be placed on the same subcarriers across layers 1 and 2 as illustrated in layer 1 mapping 1003 and layer 2 mapping 1004.

[0105] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating layer-subcarrier mapping in which UCIs are mapped to different subcarriers according to an embodiment.

[0106] According to an embodiment, and referring to Figure 11, the index of the subcarriers used to carry the UCI symbols may be different for different sets of layers. For example, a UCI symbol 1102 may be placed on different subcarriers across layers 1 and 2, as illustrated in layer 1 mapping 1103 and layer 2 mapping 1104.

[0107] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating layer-subcarrier mapping in which repeated UCIs are mapped to the same subcarrier, according to an embodiment.

[0108] According to an embodiment, the UCI symbols transmitted on different layers may be associated with all of the UCI or with a subset of the UCI. For example, referring to FIG. 12, the UCI symbols 1202 transmitted on different layers may be the same for all or a subset of the UCI, as illustrated in Layer 1 Mapping 1203 and Layer 2 Mapping 1204.

[0109] According to an embodiment, a spatial layer (e.g., each layer) may be precoded. For example, a signal and / or information associated with a layer (e.g., each layer) may be precoded before being mapped to a transmit antenna. According to an embodiment, in the case where a symbol is mapped to subcarrier k in layer 1, it may be referred to (e.g., may be given) as z1, and a symbol mapped to the same subcarrier in layer 2 may be referred to (e.g., may be given) as z2. In such a case, the signal mapped to the transmit antenna port on that subcarrier may be given

[0110]

number

[0111] where G (sometimes referred to as G matrix or matrix G) is a (Ntx×2) precoding matrix with two columns g1 and g2. According to an embodiment, G may be a (Ntx×Ntl) matrix, where Ntx is the number of antenna ports and Ntl is the number of layers. For example, G may consist of an Ntl (Ntx×1) column vector.

[0112] According to an embodiment, the G matrix may be configured by the network (e.g., a central controller). For example, the G matrix may be signaled by the base station to the WTRU (e.g., to a transmitter of the WTRU). According to an embodiment, the G matrix may be determined by a transmitting node (e.g., a WTRU). According to an embodiment, the same G matrix may be used to precode symbols associated with any number of subcarriers and / or subbands. For example, the same G matrix may be used to precode symbols across any number of subcarriers and / or subbands, such as across one resource block of 12 subcarriers. According to an embodiment, a different precoding matrix may be used to precode data across different subbands. According to an embodiment, the G matrix may be used to precode PUSCH data due to the absence of UCI. For example, the same G matrix may be used to precode both data and UCI symbols (e.g., across subbands and / or across any number of subcarriers).

[0113] According to an embodiment, across multiple layers, subcarrier k may be loaded with the same UCI symbol v, and the signal mapped to the antenna ports may be

[0114]

number

[0115] In the case of Equation 3, the valid precoding vectors (g1+...+g Ntl ) may be a suboptimal precoding vector for the transmission of v, resulting in performance degradation of UCI iterations.

[0116] According to an embodiment, the precoding operation may be modified, for example, to improve UCI transmission (e.g., its performance). According to an embodiment, the precoding operation may be

[0117]

number

[0118] where A is a diagonal matrix whose diagonal elements can be complex-valued.

[0119] According to an embodiment, the matrix A(k) may be associated with (e.g., selected from, determined from, and / or indicated by) a codebook. For example, in the case of a two-layer transmission of PUSCH, where the UCI symbols are the same for all layers, A(k) may be selected from the codebook.

[0120]

number

[0121] However, this disclosure is not limited to the above codebooks and different codebooks may be used.

[0122] According to an embodiment, the precoding operation comprises:

[0123]

number

[0124] where A is a vector whose diagonal elements may be complex-valued, and vector A may be referred to as a precoding vector for the virtual antenna. According to an embodiment, A(k) (e.g., vector A) may be selected, determined, or indicated according to a codebook. For example, in the case of a two-layer transmission of PUSCH, where the UCI symbols are the same for all layers, A(k) may be selected from a codebook.

[0125]

number

[0126] However, this disclosure is not limited to the above codebooks and different codebooks may be used.

[0127] According to an embodiment, A(k) may be known at either the receiver or the transmitter (e.g., receiver node, transmitter node, base station, WTRU). According to an embodiment, A(k) may be determined by the receiver node (e.g., base station) and signaled to the transmitter. According to an embodiment, A(k) may be determined by the transmitting node and signaled to the receiving node (e.g., WTRU). According to an embodiment, G may be signaled to the receiver by having the transmitter precode a data demodulation reference signal with the same G. According to an embodiment, in cases where some or all of the UCI symbols are transmitted on a subband such as a set of contiguous subcarriers (e.g., a subband where G and A(k) do not change), the reference signal transmitted on that subband may be precoded with a complex matrix GA(k). According to an embodiment, A(k) may be determined or obtained as a function of G. According to an embodiment, A(k) may be determined according to either a resource index, a subcarrier index, or a symbol index.

[0128] According to an embodiment, A(k) may be cycled according to a pattern. For example, A(k) may be cycled through matrices / vectors in a codebook according to a predefined pattern. According to an embodiment, the cycle may be performed according to subcarriers, resource elements, subbands, OFDM symbols, or slots. For example, in the case of a codebook with four matrices, a first subcarrier with UCI may be precoded with a first precoded matrix of the codebook, a second subcarrier with UCI may be precoded with a second matrix of the codebook, a third subcarrier with UCI may be precoded with a third precoded matrix of the codebook, and a fourth subcarrier with UCI may be precoded with a fourth precoded matrix of the codebook. According to an embodiment, in such a case, the next subcarrier with UCI may be precoded with a first matrix from the codebook, and so on.

[0129] According to an embodiment, a column (e.g., one column) of the G matrix is ​​expressed as:

[0130]

number

[0131] may be used to precode v symbols on all layers, as shown in Ntl =g i(i=1,...,Ntl). According to an embodiment, the precoding method according to Equation 6 may be considered as equivalent to transmitting v on only one layer, for example, potentially with power boosting. According to an embodiment, the precoding vectors (e.g., columns of the G matrix) may be either signaled to the receiver, determined by the receiver, determined by the receiving node, signaled to the transmitter, determined by the transmitter, determined by the transmitting node, or configured by a central controller. According to an embodiment, the precoding vectors may be determined according to a rule. For example, there may be a rule such that the n'th column of the G matrix is ​​always used to precode UCI symbols.

[0132] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating layer-subcarrier mapping in which repeated UCIs are mapped to different subcarriers according to an embodiment.

[0133] According to an embodiment, any number of the same UCI symbols may be mapped to different subcarriers, as illustrated in Figure 13. For example, UCI symbol 1302 may be mapped to different subcarriers in layers 1 and 2, as illustrated in layer 1 mapping 1303 and layer 2 mapping 1304. According to an embodiment, precoding may be performed by:

[0134]

number

[0135] where z may be a data symbol and v may be a UCI symbol.

[0136] According to an embodiment, in cases where UCI symbols are not repeated on the same subcarriers, the G matrix may be used as a precoding matrix, for example, without modification. According to an embodiment, the set of subcarriers carrying UCI symbols may be different for all layers, i.e., in other words, each layer may be associated with a different set of subcarriers carrying UCI symbols. For example, in a four-layer case, one UCI symbol may be transmitted on subcarriers 12, 24, 36, 48. According to an embodiment, it may be possible to use the same subcarriers for a subset of layers. For example, in a four-layer case, one UCI symbol may be transmitted on subcarriers 12, 24, 36, 48.

[0137] According to an embodiment, UCI symbols belonging to a UCI codeword (e.g., coded and modulated ACK / NACK bits, coded and modulated RI bits, jointly coded and modulated ACK / NACK and RI bits) may be transmitted in the PUSCH by puncturing, e.g., by replacing symbols associated with (e.g., belonging to) a data codeword. However, the disclosure is not so limited, and the features, operations, and methods presented above may be applied to the case of puncturing a PUSCH for UCI transmission.

[0138] UCI transmission in PUSCH for DFT-s-OFDM waveform FIG 14 is a diagram illustrating a DFT-s-OFDM waveform generator according to an embodiment. FIG 15 is a diagram illustrating a DFT-s-OFDM waveform for UCI transmission in a PUSCH. FIG 16 is another diagram illustrating another DFT-s-OFDM waveform for UCI transmission in a PUSCH. FIG 17 is another diagram illustrating another DFT-s-OFDM waveform for UCI transmission in a PUSCH.

[0139] According to an embodiment, in the case of DFT-s-OFDM, UCI symbol positioning (e.g., puncturing) may be performed before the DFT operation. With reference to FIG. 14, UCI symbol positioning may be performed by block 1401, which is before the DFT block 1402 of the DFT-s-OFDM transmitter 1400. For example, PUSCH symbols and UCI symbols such as ACK / NACK 1403, RI 1404, and CQI 1405 may be multiplexed (e.g., in the time domain) before DFT spreading. In the following techniques, the DFT input may be referred to as a time sample or a sample. For example, in the case where the DFT size is 12 (e.g., the DFT receives 12 inputs), there are 12 time samples.

[0140] According to an embodiment, the ACK / NACK symbol may be adjacent to the advanced DM-RS symbol, e.g., the ACK / NACK symbol may be located at (e.g., carried by) a DFT-s-OFDM symbol adjacent to the advanced DM-RS symbol. According to an embodiment, the number of DFT-s-OFDM symbols carrying the ACK / NACK symbol may depend on the number of ACK / NACK symbols and may be configured by the eNB, gNB, and / or other APs. According to an embodiment, the number of DFT-s-OFDM symbols may be implicitly determined by the UE / WTRU based on either the PUCCH format, and / or the number of ACK / NACK symbols, etc. For example, sample index k of DFT-s-OFDM symbols m+1, m+2, ... m+K may be used to carry the ACK / NACK symbol. In such a case, the DFT-s-OFDM symbol m+1 may be a DFT-s-OFDM symbol adjacent to the forwarded DM-RS, and K may be a parameter, for example, a PUCCH format.

[0141] According to an embodiment, the RI symbol may be located on a DFT-s-OFDM symbol adjacent to the DM-RS symbol. According to an embodiment, the number of DFT-s-OFDM symbols carrying RI may depend on the number of RI symbols and may be configured by the eNB, gNB, and / or other APs. According to an embodiment, the number of DFT-s-OFDM symbols carrying RI may be implicitly determined by the UE / WTRU based on either the PUCCH format and / or the number of RI symbols, etc. For example, sample index l of DFT-s-OFDM symbols m+1, m+2, ... m+L may be used to carry the RI symbol. In such a case, DFT-s-OFDM symbol m+1 may be the DFT-s-OFDM symbol adjacent to the front-loaded DM-RS, and L may be a parameter. As another example, in a case where the DFT size is 24, there may be 24 samples (which may be called or referenced according to the associated / respective sample index, such as sample index: 1 to 24). In such cases, any number of the 24 inputs, as indicated by their respective sample indices, may be replaced with control signaling, eg, ACK / NACK signaling, RI, CQI, etc.

[0142] According to an embodiment, other types of UCI, such as CQI, may be placed on a designated set of time samples on several DFT-s-OFDM symbols. For example, the set of samples may be on both ends or on one of the ends. With reference to FIG. 15, a frame structure is illustrated, where ACK / NACK 1502 and RI 1502 symbols are transmitted on DFT-s-OFDM symbols adjacent to DM-RS 1501, and CQI 1504 symbols are transmitted on several DFT-s-OFDM symbols following DM-RS 1501. According to an embodiment, the CQI 1504 symbols in the frame structure of FIG. 15 are placed on two ends of the DFT input. With reference to FIG. 16, the CQI 1604 symbols may be placed on one end of the DFT input. According to an embodiment, the number of DFT-OFDM symbols may span a portion of the TTI or the entirety of it.

[0143] According to an embodiment, the DM-RS may be front-loaded (e.g., the DM-RS may be transmitted before starting the transmission of user data) and there may be any number of DM-RS symbols transmitted. In the case of transmitting multiple DM-RS symbols, the UCI data transmission may start after the last DM-RS symbol of the front-loaded DM-RS is transmitted. According to an embodiment, the ACK / NACK 1702 and RI 1703 symbols may be distributed across the inputs of the DFT as illustrated in FIG. 17, or they may be transmitted across a contiguous set of DFT inputs as illustrated in FIG. 17. According to an embodiment, the sets of inputs used for ACK / NACK and RI may be contiguous or non-contiguous / distributed.

[0144] The ACK / NACK symbols may be placed into the PUSCH according to one of the following methods: According to an embodiment, the ACK / NACK symbols may puncture the PUSCH (e.g., data modulation symbols (e.g., 16 QAM symbols) to be transmitted in the PUSCH may be replaced by the ACK / NACK symbols). According to an embodiment, the PUSCH may be rate-matched around the ACK / NACK symbols. In this case of rate matching, the PUSCH resources to be loaded with the ACK / NACK symbols may not be added to the number of resources available for PUSCH transmission.

[0145] According to an embodiment, it may be determined whether (a) the ACK / NACK symbol punctures the PUSCH and / or (b) the PUSCH is rate matched around the ACK / NACK symbol. According to an embodiment, such a determination may depend on either (i) the number of DFT-s-OFDM symbols available for the PUSCH in a transmission time interval, (ii) the number of total PUSCH resources (e.g., the number of DFT-s-OFDM symbols available for the PUSCH in a transmission time interval multiplied by the number of allocated subcarriers, where the number of subcarriers may be equal to the number of DFT input pins), and / or (iii) the number of ACK / NACK symbols to be transmitted in the PUSCH.

[0146] According to the embodiment, at least regarding the above discussion, the following rules, namely, (1) n may be the number of DFT-s-OFDM symbols available for PUSCH, k may be the number of allocated subcarriers, and m may be the number of ACK / NACK symbols, (2) when m < M, the ACK / NACK symbol may puncture the PUSCH, when m ≥ M, the PUSCH may be rate-matched around the ACK / NACK symbol, the parameter M may be configured and / or signaled by the eNB, gNB, and / or other APs, and / or it may be determined by the PUCCH format, (3) when n < N, the PUSCH may be rate-matched around the ACK / NACK symbol, the parameter N may be configured by the eNB, gNB, and / or other APs, and / or it may be determined by the PUCCH format, when n ≥ N, when m < M, the ACK / NACK symbol may puncture the PUSCH symbol, when m ≥ M, the PUSCH may be rate-matched around the ACK / NACK symbol, and / or (4) when nk < L, the PUSCH may be rate-matched around the ACK / NACK symbol, the parameter L may be configured and / or signaled by the eNB, gNB, and / or other APs, and / or it may be determined by the PUCCH format, when nk ≥ L, when m < M, the ACK / NACK symbol may puncture the PUSCH symbol, when m ≥ M, the PUSCH may be rate-matched around the ACK / NACK symbol, may be applied.

[0147] According to an embodiment, the ACK / NACK symbols may puncture the PUSCH. For example, in cases where the ratio of the number of ACK / NACK symbols to the number of modulation symbols in a code block is below a threshold, the ACK / NACK symbols may puncture the PUSCH. According to an embodiment, there may be cases where Z information bits are coded to generate bZ coded bits, where b may be a rational number. In such cases, the bZ coded bits may be modulated using a modulation scheme, such as QAM modulation, to generate modulation symbols.

[0148] According to an embodiment, the modulation symbols may be transmitted on a set of PUSCH resources, e.g., PUSCH allocated resources consisting of several subcarriers on any number of OFDM symbols, and the coding rate may be 1 / b. According to an embodiment, in cases where some of the modulation symbols are punctured and replaced by ACK / NACK symbols, the effective coding rate may be greater than 1 / b. According to an embodiment, in cases where the increase in coding rate when puncturing is used is less than a value (e.g., Δ<β, where Δ is the effective coding rate increase and β is a threshold), the ACK / NACK symbols may puncture the PUSCH, otherwise the PUSCH may be rate matched around the ACK / NACK symbols. According to an embodiment, Δ and β may be configured by a central controller. According to an embodiment, the PUSCH may be rate matched around the RI symbols and / or the CQI symbols.

[0149] FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating UCI transmission along with additional DM-RS using DFT-s-OFDM according to an embodiment.

[0150] According to an embodiment, in addition to and / or instead of the front-loaded DM-RS, the DM-RS may be configured for transmission, for example, to improve channel estimation accuracy when mobility is high. In such a case, as illustrated in FIG. 18, either the ACK / NACK 1802 symbol and / or the RI 1803 symbol may be arranged around the front-loaded DM-RS 1801 symbol and the additional DM-RS 1801 symbol. According to an embodiment, the following may apply: (1) the ACK / NACK symbol to be transmitted adjacent to the front-loaded DM-RS may be repeated on the DFT-s-OFDM symbol adjacent to the additional DM-RS symbol, and if more than one additional DM-RS is configured, the ACK / NACK symbol may be transmitted on the DFT-s-OFDM symbol adjacent to at least one of the additional DM-RS symbols, and / or (2) the ACK / NACK symbol may be divided into a set of groups, and each group may be transmitted on the DFT-s-OFDM symbol adjacent to one of the DM-RS symbols.

[0151] According to an embodiment, a reference symbol (RS), e.g., a PT-RS used to estimate and track phase noise, may be enabled (e.g., turned on) and transmitted on some DFT inputs of a particular DFT-s-OFDM symbol. The following techniques are presented in the context of a PT-RS, but the disclosure is not limited thereto and the techniques are applicable to other types of RS. According to an embodiment, when a PT-RS transmission is enabled (e.g., turned on), the following methods are used: (1) UCI ​​symbols may be punctured by the PT-RS, (2) UCI ​​symbols may be punctured by the PT-RS if the UCI is not an ACK / NACK and / or RI, (3) PT-RS is punctured by UCI if the UCI is an ACK / NACK and / or RI, (4) PT-RS is punctured by UCI, and / or (5) the time sample index of either the UCI and / or the PT-RS is shifted based on an established rule to prevent collision of the UCI and the PT-RS. For example, in the case where time samples n, n+1 are to carry UCI and PT-RS is possible for time sample n, either UCI may be transmitted on time samples n+1, n+2, or PT-RS may be transmitted on time sample n-1.

[0152] According to embodiments, the disclosed techniques may also be applicable to transmission schemes in which a TTI may be shared for downlink and uplink transmissions, e.g., mixed TTIs. In such cases, the schemes disclosed herein may be applied to the uplink transmission part of such mixed TTIs.

[0153] DM-RS Density Adaptation Based on UCI Transmission in PUSCH According to an embodiment, DM-RS density for PUSCH transmission may be determined according to either the presence of UCI on the PUSCH (e.g., UCI is being transmitted via PUCSH) or the UCI type multiplexed in, on, and / or with the PUSCH. According to an embodiment, DM-RS density may be associated with either (1) DM-RS frequency density (e.g., the number of REs used for DM-RS within an OFDM symbol or DFT-s-OFDM symbol used for DM-RS transmission) and / or (2) DM-RS time density (e.g., the number of OFDM symbols and / or DFT-s-OFDM symbols used for DM-RS transmission) within the bandwidth scheduled for PUSCH transmission and / or physical RB (PRB).

[0154] According to an embodiment, a DM-RS pattern for a PUSCH transmission may be determined based on the presence of UCI on the PUSCH and / or the UCI type multiplexed in the PUSCH. According to an embodiment, the DM-RS pattern may be a time and frequency location of the DM-RS within a PRB. According to an embodiment, one or more DM-RS patterns may have the same DM-RS density or different DM-RS densities. As referred to herein, the terms DM-RS density and DM-RS pattern may be used interchangeably but still be consistent with their respective descriptions provided herein.

[0155] According to an embodiment, the first DM-RS density may be used in cases where UCI is not multiplexed in a PUSCH transmission, and the second DM-RS density may be used in cases where UCI is multiplexed in a PUSCH transmission. For example, the first DM-RS density may be based on a front-loaded DM-RS (e.g., the first one or two OFDM symbols and / or DFT-s-OFDM symbols used for DM-RS), and the second DM-RS density may be based on a front-loaded DM-RS with an additional DM-RS (e.g., an additional OFDM symbol and / or DFT-s-OFDM symbol in a later symbol in a PUSCH transmission may be used for DM-RS).

[0156] According to an embodiment, the UE / WTRU may determine the transmission of the additional DM-RS (or the second DM-RS density) based on the presence of UCI (or multiplexing of UCI) in the PUSCH transmission. In such a case, the brought forward DM-RS may be transmitted regardless of UCI presence / absence, and the additional DM-RS transmission may be determined based on UCI presence / absence in the PUSCH transmission. In such a case, the additional DM-RS may be transmitted based on the presence of a certain type of UCI. For example, if a first UCI type is multiplexed in the PUSCH transmission, the additional DM-RS may not be transmitted (e.g., a first DM-RS density is used), and if a second UCI type is multiplexed, the additional DM-RS may be transmitted (e.g., a second DM-RS density is used). According to an embodiment, the first UCI type may include either a wideband / subband CQI and / or a PMI, and the second UCI type may include either an RI, a HARQ-ACK, and / or a CSI-RS resource index (CRI).

[0157] According to an embodiment, the use of multiple DM-RS densities based on the presence (e.g., multiplexing) of UCI may be enabled / disabled (e.g., turned on / off) by configuration (e.g., according to configuration information). For example, in cases where a gNB (e.g., eNB, HNB, etc.) is configured to use multiple DM-RS densities, the UE / WTRU may then determine a DM-RS density within the configured DM-RS density based on the presence (or multiplexing) of UCI on the PUSCH transmission. Otherwise, according to an embodiment, the UE / WTRU may use a DM-RS density, which may be determined regardless of the presence / absence of UCI in the PUSCH transmission.

[0158] According to an embodiment, the configuration for turning on / off the use of multiple DM-RS densities (e.g., configuration information that enables / disables this) may include and / or be included in any of: (1) higher layer signaling; (2) an implicit decision based on any system parameter (e.g., subcarrier spacing, TTI length, number of slots, number of radio frames, frequency band, and / or system bandwidth); (3) an implicit decision based on the service type (e.g., eMBB, URLLC, and / or mMTC); and / or (4) an implicit decision based on at least one of UE / WTRU specific parameters, such as UE / WTRU-ID, UE / WTRU category, scheduling parameters (e.g., MCS, number of layers, and / or scheduled bandwidth), and / or UE / WTRU characteristics, among others.

[0159] According to an embodiment, the presence (or multiplexing) of UCI may be determined according to the number of REs used (e.g., required) for UCI transmission within the scheduled PUSCH resource. According to an embodiment, in the case where the number of REs used for UCI transmission is smaller than a threshold, the UE / WTRU may consider / decide that UCI is not multiplexed for PUSCH transmission, e.g., for determining DM-RS density. In the case where the number of REs used for UCI transmission is equal to or larger than a threshold, the UE / WTRU may consider / decide that UCI is multiplexed for PUSCH transmission, e.g., for determining DM-RS density.

[0160] According to an embodiment, the DM-RS density may be determined based on the number of REs used (e.g., required) for UCI transmission within the scheduled PUSCH resources. For example, in cases where the number of REs used for UCI transmission is smaller than a threshold, a first DM-RS density may be used, and in cases where the number of REs used for UCI transmission is larger than a threshold, a second DM-RS density may be used. According to an embodiment, the threshold may be either a predefined threshold, a threshold determined as a function of resources scheduled for PUSCH transmission (e.g., the number of REs available for PUSCH transmission), and / or any other numerical value.

[0161] FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating DM-RS density and patterns based on PUSCH type and UCI type according to an embodiment.

[0162] According to an embodiment, one or more DM-RS densities may be used, and the DM-RS density for PUSCH transmission may be determined according to either the presence of UCI in the PUSCH and / or the UCI type. With reference to FIG. 19, for example, (1) a first DM-RS density 1901 may be used if UCI is not multiplexed for PUSCH transmission, (2) a second DM-RS density 1902 may be used if UCI is multiplexed in PUSCH including front-loaded DM-RS 1904 and additional DM-RS 1905 and the UCI is a first UCI type, and / or (3) a third DM-RS density may be used if UCI is multiplexed in PUSCH and the UCI is a second UCI type. According to an embodiment, the first UCI type may include either wideband / subband CQI and / or PMI, the second UCI type may include either RI and / or CRI, and the third UCI type may include either HARQ-ACK for a single carrier and / or HARQ-ACK for multiple carriers.

[0163] According to an embodiment, in cases where multiple UCI types are transmitted simultaneously, the UCI type that uses and / or requires (e.g., needs to) the maximum (or minimum) DM-RS density may be used to determine the DM-RS density for a PUSCH transmission that includes the multiple UCI types.

[0164] FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating DM-RS density and pattern based on PUSCH type according to an embodiment.

[0165] According to an embodiment, one or more DM-RS densities may be used, and the DM-RS density for PUSCH transmission may be determined according to the PUSCH type. According to an embodiment, the PUSCH type may be either PUSCH only (e.g., PUSCH type 1), PUSCH with UCI (PUSCH type 2), or only UCI on PUSCH (PUSCH type 3), as illustrated in FIG. 20. According to an embodiment, any number of DM-RS patterns with the same DM-RS density may be used, such as DM-RS patterns 2002, 2003. For example, DM-RS pattern 2001 may be used for PUSCH type 1, DM-RS pattern 2002 may be used for PUSCH type 2 (e.g., PUSCH with UCI, including front-loaded DM-RS 2004 and additional DM-RS 2005), and another DM-RS pattern 2003 may be used for PUSCH type 3 (only UCI on PUSCH). According to embodiments, the disclosed techniques may also be applicable to transmission schemes in which a TTI may be shared for downlink and uplink transmissions, e.g., mixed TTIs. In such cases, the schemes disclosed herein may be applied to the uplink transmission part of such mixed TTIs.

[0166] PRB bundling size adaptation based on UCI transmission in PUSCH According to an embodiment, any number of PRBs may be bundled. According to an embodiment, a PRB bundling size may be determined based on the presence of UCI on the PUSCH. For example, if UCI is not multiplexed for PUSCH transmission, a first PRB bundling size may be used, and if UCI is multiplexed for PUSCH transmission, a second PRB bundling size may be used.

[0167] According to an embodiment, the PRB bundling size may refer to (e.g., may be considered to be, may be determined by, may be indicated by, may be associated with) the same precoder used for one or more PRBs in a bundled PRB group (PRG). The PRB bundling size may indicate the number of PRBs in a bundled PRB group. According to an embodiment, a receiver may use reference signals of any number of PRBs in a bundled PRB group to, for example, improve channel estimation performance.

[0168] According to embodiments, the bundled PRB group may include PRBs in the same slot. According to embodiments, any number of PRBs in the bundled PRB group may be contiguous in the frequency domain. According to embodiments, the bundled PRB group may include PRBs in any number of (e.g., different) slots. According to embodiments, any number of PRBs in the bundled PRB group may be contiguous in the time domain.

[0169] According to an embodiment, there may be any number of PRB bundling sizes. According to an embodiment, the PRB bundling size may be determined based on the presence of UCI on the PUSCH. For example, the WTRU may determine the PRB bundling size according to the UCI (e.g., detected and / or decoded control signaling) received on the PUSCH. According to an embodiment, the PRB bundling size may include all PRBs from among (e.g., a set of) scheduled PRBs for the PUSCH transmission. In such a case, the same precoder may be used for all scheduled PRBs, which may be referred to as wideband PRB bundling. According to an embodiment, the PRB bundling size may include any number of PRBs from among (e.g., a set of) scheduled PRBs for the PUSCH transmission.

[0170] According to an embodiment, the PRB bundling size may be configured via higher layer signaling. For example, any number of PRB bundling sizes may be configured (e.g., determined, set, selected, etc.) via broadcast control signaling. According to an embodiment, higher layer signaling may be used to configure a method for determining the PRB bundling size. For example, PRB bundling size determination according to the presence of UCI on the PUSCH may be enabled (e.g., turned on / off) according to configuration information and / or signaling received from higher layers. According to an embodiment, the configuration (e.g., control signaling, configuration information, and / or information elements, etc.) may include: (1) Upper layer configuration (e.g., upper layer configuration information), (2) Waveform-associated implicit configuration (e.g., implicit configuration information), e.g., dynamic PRB bundling size adaptation, may be used in cases where OFDM is used for PUSCH transmission. For example, wideband PRB bundling may be used in cases where DFT-s-OFDM is used for PUSCH transmission. (3) Implicitly determined depending on system parameters, including any of: (i) subcarrier spacing, (ii) TTI length, (iii) slot number, (iv) radio frame number, (v) frequency band, (vi) system bandwidth, and / or (vii) any other system parameter; (4) an implicit decision based on the service type, including any of (i) eMBB, (ii) URLLC, (iii) mMTC, and / or (iv) any other service type; and / or (5) Implicitly determined depending on UE / WTRU-specific parameters, including any of: (i) UE / WTRU-ID, (ii) UE / WTRU category, (iii) scheduling parameters (e.g., MCS, number of layers, scheduled bandwidth, etc.), (iv) UE / WTRU characteristics, and / or (v) any other UE / WTRU-specific parameters. It may include any one of these, or may be any one of them.

[0171] According to an embodiment, any number of PRB bundling sizes may be used, and the PRB bundling size (e.g., for PUSCH transmission) may be determined according to either the presence of UCI and / or the UCI type. For example, a first PRB bundling size may be used in cases where UCI is not multiplexed for PUSCH transmission, a second PRB bundling size may be used in cases where UCI is multiplexed and the UCI is a first UCI type, a third PRB bundling size may be used in cases where UCI is multiplexed and the UCI is a second UCI type, etc. According to an embodiment, the UCI type may include and / or may be any of (1) a first UCI type for either wideband / subband CQI and / or PMI, (2) a second UCI type for either RI and / or CRI, (3) a third UCI type for either HARQ-ACK for single carrier and / or HARQ-ACK for multiple carriers.

[0172] According to an embodiment, multiple UCI types may be transmitted simultaneously. In the case of multiple UCI types, the PRB bundling size for PUSCH transmission may be determined according to the PRB size of a UCI type (from among the multiple UCI types), e.g., a UCI type that uses or requires (e.g., requests) a maximum or minimum PRB bundling size. According to an embodiment, any number of PRB bundling sizes may be used, and the PRB bundling size (e.g., for PUSCH transmission) may be determined according to the PUSCH type. According to an embodiment, the PUSCH type may be any of (1) PUSCH type 1 for PUSCH only, (2) PUSCH type 2 for PUSCH with UCI, and / or (3) PUSCH type 3 for UCI only on PUSCH.

[0173] According to embodiments, the disclosed techniques may also be applicable to transmission schemes in which a TTI may be shared for downlink and uplink transmissions, e.g., mixed TTIs. In such cases, the schemes disclosed herein may be applied to the uplink transmission part of such mixed TTIs.

[0174] Interleaved time-frequency resource element mapping of CQI within PUSCH According to an embodiment, in the case of CP-OFDM transmission, resource element mapping may be distributed (e.g., interleaved) across the allocated time-frequency resources for PUSCH transmission. For example, distributed (e.g., interleaved) resource element mapping may be used to achieve time-frequency diversity for CQI. In contrast to the present disclosure, (e.g., legacy) LTE uses frequency-first mapping with sequential direct mapping of CQI payload on adjacent resource elements. In the case of (e.g., legacy) LTE and code block groups (CBGs), frequency-first mapping (e.g., substantially) affects the performance of some CBGs for large CQI payloads due to excessive resource loss for some CBGs for data transmission. Furthermore, in the case of (e.g., legacy) LTE, time-first sequential mapping of CQI payload in low-speed scenarios may not provide any diversity gain.

[0175] According to an embodiment, in case of interleaved time-frequency resource element mapping of CQI in PUSCH, CQI information bits may be (e.g., first) channel coded and / or (e.g., second) rate matched to available resources for CQI transmission on PUSCH. According to an embodiment, the WTRU may determine the amount of resource elements for CQI transmission in a (e.g., given) slot. According to an embodiment, the WTRU may (e.g., dynamically) determine the amount of resource elements for CQI transmission in a given slot according to a performance target for CQI (e.g., in terms of BLER and / or PAPR, etc.).

[0176] According to an embodiment, the WTRU may determine (e.g., dynamically) the amount of resource elements for CQI transmission in a given slot. According to an embodiment, the amount of resource elements for CQI transmission in a given slot may be determined according to the configured DM-RS pattern of the slot. For example, the WTRU may use a lower coding rate (e.g., allocate a larger number of resources) for CQI transmission on the PUSCH in case of lower density of DM-RS, e.g., to compensate for losses associated with channel estimation accuracy. According to an embodiment, the WTRU may determine (e.g., dynamically) the amount of resource elements for CQI transmission in a given slot according to simultaneous transmission of short PUCCH or long PUCCH in TDM or FDM manner with PUSCH.

[0177] According to an embodiment, the amount of resource elements for CQI transmission in a given slot may be determined according to the waveform (e.g., CP-OFDM and / or DFT-s-OFDM) used for PUSCH transmission. According to an embodiment, the WTRU may use a lower coding rate (e.g., allocate a larger number of resources) for CQI transmission on PUSCH in the case of CP-OFDM, e.g., in the case of limited coverage for CP-OFDM compared to DFT-s-OFDM. According to an embodiment, the WTRU may (e.g., dynamically) determine the amount of resource elements for CQI transmission in a given slot according to what other reference symbols, such as PT-RS, CSI-RS, interference measurement resource (IMR), etc., are in the slot, and / or the amount of payload for other UCI (e.g., ACK / NACK, RI, etc.) transmitted on the same PUSCH.

[0178] According to an embodiment, the amount of resource elements for CQI transmission in a given slot may be determined according to whether the RBs allocated to the PUSCH transmission are contiguous or discontinuous. According to an embodiment, in the case of discontinuous allocation, intermodulation distortion (IMD) may be taken into account. According to an embodiment, higher IMD can be addressed by lowering the coding rate (e.g., effective coding rate) for CQI. According to an embodiment, the amount of resource elements for CQI transmission in a given slot may be determined according to the available power headroom (e.g., according to a power headroom report (PHR)). For example, the WTRU may use the PHR to determine either (1) how much transmit power is left for power boosting the CQI transmission and / or (2) the power used by the current PUSCH transmission.

[0179] According to an embodiment, the amount of resource elements for CQI transmission in a given slot may be determined according to a CBG configuration. For example, the WTRU may use a different coding rate for CQI in the case where the CBG consists of a single code block (CB) as opposed to the case where the CBG consists of multiple CBs. According to an embodiment, the amount of resource elements for CQI transmission in a given slot may be determined according to a PUSCH mode (e.g., for computation, used for computation, etc.), e.g., single user with multi-layer MIMO, single user with single-layer MIMO, and multi-user MIMO.

[0180] FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating frequency interleaved resource mapping of CQI on a PUSCH according to an embodiment.

[0181] According to an embodiment, the WTRU may use a (e.g., configured, preconfigured, predefined, signaled, etc.) pattern for CQI to resource element mapping on the PUSCH. According to an embodiment, the pattern may use (e.g., indicate, use, refer to, allocate, configure, select, etc.) time-frequency resource elements interleaved in either the time domain and / or the frequency domain. With reference to Figure 21, a scheme (e.g., pattern, mapping) consisting of a resource block group (RBG) including at least one RB is illustrated.

[0182] According to an embodiment, the WTRU may partition (e.g., allocated) bandwidth for PUSCH transmission according to (e.g., for) any number of RBGs. According to an embodiment, the RBG may include any number of RBs, e.g., localized RBs or distributed RBs. For example, with reference to FIG. 21, RBG 2101 may include any of RBs 2102-2105. According to an embodiment, the WTRU may map (e.g., sequentially) coded CQI symbols to resource elements of OFDM symbols of RBGs. For example, the WTRU may sequentially map coded CQI symbols to a first resource element of a first OFDM symbol of a first RBG, then to a first resource element of a first OFDM symbol of a second RBG, etc. In the example of sequentially mapping coded CQI symbols, the WTRU may maximize frequency diversity gain according to a frequency interleaving associated with (e.g., for) CQI on the PUSCH.

[0183] FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating time-frequency interleaved resource mapping of CQI on a PUSCH according to an embodiment.

[0184] According to an embodiment, a time period for PUSCH transmission may be partitioned into any number of OFDM symbols and / or CBGs. For example, referring to FIG. 22, the WTRU may partition an allocated time period for PUSCH transmission into one or more OFDM symbols and / or CBGs, such as CBGs 2201, 2202. According to an embodiment, each CBG may be associated with any number of OFDM symbols. According to an embodiment, the WTRU may sequentially map a coded CQI symbol to a first resource element of a first OFDM symbol of a first CBG, then to a first resource element of a first OFDM symbol of a second CBG, etc. In the case of sequentially mapping coded CQI symbols, the WTRU may maximize time diversity gain and avoid excessive resource usage of a single CBG according to a time interleaving associated with (e.g., for) CQI on the PUSCH.

[0185] According to an embodiment, the time period and bandwidth period may be indicated with respect to (e.g., partitioned into) either an OFDM symbol, a CBG, or an RBG. According to an embodiment, the WTRU may sequentially map the encoded CQI symbols to respective resource elements of an OFDM symbol according to the CBG and / or RBG, e.g., to achieve both time and frequency diversity gains. With reference to Figure 22, a scheme (e.g., pattern, mapping) having partitions of time and bandwidth periods consisting of an RBG containing one RB is illustrated.

[0186] FIG. 23 illustrates a method for generating OFDM symbols performed by a WTRU according to an embodiment.

[0187] According to an embodiment, the WTRU may include a transmitter, a receiver (and / or a transceiver), and a processor to perform the method illustrated in FIG. 23. Referring to FIG. 23, in operation 2301, the WTRU may map a number of elements of a UCI signal sequence (and / or information associated with the number of elements) to a subset of a set of subcarriers available for transmitting OFDM symbols for carrying information associated with a PUSCH. In operation 2302, the WTRU may precode the mapped element as a function of the layer of the subcarrier to which the element is mapped. In operation 2303, the WTRU may put the mapped element of the UCI signal sequence into an IDFT unit, and in operation 2304, the WTRU may transform the mapped element into an IDFT transformed signal using the IDFT unit. According to an embodiment, the IDFT transformed signal may include the mapped element of the UCI signal sequence carried by multiple resources for transmission.

[0188] According to an embodiment, a first precoding applied to a mapped element of a first layer of a subcarrier may be different from a second precoding applied to a mapped element of a second layer of the same subcarrier. According to an embodiment, the second precoding applied to the mapped element of the second layer may be determined according to one of an indication from an associated DCI, a function of the first precoding matrix, and an associated resource index of the UCI. According to an embodiment, the mapped element of the second layer may include the same UCI as the mapped element of the first layer. According to an embodiment, the precoding applied to the mapped element of a layer of the first subcarrier may be different from the precoding applied to the mapped element of the same layer of the second subcarrier. According to an embodiment, the number of codewords used to transmit a UCI signal sequence may be determined according to the number of layers of each subcarrier. According to an embodiment, the codewords may be mapped to a layer of each subcarrier according to one of a rule, configuration information, or downlink control information (DCI).

[0189] According to an embodiment, the mapping of information associated with elements of the UCI signal sequence may comprise either (1) puncturing the PUSCH or (2) rate matching the PUSCH. According to an embodiment, the puncturing of the PUSCH may comprise replacing elements associated with data modulation symbols to be transmitted in the PUSCH with elements of the UCI signal sequence. According to an embodiment, the rate matching of the PUSCH may comprise rate matching elements of the data modulation symbols of the PUSCH according to available resources. According to an embodiment, elements of the UCI signal sequence may be transmitted during a single subframe (or a similar type of partition of a radio frame).

[0190] According to an embodiment, the UCI signal sequence may include control information associated with or for controlling uplink transmission. According to an embodiment, the UCI may include information associated with either an ACK / NACK, an RI, or a CQI. According to an embodiment, the OFDM symbol may be a Discrete Fourier Transform-Spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbol. According to an embodiment, the WTRU may receive information associated with any number of elements of the UCI signal sequence in a DFT unit and may precode the information using a DFT operation in the DFT unit to form frequency domain samples / signals of the UCI signal sequence for the DFT-s-OFDM symbol. According to an embodiment, the WTRU may selectively (1) puncture the PUSCH by replacing elements associated with data modulation symbols to be transmitted in the PUSCH with elements of the UCI signal sequence, and (2) rate match elements of the data signal sequence associated with data modulation symbols of the PUSCH such that the rate matched elements of the data signal are located proximate to elements of the UCI signal sequence. According to an embodiment, the WTRU may receive a transmission of the IDTF transformed signal as at least one OFDM symbol transmitted by the transmitter / receiver.

[0191] Although features and elements are described above in specific combinations, one skilled in the art will appreciate that each feature or element can be used alone or in any combination with other features and elements. In addition, the methods described herein may be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware embodied in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), registers, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical media, and optical media such as CD-ROM disks and digital versatile disks (DVDs). The software and associated processors may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for use in a UE, a WTRU, a terminal, a base station, an RNC, or any host computer.

[0192] Additionally, in the above described embodiments, other devices are noted, including processing platforms, computing systems, controllers, and constraint servers and aggregation points / servers, that contain processors. These devices may contain at least one central processing unit ("CPU") and memory. In accordance with the practices of those skilled in the art of computer programming, references to acts and symbolic representations of operations or instructions may be performed by various CPUs and memories. Such acts and operations or instructions may be referred to as being "performed," "performed by a computer," or "performed by a CPU."

[0193] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the acts and symbolically represented operations or instructions include the manipulation of electrical signals by a CPU. The electrical system represents the data bits that cause the resulting transformation or reduction of the electrical signals and the maintenance of the data bits at locations in the memory system memory, thereby reconfiguring or otherwise altering the operation of the CPU, as well as other processing of the signals. The memory locations in which the data bits are maintained are physical locations that have specific electrical, magnetic, optical, or organic properties that correspond to or are representative of the data bits. It should be understood that the exemplary embodiments are not limited to the above-mentioned platforms or CPUs, and that other platforms and CPUs may support the provided methods.

[0194] The data bits may also be maintained on a computer readable medium including magnetic disks, optical disks, and any other volatile (e.g., random access memory ("RAM")) or non-volatile (e.g., read only memory ("ROM")) mass storage system that is readable by a CPU. The computer readable medium may include computer readable media that resides solely on a processing system or distributed, cooperating, or interconnected among multiple interconnected processing systems that may be local or remote to the processing system. It is understood that representative embodiments are not limited to the memories described above, and that other platforms and memories may support the described methods.

[0195] In an example embodiment, any of the operations, processes, etc. described herein may be implemented as computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable instructions may be executed by a processor of a mobile unit, a network element, and / or any other computing device.

[0196] There is little distinction between hardware and software implementations of aspects of the system. The use of hardware or software is generally (though not always, as in some contexts the choice between hardware and software can be important) a design choice that represents a trade-off between cost and efficiency. There may be a variety of vehicles (e.g., hardware, software, and / or firmware) in which the processes and / or systems and / or other techniques described herein may be implemented, and the preferred vehicle may vary with the context in which the processes and / or systems and / or other techniques are deployed. For example, if the implementer determines that speed and accuracy are most important, the implementer may choose a primarily hardware and / or firmware vehicle. If flexibility is most important, the implementer may choose a primarily software implementation. Alternatively, the implementer may choose some combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0197] The foregoing detailed description has described various embodiments of the apparatus and / or processes through the use of block diagrams, flow charts, and / or examples. To the extent that such block diagrams, flow charts, and / or examples include one or more functions and / or operations, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that each function and / or operation in such block diagrams, flow charts, or examples can be individually and / or collectively implemented by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or substantially any combination thereof. Suitable processors include, by way of example, general purpose processors, special purpose processors, conventional processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, controllers, microcontrollers, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application specific standard products (ASSPs), field programmable gate array (FPGA) circuits, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), and / or state machines.

[0198] Although features and elements are provided in certain combinations above, one skilled in the art will appreciate that each feature or element can be used alone or in any combination with other features and elements. The present disclosure is not limited with respect to the specific embodiments described in this application, which are intended as examples of various aspects. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, numerous modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. No element, act, or instruction used in the description of this application should be construed as essential or required to the invention unless expressly provided as such. From the foregoing description, functionally equivalent methods and apparatuses within the scope of the present disclosure, in addition to those enumerated herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. The present disclosure should be limited only by the terms of the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to any particular method or system.

[0199] It should also be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the term "user equipment" and its abbreviation "UE" when referred to herein may mean (i) a wireless transmit and / or receive unit (WTRU), such as described below, (ii) any of several embodiments of a WTRU, such as described below, (iii) a wireless-enabled and / or wired-enabled (e.g., tetherable) device configured to have, among other things, some or all of the structure and functionality of a WTRU, such as described below, (iv) a wireless-enabled and / or wired-enabled device configured to have less than all of the structure and functionality of a WTRU, such as described below, and / or (v) the like. Details of an example WTRU may be representative of any WTRU described herein.

[0200] In some representative embodiments, some portions of the subject matter described herein may be implemented via application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), and / or other integrated forms. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein may equally be implemented in an integrated circuit, in whole or in part, as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors), as firmware, or as nearly any combination thereof, and that designing circuitry and / or writing software and / or firmware code is well within the skill of those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein may be distributed as program products in various forms, and that the exemplary embodiments of the subject matter described herein apply regardless of the particular type of signal-bearing medium used to actually effect the distribution. Examples of signal bearing media include, but are not limited to, recordable type media such as floppy disks, hard disk drives, CDs, DVDs, digital tape, computer memory, and transmission type media such as digital and / or analog communications media (e.g., fiber optic cables, wave guides, wired communications links, wireless communications links, etc.).

[0201] The subject matter described herein sometimes illustrates various components contained within or connected to various other components. It should be understood that such depicted architectures are merely examples, and that in fact many other architectures that achieve the same functionality may be implemented. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components that achieve the same functionality is effectively "associated" such that a desired functionality may be achieved. Thus, any two components herein that are combined to achieve a particular functionality may be considered to be "associated" with one another such that a desired functionality is achieved, regardless of architecture or intermediate components. Similarly, any two components so associated may also be considered to be "operably connected" or "operably coupled" with one another to achieve a desired functionality, and any two components that may be so associated may also be considered to be "operably coupled" with one another to achieve a desired functionality. Specific examples of operably coupleable include, but are not limited to, components that are physically interlockable and / or physically interacting, and / or components that are wirelessly interoperable and / or wirelessly interacting, and / or components that logically interact and / or logically interacting.

[0202] With respect to the use of substantially any plural and / or singular terms herein, those skilled in the art can convert from plural to singular and / or from singular to plural as appropriate to the context and / or application. The various singular / plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for ease of understanding.

[0203] In general, those skilled in the art will understand that the terms used herein, and particularly in the appended claims (e.g., the body of the appended claims), are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but is not limited to," etc.). Those skilled in the art will further understand that if a specific number recitation in the introduced claims is intended, such intention will be expressly set forth in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation, no such intention exists. For example, where only one item is intended, the term "single" or similar language may be used. As an aid in understanding, the following appended claims and / or description herein may contain the use of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to guide the recitation of the claims. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed as implying that introducing a claim recitation with the indefinite article "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing a claim recitation so introduced to embodiments containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrase "one or more" or "at least one" and an indefinite article such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and / or "an" should be construed to mean "at least one" or "one or more"). The same applies to the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations.In addition, even if a specific number recitation in the introduced claims is explicitly recited, a person skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recitation number (e.g., the mere recitation of "two recitations" without other qualifiers means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Moreover, in cases where a conventional expression similar to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, such a structure is generally intended in the sense that a person skilled in the art would understand the conventional expression (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" includes, but is not limited to, a system having only A, only B, only C, both A and B, both A and C, both B and C, and / or both A, B, and C, etc.). In instances where a conventional expression similar to "at least one of A, B, or C, etc." is used, such structure is generally intended in the sense that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand the conventional expression (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, both A and B, both A and C, both B and C, and / or both A, B, and C, etc.). One of ordinary skill in the art will further appreciate that nearly any disjunctive word and / or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the specification, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibility of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" will be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B."Additionally, the term "any of," following a list of items and / or categories of items, as used herein, is intended to include "any of," "any combination of," "any multiple of," and / or "any combination of multiples of," items and / or categories of items, either individually or in conjunction with other items and / or categories of items. Additionally, as used herein, the term "set" or "group" is intended to include any number of items, including zero. Additionally, as used herein, the term "number" is intended to include any number, including zero.

[0204] Additionally, when features or aspects of the disclosure are described in terms of a Markush group, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure is also thereby described in terms of any individual members or subgroups of members of the Markush group.

[0205] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, for any and all purposes related to providing a specification, etc., all ranges disclosed herein encompass any and all possible subranges and combinations of subranges. The listed ranges are readily recognizable as fully descriptive and allowing for the same range to be broken down into at least equal halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, tenths, etc. As a non-limiting example, each range discussed herein can be easily broken down into a lower third, middle third, upper third, etc. As will also be understood by those skilled in the art, all phrases such as "up to," "at least," "greater than," "less than," etc., refer to ranges that are inclusive of the recited numbers and can be subsequently broken down into the subranges discussed above. Finally, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, a range includes each individual member. Thus, for example, a group having 1 to 3 cells refers to a group having 1, 2, or 3 cells. Similarly, a group having 1-5 cells refers to groups having 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 cells, and so on.

[0206] Moreover, the claims should not be read as limited to the order or elements provided unless stated to that effect. In addition, the use of the term "means for" in any claim is intended to invoke 35 U.S.C. ...

[0207] The software and associated processor may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for use in a wireless transmit receive unit (WTRU), user equipment (UE), terminal, base station, mobility management entity (MME) or evolved packet core (EPC), or any host computer. The WTRU may be used in conjunction with hardware and / or software including software defined radios (SDRs) and modules implemented within other components such as cameras, video camera modules, video phones, speakerphones, vibration devices, speakers, microphones, television transceivers, hands-free headsets, keyboards, Bluetooth modules, frequency modulation (FM) radio units, near field communication (NFC) modules, liquid crystal display (LCD) display units, organic light emitting diode (OLED) display units, digital music players, media players, video game player modules, Internet browsers, and / or any wireless local area network (WLAN) or ultra-wideband (UWB) modules.

[0208] Although the present invention has been described with respect to a communications system, it is contemplated that the system may be implemented in software on a microprocessor / general purpose computer (not shown). In some embodiments, one or more of the functions of the various components may be implemented in software controlling a general purpose computer.

[0209] In addition, while the invention is illustrated and described herein with reference to specific embodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to the details shown, but rather, various modifications may be made in the details within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims without departing from the invention.

Claims

1. 1. A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) having circuitry including any of a transmitter, a receiver, a processor, and a memory, the WTRU comprising: mapping any number of elements of a signal sequence to a subset of a set of subcarriers available for transmitting Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols to carry information associated with an uplink (UL) channel, each of the subcarriers having at least two layers; precoding the mapped elements as a function of the layer of the subcarriers to which the elements are mapped, wherein (1) a first layer of data and control information is mapped to a first set of antenna ports, (2) a second layer of data and control information is mapped to a first set of antenna ports, and (3) both the first and second layers of control information include the same symbols; generating an output signal comprising a plurality of transmission resources including the precoded mapped elements of the signal sequence; transmitting the output signal as an OFDM signal; The WTRU is configured as follows.

2. The WTRU:

2. The WTRU of claim 1, configured to determine the precoding to be applied to the second layer mapped elements according to either an indication from associated downlink control information (DCI), a function of a first precoding matrix, or a resource index associated with control information included in the signal sequence.

3. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the first and second layers of data include different symbols.

4. The WTRU:

2. The WTRU of claim 1, configured to precode a mapped element of a layer of a first subcarrier by applying a different precoding to the mapped element of the same layer of a second subcarrier than is applied to the mapped element of the same layer of a second subcarrier.

5. The WTRU: determining a number of codewords used to transmit the signal sequence according to a number of layers of each subcarrier; mapping the codewords to the layers of each subcarrier according to a rule, configuration information, uplink control information (UCI), or downlink control information (DCI); The WTRU of claim 1 , further configured to:

6. 13. The WTRU of claim 1, further configured to map the information associated with the elements of the signal sequence using either: (1) puncturing an UL channel by replacing an element associated with a data modulation symbol to be transmitted in the UL channel with the element of the signal sequence; or (2) rate matching the UL channel by rate matching elements of the data modulation symbols of the UL channel according to available resources.

7. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the WTRU is further configured to transmit the elements of the signal sequence during a single subframe or partition of a radio frame.

8. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the signal sequence includes control information associated with or for controlling uplink transmission.

9. The WTRU of claim 8 , wherein the control information includes information associated with any of an acknowledgement / negative acknowledgement (ACK / NACK), a rank indicator (RI), or a channel quality information (CQI).

10. the OFDM symbol is a Discrete Fourier Transform-Spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbol; The WTRU: receiving information associated with any number of elements of said signal sequence; precoding the information to form frequency domain samples of the signal sequence for the DFT-s-OFDM symbol; The WTRU of claim 1 , configured to:

11. 1. A method implemented in a transmitter-receiver, the method comprising: mapping an arbitrary number of elements of a signal sequence onto a subset of a set of subcarriers available for transmitting Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols to carry information associated with an uplink (UL) channel, each of the subcarriers having at least two layers; precoding the mapped elements as a function of the layer of the subcarriers to which the elements are mapped, where (1) a first layer of data and control information is mapped to a first set of antenna ports, (2) a second layer of data and control information is mapped to a first set of antenna ports, and (3) both the first and second layers of control information include the same symbols; generating an output signal comprising a plurality of transmission resources including the precoded mapped elements of the signal sequence; transmitting the output signal as an OFDM signal; A method comprising:

12. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the precoding applied to the second layer mapped elements is determined according to either an indication from an associated downlink control information (DCI), a function of a first precoding matrix, or a resource index associated with control information included in the signal sequence.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the mapped elements of the second layer contain the same control information as the mapped elements of the first layer.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein a precoding applied to a mapped element of a layer of a first subcarrier is different from a precoding applied to a mapped element of the same layer of a second subcarrier.

15. determining a number of codewords used to transmit the signal sequence according to a number of layers of each subcarrier; mapping the codewords to the layers of each subcarrier according to a rule, configuration information, uplink control information (UCI), or downlink control information (DCI); The method of claim 11 further comprising:

16. 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising mapping the information associated with the elements of the signal sequence using either: (1) puncturing an UL channel by replacing elements of the signal sequence with elements associated with data modulation symbols to be transmitted in the UL channel; or (2) rate matching the UL channel by rate matching elements of data modulation symbols of the UL channel according to available resources.

17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising transmitting the elements of the signal sequence during a single subframe or partition of a radio frame.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the signal sequence includes control information associated with or for controlling uplink transmission.

19. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the control information includes information associated with any of an acknowledgement / negative acknowledgement (ACK / NACK), a rank indicator (RI), or a channel quality information (CQI).

20. The OFDM symbols are Discrete Fourier Transform-Spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbols, and the method comprises: receiving information associated with a number of elements of said signal sequence; precoding the information to form frequency domain samples of the signal sequence for the DFT-s-OFDM symbol; The method of claim 11 further comprising:

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