Auxiliary Uplink Transmission in a Wireless System

Abstract

To disclose and provide systems and methods for uplink (UL) transmissions in wireless systems.SOLUTION: Systems, methods and instrumentalities may include a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) with a receiver configured to receive one or more uplink (UL) grants that may include allocations associated with a regular UL (RUL) carrier and a supplementary UL (SUL) carrier. The RUL and SUL carriers may be associated with a common downlink (DL) carrier of a serving cell. The WTRU may include a processor configured to select data from one or more logical channels for transmission in accordance with the allocations. The WTRU may include a transmitter configured to transmit data from one logical channel on the RUL carrier and to transmit data from another logical channel on the SUL carrier in accordance with the allocations.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to auxiliary uplink transmissions in a wireless system.

Background Art

[0002] Cross - reference to Related Applications This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 586,095, filed on Nov. 14, 2017, entitled "Supplementary Uplink Transmissions in Wireless Systems", and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 615,404, filed on Jan. 9, 2018, entitled "Supplementary Uplink Transmissions in Wireless Systems", the entire contents of both provisional applications being incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] A mobile device in a wireless communication system may be configured to operate using an uplink (UL) carrier in a given cell. The UL carrier may be associated with a downlink (DL) carrier in the same cell. To the extent that a mobile device may be configured with multiple UL carriers, each may be associated with a different DL carrier from a different cell. That is, a one - to - one correspondence may exist between the UL carriers and DL carriers configured in a mobile device. Increasing the number of UL carriers available for a given DL carrier can improve wireless performance, such as the reliability of UL transmissions of the mobile device. For example, if one of the available UL carriers operates at a higher frequency than another, the mobile device can expand its transmission range by selecting the lower - frequency UL carrier. However, adding such additional UL carriers presents new technical challenges, including configuring the mobile device to manage the additional UL carriers when processing data for UL transmissions.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] Systems, methods, and means for uplink (UL) transmission in a wireless system are disclosed. The systems, methods, and means can include a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) comprising a receiver configured to receive one or more UL grants. The one or more UL grants can be received via a common downlink (DL) carrier of a serving cell. The uplink grant can include an allocation associated with a regular UL (RUL) carrier and an allocation associated with a supplementary UL (SUL) carrier. The RUL and SUL carriers can be associated with a common DL carrier of the serving cell. The frequency of the RUL carrier can be greater than the frequency of the SUL carrier. The coverage area of the SUL carrier can be greater than the coverage area of the RUL carrier.

[0005] The WTRU can include a processor configured to select data from one or more logical channels to transmit according to the allocations in the one or more UL grants. For example, one logical channel can be selected based at least on the allocation associated with the RUL carrier, and another logical channel can be selected based at least on another allocation associated with the SUL carrier. The WTRU can include a transmitter configured to transmit data from the one logical channel on the RUL carrier and transmit data from the other logical channel on the SUL carrier according to each allocation. The data transmission on the RUL carrier and the data transmission on the SUL carrier can be at least partially temporally overlapping and / or performed at different time intervals.

[0006] Data from at least one logical channel is restricted to be transmitted on the RUL carrier, and data from at least another logical channel may be restricted to be transmitted on the SUL carrier. According to another allocation, data from at least that other logical channel may be selected to be transmitted on both the RUL carrier and the SUL carrier. According to yet another allocation, data from at least that other logical channel may be selected to be transmitted on the RUL carrier when the quality of the serving cell exceeds a threshold, and on the SUL carrier when the quality of the serving cell is below the threshold. According to another allocation, the processor is configured to select either the RUL carrier or the SUL carrier to transmit data from one or more logical channels based on one or more of the data timing requirements, the data transmission type, the data subcarrier spacing (SCS) requirements, the data radio service type, the total size of the data available for transmission, the explicit indication in one or more UL grants, the redundant version (RV) of the data transmission, the mobility or speed of the WTRU, and the quality of service (QoS) requirements of the data.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007] Like reference numerals in the figures indicate like elements.

[0008]

Figure 1A

Figure 1B

Figure 1C

Figure 1D

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Next, a detailed description of exemplary embodiments will be given with reference to various figures. It should be noted that this disclosure provides detailed examples of possible implementations, but the details are exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of this application in any way.

[0010] FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating an exemplary communication system 100 in which one or more of the disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communication system 100 can be a plurality of access systems that provide content such as voice, data, video, messaging, paging, etc. to a plurality of wireless users. The communication system 100 enables such content to be accessed by a plurality of wireless users by sharing system resources including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communication system 100 can 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-tail unique word DFT spread OFDM (ZT UW DTS-s OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block-filtered OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), and the like.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1A, the communication system 100 can 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 can 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 can each be referred to as a “station” and / or “STA,” although they are configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and can also be user equipment (UE), mobile stations, fixed or mobile subscriber units, subscription-based units, pagers, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), smartphones, laptops, netbooks, personal computers, wireless sensors, hotspots 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 industrial and / or automated processing chain scenarios), home electronics devices, devices operating in commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d can be interchangeably referred to as a UE.

[0012] The communication system 100 can also include base station 114a and / or base station 114b. Each of base stations 114a, 114b can be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks such as CN106 / 115, Internet 110, and / or other network 112. By way of example, base stations 114a, 114b can be a base transceiver station (BTS), Node B, eNodeB, home Node B, home eNodeB, gNB, NR Node B, site controller, access point (AP), wireless router, and the like. Although base stations 114a, 114b are each shown as a single element, it will be understood that base stations 114a, 114b can include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0013] The base station 114a can be part of the RAN 104 / 113, which can also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown) such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), a relay node, etc. The base station 114a and / or the base station 114b can be configured to transmit and / or receive radio signals at one or more carrier frequencies that can be referred to as a cell (not shown). These frequencies can be an authorized spectrum, an unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of an authorized spectrum and an unlicensed spectrum. A cell can provide coverage for wireless services to a specific geographical area that can be relatively fixed or can change over time. A cell can be further divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with the base station 114a can be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, the base station 114a can include three transceivers, i.e., one for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, the base station 114a can use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology and can utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming can be used to transmit and / or receive signals in a desired spatial direction.

[0014] The base stations 114a, 114b can communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d via a wireless interface 116, which can be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, millimeter wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The wireless interface 116 can be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0015] More specifically, as described above, the communication system 100 can be a plurality of access systems, and can use one or more channel access methods such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and the like. For example, the base station 114a in RAN104 / 113, and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can implement radio technologies such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) that can establish radio interfaces 115 / 116 / 117 using Wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA can include communication protocols such as High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA can include High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0016] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can implement radio technologies such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which can establish the radio interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), and / or LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[0017] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can implement radio technologies such as NR radio access that can establish the radio interface 116 using New Radio (NR).

[0018] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can implement both LTE radio access and NR radio access using, for example, the dual connectivity (DC) principle. Accordingly, the radio interfaces utilized by the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions sent from / to multiple types of base stations (e.g., eNBs and gNBs).

[0019] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can implement wireless technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., WiFi (Wireless Fidelity)), 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), and the like.

[0020] The base station 114b in FIG. 1A can be, for example, a wireless router, a home Node B, a home eNodeB, or an access point, and can utilize any suitable RAT to facilitate wireless connection in a localized area such as a workplace, home, vehicle, campus, industrial facility, skywalk (e.g., used for drones), roadway, and similar locations. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d can implement a wireless 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 can implement a wireless 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 can utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR, etc.) to establish a pico cell or a femto cell. As shown in FIG. 1A, the base station 114b can have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Thus, the base station 114b may not need to access the Internet 110 via the CN 106 / 115.

[0021] RAN 104 / 113 can communicate with CN 106 / 115, which can be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data can have various Quality of Service (QoS) requirements such as different throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, and the like. CN 106 / 115 can provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, prepaid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or implement high-level security functions such as user authentication. Although not shown in Figure 1A, it will be understood that RAN 104 / 113 and / or CN 106 / 115 can communicate directly or indirectly with the same Radio Access Technology (RAT) as RAN 104 / 113, or with other RATs using different RATs. For example, in addition to being connected to a RAN 104 / 113 that can utilize New Radio (NR) radio technology, CN 106 / 115 can also communicate with another RAN (not shown) using GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0022] CN106 / 115 can also act as a gateway for the WTRU102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN108, Internet 110, and / or other network 112. The PSTN108 can include a circuit-switched telephone network that provides basic telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 can include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols such as the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and / or Internet Protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP Internet protocol suite. The network 112 can include wired and / or wireless communication networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the network 112 can include another CN connected to one or more RANs that can use the same RAT as the RAN104 / 113, or a different RAT.

[0023] Some, or all, of the WTRU102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communication system 100 can include a multimode function (e.g., the WTRU102a, 102b, 102c, 102d can include multiple transceivers for communicating with various wireless networks via various wireless links). For example, the WTRU102c shown in Figure 1A can be configured to communicate with a base station 114a that can use cellular-based wireless technology and a base station 114b that can use IEEE802 wireless technology.

[0024] Figure 1B is a system diagram showing an exemplary WTRU 102. As shown in Figure 1B, the WTRU 102 can 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, a non-removable memory 130, a removable memory 132, a power supply 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripheral devices 138. The WTRU 102 can include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements, although it will be understood to be consistent with embodiments.

[0025] The processor 118 can be a general-purpose processor, a dedicated processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DCP 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, and the like. The processor 118 can perform signal encoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other function that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 can be coupled to the transceiver 120, and the transceiver 120 can be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. Although Figure 1B shows the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 as separate components, it will be understood that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 can be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0026] The transmit / receive element 122 can be configured to transmit signals to, or receive signals from, a base station (e.g., base station 114a) via the wireless interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 can be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In an embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 can be a light emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive, for example, IR, UV, or visible light signals. In yet another embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 can be configured to transmit and / or receive both RF and optical signals. It will be understood that the transmit / receive element 122 can be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0027] Although the transmit / receive element 122 is shown as a single element in FIG. 1B, the WTRU 102 can include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 can utilize MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 can include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals via the wireless interface 116.

[0028] The transceiver 120 can be configured to modulate signals transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and demodulate signals received by the transmit / receive element 122. As previously described, the WTRU 102 can have a multi-mode function. Thus, the transceiver 120 can include multiple transceivers to enable the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs such as, for example, NR and IEEE 802.11.

[0029] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 can be coupled to the speaker / microphone 124, keypad 126, and / or display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit, or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display unit), and can also receive user input data therefrom. The processor 118 can also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, keypad 126, and / or display / touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 can access information from, and store data in, any type of suitable memory, such as the non-removable memory 130 and / or the removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 can include a random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 can include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory stick, secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 can access information from, and store data in, a memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0030] The processor 118 can receive power from the power supply 134 and can be configured to distribute and / or control power to other components in the WTRU 102. The power supply 134 can be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power supply 134 can include one or more dry cells (e.g., nickel cadmium (NiCd), nickel zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, and the like.

[0031] The processor 118 can also be coupled to a GPS chipset 136 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 can receive location information from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) via the wireless interface 116 and / or determine its location based on the timing of signals received from two or more neighboring base stations. It will be understood that the WTRU 102 can obtain location information by any suitable positioning method while remaining consistent with the embodiments.

[0032] The processor 118 can further be coupled to other peripheral devices 138 that can include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality, and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripheral devices 138 can include an accelerometer, an electronic compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photos and / or video), 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 reality and / or augmented reality (VR / AR) device, an activity meter, and the like. The peripheral devices 138 can include one or more sensors, and the sensors can be one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a Hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, a direction 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.

[0033] The WTRU 102 can include full-duplex radio, in which case some or all of the transmissions and receptions of signals (e.g., associated with a particular subframe for both the uplink (UL) (e.g., for transmission) and the downlink (DL) (e.g., for reception)) can coexist and / or occur simultaneously. The full-duplex radio includes an interference management unit 139 that can reduce and / or substantially eliminate self-interference either by hardware (e.g., choke) or by signal processing by a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or by the processor 118). In an embodiment, the WTRU 102 can include half-duplex radio, in which case some or all of the transmissions and receptions of signals (e.g., associated with a particular subframe for either the UL (e.g., for transmission) or the downlink (e.g., for reception)).

[0034] FIG. 1C is a system diagram showing a RAN 104 and a CN 106 according to an embodiment. As described above, the RAN 104 can use E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c via a radio interface 116. The RAN 104 can also communicate with the CN 106.

[0035] The RAN 104 can include eNodeBs 160a, 160b, 160c, but it should be understood that the RAN 104 can include any number of eNodeBs while maintaining consistency with the embodiment. Each of the eNodeBs 160a, 160b, 160c can include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c via the radio interface 116. In one embodiment, the eNodeBs 160a, 160b, 160c can implement MIMO technology. Thus, the eNodeB 160a, for example, can transmit a radio signal to the WTRU 102a and / or receive a radio signal therefrom using a plurality of antennas.

[0036] Each of eNodeBs 160a, 160b, and 160c can be associated with a specific cell (not shown) and can be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, user scheduling in the UL and / or DL, etc. As shown in Figure 1C, eNodeBs 160a, 160b, and 160c can communicate with each other via the X2 interface.

[0037] CN 106 shown in Figure 1C can include a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 162, a Serving Gateway (SGW) 164, and a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (or PGW) 166. Although each of the foregoing elements is shown as part of CN 106, it will be understood that any of these elements can be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0038] MME 162 is connected to each of eNodeBs 162a, 162b, and 162c in RAN 104 via the S1 interface and can act as a control node. For example, MME 162 can authenticate users of WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c, activate / deactivate bearers, select a specific serving gateway during the initial attach of WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c, and handle similar matters. MME 162 can provide a control plane function for switching between RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that use other radio technologies such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0039] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the eNodeBs 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 handover between eNodeBs, triggering paging when DL data is available to the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing the status of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like.

[0040] 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.

[0041] 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.

[0042] Although the WTRU is described as a wireless terminal in FIGS. 1A - 1D, in some representative embodiments, it is contemplated that such a terminal can use a wired communication interface (e.g., temporarily or permanently) with a communication network.

[0043] In a representative embodiment, another network 112 can be a WLAN.

[0044] A WLAN in infrastructure basic service set (BSS) mode can have an access point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP can access or interface with a distribution system (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic to and / or from the BSS. Traffic to an STA originating outside the BSS can arrive through the AP and be delivered to the STA. Traffic originating from an STA to a destination outside the BSS can be sent to the AP and delivered to each destination. Traffic between STAs within the BSS can be sent, for example, through the AP, in which case the source STA can send the traffic to the AP and the AP can deliver the traffic to the destination STA. Traffic between STAs within the BSS is considered and / or can be called peer - to - peer traffic. Peer - to - peer traffic can be sent (e.g., directly between) the source and destination STAs using a direct link setup (DLS). In some representative embodiments, the DLS can use 802.11e DLS or 802.11z tunnel DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and STAs within the IBSS or using the IBSS (e.g., all of the STAs) can communicate directly with each other. The IBSS mode of communication is also sometimes referred to herein as the "ad hoc" mode of communication.

[0045] When using the 802.11ac infrastructure operation mode or a similar operation mode, the AP can send beacons on a fixed channel such as the primary channel. The primary channel can have a fixed width (e.g., a bandwidth of 20 MHz), or a width that is dynamically set via signaling. The primary channel can be the operating channel of the BSS and can be used by the STA to establish a connection with the AP. In some representative embodiments, for example, in an 802.11 system, carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) can be implemented. In the case of CSMA / CA, STAs including the AP (e.g., any STA) can sense the primary channel. If the primary channel is sensed / detected as busy and / or determined to be busy by a particular STA, the particular STA may back off. Only one STA (e.g., only one station) can transmit at any given time in a given BSS.

[0046] High throughput (HT) STAs can use a 40 MHz wide channel for communication, which is formed, for example, by combining the primary 20 MHz channel with an adjacent or non - adjacent 20 MHz channel.

[0047] Very High Throughput (VHT) STAs can support 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and / or 160 MHz wide channels. 40 MHz and / or 80 MHz channels can be formed by combining adjacent 20 MHz channels. A 160 MHz channel can be formed by combining eight adjacent 20 MHz channels or by combining two non-adjacent 80 MHz channels, which can be referred to as an 80+80 configuration. In the case of the 80+80 configuration, after channel encoding, the data can pass through a segment parser that can split the data into two streams. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) processing and time domain processing can be performed separately for each stream. The streams can be mapped to two 80 MHz channels, and the data can be transmitted by the transmitting STA. At the receiver of the receiving STA, the operations described above for the 80+80 configuration can be reversed, and the combined data can be sent to the Media Access Control (MAC).

[0048] The sub-1 GHz operation mode is supported by 802.11af and 802.11ah. The channel operating bandwidth 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 an exemplary embodiment, 802.11ah can support Meter Type Control / Machine Type Communication, such as MTC devices in a macro coverage area. The MTC device can have several features, such as limited functionality including support for some and / or limited bandwidths (e.g., support only for that). The MTC device can include a battery having a battery life exceeding a threshold (e.g., to maintain a very long battery life).

[0049] WLAN systems that can support multiple channels and channel bandwidths, such as 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11af, and 802.11ah, include a primary channel and channels that can be designated. The primary channel can have a bandwidth equal to the maximum common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel can be set and / or restricted by the STA that supports the minimum bandwidth operating mode among all STAs operating in the BSS. In the example of 802.11ah, the primary channel can be 1 MHz wide for an STA (e.g., an MTC type device) that supports the 1 MHz mode (e.g., only supports) even when the AP 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 state of the primary channel. For example, if the primary channel is busy due to an STA (supporting only the 1 MHz operating mode) transmitting to an AP, the entire available frequency band can be considered busy even if most of the frequency band remains idle and available.

[0050] In the United States, the available frequency band that can be used by 802.11ah is from 902 MHz to 928 MHz. In Korea, the available frequency band is from 917.5 MHz to 923.5 MHz. In Japan, the available frequency band is from 916.5 MHz to 927.5 MHz. The total available bandwidth for 802.11ah is from 6 MHz to 26 MHz according to national regulations.

[0051] FIG. 1D is a system diagram showing RAN 113 and CN 115 according to an embodiment. As described above, RAN 113 can communicate with WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c via a radio interface 116 using NR radio technology. RAN 113 can also communicate with CN 115.

[0052] RAN 113 can include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, but it will be understood that RAN 113 can include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with the embodiment. Each of gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c can include one or more transceivers for communicating with WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c via radio interface 116. In one embodiment, gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c can implement MIMO technology. For example, gNBs 180a, 108b can utilize beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. Thus, for example, gNB 180a can transmit and / or receive radio signals from WTRU 102a using multiple antennas. In an embodiment, gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c can implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, gNB 180a can transmit multiple component carriers to WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers can be on unlicensed spectrum, while the remaining component carriers can be on licensed spectrum. In an embodiment, gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c can implement multi-point coordinated (CoMP) technology. For example, WTRU 102a can receive coordinated transmissions from gNB 180a and gNB 180b (and / or gNB 180c).

[0053] WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c can communicate with gNB180a, 180b, and 180c using transmissions associated with scalable numerology. For example, the OFDM symbol interval, and / or the OFDM sub-carrier interval can vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the radio transmission spectrum. WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c can communicate with gNB180a, 180b, and 180c using sub-frames, or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of various, or scalable lengths (e.g., including various numbers of OFDM symbols and / or lasting for various lengths of absolute time).

[0054] gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c can be configured to communicate with WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c in a stand-alone configuration and / or a non-stand-alone configuration. In a stand-alone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c can communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c without further access to another RAN (e.g., eNodeBs 160a, 160b, 160c, etc.). In a stand-alone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c can utilize one or more of gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c as a mobility anchor point. In a stand-alone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c can communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c using signals in an unlicensed band. In a non-stand-alone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c can communicate / connect with gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c while also communicating / connecting with another RAN such as eNodeBs 160a, 160b, and 160c. For example, WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c can implement the DC principle to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c and one or more eNodeBs 160a, 160b, and 160c substantially simultaneously. In a non-stand-alone configuration, eNodeBs 160a, 160b, and 160c can act as a mobility anchor for WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c, and gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c can provide additional coverage and / or throughput to serve WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c.

[0055] Each of gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c can be associated with a specific cell (not shown), and can also be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, user scheduling in UL and / or DL, support for network slicing, dual connectivity, interaction 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, and the like. As shown in FIG. 1D, gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c can communicate with each other via the Xn interface.

[0056] CN 115 shown in FIG. 1D can include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one session management function (SMF) 183a, 183b, and possibly data networks (DNs) 185a, 185b. Although each of the foregoing elements is shown as part of CN 115, it will be understood that any of these elements can be owned and / or operated by entities other than the CN operator.

[0057] AMF 182a and 182b are connected via the N2 interface to one or more of gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c in RAN 113 and can act as control nodes. For example, AMF 182a and 182b can authenticate users of WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c, support network slicing (e.g., handle various protocol data unit (PDU) sessions with various requirements), select specific SMFs 183a and 183b, manage the registration area, terminate NAS signaling, handle mobility management, and the like. Network slicing can be used by AMF 182a and 182b to customize the CN support for WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c based on the type of service utilized by WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c. For example, various network slices can be established for various use cases such as services that utilize ultra-reliable low-latency (URLLC) access, services that utilize enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services for machine type communication (MTC) access, and / or the like. AMF 162 can provide control plane functions for switching between RAN 113 and other RANs (not shown) that use other radio technologies such as non-3GPP access technologies like LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, and / or WiFi.

[0058] SMF183a and 183b can be connected to AMF182a and 182b in CN115 via the N11 interface. SMF183a and 183b can also be connected to UPF184a and 184b in CN115 via the N4 interface. SMF183a and 183b can select and control UPF184a and 184b, and can configure the traffic path designation through UPF184a and 184b. SMF183a and 183b can manage and allocate the UE's IP address, manage the PDU session, enforce policies and control QoS, provide downlink data notifications, and perform other functions such as the like. The PDU session type can be IP-based, non-IP-based, Ethernet-based, and the like.

[0059] UPF184a and 184b can be connected to one or more of gNB180a, 180b, and 180c in RAN113 via the N3 interface, which can provide access for WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c to a packet switched network such as the Internet 110 to facilitate communication between WTRU102a, 102b, and 102c and IP-enabled devices. UPF184 and 184b can route and transfer packets, enforce user plane policies, support multi-home PDU sessions, process user plane QoS, buffer downlink packets, provide mobility anchoring, and perform other functions such as the like.

[0060] CN115 can facilitate communication with other networks. For example, CN115 can include, or communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between CN115 and the PSTN 108. Further, CN115 can provide access to other networks 112 that can include other wired and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers to the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. In one embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can be connected to the local data networks (DNs) 185a, 185b via the UPFs 184a, 184b by way of an N3 interface to the UPFs 184a, 184b and also by way of an N6 interface between the UPFs 184a, 184b and the DNs 185a, 185b.

[0061] In the figures of FIGS. 1A - 1D, and the corresponding descriptions of FIGS. 1A - 1D, one or more of the functions described herein with respect to one or more of the WTRUs 102a - d, base stations 114a - b, eNodeBs 160a - c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNBs 180a - c, AMFs 182a - ab, UPFs 184a - b, SMFs 183a - b, DNs 185a - b, and / or any other devices described herein, or all of them, can be implemented by one or more emulation devices (not shown). The emulation device can be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more, or all, of the functions described herein. For example, the emulation device can be used to test other devices and / or to simulate network and / or WTRU functionality.

[0062] An emulation device can be designed to perform one or more tests of other devices in a laboratory environment and / or in an operator network environment. For example, one or more emulation devices can perform one or more, or all, functions, but are implemented and / or deployed, either fully or partially, as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network, and / or are deployed, to test other devices in the communication network. One or more emulation devices can perform one or more, or all, functions, but are temporarily implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. An emulation device can be directly coupled to another device to conduct a test and / or can conduct a test using wireless communication via air.

[0063] One or more emulation devices can perform one or more, including all, functions, but are not implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, an emulation device can be used in a test scenario in a test laboratory and / or in a wired and / or wireless communication network that is not deployed (e.g., for testing) to perform tests on one or more components. One or more emulation devices can be a test device. Wireless communication via direct RF coupling and / or via an RF circuit (which can include one or more antennas, for example) can be used by an emulation device to transmit and / or receive data.

[0064] The examples provided herein do not limit the applicability of the present subject matter to other wireless technologies, such as, for example, being used as applicable to the same or different principles.

[0065] "Network" can refer to one or more gNBs, which can be associated with one or more transmission and reception points (TRPs) in a radio access network (RAN) (e.g., and then), or to other nodes.

[0066] Mobile communications are constantly evolving. The fifth generation of evolution is called 5G.

[0067] The 5G system can, for example, at least partially support new radio (NR) access technology.

[0068] The 5G interface can, for example, support or enable improved broadband performance (IBB), industrial control and communication (ICC), vehicle-to-vehicle / vehicle-to-infrastructure communication (V2X), massive machine type communication (mMTC), ultra-low latency (LLC) transmission, ultra-high reliability transmission (URC), and / or MTC operation, which can include narrowband operation.

[0069] In an example of supporting LLC, the radio interface latency time can be, for example, 1 ms round trip time (RTT). The TTI can be, for example, between 100 μs and 250 μs.

[0070] The WTRU can be configured to support ultra-low latency time (e.g., the time from the first system access to the completion of the transmission of the first user plane data unit). For example, communication (e.g., IC and / or vehicle-to-vehicle / vehicle-to-infrastructure communication (V2X)) can have an end-to-end (e2e) latency time of less than 10 ms.

[0071] In an example of support for URC, the transmission reliability can be, for example, about 99.999% transmission success and service availability.

[0072] Support can be provided for mobility. The moving speed can be, for example, in the range of 0 to 500 km / h.

[0073] Support can be provided for communication (e.g., IC and V2X) with a packet loss rate (PLR) of less than 10e -6 ​

[0074] In an example of support for MTC operations, the radio interface can support narrowband operation (e.g., using less than 200 kHz), extended battery life (e.g., up to 15 years autonomously), and / or minimal communication overhead for small and infrequent data transmissions (e.g., low data rates in the range of 1 - 100 kbps with access latency from seconds to hours).

[0075] Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) can be used as a signal format for data transmission, for example, for LTE and / or IEEE 802.11. OFDM can be used to divide the spectrum into multiple parallel orthogonal sub - bands. (For example, each) sub - carrier is formed using a rectangular window in the time domain, which can produce a sinc - shaped sub - carrier in the frequency domain. OFDM access (OFDMA) can be implemented, for example, using management of (e.g., full) frequency synchronization and (e.g., precise) uplink timing adjustment within the duration of the cyclic prefix to maintain orthogonality between signals and minimize inter - carrier interference. Precise synchronization can be an issue, for example, in systems where a WTRU can be simultaneously connected to multiple access points. Further power reduction can be applied to uplink transmissions to comply with, for example, spectrum emission requirements in adjacent bands, which can occur in the presence of aggregation of fragmented spectra for WTRU transmissions.

[0076] OFDM (e.g., cyclic prefix (CP) - OFDM) can be implemented with more stringent RF requirements, for example, when operating in a large continuous spectrum that does not require aggregation. The CP - based OFDM transmission scheme can produce the downlink physical layer for 5G, similar to previous generations, with modifications to pilot signal density and position, etc.

[0077] 5gFLEX can use waveforms other than OFDM for 5G systems.

[0078] 5G FLEX radio access can be characterized by a very high spectral flexibility that enables deployment in different frequency bands with different characteristics, such as different duplex configurations, different and / or variable-sized available spectra (e.g., continuous and / or discontinuous spectrum allocations in the same or different bands, etc.). 5G FLEX radio access can support variable timing modes, such as multiple TTI lengths and / or asynchronous transmissions.

[0079] Time-division duplex communication (TDD) and frequency-division duplex communication (FDD) modes can be supported, for example, in a duplex configuration. Supplementary DL operations (e.g., for FDD operations) can be supported, for example, using spectrum aggregation. FDD operations can support full-duplex FDD and half-duplex FDD operations. The DL / UL allocation (e.g., for TDD operations) can be done dynamically (e.g., it may or may not be based on a fixed DL / UL frame configuration). The length of the DL transmission or UL transmission interval can be set, for example, for each transmission opportunity.

[0080] Carrier aggregation (CA) is used in wireless communication networks such as LTE-A and can be used for both FDD and TDD. Each of the aggregated carriers can be referred to as a component carrier (CC), and the aggregated CCs can have the same bandwidth or different bandwidths. Aggregation of multiple CCs can increase the radio bandwidth available to the WTRU. For example, if each CC has a bandwidth of 20 MHz and the wireless network is configured to aggregate up to five CCs, the wireless network can achieve an aggregated bandwidth of up to 100 MHz when transmitting data to or receiving data from the WTRU.

[0081] In a wireless network using CA, there may be one UL CC and a corresponding one DL CC per serving cell. For example, an aggregation of five UL CCs can include five serving cells, with each aggregated UL CC associated with the corresponding DL CC of each serving cell. Thus, in CA, the number of aggregated UL CCs should not exceed the number of corresponding DL CCs. One of the serving cells can be called a primary serving cell that can manage a primary UL CC. The other UL CCs aggregated with the primary UL CC can be called secondary UL CCs. The secondary UL CCs can be managed by their respective secondary serving cells. Thus, the primary UL CC and the secondary UL CCs can each utilize reference signals and / or control channels from each DL CC. The primary UL CC and the secondary UL CCs can each have different physical cell IDs (PCIs). The secondary UL CCs can be added and removed as needed, while the primary UL CC can be changed in some cases, such as during handover.

[0082] Figure 2 shows an exemplary cell 200 (e.g., in NR) including a base station 202 (e.g., gNB) that can be composed of a DL carrier and one or more UL carriers, which a WTRU (not shown). The cell 200 can have an overall wireless coverage area 204 that can include areas 206, 208, 210. Area 206 can extend radially outward from the base station 202 and can represent a part of the coverage area 204. Area 208 can extend radially outward from the base station 202 beyond area 206, and this can also represent a part of the coverage area 204. Area 210 can extend radially outward from the base station 202 beyond areas 206, 208, and can be the same (or substantially the same) as the coverage area 204. Thus, area 210 can include areas 206, 208, and area 208 can include area 206.

[0083] The WTRU operating within cell 200 can be composed of an UL carrier associated with the DL carrier of cell 200. This carrier can be referred to as a regular UL (RUL) carrier and can also include a bandwidth part (BWP) x. The WTRU can be further composed of one or more additional uplink carriers, which can be referred to as supplementary UL (SUL) carriers. The SUL carrier can include a BWP y. The RUL and SUL carriers can each be associated with the DL carrier of cell 200. Thus, both the RUL carrier and the SUL carrier can be associated with the same DL carrier or can be essentially linked (e.g., multiple UL carriers per DL carrier, etc.). For example, the reference signal on the DL carrier can be used for channel estimation for the RUL and SUL carriers. One or more control channels on the DL carrier can be used to control the RUL and SUL carriers. The RUL and SUL carriers can utilize the same PCI.

[0084] The frequencies (or frequency bands) of each of the DL, RUL, and / or SUL carriers can be the same or different. For example, the frequency (or frequency band) of the SUL carrier can be higher or lower than the frequency (or frequency band) of the DL carrier and / or the RUL carrier. The RUL and SUL carriers can include respective configurations for power control settings. For example, the RUL and SUL carriers can each have a separate (e.g., different) maximum power setting (e.g., PCMAX) and / or other related power parameters. For example, in a scenario where the RUL carrier is beamformed and the channel state (e.g., RSRP) is not favorable, the SUL carrier can be considered by cell 200 to enhance coverage. The SUL carrier can be used, for example, to offload capacity from the RUL carrier in some scenarios as determined by cell 200. Cell 200 selects to configure the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) semi-statically on the SUL for good reliability, but can use the RUL carrier for capacity enhancement for data transmission. If the channel state (e.g., measured RSRP) is below a configured threshold, the resource allocation procedure can be initiated on the SUL carrier.

[0085] As shown in Figure 2, the DL, RUL, and SUL carriers can cover area 206. At a given transmit power level, low-frequency transmissions can propagate over longer distances than higher-frequency transmissions. Thus, if the frequency of the SUL carrier is lower than that of the RUL carrier, the DL and SUL carriers can cover area 208 and can extend beyond area 206. If the frequency of the SUL carrier is lower than that of the DL carrier, the SUL carrier can cover area 210, which extends beyond areas 206 and 208 and can thereby capture (or substantially capture) the entire coverage area 204. Thus, the SUL carrier can be utilized, for example, when the WTRU moves towards the edge of the coverage of the RUL carrier of cell 200. It will be appreciated that the SUL carrier can be used to support one or more services (such as URLLC, eMBB, MTC, etc.) that may require higher throughput, improved transmission reliability, and / or low latency.

[0086] The WTRU can perform transmissions on the SUL carrier, for example, when the WTRU is configured to operate at a low frequency (or frequency band). The WTRU can include a transmitter configured to change the transmit frequency when switching between the RUL carrier and the SUL carrier. Thus, the WTRU can be configured to perform transmissions sequentially or almost simultaneously (such as in TDMA) on the RUL and SUL carriers. In an example, the WTRU can include multiple transmitters (e.g., one configured to transmit on the RUL carrier frequency at a given time or time interval and one configured to transmit on the SUL carrier frequency). Thus, the WTRU can be configured to perform transmissions simultaneously on the RUL and SUL carriers.

[0087] The SUL carrier can be configured for any type of cell. The cell 200 can be, for example, a stand-alone radio system or part of a multi-RAT dual-connectivity radio system. The cell 200 can be a primary cell (PCell), a secondary cell (SCell), and / or a secondary PCell (SPCell) and can be used for dual connectivity.

[0088] For example, a WTRU operating in the cell 200 can perform initial access using the RUL carrier and / or the SUL carrier. In an example, the WTRU can select the SUL carrier for initial access if, for example, the attributes of the DL carrier of the serving cell are below a threshold, such as a configured threshold. The attributes of the DL carrier can be associated with any suitable threshold, such as the minimum reference signal received power (RSRP). The base station 202 of the cell 200 can broadcast the SUL configuration via any suitable signaling, such as (for example, the minimum) system information (SI) for the cell 200.

[0089] The WTRU can be configured to use the SUL carrier in different operating modes, such as the radio resource control (RRC) connected mode. In an example of the first mode, the RRC entity can configure the WTRU with multiple UL carriers, which can include the RUL carrier according to the (for example, typical) UL configuration in the cell 200. The multiple UL carriers can further include a SUL carrier having a sounding reference signal (SRS) configuration. In an exemplary first mode, the WTRU can transmit (for example, all) control and user data using the resources of the RUL carrier and can transmit SRS information using the resources of the SUL carrier. The RRC configuration (or reconfiguration) can provide the WTRU with an extended, typical, and / or complete UL configuration to activate one of the UL carriers and / or switch the applicable active UL carrier associated with the cell 200 (for example, for some or all transmissions).

[0090] In an example of the second mode, the RRC entity can configure the WTRU with multiple UL carriers using an extended, typical, and / or complete UL configuration. The configuration can be sufficient for the WTRU to perform one or more UL transmissions (e.g., PUCCH, Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), and / or Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH)) using the resources of the configured UL carriers (e.g., RUL and / or SUL carriers). The WTRU can receive control signals (e.g., by a MAC control element (CE) or by Downlink Control Information (DCI)) (e.g., subsequently) that activate and / or initiate a switch between UL carriers, such as a switch between an RUL carrier and an SUL carrier.

[0091] In an example of the third mode, the RRC entity can configure the WTRU with multiple UL carriers that can be active simultaneously and / or in a TDMA-like manner. This mode of operation can limit the WTRU from performing one or more types of UL transmissions (e.g., simultaneously). For example, the WTRU cannot transmit PUSCH for cell 200 simultaneously on the RUL and SUL carriers. The limitation can be configured, for example, when the WTRU does not support simultaneous transmissions (e.g., for a configured frequency band), such as when the WTRU has a single transmitter.

[0092] The WTRU can be configured using one or more BWPs of cell 200 and / or the associated UL carriers. Each BWP can be characterized by a subcarrier spacing, a cyclic prefix, and / or some consecutive Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) (e.g., by a configuration pattern). Each BWP can include a frequency position, such as a center frequency.

[0093] A WTRU may be configured using a (e.g., initial) BWP. For example, the WTRU is configured using a (e.g., initial) BWP from the reception of SI, which enables the WTRU to access the system using the initial BWP of cell 200 and / or the associated UL carrier. The WTRU may be configured for initial access when the WTRU is in idle mode and / or when the WTRU determines that it should establish an RRC connection to the system. The configuration of the initial BWP may include the configuration for random access.

[0094] A WTRU may be configured using a default BWP, such as when the WTRU is in connected mode. The default BWP may be the same as, similar to, or different from the initial BWP. The WTRU may be determined to return to the default BWP based on several conditions, such as after the expiration of a timer. In one example, the timer may correspond to a period for scheduling activity or inactivity.

[0095] A WTRU may be configured using additional BWPs. For example, the WTRU may be configured using one or more BWPs for a specific type of data transfer, such as those that support URLLC services.

[0096] The examples described herein relate to selecting data and / or logical channels transmitted on different uplink carriers (e.g., RUL, SUL, etc.), but the examples and criteria for selection may also be equally applicable to selecting the BWP to be used for a given transmission. For example, a logical channel may be restricted to transmission on some BWPs, and / or other criteria used herein to select an appropriate UL carrier for transmission may also be used similarly to select an appropriate BWP for transmission.

[0097] As described above, cell 200 can operate at the DL carrier frequency and also (e.g., optionally) at a UL carrier frequency such as a RUL carrier. Cell 200 can further operate at an additional UL carrier such as a SUL carrier. In the case of NR, the WTRU can be configured to operate using zero, one, two, or more uplink carriers (e.g., RUL and SUL carriers) associated with the DL carrier. Two or more UL carriers can be in different frequency bands and can affect the procedures of the WTRU. The procedures can be based, for example, on obtaining the path loss of the DL transmission on the same carrier.

[0098] The selection of the UL carrier for layer 2 (L2) procedures can depend on one or more attributes (e.g., factors, parameters, criteria, conditions, triggers, qualities, characteristics, etc.) related to the radio system, such as the DL and UL carriers, the wireless services provided, and / or the data / information transmitted. One or more of the attributes can be used by the WTRU to determine which of the configured UL carriers can be used for a given transmission. The attributes can also be used to determine a handover between UL carriers (e.g., between a RUL carrier and a SUL carrier) and / or any impact on an ongoing procedure.

[0099] As described above, the WTRU can be configured for a given cell, such as cell 200 shown in FIG. 2, using one or more SUL carriers. When individual SUL carriers are described herein, it will be understood that the same considerations apply individually or in combination to a WTRU configured using multiple SUL carriers. For example, the WTRU can select a first subset of applicable / available UL carriers (e.g., based on DL measurements that meet or exceed a particular threshold) and determine the applicable UL carriers (e.g., based on receipt of DCI or DCI scheduling). The UL carriers can be represented as configured UL BWPs. For example, the WTRU can determine the applicable SUL carriers based on BWP determination only (e.g., UL-only) or in combination with other techniques described herein.

[0100] The WTRU can use packet duplication by transmitting data / information using multiple UL carriers sequentially or simultaneously. The duplicated data can be transmitted on multiple UL carriers by the RUL carrier and / or by one or more SUL carriers. Packet duplication can be useful in situations where the propagation state for a subset of carriers has deteriorated. Packet duplication can also be useful for improving transmission reliability and / or latency.

[0101] The determination of applicable UL carriers (e.g., selection and / or activation of RUL and SUL carriers) can be done statically, semi-statically, and / or dynamically. The static determination of applicable UL carriers can be by configuration, such as from receipt of SI and / or from pre-configuration. The semi-static determination of applicable UL carriers can be by layer 3 (L3) signaling and / or by RRC control. The dynamic determination of applicable UL carriers can be by layer 1 (L1), or layer 2 (L2) signaling and / or by L1 / MAC signaling.

[0102] A WTRU composed of RUL and SUL carriers can be configured using, for example, SRS for the SUL carrier. Thus, the WTRU can be configured using, for example, a threshold to determine which UL carrier to select and / or activate.

[0103] A radio network (e.g., by cell 200) can control the selection and / or activation of RUL and SUL carriers. In an example of semi-static configuration, the WTRU can first be configured (e.g., by an RRC entity) using the RUL carrier and a threshold (e.g., using SRS for the SUL carrier or not). The WTRU can subsequently be configured (e.g., by an RRC entity) using the SUL carrier at the time of an event.

[0104] In an example of dynamic configuration / signaling, the WTRU can receive an indication to use the RUL and / or SUL carrier (e.g., by DCI, DCI indication, and / or MAC CE). For example, reconfiguration of a cell such as cell 200 using the SUL carrier can be signaled by DCI for cross-carrier scheduling using the carrier ID for the SUL carrier or for BWP control of the associated SUL carrier.

[0105] In an example combining semi-static configuration / signaling and dynamic ones, for example, DCI with a specific HARQ process ID can be used to convey to the WTRU whether to use the RUL and / or SUL carrier. The WTRU can be configured (e.g., initially) using different sets of HARQ processes for the RUL and SUL carriers. Each HARQ process can include a process ID. The WTRU can determine which UL carrier to use based on each process ID indicated (e.g., configured or dynamically allocated) by DCI.

[0106] The WTRU can initiate the selection and / or activation of RUL and / or SUL carriers. In an example, the WTRU can determine that each threshold has been achieved (or not), at which point the WTRU can select an RUL and / or SUL carrier and / or initiate procedures to perform a handover between the RUL carrier and the SUL carrier. The network (e.g., cell 200) can determine that a change in the applicable UL carrier has occurred. For example, the network can determine that a change has occurred from a random access procedure initiated by the WTRU and / or from the transmission of UL control information by the WTRU, as a result of the WTRU starting to transmit SRS on an RUL and / or SUL carrier. The WTRU can determine to select an RUL and / or SUL carrier or switch between them (and report such selection / switching to the network) based on, for example, one or more of the following: (i) one or more measurement report triggering events (e.g., MAC CE, status report (SR) transmission, measurement, RRC signaling, starting to use SRS on the SUL carrier, RACH on the SUL carrier, etc.), (ii) measurements or DL path loss estimations with indications by SRS transmission (e.g., in the resources of the RUL carrier or the SUL carrier) when, for example, the WTRU can be time-aligned in the UL carrier, and / or (iii) measurements or DL path loss estimations with indications by transmission using RACH (e.g., in the resources of the RUL carrier or the SUL carrier) using a specific preamble and / or PRACH resource. The network (e.g., cell 200) can command the handover, such as by MAC CE, DCI, RRC, or can provide UL-SCH resources on the UL carrier.

[0107] It should be understood that the selection, switching, activation, and / or initiation of RUL and / or SUL carriers can be any combination, for example, static, semi-static, dynamic, pre-configured, network-controlled, initiated by the WTRU, etc.

[0108] The activation, selection, and / or switching of RUL and / or SUL carriers can have various (e.g., dynamic) reasons or triggers that are determined based on, for example, one or more attributes of the radio system. For example, the activation, selection, and / or switching can be based on one or more of the following attributes, namely, (i) timing aspects (e.g., some slots can be allocated to the UL carrier), (ii) transmission type (e.g., URLLC, eMBB, mMTC, etc.), signals, and / or UL channels for transmission, (iii) subcarrier spacing (SCS) used for transmission, (iv) logical channel (LCH) configuration, (v) service type (e.g., URLLC, eMBB, mMTC), (vi) payload, amount of data available for transmission, and / or data size, (vii) indication in the UL grant or DL allocation (e.g., indicating the carrier used for HARQ feedback), (viii) redundancy version (RV) of the transmission (e.g., retransmissions can use a different UL carrier than the previous (re)transmission), (ix) mobility or speed of the WTRU, and / or (x) QoS (e.g., delay) requirements of the data being transmitted.

[0109] The timing attributes can include other timings such as system-related timings like system frame numbering (SFN), framing-related timings, and / or timings controlled using timers. For example, in the case of framing-related timings, symbols, mini-slots, slots, and / or sub-frames can be allocated or associated with one or more relevant UL carriers.

[0110] For a transmission type (e.g., UL control information, RRC control plane signaling, user plane data), signal, and / or UL channel to be transmitted (e.g., PUCCH, PUSCH, SRS, etc.), the WTRU can perform the transmission of UL control information (e.g., HARQ feedback, channel quality indication (CQI), etc.) using a first carrier (e.g., RUL carrier), but the WTRU can perform the transmission of data on the resources of a second carrier (e.g., SUL carrier).

[0111] For SCS transmission, the WTRU can perform a first transmission using the resources of a first UL carrier configured with a first SCS, and can perform a second transmission using the resources of a second UL carrier configured with a second SCS, depending on configuration aspects such as the association between the type of bearer (e.g., signaling radio bearer (SRB), or dedicated radio bearer (DRB), and applicable SCS).

[0112] As further discussed below in relation to FIGS. 3 - 5, in the case of LCH configuration, the WTRU can be configured using the association between one or more applicable UL carriers and the LCH (or a group such as an LCH group (LCG) for data transmission from each LCH). If the WTRU determines that it has data available for transmission (e.g., new) according to the LCH associated with the data, the WTRU can determine the applicable UL carrier. In another example, the QoS or priority configuration of the LCH can be used by the WTRU to determine which UL carrier is utilized.

[0113] The service type can be linked to an access category configured in a network constituted in either the non - access stratum (NAS) or the access stratum (AS). The service type can be advertised in the SI and / or provided by WTRU - specific signaling. The service type can be linked to transmission parameters in the lower layer such as numerology and / or transmission duration.

[0114] With respect to the payload, the amount of data available for transmission, and / or the data size, the WTRU may be configured to determine an applicable UL carrier, for example, according to the size of the data to be transmitted. The size of the data to be transmitted may correspond to the transport block (TB), MAC PDU, RLC PDU, or packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) PDU for a given transmission for one or more LCHs, and / or the total amount of data available for transmission. For example, if the WTRU determines that the amount of data is less than a (presumably configured) threshold, it may determine to use the resources of a first UL carrier (e.g., SUL carrier), or if the amount of data exceeds the threshold, those of a second UL carrier. The WTRU may perform UL carrier selection based on only the threshold attribute, or in combination with another attribute such as the permitted size or path loss estimation. For example, if the WTRU is configured with an SUL carrier, the WTRU may determine to use the resources of another UL carrier (e.g., RUL carrier) if it determines that the amount of data exceeds the (presumably configured) threshold and / or the estimated path loss is less than the threshold and / or the total available power of the WTRU is less than a value associated with the relevant data size. Otherwise, the WTRU may use the resources of the SUL carrier.

[0115] With respect to the indication of UL or DL allocation, the WTRU may receive DL control signaling indicating the UL carrier applicable to the transmission of HARQ feedback for DL transmission. For example, the WTRU may receive DL control signaling that can indicate the UL carrier applicable to the transmission of a TB in UL transmission. The indication may be in a configured manner indicated by a higher layer (e.g., RRC layer) configuration received by the WTRU (e.g., by a configured grant and / or by semi-persistent scheduling).

[0116] For the RV of transmission, the HARQ retransmission can use a UL carrier different from the previous (re)transmission according to the applicable RV. Therefore, the WTRU can determine the applicable UL carrier from, for example, the sequence of (re)transmissions for the HARQ process.

[0117] Regarding the mobility or speed of the WTRU, the WTRU can determine the applicable UL carrier according to its estimated speed, the frequency or number of handovers over a time period, and / or the frequency of paging or tracking area updates.

[0118] The WTRU can condition the UL carrier selection to meet the carrier availability and / or only some quality thresholds (e.g., RSRP), or in combination with any of the above criteria.

[0119] The WTRU can, for example, (e.g., autonomously) switch from the RUL carrier to the SUL carrier when the trigger condition is met.

[0120] The WTRU can, for example, receive grants for the RUL carrier and / or the SUL carrier for the same time resource and / or overlapping time resources. The UL grants for the RUL and SUL carriers can be received in the same DCI or different DCIs. The WTRU can be configured to convert the grant received for the RUL carrier into the corresponding grant in the SUL carrier (e.g., using a function), and / or vice versa. This can enable the autonomous switching of the WTRU (e.g., at high speed) between the RUL carrier and the SUL carrier when the trigger condition is met.

[0121] The WTRU can determine the UL carrier to be transmitted on the PUSCH. The WTRU can select a UL carrier for transmission on the PUSCH according to a prioritization (e.g., a prioritization procedure) that can be based on one or more of the following attributes of the radio system, namely, (i) the estimated path loss for the RUL carrier and / or the SUL carrier (e.g., when the path loss for the RUL carrier is less than a configured threshold, a switch to the SUL carrier can be triggered), (ii) the power headroom (PH) of the RUL carrier and / or the SUL carrier (e.g., the SUL carrier can be used when the PH of the RUL carrier is less than a threshold such as 0 dB), (iii) the payload, the amount of data available for transmission, and / or the data size, (iv) the size of one or more SUL grants relative to the size of one or more RUL grants (e.g., when the MAC PDU generated by the MAC multiplexing and assembly entity can fit into either grant without segmentation), (v) the buffered data and the LCH with associated priorities (e.g., including any channel selection restrictions that can be imposed by the LCH prioritization (LCP) procedure), (vi) the occurrence rate of one or more trigger events for UL carrier selection in the RACH procedure, and / or (vii) dynamic RUL / SUL carrier selection criteria or conditions (e.g., indication by L1 / L2 signaling). For example, the WTRU can select a UL carrier for transmission when simultaneous transmission on multiple UL carriers (e.g., both RUL and SUL carriers) is not available, not possible, or not practical.

[0122] The WTRU can indicate the selected UL to the network (e.g., cell 200), and the WTRU can use it for transmission on the PUSCH. The WTRU can transmit, for example, exemplary types of uplink control information (UCI) (e.g., via the RUL and / or SUL carrier), and / or multiplex UCI regarding the selected UL carrier on the PUSCH, or on (e.g., specific) PUCCH resources on the RUL and / or SUL carrier, to report information to the network.

[0123] The WTRU can transmit on the RUL and / or SUL carrier (e.g., additionally or alternatively) according to a grant that can indicate resources for transmission on the RUL and / or SUL carrier. RUL and SUL transmissions can be simultaneous or not. For example, the WTRU can transmit (e.g., first) on a UL carrier having a larger SCS, and can also transmit a replica (e.g., having the same or different RVs) (e.g., subsequently) on a UL carrier having a smaller SCS. Doing so can, for example, enable the network (e.g., cell 200) to attempt to decode the WTRU's transmission (e.g., with low latency) after the first transmission (e.g., in that case only).

[0124] Applicability restrictions can be utilized. In an example, the DCI indication in the grant's HARQ information can provide (e.g., implicitly or explicitly) information (e.g., to the MAC entity) regarding which UL carrier, such as the RUL and / or SUL carrier, should be used. The LCP procedure can be used to restrict the LCH (e.g., by the MAC entity) to use (or not use) a certain or specified UL carrier. Such restrictions can be used, for example, for improved reliability and / or latency for one or more of the LCHs.

[0125] The LCP procedure can use one or more attributes related to the radio system (e.g., factors, parameters, criteria, conditions, triggers, qualities, characteristics, etc.) to allocate LCHs to each UL carrier. The attributes can be related to one or more of the following, namely, (i) system-related timing, (ii) type of UL transmission (e.g., UCI, control plane signaling, user plane data), (iii) SCS used for UL transmission, (iv) QoS requirements, (v) services supported by UL transmission (e.g., URLLC, eMBB, mMTC, etc.), (vi) payload, data size, and / or amount of data being transmitted, (vii) indication in UL and / or DL allocation, (viii) RV of transmission, (ix) mobility of the WTRU such as the speed of the WTRU, frequency of WTRU handover, and / or frequency of paging / tracking area update, (x) radio coverage of RUL and SUL carriers (e.g., RSRP measurement exceeding or below a threshold), and / or (xi) priority of the data being transmitted.

[0126] The RRC entity can use the LCP procedure to allocate one or more of the WTRU's LCHs to each UL carrier. For example, the RRC entity can allocate UL carriers according to one or more of the following, namely, (i) RUL carriers only for UL-SCH resources, (ii) SUL carriers only for UL-SCH resources, (iii) both RUL and SUL carriers (e.g., without limitation). Based on the attributes, the RRC entity can indicate that replication should be performed across RUL and SUL carriers. The replicated data can be transmitted sequentially or simultaneously on RUL and SUL carriers.

[0127] A WTRU can include a receiver configured to receive one or more UL grants. The UL grant can include an allocation associated with an RUL carrier and an allocation associated with an SUL carrier. The RUL and SUL carriers can be associated with a common DL carrier of a serving cell. The WTRU can include a processor configured to select data from one or more logical channels to transmit according to the allocations in the one or more UL grants. For example, one logical channel can be selected based at least on the allocation associated with the RUL carrier, and another logical channel can be selected based at least on another allocation associated with the SUL carrier. The WTRU can include a transmitter configured to transmit data from that one logical channel on the RUL carrier and transmit data from that other logical channel on the SUL carrier according to each allocation.

[0128] Figure 3 shows an exemplary LCP procedure 300. As shown in Figure 3, data transmitted by the WTRU can be assigned to each priority. For example, the data can be associated with one or more LCHs, such as LCH1, LCH2, and LCH3. Data from LCH2 can have a higher priority than data from LCH1 and LCH3. Data from LCH1 can have a higher priority than data from LCH3. Thus, data from LCH2 can be assigned the highest priority, and data from LCH3 can be assigned the lowest priority.

[0129] In addition to data prioritization, the LCP procedure 300 can further include UL carrier allocation for data transmission. For example, as further shown in FIG. 3, data from LCH1, LCH2, and / or LCH3 can be allocated to one or more UL carriers (e.g., RUL and / or SUL carriers). Data from LCH1 can be allocated to RUL and SUL carriers based on radio coverage. For example, a WTRU can transmit data from LCH1 on the RUL carrier if the attributes of the RUL carrier exceed a threshold. The attributes can include RSRP measurements associated with the RUL carrier. The RSRP measurements can exceed the threshold, for example, when the WTRU is within a certain distance (e.g., with area 206) from a base station (e.g., base station 202). When the WTRU approaches the edge of the RUL carrier coverage, such as when approaching the edge of area 206 within cell 200 shown in FIG. 2, the RSRP measurements can drop below the threshold. If the attributes are below the threshold (e.g., because the WTRU has exceeded area 206 in cell 200), the WTRU can be configured to transmit data from LCH1 on the SUL carrier.

[0130] Data from LCH2 can support certain services having some transmission requirements, such as high reliability and / or low latency. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, data from LCH2 can support URLLC type services. Accordingly, data from LCH2 can be replicated and transmitted via RUL and SUL carriers. The data can be transmitted sequentially or simultaneously via the RUL and SUL carriers.

[0131] Data from LCH3 can also support certain services, such as eMBB. Data from LCH3 can be allocated for transmission via the RUL carrier.

[0132] It should be understood that the foregoing prioritization procedure and channel allocation described with respect to FIG. 3 are merely exemplary. Other data prioritization procedures and / or LCH UL channel allocations may be implemented while remaining consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

[0133] FIG. 4 shows an exemplary series 400 of TTIs, during which data from one or more logical channels can be transmitted by a WTRU via UL carriers such as RUL and SUL carriers, based on the LCP procedure 300 described with respect to FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 4, the WTRU can receive grant 1 for the RUL carrier and also grant 2 for the SUL carrier. The WTRU can utilize the resources of the RUL and SUL carriers sequentially (e.g., in different TTIs) based on the function of the WTRU. For example, the WTRU may not include multiple transmitters. Thus, the WTRU cannot transmit simultaneously on different frequencies, such as transmitting on the RUL and SUL carriers in the same TTI. An example of simultaneous transmission on the RUL and SUL carriers will be further described below with respect to FIG. 5.

[0134] As shown in FIG. 4, series 400 can include TTI1, TTI2, TTI3, TTI4, TTI5, and TTI6, although it will be understood that series 400 can include any number of TTIs. Data can be buffered from LCH1, LCH2, and LCH3 for UL transmission, although it will be further understood that data can be buffered from any number of LCHs. During TTI1, TTI2, TTI3, TTI4, TTI5, and / or TTI6, the data can be transmitted via the RUL carrier (grant 1) and / or the SUL carrier (grant 2). The RUL and SUL carriers can each have transport block sizes (TBS) of 2k bits and 256 bits, although the TBS values of the RUL and SUL carriers shown in FIG. 4 are merely exemplary.

[0135] At TTI1, there is no data that can be buffered from LCH1 or LCH2, but 3k bits can be buffered (e.g., newly) from LCH3. According to LCP procedure 300, the 3k bits buffered from LCH3 (e.g., data related to eMBB) can be transmitted via the RUL carrier. Thus, the WTRU can select the RUL carrier (grant 1) and transmit 2k bits out of the buffered data from LCH3 during TTI1 (according to the exemplary TBS of the RUL carrier).

[0136] At TTI2, there is no data that can be buffered from LCH2, but 600 bits can be buffered (e.g., newly) from LCH1 and 1k bit can remain buffered from LCH3 (e.g., 3k bits minus 2k bits were transmitted during TTI1). The 600 bits buffered from LCH1 can support some services such as services that require URLLC. According to LCP procedure 300, the 600 bits buffered from LCH1 can have priority over the 1k bit buffered from LCH3. Further, the 600 bits from LCH1 can be assigned to the RUL carrier if the attribute of the carrier (e.g., RSRP) exceeds a threshold. As shown in Figure 4, the RSRP of the RUL carrier can be less than the configured threshold. Thus, the WTRU can select the SUL carrier and transmit 256 bits out of the data buffered from LCH1 during TTI2 (according to the exemplary TBS of the SUL carrier). The RUL carrier is not available in this example for transmitting the 1k bit from LCH3 during TTI2, which is understood to be because, according to the exemplary LCP procedure 300, the WTRU cannot transmit simultaneously on the RUL and SUL carriers (e.g., during the same TTI) and / or because the 600 bits from LCH1 have priority over the 1k bit from LCH3. Thus, the 1k bit from LCH3 can remain buffered for transmission in one or more subsequent TTIs.

[0137] In TTI3, 344 bits remain buffered from LCH1 (e.g., 600 bits minus 256 bits were transmitted in TTI2), 200 bits can be (e.g., newly) buffered from LCH2, and 1k bits can remain buffered from LCH3 (e.g., 3k bits minus 2k bits were transmitted in TTI1). During TTI3, the measured RSRP can remain below a pre-configured threshold. According to the LCP procedure 300, the 200 bits buffered from LCH2 can have priority over both the 344 bits buffered from LCH1 and the 1k bits buffered from LCH3. Further, the 200 bits buffered from LCH2 can support the URLLC service and can be replicated for transmission over the RUL and SUL carriers, which can improve the transmission reliability and / or latency. Thus, the WTRU can select the RUL carrier (grant 1) to transmit the 200 bits buffered from LCH3 during TTI3 and the SUL carrier (grant 2) to transmit the same (e.g., replicated) 200 bits buffered from LCH3 during TTI4. Alternatively, the WTRU can select the SUL carrier (grant 2) to transmit during TTI3 and the RUL carrier (grant 1) to transmit during TTI4.

[0138] At TTI5, 344 bits remain buffered from LCH1 (e.g., 600 bits minus 256 bits were transmitted during TTI2), and 1k bits may remain buffered from LCH3 (e.g., 3k bits minus 2k bits were transmitted during TTI1). After transmission on the RUL and SUL carriers during TTI3 and TTI4, there may be no data remaining buffered from LCH2. During TTI5, the measured RSRP may exceed a pre-configured threshold. According to LCP procedure 300, the 344 bits buffered from LCH1 can have priority over the 1k bits buffered from LCH3. Thus, the WTRU can select the RUL carrier (grant 1) to transmit 344 bits from LCH1 during TTI5, and the 1k bits from LCH3 may remain buffered for transmission in one or more subsequent TTIs. As shown in Figure 4, if the network (e.g., cell 200) does not successfully receive the 344 bits via the RUL carrier, the WTRU can receive a negative acknowledgment (NACK) from the network (e.g., cell 200). The WTRU can further receive an indication (e.g., via DCI) to re-transmit the 344 bits buffered from LCH1 via the SUL carrier during a subsequent TTI such as TTI6.

[0139] At TTI6, 344 bits remain buffered from LH1 (e.g., 600 bits minus 256 bits were transmitted in TTI2), and 1 kbit may remain buffered from LCH3 (e.g., 3 kbits minus 2 kbits were transmitted in TT1). According to LCP procedure 300, the 344 bits buffered from LCH1 can have priority over the 1 kbit buffered from LCH3. Further, the WTRU should have received signaling to retransmit the 344 bits first transmitted in TTI5 via the SUL carrier (e.g., as indicated in the DCI). Thus, the WTRU can select the SUL carrier (grant 2) and transmit 256 bits buffered from LCH1 in TTI6 (in accordance with the exemplary TBS of the SUL carrier), and the 1 kbit from LCH3 may remain buffered for transmission in one or more subsequent TTIs. After TTI6, 88 bits remain buffered from LCH1 (e.g., 344 bits minus 256 bits were transmitted in TTI6), and assuming there is no new data that can be buffered from LCH1, LCH2, and / or LCH3, 1 kbit may remain buffered from LCH3 (e.g., 3 kbits minus 2 kbits were transmitted in TT1). After TTI6, the WTRU can continue to process the data buffered from LCH1, LCH2, and / or LCH3 according to LCP procedure 300.

[0140] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary series 500 of TTIs, during which data from one or more LCHs can be transmitted by the WTRU via UL carriers such as RUL and SUL carriers, based on the LCP procedure 300 described with respect to FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 5, the WTRU can simultaneously utilize the resources of the RUL and SUL carriers (e.g., in the same TTI) based on the functionality of the WTRU. For example, the WTRU can include more than one transmitter and can transmit simultaneously at different frequencies, such as transmitting on the RUL and SUL carriers in the same TTI.

[0141] As shown in Figure 5, series 500 can include TTI7, TTI8, TTI9, TTI10, TTI11, and TTI12, although it will be understood that series 500 can include any number of TTIs. Data can be buffered from LCH1, LCH2, and LCH3 for UL transmission, although it will be further understood that data can be buffered from any number of LCHs. During TTI7, TTI8, TTI9, TTI10, TTI11, and / or TTI12, data can be transmitted via a RUL carrier (grant 1) and / or a SUL carrier (grant 2). The RUL and SUL carriers can each have a TBS of 2k bits and 256 bits, although the TBS values of the RUL and SUL carriers shown in Figure 5 are merely exemplary.

[0142] During TTI7, there can be no data buffered from LCH1 or LCH2, although 3k bits can be buffered (e.g., newly) from LCH3. In accordance with LCP procedure 300, the 3k bits buffered from LCH3 (e.g., data related to eMBB) can be transmitted via the RUL carrier. Thus, the WTRU can select the RUL carrier (grant 1) and transmit 2k bits (in accordance with the exemplary TBS of the RUL carrier) of the buffered data from LCH3 during TTI7.

[0143] In TTI8, there is no data that can be buffered from LCH2, but 600 bits can be (e.g., newly) buffered from LCH1, and 1k bits can remain buffered from LCH3 (e.g., 3k bits minus 2k bits were transmitted in TTI1). According to LCP procedure 300, the 600 bits buffered from LCH1 can have priority over the 1k bits buffered from CH3. Further, the 600 bits from LCH1 can be assigned to the RUL carrier if the attribute of the RUL carrier (e.g., RSRP) exceeds a threshold. As shown in FIG. 4, the RSRP of the RUL carrier can be less than the configured threshold. Thus, the WTRU can select the SUL carrier and transmit 256 bits of the data buffered from LCH1 (according to the exemplary TBS of the SUL carrier) during TTI8. Since the WTRU can transmit simultaneously on the RUL and SUL carriers (e.g., in the same TTI), the RUL carrier can be used to transmit the 1k bits from LCH3 during TTI8 in this example. Thus, the WTRU can also select the RUL carrier (grant 1) and transmit 1k bits from LCH3 in TTI8.

[0144] In TTI9, 344 bits remain buffered from LCH1 (e.g., 600 bits minus 256 bits were transmitted in TTI8), and 200 bits can be newly buffered from LCH2. After transmission on the RUL carrier during TTI8, there may be no data remaining buffered from LCH3. During TTI9, the measured RSRP may be less than a preconfigured threshold. According to LCP procedure 300, the 200 bits buffered from LCH2 can have priority over the 344 bits buffered from LCH1. Further, the 200 bits buffered from LCH2 can support the URLLC service and can be replicated for transmission via the RUL and SUL carriers, which can improve transmission reliability and / or latency. Thus, the WTRU can select the RUL and SUL carriers (grant 1 and 2) to transmit the 200 bits buffered from LCH3 during TTI9, respectively.

[0145] In TTI10, 344 bits may remain buffered from LCH1 (e.g., 600 bits minus 256 bits were transmitted during TTI8). After transmission between TTI7, TTI8, and / or TTI9, there may be no data remaining buffered from LCH2 or LCH3. During TTI10, the measured RSRP may exceed a preconfigured threshold. Thus, the WTRU can select the RUL carrier (grant 1) to transmit 344 bits from LCH1 during TTI10. As shown in Figure 5, if the network (e.g., cell 200) does not successfully receive the 344 bits via the RUL carrier, the WTRU can receive a NACK from the network (e.g., cell 200). The WTRU can further receive an indication (e.g., via DCI) to retransmit the 344 bits buffered from LCH1 via the SUL carrier during a subsequent TTI, such as TTI11.

[0146] In TTI11, 344 bits may remain buffered from LCH1 (e.g., 600 bits minus 256 bits were transmitted in TTI2). The WTRU should be receiving signaling (e.g., via an indication in DCI) to retransmit the 344 bits first transmitted in TTI10 over the SUL carrier. Thus, the WTRU can select the SUL carrier (grant 2) and transmit the 256 bits buffered from LCH1 in TTI11 (according to the exemplary TBS of the SUL carrier).

[0147] In TTI12, 88 bits may remain buffered from LCH1 (e.g., 344 bits minus 256 bits were transmitted in TTI11). During TTI12, the measured RSRP may exceed a preconfigured threshold. Thus, the WTRU can select the RUL carrier (grant 1) and transmit the remaining 88 bits buffered from LCH1 in TTI12.

[0148] The WTRU can receive control signaling (e.g., control plane signaling such as RRC signaling or by MAC CE) that configures one or more (e.g., similar) restrictions on the MAC CE or a subset of the MAC CE. For example, a subset of the MAC CE can be related to high priority and / or reliable transmission types (e.g., URLLC) and / or can be related to beam management MAC CE. The high priority MAC CE can be restricted to some types of UL access such as RUL and / or SUL carriers.

[0149] The WTRU can receive control signaling (e.g., control plane signaling such as RRC signaling or by MAC CE) that constitutes one or more (e.g., similar) restrictions on one or more types of grants, such as one or more of the following: (i) a grant determined from the reception of dynamic control signaling (e.g., DCI on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)), (ii) a grant determined from the WTRU configuration, or configuration type (e.g., UL grant, type 2 UL transmission without a semi-persistent grant), (iii) a grant determined from the activation state (e.g., whether scheduling information for grant-free transmission is active / available), and / or a grant for dedicated transmission or contention-based transmission. Some types of grants can be restricted to some types of UL access, such as RUL and SUL carriers.

[0150] The WTRU can receive control signaling (e.g., control plane signaling such as RRC signaling or by MAC CE) that constitutes one or more (e.g., similar) restrictions on one or more LCHs that are applicable to one or more parts of an LCP procedure, such as LCP procedure 300. For example, the control signaling can indicate that steps 1 and 2 of the LCP procedure are applicable only if resources are allocated such that they satisfy the variable Bj of each LCH, and each TTI is set and updated by the prioritized bitrate (PBR) of the LCH. The grant indicated for the SUL carrier can, for example, operate on all LCHs to perform different parts of the LCP procedure (in step 3). This can be used, for example, to improve throughput.

[0151] The WTRU may be configured to select and process data to be transmitted with one or more UL grants. The WTRU may determine that it has multiple received grants available, for example, one for a RUL carrier and one for a SUL carrier, for transmitting using resources that are at least partially overlapping in time. The WTRU may assemble MAC PDUs for each applicable transmission on the RUL and / or SUL carriers (e.g., using LCP procedure 300), for example, when the WTRU is capable of simultaneous PUSCH transmissions on multiple ULs. The MAC entity may process LCP procedures (e.g., LCP procedure 300) for UL grants suitable for a high priority (e.g., first) LCH, for example, when the LCHs are configured to be prioritized or restricted on a given UL. The MAC entity may process one or more grants, (e.g., further or alternatively) for the purpose of maximizing the overall data rate.

[0152] The WTRU may prioritize the selection of grants available on the RUL and / or SUL carriers (e.g., by LCP procedure 300). The WTRU may prioritize the selection, for example, when simultaneous PUSCH transmissions are or are not possible on the RUL and SUL carriers. The prioritization may consider, for example, one or more of the following: (i) the estimated path loss for the RUL and / or SUL carrier (e.g., a switch to the SUL carrier may be triggered when the path loss for the RUL carrier is below a configured threshold), (ii) the PH of the RUL carrier and / or SUL carrier (e.g., the WTRU may be able to use the SUL carrier when the PH of the RUL carrier is below a threshold such as 0 dB), (iii) the TBS of the SUL carrier relative to the TBS of the RUL carrier, and / or (iv) the logical channels with buffered data and associated priorities (e.g., any possible channel selection restrictions based on LCP procedures such as LCP procedure 300).

[0153] Examples of prioritizing available grants based on the TBS of the SUL carrier over the TBS of the RUL carrier can include, for example, the following: namely, (i) when the MAC PDU generated by the MAC multiplexing and assembly entity can fit on either the RUL carrier or the SUL carrier without segmentation, the UL grant on the RUL carrier or the SUL carrier can be selected; (ii) the UL grant on the RUL carrier or the SUL carrier can be selected to maximize the amount of data that can be sent by the WTRU in a (for example, current) TTI; and / or (iii) the UL grant on the RUL carrier or the SUL carrier can be selected to maximize the amount of high-priority data that can be sent by the WTRU in a (for example, current) TTI.

[0154] In an example of LCHs with buffered data and associated priorities, some LCHs can be configured with selection restrictions. The MAC entity can be associated with, for example, a higher-priority LCH or can select one or more UL grants that can maximize the amount of data that can be sent by the WTRU in a (for example, current) TTI.

[0155] The MAC entity can include, for example, a HARQ entity for (for example, each) serving cell with configured UL and can maintain parallel HARQ processes for (for example, each) serving cell.

[0156] HARQ can be modeled, for example, in multiple (for example, two) different ways when the SUL carrier can be configured in the WTRU.

[0157] As described above, the RUL and / or SUL carrier can be part of the same serving cell. The RUL and / or SUL carrier can, for example, share the same HARQ entity. A common set of HARQ processes within a HARQ entity (e.g., one) can be used for the RUL and / or SUL carrier. The gNB can configure a subset of HARQ processes that can be identified using the RUL and / or SUL carrier. For example, when there can be a switch between the RUL carrier and the SUL carrier, cross-uplink retransmission can be possible.

[0158] The RUL and SUL carriers can be considered as separate carriers and can have separate HARQ entities. The RUL and SUL carriers can have separate HARQ configurations (e.g., in either modeling example), such as HARQ timeline values (e.g., maxHARQ-Tx, maxHARQ-Msg3Tx).

[0159] A single or separate HARQ process can be used for multiple ULs for a WTRU that can switch (e.g., rapidly) between, for example, the RUL carrier and the SUL carrier. In the example, the WTRU can be configured using multiple (e.g., two) configured grants (e.g., SPS resources) on the RUL and SUL carriers. The resources of the applicable configured grants can be used, for example, when a switching event can be triggered. TB retransmission between multiple ULs can be made possible, for example, when a (e.g., single) HARQ process can be used for UL transmissions over multiple UL carriers such as the RUL and SUL carriers.

[0160] A WTRU composed of a plurality of ULs with a certain number of HARQ retransmissions may result in different WTRU behaviors. In an example, retransmissions on the SUL carrier can be performed, for example, after a certain (e.g., threshold) number of UL HARQ transmissions using the RUL carrier. In a further, or alternative, example, for example, when the WTRU reaches the threshold number of UL HARQ transmissions using the RUL carrier (e.g., without using UL-SCH resources on the SUL carrier), the SR can be triggered to request UL-SCH resources on the SUL carrier.

[0161] The WTRU can use the RUL and / or SUL carrier, for example, for HARQ feedback reporting for DL transmissions. In an example, the WTRU can select the RUL and / or SUL carrier based on DL and / or UL measurements. The SUL carrier can be used (e.g., independently), or the selection between the RUL carrier and the SUL carrier can be based on DL path loss measurements, for example, when the RUL and SUL are active (e.g., available). The WTRU can be selected to report feedback in a certain UL or BWP based on a semi-static configuration or based on a dynamic indication from the network (e.g., cell 200).

[0162] The WTRU can send feedback to the gNB using the SUL carrier, for example, due to a change in propagation conditions that may prevent the WTRU from successfully sending feedback on the RUL carrier. In an example, the WTRU can switch (e.g., autonomously) to the PUCCH on the SUL carrier or can receive an indication to do so from the gNB. For example, when the gNB cannot receive the predicted feedback from the WTRU on the RUL carrier (e.g., in a timely manner), the gNB can send an indication to the WTRU to switch to the PUCCH on the SUL carrier. The feedback can be aggregated for several DL TBs or may not be aggregated.

[0163] In a further or alternative example, the WTRU may transmit HARQ feedback on the RUL carrier. The WTRU may store, for example, the HARQ positive acknowledgment (ACK) value when the value is transmitted on the RUL carrier. The WTRU may be polled, for example, to transmit a plurality of (e.g., previously transmitted) HARQ-ACK values on the SUL carrier. The WTRU may remove the stored value, for example, when a timer expires, when polled for the value on the SUL carrier, and / or when the TB is retransmitted.

[0164] The WTRU may use packet duplication and routing. The WTRU may be configured with one or more UL carriers for a given cell, such as the RUL and SUL carriers. The WTRU may determine that a plurality of UL carriers may be configured, activated, or made available for UL transmission, for example, based on scheduling information. The WTRU may determine that a plurality of UL carriers may be active simultaneously. The WTRU may be configured to activate packet duplication when the WTRU determines that a plurality of UL carriers are activated simultaneously.

[0165] For example, when the WTRU determines that a plurality of BWPs are activated simultaneously, such as when the BWP is configured for packet duplication and / or after receiving an activation indication from the network (e.g., cell 200), the WTRU may be configured to activate packet duplication.

[0166] The WTRU can activate packet duplication for (e.g., robust) handover. For example, the WTRU can be configured to send duplicate PDUs to the target and source cells during handover. In an example, the WTRU can send duplicate PDUs using the SUL carrier of the source cell and the RUL carrier of the target cell. The WTRU can send duplicate PDUs using the RUL carrier of the source cell and the SUL carrier of the target cell. Activation of packet duplication can depend on the content of the handover command.

[0167] The WTRU can determine whether duplication is needed or not based on one or more attributes of the radio system, such as the radio (e.g., carrier) state determined by measurement. For example, when the WTRU is composed of both the RUL carrier and the SUL carrier in a given cell, the WTRU can activate duplication if (e.g., only if) the measured cell quality (e.g., the RSRP of the RUL and / or SUL carrier) is below a predefined threshold.

[0168] The WTRU can be configured to perform PDCP duplication on one or more PDUs associated with one or more logical channels, for example. The WTRU can activate duplication in PDCP. For example, the WTRU can determine from the reception of control signaling, such as by the L1 / PDCCH, L2 MAC CE, or RRC entity, that multiple UL carriers (e.g., the RUL and SUL carriers) are activated for a given cell (e.g., cell 200). The WTRU can determine duplication based on semi-static, dynamic activation signaling, or a combination of both.

[0169] When the WTRU performs packet duplication, the WTRU can (i) duplicate PDCP data PDUs for one or more specific radio bearers (e.g., the radio bearer can be dynamically indicated by the network, semi-statically configured, or statically configured based on service or QoS requirements), (ii) duplicate the SRB, (iii) duplicate specific messages (e.g., measurement reports including those for beam management purposes), and / or (iv) duplicate SDUs for which the PDCP SDU discard timer is less than a specific threshold. The WTRU can determine to perform any of (i) - (iv) based on the configuration and / or reception of a duplication activation indication received by the WTRU via the network (e.g., cell 200) (e.g., via DCI, MAC CE, and / or RRC signaling).

[0170] Based on the reception of a PDCP SR, the WTRU can determine to duplicate one or more packets (e.g., the WTRU can apply duplication to specific PDUs in response to the received PDCP SR). The WTRU can determine that some PDUs can be retransmitted from the PDCP SR, and the WTRU can determine that it should perform duplication on such PDUs. The WTRU can start cumulative retransmissions (e.g., if the handover implies a MAC reset), and can apply duplication to (e.g., all) PDUs that are cumulatively retransmitted.

[0171] The WTRU may not be able to transmit simultaneously on multiple UL carriers (e.g., RUL and SUL carriers) and BWPs. This can be due to one or more of the following attributes, namely, (i) received configuration signaling, (ii) WTRU functionality, and / or (iii) radio state and measurements. Thus, switching between UL carriers and / or BWPs may depend on the aforementioned attributes.

[0172] PDCP path designation can depend on the WTRU receiving a PDCP status report (SR). For example, based on the received PDCP SR, the WTRU can select a UL or BWP for a particular PDU (e.g., the WTRU can determine that some PDUs can be retransmitted from the PDCP SR and can select the same or a different UL or BWP for such PDUs). The WTRU can start cumulative retransmissions (e.g., if the handover implies a MAC reset) and can select the same or a different UL or BWP for all PDUs that are cumulatively retransmitted.

[0173] The WTRU can use HARQ-based duplication and path designation. Activating RUL and SUL carriers simultaneously can activate HARQ-based duplication for certain HARQ configured using duplication. HARQ can transmit TB duplication on RUL and SUL carriers, e.g., simultaneously or consecutively. HARQ can transmit TB duplication on RUL and SUL carriers by activating multiple BWPs. Duplication can be semi-static or dynamic activation signaling, or a combination of both.

[0174] The WTRU can determine to use simultaneous HARQ-based duplication based on receiving a grant for the SUL carrier along with the grant for the RUL carrier. The grant for the SUL carrier can be pre-configured. The configured grant timing can be relative to that of the grant for the RUL carrier.

[0175] The WTRU can determine whether to use duplication based on the RV sent for retransmission. For example, the WTRU can activate HARQ-based duplication if the RV exceeds a certain number.

[0176] The WTRU can determine whether to use replication based on different BWPs or the numerology of the UL carrier, or physical layer characteristics. For example, HARQ-based replication can be activated if the numerology of the BWP or UL carrier is the same.

[0177] The WTRU can determine to activate replication for multiple BWPs based on a BWP with a numerology different from that of the BWP used for the initial transmission. For example, in the case of a retransmitted TB, the TB can be retransmitted on the BWP where the initial transmission was performed, for example, as a retransmission using an updated RV for the same HARQ or as a new transmission for a different HARQ, and the same TB can be transmitted on the newly activated BWP. The WTRU can determine the activation of replication by activating one or more SUL carriers that can have different numerologies or subcarrier spacings.

[0178] The WTRU can transmit replicas of a given TB by staggering transmissions through symbols of the same slot, through symbols of different slots, or in the time domain such as symbols of different TTIs. This can be useful, for example, in the case of a WTRU that cannot perform simultaneous transmissions, based on the function of the WTRU, one or more configuration aspects, and / or the numerology involved.

[0179] The WTRU can use HARQ path designation. The WTRU may also not be able to transmit simultaneously on the RUL and SUL carriers or on multiple BWPs. Switching between UL carriers or BWPs may depend on attributes such as the function of the WTRU.

[0180] To transmit a (e.g., new) TB, the network can provide a portion of the scheduling / HARQ information indicating which UL carrier or BWP the permission belongs to.

[0181] In the case of retransmission, if the WTRU is unable to retransmit with a different numerology and a SUL carrier or BWP with a numerology different from that of the initial transmission becomes active before an ACK for the TB is received, the WTRU may: (i) remain on the UL carrier or BWP on which the initial transmission was made until an ACK for the TB is received; (ii) remain on the UL carrier or BWP on which the initial transmission was made until an ACK for the TB is received or until the retransmission of the associated TB is successfully completed, such as when the WTRU has permission for the UL carrier or BWP used for the initial transmission; and / or (iii) switch to a SUL carrier or a new BWP (e.g., if a NACK is received, the WTRU may send an SR using an SR configuration that differentiates the numerology of the initial transmission).

[0182] Regarding retransmission, if the RSRP is below a configured threshold and a configured number of retransmissions or a configured RV count is reached, the WTRU may perform random access using a SUL carrier to obtain permission for retransmission. The WTRU may send an SR using an appropriate configuration and obtain permission for the SUL carrier to perform retransmission, for example, according to the service, the QoS of the retransmitted data, or the priority of the LCH included.

[0183] A WTRU may be configured to transmit in a wireless system via a plurality of UL carriers (e.g., RUL and SUL carriers). Activation, selection, initiation, and / or switching of such UL carriers may be, for example, static, semi-static, dynamic, pre-configured, reconfiguration-based, network-controlled, and / or initiated by the WTRU. The WTRU may be configured for HARQ processing, for example, when activating an SUL carrier and / or switching between an RUL carrier and an SUL carrier. The WTRU may be configured using LCP procedures for UL-SCH grants for RUL and / or SUL carriers. The WTRU may be configured for PDCP duplication, for example, for signaling radio bearers (SRBs), radio bearers, specific messages, and / or SDUs, and / or for path designation towards RUL and / or SUL carriers. The WTRU may be configured using HARQ-based duplication and / or multiple grants for UL carriers. The timing of grants for the SUL carrier may be, for example, relative to the timing of grants for the RUL carrier.

[0184] The processes and means described herein can be applied in any combination and can be applied to other wireless technologies and to other services.

[0185] The WTRU can refer to user identification, such as identification of a physical device or identification related to a subscription, e.g., MSISDN, SIP URI, etc. The WTRU can refer to application-based identification, such as a username that can be used for each application.

[0186] Each computing system described herein can have one or more computer processors having a memory configured with executable instructions or hardware for performing the functions described herein, including determining the parameters described herein and sending and receiving messages between entities (e.g., WTRUs and networks) to achieve the described functions.

[0187] The processes described above may be implemented in a computer program, software, and / or firmware incorporated in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer and / or processor. Examples of computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, electronic signals (transmitted via wired and / or wireless connections), and / or computer-readable storage media. Examples of 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 / or optical media such as CD-ROM disks and / or digital versatile disks (DVDs). A processor associated with the software may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver used in a WTRU, terminal, base station, RNC, and / or any host computer.

Claims

1. 1. A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) comprising a processor and a memory, the processor and the memory comprising: receiving configuration information indicating that data corresponding to a first set of one or more logical channels may be transmitted using an uplink (UL) grant having a first logical channel prioritization (LCP) restriction and that data corresponding to a second set of one or more logical channels may be transmitted using an UL grant having a second LCP restriction; receiving a first UL grant and a second UL grant, the first UL grant and the second UL grant at least partially overlapping in a time domain, the first UL grant corresponding to the UL grant having the first LCP restriction and the second UL grant corresponding to the UL grant having the second LCP restriction; determining that the first set of one or more logical channels includes a first logical channel having data available for transmission, the first logical channel being associated with a first priority; determining that a second set of the one or more logical channels includes a second logical channel having data available for transmission, the second logical channel being associated with a second priority, the first priority being higher than the second priority; prioritizing the first UL grant over the second UL grant based on the first priority being higher than the second priority; transmitting data associated with the first set of one or more logical channels in accordance with the first UL grant based on prioritizing the first UL grant over the second UL grant. The WTRU is configured as follows.

2. 2. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the processor and memory configured to prioritize the first UL grant over the second UL grant comprises the processor and memory configured to ignore the second UL grant.

3. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first UL grant or the second UL grant is received via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

4. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first UL grant or the second UL grant is received via downlink control information (DCI).

5. 2. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the first logical channel corresponds to a highest priority logical channel having data available for transmission on a first set of the one or more logical channels, and the second logical channel corresponds to a highest priority logical channel having data available for transmission on a second set of the one or more logical channels.

6. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the first UL grant is associated with a first UL transmission resource and the second UL grant is associated with a second UL transmission resource.

7. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the configuration information is received in a radio resource control (RRC) message.

8. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first UL grant or the second UL grant is a configured grant.

9. 1. A method implemented by a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), comprising: receiving configuration information indicating that data corresponding to a first set of one or more logical channels may be transmitted using an uplink (UL) grant having a first logical channel prioritization (LCP) restriction and that data corresponding to a second set of one or more logical channels may be transmitted using an UL grant having a second LCP restriction; receiving a first UL grant and a second UL grant, the first UL grant and the second UL grant at least partially overlapping in a time domain, the first UL grant corresponding to the UL grant having the first LCP restriction and the second UL grant corresponding to the UL grant having the second LCP restriction; determining that the first set of one or more logical channels includes a first logical channel having data available for transmission, the first logical channel being associated with a first priority; determining that the second set of one or more logical channels includes a second logical channel having data available for transmission, the second logical channel being associated with a second priority, the first priority being higher than the second priority; prioritizing the first UL grant over the second UL grant based on the first priority being higher than the second priority; transmitting data associated with the first set of one or more logical channels in accordance with the first UL grant based on prioritizing the first UL grant over the second UL grant; A method comprising:

10. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein prioritizing the first UL grant over the second UL grant comprises ignoring the second UL grant.

11. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first UL grant or the second UL grant is received via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

12. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first UL grant or the second UL grant is received via Downlink Control Information (DCI).

13. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first logical channel corresponds to a highest priority logical channel having data available for transmission on a first set of the one or more logical channels, and the second logical channel corresponds to a highest priority logical channel having data available for transmission on a second set of the one or more logical channels.

14. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first UL grant is associated with a first UL transmission resource and the second UL grant is associated with a second UL transmission resource.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the configuration information is received in a radio resource control (RRC) message.

16. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first UL grant or the second UL grant is a configured grant.

17. An apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the processor and the memory comprising: sending configuration information to a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), the configuration information indicating that the WTRU can transmit data corresponding to a first set of one or more logical channels using an uplink (UL) grant having a first logical channel prioritization (LCP) restriction and that the WTRU can transmit data corresponding to a second set of one or more logical channels using an UL grant having a second LCP restriction; sending a first UL grant and a second UL grant to the WTRU, the first UL grant and the second UL grant at least partially overlapping in a time domain, the first UL grant corresponding to the UL grant having the first LCP restriction and the second UL grant corresponding to the UL grant having the second LCP restriction; the first set of one or more logical channels includes a first logical channel having data available for transmission by the WTRU, the first logical channel being associated with a first priority; the second set of one or more logical channels includes a second logical channel having data available for transmission by the WTRU, the second logical channel being associated with a second priority, the first priority being higher than the second priority; receiving, from the WTRU, data associated with a first set of the one or more logical channels in accordance with the first UL grant based on the first UL grant being prioritized over the second UL grant by the WTRU; An apparatus configured as follows.

18. 20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein at least one of the first UL grant or the second UL grant is sent via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

19. 20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein at least one of the first UL grant or the second UL grant is sent via downlink control information (DCI).

20. 20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first logical channel corresponds to a highest priority logical channel having data available for transmission by the WTRU of a first set of the one or more logical channels, and the second logical channel corresponds to a highest priority logical channel having data available for transmission by the WTRU of a second set of the one or more logical channels.

21. 20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first UL grant is associated with a first UL transmission resource and the second UL grant is associated with a second UL transmission resource.

22. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the configuration information is sent in a radio resource control (RRC) message.

23. 20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein at least one of the first UL grant or the second UL grant is a configured grant.

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