Multiplexing control and data information from a user equipment in a physical data channel

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are described for transmitting hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) bits in a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) by a user equipment (UE) in a communication system. A method includes receiving a configuration of a plurality of cells, the plurality of cells being associated with one or more transport blocks; arranging HARQ-ACK bits for the plurality of cells, based on an order of cell indexes and an order of transport block indexes; encoding the arranged HARQ-ACK bits; and transmitting, to a node B, the encoded arranged HARQ-ACK bits in the PUSCH. 2 HARQ-ACK bits for a cell configured with 2 transport blocks are included in the arranged HARQ-ACK bits. The arranged HARQ-ACK bits are encoded by a (32, O) block code in case that a number of the arranged HARQ-ACK bits is 3, O being the number of the arranged HARQ-ACK bits.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) bits by a user equipment (UE) in a communication system supporting carrier aggregation, the method comprising steps of: receiving a configuration of a plurality of cells by higher layer signaling; identifying a number of one or more transport blocks for a cell based on the configuration of a plurality of cells; identifying one HARQ-ACK offset; obtaining HARQ-ACK bits for the plurality of cells based on an order of a cell index for each of the plurality of cells and a number of one or more transport blocks for each of the plurality of cells; identifying a number of coded symbols for the obtained HARQ-ACK bits based on a number of the obtained HARQ-ACK bits and the one HARQ-ACK offset, wherein the one HARQ-ACK offset corresponds to the number of the obtained HARQ-ACK bits; and transmitting, to a base station, signals for the obtained HARQ-ACK bits on one physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) of multiple PUSCHs based on the number of coded symbols, in case that the multiple PUSCHs exist in a slot, wherein in case that a cell is configured with up to 2 transport blocks, 2 HARQ-ACK bits for the cell are included in the number of the obtained bits, and in case that a cell is configured with up to 1 transport block, 1 HARQ-ACK bit for the cell is included in the number of the obtained bits, and wherein in case that the number of the obtained HARQ-ACK bits is 3, the obtained HARQ-ACK bits are encoded by a (32, O) block code, where the O is the number of the obtained HARQ-ACK bits.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoded obtained HARQ-ACK bits are obtained by repetition based on the number of coded symbols.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein information for the one HARQ-ACK offset is obtained based on higher layer signaling.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one HARQ-ACK offset is identified among a plurality of HARQ-ACK offsets according to a range to which the number of the obtained HARQ-ACK bits belong.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one PUSCH is associated with a cell having a smallest cell index.

6. A method for receiving hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) bits by a base station in a communication system supporting carrier aggregation, the method comprising steps of: transmitting a configuration of a plurality of cells by higher layer signaling; and receiving, from a user equipment (UE), signals for HARQ-ACK bits on one physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) of multiple PUSCHs based on a number of coded symbols, in case that the multiple PUSCHs exist in a slot, wherein the number of coded symbols is identified based on a number of the HARQ-ACK bits and one HARQ-ACK offset, wherein the one HARQ-ACK offset corresponds to the number of the HARQ-ACK bits, wherein the HARQ-ACK bits for the plurality of cells are obtained based on an order of a cell index for each of the plurality of cells and a number of one or more transport blocks for each of the plurality of cells, wherein the number of one or more transport blocks for each of the plurality of cells is identified based on the configuration of the plurality of cells, wherein in case that a cell is configured with up to 2 transport blocks, 2 HARQ-ACK bits for the cell are included in the number of the HARQ-ACK bits, and in case that a cell is configured with up to 1 transport block, 1 HARQ-ACK bit for the cell is included in the number of the HARQ-ACK bits, and wherein in case that the number of the HARQ-ACK bits is 3, the HARQ-ACK bits are encoded by a (32, O) block code, where the O is the number of the HARQ-ACK bits.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the encoded HARQ-ACK bits are repeated based on the number of coded symbols.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein information for the one HARQ-ACK offset is transmitted based on higher layer signaling.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the HARQ-ACK offset is one of a plurality of HARQ-ACK offsets according to a range to which the number of the HARQ-ACK bits belong.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the one PUSCH is associated with a cell having a smallest cell index.

11. A user equipment (UE) for transmitting hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) bits in a communication system supporting carrier aggregation, the UE comprising: at least one transceiver; and at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: control the at least one transceiver to receive a configuration of a plurality of cells by higher layer signaling, identify a number of one or more transport blocks for a cell based on the configuration of a plurality of cells, identify one HARQ-ACK offset, obtain HARQ-ACK bits for the plurality of cells based on an order of a cell index for each of the plurality of cells and a number of one or more transport blocks for each of the plurality of cells, identify a number of coded symbols for the obtained HARQ-ACK bits based on a number of the obtained HARQ-ACK bits and the one HARQ-ACK offset, wherein the one HARQ-ACK offset corresponds to the number of the obtained HARQ-ACK bits, and control the at least one transceiver to transmit, to a base station, the number of coded symbols for the obtained HARQ-ACK bits on one physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) of multiple PUSCHs, in case that the multiple PUSCHs exist in a slot, wherein in case that a cell is configured with up to 2 transport blocks, 2 HARQ-ACK bits for the cell are included in the number of the obtained HARQ-ACK bits, and in case that a cell is configured with up to 1 transport block, 1 HARQ-ACK bit for the cell is included in the number of the HARQ-ACK bits, and wherein in case that number of the obtained HARQ-ACK bits is 3, the obtained HARQ-ACK bits are encoded by a (32, O) block code, wherein the O is the number of the obtained HARQ-ACK bits.

12. The UE of claim 11, wherein the encoded obtained HARQ-ACK bits are obtained by repetition based on the number of coded symbols.

13. The UE of claim 11, wherein information for the one HARQ-ACK offset is obtained based on higher layer signaling.

14. The UE of claim 11, wherein the one HARQ-ACK offset is identified among a plurality of HARQ-ACK offsets according to a range to which the number of the obtained HARQ-ACK bits belong.

15. The UE of claim 11, wherein the one PUSCH is associated with a cell having a smallest cell index.

16. A base station for receiving hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) bits in a communication system supporting carrier aggregation, the base station comprising: at least one transceiver; and at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: control the at least one transceiver to transmit a configuration of a plurality of cells by higher layer signaling, and control the at least one transceiver to receive, from a user equipment (UE), signals for HARQ-ACK bits on one physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) of multiple PUSCHs based on a number of coded symbols, in case that the multiple PUSCHs exist in a slot, wherein the number of coded symbols is identified based on a number of the HARQ-ACK bits and one HARQ-ACK offset, wherein the one HARQ-ACK offset corresponds to the number of the HARQ-ACK bits, wherein the HARQ-ACK bits for the plurality of cells are obtained based on an order of a cell index for each of the plurality of cells and a number of one or more transport blocks for each of the plurality of cells, wherein the number of one or more transport blocks for each of the plurality of cells is identified based on the configuration of a plurality of cells, wherein in case that a cell is configured with up to 2 transport blocks, 2 HARQ-ACK bits for the cell are included in the number of the HARQ-ACK bits, and in case that a cell is configured with up to 1 transport block, 1 HARQ-ACK bit for the cell is included in the number of the HARQ-ACK bits, and wherein in case that number of the HARQ-ACK bits is 3, the HARQ-ACK bits are encoded by a (32, O) block code, where the O is the number of the HARQ-ACK bits.

17. The base station of claim 16, wherein the encoded HARQ-ACK bits are repeated based on the number of coded symbols.

18. The base station of claim 16, wherein information for the one HARQ-ACK offset is transmitted based on higher layer signaling.

19. The base station of claim 16, wherein the HARQ-ACK offset is one of a plurality of HARQ-ACK offsets according to a range to which the number of the HARQ-ACK bits belong.

20. The base station of claim 16, wherein the one PUSCH is associated with a cell having a smallest cell index.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a conventional PUSCH sub-frame structure;

(3) FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional transmitter for transmitting data, CSI, and HARQ-ACK signals in a PUSCH;

(4) FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional receiver for receiving data, CSI, and HARQ-ACK signals in the PUSCH;

(5) FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating conventional multiplexing of UCI and data in a PUSCH;

(6) FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the concept of conventional carrier aggregation;

(7) FIG. 6 illustrates the generation of HARQ-ACK acknowledgement bits according to an embodiment of the present invention;

(8) FIG. 7 illustrates HARQ-ACK information bits according to an embodiment of the present invention;

(9) FIG. 8 illustrates transmissions of encoded HARQ-ACK bits from a UE using QPSK modulation with one repetition and with two repetitions of a block code according to an embodiment of the present invention;

(10) FIG. 9 illustrates using different frequencies for transmission in each sub-frame slot of encoded HARQ-ACK bits from a UE for two repetitions of a block code according to an embodiment of the present invention;

(11) FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of multiplexing different HARQ-ACK (or RI) payloads in a PUSCH according to an embodiment of the present invention;

(12) FIG. 11 illustrates a selection of a single PUSCH, among multiple PUSCH, for UCI multiplexing according to a metric quantified by the PUSCH MCS, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

(13) FIG. 12 illustrates an inclusion of a “UCI_Multiplexing” IE in a DCI format scheduling a PUSCH transmission, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

(14) FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrates STBC of HARQ-ACK transmission in a PUSCH according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

(15) Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. This present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

(16) Additionally, although the embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to a Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) communication system using DFT-spread OFDM transmission, they also are applicable to a Time Division duplex (TDD) communication system and to all Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) transmissions in general and to Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) and OFDM in particular.

(17) In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention HARQ-ACK multiplexing is performed in a single PUSCH in response to the reception of at least one TB from a UE configured with multiple DL CCs (unless explicitly stated otherwise).

(18) All O>2 HARQ-ACK bits are assumed to be jointly coded using a single coding method instead of having multiple parallel transmissions of 1 or 2 HARQ-ACK bits, for each respective DL CC, in separate resources. It is assumed that the coding of O HARQ-ACK bits uses the (32, O) block code previously described for the CQI/PMI transmission (the basis sequences may or may not be the same as the ones in Table 2). This allows the transmission of up to 10 HARQ-ACK bits (considering only the first 10 basis sequences). When HARQ-ACK spatial domain bundling is used, each respective HARQ-ACK bit corresponds to the reception of 2 TBs (with an ACK being transmitted if both TBs are correctly received and a NACK being transmitted otherwise).

(19) As some Downlink Control Information (DCI) formats which inform a UE of respective PDSCH transmissions in respective DL CCs may be incorrectly received (or missed) by the UE, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention there are two possible approaches to ensure that a Node B detects a number of HARQ-ACK bits equal to the number of HARQ-ACK bits the UE transmits and that the Node B and the UE have the same understanding for the placement of the HARQ-ACK bits in the respective codeword of the RM code.

(20) In the first approach, a UE uses the (32, O) RM block code and feeds back a number of HARQ-ACK bits determined from the number of its configured DL CCs and the respective configured Transmission Mode (TM). The TM for each DL CC is assigned to the UE through RRC signaling from the Node B and determines whether the UE may receive a maximum of 1 TB or 2 TBs in the DL CC. If the UE is configured in a DL CC a TM supporting 2 TBs, the UE transmits 2 HARQ-ACK bits for that DL CC regardless of the number of TBs (0, 1, or 2) the UE actually receives in the respective DL sub-frame. If the UE is configured a TM supporting 2 TBs in a DL CC, then if the receptive PDSCH conveyed 1 TB (instead of 2 TBs) the UE indicates an incorrect reception for the second TB (NACK) in the respective position of the HARQ-ACK codeword. If the respective PDSCH is not received, the UE indicates incorrect reception for 2 TBs (2 NACKs) in the respective positions of the HARQ-ACK codeword.

(21) If the UE has m, DL CCs and there are N.sub.1≤M.sub.1 DL CCs for which the PDSCH may convey 2 TBs (UE configured a TM supporting 2 TBs), the number of HARQ-ACK bits in the PUSCH is computed as O=2N.sub.1+(M.sub.1−N.sub.1)=M.sub.1+N.sub.1. If the UE has only M.sub.1=2 DL CCs and there are N.sub.1=0 DL CCs with configured TM enabling reception of a maximum of 2 TBs, then the UE transmits O=2 HARQ-ACK bits using the previously described (3, 2) simplex code. In all other cases, a UE with at least 2 DL CCs configured, has a minimum number of O=3 HARQ-ACK bits and it uses the (32, O) RM block code to convey them in the PUSCH.

(22) FIG. 6 illustrates the first approach for HARQ-ACK multiplexing in a PUSCH according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(23) Referring to FIG. 6, a UE has 3 DL CCs, DL CC1 610, DL CC2 612, and DL CC3 614. In DL CC1 610 the UE is configured TM1 supporting a maximum of 2 TBs, in DL CC2 612 the UE is configured TM2 supporting a maximum of 1 TB, and in DL CC3 614 the UE is configured TM3 supporting a maximum of 2 TBs. The UE always transmits a 2-bit HARQ-ACK 620 corresponding to DL CC 610, a 1-bit HARQ-ACK 622 corresponding to DL CC2 612, and a 2-bit HARQ-ACK 624 corresponding to DL CC3 614. In all cases, the HARQ-ACK transmission occurs regardless of whether the UE receives PDSCH in the corresponding DL CC. Therefore, the UE always transmits and the Node B always receives 5 HARQ-ACK bits for HARQ-ACK multiplexing in the PUSCH.

(24) In the second approach, each DCI format scheduling PUSCH transmission includes a Downlink Assignment Indicator (DAI) Information Element (IE). The DAI IE is a bit-map indicating the DL CCs with PDSCH transmission. For example, assuming that a UE can have a maximum of 5 DL CCs, the DAI IE consists of 5 bits. Using the DAI IE, the number of HARQ-ACK bits is not always the maximum one corresponding to the configured DL CCs. Various methods to reduce the number of DAI IE bits may also apply. For example, the UE may assume that it always has PDSCH transmission in a DL CC, in which case the bit-map does not address that DL CC. The number of HARQ-ACK bits transmitted by the UE in the PUSCH depends on the maximum number of TBs the PDSCH may convey in a DL CC indicated by the DAI IE.

(25) If the DAI IE indicates M.sub.2 DL CCs (the bit-map has M.sub.2 bits with value 1 indicating a DL CC) and, in these M.sub.2 DL CC, there are N.sub.2≤M.sub.2 DL CCs for which the PDSCH may convey 2 TBs, the number of HARQ-ACK bits is O=2N.sub.2+(M.sub.2−N.sub.2)=M.sub.2+N.sub.2.

(26) Similar to the first approach, if the DAI IE indicates only M.sub.2=1 DL CC or M.sub.2=2 DL CCs with both having configured TM associated with the reception of 1 TB (N.sub.2=0), then the UE transmits O=1 or O=2 HARQ-ACK bits using the respective one of the two previously described methods (repetition code or (3, 2) simplex code). In all other cases, a UE has a minimum number of O=3 HARQ-ACK bits and, when it conveys them in the PUSCH, it uses the (32, O) RM block code.

(27) FIG. 7 illustrates HARQ-ACK information bits according to an embodiment of the present invention, i.e., an embodiment of the second approach.

(28) Referring to FIG. 7, a reference UE has 3 DL CCs, DL CC1 720, DL CC2 722, and DL CC3 724. In DL CC1 720 the UE is configured TM1 supporting a maximum of 2 TBs, in DL CC2 722 the UE is configured TM2 supporting a maximum of 1 TB, and in DL CC3 724 the UE is configured TM3 supporting a maximum of 2 TBs. The DAI IE 710 in the DCI format for a PUSCH transmission indicates PDSCH transmission in DL CC1 and DL CC2. The UE transmits 2 HARQ-ACK bits 730 for DL CC1 720 and 1 HARQ-ACK bit 732 for DL CC2 722. This HARQ-ACK transmission occurs regardless of whether the UE actually receives the PDSCH in DL CC1 or DL CC2 (a PDSCH is missed when the respective DL SA is missed).

(29) The ordering of the HARQ-ACK bits in the block code is determined by the ordering of the respective DL CCs. The ordering of the DL CCs can be configured through RRC signaling by the Node B or be implicitly determined, e.g., from the order of carrier frequencies for the DL CCs. That is, the DL CCs may be ordered in ascending carrier frequency.

(30) Once the UE determines the number (of HARQ-ACK bits to transmit, it applies the (32, O) block code as shown in Table 2.

(31) In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention repetitions of the encoded HARQ-ACK bits may be applied in order to achieve the required reliability. For example, for QPSK modulation, the 32 output bits can be mapped to 16 modulated symbols, which are distributed in blocks of 4 REs in the 4 DFT-S-OFDM symbols around the 2 RS per sub-frame. When multiple repetitions of the encoded HARQ-ACK bits are applied, the REs used for HARQ-ACK transmission are in multiples of 16.

(32) FIG. 8 illustrates a transmission of encoded HARQ-ACK bits for QPSK modulation with one repetition and with two repetitions of the (32, O) block code. For simplicity, transmission of other UCI types is not considered.

(33) Referring to FIG. 8, the PUSCH includes HARQ-ACK REs for a first repetition 810A, HARQ-ACK REs for a second repetition 810B, RS REs 820, and data REs 830. For one repetition, the HARQ-ACK REs are mapped around the RS in groups of 4 REs, 840A and 840B. For two repetitions, the HARQ-ACK REs are mapped around the RS in groups of 4 REs, 850A and 850B for the first repetition and again in groups of 4 REs 860A and 860B for the second repetition.

(34) For multiple repetitions, different frequencies can be used for the transmission in each slot in order to enhance the frequency diversity and interference diversity of each repetition, as is illustrated in FIG. 9 for 2 repetitions.

(35) FIG. 9 illustrates using different frequencies for transmission in each sub-frame slot of encoded HARQ-ACK bits from a UE for two repetitions of a block code according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(36) Referring to FIG. 9, the PUSCH sub-frame includes HARQ-ACK REs for a first repetition 910A, HARQ-ACK REs for a second repetition 910B, RS REs 920, and data REs 930. The HARQ-ACK REs are mapped around the RS in groups of 4 REs, where the location of the REs in the first slot for the first repetition 940A and for the second repetition 940B is switched in the second slot for the first repetition 950A and for the second repetition 950B.

(37) For HARQ-ACK transmission in the PUSCH, a UE determines the respective number of coded symbols Q′ (nominal coding rate) as shown in Equation (5).

(38) $\begin{array}{cc}{Q}^{\prime }=\min \left(.Math.\frac{O.Math.{\beta }_{\mathrm{offset}}^{\mathrm{PUSCH}}\left(O\right)}{Q_m.Math.R}.Math.,4.Math.M_{\mathrm{sc}}^{\mathrm{PUSCH}}\right)& \left(5\right)\end{array}$

(39) Because the HARQ-ACK information payload is fixed at O bits, the number of coded symbols Q′ determines the nominal coding rate of the HARQ-ACK transmissions, which is inversely proportional to the MCS of the data transmission, as this is determined by Q.sub.m.Math.R.

(40) Alternatively, in order to simplify the encoding operation at the UE transmitter and the decoding operation at the Node B receiver and to avoid the puncturing losses associated with the coding rate increase for a block code with shortened length (if ┌O.Math.β.sub.offset.sup.PUSCH(O)/(Q.sub.m.Math.R)┌<32), an integer number of repetitions for the (32, O) block code may only be defined if the nominal coding rate is larger than a predetermined maximum coding rate. Then, the UE determines the number of repetitions R for the encoded UCI (HARQ-ACK or RI) bits as shown in Equation (6).

(41) $\begin{array}{cc}R=\min \left(.Math.\frac{O.Math.{\beta }_{\mathrm{offset}}^{\mathrm{PUSCH}}\left(O\right)}{R.Math.32}.Math.,\frac{4.Math.M_{\mathrm{sc}}^{\mathrm{PUSCH}}.Math.Q_m}{32}\right)=\min \left(.Math.\frac{O.Math.{\beta }_{\mathrm{offset}}^{\mathrm{PUSCH}}\left(O\right)}{32.Math.R}.Math.,\frac{M_{\mathrm{sc}}^{\mathrm{PUSCH}}.Math.Q_m}{8}\right)& \left(6\right)\end{array}$

(42) In Equation (6), β.sub.offset.sup.PUSCH(O) depends on a number of transmitted HARQ-ACK bits. It is assumed that the maximum number of 4.Math.M.sub.sc.sup.PUSCH available for HARQ-ACK multiplexing in the PUSCH is not reached. Different β.sub.offset.sup.PUSCH(O) values may be defined for different O values or a few β.sub.offset.sup.PUSCH(O) values may be defined for a set of O values. As O is predetermined through RRC configuration, for example, O=M.sub.1+N.sub.1, β.sub.offset.sup.PUSCH(O) can also be predetermined through RRC configuration and β.sub.offset.sup.PUSCH(O)=β.sub.offset.sup.PUSCH.

(43) For HARQ-ACK transmission, as a rate of a block code depends on a number of transmitted HARQ-ACK bits, even if a UE always transmits a maximum number of HARQ-ACK bits corresponding to all DL CCs, differences in reception reliability due to differences in a block code rate are reflected by the dependence of β.sub.offset.sup.HARQ-ACK(O) on the number of transmitted HARQ-ACK bits. Unlike the conventional transmission of 1 HARQ-ACK bit using repetition coding, the dependence is not linear (that is, β.sub.offset.sup.HARQ-ACK(O)≠O.Math.β.sub.offset.sup.HARQ-ACK(1)), as the differences in reception reliability due to changes in the coding rate are not linear. For simplicity, different consecutive values for O may map to the same β.sub.offset.sup.HARQ-ACK(O) value.

(44) FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of multiplexing different HARQ-ACK (or RI) payloads (number of information bits) in a PUSCH according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 10 illustrates UE transmitter and Node B receiver functionalities when multiplexing different HARQ-ACK payloads in a PUSCH.

(45) Referring to FIG. 10, in step 1010 it is determined whether the number of HARQ-ACK bits is O>2. If the number of HARQ-ACK bits is not O>2, the respective conventional method (repetition code or simplex code) is used for the HARQ-ACK transmission in step 1020. However, if the number of HARQ-ACK bits is O>2, the HARQ-ACK bits are encoded using the (32, 0) RM block code in step 1030.

(46) In step 1040, assuming 2 HARQ-ACK bits per modulated symbol (QPSK modulation), the 32 encoded HARQ-ACK bits (code rate is assumed to be decreased from its nominal value to accommodate at least 1 repetition of 32 coded bits) are divided into 4 quadruplets, which are then placed in 4 REs at the 4 DFT-S-OFDM symbols next to the 2 RS symbols in the sub-frame of PUSCH transmission in step 1050. If the conditions determining the number of HARQ-ACK coded symbols indicate additional repetitions in step 1060, step 1050 is repeated using additional REs. However, when there are no additional repetitions in step 1060, the process for placing the HARQ-ACK bits in the PUSCH is completed in step 1070.

(47) After the coding and resource allocation of the HARQ-ACK bits is applied as described in FIG. 10, apparatuses, such as those described above in relation to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, may be used for the transmission and reception of the HARQ-ACK bits. Accordingly, a repetitive description will not be provided herein.

(48) In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a single PUSCH is selected from among multiple PUSCH during the same sub-frame in different UL CCs, for UCI multiplexing. Considering S PUSCH transmissions without spatial multiplexing with respective MCS of {MCS(1), MCS(2), . . . , MCS(S)}, a first approach considers that UE selects the PUSCH transmission with the largest MCS for UCI multiplexing. Therefore, the UE transmits UCI in UL CC s obtained as

(49) 0$s=\arg \underset{j=1,\mathrm{.Math.},S}{\max }\left\{\mathrm{MCS}\left(j\right)\right\}.$

(50) FIG. 11 illustrates a selection of a single PUSCH from among multiple PUSCH, for UCI multiplexing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(51) Referring to FIG. 11, a reference UE has 3 PUSCH transmissions in a sub-frame in 3 respective UL CCs, UL CC1 with QPSK modulation and code rate of r=1/2 1110, UL CC2 with QAM16 modulation and code rate of r=1/2 1120, and UL CC3 with QAM16 modulation and code rate of r=1/3 1130. As the PUSCH transmission in UL CC2 has the largest MCS (largest spectral efficiency), the UE multiplexes UCI in the PUSCH transmission in UL CC2 1140.

(52) The advantage of selecting only a single PUSCH for UCI multiplexing is that it provides a single solution regardless of the number of PUSCH transmissions a UE may have in a single sub-frame and it fits naturally with the joint coding of all HARQ-ACK bits. By choosing the PUSCH transmission with the largest MCS, the best reliability for the UCI transmission is achieved, as typically the larger the MCS is, the better the link quality is.

(53) Further, choosing a single PUSCH minimizes the impact of error cases that may occur if the UE misses DCI formats scheduling PUSCH transmissions. When a Node B and a UE have different understandings of the selected PUSCH with the highest MCS, e.g., because the UE missed the DCI format scheduling the PUSCH with the largest MCS, the Node B can detect an absence of such a transmission and can determine that that UCI is included in the first PUSCH transmission with the largest MCS the Node B detects. If multiple PUSCH transmissions have the same, highest MCS, the selected PUSCH transmission may be in a predetermined UL CC such as, for example, in the UL CC with the smaller index, as these UL CC indexes are configured to the UE by the Node B.

(54) In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a UE selects for, UCI multiplexing, a PUSCH transmission minimizing a relative amount of data REs that are to be replaced by UCI REs. If the UE has S PUSCH transmissions in a given sub-frame and the respective number of REs required for UCI multiplexing in the PUSCH S is O(s), s=1, . . . , S, then the UE can select for UCI multiplexing the PUSCH minimizing the utility ratio U(s) as shown in Equation (7).

(55) $\begin{array}{cc}U\left(s\right)=\frac{O\left(s\right)}{N_{\mathrm{symb}}^{\mathrm{PUSCH}}\left(s\right).Math.M_{\mathrm{sc}}^{\mathrm{PUSCH}}\left(s\right)},s=1,\mathrm{.Math.},S& \left(7\right)\end{array}$

(56) In Equation (7), M.sub.sc.sup.PUSCH(s)=M.sub.PUSCH(s).Math.N.sub.sc.sup.RB is a number of REs assigned to PUSCH transmission s and N.sub.symb.sup.PUSCH(s)=2.Math.(N.sub.symb.sup.UL−1)−N.sub.SRS(s) is a number of symbols in PUSCH transmission s available for data transmission (with N.sub.SRS(s)=1, if a last sub-frame symbol is used for SRS transmission and N.sub.SRS(s)=0 otherwise). The benefit of this approach is that the impact of data puncturing or rate matching, due to UCI multiplexing, on the data reception reliability is minimized. For example, for the same target BLER, Q.sub.m per PUSCH transmission, if a UE has a first PUSCH transmission over 20 RBs with data code rate of 1/2 and a second PUSCH transmission over 5 RBs with data code rate of 5/8, the selection of the first PUSCH transmission will lead to a lower number of relative REs for UCI multiplexing, although the selection of the second PUSCH transmission (highest MCS) minimizes the absolute number of REs required for UCI multiplexing. The above may be further conditioned on the required UCI resources being available (for example, on not reaching the maximum number of REs around the DM RS symbols for the HARQ-ACK transmission).

(57) In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a Node B can dynamically select the PUSCH for UCI multiplexing by including a 1-bit IE in the DCI format scheduling each PUSCH transmission to indicate whether or not a UCI should be multiplexed in a respective PUSCH. When the DCI format indicating the PUSCH for UCT multiplexing is missed by the UE, the UE can revert to choosing the PUSCH with a largest MCS or the one minimizing the relative UCI overhead. The same applies if there is no DCI format associated with the PUSCH transmission such as, for example, for synchronous non-adaptive HARQ retransmissions or semi-persistent PUSCH transmissions.

(58) FIG. 12 illustrates an inclusion of a “UCI_Multiplexing” TE in a DCI format scheduling a PUSCH transmission.

(59) Referring to FIG. 12, for the PUSCH transmission 1210, the “UCI_Multiplexing” IE 1220 in the associated DCI format indicates whether the UE should include its UCI transmission in the PUSCH 1230 or not 1240.

(60) Instead of explicitly introducing an IE to indicate whether a UE should include UCI in its PUSCH transmission, an existing TE in the DCI format scheduling a PUSCH transmission may be used to implicitly perform that functionality. For example, the DCI format is assumed to contain a Cyclic Shift Indicator (CSI) E to inform the UE of the Cyclic Shift (CS) to apply to the RS transmission in the PUSCH. A CSI value can be reserved so that when it is signaled in the DCI format, it also indicates UCI inclusion in the PUSCH. The values of other existing DCI format IEs or their combination may also be used for the same purpose. The process in FIG. 12 can again apply (additional illustration is omitted for brevity) with the exception that instead of examining the value of a “UCI Multiplexing” IE, the UE examines whether the existing CSI IE has a predetermined value and if so, it includes the UCI in the PUSCH transmission.

(61) In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, in the absence of any PUSCH transmission, the same UL CC (UL Primary CC) is always used by the UE to transmit UCI in the PUCCH. The UL Primary CC (UL PCC) can also be the default UL CC for multiplexing UCI in the PUSCH, when a PUSCH transmission exists in the UL PCC. Otherwise, the UE can revert to other means for choosing the PUSCH (such as using one of the previously described metrics or using a predetermined order based on the UL CC indexes as previously described). A benefit of using the PUSCH transmission (when it exists) in the UL PCC to convey UCI occurs if a UE is configured to transmit some UCI (such as CQI/PMI) in the PUCCH while some other UCI (such as HARQ-ACK) in the PUSCH. By using transmissions in the same UL CC (the UL PCC) to convey the UCI in the PUSCH and the PUCCH, the impact of inter-modulation products and of the possible requirement for power reduction on the UCI transmission is minimized.

(62) In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, TxD is applied to a UCI transmission in a PUSCH.

(63) FIG. 13 illustrates STBC to a HARQ-ACK transmission in a PUSCH according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(64) Referring to FIG. 13, in general, it is assumed that the number of HARQ-ACK REs is even and in particular, assuming QPSK-type modulation and the (32, O) block code, the number of HARQ-ACK REs is a multiple of 16 (=32/2). The first UE antenna transmits the structure 1310 and the second UE antenna transmits the structure 1320. The UE applies STBC for the transmission of the modulated HARQ-ACK symbols 1330 from the first antenna and applies STBC for the transmission of the modulated HARQ-ACK symbols 1340 from the second antenna. The UE may or may not apply STBC for the transmission of the information data 1350.

(65) The RS transmission in each of the two slots from the first antenna, RS11 1360A and RS12 1360B, is orthogonal to the RS transmission in each of the two slots from the second antenna, RS21 1370A and RS22 1370B. For example, RS11 1360A and RS21 1370A may use different CS. RS12 1360B and RS22 1370B may also use different CS.

(66) The UE may determine the CS for RS11 1360A from the CSI IE in the DCI format or through RRC signaling from the Node B. The CS for RS21 1370A can be implicitly determined from the CS for RS11 1360A (for example, the CS for RS21 1370A may be the one with the largest distance from the CS for RS11).

(67) The UE apparatus for the transmission from the first antenna is as illustrated in FIG. 2. The apparatus for the transmission from the second antenna is also as described in FIG. 2 with an exception that the modulated HARQ-ACK symbols are as in FIG. 13.

(68) The Node B receiver apparatus is as illustrated in FIG. 3 (for the HARQ-ACK bits) with an exception of an STBC reception processing applies as previously described. Therefore, for a reference Node B receiver antenna, if h.sub.j is the channel estimate for the signal transmitted from the j.sup.th UE antenna, j=1,2, and y.sub.k is the signal received in the k.sup.th DFT-S-OFDM symbol, k=1,2, the decision for a pair of HARQ-ACK symbols [{circumflex over (d)}.sub.k,{circumflex over (d)}.sub.k+1] (prior to decoding) is according to [{circumflex over (d)}.sub.k,{circumflex over (d)}.sub.k+1*].sup.T=H.sup.H[y.sub.k,y.sub.k+1*].sup.T where [ ].sup.T denotes the transpose of a vector and

(69) $H^H=\left[\begin{array}{cc}{h}_1^{*}& -h_2\\ h_2^{*}& h_1\end{array}\right]/\left({.Math.h_1.Math.}^2+{.Math.h_2.Math.}^2\right).$

(70) STBC TxD may or may not apply to other UCI types or to the data information. For example, STBC TxD may apply for the RI as for the HARQ-ACK because RI is always transmitted in an even number of DFT-S-OFDM symbols. However, STBC TxD may not apply for the CQI or for the data information, which, because of a potential SRS transmission, cannot be generally ensured to exist in an even number of DFT-S-OFDM symbols.

(71) The number of resources (coded symbols) used for the transmission of a UCI type in the PUSCH may also depend on the use of TxD. For example, because TxD typically improves the reception reliability of the respective information, fewer resources are required to meet the required reliability for the UCI type. For the determination of the UCI resources in the PUSCH when a particular TxD method, such as STBC, is applied to the UCI transmission, a different set of β.sub.offset.sup.PUSCH values for the corresponding UCI type can be applied. This set of β.sub.offset.sup.PUSCH values can be either explicitly defined, as for the case of no TxD, or can be implicitly derived from the set of β.sub.offset.sup.PUSCH values without TxD. For example, for implicit derivation, the set of β.sub.offset.sup.PUSCH values with TxD may be determined by scaling the set of β.sub.offset.sup.PUSCH values without TxD by 2/3. Alternatively, the Node B may simple configure a different β.sub.offset.sup.PUSCH value when it configures TxD for the transmission of a UCI type.

(72) While the present invention has been shown and described with reference to certain embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.