HK1181209A - A wireless transmit/receive unit, a method, an integrated circuit and a system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provided a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), a method, an integrated circuit and a system. The WTRU comprises means for receiving information for each of a plurality of transport blocks including a modulation and coding scheme and antenna beam information; and means for multiplexing data of logical channels into transport blocks in response to the received information, wherein the data is multiplexed into the plurality of transport blocks based on priorities of the logical channels; and means for transmitting the transport blocks in a common transmission time interval.

Description

Wireless transmitting/receiving unit, method, integrated circuit and system

The present application is a divisional application of the chinese invention patent application with application number 200780004420.5 entitled "apparatus and method for quality of service based resource determination and allocation in high speed packet access evolved and long term evolved systems" filed on 31/1/2007.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a Medium Access Control (MAC) designed for high speed packet access evolution (HSPA +) and Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for allocating physical resources and transport format attributes to multiple parallel data streams based on quality of service (QoS) requirements of data to be transmitted in a common Transmission Time Interval (TTI).

Background

Wireless communication systems are well known in the art. Communication standards have been developed to provide global connectivity for wireless systems and to achieve performance goals such as throughput, delay, and coverage. One standard in widespread use today is known as universal mobile telecommunications system (UTMS), which is developed as part of third generation (3G) wireless systems and maintained by the third generation partnership project (3 GPP).

A typical UMTS system architecture according to the current 3GPP specifications is shown in figure 1. The UMTS network architecture includes a Core Network (CN) interconnected with a UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) over an Iu interface. The UTRAN is configured to provide wireless communication services to users over a Uu radio interface by Wireless Transmit Receive Units (WTRUs), referred to as User Equipment (UE) in the 3GPP standards. A commonly employed air interface defined in the UMTS standard is wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA). The UTRAN has one or more Radio Network Controllers (RNCs) and base stations, referred to as node-bs in 3GPP, which collectively provide geographic coverage for wireless communication with UEs. One or more node-bs are connected to respective RNCs over an Iub interface; the RNCs within the UTRAN communicate over the Iur interface.

The Uu radio interface of the 3GPP system uses transport channels (TrCH) for transporting user data and signaling between the UE and the node-B. In 3GPP communications, TrCH data is communicated over one or more physical channels defined by mutually exclusive physical resources or shared physical resources in the case of shared channels. TrCH data is transmitted in sequential packets of Transport Blocks (TBS) defined as a set of Transport Blocks (TBS). Each TBS is transmitted within a given Transmission Time Interval (TTI), which may be spread out over a number of consecutive system time frames. For example, according to the 3GPP UMTS release' 99 (R99) specification, a typical system time frame is 10 microseconds, and TTIs are defined to spread out over 1,2, 4, or 8 such time frames. According to high speed download link packet access (HSDPA) as an improvement to the UMTS standard in the release 5 specification section, and High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) as part of the release 6 specification, the TTI is typically 2ms and is therefore only a fraction of a system time frame.

Processing of trchs into coded composite trchs (cctrchs) and then into one or more physical channel data streams is set forth in 3GPP TS 25.222 for Time Division Duplex (TDD) communications. Starting from the TBS data, cyclic redundancy check (CDC) bits are added and transport block concatenation and coding block segmentation are performed. Convolutional encoding or turbo encoding is then performed, but encoding is not specified in some examples. The steps after encoding include: radio frame equalization, first interleaving, radio frame segmentation and rate matching. Radio frame segmentation divides the data by the number of frames in a TTI. The rate matching function operates by bit repetition or puncturing (puncturing) and defines the number of bits for each processed TrCH, after which the processed trchs are multiplexed to form a CCTrCH data stream.

In conventional 3GPP systems, communication between a UE and a node-B is conducted using a single CCTrCH data stream, although the node-B may simultaneously communicate with other UEs using other CCTrCH data streams, respectively.

Processing of the CCTrCH data stream includes bit scrambling, physical channel segmentation, second interleaving, and mapping to one or more physical channels. The number of physical channels corresponds to the physical channel partition. For uplink transmission, UE-to-node-B, the maximum number of physical channels currently transmitting CCTrCH is specified as two. For downlink transmission, node-B to UE, the maximum number of physical channels currently transmitting CCTrCH is specified as sixteen. Each physical channel data stream is then spread by channelization coding and modulated on a designated frequency for over-the-air transmission.

In the reception/decoding of TrCH data, the processing is reversed by the receiving station. Thus, physical reception of the TrCH by the UE and node-B requires TrCH processing parameters to reconstruct the TBS data. For each TrCH, a Transport Format Set (TFS) is specified to contain a predetermined number of Transport Formats (TFS). Each TF specifies various dynamic parameters including TB and TBs size, and various semi-static parameters including TTI, coding type, coding rate, rate matching parameters, and CRC length. The predetermined set of TFS for the TrCH for the CCTrCH of a particular frame is denoted as a Transport Format Combination (TFC). For each UE, a single TFC is selected for each TTI, so that one TFC is processed for each TTI for each UE.

The receiver station processing is performed by a Transport Format Combination Indicator (TFCI) for CCTrCH transmission. For each TrCH of a particular CCTrCH, the transmitting station determines a particular TF of the TFS of the TrCH that is valid for the TTI, and identifies the TF by a Transport Format Indicator (TFI). The TFIs of all trchs of the CCTrCH are combined into a TFCI. For example, if two trchs, TrCH1 and TrCH2, are multiplexed to form CCTrCH1, and TrCH1 has two possible TFS in its TFS, TF10 and TF11, and TrCH2 has four possible TFS in its TFS, TF20, TF21, TF22 and TF23, the TFCI valid for CCTrCH1 may include (0, 0), (0, 1), (1, 2) and (1, 3), but not necessarily all possible combinations. Reception of (0, 0) as TFCI of CCTrCH1 informs the receiving station that for the TTI of received CCTrCH1, TrCH1 is formatted over TF10 and TrCH2 is formatted over TF 20; reception of (1, 2) as TFCI of CCTrCH1 informs the receiving station that for the TTI of received CCTrCH1, TrCH1 is formatted over TF11 and TrCH2 is formatted over TF 22.

In release 5 and 6 of the UMTS specifications for HSDPA and HSUPA, respectively, fast retransmissions are done according to hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ). Currently there is a designation to use only one hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process per TTI.

High speed packet access evolution (HSPA +) and Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) as well as UTRAN Long Term Evolution (LTE) are part of current 3GPP efforts towards achieving high data rate, low latency, packet optimized system capacity and coverage in UMTS systems. For both HSPA + and LTE, they are designed to make major changes to existing 3GPP radio interfaces and radio network architectures. For example, in LTE, air interface techniques are proposed to replace Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) channel access currently used in UMTS by Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) and Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) as downlink and uplink transmissions, respectively. HSPA + proposed air interface technology is based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), but has a more efficient Physical (PHY) layer architecture, which may include independent channelization codes for channel quality discrimination. Both LTE and HSPA + are designed for Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) communication physical layer support. In these new systems, multiple data streams may be used for communication between the UE and the node-B.

The present inventors have recognized that existing 3GPP Medium Access Control (MAC) layer processing is not designed to handle the features of the new PHY layer architecture and proposed system. TFC selection in the current UMTS standard does not take into account some new Transport Format (TF) properties introduced by LTE and HSPA + including, but not limited to, time and frequency distribution, as well as the number of subcarriers in LTE, channelization codes in HSPA +, and different antenna beams in the MIMO case.

According to MAC processing defined in the current UMTS standard, data multiplexed into transport blocks is mapped to a single data stream at a time, so that only one Transport Format Combination (TFC) selection process is required to determine the required properties for transmission on a physical channel starting from a common Transmission Time Interval (TTI) boundary. Thus, only one hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process is allocated for any given UE-node-B communication to control data retransmission for error correction. According to the PHY layer modifications proposed by HSPA + and UMTS as described above, for a given UE-node-B communication, multiple sets of physical resources may be employed simultaneously for data transmission, resulting in multiple data streams being transmitted for communication.

The present inventors have recognized that multiple data streams may each have common or different quality of service (QoS) requirements starting from a common TTI boundary, requiring specialized transmission properties such as modulation and coding, and different hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes. As an example, in the case of Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) communication, independent data streams may be transmitted simultaneously due to spatial diversity; however, each spatially distinct data stream requires its own transmission properties and HARQ processes to meet the required QoS requirements due to different channel characteristics. There are currently no MAC methods and processes configured to simultaneously assign attributes to multiple data flows and efficiently provide equal or unequal QoS to parallel data flows.

The present inventors propose a method of selecting multiple transport formats in parallel according to channel quality measurements and QoS requirements using new PHY layer properties and characteristics of HSPA + and LTE systems.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for Transport Format Combination (TFC) selection in the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer to handle the changes proposed by high speed packet access evolution (HSPA +) and Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, including physical layer structure and attributes, dynamic resource allocation, transmission scheme change to MIMO, and multiple QoS requirements. A method of operating multiple TFS options is provided that simultaneously processes to provide assignment of transmission attributes to parallel data streams to meet quality of service (QoS) requirements of the data according to physical channel characteristics. The present invention supports the transmission of multiple data streams on a common Transmission Time Interval (TTI) boundary with a normalized or differentiated QoS through a parallel TFS selection function. A great deal of changes have been introduced to the previous 3GPP TFC selection function, defined in the High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) protocols, where new features in HSPA + and LTE systems as described above are described. The present invention provides dynamic hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process allocation when applying different HARQ to data streams.

For a preferred embodiment, a Wireless Transmit Receive Unit (WTRU) including a receiver and a transmitter and method thereof are provided to process communication data in a hierarchy of processing layers including a Physical (PHY) layer, a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and higher layers. The MAC layer transport format selection device defines the allocation of higher layer transport data to parallel data streams based on the characteristics of the data received from the higher layers and physical resource information received from the PHY layer. The transport format selection device also generates transport format parameters for the respective data streams. The multiplexer component multiplexes the transport data into parallel data streams in transport blocks according to the data stream assignments and respective transport format parameters generated by the transport format selection device, and selectively outputs the multiplexed transport data to the PHY layer for transmission over respective physical resource partitions via one or more antennas transmitting the wireless signals. Preferably, the transport format selection device also generates physical transmission attributes such as Modulation and Coding Rate (MCR), number of subframes per Transmission Time Interval (TTI), TTI duration, transmission power, and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) parameters.

The present invention provides a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) comprising: means for receiving information for each transport block of a plurality of transport blocks, the information comprising a modulation and coding scheme and antenna beam information; and means for multiplexing data of the logical channels into transport blocks in response to the received information; wherein the data is multiplexed into the plurality of transport blocks based on a priority of the logical channel; and means for transmitting the transport blocks in a common transmission time interval.

The invention also provides a method comprising: receiving, by a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), information for each transport block of a plurality of transport blocks, the information including a modulation and coding scheme and antenna beam information; and multiplexing, by the WTRU, data of the logical channel into a transport block in response to the received information; wherein the data is multiplexed into the plurality of transport blocks based on a priority of the logical channel; and transmitting, by the WTRU, the transport block in a common transmission time interval.

The present invention also provides an integrated circuit comprising: means for receiving information for each transport block of a plurality of transport blocks, the information comprising a modulation and coding scheme and antenna beam information; and means for multiplexing data of the logical channel into transport blocks on a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer in response to the received information; wherein the data is multiplexed into the plurality of transport blocks based on a priority of the logical channel; and means for transmitting the transport blocks in a common transmission time interval.

The present invention also provides a system comprising: a plurality of wireless transmit/receive units (WTRUs), each WTRU comprising: means for receiving information for each transport block of a plurality of transport blocks, the information comprising a modulation and coding scheme and antenna beam information; and means for multiplexing data of the logical channels into transport blocks in response to the received information; wherein the data is multiplexed into the plurality of transport blocks based on a priority of the logical channel; and means for transmitting the transport blocks in a common transmission time interval; and at least one network node, the at least one network node comprising: means for transmitting the received information; and means for receiving the transmitted transport blocks in the common transmission time interval.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the preferred embodiments.

Drawings

The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a system architecture overview of a conventional UMTS network; and

fig. 2 shows the application of a parallel Transport Format Combination (TFC) selection function to individual TTIs in the Medium Access (MAC) layer to support the physical layer characteristics of the proposed LTE or HSPA + system according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a flow diagram of MAC processing for various TTIs for allocating data for available physical resources using multiple TFC selection functions based on channel quality metrics and quality of service requirements in accordance with the present invention.

Detailed Description

The present invention may be applied to wireless communication systems including, but not limited to, third generation partnership project (3 GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) and high speed packet access evolution (HSPA +) systems. The present invention may be used in Uplink (UL) and Downlink (DL) communications, and may be used in a Wireless Transmit Receive Unit (WTRU), also known as a User Equipment (UE), or a node-B, also known as a base station.

In general, a Wireless Transmit Receive Unit (WTRU) includes, but is not limited to, a user equipment, a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a pager, a cellular telephone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a computer, or any other type of device capable of operating in a wireless environment. A base station is a type of WTRU that is typically designed to provide network services to multiple WTRUs and includes, but is not limited to, a node-B, a site controller, an access point, or any other type of interfacing device in a wireless environment.

The revised MAC protocol is provided to take into account new attributes and resources introduced by high speed packet access evolution (HSPA +) and Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, including but not limited to channelization coding of HSPA +, number and allocation of subcarriers in the frequency and time domains of LTE, different antenna beams for Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) schemes of HSPA + and LTE, and antenna subsets in MIMO schemes of HSPA + and LTE. For HSPA + and LTE systems employing MIMO, the present invention provides different link adaptation parameters, e.g., different modulation and coding schemes for each of multiple parallel data streams. The multiple parallel data streams are preferably allocated to different physical resource packets of different spatial channels based on quality of service (Qos) requirements and channel quality of the data to be transmitted. In particular, methods are provided for normalizing QoS for parallel data flows when the same QoS is required, and for implementing different QoS requirements for parallel data flows, e.g., when the data flows are sent out from different radio bearers having different QoS requirements.

Figure 2 shows a preferred embodiment of selected components including a transmitter and/or receiver associated with multiple Transport Format Combination (TFC) selection for each TTI in a Medium Access (MAC) layer processing component 200 of a WTRU configured to operate in an LTE or HSPA + system according to the present invention. TFC selection is the processing of individual active data streams prior to individual Transmission Time Intervals (TTIs) and involves determining how to transmit data.

Medium Access (MAC) layer processing component 200 is configured to process data from one or more radio bearers 204 through a radio Link control protocol (RLC) layer of a given UE-node-B communication link provided by a higher layer₁To 204_MData is received. Higher layers, including but not limited to the RLC layer, the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer and layer 3, are represented as higher layer components 203 that exist above the MAC layer component 200. Wireless bearer 204₁To 204_MPreferably buffered in a buffer 219 in a layer above the MAC layer, e.g., the RLC layer, until a TFC selection occurs for the current TTI, at which point the data is multiplexed by a multiplexer component 220 into specified transport blocks, as described below.

The MAC layer processing component 200 is further configured to receive quality of service (Qos) requirements and other data characteristics 202 for individual radio bearers₁To 202_M. The QoS requirements provided by higher layers (i.e., layer 3 or higher layers) may include, but are not limited to, high number of hybrid automatic repeat request (H-ARQ) retransmissions, block error rate, priority, allowed data combinations, and/or power offsets. Other data characteristics may include items such as buffer characteristics for the respective data channels of the radio bearer.

By means of representationFor the Physical (PHY) layer of the physical layer component 201, the MAC layer processing component 200 receives channel characteristics 206 for each available physical resource packet₁To 206_NSuch as channel quality measurements and dynamic scheduling parameters that are easily changed for each TTI. A Transport Format Combination (TFC) selection device 208 is provided as part of the MAC layer processing component 200. The TFC selection device 208 is configured to base on information 202 transmitted from higher layers₁To 202_MAnd 207 and information 206 transmitted from the PHY layer₁To 206_NAnd allocates radio bearer data 204₁To 204_MAnd available physical resource partitioning.

The channel characteristics of the available physical resources transmitted from the PHY layer to the MAC layer for each TTI for TFC selection purposes may for example be in the form of a Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) of the channel quality. The subchannels may be provided as subcarriers in LTE, and as channelization codes in HSPA +. The present invention considers new dynamic Transport Format (TF) parameters introduced by LTE and HSPA + that are susceptible to individual TTI changes, including but not limited to allowed Transport Block (TB) or TB set size, number of subframes, modulation rate, coding rate, time and frequency distribution of subcarriers (for LTE), number of subchannels (i.e. subcarrier or channelization codes), maximum allowed transmission power, antenna beams in MIMO, antenna subsets in MIMO, TTI duration and H-ARQ parameters. These dynamic TF parameters are preferably based on the information provided by PHY layer data 206 prior to each TTI₁To 206_NThe corresponding restriction provided is determined in the TFC selection device 208.

Certain TF parameters are considered semi-static because they require multiple TTIs to change and are therefore not dynamically updated for each TTI but are updated after multiple TTIs. Examples of semi-static TF parameters include channel coding type, size of Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC). Preferably, the semi-static parameters are determined from signalling information 207 sent from a higher layer, e.g. the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, to the Transport Format Combination (TFC) selection device 208.

The TFC selection device 208 is configured to allocate radiosBearer data 204₁To 204_MAnd the available physical resources are divided to the corresponding parallel TFC selection function 210₁To 210_NThese functions assign radio bearer data 204₁To 204_MTo respective data streams 209₁To 209_NAnd processes each HARQ 230₁To 230_NIdentifying to the PHY layer, the PHY layer then processes 240 each HARQ process₁To 240_NTo the respective data streams. Data stream 209₁To 209_NData from one or more logical channels may be included, and the respective data may be from a single radio bearer or multiple radio bearers. The data of a single radio bearer may be divided and assigned to different data streams determined by TFC selection device 208. For example, when only one radio bearer transmits data, the data of that radio bearer is preferably divided into data streams to efficiently use all available physical resource partitions, especially for UL transmissions.

Typically, the available physical resource partitioning is at the slave PHY layer 206₁To 206_NDefined in the received information. For Uplink (UL) transmission, the TFC selection device may receive explicit partitioning instructions from RRC layer signaling 207 indicating physical resource partitioning and transmission parameters of physical resources in the respective partitions. Similarly, signaling from the RRC layer 207 may indicate a partition for a particular data flow or radio bearer. To the extent allowed, PHY layer information 206₁To 206_NAn option to group the physically partitioned physical resources may be included. In this case, TFC selection device 208 also selects from PHY layer 206₁To 206_NAnd/or the allowed partitioning criteria sent by layer RRc 207.

The TFC selection device 208 defines the data stream 209₁To 209_NRadio bearer 204 is preferably used₁To 204_MThe data QoS requirements of the channel data of (a) are matched to the physical channel quality of the available physical resource partition. TFC selection device 208 provides data stream 209 via allocation data 214₁To 209_NTo multiplexer assembly 2Radio bearer 204 of 20₁To 204_MAssign, and thus radio bearer 204₁To 204_MIs appropriately directed to each of the assigned data streams 209₁To 209_N. Data stream 209₁To 209_NSomewhat similar to the prior art single CCTrCH or single TrCH data streams, but represents a selected division of data for the radio bearers communicated between the UE and the node-B followed by independent processing/transmission tracks.

TFC selection function 210₁To 210_NGenerating Transport Formats (TFs) or TF sets based on channel quality parameters of corresponding physical resource partitions to provide parallel data streams 209₁To 209_NThe required QoS of. The TF selections for each selected physical resource partition are provided to signal 230₁To 230_NPHY layer of the representation. Preferably, the TFC selection function 210₁To 210_NAvailable parameters are also selected for the physical resources of the physical resource partition, such as number of sub-frames, modulation rate, coding rate, time and frequency distribution of sub-carriers (for LTE), number of sub-channels (i.e. sub-carriers or channelization codes), maximum allowed transmission power, antenna beams in MIMO, antenna subsets in MIMO, TTI duration and H-ARQ parameters. These options are in most cases limited by the PHY layer. However, the total amount of available HARQ resources may be sent to the MAC component 200 to allow the TFC selection function 210₁To 210_NBy signals 230 to the PHY layer₁To 230_NAnd specifies the data stream 209₁To 209_NThe HARQ process of (1). The HARQ split specification is affected by other relevant parameters, in particular the values of the Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) and TB size. TFC selection function 210₁To 210_NAfter determining the respective data stream 209₁To 209_NThe HARQ partition specification of (1) takes into account the values of physical layer parameters of the respective physical resource partitions, preferably MCS and TB size. In a more limited case, where the PHY layer indicates HARQ resource partitioning, MAC component 200 does not choose to allocate to data stream 209₁To 209_NThe HARQ process of (1).

Including as respective data streams 209₁To 209_NTF select pass 215 with TB size selected₁To 215_NProvided to a data multiplexer component 220. The data multiplexer component 220 uses this information to connect and segment the respective higher layer data streams 209₁To 209_NIs a Transport Block (TB) or TB set 250₁To 250_NThe allocation to each of the specified physical resource partitions determined by the TFC selection device 208. TB250₁To 250_NThe PHY layer is preferably provided to transmit on the physical channel starting from a common Transmission Time Interval (TTI) boundary. Preferably, the PHY layer includes one or more antennas for transmitting the TBs through wireless signals.

Preferably, signal 230₁To 230_NAnd TB250₁To 250_NCoordinated in the MAC layer processing component 200 and may be combined and sent together to the PHY layer processor before each TTI boundary.

In one embodiment, the TFC selection function 210₁To 210_NGenerating Transport Formats (TFs) for presentation to two or more data streams 209₁To 209_NIs normalized. This embodiment is needed when data with common QoS requirements transmitted in a common TTI is initiated from a radio bearer or a set of radio bearers.

In another embodiment, the TFC selection function 210₁To 210_NGenerating Transport Formats (TF) to distinguish between data streams 209 provided to two or more data streams₁To 209_NThe desired QoS. This alternative embodiment is needed when the set of two or more radio bearers providing data to the respective data streams have different QoS requirements or when a single radio bearer, e.g. an audio stream, contains data of different QoS with priority. Further description of the invention is provided below.

As shown in fig. 3, an example of a basic processing step 300 for undertaking beyond every TTI boundary with respect to the MAC layer according to the present invention includes: buffer divisionAnalysis 305, physical resource partitioning and data flow allocation 310, transmission attribute determination 315, and data multiplexing 320. As previously mentioned, the present invention facilitates when different HARQ processes are applied to data stream 209₁To 209_NIs used to provide HARQ process allocation through the MAC element.

In step 305, data, corresponding quality of service (QoS) requirements and possibly other characteristics, including physical resource partitioning requirements for the data, are accepted from higher layers, such as a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer and a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer. Parameters such as Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) and dynamic scheduling information are received from the physical layer, preferably prior to the Transmission Time Interval (TTI) of the data transmission. The high level data information is analyzed in comparison to the PHY layer partitioning information to determine QoS requirements of the available higher layer data and the available physical resource partitioning associated with the corresponding CQI level and dynamic scheduling information. At step 310, there is an allocation of the available physical resource partition and parallel data stream from the higher layer channel data, e.g., matching the QoS requirements to the CQI and dynamic scheduling information. At step 315, a Transport Format (TF) or set of TFs associated with each data stream and the allocated physical resource partitions are generated to provide a desired QoS for the parallel data streams based on the channel quality parameters and dynamic scheduling information of the corresponding physical resource partitions. In conjunction with these steps, parameters for the physical resources as specified by the PHY layer are determined. For example, preferably, the allocation of HARQ resources is determined. At step 320, higher layer data is allocated from the data streams multiplexed (contiguous and segmented) into Transport Blocks (TBs) or TB sets according to the associated TF for each data stream active at the current TTI boundary and provided to the PHY layer for transmission on the physical channel, preferably starting from the boundary of the common transmission time interval. Further description of the various steps is generally given below.

Buffer analysis

Radio bearer data 204₁To 204_MQoS requirement 202₁To 202_ME.g. data rate,Block error rate, transmission power offset, priority and/or delay requirements, etc., are estimated by the TFC selection apparatus 208. Typically, the QoS requirements are provided by higher layers so that the TFC selection function can determine the allowed data combinations for the data multiplexing step of the current TTI. When multiple logical channels or higher layer data streams are present in the data 204₁To 204_MThe QoS requirements may further include occupancy information in buffers of the respective logical channels, indications of priority or highest priority data flows of the respective logical channels or data flows, packet sizes of the respective data flows, and allowed data flow combinations. According to QoS requirements 202₁To 202_MThe TFC selection device 208 preferably selects data channels 204 having available transmission data₁To 204_MThe allowed data multiplex combinations are determined and sorted according to the transmission priority. The available amount of data for each allowed multiplex combination, the corresponding number of HARQ retransmissions, the power offset and/or other QoS related parameters associated with each data multiplex combination are also preferably determined.

Physical resource partitioning and data stream allocation

Available physical resources, measured by physical layer with channel quality and dynamic scheduling information 206₁To 206_MPartitioning into subchannel partitions is provided, preferably based on the QoS and partitioning requirements of higher layer data and channel parameters provided by the Physical (PHY) layer, including but not limited to Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) reports, dynamic scheduling information, and available HARQ resources. The available subchannel divisions are determined so that they can be assigned to data streams to transmit separately multiplexed combinations of data belonging to these data streams.

According to a preferred embodiment, CQI reports (time and frequency domain sub-carrier or code domain channelization codes) are generated for each available sub-channel based on pilot channel measurements of the physical layer. In Downlink (DL) communications, not all available subchannels are necessarily used for data transmission for each TTI. Threshold representing acceptable transmission performance limit requiredThe values are defined such that only subchannels with corresponding CQI values above the threshold are used for transmission. Thus, by the TFC selection function 210₁To 210_NOnly the sub-channels that meet the requirements are selected for inclusion in the designated partition. This is preferably achieved by CQI based scheduling in the node-B.

For UL communications, the node-B scheduler may provide information to the User Equipment (UE) regarding the allocated Physical (PHY) resources including, but not limited to, available subchannels, antenna beams, maximum allowed Uplink (UL) power, and Modulation and Coding Setting (MCS) limits and/or Channel Quality Indicators (CQIs) for the respective allocated subchannels. Preferably, each physical channel available for UL transmission provides this information. The PHY resource allocation may change or remain unchanged for subsequent scheduling grants. This may be determined by identifying relative differences in subsequent scheduling grants. The UE may not be provided with sufficient physical resources to selectively select a subset of the available subchannels based on a threshold. In this case, the TFC selection device 208 can preferably utilize all available sub-channels regardless of CQI. UL channels that provide a CQI greater than a threshold may be identified in the scheduling grant. However, if the grant is valid in multiple TTIs, the CQI of the individually granted sub-channels may change over time. TFC selection function 210₁To 210_NThe Modulation and Coding Setting (MCS), TB size, transmission power and/or HARQ retransmission(s) assigned to each subchannel or set of subchannels of a particular physical resource partition are preferably adjusted according to a transmission property determination step as described below. TFC selection function 210₁To 210_NThe data streams between subchannels or sets of subchannels allocated to a particular physical resource partition are preferably partitioned, the subchannels providing a better adaptation of the data stream 209 mapped to the physical resource partition₁To 209_NThe CQI level of the QoS requirement of.

From higher layer data 204₁To 204_MThe resulting parallel data streams are assigned to the TFC selection function 210 in conjunction with the respective available physical resource partitions₁To 210_N. Preferably, the data streamThe allocation is according to higher layer data 204₁To 204_MA common QoS attribute, such as priority, for each channel in the set. TFC selection function 210₁To 210_NThe data streams are preferably allocated to the available physical resource partitions by best matching the CQI level and dynamic scheduling information to the QoS requirements and associated physical resource partitions of the respective data stream sets.

The parallel data streams may be obtained from one or more radio bearers having common or different QoS requirements; thus, two or more data streams 209₁To 209_NMay have compatible QoS requirements. As an example, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) and Internet browsing data requiring incompatible QoS may be assigned to different data flows 209₁To 209_NOr the data streams are aggregated and mapped to separate physical resource partitions to best match different priority and latency requirements.

Transmission attribute determination

TFC selection function 210₁To 210_NPreferably working in parallel to determine the TF and physical transport properties applied to the various physical resource partitions to best satisfy the corresponding data stream 209₁To 209_NThe QoS requirements of (2). This determination is preferably based on the CQI and dynamic scheduling information for each subchannel partition and the corresponding data stream 209₁To 209_NOf the QoS requirements of (2). The physical attributes include modulation and coding rate, number of subframes per TTI, transmission power, and HARQ retransmissions, may be adjusted to meet QoS requirements of the respective data streams, and may be adjusted according to CQI of a particular subchannel. The HARQ processes are preferably dynamically allocated to the physical resource partitioning, as explained in more detail below.

More than one physical resource partition may be associated with data flows having a common QoS requirement. In this case, if the CQI is different for each physical resource division, transport format parameters including Modulation and Coding Setting (MCS), TB size, TTI length, transmission power, and HARQ parameter are adjusted to normalize QoS for sub-channel division. In other words, different parameters may be assigned to each physical resource partition to normalize QoS on the corresponding data streams, which may be data stream 209₁To 209_NAny subset of (a). Some TF properties may be adjusted with respect to each other if they affect the same QoS properties, e.g. in case both MCS and transmission power affect the desired block error rate.

Once the coding, modulation and TTI length are associated with the physical resource partitioning, the transport block, TB, (equivalently, or TB set) is allocated. In particular, the number of data bits that can be multiplexed into each TB of each subchannel division is preferably determined based on other TF parameters. There may be several TBs with uniquely defined sizes associated with different physical resource partitions and HARQ processes. In case dynamic HARQ resource partitioning is allowed, the sum of the sub-channel set transmission capacities cannot exceed the total available HARQ resources. When dynamic HARQ resource partitioning is not allowed, the selected TF cannot exceed the available resources for the respective associated HARQ process.

TB 250₁To 250_NAssociated TF attributes 230₁To 230_NTogether are provided to the physical layer for transmission over the physical channel.

HARQ allocation

According to a preferred embodiment, HARQ resources are dynamically allocated to the physical resource partition and its associated TB (or equivalent TB set), so that multiple HARQ processes can be allocated before each TTI. This is preferably done with statistically configured HARQ processing resources as proposed in the prior art, since the physical resource partitioning is restricted to match HARQ resources associated with the physical resource partitioning when applying static HARQ processing resources.

The dynamic allocation of HARQ resources allows for greater flexibility during physical resource partitioning, as the total HARQ resources can dynamically partition data multiplexed into the various physical resource partitions as needed. Therefore, the division of the physical resources is not limited by the static resources of the associated HARQ process. Also, when data for one higher layer radio bearer is distributed over several physical resource partitions providing different channel qualities, there is greater flexibility in selecting the individual TB sizes and MCSs associated with the physical resource partitions.

Each TB associated with one or more subchannel sets is allocated to an available HARQ process. If dynamic HARQ resource partitioning is allowed, the TB size and MCS allocated to the TB are preferably used to determine the soft memory requirements and then used to identify the required HARQ resources to the transmitter and receiver. For example, knowledge of the Transport Format Combination Indicator (TFCI) or Transport Format and Resource Indicator (TFRI) and the MCS selected at the receiver is typically sufficient for the receiver to dynamically reserve HARQ memory resources on a TTI basis. In synchronous operation, retransmissions are known. In asynchronous operation, HARQ process identification is used to indicate retransmission. Preferably, when a retransmission occurs, the HARQ resources do not dynamically adjust the retransmission because the resource requirements do not change from the initial transmission.

HARQ process 240₁To 240_NAre assigned to each TB and its associated physical resource partition. Information 230, including but not limited to MCS, subframe, TTI, subcarrier or channelization code, antenna (for MIMO), antenna power, and maximum number of transmissions₁To 230_NIs provided to the HARQ process for transmission. HARQ process 240₁To 240_NIndicating its availability upon receipt of a successful transmission acknowledgement or upon exceeding its maximum number of retransmissions.

Data multiplexing

The data multiplexer 220 selects a TFC from the TFC selection function 210 according to the data stream assignment information 214₁To 210_NProvisioned TF attributes 215₁To 215_NWhile higher layer data 204 is multiplexed. The data blocks of the respective data streams are multiplexed into the previously determined associated TB size. Data stream 209₁To 209_NKnowledge of the physical resource partitioning pointed to is not needed in the multiplex; only TB size and logical channel 204 are required₁To 204_MTo data stream 209₁To 209_NTo (3) is performed. Preferably, the logical channels 204₁To 204_MIs multiplexed to be assigned to a data stream 209₁To 209_NAccording to logical channel 204₁To 204_MIn order of priority.

The TB is padded if there is only available data less than the TB size or if the multiplex block size is not exactly suitable. However, the TFC selection procedure 210₁To 210_NPreferably eliminating the need for padding in most cases. If the available transport data exceeds the TB size and more than one TB is determined for the set of related data streams, blocks from the related data streams are allocated among the TBs. Within each TB, MAC header information specifies how the data streams are multiplexed within the TB. This information uniquely identifies how data from different streams is multiplexed into a common TB and how the data from the streams is distributed among the TBs.

Examples

Embodiment 1. a method of processing communication data for a Wireless Transmit Receive Unit (WTRU) configured with a hierarchy of processing layers including a Physical (PHY) layer, a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and higher layers.

Embodiment 2. the method of embodiment 1, further comprising: receiving, by the MAC layer, transmission data from the higher layer and corresponding transmission data characteristics.

Embodiment 3. the method of embodiment 2, further comprising: receiving, by a MAC layer, physical resource information from the PHY layer.

Embodiment 4. the method of embodiment 3, further comprising: defining an allocation of the transmission data to parallel data streams based on the data characteristics received from the higher layer and the physical resource information received from the PHY layer.

Embodiment 5. the method of embodiment 4, further comprising: transport format parameters are generated for each data stream based on the data characteristics received from the higher layers and the physical resource information received from the PHY layer.

Embodiment 6. the method of embodiment 5, further comprising: multiplexing the transport data onto parallel data streams in transport blocks according to the data stream assignments and respective transport format parameters to selectively provide transport data to the PHY layer for transmission on respective physical resource partitions by transport blocks in the parallel data streams.

Embodiment 7 the method of embodiment 6, wherein the transmission data is transmitted in a Transmission Time Interval (TTI) within a predetermined time frame format.

Embodiment 8. the method of embodiment 7, wherein the method is performed for transmitting data before each Transmission Time Interval (TTI).

Embodiment 9. the method of embodiment 8, wherein the multiplexing of the transmission data to the parallel data streams is to transmit the multiplexed data of the respective data streams starting from a boundary of a common Transmission Time Interval (TTI).

Embodiment 10. the method of any of embodiments 5-9, wherein the transmission data characteristics include QoS requirements, wherein defining the allocation to parallel data streams and generating transport format parameters for the respective data streams are based on the QoS requirements.

Embodiment 11 the method of embodiment 10, wherein the generation of the transport format parameters normalizes a desired QoS achieved by two or more data streams containing transmission data having a common QoS requirement.

Embodiment 12 the method of embodiment 10, wherein the generation of transport format parameters differentiates desired QoS achieved by two or more data streams containing transmission data having different QoS requirements.

Embodiment 13. the method of any of embodiments 4-12, wherein the transmission data comprises a plurality of logical channels, wherein the assignment to the parallel data streams is defined so as to selectively assign data of each logical channel to one parallel data stream.

Embodiment 14. the method of any of embodiments 4-12, wherein the transmission data comprises a single logical channel, wherein the allocation to the parallel data streams is defined to selectively allocate data of the single logical channel between the parallel data streams.

Embodiment 15. the method of any of embodiments 4-14, wherein the transmission data characteristics include QoS requirements for each of a plurality of logical channels and the physical resource information includes a Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) from the physical layer, wherein defining the allocation to parallel data streams and generating transport format parameters for the respective data streams are based on the QoS requirements and CQI.

Embodiment 16. the method of any of embodiments 4-15, wherein defining the allocation to the parallel data streams is performed for transmission of data in multiple subchannel sets in the time and frequency domains of a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system.

Embodiment 17. the method of any of embodiments 4-15, wherein defining the allocation to the parallel data streams is performed for transmission of data transmitted in a plurality of subchannel sets in a code domain of a high speed packet access evolution (HSPA +) system.

Embodiment 18. the method of any of embodiments 4-17, wherein defining the allocation to the parallel data streams is performed for transmission of transmission data in multiple sets of subchannels for different multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission streams.

Embodiment 19. the method of any of embodiments 4-18, wherein defining the assignment to the parallel data streams is performed for transmission of data in a plurality of sets of subchannels having associated channel quality characteristics.

Embodiment 20 the method of embodiment 19, wherein receiving physical resource information from the PHY layer comprises channel quality characteristics provided by one or more Channel Quality Indicators (CQIs).

Embodiment 21. the method of any of embodiments 6-20, further comprising: physical transmission properties are generated for each data stream based on data characteristics received from the higher layers and/or physical resource information received from the PHY layer.

Embodiment 22. the method of embodiment 21, further comprising: transmitting the generated physical transmission properties to the PHY layer for controlling transmission of transmission data in the parallel data streams divided by the respective physical resources.

Embodiment 23. the method according to any of embodiments 21-22, wherein generating transport format parameters and generating physical transmission properties comprises generating modulation and coding rate, transport block size, Transmission Time Interval (TTI) length, transmission power, and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) parameters.

Embodiment 24. the method of any of embodiments 21-23, wherein generating physical transmission attributes comprises generating hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process assignments for respective data streams based on the generated transport format parameters associated with the respective data streams; and correlating the transport blocks in a common Transmission Time Interval (TTI).

Embodiment 25. the method of any of embodiments 21-24, wherein generating physical transmission attributes comprises generating at least one of: modulation and coding rate, number of subframes per Transmission Time Interval (TTI), TTI duration, transmission power, and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) parameters.

Embodiment 26 the method according to any of embodiments 21-25, wherein generating physical transmission properties comprises generating hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) parameters based on information of total HARQ resources received from the higher layer and/or the PHY layer.

Embodiment 27. the method of any of embodiments 21-26, wherein the transmission data characteristics comprise QoS requirements for each of a plurality of logical channels and the physical resource information comprises a Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) from the physical layer, wherein defining the allocation to parallel data streams is based on the QoS requirements and CQI.

Embodiment 28 the method of embodiment 27, wherein generating transport format parameters for each data stream is based on the QoS requirements and CQI.

Embodiment 29 the method of embodiment 27, wherein generating physical transmission properties is based on the QoS requirements and CQI.

Embodiment 30. the method of any of embodiments 21-29, further comprising partitioning available resources and transmitting the transmission data over a Physical (PHY) layer based on the generation of the physical transmission properties.

Embodiment 31. the method of embodiment 30, wherein the Physical (PHY) layer partitions available resources into a plurality of subchannel sets in time and frequency domains of a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system for transmitting the transmission data.

Embodiment 32. the method of embodiment 30, wherein the Physical (PHY) layer partitions available resources into a plurality of subchannel sets in a code domain of a high speed packet access evolution (HSPA +) system for transmitting the transmission data.

Embodiment 33. the method according to any of embodiments 30-32, wherein the Physical (PHY) layer partitions available resources into multiple sets of subchannels of different multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission streams for transmitting the transmission data.

Embodiment 34 a Wireless Transmit Receive Unit (WTRU) configured with a hierarchy of processing layers including a Physical (PHY) layer, a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and higher layers.

Embodiment 35 the WTRU of embodiment 34 further comprising a MAC layer component configured to receive transmission data from the higher layer and corresponding transmission data characteristics.

Embodiment 36 the WTRU of embodiment 35 wherein a MAC layer component is configured to receive physical resource information from the PHY layer.

Embodiment 37 the WTRU of embodiment 36 wherein the MAC layer component includes a transport format selection device configured to define an allocation of the transmission data to parallel data streams based on characteristics of data received from the higher layer and physical resource information received from the PHY layer.

Embodiment 38 the WTRU of embodiment 37 wherein the transport format selection device is configured to generate transport format parameters for each data stream based on the characteristics of the data received from the higher layer and the physical resource information received from the PHY layer.

Embodiment 39 the WTRU of embodiment 38 wherein the MAC layer component includes a multiplexer component configured to multiplex the transport data in transport blocks onto parallel data streams according to the data stream assignments and respective transport format parameters generated by the transport format selection device, and output the selectively multiplexed transport data to the PHY layer for transmission on respective physical resource partitions.

Embodiment 40 the WTRU as in any one of embodiments 34-39 configured as a User Equipment (UE).

Embodiment 41 the WTRU as in any of embodiments 34-39 configured as a base station.

Embodiment 42 the WTRU as in any one of embodiments 34-41, wherein the transmission data is transmitted in Transmission Time Intervals (TTIs) within a predetermined time frame format, wherein the MAC layer component is configured to process the transmission data prior to each Transmission Time Interval (TTI) for transmission of data within the TTI.

Embodiment 43 the WTRU of embodiment 42, wherein the transmission data is transmitted in Transmission Time Intervals (TTIs) within a predetermined time frame format, wherein the MAC layer component is configured to multiplex the transmission data onto parallel data streams such that the multiplexed data of the respective data streams is transmitted starting from a boundary of a common Transmission Time Interval (TTI).

Embodiment 44 the WTRU as in any one of embodiments 34-43, wherein the transmission data characteristics include QoS requirements, wherein the transport format selection device is configured to define an allocation of transmission data to parallel data streams and to generate transport format parameters for each data stream based on the QoS requirements.

Embodiment 45 the WTRU of embodiment 44, wherein the transport format selection device is configured to generate transport format parameters that normalize the desired QoS achieved by two or more data streams containing transmission data having a common QoS requirement.

Embodiment 46 the WTRU of embodiment 45 wherein the transport format selection device is configured to generate transport format parameters that differentiate a desired QoS achieved by two or more data streams containing transmission data having different QoS requirements.

Embodiment 47 the WTRU as in any one of embodiments 39-46 wherein the transmission data comprises a plurality of logical channels, wherein the transport format selection device is configured to define an allocation of transmission data to parallel data streams such that data of each logical channel is selectively allocated to one parallel data stream.

Embodiment 48 the WTRU as in any one of embodiments 39-46 wherein the transmission data comprises a single logical channel, wherein the transport format selection device is configured to define an allocation of transmission data to parallel data streams such that data of the single logical channel is selectively allocated between the parallel data streams.

Embodiment 49 the WTRU as in any one of embodiments 39-48, wherein the transmission data characteristics comprise QoS requirements for each of a plurality of logical channels and the physical resource information comprises a Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) from the physical layer, wherein the transport format selection device is configured to define an allocation of transmission data to parallel data streams and to generate transport format parameters for each data stream based on the QoS requirements and CQI.

Embodiment 50 the WTRU as in any one of embodiments 39-49, wherein the transport format selection device is configured to define an allocation of transmission data to parallel data streams for transmission in multiple subchannel sets in time and frequency domains of a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system.

Embodiment 51 the WTRU as in any one of embodiments 39-49, wherein the transport format selection device is configured to define an allocation of transmission data to parallel data streams for transmission in a plurality of subchannel sets in a code domain of a high speed packet access evolution (HSPA +) system.

Embodiment 52 the WTRU as in any one of embodiments 39-51 wherein the transport format selection device is configured to define an allocation of transmission data to parallel data streams for transmission in multiple sets of subchannels for different multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission streams.

Embodiment 53 the WTRU as in any one of embodiments 39-52 wherein the transport format selection device is configured to define an allocation of transmission data to parallel data streams for transmission in a plurality of subchannel sets having associated channel quality characteristics.

Embodiment 54 the WTRU of embodiment 52, wherein the physical resource information from the PHY layer includes channel quality characteristics provided by one or more Channel Quality Indicators (CQIs).

Embodiment 55 the WTRU as in any one of embodiments 39-54, wherein the transport format selection device is configured to generate physical transmission properties for each data stream based on the data characteristics received from the higher layer and/or physical resource information received from the PHY layer, and to output the generated physical transmission properties to the PHY layer for controlling transmission of transmission data in the parallel data streams divided by each physical resource.

Embodiment 56 the WTRU of embodiment 55 wherein the transport format selection device is configured to generate transport format parameters and physical transmission attributes, wherein the transport format parameters and physical transmission attributes include modulation and coding rate, transport block size, Transmission Time Interval (TTI) length, transmission power, and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) parameters.

Embodiment 57 the WTRU as in any one of embodiments 55-56, wherein the transport format selection device is configured to generate physical transmission attributes based on the generated transport format parameters associated with the respective data streams, wherein the physical transmission attributes include hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process assignments for the respective data streams.

Embodiment 58 the WTRU as in any one of embodiments 55-57, wherein the transport format selection device is configured to generate physical transport attributes, wherein the physical transport attributes comprise at least one of: modulation and coding rate, number of subframes per Transmission Time Interval (TTI), TTI duration, transmission power, and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) parameters.

Embodiment 58 the WTRU as in any one of embodiments 55-58 wherein the transport format selection device is configured to generate physical transmission attributes based on information of total HARQ resources received from the higher layer and/or the physical layer, wherein the physical transmission attributes include hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) parameters.

Embodiment 60 the WTRU as in any one of embodiments 55-58, wherein the transmission data characteristics include QoS requirements for each of a plurality of logical channels and the physical resource information includes a Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) from the physical layer.

Embodiment 61 the WTRU of embodiment 60 wherein the transport format selection device is configured to define an allocation of transmission data to parallel data streams.

Embodiment 62 the WTRU of embodiment 61 wherein the transport format selection device is configured to generate transport format parameters for each data stream based on the QoS requirements and CQI.

Embodiment 63 the WTRU of embodiment 62, wherein the transport format selection device is configured to generate physical transport attributes based on the QoS requirements and CQI.

Embodiment 64 the WTRU as in any one of embodiments 55-63, further comprising a Physical (PHY) layer component configured to partition available resources and transmit multiplexed transmission data based on physical transmission properties output by the transport format selection device.

Embodiment 65 the WTRU of embodiment 64 wherein the Physical (PHY) layer component is configured to partition available resources into a plurality of subchannel sets in time and frequency domains of a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system for transmission of the transmission data.

Embodiment 66 the WTRU of embodiment 64 wherein the Physical (PHY) layer component is configured to partition available resources into a plurality of subchannel sets in a code domain of a high speed packet access evolution (HSPA +) system for transmitting the transmission data.

Embodiment 67. the WTRU as in any of embodiments 64-66, wherein the Physical (PHY) layer component is configured to partition available resources into a plurality of sets of subchannels of different multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission streams for transmitting the transmission data.

The features of the present invention may be incorporated into an Integrated Circuit (IC) or may be provided in a circuit comprising a multitude of interconnecting components.

Although the features and elements of the present invention are described in the preferred embodiments in particular combinations, each feature or element can be used alone without the other features and elements of the preferred embodiments or in various combinations with or without other features and elements of the present invention. The methods or flow charts provided in the present invention may be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware tangibly embodied in a computer-readable storage medium for execution by a general purpose computer or a processor. Examples of the computer-readable storage medium include read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), registers, buffer memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical media, and optical media such as CD-ROM discs and Digital Versatile Discs (DVDs).

For example, suitable processors include: a general-purpose processor, a special-purpose processor, a conventional processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) circuit, any other type of integrated circuit, and/or a state machine.

A processor in association with software may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for use in a Wireless Transmit Receive Unit (WTRU), user equipment, terminal, base station, radio network controller, or any host computer. The WTRU may be used in conjunction with modules, implemented in hardware and/or software, such as a camera, a video camera module, a video phone, a speakerphone, a vibration device, a speaker, a microphone, a television transceiver, a hands free headset, a keyboard, and BluetoothA module, a Frequency Modulation (FM) radio unit, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) display unit, an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) display unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an internet browser, and/or any Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) module.

Claims (15)

1. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), comprising:

means for receiving information for each transport block of a plurality of transport blocks, the information comprising a modulation and coding scheme and antenna beam information; and

means for multiplexing data of a logical channel into transport blocks in response to the received information, wherein the data is multiplexed into the plurality of transport blocks based on a priority of the logical channel; and

means for transmitting the transport blocks in a common transmission time interval.

2. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein data of the logical channels is multiplexed into the transport blocks such that QoS between the transport blocks is normalized.

3. The WTRU of claim 1, further comprising means for transmitting information including channel quality indicator information for a plurality of transport blocks, wherein the received information is responsive to the transmitted information.

4. The WTRU of claim 1 wherein multiplexing data of logical channels into transport blocks is performed on a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer.

5. A method, the method comprising:

receiving, by a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), information for each transport block of a plurality of transport blocks, the information including a modulation and coding scheme and antenna beam information; and

multiplexing, by the WTRU, data of a logical channel into a transport block in response to the received information, wherein the data is multiplexed into the plurality of transport blocks based on a priority of the logical channel; and

transmitting, by the WTRU, the transport block in a common transmission time interval.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein data of the logical channels is multiplexed into the transport blocks such that QoS between the transport blocks is normalized.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising transmitting, by the WTRU, information including channel quality indicator information for a plurality of transport blocks, wherein the received information is responsive to the transmitted information.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein multiplexing data of the logical channels into transport blocks is performed on a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer.

9. An integrated circuit, the integrated circuit comprising:

means for receiving information for each transport block of a plurality of transport blocks, the information comprising a modulation and coding scheme and antenna beam information; and

means for multiplexing data of a logical channel into a transport block on a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer in response to the received information, wherein the data is multiplexed into the plurality of transport blocks based on a priority of the logical channel; and

means for transmitting the transport blocks in a common transmission time interval.

10. The integrated circuit of claim 9, wherein data of the logical channels is multiplexed into the transport blocks such that QoS between the transport blocks is normalized.

11. The integrated circuit of claim 9, further comprising means for sending information including channel quality indicator information for a plurality of transport blocks, wherein the received information is responsive to the communicated information.

12. A system, the system comprising:

a plurality of wireless transmit/receive units (WTRUs), each WTRU comprising:

means for receiving information for each transport block of a plurality of transport blocks, the information comprising a modulation and coding scheme and antenna beam information; and

means for multiplexing data of a logical channel into transport blocks in response to the received information, wherein the data is multiplexed into the plurality of transport blocks based on a priority of the logical channel; and

means for transmitting the transport blocks in a common transmission time interval; and at least one network node, the at least one network node comprising:

means for transmitting the received information; and

means for receiving the transmitted transport blocks in the common transmission time interval.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein data of the logical channels is multiplexed into the transport blocks such that QoS between the transport blocks is normalized.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein each WTRU further comprises means for transmitting information including channel quality indicator information for a plurality of transport blocks, and the at least one network node further comprises means for receiving the transmitted information including channel quality indicator information for the plurality of transport blocks.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the multiplexing of the data of the logical channels into the transport blocks is performed on a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer.