WO2017192793A1 - Dual beam transmission and ack/nack feedback mechanism for pucch - Google Patents

Abstract

Techniques for facilitating improvements to PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel) are discussed. In a first set of techniques, dual or multiple beam transmission can be employed for transmission of PUCCH. In a second set of techniques, independent HARQ (Hybrid ARQ (Automatic Repeat Request)) ACK (Acknowledgement)/NACK (Negative Acknowledgement) feedback for more than one TB (Transport Block) can be transmitted in a single symbol.

Description

DUAL BEAM TRANSMISSION AND ACK/NACK FEEDBACK MECHANISM FOR PUCCH

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Applications No.

62/332,985 filed May 6, 201 6, entitled "DUAL BEAM TRANSMISSION AND NOVEL ACK/NACK FEEDBACK MECHANISM FOR 5G PUCCH", the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to wireless technology, and more specifically to techniques employable in connection with a PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel) (e.g., 5G (Fifth Generation) PUCCH, etc.), such as dual (or multiple) beam transmission and ACK (Acknowledgement)/NACK (Negative Acknowledgement) feedback techniques.

BACKGROUND

[0003] Mobile communication has evolved significantly from early voice systems to today's highly sophisticated integrated communication platform. The next generation wireless communication system, 5G (Fifth Generation), will provide access to information and sharing of data anywhere, anytime by various users and applications. 5G is expected to be a unified network/system that target to meet vastly different and sometime conflicting performance dimensions and services. Such diverse multidimensional requirements are driven by different services and applications. In general, 5G will evolve based on 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) LTE (Long Term Evolution)-Advanced with additional potential new Radio Access Technologies (RATs) to enrich people's lives with better, simple and seamless wireless connectivity solutions. 5G will enable everything connected by wireless and deliver fast, rich contents and services.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example user equipment (UE) useable in connection with various aspects described herein. [0005] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating example components of a device that can be employed in accordance with various aspects discussed herein.

[0006] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating example interfaces of baseband circuitry that can be employed in accordance with various aspects discussed herein.

[0007] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example type of self-contained TDD subframe structure in the DL (Downlink) that can be employed in connection with various aspects discussed herein.

[0008] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a system employable at a UE (User Equipment) that facilitates techniques discussed herein for improving PUCCH, according to various aspects described herein.

[0009] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a system employable at a BS (Base Station) that facilitates techniques discussed herein for improved PUCCH from a UE, according to various aspects described herein.

[0010] FIG. 7 is a diagram of one example dual transmission scheme for PUCCH, according to various aspects discussed herein.

[0011] FIG. 8 is an example diagram of a subframe showing resources configured for PUCCH with dual beam transmission, according to various aspects discussed herein.

[0012] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example timing of DL HARQ that can be employed in various aspects discussed herein.

[0013] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing examples of localized and distributed transmission modes for HARQ ACK/NACK feedback on PUCCH, according to various aspects discussed herein.

[0014] FIG. 11 is a diagram of examples of PUCCH resources for a relatively large number of HARQ ACK/NACK feedbacks, according to various aspects discussed herein.

[0015] FIG. 12 is a flow diagram of an example method that facilitates dual or multiple beam PUCCH transmission at a UE, according to various aspects discussed herein.

[0016] FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of an example method employable at a BS that facilitates dual or multiple beam PUCCH transmission from one or more UEs, according to various aspects discussed herein.

[0017] FIG. 14 is a flow diagram of an example method that facilitates fast HARQ ACK/NACK feedback techniques at a UE, according to various aspects discussed herein. [0018] FIG. 15 is a flow diagram of an example method employable at a BS that facilitates fast HARQ ACK/NACK feedback from a UE, according to various aspects discussed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout, and wherein the illustrated structures and devices are not necessarily drawn to scale. As utilized herein, terms "component," "system," "interface," and the like are intended to refer to a computer-related entity, hardware, software (e.g., in execution), and/or firmware. For example, a component can be a processor (e.g., a microprocessor, a controller, or other processing device), a process running on a processor, a controller, an object, an executable, a program, a storage device, a computer, a tablet PC and/or a user equipment (e.g., mobile phone, etc.) with a processing device. By way of illustration, an application running on a server and the server can also be a component. One or more components can reside within a process, and a component can be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers. A set of elements or a set of other components can be described herein, in which the term "set" can be interpreted as "one or more."

[0020] Further, these components can execute from various computer readable storage media having various data structures stored thereon such as with a module, for example. The components can communicate via local and/or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal having one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacting with another component in a local system, distributed system, and/or across a network, such as, the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, or similar network with other systems via the signal).

[0021] As another example, a component can be an apparatus with specific functionality provided by mechanical parts operated by electric or electronic circuitry, in which the electric or electronic circuitry can be operated by a software application or a firmware application executed by one or more processors. The one or more processors can be internal or external to the apparatus and can execute at least a part of the software or firmware application. As yet another example, a component can be an apparatus that provides specific functionality through electronic components without mechanical parts; the electronic components can include one or more processors therein to execute software and/or firmware that confer(s), at least in part, the functionality of the electronic components.

[0022] Use of the word exemplary is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion. As used in this application, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from context, "X employs A or B" is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then "X employs A or B" is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances. In addition, the articles "a" and "an" as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean "one or more" unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms "including", "includes", "having", "has", "with", or variants thereof are used in either the detailed description and the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term

"comprising." Additionally, in situations wherein one or more numbered items are discussed (e.g., a "first X", a "second X", etc.), in general the one or more numbered items may be distinct or they may be the same, although in some situations the context may indicate that they are distinct or that they are the same.

[0023] As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to, be part of, or include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group), and/or memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality. In some embodiments, the circuitry may be implemented in, or functions associated with the circuitry may be implemented by, one or more software or firmware modules. In some embodiments, circuitry may include logic, at least partially operable in hardware.

[0024] Embodiments described herein may be implemented into a system using any suitably configured hardware and/or software. FIG. 1 illustrates an architecture of a system 1 00 of a network in accordance with some embodiments. The system 100 is shown to include a user equipment (UE) 101 and a UE 102. The UEs 101 and 102 are illustrated as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices connectable to one or more cellular networks), but may also comprise any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), pagers, laptop computers, desktop computers, wireless handsets, or any computing device including a wireless communications interface. [0025] In some embodiments, any of the UEs 101 and 102 can comprise an Internet of Things (loT) UE, which can comprise a network access layer designed for low-power loT applications utilizing short-lived UE connections. An loT UE can utilize technologies such as machine-to-machine (M2M) or machine-type communications (MTC) for exchanging data with an MTC server or device via a public land mobile network (PLMN), Proximity-Based Service (ProSe) or device-to-device (D2D) communication, sensor networks, or loT networks. The M2M or MTC exchange of data may be a machine-initiated exchange of data. An loT network describes interconnecting loT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure), with short-lived connections. The loT UEs may execute background applications (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate the connections of the loT network.

[0026] The UEs 101 and 102 may be configured to connect, e.g., communicatively couple, with a radio access network (RAN) 1 10— the RAN 1 10 may be, for example, an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), a NextGen RAN (NG RAN), or some other type of RAN. The UEs 101 and 102 utilize connections 103 and 104, respectively, each of which comprises a physical communications interface or layer (discussed in further detail below); in this example, the connections 103 and 104 are illustrated as an air interface to enable communicative coupling, and can be consistent with cellular communications protocols, such as a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocol, a code-division multiple access (CDMA) network protocol, a Push-to-Talk (PTT) protocol, a PTT over Cellular (POC) protocol, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) protocol, a 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocol, a fifth generation (5G) protocol, a New Radio (NR) protocol, and the like.

[0027] In this embodiment, the UEs 101 and 1 02 may further directly exchange communication data via a ProSe interface 105. The ProSe interface 105 may alternatively be referred to as a sidelink interface comprising one or more logical channels, including but not limited to a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), a Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), and a Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH).

[0028] The UE 102 is shown to be configured to access an access point (AP) 106 via connection 107. The connection 107 can comprise a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.1 1 protocol, wherein the AP 106 would comprise a wireless fidelity (WiFi®) router. In this example, the AP 1 06 is shown to be connected to the Internet without connecting to the core network of the wireless system (described in further detail below).

[0029] The RAN 1 1 0 can include one or more access nodes that enable the connections 1 03 and 104. These access nodes (ANs) can be referred to as base stations (BSs), NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), next Generation NodeBs (gNB), RAN nodes, and so forth, and can comprise ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations providing coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). The RAN 1 1 0 may include one or more RAN nodes for providing macrocells, e.g., macro RAN node 1 1 1 , and one or more RAN nodes for providing femtocells or picocells (e.g., cells having smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to macrocells), e.g., low power (LP) RAN node 1 12.

[0030] Any of the RAN nodes 1 1 1 and 1 12 can terminate the air interface protocol and can be the first point of contact for the UEs 101 and 102. In some embodiments, any of the RAN nodes 1 1 1 and 1 12 can fulfill various logical functions for the RAN 1 1 0 including, but not limited to, radio network controller (RNC) functions such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

[0031] In accordance with some embodiments, the UEs 101 and 102 can be configured to communicate using Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals with each other or with any of the RAN nodes 1 1 1 and 1 1 2 over a multicarrier communication channel in accordance various communication techniques, such as, but not limited to, an Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communication technique (e.g., for downlink communications) or a Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) communication technique (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communications), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signals can comprise a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers.

[0032] In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid can be used for downlink transmissions from any of the RAN nodes 1 1 1 and 1 12 to the UEs 101 and 1 02, while uplink transmissions can utilize similar techniques. The grid can be a time-frequency grid, called a resource grid or time-frequency resource grid, which is the physical resource in the downlink in each slot. Such a time-frequency plane representation is a common practice for OFDM systems, which makes it intuitive for radio resource allocation. Each column and each row of the resource grid corresponds to one OFDM symbol and one OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to one slot in a radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in a resource grid is denoted as a resource element. Each resource grid comprises a number of resource blocks, which describe the mapping of certain physical channels to resource elements. Each resource block comprises a collection of resource elements; in the frequency domain, this may represent the smallest quantity of resources that currently can be allocated. There are several different physical downlink channels that are conveyed using such resource blocks.

[0033] The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) may carry user data and higher-layer signaling to the UEs 101 and 102. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) may carry information about the transport format and resource allocations related to the PDSCH channel, among other things. It may also inform the UEs 101 and 102 about the transport format, resource allocation, and H-ARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) information related to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (assigning control and shared channel resource blocks to the UE 102 within a cell) may be performed at any of the RAN nodes 1 1 1 and 1 12 based on channel quality information fed back from any of the UEs 101 and 102. The downlink resource assignment information may be sent on the PDCCH used for (e.g., assigned to) each of the UEs 101 and 1 02.

[0034] The PDCCH may use control channel elements (CCEs) to convey the control information. Before being mapped to resource elements, the PDCCH complex-valued symbols may first be organized into quadruplets, which may then be permuted using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. Each PDCCH may be transmitted using one or more of these CCEs, where each CCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements known as resource element groups (REGs). Four Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) symbols may be mapped to each REG. The PDCCH can be transmitted using one or more CCEs, depending on the size of the downlink control information (DCI) and the channel condition. There can be four or more different PDCCH formats defined in LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation level, L=1 , 2, 4, or 8).

[0035] Some embodiments may use concepts for resource allocation for control channel information that are an extension of the above-described concepts. For example, some embodiments may utilize an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH) that uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. The EPDCCH may be transmitted using one or more enhanced the control channel elements (ECCEs). Similar to above, each ECCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements known as an enhanced resource element groups (EREGs). An ECCE may have other numbers of EREGs in some situations.

[0036] The RAN 1 1 0 is shown to be communicatively coupled to a core network (CN) 1 20— via an S1 interface 1 1 3. In embodiments, the CN 120 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) network, a NextGen Packet Core (NPC) network, or some other type of CN. In this embodiment the S1 interface 1 13 is split into two parts: the S1 -U interface 1 14, which carries traffic data between the RAN nodes 1 1 1 and 1 12 and the serving gateway (S-GW) 122, and the S1 -mobility management entity (MME) interface 1 15, which is a signaling interface between the RAN nodes 1 1 1 and 1 12 and MMEs 121 .

[0037] In this embodiment, the CN 1 20 comprises the MMEs 121 , the S-GW 122, the Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW) 123, and a home subscriber server (HSS) 124. The MMEs 121 may be similar in function to the control plane of legacy Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Nodes (SGSN). The MMEs 121 may manage mobility aspects in access such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. The HSS 124 may comprise a database for network users, including subscription-related information to support the network entities' handling of

communication sessions. The CN 120 may comprise one or several HSSs 124, depending on the number of mobile subscribers, on the capacity of the equipment, on the organization of the network, etc. For example, the HSS 124 can provide support for routing/roaming, authentication, authorization, naming/addressing resolution, location dependencies, etc.

[0038] The S-GW 122 may terminate the S1 interface 1 13 towards the RAN 1 10, and routes data packets between the RAN 1 10 and the CN 120. In addition, the S-GW 122 may be a local mobility anchor point for inter-RAN node handovers and also may provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities may include lawful intercept, charging, and some policy enforcement.

[0039] The P-GW 123 may terminate an SGi interface toward a PDN. The P-GW 123 may route data packets between the EPC network 123 and external networks such as a network including the application server 130 (alternatively referred to as application function (AF)) via an Internet Protocol (IP) interface 125. Generally, the application server 130 may be an element offering applications that use IP bearer resources with the core network (e.g., UMTS Packet Services (PS) domain, LTE PS data services, etc.). In this embodiment, the P-GW 123 is shown to be communicatively coupled to an application server 130 via an IP communications interface 125. The application server 130 can also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.) for the UEs 1 01 and 102 via the CN 120.

[0040] The P-GW 123 may further be a node for policy enforcement and charging data collection. Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCRF) 126 is the policy and charging control element of the CN 120. In a non-roaming scenario, there may be a single PCRF in the Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) associated with a UE's Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session. In a roaming scenario with local breakout of traffic, there may be two PCRFs associated with a UE's IP-CAN session: a Home PCRF (H-PCRF) within a HPLMN and a Visited PCRF (V-PCRF) within a Visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN). The PCRF 126 may be communicatively coupled to the application server 130 via the P-GW 123. The application server 130 may signal the PCRF 126 to indicate a new service flow and select the appropriate Quality of Service (QoS) and charging parameters. The PCRF 126 may provision this rule into a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) (not shown) with the appropriate traffic flow template (TFT) and QoS class of identifier (QCI), which commences the QoS and charging as specified by the application server 130.

[0041] FIG. 2 illustrates example components of a device 200 in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, the device 200 may include application circuitry 202, baseband circuitry 204, Radio Frequency (RF) circuitry 206, front-end module (FEM) circuitry 208, one or more antennas 21 0, and power management circuitry (PMC) 21 2 coupled together at least as shown. The components of the illustrated device 200 may be included in a UE or a RAN node. In some embodiments, the device 200 may include less elements (e.g., a RAN node may not utilize application circuitry 202, and instead include a processor/controller to process IP data received from an EPC). In some embodiments, the device 200 may include additional elements such as, for example, memory/storage, display, camera, sensor, or input/output (I/O) interface. In other embodiments, the components described below may be included in more than one device (e.g., said circuitries may be separately included in more than one device for Cloud-RAN (C-RAN) implementations).

[0042] The application circuitry 202 may include one or more application processors. For example, the application circuitry 202 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor(s) may include any combination of general-purpose processors and dedicated processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processors may be coupled with or may include memory/storage and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory/storage to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the device 200. In some embodiments, processors of application circuitry 202 may process IP data packets received from an EPC.

[0043] The baseband circuitry 204 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuitry 204 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic to process baseband signals received from a receive signal path of the RF circuitry 206 and to generate baseband signals for a transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 206. Baseband processing circuity 204 may interface with the application circuitry 202 for generation and processing of the baseband signals and for controlling operations of the RF circuitry 206. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 204 may include a third generation (3G) baseband processor 204A, a fourth generation (4G) baseband processor 204B, a fifth generation (5G) baseband processor 204C, or other baseband processor(s) 204D for other existing generations, generations in development or to be developed in the future (e.g., second generation (2G), sixth generation (6G), etc.). The baseband circuitry 204 (e.g., one or more of baseband processors 204A-D) may handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuitry 206. In other embodiments, some or all of the functionality of baseband processors 204A-D may be included in modules stored in the memory 204G and executed via a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 204E. The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation/demodulation, encoding/decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some embodiments, modulation/demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuitry 204 may include Fast-Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping/demapping functionality. In some embodiments,

encoding/decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry 204 may include convolution, tail- biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) encoder/decoder functionality. Embodiments of modulation/demodulation and encoder/decoder functionality are not limited to these examples and may include other suitable functionality in other embodiments.

[0044] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 204 may include one or more audio digital signal processor(s) (DSP) 204F. The audio DSP(s) 204F may be include elements for compression/decompression and echo cancellation and may include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments. Components of the baseband circuitry may be suitably combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on a same circuit board in some embodiments. In some embodiments, some or all of the constituent components of the baseband circuitry 204 and the application circuitry 202 may be implemented together such as, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC).

[0045] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 204 may provide for communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 204 may support communication with an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) or other wireless metropolitan area networks (WMAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN). Embodiments in which the baseband circuitry 204 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

[0046] RF circuitry 206 may enable communication with wireless networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, the RF circuitry 206 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate the communication with the wireless network. RF circuitry 206 may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 208 and provide baseband signals to the baseband circuitry 204. RF circuitry 206 may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided by the baseband circuitry 204 and provide RF output signals to the FEM circuitry 208 for transmission.

[0047] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of the RF circuitry 206 may include mixer circuitry 206a, amplifier circuitry 206b and filter circuitry 206c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 206 may include filter circuitry 206c and mixer circuitry 206a. RF circuitry 206 may also include synthesizer circuitry 206d for synthesizing a frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 206a of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 206a of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 208 based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry 206d. The amplifier circuitry 206b may be configured to amplify the down- converted signals and the filter circuitry 206c may be a low-pass filter (LPF) or bandpass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signals to generate output baseband signals. Output baseband signals may be provided to the baseband circuitry 204 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signals may be zero-frequency baseband signals, although this is not a requirement. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 206a of the receive signal path may comprise passive mixers, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0048] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 206a of the transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert input baseband signals based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 206d to generate RF output signals for the FEM circuitry 208. The baseband signals may be provided by the baseband circuitry 204 and may be filtered by filter circuitry 206c.

[0049] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 206a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 206a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature downconversion and upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 206a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 206a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 206a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 206a may be arranged for direct downconversion and direct upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 206a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 206a of the transmit signal path may be configured for super-heterodyne operation.

[0050] In some embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternate embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals may be digital baseband signals. In these alternate embodiments, the RF circuitry 206 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry and the baseband circuitry 204 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuitry 206.

[0051] In some dual-mode embodiments, a separate radio IC circuitry may be provided for processing signals for each spectrum, although the scope of the

embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0052] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 206d may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional N/N+1 synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuitry 206d may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer comprising a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0053] The synthesizer circuitry 206d may be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 206a of the RF circuitry 206 based on a frequency input and a divider control input. In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 206d may be a fractional N/N+1 synthesizer.

[0054] In some embodiments, frequency input may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although that is not a requirement. Divider control input may be provided by either the baseband circuitry 204 or the applications processor 202 depending on the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, a divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a look-up table based on a channel indicated by the applications processor 202.

[0055] Synthesizer circuitry 206d of the RF circuitry 206 may include a divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the divider may be a dual modulus divider (DMD) and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by either N or N+1 (e.g., based on a carry out) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a set of cascaded, tunable, delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pump and a D-type flip- flop. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to break a VCO period up into Nd equal packets of phase, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0056] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 206d may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used in conjunction with quadrature generator and divider circuitry to generate multiple signals at the carrier frequency with multiple different phases with respect to each other. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be a LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, the RF circuitry 206 may include an IQ/polar converter.

[0057] FEM circuitry 208 may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 210, amplify the received signals and provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the RF circuitry 206 for further processing. FEM circuitry 208 may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by the RF circuitry 206 for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas 21 0. In various embodiments, the amplification through the transmit or receive signal paths may be done solely in the RF circuitry 206, solely in the FEM 208, or in both the RF circuitry 206 and the FEM 208.

[0058] In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 208 may include a TX/RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuitry may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry may include an LNA to amplify received RF signals and provide the amplified received RF signals as an output (e.g., to the RF circuitry 206). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 208 may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify input RF signals (e.g., provided by RF circuitry 206), and one or more filters to generate RF signals for subsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of the one or more antennas 21 0).

[0059] In some embodiments, the PMC 212 may manage power provided to the baseband circuitry 204. In particular, the PMC 21 2 may control power-source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-to-DC conversion. The PMC 212 may often be included when the device 200 is capable of being powered by a battery, for example, when the device is included in a UE. The PMC 21 2 may increase the power conversion efficiency while providing desirable implementation size and heat dissipation

characteristics.

[0060] While FIG. 2 shows the PMC 212 coupled only with the baseband circuitry 204. However, in other embodiments, the PMC 2 12 may be additionally or alternatively coupled with, and perform similar power management operations for, other components such as, but not limited to, application circuitry 202, RF circuitry 206, or FEM 208.

[0061] In some embodiments, the PMC 212 may control, or otherwise be part of, various power saving mechanisms of the device 200. For example, if the device 200 is in an RRC_Connected state, where it is still connected to the RAN node as it expects to receive traffic shortly, then it may enter a state known as Discontinuous Reception Mode (DRX) after a period of inactivity. During this state, the device 200 may power down for brief intervals of time and thus save power.

[0062] If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, then the device 200 may transition off to an RRCJdle state, where it disconnects from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc. The device 200 goes into a very low power state and it performs paging where again it periodically wakes up to listen to the network and then powers down again. The device 200 may not receive data in this state, in order to receive data, it must transition back to RRC_Connected state. [0063] An additional power saving mode may allow a device to be unavailable to the network for periods longer than a paging interval (ranging from seconds to a few hours). During this time, the device is totally unreachable to the network and may power down completely. Any data sent during this time incurs a large delay and it is assumed the delay is acceptable.

[0064] Processors of the application circuitry 202 and processors of the baseband circuitry 204 may be used to execute elements of one or more instances of a protocol stack. For example, processors of the baseband circuitry 204, alone or in combination, may be used execute Layer 3, Layer 2, or Layer 1 functionality, while processors of the application circuitry 204 may utilize data (e.g., packet data) received from these layers and further execute Layer 4 functionality (e.g., transmission communication protocol (TCP) and user datagram protocol (UDP) layers). As referred to herein, Layer 3 may comprise a radio resource control (RRC) layer, described in further detail below. As referred to herein, Layer 2 may comprise a medium access control (MAC) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, described in further detail below. As referred to herein, Layer 1 may comprise a physical (PHY) layer of a UE/RAN node, described in further detail below.

[0065] FIG. 3 illustrates example interfaces of baseband circuitry in accordance with some embodiments. As discussed above, the baseband circuitry 204 of FIG. 2 may comprise processors 204A-204E and a memory 204G utilized by said processors. Each of the processors 204A-204E may include a memory interface, 304A-304E,

respectively, to send/receive data to/from the memory 204G.

[0066] The baseband circuitry 204 may further include one or more interfaces to communicatively couple to other circuitries/devices, such as a memory interface 312 (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from memory external to the baseband circuitry 204), an application circuitry interface 314 (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from the application circuitry 202 of FIG. 2), an RF circuitry interface 316 (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from RF circuitry 206 of FIG. 2), a wireless hardware connectivity interface 31 8 (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from Near Field Communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth® components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components, and other communication components), and a power management interface 320 (e.g., an interface to send/receive power or control signals to/from the PMC 212). [0067] Additionally, although the above example discussion of device 300 is in the context of a UE device, in various aspects, a similar device can be employed in connection with a base station (BS) such as an Evolved NodeB (eNB), etc.

[0068] To enable low latency transmission for enhanced mobile broadband communication, a self-contained TDD (Time Division Duplexing) subframe can be employed. Referring to FIG. 4, illustrated is an example type of self-contained TDD subframe structure 400 in the DL (Downlink) that can be employed in connection with various aspects discussed herein. In particular, for the example subframe 400 of FIG. 4, PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel, e.g., 5G (Fifth Generation) PDSCH, etc.) 420 can be scheduled by PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel, e.g., 5G

PDCCH) 41 0 and can be transmitted right after the PDCCH 410. Guard time (GT) 430 can optionally be inserted between PDSCH 420 and PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel) 440 in order to accommodate the DL to UL (Uplink) and UL to DL switching time and round-trip propagation delay.

[0069] For 5G systems, high frequency band communication has attracted significant attention from the industry, since it can provide wider bandwidth to support the future integrated communication system. Beam forming technology can facilitate implementation of a high frequency band system due to the fact that the beam forming gain can compensate the severe path loss caused by atmospheric attenuation, can improve the SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio), and can enlarge the coverage area. By aligning the transmission beam to the target UE, the radiated energy can be focused for higher energy efficiency, and the mutual UE interference can be suppressed.

[0070] As illustrated in FIG. 4, PUCCH and a data channel (e.g., PDSCH, in the example DL subframe 400) can be multiplexed in a time division multiplexing (TDM) manner. In scenarios wherein one symbol is allocated for PUCCH, increasing the number of resources in frequency for PUCCH transmission may not improve the link budget accordingly. This is primarily due to the fact that when more resources are allocated for PUCCH, the coding rate is reduced at the cost of increased noise power. With the same transmit power, the maximum coupling loss (MCL) between UE and eNB, and thus the link budget for PUCCH transmission, remains the same. In scenarios wherein a UE is equipped with multiple panels or sub-arrays, dual-beam or multiple- beam transmission can be applied for PUCCH to improve the link budget by exploiting the benefit of spatial diversity, as discussed in greater detail herein.

[0071] Aspects discussed herein relate to techniques that can be employed in connection with PUCCH. In a first set of techniques, dual beam transmission techniques discussed herein can be employed. Additionally or alternatively, in a second set of techniques, fast HARQ (Hybrid ARQ (Automatic Repeat reQuest)) ACK/NACK feedback mechanisms on PUCCH techniques discussed herein can be employed.

[0072] Referring to FIG. 5, illustrated is a block diagram of a system 500 employable at a UE (User Equipment) that facilitates techniques discussed herein for improving PUCCH, according to various aspects described herein. System 500 can include one or more processors 510 (e.g., one or more baseband processors such as one or more of the baseband processors discussed in connection with FIG. 2 and/or FIG. 3) comprising processing circuitry and associated memory interface(s) (e.g., memory interface(s) discussed in connection with FIG. 3), transceiver circuitry 520 (e.g., comprising one or more of transmitter circuitry or receiver circuitry, which can employ common circuit elements, distinct circuit elements, or a combination thereof), and a memory 530 (which can comprise any of a variety of storage mediums and can store instructions and/or data associated with one or more of processor(s) 510 or transceiver circuitry 520). In various aspects, system 500 can be included within a user equipment (UE). As described in greater detail below, system 500 can facilitate dual (or multiple) beam PUCCH transmission and/or fast HARQ ACK/NACK feedback techniques discussed herein at a UE.

[0073] Referring to FIG. 6, illustrated is a block diagram of a system 600 employable at a BS (Base Station) that facilitates techniques discussed herein for improved PUCCH from a UE, according to various aspects described herein. System 600 can include one or more processors 61 0 (e.g., one or more baseband processors such as one or more of the baseband processors discussed in connection with FIG. 2 and/or FIG. 3) comprising processing circuitry and associated memory interface(s) (e.g., memory interface(s) discussed in connection with FIG. 3), communication circuitry 620 (e.g., which can comprise circuitry for one or more wired (e.g., X2, etc.) connections and/or transceiver circuitry that can comprise one or more of transmitter circuitry (e.g., associated with one or more transmit chains) or receiver circuitry (e.g., associated with one or more receive chains), wherein the transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry can employ common circuit elements, distinct circuit elements, or a combination thereof), and memory 630 (which can comprise any of a variety of storage mediums and can store instructions and/or data associated with one or more of processor(s) 610 or communication circuitry 620). In various aspects, system 600 can be included within an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (Evolved Node B, eNodeB, or eNB) or other base station in a wireless communications network. In some aspects, the processor(s) 61 0, communication circuitry 620, and the memory 630 can be included in a single device, while in other aspects, they can be included in different devices, such as part of a distributed architecture. As described in greater detail below, system 600 can facilitate dual/multiple beam transmission of PUCCH from a UE and/or fast HARQ ACK/NACK feedback by a UE, according to various aspects discussed herein.

Dual or Multiple Beam Transmission for PUCCH

[0074] In scenarios wherein a UE (e.g., a UE employing system 500) is equipped with two or multiple sub-arrays or panels, the UE can transmit (e.g., via transceiver circuitry 520) the PUCCH (e.g., which can be generated by processor(s) 510) using two or multiple sub-arrays simultaneously to improve the link budget. Referring to FIG. 7, illustrated is a diagram of one example dual transmission scheme for PUCCH, according to various aspects discussed herein. As shown in FIG. 7, a UE can form (e.g., via beamforming weights determined by processor(s) 510 and applied by transceiver circuitry 520) two Tx beams (the beams with solid lines) at the same time for the transmission of PUCCH (e.g., generated by processor(s) 510). In the example scenario of FIG. 7, two eNBs or receive points (RPs) can receive (e.g., each via a communication circuitry 620) the PUCCH from one UE. However, in other scenarios, for example, one eNB can receive (e.g., via communication circuitry 620) the PUCCH (e.g., generated by processor(s) 510) from one UE using two beams, similarly to the scenario of FIG. 7. Additionally, although FIG. 7 illustrates a dual beam embodiment, in various aspects, multiple beams (e.g., N) can be employed (e.g., by transceiver circuitry 520) to transmit PUCCH (e.g., generated by processor(s) 51 0) to one or more RPs (e.g., in various aspects, from 1 to N) (each of which can receive the PUCCH via its communication circuitry 620 and process it via its processor(s) 610). Additionally, although various dual beam embodiments and aspects are discussed herein as examples, similar

embodiments and aspects can be employed with more than two beams.

[0075] Depending on the type of received signal or message, processing (e.g., by processor(s) 510, processor(s) 61 0, etc.) can comprise one or more of: identifying physical resources associated with the signal/message, detecting the signal/message, resource element group deinterleaving, demodulation, descrambling, and/or decoding. Depending on the type of signal or message generated, outputting for transmission (e.g., by processor(s) 510, processor(s) 610, etc.) can comprise one or more of the following: generating a set of associated bits that indicate the content of the signal or message, coding (e.g., which can include adding a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) and/or coding via one or more of turbo code, low density parity-check (LDPC) code, tailbiting convolution code (TBCC), etc.), scrambling (e.g., based on a scrambling seed), modulating (e.g., via one of binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), or some form of quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), etc.), and/or resource mapping (e.g., to a scheduled set of resources, to a set of time and frequency resources granted for uplink transmission, etc.).

[0076] Aspects of various embodiments (e.g., of system 500 and/or system 600) that can support dual or muliple beam transmission for PUCCH by a UE are discussed below.

[0077] In one set of embodiments, an indication of whether to employ two (or multiple) sub-arrays for PUCCH transmission can be configured by higher layers via UE specific RRC (Radio Resource Control) signaling (e.g., generated by processor(s) 610, transmitted via communication circuitry 620, received via transceiver circuitry 520, and processed by processor(s) 510). After a UE exchanges UE capabilities (e.g., via a UE capability information message, which can include an indication of whether the UE can support dual/multi beam transmission) with an eNB, the eNB can configure the UE with dual beam transmission for PUCCH.

[0078] In some such aspects, the best Tx (Transmit) beams (e.g., based on a beam measurement report, etc.) for the two subarrays associated with PUCCH transmission (e.g., by transceiver circuitry 520, of PUCCH generated by processor(s) 510) can also be configured by the eNB via UE-specific RRC signaling (e.g., generated by

processor(s) 610, transmitted by communication circuitry 620, received by transceiver circuitry 520, and processed by processor(s) 510). After the UE reports (e.g., via transceiver circuitry 520) a beam measurement report (e.g., generated by processor(s) 51 0) based on beam reference signal (BRS) (e.g., generated by processor(s) 610, transmitted by communication circuitry 620, received by transceiver circuitry 520, and measured by processor(s) 510), the eNB can signal the best eNB Tx beam index to the UE (e.g., via UE-specific RRC signaling, as discussed above) for each of the two subarrays. Then, for each subarray, the UE can derive (e.g., via processor(s) 510) the best UE Tx beam for PUCCH transmission according to eNB and UE Tx/Rx beam pair association (e.g., as previously determined by processor(s) 510 and stored in memory 530).

[0079] In another set of embodiments, an indication of using two or multiple sub- arrays for PUCCH transmission can be indicated in downlink control information (DCI) (e.g., generated (e.g., encoded, etc.) by processor(s) 610, transmitted by communication circuitry 620, received by transceiver circuitry 520, and processed (e.g., decoded, etc.) by processor(s) 510). In some aspects, a 1 bit field in the DCI can be used to indicate the triggering of PUCCH using dual beam transmission. For example, a value of "1 " can indicate that dual beam transmission is to be applied for the PUCCH transmission, while a value of "0" can indicate that single beam transmission is to be applied for the PUCCH transmission (e.g., or vice versa, etc.).

[0080] In some such aspects, a UE Tx beam ID (identifier) or eNB Rx beam ID for the secondary sub-array can be included in the DCI format for triggering PUCCH, which can facilitate dynamic beam switching for uplink transmission.

[0081] Referring to FIG. 8, illustrated is an example diagram of a subframe showing resources configured for PUCCH with dual beam transmission, according to various aspects discussed herein. Although FIG. 8 illustrates different resources configured for PUCCH for different beams, either the same or different PUCCH resources can be configured by higher layers or indicated in the DCI format (e.g., in a DCI message or RRC signaling generated by processor(s) 610, transmitted by communication circuitry 620, received by transceiver circuitry 520, and processed by processor(s) 510). In various aspects, PUCCH resources for multiple users can be multiplexed in a

Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) or Code Division Multiplexing (CDM) manner. Additionally, in scenarios wherein the UE is configured with two antenna ports in one Tx beam, space frequency block coding (SFBC) or Spatial Orthogonal-Resource Transmit Diversity (SORTD) can be applied depending on the PUCCH format(s).

[0082] Multiple different options can be employed for resource allocation for dual or multiple beam PUCCH transmission, depending on the embodiment.

[0083] In one set of embodiments, the same resources can be configured for two beams for PUCCH transmission. In this case, the eNB can signal the resources for PUCCH transmission for a single beam via high layers or a DCI message (e.g., generated by processor(s) 610, transmitted by communication circuitry 620, received by transceiver circuitry 520, and processed by processor(s) 510), which can reduce the signaling overhead.

[0084] In another set of embodiments, a constant frequency offset between two PUCCH resources for two beams can be used (or between N PUCCH resources for N beams, with the second beam offset from the first by the constant frequency offset, the third beam offset from the second by the constant frequency offset, etc.). In various aspects, the constant frequency offset can be predefined (e.g., in the specification); can be configured by higher layers via a MIB (master information block (e.g., 5G MIB, etc.), a SIB (system information block (e.g., 5G SIB, etc.), or dedicated RRC signaling; or can be indicated in the DCI message. In one example, the constant frequency offset can be defined as a function of system bandwidth.

[0085] In another set of embodiments, two PUCCH resources can be explicitly indicated in the DCI format (e.g., and thereby indicated in a DCI message generated by processor(s) 610, transmitted by communication circuitry 620, received by transceiver circuitry 520, and processed by processor(s) 510). This option can increase scheduling flexibility, but can have greater signaling overhead than some other embodiments.

[0086] In another set of embodiments, a set of frequency resources for each AP (antenna port) in each beam can be configured by higher layers via RRC signaling (e.g., generated by processor(s) 610, transmitted by communication circuitry 620, received by transceiver circuitry 520, and processed by processor(s) 510). For dual beam

transmission, 4 APs can be defined, where first two APs can be defined for the first Tx beam, and the last two APs can be defined for the second Tx beam.

[0087] In some aspects, a resource allocation field in the DCI message (e.g., generated by processor(s) 610, transmitted by communication circuitry 620, received by transceiver circuitry 520, and processed by processor(s) 510) can be used to indicate the PUCCH resource index out of more than one possible PUCCH resource indices for transmission of the PUCCH. To reduce the signaling overhead, one resource allocation field can be used to signal the resource for PUCCH transmission using two beams. Table 1 , below, illustrates one example of indicating PUCCH resource value using the DCI from among 4 possible configured PUCCH resource values. In the example, ⁿxPuccH_> P ⁼ °_<1,2,3) can be defined for dual beam PUCCH transmission.

Table 1 : PUCCH resource value for PUCCH resource allocation

ACK/NACK Feedback Mechanism on PUCCH

[0088] For DL HARQ (Hybrid ARQ (Automatic Repeat Request) operation, the eNB can schedule the UE to transmit the HARQ ACK/NACK on PUCCH in certain time and frequency resources (e.g., via determination and generation of signaling or messaging indicating the scheduling by processor(s) 61 0, transmission by communication circuitry 620, reception by transceiver circuitry 520, and determination of the indicating scheduling by processor(s) 510). The time and frequency resources for PUCCH transmission can be either configured by higher layers or indicated in the DCI message.

[0089] Referring to FIG. 9, illustrated is a diagram showing an example timing of DL HARQ that can be employed in various aspects discussed herein. In the example scenario illustrated in FIG. 9, the delay for PDSCH transmission in subframe #n and the corresponding HARQ ACK/NACK on PUCCH can be 7 subframes (as shown via the k = 7 for subframe #n in FIG. 9). Similarly, the delays for PDSCH transmission in subframe #(n+1 ), #(n+2) and #(n+3) and corresponding HARQ ACK/NACK on PUCCH can be 6, 5, and 4 subframes, respectively. For this example, the eNB can schedule the UE (e.g., via determination and generation of signaling or messaging indicating the scheduling by processor(s) 610, transmission by communication circuitry 620, reception by transceiver circuitry 520, and determination of the indicating scheduling by processor(s) 510) to feed back HARQ ACK/NACK for PDSCH in 4 subframes on the PUCCH in the same subframe (e.g., subframe #(n+7), as shown in FIG. 9), which can save system overhead due to the existence of the guard period and PUCCH, and can thereby improve the peak data rate. In various aspects, the HARQ ACK/NACK delay counter can be included in the DCI message.

[0090] In some aspects, HARQ ACK/NACK feedback for PDSCH for multiple subframes can be jointly encoded and can be mapped to one PUCCH resource (e.g., by processor(s) 510). In one example embodiment, PUCCH format 2 can be used to carry HARQ ACK/NACK feedback for multiple subframes, and one PUCCH transmission can occupy 6 PRBs.

[0091] In such aspects, the UE can buffer the HARQ ACK/NACK bits for the PDSCH in preceding subframes (e.g., via buffering by processor(s) 510 to memory 530, etc.) and can perform joint encoding (e.g., by processor(s) 510) after the PDSCH decoding is performed (e.g., by processor(s) 510). In some scenarios, additional processing delay on the preparation of PUCCH transmission can result from employing such an approach. To allow even faster HARQ ACK/NACK feedback processing, independent HARQ ACK/NACK feedback on PUCCH can be defined. [0092] Three states can be defined for DL HARQ feedback for each PDSCH transmission on PUCCH: (1 ) an ACK state, which can indicate that the UE has successfully decoded one transport block (TB) (e.g., UE can feedback bit "1 " on

PUCCH to indicate ACK); (2) a NACK state, which can indicate that the UE correctly receives the DCI for PDSCH scheduling but failed to decode the transport block (e.g., the UE can feedback bit "0" on PUCCH to indicate NACK); and (3) a DTX state, which can indicate that the UE failed to decode the DCI (e.g., the UE can avoid transmitting anything on configured PUCCH resource to indicate DTX).

[0093] In a scenario wherein two (or more) transport blocks are transmitted on PDSCH, 1 bit ACK/NACK can be defined for each transport block. In some such aspects, ACK/NACK feedback on each TB can be transmitted on independent PUCCH resources. Alternatively, spatial bundling can be used for ACK/NACK on these two TBs, for example, wherein an AND operation can be used on these 2 ACK/NACK bits.

[0094] Various mechanisms for independent HARQ ACK/NACK feedback can be employed, as described below.

[0095] In one set of embodiments employing independent HARQ ACK/NACK feedback, HARQ ACK/NACK feedback for PDSCH on multiple subframes can be multiplexed (e.g., by processor(s) 510) in a frequency division multiplexing (FDM) manner. Further, a localized or distributed transmission mode can be employed for the resource mapping for HARQ ACK/NACK feedback (e.g., by processor(s) 510).

[0096] In some aspects, the PUCCH resource for HARQ ACK/NACK on each TB can be indicated in the DCI message. In other aspects, the resource can be derived from downlink assignment index (DAI) or the delay counter as indicated in the DCI message (e.g., by processor(s) 51 0). In one such, example, the resource index for PUCCH transmission can be same as the DAI, such that the PUCCH resource index for HARQ ACK/NACK feedback for a first PDSCH transmission can be 0, for a second PDSCH transmission can be 1 , etc.

[0097] Referring to FIG. 10, illustrated is a diagram showing examples of localized and distributed transmission modes for HARQ ACK/NACK feedback on PUCCH, according to various aspects discussed herein. Employing a localized transmission mode can potentially improve the link budget, while employing a distributed

transmission mode can provide frequency diversity. In the examples shown in FIG. 10, each PUCCH transmission occupies 6 PRBs (from PRB #0 - #5), and HARQ

ACK/NACK feedback for 4 subframes (as indicated by the numbers 0, 1 , 2, and 3) is carried in the PUCCH. As shown in FIG. 10, "0" indicates the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback for the first subframe, "1 " indicates the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback for the second subframe, etc. Additionally, in the examples shown in FIG. 10, each HARQ ACK/NACK feedbacks occupies 12 REs.

[0098] In various aspects, a ZC (Zadoff-Chu) sequence or a computer generated sequence can be applied (e.g., by processor(s) 51 0) to spread the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback bit. In various aspects, a cyclic shift value can be defined as a function of cell specific, UE specific and/or antenna port specific cyclic shift value. In scenarios wherein independent HARQ ACK/NACK feedback is employed, the DAI index can be included to generate the cyclic shift value. In various aspects, the cyclic shift value can be generated (e.g., by processor(s) 51 0) as in equation (1 ):

where a is the cyclic shift value and n_DAI is the DAI index. In one example, as shown in equations (2),

N^P

ncs (ⁿs ) + ^xPUCCH + ^a0 ^{' 11} DAI ^' mod A

where "^{xpucch g} 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10} j_{s con}fjg_Urec| by higher layers, "^cs ^ is a cell

yv^RB

specific cyclic shift value; ^sc is the number of subcarrier for one physical resource block (PRB), i.e., ^sc , P is the number of APs and P is the AP index. ₀ is a constant.

[0099] In another set of embodiments, HARQ ACK/NACK feedback for PDSCH on multiple subframes can be multiplexed in a code division multiplexing (CDM) manner or a combination of FDM and CDM (e.g., by processor(s) 510). In such aspects, different cyclic shift values can be applied (e.g., by processor(s) 51 0) for the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback for different subframes. For example, cyclic shift value(s) can be generated (e.g., by processor(s) 510) as a function of the DAI index.

[00100] In scenarios wherein the eNB schedules (e.g., via signaling or messages generated by processor(s) 610 and transmitted by communication circuitry 620) the HARQ ACK/NACK for a relatively large number of subframes (e.g., more than 4), PUCCH resources can be multiplexed in a CDM manner (e.g., by processor(s) 510). Referring to FIG. 11 , illustrated are examples of PUCCH resources for a relatively large number of HARQ ACK/NACK feedbacks, according to various aspects discussed herein. As shown in FIG. 1 1 , "0/4" indicates the HARQ ACK/NACK feedbacks for the first subframe and the fifth subframe, "1 /5" indicates the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback for the second and sixth subframes, etc. When HARQ ACK/NACK for different subframes are multiplexed (e.g., by processor(s) 510) in the same resources, different cyclic shift values can be defined (e.g., predefined or defined via signaling generated by

processor(s) 610, transmitted by communication circuitry 620, received by transceiver circuitry 520, and processed via processor(s) 510) and applied (e.g., by processor(s) 51 0) to differentiate the PUCCH resources.

[00101 ] Referring to FIG. 12, illustrated is a flow diagram of an example method 1 200 that facilitates dual or multiple beam PUCCH transmission at a UE, according to various aspects discussed herein. In other aspects, a machine readable medium can store instructions associated with method 1 200 that, when executed, can cause a UE to perform the acts of method 1200.

[00102] At 1210, a UE capability information message can be sent that can indicate support for dual beam or multiple beam uplink transmission.

[00103] At 1220, configuration can be received to employ dual/multiple beam transmission for PUCCH.

[00104] Additionally or alternatively, method 1200 can include one or more other acts described herein in connection with dual or multiple beam PUCCH transmission aspects of system 500.

[00105] Referring to FIG. 13, illustrated is a flow diagram of an example method 1 300 employable at a BS that facilitates dual or multiple beam PUCCH transmission from one or more UEs, according to various aspects discussed herein. In other aspects, a machine readable medium can store instructions associated with method 1300 that, when executed, can cause a BS to perform the acts of method 1300.

[00106] At 1310, a UE capability information message can be received from a UE that can indicate support for dual beam or multiple beam uplink transmission.

[00107] At 1220, the UE can be configured to employ dual/multiple beam transmission for PUCCH.

[00108] Additionally or alternatively, method 1300 can include one or more other acts described herein in connection with dual or multiple beam PUCCH transmission aspects of system 600. [00109] Referring to FIG. 14, illustrated is a flow diagram of an example method 1400 that facilitates fast HARQ ACK/NACK feedback techniques at a UE, according to various aspects discussed herein. In other aspects, a machine readable medium can store instructions associated with method 1400 that, when executed, can cause a UE to perform the acts of method 1400.

[00110] At 1410, HARQ ACK/NACK feedback can be generated for a plurality of TBs.

[00111 ] At 1420, the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback for the plurality of TBs can be transmitted via a single symbol.

[00112] Additionally or alternatively, method 1400 can include one or more other acts described herein in connection with ACK/NACK feedback aspects of system 500.

[00113] Referring to FIG. 15, illustrated is a flow diagram of an example method 1 500 employable at a BS that facilitates fast HARQ ACK/NACK feedback from a UE, according to various aspects discussed herein. In other aspects, a machine readable medium can store instructions associated with method 1500 that, when executed, can cause a BS to perform the acts of method 1500.

[00114] At 1510, PUCCH can be received via a single symbol, wherein the PUCCH comprises HARQ ACK/NACK for a plurality of TBs.

[00115] At 1520, the received PUCCH can be decoded to determine the HARQ ACK/NACK for the plurality of TBs.

[00116] Additionally or alternatively, method 1500 can include one or more other acts described herein in connection with ACK/NACK feedback aspects of system 600.

[00117] Examples herein can include subject matter such as a method, means for performing acts or blocks of the method, at least one machine-readable medium including executable instructions that, when performed by a machine (e.g., a processor with memory, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or the like) cause the machine to perform acts of the method or of an apparatus or system for concurrent communication using multiple communication technologies according to embodiments and examples described.

[00118] Example 1 is an apparatus configured to be employed in a User Equipment (UE), comprising: a memory interface; and processing circuitry configured to: generate a UE capability information message that indicates that the UE supports uplink transmission via two or more subarrays; process configuration signaling comprising an indicator that indicates that two or more beams are to be employed for a PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel); and send the indicator to a memory via the memory interface. [001 19] Example 2 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s)

1 , wherein the configuration signaling comprises first higher layer signaling.

[00120] Example 3 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s)

2, wherein the first higher layer signaling comprises a first set of UE-specific RRC signaling.

[00121 ] Example 4 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to process a second set of UE- specific RRC signaling that indicates the two or more beams via indicating a best beam for each of the two or more subarrays.

[00122] Example 5 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 1 , wherein the configuration signaling comprises a first DCI (Downlink Control

Information) message.

[00123] Example 6 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 5, wherein the DCI message indicates at least one UE Tx (transmit) beam ID (Identifier) or at least one eNB (Evolved Node B) Rx (Receive) beam ID associated with a secondary subarray of the two or more subarrays.

[00124] Example 7 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 1 -6, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: process resource configuration signaling that indicates a set of resources for the PUCCH for a single beam; and map the PUCCH to the set of resources for each of the two or more beams, wherein the resource configuration signaling comprises second higher layer signaling or a second DCI (Downlink Control Information) message.

[00125] Example 8 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 1 -6, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: map the PUCCH to a distinct set of resources for each of the two or more beams, wherein adjacent sets of resources of the distinct sets of resources are offset from one another in a frequency domain by a constant frequency offset, wherein the constant frequency offset is predefined or is indicated via one of a MIB (Master Information Block), a SIB (System Information Block), dedicated RRC (Radio Resource Control) signaling, or a third DCI (Downlink Control Information) message.

[00126] Example 9 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 1 -6, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: process a fourth DCI (Downlink Control Information) message that indicates a distinct set of resources for the PUCCH for each of the two or more beams; and map the PUCCH to the distinct set of resources for each of the two or more beams. [00127] Example 10 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 1 -6, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: process third higher layer signaling that indicates an associated set of frequency resources for each AP (Antenna Port) of the two or more beams; process a fifth DCI (Downlink Control Information) message comprising a resource allocation field that indicates an indicated PUCCH resource index of two or more PUCCH resource indices; and map the PUCCH based at least in part on the indicated PUCCH resource index.

[00128] Example 1 1 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 1 -6, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to map the

PUCCH to a single symbol, wherein the PUCCH comprises independent HARQ (Hybrid ARQ (Automatic Repeat Request)) ACK (Acknowledgement)/NACK (Negative

Acknowledgement) feedback for more than one TB (Transport Block).

[00129] Example 12 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 1 -3, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to process a second set of UE-specific RRC signaling that indicates the two or more beams via indicating a best beam for each of the two or more subarrays.

[00130] Example 13 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 1 -10, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to map the PUCCH to a single symbol, wherein the PUCCH comprises independent HARQ (Hybrid ARQ (Automatic Repeat Request)) ACK (Acknowledgement)/NACK (Negative

Acknowledgement) feedback for more than one TB (Transport Block).

[00131 ] Example 14 is an apparatus configured to be employed in an Evolved NodeB (eNB), comprising: a memory interface; and processing circuitry configured to: process a UE (User Equipment) capability information message that indicates that a UE supports uplink transmission via two or more subarrays; generate configuration signaling indicating to employ two or more beams for a PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel); and send the UE capability information message to a memory via the memory interface.

[00132] Example 15 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 14, wherein the configuration signaling comprises a UE-specific RRC (Radio Resource Control) signaling.

[00133] Example 16 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 15, wherein the configuration signaling indicates a best beam for each of the two or more subarrays. [00134] Example 17 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 14, wherein the configuration signaling comprises a first DCI (Downlink Control Information) message that indicates at least one UE Tx (transmit) beam ID (Identifier) or at least one eNB (Evolved Node B) Rx (Receive) beam ID associated with a secondary subarray of the two or more subarrays.

[00135] Example 18 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 14-17, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to generate resource configuration signaling that indicates a single set of resources to be employed for PUCCH for each of the two or more beams.

[00136] Example 19 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 14-17, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to generate a second DCI (Downlink Control Information) message that indicates a distinct set of resources to be employed for PUCCH for each of the two or more beams.

[00137] Example 20 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 14-17, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to generate resource configuration signaling that indicates a constant frequency offset to be employed for mapping PUCCH to resources, wherein the resource configuration signaling comprises one of a MIB (Master Information Block), a SIB (System Information Block), dedicated RRC (Radio Resource Control) signaling, or a third DCI (Downlink Control Information) message.

[00138] Example 21 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 14-17, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to generate resource configuration signaling that indicates a distinct set of frequency resources to be employed for PUCCH for each AP (Antenna Port) of the two or more beams.

[00139] Example 22 is an apparatus configured to be employed in a User Equipment (UE), comprising: a memory interface; and processing circuitry configured to: generate HARQ (Hybrid ARQ (Automatic Repeat Request)) ACK (Acknowledgement)/NACK (Negative Acknowledgement) feedback for two or more TBs (Transport Blocks); map the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback for the two or more TBs to a PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel) in a single symbol; and send the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback to a memory via the memory interface.

[00140] Example 23 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 22, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to multiplex the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback via FDM (Frequency Division Multiplexing). [00141 ] Example 24 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 23, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to map the HARQ

ACK/NACK feedback based on one of a localized transmission mode or a distributed transmission mode.

[00142] Example 25 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 23-24, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to decode a DCI (Downlink Control Information) message that indicates a distinct PUCCH resource for each of the two or more TBs, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to map the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback for the two or more TBs to the distinct PUCCH resources for each of the two or more TBs.

[00143] Example 26 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 23-24, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to decode a DCI (Downlink Control Information) message that indicates a DAI (Downlink Assignment Index) and a delay counter, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to map the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback for the two or more TBs based at least in part on one or more of the DAI or the delay counter.

[00144] Example 27 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 26, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to apply a cyclic shift to the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback, wherein the cyclic shift is based at least in part on the DAI.

[00145] Example 28 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 22, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to multiplex the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback via one of CDM (Code Division Multiplexing) or a combination of CDM and FDM (Frequency Division Multiplexing).

[00146] Example 29 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 28, wherein the two or more TBs comprise more than four TBs, and wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to multiplex the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback via CDM.

[00147] Example 30 is an apparatus configured to be employed in an Evolved NodeB (eNB), comprising: a memory interface; and processing circuitry configured to: decode PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel) from a single symbol of a subframe;

determine HARQ (Hybrid ARQ (Automatic Repeat Request)) ACK

(Acknowledgement)/NACK (Negative Acknowledgement) feedback for two or more TBs (Transport Blocks) from the PUCCH decoded from the single symbol; and send the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback to a memory via the memory interface. [00148] Example 31 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 30, wherein the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback is multiplexed one of CDM (Code Division Multiplexing), FDM (Frequency Division Multiplexing), or a combination of CDM and FDM.

[00149] Example 32 comprises the subject matter of any variation of any of example(s) 30-31 , wherein the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback for the two or more TBs is mapped to the single symbol based on one of a localized transmission mode or a distributed transmission mode.

[00150] Example 33 comprises an apparatus comprising means for executing any of the described operations of examples 1 -32.

[00151 ] Example 34 comprises a machine readable medium that stores instructions for execution by a processor to perform any of the described operations of example 1 - 32.

[00152] The above description of illustrated embodiments of the subject disclosure, including what is described in the Abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosed embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. While specific embodiments and examples are described herein for illustrative purposes, various modifications are possible that are considered within the scope of such embodiments and examples, as those skilled in the relevant art can recognize.

[00153] In this regard, while the disclosed subject matter has been described in connection with various embodiments and corresponding Figures, where applicable, it is to be understood that other similar embodiments can be used or modifications and additions can be made to the described embodiments for performing the same, similar, alternative, or substitute function of the disclosed subject matter without deviating therefrom. Therefore, the disclosed subject matter should not be limited to any single embodiment described herein, but rather should be construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the appended claims below.

[00154] In particular regard to the various functions performed by the above described components or structures (assemblies, devices, circuits, systems, etc.), the terms (including a reference to a "means") used to describe such components are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any component or structure which performs the specified function of the described component (e.g., that is functionally equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs the function in the herein illustrated exemplary implementations. In addition, while a particular feature may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1 . An apparatus configured to be employed in a User Equipment (UE), comprising: a memory interface; and

processing circuitry configured to:

generate a UE capability information message that indicates that the UE supports uplink transmission via two or more subarrays;

process configuration signaling comprising an indicator that indicates that two or more beams are to be employed for a PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel); and

send the indicator to a memory via the memory interface.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the configuration signaling comprises first higher layer signaling.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first higher layer signaling comprises a first set of UE-specific RRC signaling.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to process a second set of UE-specific RRC signaling that indicates the two or more beams via indicating a best beam for each of the two or more subarrays.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the configuration signaling comprises a first DCI (Downlink Control Information) message.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the DCI message indicates at least one UE Tx (transmit) beam ID (Identifier) or at least one eNB (Evolved Node B) Rx (Receive) beam ID associated with a secondary subarray of the two or more subarrays.

7. The apparatus of any of claims 1 -6, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

process resource configuration signaling that indicates a set of resources for the PUCCH for a single beam; and

map the PUCCH to the set of resources for each of the two or more beams, wherein the resource configuration signaling comprises second higher layer signaling or a second DCI (Downlink Control Information) message.

8. The apparatus of any of claims 1 -6, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

map the PUCCH to a distinct set of resources for each of the two or more beams, wherein adjacent sets of resources of the distinct sets of resources are offset from one another in a frequency domain by a constant frequency offset,

wherein the constant frequency offset is predefined or is indicated via one of a MIB (Master Information Block), a SIB (System Information Block), dedicated RRC (Radio Resource Control) signaling, or a third DCI (Downlink Control Information) message.

9. The apparatus of any of claims 1 -6, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

process a fourth DCI (Downlink Control Information) message that indicates a distinct set of resources for the PUCCH for each of the two or more beams; and

map the PUCCH to the distinct set of resources for each of the two or more beams.

10. The apparatus of any of claims 1 -6, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

process third higher layer signaling that indicates an associated set of frequency resources for each AP (Antenna Port) of the two or more beams;

process a fifth DCI (Downlink Control Information) message comprising a resource allocation field that indicates an indicated PUCCH resource index of two or more PUCCH resource indices; and

map the PUCCH based at least in part on the indicated PUCCH resource index.

1 1 . The apparatus of any of claims 1 -6, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to map the PUCCH to a single symbol, wherein the PUCCH comprises independent HARQ (Hybrid ARQ (Automatic Repeat Request)) ACK

(Acknowledgement)/NACK (Negative Acknowledgement) feedback for more than one TB (Transport Block).

12. An apparatus configured to be employed in an Evolved NodeB (eNB), comprising:

a memory interface; and

processing circuitry configured to:

process a UE (User Equipment) capability information message that indicates that a UE supports uplink transmission via two or more subarrays; generate configuration signaling indicating to employ two or more beams for a PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel); and

send the UE capability information message to a memory via the memory interface.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the configuration signaling comprises a UE- specific RRC (Radio Resource Control) signaling.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the configuration signaling indicates a best beam for each of the two or more subarrays.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the configuration signaling comprises a first DCI (Downlink Control Information) message that indicates at least one UE Tx

(transmit) beam ID (Identifier) or at least one eNB (Evolved Node B) Rx (Receive) beam ID associated with a secondary subarray of the two or more subarrays.

16. The apparatus of any of claims 12-15, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to generate resource configuration signaling that indicates a single set of resources to be employed for PUCCH for each of the two or more beams.

17. The apparatus of any of claims 12-15, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to generate a second DCI (Downlink Control Information) message that indicates a distinct set of resources to be employed for PUCCH for each of the two or more beams.

18. The apparatus of any of claims 12-15, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to generate resource configuration signaling that indicates a constant frequency offset to be employed for mapping PUCCH to resources, wherein the resource configuration signaling comprises one of a MIB (Master Information Block), a SIB (System Information Block), dedicated RRC (Radio Resource Control) signaling, or a third DCI (Downlink Control Information) message.

19. The apparatus of any of claims 12-15, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to generate resource configuration signaling that indicates a distinct set of frequency resources to be employed for PUCCH for each AP (Antenna Port) of the two or more beams.

20. An apparatus configured to be employed in a User Equipment (UE), comprising: a memory interface; and

processing circuitry configured to:

generate HARQ (Hybrid ARQ (Automatic Repeat Request)) ACK

(Acknowledgement)/NACK (Negative Acknowledgement) feedback for two or more TBs (Transport Blocks);

map the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback for the two or more TBs to a

PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel) in a single symbol; and

send the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback to a memory via the memory interface.

21 . The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to multiplex the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback via FDM (Frequency Division Multiplexing).

22. The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to map the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback based on one of a localized transmission mode or a distributed transmission mode.

23. The apparatus of any of claims 21 -22, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to decode a DCI (Downlink Control Information) message that indicates a distinct PUCCH resource for each of the two or more TBs, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to map the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback for the two or more TBs to the distinct PUCCH resources for each of the two or more TBs.

24. The apparatus of any of claims 21 -22, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to decode a DCI (Downlink Control Information) message that indicates a DAI (Downlink Assignment Index) and a delay counter, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to map the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback for the two or more TBs based at least in part on one or more of the DAI or the delay counter.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to apply a cyclic shift to the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback, wherein the cyclic shift is based at least in part on the DAI.

26. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to multiplex the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback via one of CDM (Code Division

Multiplexing) or a combination of CDM and FDM (Frequency Division Multiplexing).

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the two or more TBs comprise more than four TBs, and wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to multiplex the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback via CDM.

28. An apparatus configured to be employed in an Evolved NodeB (eNB), comprising:

a memory interface; and

processing circuitry configured to:

decode PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel) from a single symbol of a subframe;

determine HARQ (Hybrid ARQ (Automatic Repeat Request)) ACK

(Acknowledgement)/NACK (Negative Acknowledgement) feedback for two or more TBs (Transport Blocks) from the PUCCH decoded from the single symbol; and

send the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback to a memory via the memory interface.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback is multiplexed one of CDM (Code Division Multiplexing), FDM (Frequency Division

Multiplexing), or a combination of CDM and FDM.

30. The apparatus of any of claims 28-29, wherein the HARQ ACK/NACK feedback for the two or more TBs is mapped to the single symbol based on one of a localized transmission mode or a distributed transmission mode.