WO2021051255A1

WO2021051255A1 - Packet duplication on single carrier

Info

Publication number: WO2021051255A1
Application number: PCT/CN2019/106086
Authority: WO
Inventors: Samuli Turtinen; Benoist Sebire; Chunli Wu
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co., Ltd.; Nokia Solutions And Networks Oy; Nokia Technologies Oy
Priority date: 2019-09-17
Filing date: 2019-09-17
Publication date: 2021-03-25
Also published as: CN114503765A

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to packet duplication on a single carrier. Some embodiments of a method for packet duplication may comprise receiving at least a protocol data unit (PDU) and a PDU duplicate from a first protocol layer through at least a first logical channel and a second logical channel, respectively. The method may further comprise selectively mapping, in response to a UL grant, one of at least the first logical channel and the second logical channel to the UL grant.

Description

PACKET DUPLICATION ON SINGLE CARRIER

TECHNICAL FIELD

Various exemplary embodiments generally relate to communication technologies, and more particularly, to methods and apparatuses supporting packet duplication on a single carrier.

BACKGROUND

Certain abbreviations that may be found in the description and/or in the figures are herewith defined as follows:

3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project

5G Fifth Generation Mobile Communication Technology

BSR Buffer State Report

CA Carrier Aggregation

DC Dual Connectivity

DL Downlink

DRB Data Radio Bearer

eMBB enhanced Mobile BroadBand

gNB (next) generation Node B

IMT International Mobile Telecommunication

ITU-R International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication

LCP Logical Channel Prioritization

LTE Long Term Evolution

MAC Medium Access Control

mMTC massive Machine Type Communication

NR New Radio

NR-U New Radio in Unlicensed Spectrum

PDCP Packet Data Convergence Protocol

PDU Protocol Data Unit

RB Radio Bearer

RLC Radio Link Control

RRC Radio Resource Control

SDU Service Data Unit

SR Scheduling Request

SRB Signaling Radio Bearer

UL Uplink

URLLC Ultra Reliable and Low Latency Communication

The ITU-R IMT for 2020 and Beyond has defined three typical usage scenarios for 5G: enhanced Mobile BroadBand (eMBB) , massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) and Ultra Reliable and Low Latency Communication (URLLC) . URLLC is a communication service with a radio latency less than 1 ms and a targeted reliability higher than 99.99%. It is expected that URLLC will play a significant role in a broad range of new applications such as Virtual Reality (VR) , Vehicle to Everything (V2X) , factory automation and electrical power distribution.

The 3GPP is responsible for development and standardization of 5G new radio (NR) taking in consideration of the above three typical usage scenarios. In order to provide higher capacity and capability, 5G NR is designed to support flexible bandwidths of up to 100 MHz in sub 6GHz spectrum and up to 400 MHz in the millimeter wave spectrum, which are much higher than the maximum bandwidth 20 MHz in 4G LTE. In addition, the 3GPP has approved a work item dubbed NR-U to extend 5G NR to the unlicensed spectrum and gain more spectral resources. Objectives of the work item include wideband operation (in integer multiples of 20 MHz) for DL and UL for NR-U supported with one or more serving cells.

SUMMARY

A brief summary of exemplary embodiments is provided below to provide basic understanding of some aspects of various embodiments. It should be noted that this summary is not intended to identify key features of essential elements or define scopes of the embodiments, and its sole purpose is to introduce some concepts in a simplified form as a preamble for more detailed description provided below.

In a first aspect, exemplary embodiments of a method for packet duplication are disclosed. The method may comprise receiving at least a protocol data unit (PDU) and a PDU duplicate from a first protocol layer through at least a first logical channel and a second logical channel, respectively, and in response to a UL grant, selectively mapping one of at least the first logical channel and the second logical channel to the UL grant. The step of selectively mapping may comprise mapping the first logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within a first sub-band set of a carrier that corresponds to the first logical channel, or mapping the second logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within a second sub-band set of the carrier that corresponds to the second logical channel.

In some exemplary embodiments, the step of selectively mapping one of at least the first logical channel and the second logical channel to the UL grant may further comprise mapping (a) a predetermined one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel, or (b) one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel specified in the UL grant, or (c) one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that corresponds to one of the first sub-band set or the second sub-band set which the UL grant spans more, or (d) one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that was not mapped to a last UL grant prior to the UL grant, to the UL grant when the UL grant spans the first sub-band set and the second sub-band set of the carrier.

In some exemplary embodiments, the method may further comprise transmitting on the UL grant the PDU or the PDU duplicate received through the mapped logical channel.

In some exemplary embodiments, the carrier is in an unlicensed spectrum.

For example, in some exemplary embodiments, the first sub-band set and the second sub-band set each comprises one or more sub-bands that have a respective bandwidth equal to a unit bandwidth by which clear channel assessment (CCA) is performed.

For example, in some exemplary embodiments, the method may further comprise performing the CCA on one or more sub-bands in the first sub-band set and the second sub-band set of the carrier that the UL grant spans.

In some exemplary embodiments, the carrier is in a licensed spectrum.

In some exemplary embodiments, the first sub-band set and the second sub-band set each comprises one or more sub-bands.

In some exemplary embodiments, the one or more sub-bands are adjacent to or spaced apart from each other.

In some exemplary embodiments, the first logical channel is a primary logical channel and the second logical channel is a secondary logical channel.

In some exemplary embodiments, the first logical channel and the second logical channel are associated with a same entity in a second protocol layer.

For example, in some exemplary embodiments, the first protocol layer is a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer or a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and the second protocol layer is a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer.

For example, in some exemplary embodiments, the method may further comprise applying a logical channel prioritization (LCP) rule in the MAC entity to selectively map the first logical channel or the second logical channel to the UL grant.

In some exemplary embodiments, the step of receiving may further comprise receiving at least one additional PDU duplicate from the first protocol layer through at least one additional logical channel. The step of selective mapping may further comprise mapping the at least one additional logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within at least one additional sub-band set of the carrier that corresponds to the at least one additional logical channel. The step of selective mapping may further comprise mapping one of the first logical channel, the second logical channel and the at least one additional logical channel that (a) is specified in the UL grant or that (b) corresponds to one of the first sub-band set, the second sub-band set and the at least one additional sub-band set which the UL grant spans more to the UL grant when the UL grant spans at least two of the first sub-band set, the second sub-band set and the at least one additional sub-band set of the carrier.

In a second aspect, exemplary embodiments of a method for data transmission are disclosed. The method may comprise receiving an uplink (UL) grant, and selectively transmitting on the UL grant a protocol data unit (PDU) received through one of at least a first logical channel and a second logical channel from a first protocol layer. The step of selectively transmitting may comprise transmitting on the UL grant the PDU received through the first logical channel when the UL grant is within a first sub-band set of a carrier that corresponds to the first logical channel, or transmitting on the UL grant the PDU received through the second logical channel when the UL grant is within a second sub-band set of the carrier that corresponds to the second logical channel.

In some exemplary embodiments, the step of selectively transmitting on the UL grant a PDU may further comprise transmitting on the UL grant (a) the PDU received through a predetermined one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel, or (b) the PDU received through one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel specified in the UL grant, or (c) the PDU received through one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that corresponds to one of the first sub-band set or the second sub-band set which the UL grant spans more, or (d) the PDU received through one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that was not used for a last UL grant prior to the UL grant, when the UL grant spans the first sub-band set and the second sub-band set of the carrier.

In some exemplary embodiments, the step of selective transmitting may further comprise transmitting on the UL grant the PDU received through an additional logical channel when the UL grant is within an additional sub-band set of the carrier that corresponds to the additional logical channel. The step of selective transmitting may further comprise transmitting one the UL grant the PDU received through one of the first logical channel, the second logical channel and the additional logical channel that (a) is specified in the UL grant or that (b) corresponds to one of the first sub-band set, the second sub-band set and the additional sub-band set of the carrier which the UL grant spans more when the UL grant spans at least two of the first sub-band set, the second sub-band set and the additional sub-band set of the carrier.

In a third aspect, exemplary embodiments of an apparatus are disclosed. The apparatus may comprise at least one processor, and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform the following acts. The acts comprise receiving at least a protocol data unit (PDU) and a PDU duplicate from a first protocol layer through at least a first logical channel and a second logical channel, respectively, and in response to a UL grant, selectively mapping one of at least the first logical channel and the second logical channel to the UL grant. The act of selectively mapping may further comprise mapping the first logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within a first sub-band set of a carrier that corresponds to the first logical channel, or mapping the second logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within a second sub-band set of the carrier that corresponds to the second logical channel.

In some exemplary embodiments, the act of selectively mapping may further comprise mapping (a) a predetermined one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel, or (b) one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel specified in the UL grant, or (c) one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that corresponds to one of the first sub-band set or the second sub-band set which the UL grant spans more, or (d) one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that was not mapped to a last UL grant prior to the UL grant, to the UL grant when the UL grant spans the first sub-band set and the second sub-band set of the carrier.

In some exemplary embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform an act of transmitting on the UL grant the PDU or the PDU duplicate received from the mapped logical channel.

In some exemplary embodiments, the carrier is in an unlicensed spectrum.

In some exemplary embodiments, the first sub-band set and the second sub-band set each may comprise one or more sub-bands that have a respective bandwidth equal to a unit bandwidth by which clear channel assessment (CCA) is performed.

In some exemplary embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform the act of performing the CCA on one or more sub-bands in the first sub-band set and the second sub-band set of the carrier that the UL grant spans.

In some exemplary embodiments, the carrier is in a licensed spectrum.

For example, in some exemplary embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform the act of applying a logical channel prioritization (LCP) rule in the MAC entity to selectively map the first logical channel or the second logical channel to the UL grant.

In some exemplary embodiments, the act of receiving may further comprise receiving at least one additional PDU duplicate from the first protocol layer through at least one additional logical channel. The act of selective mapping may further comprise mapping the at least one additional logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within at least one additional sub-band set of the carrier that corresponds to the at least one additional logical channel, or mapping one of the first logical channel, the second logical channel and the at least one additional logical channel that (a) is specified in the UL grant or that (b) corresponds to one of the first sub-band set, the second sub-band set and the at least one additional sub-band set which the UL grant spans more to the UL grant when the UL grant spans at least two of the first sub-band set, the second sub-band set and the at least one additional sub-band set of the carrier.

In a fourth aspect, exemplary embodiments of an apparatus are disclosed. The apparatus may comprise at least one processor, and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform the following acts. The acts comprise receiving an uplink (UL) grant, and selectively transmitting on the UL grant a protocol data unit (PDU) received through one of at least a first logical channel and a second logical channel from a first protocol layer. The act of selectively transmitting further comprises transmitting on the UL grant the PDU received through the first logical channel when the UL grant is within a first sub-band set of a carrier that corresponds to the first logical channel, or transmitting on the UL grant the PDU received through the second logical channel when the UL grant is within a second sub-band set of the carrier that corresponds to the second logical channel.

In some exemplary embodiments, the act of selectively transmitting may further comprise transmitting on the UL grant (a) the PDU received through a predetermined one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel, or (b) the PDU received through one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel specified in the UL grant, or (c) the PDU received through one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that corresponds to one of the first sub-band set or the second sub-band set which the UL grant spans more, or (d) the PDU received through one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that was not used for a last UL grant prior to the UL grant, when the UL grant spans the first sub-band set and the second sub-band set of the carrier.

In some exemplary embodiments, the act of selective transmitting may further comprise transmitting on the UL grant the PDU received through an additional logical channel when the UL grant is within an additional sub-band set of the carrier that corresponds to the additional logical channel, or transmitting one the UL grant the PDU received through one of the first logical channel, the second logical channel and the additional logical channel that (a) is specified in the UL grant or that (b) corresponds to one of the first sub-band set, the second sub-band set and the additional sub-band set of the carrier which the UL grant spans more when the UL grant spans at least two of the first sub-band set, the second sub-band set and the additional sub-band set of the carrier.

In a fifth aspect, exemplary embodiments of an apparatus are disclosed. The apparatus may comprise a Medium Access Control (MAC) entity that is in communication with at least a first Radio Link Control (RLC) entity through a first logical channel and a second RLC entity through a second logical channel. The first RLC entity and the second RLC entity are configured to receiving Protocol Data Unit (PDU) duplicates from a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity. The MAC entity is configured to, in response to a UL grant, selectively map one of at least the first logical channel and the second logical channel to the UL grant.

In some exemplary embodiments, the MAC entity is configured to, in response to the UL grant, performing the following acts. The acts include mapping the first logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within a first sub-band set of a carrier that corresponds to the first logical channel, mapping the second logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within a second sub-band set of the carrier that corresponds to the second logical channel, and mapping (a) a predetermined one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel, (b) one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel specified in the UL grant, (c) one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that corresponds to one of the first sub-band set or the second sub-band set which the UL grant spans more, or (d) one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that was not mapped to a last UL grant prior to the UL grant to the UL grant when the UL grant spans the first sub-band set and the second sub-band set of the carrier.

In a sixth aspect, exemplary embodiments of an apparatus are discloses. The apparatus may comprise a Medium Access Control (MAC) entity that is in communication with at least a first Radio Link Control (RLC) entity through a first logical channel and a second RLC entity through a second logical channel. The first RLC entity and the second RLC entity are configured to receiving Protocol Data Unit (PDU) duplicates from a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity. The apparatus is configured to, in response to receiving a UL grant, selectively transmit on the UL grant one of the PDU duplicates received through the first logical channel or the second logical channel.

In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus is configured to, in response to receiving the UL grant, perform the following acts. The acts include transmit on the UL grant the PDU duplicate received through the first logical channel when the UL grant is within a first sub-band set of a carrier that corresponds to the first logical channel, transmit on the UL grant the PDU duplicate received through the second logical channel when the UL grant is within a second sub-band set of the carrier that corresponds to the second logical channel, and transmit on the UL grant (a) the PDU duplicate received through a predetermined one of the first logical channel and the second logical channel, (b) the PDU duplicate received through one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel specified in the UL grant, (c) the PDU duplicate received through one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that corresponds to one of the first sub-band set or the second sub-band set which the UL grant spans more, or (d) the PDU duplicate received through one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that was not used for a last UL grant prior to the UL grant when the UL grant spans the first sub-band set and the second sub-band set of the carrier.

In a seventh aspect, exemplary embodiments of a computer program are disclosed. The computer program comprises instructions, and the instructions, when executed by at least one processor of an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform any one of the above-mentioned methods.

In an eighth aspect, exemplary embodiments of a computer readable medium are disclosed. The computer readable medium has instructions stored thereon. The instructions, when executed by at least one processor of an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform any one of the above-mentioned methods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic protocol stack at an apparatus that supports packet duplication in accordance with some exemplary embodiments;

Fig. 2 illustrates a flowchart of a method for packet duplication in accordance with some exemplary embodiments;

Figs. 3A-3B illustrate examples of UL grants received on the serving carrier.

Fig. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method for data transmission in accordance with some exemplary embodiments.

Fig. 5 illustrates a schematic block diagram of an apparatus in accordance with some exemplary embodiments.

Throughout the drawings, same or similar reference numbers indicate same or similar elements. A repetitive description on the same elements would be omitted.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Packet duplication was introduced in NR Rel-15 to improve reliability and latency of data (including signaling) transmission. When duplication is configured for a radio bearer, each PDCP PDU of the radio bearer will be submitted twice: once to a primary RLC entity and a second time to a secondary RLC entity. The PDCP PDU duplicates will be transmitted through two different logical channels to a same MAC entity (referred to as CA duplication) or to different MAC entities (referred to as DC duplication) and then transmitted by physical layers serving different cells.

With transmission on two cells/carriers, packet duplication therefore increases reliability and reduces latency and is especially beneficial for URLLC services. In some cases, however, one of the two carriers may become overloaded or have bad quality. Then packet duplication may still be considered on the same carrier to enhance the reliability and latency. While the current Rel-15 packet duplication concept can be applied in CA and DC scenarios where PDCP PDU duplicates are transmitted on different cells/carriers, there is currently no solution on how to use packet duplication on one single wideband carrier that does not consist of multiple carriers/cells based on which the duplication could be enforced. Especially, there is no solution on how to implement packet duplication on a single carrier in the unlicensed spectrum.

Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods, apparatus, computer program and computer readable medium for packet duplication on a single carrier/cell.

Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic protocol stack at an apparatus that supports packet duplication in accordance with some exemplary embodiments. The apparatus 100 shown in Fig. 1 may be a UE that is in wireless communication with a gNB or with other network devices through the gNB. Examples of the UE to which teachings herein may be applicable may include but not limited to mobile phones, tablets, laptops, IoT devices, wearable electronics, customer premises equipment (CPE) , wireless-connected vehicles, wireless relays, and/or a wide variety of other communication devices. In addition, the UE may include not only currently available communication devices, but also subsequently developed communication devices that operate in a cellular network.

The protocol stack for packet duplication may be a layer two protocol stack that includes a PDCP layer, a RLC layer and a MAC layer. Fig. 1 shows that the apparatus 100 is configured with a PDCP entity 110, two

RLC entities

120a and 120b, and a MAC entity 130. At the PDCP entity 110, a PDCP SDU, which may be a data packet from a DRB or a SRB, may be processed to obtain two PDCP PDUs that are the same to each other. In some embodiments, the two identical PDUs may also be referred to as PDU duplicates, (original) PDU and PDU duplicate, or primary PDU and secondary PDU.

As shown in Fig. 1, the two identical PDCP PDUs may be transmitted to two

different RLC entities

120a, 120b and further transmitted through two different logical channels LCH1, LCH2 to the same MAC entity 130. In some embodiments, the two RLC entities may be referred to as primary RLC entity and secondary RLC entity, and the two corresponding logical channels may be referred to as primary logical channel and secondary logical channel. Then, the two PDUs from the two different logical channels LCH1, LCH2 may be transmitted on the same carrier, which will be described in more detail later.

In some embodiment, although not shown in Fig. 1, the apparatus 100 may also be configured with more than two RLC entities. For example, the apparatus 100 may further have a third RLC entity associated with the PDCP entity 110 and the MAC entity 130. The PDCP entity may make three PDU duplicates and send them to the first, second and third RLC entities and then to the MAC entity 130 through the first, second and third logical channels, respectively. In some embodiments, the first logical channel may be referred to as a primary logical channel, the second logical channel may be referred to as a first secondary logical channel, and the third logical channel may be referred to as a second secondary logical channel. In some embodiments, of course, the apparatus 100 may further have more secondary logical channels.

Fig. 2 illustrates a flowchart of a method for packet duplication according to some exemplary embodiments. In some embodiments, the method shown in Fig. 2 may be implemented at the apparatus 100 that operates on a single carrier and is configured with packet duplication. For better understanding, thus, Fig. 2 may be read in conjunction with the protocol stack shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 2, the method 200 for packet duplication may begin with a step 210 of receiving at least a PDU and a PDU duplicate from a first protocol layer through at least a first logical channel and a second logical channel, respectively. In some embodiments, with reference to Fig. 1, at the step 210 the MAC entity 130 receives the PDU and the PDU duplicate through the primary logical channel LCH1 and the secondary logical channel LCH2 from the

RLC entities

120a, 120b (the RLC layer) , respectively, or from the PDCP entity 110 (the PDCP layer) indirectly.

Next at a step 220, in response to a UL grant, one of at least the first logical channel and the second logical channel may be selectively mapped to the UL grant. The apparatus 100 may receive the UL grant from the network on a downlink physical channel, for instance, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) . The UL grant may contain information of a resource the network grants to the apparatus 100 to transmit data on the uplink. In some embodiments, the network may issue the UL grant when it receives a scheduling request (SR) or a buffer state report (BSR) from the apparatus 100 indicating that the apparatus 100 has data to be transmitted on the uplink. In some embodiments, the network may issue the UL grant when it receives a random access request (MSG1) from the apparatus 100. In some embodiments, the network may issue the UL grant for the apparatus 100 based on semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) . In some embodiments, the network may issue the UL grant for the apparatus 100 without any prior action by the apparatus 100.

The resource indicated by the UL grant may be positioned anywhere on the carrier serving the cell on which the apparatus 100 is camped. In some embodiments, in the step 220, the first logical channel LCH1 or the second logical channel LCH2 may be selectively mapped to the UL grant depending on position of the UL grant on the carrier. Figs. 3A-3B show some examples of the UL grant. Referring to Fig. 3A, the carrier 10 may have a first sub-band set 11 including sub-bands 1-3 and a second sub-band set 12 including sub-bands 4-6. In some embodiments, each of the first sub-band set 11 and the second sub-band set 12 may include more or less sub-bands, but at least one sub-band. The number of sub-bands included in one sub-band set may be equal to or different from the number of sub-bands included in the other sub-band set. For example, in some embodiments, the first sub-band set 11 may include the sub-bands 1-2, and the second sub-band set 12 may include the sub-bands 3-6.

A bandwidth of each sub-band may be arbitrarily defined, and a total number of the sub-bands may be determined according to a bandwidth of the carrier 10. In some embodiments, when the carrier 10 is in an unlicensed spectrum, each sub-band may have a bandwidth equal to a unit bandwidth by which clear channel assessment (CCA) is performed, which will benefit the CCA operation described later. For example, each sub-band may have a bandwidth of 20 MHz. Of course, the sub-bands may have a greater and smaller bandwidth in some embodiments.

The first sub-band set 11 and the second sub-band set 12 may correspond to the first logical channel LCH1 and the second logical channel LCH2, respectively. Although not shown in Figs. 3A-3B, the carrier 10 may include more sub-band sets corresponding more logical channels of the apparatus 100 as described above. Fig. 3A shows two examples of the UL grant, i.e., a first UL grant Grant1 within the first sub-band set 11 and a second UL grant Grant2 within the second sub-band set 12. The first UL grant Grant1 spans the sub-bands 2-3 in the first sub-band set 11, and the second UL grant Grant2 spans a portion of the sub-band 5 in the second sub-band set 12. In response to the first UL grant Grant1 within the first sub-band set 11, at the step 220, the first logical channel LCH1 may be selectively mapped to the first UL grant Grant1. It means that the PDU received through the first logical channel LCH1 would be transmitted on the resource indicated in the first UL grant Grant1. In response to the second UL grant Grant2 within the second sub-band set 12, at the step 220, the second logical channel LCH2 may be selectively mapped to the second UL grant Grant2. It means that the PDU received through the second logical channel LCH2 would be transmitted on the resource indicated in the second UL grant Grant2.

Fig. 3B shows some other examples of the UL grant. In the embodiments shown in Fig. 3B, the sub-bands 1-3 in the first sub-band set 11 are spaced apart from each other, not like in Fig. 3A where they are adjacent to each other. The sub-bands 4-6 in the second sub-band set 12 are also spaced apart from each other, not like in Fig. 3A where they are adjacent to each other. A third UL grant Grant3 may span the

sub-bands

2, 4, and a fourth UL grant Grant4 may span the

sub-bands

3, 5, 6. As seen, each of the third and fourth UL grant Grant3, Grant4 spans both the first sub-band set 11 corresponding to the first logical channel LCH1 and the second sub-band set 12 corresponding to the second logical channel LCH2. In some embodiments, the UL grant may span more than two sub-band sets of the carrier 10.

In some embodiments, at the step 220, when the UL grant is large and spans both the first sub-band set 11 and the second sub-band set 12 of the carrier 10, a predetermined one of the first (primary) logical channel LCH1 and the second (secondary) logical channel LCH2 may be mapped to the UL grant. For example, the first (primary) logical channel LCH1 or the second (secondary) logical channel LCH2 may be mapped to both Grant3 and Grant4 as shown in Fig. 3B. Or in some embodiments, the network may configure the apparatus 100 which one of the first and the second logical channels LCH1 and LCH2, respectively, the apparatus 100 should map to the UL grant. For example, the network may specify in the UL grant for the apparatus 100 which one of the first and the second logical channels LCH1 and LCH2 should be mapped to the UL grant.

In some other embodiments, at the step 220, when the UL grant is large and spans both the first sub-band set 11 and the second sub-band set 12 of the carrier 10, one of the first logical channel LCH1 or the second logical channel LCH2 that corresponds to one of the first sub-band set 11 or the second sub-band set 12 which the UL grant spans more would be mapped to the UL grant. For example, Grant3 spans the first sub-band set 11 more than the second sub-band set 12, so the first logical channel LCH1 would be mapped to Grant3. On the other hand, Grant4 spans the second sub-band set 12 more than the first sub-band set 11, so the second logical channel LCH2 would be mapped to Grant4.

In some other embodiments, at the step 220, when the UL grant is large and spans both the first sub-band set 11 and the second sub-band set 12 of the carrier 10, one of the first logical channel LCH1 or the second logical channel LCH2 that was not mapped to a last UL grant prior to the current UL grant would be mapped to the current UL grant. For example, if the second logical channel LCH2 is mapped to Grant4 and the next UL grant Grant5 (not shown) following Grant4 also spans both the first sub-band set 11 and the second sub-band set 12, the first logical channel LCH1 would be mapped to Grant5 even if Grant5 spans the second sub-band set 12 more than the first sub-band set 11.

In some embodiments, selective mapping of the first logical channel LCH1 or the second logical channel LCH2 as described above may be implemented by applying restrictions such as logical channel prioritization (LCP) rules in the MAC entity 130. The LCP rules may be configured by the network through RRC signaling and adjusted dynamically via MAC signaling. The LCP rules may allocate a priority for each logical channel so that data from the logical channels (MAC SDUs) may be selectively multiplexed, based on their priorities, into a MAC PDU for transmission on the UL grant.

In some embodiments, the carrier 10 may include more than two (e.g., three, four or more) sub-band sets corresponding to more than two (e.g., three, four or more) logical channels of the apparatus 100, as discussed above. In such a case, if the UL grant is within one of the more than two sub-band sets of the carrier 10, a corresponding one of the more than two logical channels of the apparatus 100 may be mapped to the UL grant. If the UL grant spans two or more sub-band sets of the carrier 10, the network may specify in the UL grant which logical channel shall be mapped to the UL grant, or one of the more than two logical channels corresponding to one of the two or more sub-band sets the UL grant spans more will be mapped to the UL grant.

In some embodiments, when the carrier 10 on which the apparatus 100 operates is in the unlicensed spectrum, the method 200 may further comprise, before transmitting data on the UL grant, performing clear channel assessment (CCA) to determine if the resource indicated in the UL grant is available. This is also referred to as the listen-before-talk (LBT) mechanism, and it may be used to make sure that NR-U and WiFi can share the same spectral resources without collisions therebetween. The CCA may be performed in units of, for example, 20 MHz. When the sub-bands of the carrier 10 has a bandwidth equal to the unit bandwidth for the CCA, the CCA could be efficiently performed on the sub-bands that the UL grant spans, i.e., every CCA for one sub-band. For example, referring to Figs. 3A-3B, the CCA should be performed on the

sub-bands

2 and 3 for Grant1, on the sub-band 5 for Grant2, on the

sub-bands

2 and 4 for Grant3, and on the sub-bands 3, 5, and 6 for Grant 4. The CCA may be performed by carrier sensing or energy detection. Carrier sensing is to measure strength of a received WiFi signal. If the signal strength is above a certain level, the channel is considered busy. The energy detection is to measure a total energy of the received signal, regardless of if it is a valid WiFi signal or not. If the received energy is above a certain level, the channel is considered busy. It could be understood that when the carrier 10 is in the licensed spectrum, the CCA procedure may be omitted.

Referring back to Fig. 2, then at a step 230, the PDU from the logical channel mapped to the UL grant may be transmitted on the UL grant.

In the above embodiments, although the PDU duplicates are transmitted on the same carrier, reliability and latency of the data transmission can also be improved. This is because the PDU duplicates are transmitted on different sub-band sets, and thus the possibility of successful transmission would be twice higher than that the PDU duplicates are transmitted on one sub-band set. As the different sub-channels are likely to have different performance due to different loads, it also provides frequency diversity even within the same carrier.

In the above embodiments discussed with reference to Figs. 1-3B, the mapping step 220 and the transmitting step 230 are described as two steps. In some other embodiments, however, the mapping step 220 and the transmitting step 230 may also be within one step. Fig. 4 shows such an embodiment.

Fig. 4 shows a flowchart of a method for data transmission in accordance with some exemplary embodiments. The method 400 may be implemented by the apparatus 100 shown in Fig. 1 to transmit data on the uplink. Referring to Fig. 4, the method 400 may begin with a step 410 of receiving a UL grant. The UL grant may contain information indicating resources allocated by the network to the apparatus 100 to transmit data on the uplink. The UL grant may correspond to examples as discussed above with reference to Figs. 3A-3B, and a repetitive description thereof will be omitted here.

Then, at a step 420, a protocol data unit (PDU) received through one of at least a first logical channel and a second logical channel from a first protocol layer may be selectively transmitted on the UL grant. As discussed above with reference to Fig. 1, the PDU may be received through the primary and secondary logical channels LCH1, LCH2 from the RLC layer, or indirectly from the PDCP layer.

In some embodiments, when the UL grant is within the first sub-band set 11 of the carrier 10, like Grant1 in Fig. 3A, the PDU received through the primary logical channel LCH1 corresponding to the first sub-band set 11 would be selectively transmitted on the UL grant.

In some embodiments, when the UL grant is within the second sub-band set 12 of the carrier 10, like Grant2 in Fig. 3A, the PDU received through the secondary logical channel LCH2 corresponding to the second sub-band set 12 would be selectively transmitted on the UL grant.

In some embodiments, the UL grant may span both the first sub-band set 11 and the second sub-band set 12 of the carrier 10, like Grant3 and Grang4 in Fig. 3B. In such a case, the PDU received through a predetermined one of the primary logical channel LCH1 and the secondary logical channel LCH2 may be transmitted on the UL grant. For example, the primary logical channel LCH1 or the secondary logical channel LCH2 may be transmitted on both the UL grants Grant3 and Grant4. In some embodiments, the network may configure the apparatus 100 which one of the first and the second logical channels LCH1 and LCH2, respectively, the apparatus 100 should transmit on the UL grant. For example, the network may specify in the UL grant for the apparatus 100 which one of the first and the second logical channels LCH1 and LCH2 should be transmitted on the UL grant. In some embodiments, alternatively, the PDU received through one of the primary and secondary logical channel LCH1, LCH2 that corresponds to one of the first and second sub-band sets which the UL grant spans more or that was not used for a last UL grant prior to the current UL grant, may be transmitted on the UL grant.

In some embodiments, the carrier 10 may include more than two (e.g., three, four or more) sub-band sets corresponding to more than two (e.g., three, four or more) logical channels of the apparatus 100, as discussed above. In such a case, if the UL grant is within one of the more than two sub-band sets of the carrier 10, a corresponding one of the more than two logical channels of the apparatus 100 may be transmitted on the UL grant. If the UL grant spans two or more sub-band sets of the carrier 10, the network may specify in the UL grant which logical channel shall be transmitted on the UL grant, or one of the more than two logical channels corresponding to one of the two or more sub-band sets the UL grant spans more will be transmitted on the UL grant.

Here, selectively transmitting a protocol data unit (PDU) received through a first logical channel or a second logical channel may include a step of selectively multiplexing, based on LCP rules applied in the MAC entity, the PDU from the first or second logical channel (MAC SDU) into for example a MAC PDU for transmission on the UL grant.

Fig. 5 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a communication device 500 which is applicable to implement exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to Fig. 5, the communication device 500 may include one or more processors 510 and one or more memories 520. In some embodiments, the processor 510 and the memory 520 may be included in a baseband circuitry 540 of the communication device 500. The baseband circuitry 540 may communicate with a transceiver (TX/RX) 550 that is connected to an antenna 560 so that the baseband circuitry 540 may transmit or receive radio signal through the antenna 560. The TX/RX 550 may include at least one diplexer (not shown) to enable the bidirectional communication.

The at least one processor 510 may be of any appropriate type that is suitable for the local technical network, and may include one or more of general purpose processors, special purpose processor, microprocessors, a digital signal processor (DSP) , one or more processors in a processor based multi-core processor architecture, as well as dedicated processors such as those developed based on Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) .

The at least one memory 520 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as a volatile memory and/or a non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may include but not limited to for example a random access memory (RAM) or a cache. The non-volatile memory may include but not limited to for example a read only memory (ROM) , a hard disk, a flash memory, and the like. Further, the at least one memory 520 may include but not limited to an electric, a magnetic, an optical, an electromagnetic, an infrared, or a semiconductor system, apparatus, or device or any combination of the above.

The at least one memory 520 stores at least a portion of computer program code 530. The computer program code 530, when being executed by the processor 510, may enable the communication device 500 to operate according to embodiments of the present disclosure as described above with reference to Figs. 1-4. The various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 510 of the communication device 500, by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

Although two RLC entities and corresponding logical channels are described in the above embodiments with reference to Figs. 1-5, it would be understood that the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the apparatus 100 may also be configured with more than two RLC entities and corresponding logical channels. For example, the apparatus 100 of Fig. 1 may further have a third RLC entity and a corresponding third logical channel for communication between the third RLC entity and the MAC entity 130. The PDCP entity 110 may make three PDU duplicates and send them to the first, second and third RLC entities and then to the MAC entity 130 through the first, second and third logical channels, respectively. The single carrier 10 of Figs. 3A-3B may further contain a third sub-band set including one or more sub-bands adjacent to or separated from each other corresponding to the third logical channel. Thus, the three PDU duplicates from the three logical channels may be selectively mapped to a UL grant or transmitted on the UL grant. Such variants and modifications of the disclosed example embodiments as well as other example embodiments are also included within the scope of the appended claims.

Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a processor, a controller, a microprocessor, a microcontroller or other computing devices. While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representation, it will be appreciated that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof. Examples of hardware components that are applicable to implement embodiments of the present disclosure include, but not limited to, Field-programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) , Application-specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) , Application-specific Standard Products (ASSPs) , System-on-a-chip systems (SOCs) , Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs) , and the like.

For example, embodiments of the present disclosure can be described in the general context of machine-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, or the like that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

Program code for carrying out methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program codes, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions/operations specified in the flowcharts and/or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may execute entirely on a machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

In the context of this disclosure, a machine readable medium may be any tangible medium that may contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine readable medium may be a machine readable signal medium or a machine readable storage medium. A machine readable medium may include but is not limited to an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the machine readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM) , a read-only memory (ROM) , an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory) , an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) , an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

Further, while operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiting that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, while several specific implementation details are contained in the above discussions, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in a plurality of embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

Although the subject matter has been described in a language that is specific to structural features and/or method actions, it is to be understood the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not limited to the specific features or actions described above. On the contrary, the above-described specific features and actions are disclosed as an example of implementing the claims.

Claims

A method for packet duplication comprising:

receiving at least a protocol data unit (PDU) and a PDU duplicate from a first protocol layer through at least a first logical channel and a second logical channel, respectively; and

in response to a UL grant, selectively mapping one of at least the first logical channel and the second logical channel to the UL grant, comprising:

mapping the first logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within a first sub-band set of a carrier that corresponds to the first logical channel; or

mapping the second logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within a second sub-band set of the carrier that corresponds to the second logical channel.
The method of claim 1 wherein selectively mapping one of at least the first logical channel and the second logical channel to the UL grant further comprises, when the UL grant spans the first sub-band set and the second sub-band set of the carrier:

mapping a predetermined one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel to the UL grant; or

mapping one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel specified in the UL grant to the UL grant; or

mapping one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that corresponds to one of the first sub-band set or the second sub-band set which the UL grant spans more to the UL grant; or

mapping one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that was not mapped to a last UL grant prior to the UL grant to the UL grant.
The method of any one of claims 1-2 further comprising:

transmitting on the UL grant the PDU or the PDU duplicate received through the mapped logical channel.
The method of any one of claims 1-2 wherein the carrier is in an unlicensed spectrum.
The method of claim 4 wherein the first sub-band set and the second sub-band set each comprises one or more sub-bands that have a respective bandwidth equal to a unit bandwidth by which clear channel assessment (CCA) is performed.
The method of claim 5 further comprising:

performing the CCA on one or more sub-bands in the first sub-band set and the second sub-band set of the carrier that the UL grant spans.
The method of any one of claims 1-2 wherein the carrier is in a licensed spectrum.
The method of any one of claims 1-2 wherein the first sub-band set and the second sub-band set each comprises one or more sub-bands.
The method of claim 8 wherein the one or more sub-bands are adjacent to or spaced apart from each other.
The method of any one of claims 1-2 wherein the first logical channel is a primary logical channel and the second logical channel is a secondary logical channel.
The method of any one of claims 1-2 wherein the first logical channel and the second logical channel are associated with a same entity in a second protocol layer.
The method of claim 11 wherein the first protocol layer is a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer or a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and the second protocol layer is a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer.
The method of claim 12 further comprising:

applying a logical channel prioritization (LCP) rule in the MAC entity to selectively map the first logical channel or the second logical channel to the UL grant.
The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving further comprises receiving at least one additional PDU duplicate from the first protocol layer through at least one additional logical channel, and the selective mapping further comprises:

mapping the at least one additional logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within at least one additional sub-band set of the carrier that corresponds to the at least one additional logical channel, or

mapping one of the first logical channel, the second logical channel and the at least one additional logical channel that (a) is specified in the UL grant or that (b) corresponds to one of the first sub-band set, the second sub-band set and the at least one additional sub-band set which the UL grant spans more to the UL grant when the UL grant spans at least two of the first sub-band set, the second sub-band set and the at least one additional sub-band set of the carrier.
A method for data transmission comprising:

receiving an uplink (UL) grant; and

selectively transmitting on the UL grant a protocol data unit (PDU) received through one of at least a first logical channel and a second logical channel from a first protocol layer, comprising:

transmitting on the UL grant the PDU received through the first logical channel when the UL grant is within a first sub-band set of a carrier that corresponds to the first logical channel; or

transmitting on the UL grant the PDU received through the second logical channel when the UL grant is within a second sub-band set of the carrier that corresponds to the second logical channel.
The method of claim 15 wherein selectively transmitting on the UL grant a PDU further comprises, when the UL grant spans the first sub-band set and the second sub-band set of the carrier:

transmitting on the UL grant the PDU received through a predetermined one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel; or

transmitting on the UL grant the PDU received through one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel specified in the UL grant;

transmitting on the UL grant the PDU received through one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that corresponds to one of the first sub-band set or the second sub-band set which the UL grant spans more; or

transmitting on the UL grant the PDU received through one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that was not used for a last UL grant prior to the UL grant.
The method of claim 15 wherein selectively transmitting on the UL grant a PDU further comprises:

transmitting on the UL grant the PDU received through an additional logical channel when the UL grant is within an additional sub-band set of the carrier that corresponds to the additional logical channel, or

transmitting one the UL grant the PDU received through one of the first logical channel, the second logical channel and the additional logical channel that (a) is specified in the UL grant or that (b) corresponds to one of the first sub-band set, the second sub-band set and the additional sub-band set of the carrier which the UL grant spans more when the UL grant spans at least two of the first sub-band set, the second sub-band set and the additional sub-band set of the carrier.
An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform:

receiving at least a protocol data unit (PDU) and a PDU duplicate from a first protocol layer through at least a first logical channel and a second logical channel, respectively; and

in response to a UL grant, selectively mapping one of at least the first logical channel and the second logical channel to the UL grant, comprising:

mapping the first logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within a first sub-band set of a carrier that corresponds to the first logical channel; or

mapping the second logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within a second sub-band set of the carrier that corresponds to the second logical channel.
The apparatus of claim 18 wherein selectively mapping one of at least the first logical channel and the second logical channel to the UL grant further comprises, when the UL grant spans the first sub-band set and the second sub-band set of the carrier:

mapping a predetermined one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel to the UL grant; or

mapping one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel specified in the UL grant to the UL grant; or

mapping one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that corresponds to one of the first sub-band set or the second sub-band set which the UL grant spans more to the UL grant; or

mapping one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that was not mapped to a last UL grant prior to the UL grant to the UL grant.
The apparatus of any one of claims 18-19 wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform:

transmitting on the UL grant the PDU or the PDU duplicate received from the mapped logical channel.
The apparatus of any one of claims 18-19 wherein the carrier is in an unlicensed spectrum.
The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the first sub-band set and the second sub-band set each comprises one or more sub-bands that have a respective bandwidth equal to a unit bandwidth by which clear channel assessment (CCA) is performed.
The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform:

performing the CCA on one or more sub-bands in the first sub-band set and the second sub-band set of the carrier that the UL grant spans.
The apparatus of any one of claims 18-19 wherein the carrier is in a licensed spectrum.
The apparatus of any one of claims 18-19 wherein the first sub-band set and the second sub-band set each comprises one or more sub-bands.
The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the one or more sub-bands are adjacent to or spaced apart from each other.
The apparatus of any one of claims 18-19 wherein the first logical channel is a primary logical channel and the second logical channel is a secondary logical channel.
The apparatus of any one of claims 18-19 wherein the first logical channel and the second logical channel are associated with a same entity in a second protocol layer.
The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the first protocol layer is a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer or a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and the second protocol layer is a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer.
The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform:

applying a logical channel prioritization (LCP) rule in the MAC entity to selectively map the first logical channel or the second logical channel to the UL grant.
The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the receiving further comprises receiving at least one additional PDU duplicate from the first protocol layer through at least one additional logical channel, and the selective mapping further comprises:

mapping the at least one additional logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within at least one additional sub-band set of the carrier that corresponds to the at least one additional logical channel, or

mapping one of the first logical channel, the second logical channel and the at least one additional logical channel that (a) is specified in the UL grant or that (b) corresponds to one of the first sub-band set, the second sub-band set and the at least one additional sub-band set which the UL grant spans more to the UL grant when the UL grant spans at least two of the first sub-band set, the second sub-band set and the at least one additional sub-band set of the carrier.
An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform:

receiving an uplink (UL) grant; and

selectively transmitting on the UL grant a protocol data unit (PDU) received through one of at least a first logical channel and a second logical channel from a first protocol layer, comprising:

transmitting on the UL grant the PDU received through the first logical channel when the UL grant is within a first sub-band set of a carrier that corresponds to the first logical channel; or

transmitting on the UL grant the PDU received through the second logical channel when the UL grant is within a second sub-band set of the carrier that corresponds to the second logical channel.
The apparatus of claim 32 wherein selectively transmitting on the UL grant a PDU further comprises, when the UL grant spans the first sub-band set and the second sub-band set of the carrier:

transmitting on the UL grant the PDU received through a predetermined one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel; or

transmitting on the UL grant the PDU received through one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel specified in the UL grant; or

transmitting on the UL grant the PDU received through one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that corresponds to one of the first sub-band set or the second sub-band set which the UL grant spans more; or

transmitting on the UL grant the PDU received through one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that was not used for a last UL grant prior to the UL grant.
The apparatus of claim 32 wherein selectively transmitting on the UL grant a PDU further comprises:

transmitting on the UL grant the PDU received through an additional logical channel when the UL grant is within an additional sub-band set of the carrier that corresponds to the additional logical channel, or

transmitting one the UL grant the PDU received through one of the first logical channel, the second logical channel and the additional logical channel that (a) is specified in the UL grant or that (b) corresponds to one of the first sub-band set, the second sub-band set and the additional sub-band set of the carrier which the UL grant spans more when the UL grant spans at least two of the first sub-band set, the second sub-band set and the additional sub-band set of the carrier.
An apparatus comprising a Medium Access Control (MAC) entity in communication with at least a first Radio Link Control (RLC) entity through a first logical channel and a second RLC entity through a second logical channel, the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity being configured to receiving Protocol Data Unit (PDU) duplicates from a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity, the MAC entity being configured to, in response to a UL grant, selectively map one of at least the first logical channel and the second logical channel to the UL grant.
The apparatus of claim 35 wherein the MAC entity is configured to, in response to the UL grant:

map the first logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within a first sub-band set of a carrier that corresponds to the first logical channel;

map the second logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within a second sub-band set of the carrier that corresponds to the second logical channel; and

map (a) a predetermined one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel, (b) one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel specified in the UL grant, (c) one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that corresponds to one of the first sub-band set or the second sub-band set which the UL grant spans more, or (d) one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that was not mapped to a last UL grant prior to the UL grant to the UL grant when the UL grant spans the first sub-band set and the second sub-band set of the carrier.
An apparatus comprising a Medium Access Control (MAC) entity in communication with at least a first Radio Link Control (RLC) entity through a first logical channel and a second RLC entity through a second logical channel, the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity being configured to receiving Protocol Data Unit (PDU) duplicates from a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity, the apparatus being configured to, in response to receiving a UL grant, selectively transmit on the UL grant one of the PDU duplicates received from through the first logical channel or the second logical channel.
The apparatus of claim 37 wherein the apparatus is configured to, in response to receiving the UL grant:

transmit on the UL grant the PDU duplicate received through the first logical channel when the UL grant is within a first sub-band set of a carrier that corresponds to the first logical channel;

transmit on the UL grant the PDU duplicate received through the second logical channel when the UL grant is within a second sub-band set of the carrier that corresponds to the second logical channel; and

transmit on the UL grant (a) the PDU duplicate received through a predetermined one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel, (b) the PDU duplicate received through one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel specified in the UL grant; (c) the PDU duplicate received through one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that corresponds to one of the first sub-band set or the second sub-band set which the UL grant spans more, or (d) the PDU duplicate received through one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that was not used for a last UL grant prior to the UL grant when the UL grant spans the first sub-band set and the second sub-band set of the carrier.
A computer program comprising instructions, the instructions, when executed by at least one processor of an apparatus, causing the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1-17.
A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by at least one processor of an apparatus, causing the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1-17.